2038/Sound & Vision

Sound & Vision
Date of Scene:	17 August 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Oracle, Batgirl (Cain)

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Oracle has posed:
    Barbara is in the midst of a light workout. Which, even with her costumed escapades drastically scaled back from her previous schedule, is a fairly intense workout for someone who -isn't- a costumed vigilante. But it fills the time, especially when Cass is out doing the costume thing and Babs needs something to keep her mind off worrying, or pestering the younger heroine via her earpiece every five minutes. But she's at least got a good idea of when Cass gets back from her patrols, and with how quiet things have been, she's not expecting her to be late.

    And so as Babs winds down her workout with a low groan, towel tossed across the back of her neck, she makes her way into the kitchen of the loft to get herself some cold orange juice, glancing up at the clock and humming to herself. "Well, let's see if Cass gets in on time... and I -should- phone Dinah tomorrow and ask her how Steph's been doing. We've got to come up with that contest idea too..." Jeeze, this whole 'nurturing mentor' thing is far more work than she had considered. Maybe Bruce's 'stern, glowery disapproval from a distance' method is less work intensive. But that's just not her. She's going to get things done her way, and help Cass be the best that she can be.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Batgirl, is, in fact, two minutes early. She steps in through the hidden entrance of the clocktower after making sure nobody was watching. She neatly closes it behind herself and secures the locking mechanism. And then she begins to remove the cowl, along with the boots, and then the costume itself. Thanks much to Babs' insistance, she is at least partially dressed beneath the costume.
    Cassandra runs a hand through her hair, and then moves over silently to the kitchen area, to get herself something to either eat, or drink. Maybe both. She does not seem surprised, in the least, that Barbara is up. Barbara, afterall, only seems to sleep a little more than Batman or herself. She nods an amicable, yet expressionless greeting to her roommate, and mentor in becoming a real girl.

Oracle has posed:
    Babs flashes a little smile to Cass, gesturing to the fridge welcomingly, and letting her gaze do a little wander, just to make sure there's no new scars or bruises or anything else hinting Cass had a rough night. She can't help but almost shake her head... at Cass isn't wandering around as free and breezy as she originally did. Barbara's not so sure she could've taken the sudden turns around corners to nearly bump nose to nose with the girl -sans- partial dress over an extended time. "Are you hungry, Cass? Have anything you want to discuss?"
    She just smiles warmly and settles herself at the kitchen table then, almost drawing her legs up under herself. She's been trying to walk a fine line, somewhere between mentor, roomie, and big sister all in one. She recalls how daunting it was to ask Bruce about anything when -she- was finding her bearings, and Cass has more bearings to find than her, so... gentle and easy, that seems like a good idea to her. She can work on the glowery stern part later.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    As usual, Cassandra seems free and clear of any scars, or bruising. Not, of course, that the same can be said for anyone she might've encountered during her patrol. She takes a glass of orange juice, fills it up, and moves to the table, where Babara is sitting. She considers the question, and earnestly has to mull it over, the tiny cogs in her brain whirring. Did she?
    "Demon." She could be trying to -say- Damian. It's not the easiest name for someone learning a new language, and learning how to talk. Demon is less tricky for the tongue. But then, Damian's 'nickname' is, or was Demon. So it all works out. She points at herself, then looks quizically at Barbara. She knows /part/ of the story, yes. But she doesn't feel she knows /all/ the story.

Oracle has posed:
    Babs tilts her head, brow furrowing slightly. She sips her own juice and then perks those eyebrows up. "Damian?" She waves her hand... okay, like a good few inches shorter towards the floor than Damian is, and puts on her best pouty scowl. "Serious young man? Fights... hm... maybe as well as you?" She lifts her eyebrows up... she hadn't considered just how similar Cass and Damian are. Mind you, Damian seems to be... more in denial about wanting to become a more well-rounded and friendly kid, but she's been needling at him a bit, and seen some improvements.
    She sighs out and nods her head. "You had... similar upbringings. He's a little more rebellious about wanting to... put that training behind him though. More... uncontrolled." She chews her lower lip and gives a little grin, "Friends?" She can't help but figure if they've met, they may just have hit it off. If only to discuss the best batarang throwing techniques.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    "Kill," confirms Cassandra. But, perhaps Barbara would realize after a few moments, knowing her mannerisms better than anyone else, she may be inferring they were both -trained- to kill. She continues, after a moment, "League." Gesturing. That much she's gotten from both Bruce, and Damian. She shakes her head at the friends bit, pauses, and then shrugs, as if uncertain. "Gave. Cat." A pause. "Orphan."

Oracle has posed:
    Babs pauses for a moment... and then she's not -quite- leaping out of her seat, and wrapping her arms around Cass in a hug, just a firm -squeeze- around her shoulders.... because if Cass is being hugged, she's not going to see her totally unflappable mentor looking like she might have some tears well up. "Good. That's good... I mean, Damian needs -something- to mellow him out. Orphan cat. That's..." she sighs and shakes her head. Cass might still be learning to vocalize, but damned if she hasn't got the 'be the more human one' of being Batgirl down.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra looks mildly pleased, and also confused at seeing Barbara's body language. She doesn't inquire, though. She's learned that some body language, you shouldn't call other people out on. So she simply sips her orange juice. She asks, "Fight?" A pause, and she gestures, "League." The League of Assassins, that is. She does not look overly bothered by this possibility, however, even having - while certainly not a full understanding, a decent enough understanding to know she's up against a very serious threat.

Oracle has posed:
    Babs pulls back and gives a little nod, body language showing new tension, more the sort she has during sparring. "If we have to. They... tend to cause havoc now and then. Either trying to get Damian to leave and be their... murder messiah or something, or just because someone high up in the League wants to try and take Batman out. Because that's worked out so well for all the -other- geniuses who try. But... you're honestly already a better fighter than me, Cass." She sighs and shakes her head, "If they try to do anything, just don't -kill- them. But if they need a friend to help them walk home, well... it's not like the name wouldn't clue them off they were joining something dangerous."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    "No kill," confirms Cassandra with conviction. It is, one might say, her mantra. She finishes her orange juice, nodding. Still, it's clear that Barbara worries about her, from the other woman's body language and that has always made Cassandra feel - odd. And then there is the competitive factor in her. To be a -better- Batgirl than Barbara was, which came out of her in tiny fragments, from time to time. Cassandra still wasn't sure how she really felt about Barbara, only that she did like the other woman. Trusted her.
    "Fight." She nods, once. As if she now had a mission. To fight the League of Assassins. For Damian. For Batman. To keep them out of the boys hair.

Oracle has posed:
    Babs smiles and stretches her arms up above her head, back arching, lifting onto her tip-toes. She sighs out and then widens her smile. "Well, we've settled it then. If the League tries to cause any trouble, we'll fight them, beat them, and send them home crying to... okay, well, to Damian's mother." She tilts her head and hums, "But since there's no League around now, and you're done patrolling for the... morning? Night? Whichever... well, we need something to do." She hums out softly, "So... what do you want to do, Cass?" Oh yes, this is the -hard- part of training. Babs trying to get Cass used to having down time, not just a constant cycle of patrol, train, sleep. After all, even Bruce manages the occasional social obligation not in the cowl.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Slowly, Cassandra gets up, streches. She takes the orange juice glass back to the sink, washes it out, and puts it in the dishwasher for later. She is efficient, that way. Then, she moves to the center of the room and takes a combat stance, a silent invitation - or, show of desire to want to spar. Her usual go to.
    Video games she'll probably never understand. Movies? Boring. Too fake. Books? She can't read. And, trying to learn hurts her head more than learning to talk.
    Plus? If she's going to fight the league? She needs to be at her A game.

Oracle has posed:
    There's just a moment of hesitation from Babs. Well... it's not like she can't recover from two workouts... because there's -no- way sparring with Cass is going to be less than an entire new workout. But she can sleep in if she wants to, so she's got that going for her. She sighs out and thinks to herself... she -has- to find this girl another hobby. And since video games, movies, and reading haven't worked she's going to have to get creative.
    Still, she squares off in a defensive position and murmurs out. "Okay, I don't know how long we'll go, but hey, you did real good tonight, so this is like... a reward or something." Yep, a reward of... well, Babs is pretty sure it's going to be a reward of winning the sparring match. But that's fine. Anything that helps Cass out is fine by her.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra, of course, knows she's a better fighter than Barbara. But she's sparred enough with the once-Batgirl to know that skill isn't the only factor. Barbara is damn resourceful, almost as so as Batman. It's that factor she wishes to learn to emulate from Barbara, more than the sparring practice.
    Cassandra moves forward, starting with a simple leg-snap kick to Barbara's side, easy to block, but Cassandra's also -fast-. Not inhumanly so. Just Olympic athlete so. Which is almost inhuman. It'll be a good start to the sparring match, she figures.

Oracle has posed:
    Babs focuses, almost as quick as she was in her own crimefighting prime... the sparring with Cass has been helping her as much if not more than it has her student, really.
    Not that she has time to think on that, lifting her own leg to check that kick and blunt most of the force, throwing out a quick jab towards Cass's head at the same time. Certainly slower than the extremely gifted young woman. But Babs thinks for just a moment, it might've been faster than she ever actually threw a punch in a -fight-. This is going to be something, all right.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra can read the punch coming, of course. That's no surprise to Barbara, though. She moves, cleanly from the jab but it causes her to move into a position in that dodge where she can't immediately counter and attack again. She memorizes that, and if the punch had been evaded a lesser opponent might've been set off balance. But, in another second Cassandra's arms are whirling back for a flat-palm strike at Barbara's chest, slightly directed upwards to slam into her diaphram.
    That's a feint, though. Predictibly, Barbara will try and block that she is guessing even as her other arm is moving to slam into Barbara's kidney instead.

Oracle has posed:
    Babs moves quickly, falling into that familiar rhythm of strike, parry, recover... at least until she parries that blow towards her chest with both arms, only to be caught by the follow up to her kidney. She rolls with the momentum of the punch, turning what would be a solid, if not partially debilitating hit into... well, something that has her huff out a loud breath, wince, and twist her torso. She does her best to sweep her leg out if only to gain some room and prevent another follow up, but it's a touch slow and clumsy. But she blocked that first hit and the second.
    That's -totally- something she's going to brag to herself about, because Cass is just that damned fast. It's like fighting a hurricane or something.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra isn't counting, though she can tell that Barbara is excited. Luckily for Barbara, she's already learned from Batman and Cassandra knows that she can't take advantage of that excitement as a distraction. Instead, she does a double-backlip-handspring away from the leg kick, and then a forward flip, straight back at Barbara, following up with a side-spin towards her, moving to hook her leg into Barbara's own and then try and flip Barbara, put her landlord and mentor, onto the ground.
    Cassandra? Well. It's about as close to 'fun' as she gets. For now, anyways.

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara braces after that handspring away, starting to lower herself as Cass rockets forward with that returning front flip. But it's not the prelude to a high kick she was expecting, indeed, as Cass tangles her leg in with Barbara's and applies leverage, the older redhead feels herself lifted, flipped almost textbook perfectly. In fact, she idly wonders as she watches the ceiling move above her... there's probably something here -better- than the textbook.
    But as she lands on her back, her legs shift, doing her best to lift up and wrap around Cass's hips, trying to take control from beneath, hoping to use her own positioning and lower body strength to try and roll her student down onto the floor and then get the upper position.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra is rolled onto the floor; she's not completely infallible, afterall. She rolls, and as Barbara moves to try to get the upperhand, the difference is Cassandra can see Barbara's moves coming. And, she's already got a counter in mind. She shifts her shoulder up to block the incoming punch and cause it to slide across her arm instead of flattening the blow against her forearm, then she uses Barbara's momentum, grabbing the other woman's forearms and pulling down, while at the same time rolling to her other side, to flip position.
    Then, in a blink, her hand is at the base of Barabara's nose, flat-palm, poised there. And she knows how to slam the nose upward, into the brain. She waits for Barbara to call the fight. She's not looking for the glory of hearing 'I yield', but, simply a sign to stop, tha Barbara does not wish to spar anymore. You never know with a real Bat, afterall, if they have any other tricks up their sleeves.

Oracle has posed:
    Babs is dazed... did she just fall through the Matrix? She's pretty sure she fell through the Matrix. It takes a few seconds before her mind catches up to her eyes, processing the blur of motions that transpired to leave her with that hand almost pressed to her nose. She tilts her head down to -boop- her nose against Cass's palm and puffs out a loud breath. "You win.." It's simple, to the point.
    And it totally still has Babs with that super proud, almost awed tone of voice, as she lets out a shuddering gasp and starts breathing deeper, just catching up on all that breath she forgot to do when she was tense and breathing shallowly. She sighs out and slowly stretches her arms up above her head with a groan. "Okay, do you want the shower first? I mean, you were out on patrol in costume and all, that's like... way more worthy of relaxing hot water than me. I was sitting around most of the night."
    Right up until that whole sparring thing... yep, she's definitely not sitting around now. But it sure beats spin class!

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    "Yes." And, with that, Cassandra rises, and simply, effortlessly, moves to the bathroom. The hot water runs, and a little steam trickles out. Cassandra still doesn't care about shutting the bathroom door when she showers. Maybe it's because the mirror doesn't steam as much when she leaves it open.
    But, another successfull conversation with the girl, who has apparently kitten'd Damian. Another win for Barbara Gordon.