Eloisa Maroni; naive.Eloisa was not new to charity functions and unlike her brothers she quite enjoyed them - whether it be because she was able to dress up or simply because it gave her very limited leeway. However, the brunette mused, she was astonished that she was allowed out of her uncle's line of sight. Sal Morani had been quite displeased with his young niece and he had no quarrel with letting her know that. Upon returning to her brother's apartment, after her venture to Falcone's turf a few nights ago, she was subjected to being berated by her uncle - he swore it was for her own good, but his words only picked at Elle's thinning nerves. Her actions had been ignorant, she was well aware, but she didn't need to be treated like an impudent child.
"You think Bruce Wayne will be here tonight? The young brunette grinned up at her date, or rather one of the men Don Morani sent her with that night.
"I feel so bad for the boy." Eloisa knew first hand what it felt like losing both of your parents - but she couldn't imagine how horrific it felt to lose them so young, to actually witness their deaths - it made her shutter. Her date, a young Italian named Vincent, gave a lift of his broad shoulders as he led her thin frame towards the mass of dancing bodies.
"Some think they deserved it."" The lack of her date's empathy caused the brunette to crinkle her nose in both annoyance and disgust. What had she been expecting? Some people may have deserved death, but she doubted the Waynes deserved the card of fate they were handed - but despite their conflicting opinions she remained silent. She was no fool when it came to her uncle's men - they only cared for themselves and there was no changing that.
"Doubt the kid will be here though. He keeps himself locked tight in that lil manor of his. Well that was unfortunate - Eloisa had been wanting to give the young Wayne her condolences. She pouted to herself, but said nothing on the matter as she continued the short dance with Vincent, his tattooed arms tight around her petite waist. Despite the fact that she was in the arms of a reasonably handsome man, a male her uncle would no doubt approve of, Eloisa found her eyes wandering over the unfamiliar faces for one person in particular. She knew it was foolish to seek out Oswald Cobblepot, downright idiotic, but regardless she could not put a lid on her growing curiosity.
"You alright, princess? You seem distracted tonight." Eloisa allowed herself to smile - it almost sounded like the boy cared for her well-being.
"I'm fine, Vinny, I was just looking around." Eloisa leaned up and pressed a brief kiss to the man's stubbly cheek, a simple gesture of friendship. Vincent didn't look quite convinced, but decided against looking too far into it. Truthfully the young man didn't care all that much if the girl was distracted or not - he was just here for a job, to make sure she didn't run off again, because if she did it would be his head on a platter.
"I'm going to get myself a glass of wine. I won't be long." She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before pulling away from his embrace as the song came to an end.
"Go find yourself a pretty broad and dance the night away, Sir Vincent." Vincent grinned at the brunette's teasing and didn't bothering mentioning that he was quite content with having just her in his arms, because he knew that Maroni's beautiful niece was off limits. The girl's date figured that no harm could possibly come to Eloisa in the public eye so he took her advice; there were far too many pretty faces to pass up.
That was easier than expected, the girl thought as she neared the bar. As she took a seat on one of the stools she smiled at her peers before ordering herself a drink. Admittedly she wasn't much of a drinker - but she didn't mind a sip of fruity wine here and there.
"Thank you, love." She smiled as the bartender, a kind-faced blonde, handed her a glass. As she took a small sip from her glass her slender fingers tapped against the bar - the same tune of the music that played behind her. Charity functions were far more fun when she was a young girl, the brunette decided with another sip of her wine
Alfred Pennyworth; loyalty."Of course, Mr. Pennyworth. To be honest we've dealt a little more harshly with Thomas. There shouldn't be any further issues." The teacher's soft voice left the Butler feeling slightly better with the situation at hand. He knew very little of how the situation had been treated except for the fact that both boys were handed detention – it was good to know the other boy was actually being dealt with. Even when Alfred had been a boy he knew that bullies were hardly dealt with accordingly – and if they were they simply came back worse. Alfred knew that after their lessons Bruce could handle his own more so now than before, but it didn't make the predicament any better in Alfred's eyes. Bruce didn't need to feel on edge while trying to tend to his studies – the boy had been through far too much in the past year. Truly, the caregiver fretted over the unanswered question that maybe he pushed the young boy to come back to school far too early.
Had he given him the appropriate amount of time to grieve? He was well aware that the decision to pull Bruce from school could possibly have more cons than pros – but it was the only thing he could think of. It wasn't just because of the fights, Alfred told himself, he was more so trying to figure out what would be best for the young boy. "But he wouldn't get the other peer interaction as much- I assume. There's the chance he could feel isolated in the home constantly, or he could simply develop phobias or anxiety about down the line about stepping out of the home." The Butler nodded his head as he listened to the teacher's advice – she was only putting a voice to his thoughts.
"Right, right. We wouldn't want that." He voiced, because the last thing he wanted was for the young master to develop phobias or some type of anxiety. It was good for the boy to get out – he didn't need to be cooped up with just himself and the old Butler. It wasn't fair and like the teacher mentioned he would only feel isolated. He didn't want to be the cause of any grievances Bruce may experience in his approaching future – he wanted his childhood to run smoothly, because despite the fact he was only a Butler he did care for the lad. He wasn't sure if the woman was just telling him what she thought he longed to hear, but the reassurance was helping him. Since the death of the Waynes he felt a weight on his shoulders, a constant weight that pinned down his mind. He didn't want to let them down or Bruce, because he knew the boy was meant for great things.
"I believe it'll be beneficial to keep Master Bruce in school for now,"He concluded once the teacher had become quiet. Abandoning the school would be the easy way out and that's not how he wanted Bruce to skate by in life – he wanted Bruce to know that quitting because things were tough shouldn't always be an option.
"Thank you for your opinion on the matter, Ms. Ardral. I was a bit at a loss and I assume that your instinct is valued by Bruce. The warmth of the woman's eyes truly had the Butler captivated – such good intentions and genuine care for others was rare in the city of Gotham. The stunning Goddess of a woman truly looked out of place,
"Excuse my prying Ms.," Alfred started, his curiosity getting the best of him. He knew anything about the woman was none of his concern – and he was well aware that the teacher was probably waiting anxiously so she could hurry home – but nonetheless he still voiced his question; the question that had been bugging him throughout their short meeting.
"Are you new to Gotham?" She had to of been – he mused – there was absolutely no way she grew up here. Most women that had resided in Gotham since birth had a certain hardness about them – not that the Butler blamed them very much – Gotham was not fit to be home for ladies, it was a home for criminals. Of course, he wouldn't admit all of this to the woman; he wouldn't want to come off as if he had paid much attention to her face. Ms. Ardral was a beautiful woman and he would have been a fool to believe she wasn't spoken for – she probably had a mister she was in a hurry to get back to.