( First Impressions - take_mychances )

[heaven_helps]

Helena Kyle wanted to speak to Mayor Stephens about getting funding for her pet charity. Admittedly, most of the city had given up on the Lance Center, were content to let it rot. Kyle, however, poured her mother's money into it, fighting to keep the Center's head above water. The Huntress was keen to speak to Mayor Stephens too, but that would

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[take_mychances]

There was a fortress of bureaucracy guarding the mayor's office. First, you had to see his receptionist, a young woman by the name of Felicia, who spent more time filing her nails than typing - her real purpose served to direct people to the chairs where they might wait for His Honor to get out of whatever meeting he'd last been in. If you could fill out the paperwork and manage to be seen, you then had to go past her and down the hall to the office of not one but two Mayor's Aides. Besides Dalia Dent, there was another recent hire, Jake Kitteridge. Unlike Dalia, who'd been hired because of her internship and her degree, Jake was the bored, failed-out-of-business school scion of an old friend of the Mayor's. Jake was usually more lenient but Dalia tended to be stickler for the rules where the Mayor was concerned

[heaven_helps]

Gone were the days when a name was all it took to get an audience with the mayor. Forty-- even thirty years ago, the name "Bruce Wayne" would have gotten someone in. Even ten years ago, the name "Dick Grayson" would have made priority lists. But now? Here?

Well, Helena Kyle had no connections to speed the process along.

She paused briefly at the receptionist's desk when she saw it was empty. That made step one a lot easier. As if unaware she was supposed to stop, Helena adjusted her bag and made a turn down the hall, heading for the mayor's office.

If she just walked right in like she had business there, maybe there wouldn't be questions asked. Helena knew it wouldn't work, but it was worth trying.

[take_mychances]

Dalia looked up from her computer when she heard someone coming through. "Can I help you?" she asked Helena.

[heaven_helps]

Helena smiled, adjusting her bag. "My name is Helena Kyle. I'm here to see Mayor Stephens."