April 18, 1989. 8 PM.
In the Gothic-style manor twelve miles west of Gotham, around eight in the evening, its only resident from the family of its founder is, as on all recent nights, preparing for his nightly excursion through Gotham City. But today, his preparations differed from his usual routine.
Bruce Wayne, sitting in a chair before a mirror: "Alfred, I can shave myself."
Alfred Pennyworth: "You shave like, if I may, a goat crossed with a sheep."
Bruce Wayne: "I do shave only so the beard doesn't itch under the mask, neatness isn't the point."
Alfred Pennyworth: "Then it's high time you started shaving all parts of your body. Well, so they don't itch in the suit."
Bruce Wayne, unimpressed: "And the facial hair growth pace can uncover a parallel between the man under the mask and the real person."
Alfred Pennyworth: "Or you could just keep the mouth covered and not worry. … There, just like that." says Alfred, finishing shaving the stubble from Bruce's face.
Bruce Wayne, getting up from the chair: "That'll do. And by the way, the mask would muffle my voice, and I can't afford that."
Alfred Pennyworth: "Of course, why deprive criminals of hearing your angelic little voice while you're breaking their bones, a voice that will haunt their hospital-bed dreams."
Bruce Wayne, still not amused by Alfred's words: "My voice is my only way to instill fear in my opponents without leaving the shadows."
Alfred Pennyworth: "Happy to know that after tonight, there will be one fewer such person. Well, except for one young lady."
Bruce Wayne: "First off, that's not funny, Alfred. I've been dealing with Julia's father for a month and have known her just as long. And we've already been to the movies together once. Tonight is just our first official date."
Alfred Pennyworth: "And second, she'll surely turn out to be some criminal who joins the people dreaming of your voice in the hospital."
Bruce Wayne: "And second, don't get ahead of yourself, Alfred. Who knows what tonight will bring." He says, putting on the freshly ironed and laundered suit.
Alfred Pennyworth: "How delighted I am at how quickly you've adapted to normal life. Just two months to go from a bat-masquerade at night to a such presencefull suit. Unless this is your new style of fighting crime—blinding women with your beauty and driving men mad with envy."
Bruce Wayne, still unimpressed by Alfred's jokes: "It's not about adaptation, Alfred. I've been appearing in society whenever I needed to. Besides, first, two months is too long, especially for me, and second, I'm presencefull enough in your 'bat-masquerade'."
For the next twenty minute, which Bruce spent driving his Ferrari, the views outside the car window were easy to take in. There was no more snow, and the roads weren't icy.
The reason was simple—today it was April 18th. It was on this day that Bruce was going on his first official date since his return.
Arriving at his destination, a movie theater in the north of the West Island—a decently sized one, the largest on the West Island, and if you're the largest on the West Island, you're the largest in all of Gotham—he got out of the car and approached the entrance.
Julia Madison: "Next time, pick a theater closer to your house."
Bruce Wayne: "There no any closer. Or better."
Julia Madison: "Even so, I don't always feel like waiting twenty minutes."
Bruce Wayne: "You don't live twelve miles from the city. And if it's such a problem, we could just watch movies at my house."
Julia Madison: "Exactly, my legs go numb from a seven-minute drive from home to the theater, but sure, let's commute forty minutes round-trip every day."
Bruce Wayne: "That wouldn't be a problem if you just stayed at house."
Julia Madison: "Yeah, that's all I need, to be your little housewife. I'll pass, thank you very much." Though her words weren't pleasant, her tone lacked any truly negative emotion, just mild irritation, which was itself tinged with all the positive feelings, something Bruce understood perfectly.
Bruce Wayne: "Don't worry, that spot already taken away."
Showing their tickets to the usher, Bruce couldn't resist saying to the girl, "Shame I don't have a third, though I suppose you could just slip into the theater with us without one," for which he immediately received a look from Julia, though it still held no malice or anything like it, followed by an unimpressed comment on his behavior.
In Julia's similar reaction, Bruce could see from the first moments that she reminded him of only one person—himself, in moments talking with Alfred. Of course, Bruce had nothing against it, as he had a perfect understanding of how to communicate with such people; after all, he'd been learning from a professional for the last two months, and there was no disgust or contempt for him in Julia.
Entering the theater, Bruce and Julia took their seats, at the very back on the side. It might not seem the most romantic spot, and you usually can't see the film well due to the heads in front of you, but this was one of those cases that was the exception.
Bruce had preemptively bought all the seats in front of them. Though he had the idea to buy out the entire theater so no one would bother them at all, Julia herself talked him out of it, which he didn't mind.
The next hour and a half passed smoothly. On the screen was "When Harry Met Sally…", but it was more just background noise for Bruce and Julia at that moment, as the two simply talked with each other.
If Julia was trying not to draw unnecessary attention from others in the theater, Bruce, as if deliberately, did the opposite, though it only took a second's glance at Julia's disapproving (though more embarrassed) reaction for him to stop it all for the rest of the hour.