Talia stayed at the base for the next two weeks, doing absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. The lesser attention she drew to herself, the better it would be for her.

Later she asked her father permission to go visit her siblings in Cape Town and also take Veruna with her. Ra's had been busy those days already so he didn't think much of it and granted her his permission.

He hadn't yet heard any further rumors about Talia and Veruna so he assumed it had probably been a misunderstanding and relented a bit, knowing that even he couldn't afford to have Talia on the opposing side. He knew his daughter was growing distant from him and he had to mend their relationship so he decided to give her a slight free hand just to make her believe that he trusted her and as a result, she should do the same.

Talia on the other hand took that opportunity and made use of it the way she wanted to.

Right next day she and Veruna along with five other assassins acting as their guards set out for Cape Town.

She had sent a letter to her brother, knowing that it would reach him probably a day before they would and give him time to prepare for the unexpected visit.

As expected, Dusan received the letter a day prior to the group's arrival. And so he began to make sure the quarters for housing the assassins coming from the primary base were adequate enough and everything else in their base at Cape Town was running smoothly.

Because he thought perhaps Ra's was sending Talia over to keep them in check just like he had done so with the League's strongholds in other cities. But he did not intend to tell Nyssa that and make her further anxious upon Talia's visit.

"Why is she coming here?" Nyssa's crisp voice shook him out of his thoughts and he turned to face her, seeing that she looked thoroughly annoyed by the idea of hosting Talia and her squad.

"Because she can," he replied, adding in a softer tone, "she's our sister."

"Your sister," she interjected, her emerald eyes looking away from him, "all she has been to me is a rival who succeeded in showing me down."

Dusan sighed wearily, knowing the next couple of days would be hell for him if the two sisters kept at each other's throats. "Nyssa, she's not that bad, trust me. The reason she has been cold towards you is that you kept on making her think that you would leave no opportunity to steal her rank."

"I did nothing of the sort."

"You claiming the title for the Head of the Demon Fist was enough implication."

Emerald eyes pierced through his light silver ones, "why should I not have? Is only Talia allowed to take every prestigious title because she happens to be Father's favorite?"

He shook his head, trying to get her to see sense, "there's no such thing as favorites for Father. He treats us all the same; I've seen it with my very eyes."

Nyssa was about to fire back a retort but paused seeing that slightly sad expression on her brother's face.

"He doesn't trust her either and he degrades her too just as much as he does with us," he told her, "I would say we are better off living away from him because now we don't have to go through that daily."

"That can't be true... He clearly favors her more than he would ever favor us. Just because she has been the perfect heir, the perfect daughter and the only one out of us who could be fit to be his successor."

"You are overthinking," he gently patted her head, just like he used to do so with both Talia and Veruna back when they were children, "come, we have to welcome her and show her that we're there for her. She's coming to meet us after all."

"To meet you only I would say," she huffed still not sure about the whole prospect of Talia visiting their base, "but I'll come along if you insist. Don't expect me to be amiable to her though."

"I won't," he remarked with a slight smile, "it's amusing to see you two bicker. As long as it's nothing serious..."

The last sentence was clearly a warning and though it should have made Nyssa angry, she knew deep down her brother was trying to look out for her.

He didn't want her to get in trouble by going against their sister who was also the designated heir to the Demon Head.

***

The next day there was much anticipation at the base in Cape Town as they were all preparing to welcome Talia. Nyssa had relented as well upon Dusan's request and was standing beside him in the courtyard albeit reluctantly.

"I still think she's here on an ulterior motive," she mumbled but Dusan laughed as if it was preposterous.

"There's no such thing like that. She's here to escape Father's strict watch for a few days and rejuvenate herself."

"This is our base, Dusan, not a retreat spot."

"Exactly," he nodded, but the amusement in his eyes lingered.

The gates parted and the small squad eventually stepped in, being welcomed warmly by the rest. Talia dismounted from her horse and so did Veruna so that they could be led to the stables while the two of them stepped ahead into the courtyard.

A smile played upon Talia's lips to see Dusan and he nodded his head in acknowledgment. Her gaze flickered towards the short curly haired woman beside him who shared the same emerald irises she had but was looking back at her in caution.

Nyssa didn't look too pleased to see her there and considering their past interactions, Talia didn't blame her.

"Dusan, it's so good to finally see you," she had stepped forward and embraced him, much to Nyssa's surprise as she had not been expecting Talia to be that affectionate towards him. But then she faced her and added, "Nyssa."

"Talia," she replied in acknowledgment, keeping her arms folded to indicate that she was in no mood for a hug or a handshake.

"It's good to see you too, sister," Talia replied and the slightly softer tone confused Nyssa further.

But she didn't say anything, only nodded her head once.

"Come, supper is ready and you all must be tired from the journey," Dusan spoke up, leading them in, "and I'm glad you brought Veruna too."

Veruna smiled slightly, evidently glad to see Dusan as well.

Talia remarked in reply, "I had to. She's the commander of my squad after all."

The dining hall was set with a rather sumptuous feast that Dusan had asked to be prepared in honor of his sister's arrival. After dinner, the rest of the assassins who had come with Talia were taken to their quarters and Veruna also excused herself. That left only the Al Ghul siblings in the hall.

"Is Father doing well?" Dusan initiated the conversation, sensing the deliberate silence on both his sisters' part. 

"He is doing as usual," Talia replied dryly, "how are things here?"

"The usual," he replied, "but you coming here is a nice change. We are glad to have you over."

"Doesn't seem so," she swept Nyssa a look but the woman scoffed, looking away.

"I don't know what it is between you two but I hope this stay will end without a fight," Dusan spoke up, acting like a mediator, "the three of us share the same flesh and blood. It does not set a good example to fight among us."

"I came with no intentions of fighting," Talia replied and then sighed softly, "to be honest, I needed a break."

Dusan looked at Nyssa as if to tell her that he had been right in his assumption. She rolled her eyes, in no mood for listening further. But it did surprise her that even Talia had to go through a similar ordeal as they did.

She thought Ra's would trust his favorite child and Talia might not have to put up with the degradation that the other two constantly had to face. But perhaps Dusan was right and she wasn't exempt from it either.

Perhaps Ra's had a problem with all of them and if they weren't his own flesh and blood, they wouldn't have been alive for so long either.

"That's exactly what I told Nyssa," Dusan's voice broke Nyssa's morbid train of thought and she looked back at the two of them, "but we'll talk about this later. Your room has been prepared for you, Halime will show you to it."

The woman he had referred to was standing outside the hall, waiting for Talia to come out so that she could do her assigned duty.

"And what about Veruna's room?"

"She will be staying in the room next to yours. I believe she has already been directed there."

Talia nodded, standing up to leave, "I appreciate the hospitality, brother. I will see you two later."

"Sure."

***