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I'm Batgirl, one of Gotham City's crimefighters.I've been working with Batman's new partner (sidekick, partner, whatever!) Robin this week.Batman sent us out on patrol together.I'm usually relatively level-headed, and people say that I'm mature for my age, but this kid just rubs me the wrong way sometimes!I'm not sure if he detests me, or if he's envious that he's not the only person that Batman is partnering with.Either that, or he just doesn't believe that girls, or rather women should fight crime.I could say Batman's doing this as a punishment, but I know better. Maybe it's a lesson on cooperation?The mission commenced here in Gotham with Batman only a few years ago.He was taking names and kicking butts in the worst districts of Gotham. I began my crime-fighting career about a year ago.Lately, it's been Batman and Robin; Batman the mentor/bossman/ etc., and Robin the partner/sidekick/punster.They worked well together, so well that they could almost finish each others' sentences, yeesh!For a new kid on the block, it was almost like they were related or something.I always yearned to fight crime, and I truly admired Batman for what he accomplished.I wanted to be precisely like him, so I designed my uniform similar to his, but in my own feminine and personal style.I understood what I was doing because I was schooled by the best. My father is the police commissioner of Gotham. He had me training in martial arts and self-defense since I was a little kid.Later I expanded to adding in gymnastics and ballet to my classes because I love the rush that I get from using my physical strength.So, one evening I decided it was time to get my feet wet and begin my own personal mission, so I went out on my dad's old Yamaha after I painted it black to go and search for criminal situations and kick them in the butt.I began my mission going up against some lesser criminals, stopping an occasional mugging, robbery, or assault.That took some intuition and some courage but wasn't too hazardous just yet.I expected to get some familiarity under my belt before going after the bigger and more insane criminals. And Gotham City has more than its own percentage of those costumed fiends.I tried to stay off of Batman's radar until I got became more skilled, more experienced, stronger, and developed that instinctive awareness that would keep me breathing and in one piece.A few sightings of me were reported in the newspaper far from the front page, and that was fine with me.I wasn't intending to make a big splash for headlines or notoriety, and I didn't want any publicity either. I only intended to make Gotham a safer and better place where I'm happy to reside.After a few months of experience of handling the smaller crimes, I began going after gangs, and larger criminals.And I'll admit, I certainly got my butt handed back to me several times, but I continued training and I kept on cleaning up the filth that inhabits this city.I developed a few weapons of my own, testing them on the lower echelons of Gotham slime.Soon I had a utility belt of my own that could nearly rival Batman's.My abilities and composure kept improving and it was eventually the right time for me to go after the largest fiends out there.I felt I was ready now. Killer Moth was my first of the bigger fish because surely, he was the smallest of the arch-criminals in town.I could cut my first arch-criminal teeth on him and his crew.He was skulking around in the library while I was working there, and I overheard him and his hoodlums make plans to kidnap a billionaire that visited the library that day for ransom, so I paused and eavesdropped, unseen. Nobody ever pays much attention to the librarians, anyway, and why should they?I saw Bruce Wayne and some other man in his well-heeled circle that I'd glimpsed before on the news, and Killer Moth and his mob looked like they were ready to attack.I went into a storage room and changed into my uniform, and silently idled behind a bookcase for Killer Moth and company to make their play.Pretty soon he's going after the guy that Mr. Wayne came in with, who owns substantial industry in Gotham and comes from old money heritage.Things began happening fairly quickly.First, Mr. Wayne rushes to fetch the police; and as I'm about to go on the assault, Batman appeared!Batman gets himself ensnared in a sticky cocoon of Killer Moth's creation, and I free him using my laser.Batman thanked me for my assistance, and I couldn't help but flirt with him just a little!He started boldly asking me for my name, but I wasn't willing to tell him, so I asked him to give me his name instead. I think he must have realized after that; that we both deserve some privacy about who we secretly are, and he didn't try to ask me again.Soon we're fighting Killer Moth and his gang and handing them their asses, and shortly have them tired up like a Christmas package all snug and ready for the police.Anyway, we wind up intersecting more frequently and working on major crimes as we began to trust each other. Then one fine day, Robin the Boy Wonder comes along.But the Boy Wonder is scarcely civil to me.Not friendly nor mean.Just civil.And cold. Like an iceberg!And eventually, Batman notices and presumably realized that we should work together on patrol to become more accustomed to one another.
'Wonderful', I assume.
So we're on a rooftop, and little Robin is dismissive of me as usual.He notices some criminal activity happening in the alleyway beneath us and descends without a word or an indication to me. Because obviously, I must be either Invisible or a Helpless Female. Most likely 'the girl who believes she can do this job but can't because she's merely a girl.' He treats me like dirt!The kid has great moves, I'll acknowledge that.So I descend on my rope and join in the action and he gives me one of those glares that say a thousand words.Words lIke: 'what the hell are you doing here? I got this and I don't need a girl to help me!' Well, so I imagine. Alright, maybe not a thousand words, but quite a few!
Seriously - boys!
So when he returns to the roof to use his binoculars and ignore me again, I take them from him for a moment and just grimace at him, long and hard using my best evil scowl. "Why are you giving me the evil eye?" he asks me."Because if I stare long enough, maybe you'll implode," I answer him. I'm annoyed by now and wish that I could develop some form of heat vision to scorch him with a fierce stare."What did I do?" he questions me with a whine."We're supposed to be patrolling together, not just me watching and you getting all the action, Bird Boy," I answered him none too nicely.I was pissed!"No, you have it wrong, you're here to watch and learn from me!" he snarls at me, acting superior."Oh really?" I asked him. "Who said that? It certainly wasn't Batman, because his exact words were that we patrol together. Listen, we don't have to like each other, I realize that. I'm not trying to push you out if that's what you're worried about."I'm not in this for thanks either, I'm here to keep things safe so when I finally do get a few precious hours of sleep, I can rest knowing that maybe I just made my city a tiny bit safer. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it!" I practically shouted at him.Man, he just got me so angry!He just looked at me like I'd suddenly grown an extra head, his eyes became so large and wide.Somehow I must have shocked him. He looked oddly at me. I wasn't sure he wouldn't take a chance at hitting me just then, but at this point, I'd welcome any excuse to give him a good beating."Who says stuff like that anymore?" he was incredulous. Now he looked at me again strangely, as though I was 90 years old or something."That's just the way I've always talked. I guess I'm different like that." I couldn't help but start laughing so hard that it hurt. I wasn't sure if he was making a joke or just thought I was crazy, and I didn't even care at that point.But I couldn't stop laughing, either. Maybe I needed that bit of release. After a few moments, he started laughing along with me, too.Things went a little better for us both after that.I guess maybe I finally cracked that hard shell that little Bird Boy had around him.