10450/An Orphan Without An Orphanage

An Orphan Without An Orphanage
Date of Scene:	15 December 2019
Location:	Avalon Heights, Avalon
Synopsis:	Stephanie gets a lead on Cassandra and the pair take out some bad guys in search of an assassin for hire
Cast of Characters:	Batgirl (Cain), Spoiler

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Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
HALF A YEAR AGO

*Go. Find you. Don't trust. We don't understand.* It was all Cassandra could infer from Bruce's carefully articulated sign language, but that was what she'd been told before leaving. It made sense at the time - and still does make sense - because the sentiment seemed to jive with what Cassandra felt at the time. An all-consuming, self-righteous need to seek out...

BLUDHAVEN, TODAY

Redemption. A cleansing of stains that would never come out. She didn't seek permission to be in Nightwing's city - she didn't know permission was something she needed. The young night sees Orphan perched atop a Stark-Fujikawa office complex, overlooking one of the myriad cemeteries strewn about the area. While she's certainly unseen in her position and high above whatever she's surveiling, it's not exactly difficult to find if you know what you're looking for.

Gargoyles don't typically look like black-and-yellow ninja.

Currently Orphan is observing a collection of suited men as they push through the unlocked, (typically) unwatched gates of the cemetery. There are maybe four of them, all stocky and broad in the fashion befitting Blockbuster's cronies. Orphan has no idea why they would be in a place of death, but she's seen them surveying the site frequently over the past few days. Tonight, something's up.

She continues watching, until one man withdraws a submachinegun to check its safety and ammunition. In the distance, Orphan's shrouded mouth twists into a frown.

Spoiler has posed:
With Dick serving as Batman he has been burning the candle not just at both ends, but probably sliced into quarters and both ends of each quarter burning. That's eight ends for those who don't handle math story problems well. Stephanie Brown had tried to help ease the burden a bit, taking extra patrols in his area.

Perseverance goes a long way in detective work, though tonight it was just sheer dead luck that was on Stephanie's side. She was going over cameras looking for problem areas to focus on in a coming patrol of Bludhaven, when a flash of yellow and black caught her eye. The Batcomputer's enhanced image caused Stephanie to jump up out of her chair at the computer.

Not long after, a Batcycle was whirring quietly through the streets of Gotham. One pit stop and then down the highways to Bludhaven.

It had taken a lot of searching still, but at least Stephanie had an area to start. Eventually, thanks to the nightvision in her cowl, she spotted the small figure atop the building. Approaching from the back side of the building as compared to the direction being surveilled, Stephanie's bat-grapple clinked softly as it caught hold and she reeled herself in up to the top of the building. A small package in one hand, her attire eggplant purple and black. A variation on the Batgirl costume, the logo across her chest.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Guns! Orphan frowns at the sight of them, but it only encourages her to stay in place. To... prepare. One of the suited lunks has been walking with a limp and would favor that side. Two were far more nervous than they attempted to act, trembling fingers and saccadic focus belying the building terror. The fourth was investigating his gun, calm, and speaking to them. He was in charge. Muscles contract, she prepares to vault from her perch, and--

*clink*

Batgirl won't see Orphan standing on one foot, grapnel gun angled behind her in the unlikely event she falls - but she *is* hanging on by a thread, momentum reversed the instant she heard something *strange*. By the time Batgirl's mounted the platform, her quarry stands almost expectantly upon that selfsame perch, head tilted to the side, tattered cape fluttering in the wind. It's extremely cool.

Beneath that cowl, a bright smile pulls at her lips, hidden by the fabric of her costume.

Spoiler has posed:
The lenses covering the eyeholes of Batgirl's cowl go up, revealing the baby blues that the young woman's posture indicated would be there. No longer the Spoiler costume she was wearing the day Orphan saw her last. And the cowl does nothing to hide that big, goofy smile of hers that reveals her teeth in the happiest of moments.

This is one of those.

The bag she's carrying is from Floros, a little Greek hole in the wall that has the best gyros that man has ever tasted. The seasoning on the lamb and chicken in particular are to die for, but there's a vegetarian one that would have carnivores swearing off their normal fare.

She walks over, cape swirling about her in the wind. Batgirl glances down at the cemetery below, and stays away from the edge to avoid adding an extra silhouette to the skyline where there isn't one. "Missed you so much," Batgirl says quietly.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
The blonde one. Probably the most outgoing of her 'family', and exuberant enough to make up for Orphan's own... difficulties. This is a welcome distraction, though it *is* a distraction. Orphan looks from Stephanie even while the blonde smiles to her - a quick check to the cemetery indicates that Blockbuster's dopes are still dopes... nothing much has happened. Orphan stands there, momentarily a dark guardian of the night, a silhouette against the stars... and shrugs. She pulls her cowl off with a 'what-can-you-do'? attitude.

After a moment's consideration, Cassandra turns and *crushes* to Stephanie, ensnaring the other vigilante in a fierce hug and cheek-to-cheek reunion that'd be awkward if you didn't understand the depth of emotion Cassandra was trying to convey. There's an intensity and fondness there, intended to offset the lack of words and tears. Only after Stephanie says something to Cassandra does she back off. She figured it out.

Nostrils flare while she regards Stephanie - standing on the rooftop where they are, the two are virtually unseen, so it's fine to loiter for a bit. Cassie hasn't eaten in two days and those *gyros*. Gyros! Cass grabs Stephanie's hand, the one holding the bag, and trails fingers down along its handles. This? Bag? For us?

Spoiler has posed:
Batgirl's own cowl is pulled back as Cassandra moves to her. Stephanie hugs her friend with a tightness that speaks volumes. The feeling of the other woman's head resting against her own, a hand up to rest on the back of Cassandra's neck for the moment.

The blond lets Cassandra go, her smile so wide it threatens to leave her face. "I've looked everywhere for you," Stephanie says, her expression showing how happy she is to the other woman.

She takes a moment to look down at the cemetery as well, assuring that Cassandra's quarry are still there. The gesture to the gyros from the little spot that Stephanie had dragged Cassandra to back when causes her to hold the back up and out to Cassandra with a smile and nod. "They are cold by now, but still good," she says with a bright smile. She gives a little sigh. A happy gesture. Like someone who has made it home after a trip.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Fast. Unfortunately fast. The bag's swiped from Stephanie's hands at a velocity that would shock, and Cassandra bears no concern for the tenets of manners and delicacy in the way she selects the lambiest gyro in the bag, tears the wrapper open, and settles cross-legged nearby her perch - close enough to see, but absolutely far enough to be able to comfortably stuff her face.

ONLY after she takes that first bite of cold, seasoned lamb does Cassandra look up to Stephanie, cheeks outpouched, eyes bright. She drops a foot down on the rooftop across from her, bangs her heel there twice - you should take a seat! Another bite of that gyro has Cassie's eyes closing, moisture beading on the tips of her eyelashes.

It's been *so* long. She forgot how much she missed it.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie settles to the rooftop as well, leaving her cowl dangling down between her shoulder blades. The zest and relish that Cassandra shows for the gyro keep's Stephanie's smile the beautiful thing that it is. She takes out the chicken gyro and opens it up to take a bite.

"I owe you so much," Stephanie says. "Missed you so much." Stephanie reaches over to give Cassandra's arm a soft squeeze with her hand to express the emotion in a way beyond words. She lets go then takes another bite of her gyro. Stephanie looks the other young woman over and gestures towards her, a finger making a circular gesture as if to indicate all of Cassandra as she says, "You look good," and a smile given along with the words.

Stephanie taps her stomach and her arm and gives a thumbs up gesture. She was repeatedly kicked in the stomach, and was shot in the arm, while stopping Stockholm from killing the bank teller, mainly by giving her something else to focus on despite being badly outnumbered. Stephanie motions then towards Cass and then clasps both hands over her heart, expression beaming gratitude.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cassandra looks good, but there's no denying that her cheeks are a little gaunt, her eyes a little bloodshot, and her expression a little... drained. Burning the candle at eight ends is a trait she shares with Nightwing, and indeed Stephanie's own observation of the city might indicate that things are less... violent than expected. Cass has been *hauling* ass these past few months.

While chewing, Cassie watches Stephanie with the sort of rapt attention reserved only for those reliant on sight to 'hear'. The squeeze to her arm elicits a smile from Cain, while Stephanie's indication of stomach and arm have her friend's eyes widening in sudden realization. The Stockholm fight. The injuries. Stephanie's 'statement' wins her a nod from Cassandra, who goes on devouring her gyro for a moment.

Stephanie makes a sign of gratitude, certainly, but Cassandra has become more considering than affectionate. General fitness, stature, and bearing are assessed in a single up-down of the silent woman's almond eyes. Only after careful consideration and evaluation does she reach forward to run one finger along the eggplant coloration along Steph's Batgirl suit.

A firm nod.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie was fit before, with a physique other high school gymnasts might envy. Though she's definitely in better shape now. A little more toned in the areas that fighting would develop, indicative of the training she's gone through since Cassandra last saw her.

Stephanie glances down at the Batgirl costume. Her expression is easy enough to read. A mix of pride, and guilt. The costume no doubt meaning everything to Stephanie, but at the same time she must know at least some of Cassandra's past there to worry, Stephanie glancing up to try to read Cassandra's expression and see if her being in the outfit is upsetting to her friend.

Stephanie's eyes meet Cassandra's and she gives a little nod. "I made some mistakes, but learned from them," she says, knowing that Cassandra may not understand it all. Still not always sure what she'll understand and what she won't. "And, Barbara made it," she says of the costume that to fit her as it does, was definitely designed specifically for her. Stephanie bites her lip as she tries to gauge Cassandra's reaction.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Stephanie's words are lost utterly on Cassandra, who instead merely reads the intent behind the eyes, the angle of chin, the pivot of her eyebrows. Stephanie's seeking something - what? Affection, uncertainty, and gratitude. Cassie was just trying to say she liked the purple on the costume! Eyebrows spike into Cassie's hairline as she realizes Stephanie's intent, and she shakes her head *firmly*.

Before she continues, Cassandra leans to the side to place a hand on the building's edge. Blockbuster's goons? Two of them are playing around on their phones. The other two are on the lookout. Nothing. A scowl tugs at Cassie's lips, but she doesn't make any moves towards the men.

She does make a move towards Stephanie. It's just as fast as it had been when she swiped the bag, a burst of motion, a kinetic *SNAP* of her tricep swinging her forearm towards the new Batgirl's closest shoulder, with enough force to knock Stephanie flat on her ass if she doesn't do something about it!

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie wasn't expecting the sudden blow, though her training at least picks up on the movement of Cassie's body enough she starts to get an arm up in a block. Though with the surprise of it, the blow hits Stephanie's shoulder, enough to knock her back though she manages to just stumble and catch herself on a knee and one hand on the ground as she looks up at Cassandra in surprise.

"Ow," she says softly, rubbing her shoulder. "I guess that's a... I'm being stupid?" Stephanie asks. One good thing about the blond. Very expressive face. She often finds it hard to lie convincingly unless she just embraces her vivaciousness to cover up anything else. So probably an easier read for Cassandra, picking up on Stephanie's intent.

Stephanie straightens back up to her feet again, moving back closer, though a little more wary this time in case she misunderstood and the same message is going to be delivered again.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cassandra's already smiling by the time Stephanie rights herself. The blonde's confusion is written in her hunch and the set of her eyes, the uncommunicated question in the set of her lips. Dubious. Wary. Sore shoulder. That this would elicit the smile it does in Stephanie's distant, silent conspirator? It's a conflicting set of messages, for sure.

Of course, being unable to express herself the way she'd like, Cassie's forced to respond to all this with a thoughtful frown. Warm brown eyes cast to the sky for the -briefest- second before she's moving. Fast. As fast as before, as fluid as ever, as liquid as perfection demands. Her right fist, an ebon rocket launched from her hip towards Stephanie's other shoulder.

Repetition. Cassandra's trying to say something.

Spoiler has posed:
There would never be any doubt on which of the two of them is the better fighter, though it isn't like Cassandra is going all out, and Stephanie is prepared for this one. She blocks it aside, with better form than she once had, though there's still a lot of Stephanie making up with sheer effort and determination where her form is lacking.

Stephanie gives a little rub at the shoulder that was hit on the first punch. "Making my skin match the costume with bruises?" she asks, though the goofy twist to her lips would make whatever she said read as a joke. "Are you telling me that I've earned it?" she asks, lowering her arms, though slowly, to see if that's what the point was. Because if not, she's totally going to avoid it being the bruise thing.

Despite the risk of being hit again, Stephanie peers down towards the men below, making sure they aren't getting away, or up to something that needs stopping.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
The block's an awkward one for Stephanie, in the way that Cassandra's musculature has relaxed almost immediately after that block. Where once there was a fist, there's contact and -- a pat on the shoulder, an affirmative *squeeze*, a... tilt of the head. Observation and statement? The details are lost on Cass. After some thought, and a few seconds' worth of wearing a vapid little smile, Cassie speaks up.

She reaches forward to tap the Bat on Stephanie's chest, then pat the girl on the blocking arm. The smile, again. Reassurance. A hundred words that won't find a voice.

Cassie steps up to review the graveyard, shoulder-to-shoulder with Stephanie. The men below aren't doing anything untoward YET, but they're notably more agitated than before. Whatever's going to go down tonight is going to happen in the next few minutes -- or at least, that's these mooks' impression.

Cassandra pulls her hood back on, reaches over to pat Stephanie on the shoulder encouragingly.

Spoiler has posed:
The touches from Cassandra get a smile from Stephanie. "Thanks," she says. "It's taken awhile to feel like I deserve it. And sometimes, I still wonder. Not that they wouldn't have to pry the uniform off my cold body to get it away from me," she says with a soft laugh.

Stephanie's eyes glance off to the side. She touches her ear like someone in the movies on a hidden radio as she says, "Oracle, ignore that if you heard it." She didn't need to touch her ear like that, but it should get the message across she's talking to someone else.

Stephanie smiles and pulls her cowl back up as she looks down on the men. "Anything special you need from them?" Stephanie asks, her expression quizzical. "Or just..." she pats her fist into her hand a few times as she looks back to the men.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
For all the limited warmth she'd just been showing, Orphan is a stone-faced, motionless guardian watching impassively over an increasingly unquiet scene. There's no evidence that she's looking to Batgirl while the eggplant-flavored vigilante explains herself to her own ear - there's just those men, their posture, the angle of their eyes. Hands finding guns. A car screaming to a stop across the street, a quartet of similarly-armed goons piling out.

Orphan offers Batgirl one wide-armed shrug before falling off the edge of that building, a black-and-yellow comet streaking towards the pavement. Hands and feet find brick, gouge a slowing path into its very surface before Orphan's springing forward, bouncing off of the roof of the aformentioned car, and over the fence surrounding the graveyard.

Somewhere along the trip, a trio of yellow-and-black Batarangs found their way into her grip. They're summarily released mid-flight, angling in lazy, hawkeyed parabolas towards the four armed men within the cemetery.

Spoiler has posed:
Batgirl pulls out her grapple launcher as Orphan launches out into space. She shoots it across at another building, one that she can swing in a wide arc while latched onto. And that's what happens, the purple and black clad heroine jumping out into space and her body swinging across the street and around at the men from the side.

A yellow metal baton is drawn from her utility belt, the weapon extending fully to the length of a bo staff while she's still in mid-swing. She arrives at the cemetery, letting go of the grapple to fly the last dozen feet through the air, sweeping out the legs out of one of the men as she lands beside him.

The chase is on.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
"SHIT! BATGIRL!" Anybody in the country would be able to identify the insignia on Batgirl's chest. It's a wonderful distraction insofar as it gives the caped crusader precious seconds before the rest of the men react to her presence. While one's knocked to the ground, gun clattering uselessly into the distance, two of Batgirl's immediate threats are dealing with their nerves. A third is - unfortunately - angling a left hook towards Batgirl's face.

He's not as fast as Cassandra.

The camera zooms out, then zooms -IN- over Batgirl's shoulder, spirals over a few gravestones, out over the perimeter of the graveyard fence! Behind the four in the center of the graveyard, the attackers have barely left their car before a trio of Batarangs expertly puncture the backs of their hands. Three men disabled, the fourth will find himself caught before a maelstrom of black-and-yellow limbs - chin, collarbone, and hip are the points of impact, a rapid-fire melody intended to collapse a posture from the back down. He crumples like a house of cards, just as a second goon's catching a back-heel to the throat.

Spoiler has posed:
"Here we go!" Batgirl cries out as the men become aware of her presence and start to react. "Nice of you boys to give a girl such a warm welcome," she says dodging the left hook by leaning back and then pivoting and delivering a kick to the man's stomach.

"Just be glad I wasn't wearing the boots with the spikey heels," she tells him as he doubles over. Batgirl tosses down a handful of smoke pellets, dark grey smoke billowing up as one of the original men in the cemetery pulls out a gun and fires blindly into the smoke. One of his buddies shouts, "Hey! You're gonna hit e firing wild- oof!" His complaints are cut off by the sound of something hard thudding into his head.

"Screw this!" the gunman says. Bang bang bang!

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Two down, two with bloodied hands - Orphan twists on her heel as she finishes with her high thrust-kick to the back. Her fist captures a third goon in the chin, while an outthrust hand behind her snares the fourth by the throat. She's not strong enough to lift him, but she's certainly moving fast enough to catch him off-guard - a full-bodied *SHOVE* pushes the man up against a lightpost with enough force to daze. He'll come to seconds later, wrists bound behind him, weaponry far removed.

Batgirl's smokescreen is undoubtedly effective, and as the mists clear, she'll find Orphan perched atop a particularly ornate headstone, white eyes peering expressionlessly at the unfolding combat. Behind her, the bound gunman regains consciousness and watches, horrified.

Spoiler has posed:
The gunman runs out of bullets, and luck, at about the same time. The moment he goes to reload, a black figure rises up in the dark of the smoke and claims him, the man giving a strangled yelp that only puts the remaining gunman in a fearful state.

The smoke starts to clear and the man whirls around, which is when Batgirl runs out from behind a headstone to club his wrist with her staff and knock the gun free. He lunges for her and she darts away, the man giving chase as she runs right at a large tomb. He lunges to throw a punch at her but Batgirl runs up the side of the tomb and flips over his head. She whaps him in the side of the head with her staff, taking him down and then beginning to apply batcuffs to all the downed men. "Piece of cake," she says towards Cass.

"By which I mean I'm offering you a slice of cake at a diner, on me," she adds, patting her stomach and licking her tongue over her lips as if thinking of something delicious.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
A backflip strike is going to get you approval from anybody using air to breathe, which is to say -everybody-. Orphan hops off of her headstone and approaches Batgirl, while the other makes mention of hunger and invitation. It's a simple enough message to interpret, but Orphan's all business.

A yellow-and-black-clad thumb presses to the Bat on Batgirl's chest - Orphan pats the girl on the shoulder, again. Repetition. The moment doesn't last long as Orphan moves to approach the conscious gunman - a barrel-chested thirty year-old, eyes wide, face a pale sphere marked only by a few days' worth of stubble. Orphan crosses her arms over her chest and regards the man impassively.

"H-- Whaddaya want, you masked FREAKS! I ain't know a thing! Blockbuster's boys was here before we were!"

Orphan looks from the goon to Batgirl. He might not recognize it, but there's an entreaty in Orphan's posture, a plaintive gesture offered without pride:

Help me?

Spoiler has posed:
Batgirl walks over with one of the submachine guns the men had on them. She crouches down beside the bound man, checking out the gun. Aiming down the sights. "This is some pretty heavy firepower for a cemetery. I like a good ghost story as much as the next girl, but pretty sure .45 slugs don't really do too much to Caspar. Or a vampire. Or werewolf," Batgirl says.

She pulls her attention away from the gun to look at the man's incredulous stare. "Yes, they are real. But let's not digress, shall we? Why are you, and Blockbuster's boys, here and all armed to the teeth?" she asks, ejecting the clip and the bullet in the chamber and tossing the gun aside.

She reaches down to grab the man by his collar and pull his upper body up off the ground. "Start talking and we might let the Freaks comment go. My friend here, real stickler for politeness in conversation. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all, that sort of thing."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
"Th-they ain't..." It's all bluster and desperation from the goon, sweet nothings pretended in an attempt to substantiate belief. Nothing against Batgirl's testimony to the opposite, and a deathly pallor takes to the goon's face. His eyes rove to her while she examines his weaponry.

"W-we... werewolves? HNKRGK--" A hand to his collar doesn't help the goon speak up. Those already-trembling eyes roll from Batgirl to Orphan. The yellow-and-black-clad warrior is flipping a a Batarang between her fingers in a gesture that might be perceived as playful by her peers. It is horrific to those who might not know her. The goon fails to swallow.

"We was told they was meetin' with s-some assassin or somethin'. Real famous. Bloc- HRK--" He chokes on his spit, takes a haggard breath as he finds the purchase.

"Blockbuster wants somebody outta the way! He's only interested in hirin' the best! We wasn't expectin' extra company like this!"

Spoiler has posed:
Batgirl hrms quietly at the answer as if she's maybe thinking that isn't really enough information for them. "And so you were coming to do what? Stop them from meeting with the assassin?" she asks. "Who are you working for that you're worried about them?" she asks.

Batgirl quietly switches her optics, checking out the area with thermal vision, trying to make sure there isn't anyone else around. Though there's so many hiding places in the cemetery, it's probably unlikely a highly skilled assassin would be spotted that easily, she still gives it a try.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
"Lady! Lady? We ain't know! Assassin's ain't--- HNK-- in the yella pages!" The mook's really given up all he's got - his tone's gone wild, his eyes desperate, the pallor in his face replaced with something more vital, more... desperate. Continued questioning would invite confabulation.

There is *nobody* to be found in Batgirl's thermal sweep of the graveyard.

Orphan finishes toying with her Batarang, and secures it to her belt. She looks up - first to the gentleman in Batgirl's grasp, and then to Batgirl herself. A tilt of the head.

In the distance, sirens.

Spoiler has posed:
Batgirl lays the man down again, double checking his pockets and pulling out his wallet. She looks at his driver's license. "Well, Wally. Thank you for the information. Might I suggest trade school instead of... you know. This," she says, wiggling a finger around the cemetery. "Your whole criminal career isn't off to a very bang up start."

She drops the wallet back on his chest after replacing his ID, then rises from her crouch. "So I know a spot with this great raspberry cake," she says, walking over towards Orphan, and starting to leave with her. Knowing that Orphan won't be able to grasp 'raspberry' from what she's said.

But then when did ANYTHING stop Stephanie from talking?