2129/A Hope to Improve

A Hope to Improve
Date of Scene:	22 August 2017
Location:	Themyiscrian Embassy
Synopsis:	Cassandra continues her lessons with Diana Prince, meets Stephen Strange.
Cast of Characters:	Wonder Woman, Batgirl (Cain), Doctor Strange

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Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana had had a meeting with the teacher she'd hired to teach Cassandra how to read and write, the teacher had been working with the child for the past two weeks and every day the Amazonian would speak with the 60-something year old teacher who came with wildly high academics behind her resume... yet no progress was being made. This concerned Diana a great deal. After two weeks of nothing coming of the schooling, something worse must be at-play here.

And now the teacher had come to Diana today with her letter of resignation and a sincere apology.

Diana had accepted it and thanked the woman for her efforts, shown her out of the Manhattan Embassy and then turned to give the handwritten letter to one of her Sisters who was also here in the Embassy with them. She'd then set out to find where Cassandra might be, hoping to have a chat with the girl who never chatted.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Not that Cassandra ever felt she had down time in Gotham. There was so much to patrol. But, she understood, at least at heart, what both Batman and Wonder Woman were doing, and, Batman had ordered it. Therefore, it must serve a purpose. Cassandra had learned some, certainly. One of those things was how to at least begin to function in higher society, or at important social gatherings. And, the fact she spoke little, observed much had likely at times served Diana well, when Cassandra could signal to the other woman if the advocates and ambassadors she was working with were lying or not. Cassandra Cain: living lie detector.
    Today finds Cassandra sitting in her embassy room, meditating, the door open, centering herself. And, as she hears Diana's approach she slowly opens her eyes, but remains sitting.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana had also told Cassandra that she wasn't allowed to train here with her Amazonian sisters, which might be frustrating considering that the Amazons trained on a daily basis. Especially Diana's three sisters who were here from Themyscira to aide Diana, and also learn how to function in 'Mans World' society, which means Cassandra was at least not the only one attending 'Wonder Woamn's School'.

Diana had not, however, said that if Cassandra had no other tasks assigned to her, that she couldn't observe the Amazons train, and even help retrieve them anything they needed during their training sessions... So this is where Diana had first looked for Cassie, but she had not been there, in the large hall set asside with training equipment and weaponry of all varities... One of Galatea's sisters had said where to find her though, and this is where Wonder Woman went next.

A light knuckle tap to the open door. "Cassie dear?" Diana's soft and calming voice spoke out. She graced the doorway now and placed her hands together in front of her lap, Diana was wearing business-casual attire today, her black hair was tied back in a braid. Diana's blue eyes watched the girl and smiled at her.

"Are you well?" She'd ask then.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    A sharp nod, silent, to the question. She is quite alright. She rises, smoothly, tips her head in query to Diana, as to the other woman's dress. She was certain Diana had told her there were no appointments, or meetings she would need to attend with the Princess today but things -did- change. Cassandra moves to her closet, barefoot in her relaxed wear and gestures to the thing, supplied with several 'business' and 'formal attire' that Cassandra had at first fidgeted so much in and sat so awkwardly in that - well, it was apparent she'd never worn one before.
    She'd at least learned to tolerate the things, by now. And knew what was expected of her. And if Diana was certain of one thing, it was that Cassandra was very obedient. Very disciplined, and she was not one to complain.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Complaining, was one thing Diana wanted to see out of Cassandra though. At least to a level within reason. Diana wanted Cass to become her own person, and not the tool of others to be used as they saw fit. She wasn't a mindless robot to be commanded about a battlefield. 'You are your own person, Cassandra.' Diana had said to the girl almost every day, slipping it into conversations here and there.

"Misses Richardsons has told me she does not think she can help you learn to read and write." Diana said softly to the young woman, observing her, but of course looking away to give the girl any privacy she'd need. "Is something you are okay with? I know that the lessons were frustrating for both of you, but I think something more might be at-play here and I think we may need to tackle it from another direction." Diana would look to her with a soft expression of concern.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra pauses, moving away from the closet, then, clearly sensing Diana's concern in her body language, and her desire to help Cassandra out in the task assigned to her by Bruce. She walks to Diana, and stares the Princess in the eyes, briefly. Then, she takes Diana's hand, gently, and moves Diana's hand to her own temple, points Diana's index finger to the Princess' temple. "Yes," she says.
    Then, she takes her own hand after letting Diana's go, and points it to her own temple, and she shakes her head. "No."
    She exhales, and shrugs, and even offers the ghost of a smile. Brief. But, it's there. Then her eyes narrow, in deep concentration as she considers, "Not. Same." Again, she points at her head.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The young girl had certainly worked out her own way of communicating, and Diana was fine with allowing it. It was a far cry from how it first went in the beginning of this arrangement that Bruce had placed upon her without even asking prior to showing up to the League's Hall. In fact, Diana hadn't spoken to Bruce since that day, but that was fairly common for the two of them since they'd become work-relatives in all of this.

Diana would show a small smile back to Cassandra and she'd gently dip her chin in a single nod to the girl. "I have no doubt that you want to learn, Cass, dear." She told her. "You could benefit from it, tremendously. Afterall, as crass as it may be to say... knowledge is indeed power."

Diana would glance around the girl's room that had been setup for her in the Embassy. She'd been given one here in Manhattan and one also in the larger Consulate in Metropolis. This room was also smaller than the room in the Consulate, this was more like a normal sized bedroom in any-given upper class home. The Consulate had rooms that were almost like penthouse suites.

"I hope that you know that my ultimate goal is to help you though. I do not want you to resent me, for pushing you into challenging situations."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Seeing Diana's genuine concern, Cassandra shakes her head, momentarily even vigorously. Again, her eyes scrunch. She seems to consider her words again, her methods. Diana's not -quite- her friend, but she's not quite like Bruce, either. More, at least to her, like a mixture of Barabara Gordon and Bruce as odd as that may seem. She settles with, "Good," to Diana, and, another half ghosted smile. And he nods again, to affirm it, and her understanding that Diana does want to help.
    As Diana looks about her room, she does too. The room is quite spartan, she's not one to find solace in art, or put posters up, or even decorate. She is, ultimately, thankful for the simple things in life.
    She considers a question, then. She points, out in the hall. Out, to where the girls are sparring. Then, she looks to Diana. "Friends?" Her tone curious.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"We really need to get you to pick out some stuff to put in here, things that appeal to you. Some paintings or photos." Diana looked back to Cassandra with a reassured smile after the young woman's response. "I have an old camera that I used to use to take photos on my trips around the world. I would very much love to see some photos from you taken on it, framed and hung up in here. If you'd like to do that." Which was true, she'd be quite curious to see the photos that inspired the girl enough to want to hang them up.

At the pointed question, Diana glanced back over her shoulders. The sounds of the sparring could be heard coming from the Hall several doors down from this room, clashing metal on metal.

"Ah, somewhat." She'd reply, looking back to Cassandra and motioning her to follow. "Themyscira is an island of only women. We generally refer to one another as Sisters as we are all a family, a rather large family... but still." She showed another light smile.

Diana would lead Cassandra down the hallway toward the doorway that lead out onto a balcony above where the Amazonians were sparring. "Galatea and Rislie." She said theirs names to the girl. The third Amazon on the property was the redhead, Adrastea, but she wasn't here just now.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Whether or not she wanted, or cared, if her walls were decorated, Cassandra doesn't seem to have a real opinion on, yet. Instead, she followed Diana out to the girls training, nods, once, to the names given. She will remember them even if their names may, presently, be beyond her ability to pronounce or find their way past her lips even after she's heard them several times.
    "Not. Friends." Cassandra nods. The question, to Diana, might be odd. As it was not a topic Cassandra had brought up before, or for that matter, even shown interest in. But now, her interest is equally invested in watching them fight - it is, afterall, Cassanrdra's skill. Her passion, no matter how twisted the origin of it was.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana pulled her eyes off of the two down below and she brought up a warm smile toward Cassandra. "Sisters can, and often are, friends, Cassandra." She told the other. "So yes, we are. I should hope at least!" And then her smile turned into a light grin.

A glance was given once more to the combatants and she continued. "I know that you would prefer to be doing what they are doing, rather than following me from appointment to appointment, but now simply is not the time for it." She drew in a breath and watched the two down belong smash swords against shield. The blonde haired one was actually using two swords while the brunette had a short javelin and a large round shield.

"I am supposed to return to Themyscira soon." Diana said then, looking back to Cass. "You are more than welcome to come with me... if you would like. I am welcoming a new resident to the island. A dragon." She grinned lightly again to the other girl. "Would you like to see a Dragon?"

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra, of course, did not have the backgrounds that most children have. She had only vaugely heard of dragons, briefly, and as an aside. Her eyes shift, intently, to Diana. She had, however, heard of Themyscira, and how isolated the island was. Bruce had given her a brief synposis of Wonder Woman on their travel here, that very first time. A chance to see, perhaps train with the Amazons on their own island was not something to pass up. Even if she might be restrained from training, she could still watch them all.
    And, of course, see how - isolated peoples function. She nods, once. "Yes." She says, though Diana might misinterpret exactly what she was saying yes too.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana would grin at the other's reaction to getting invited to not just see Themyscira in-person, but also to potentially meet and see a dragon? Not many would want to pass up an opportunity like that, especially a young person looking for experiences and excitement in their life.

"Good." Diana said to the girl with a soft nod.

"Come along then, lets go see what we can scrounge up in the dining hall." She'd reach out to place her left hand upon the back of Cassandra's shoulder to help guide her out of the training hall.

"I think they said something about pizza tonight." Which was one of Diana's personal favorites.

Doctor Strange has posed:
When the doors to the Embassy swing open and a man wearing a sharp three piece suit in an earthy dark toned brown suit with a few charcol pin stripes. The man with silver streaks in his black hair walks past the receptionist pulling out a badge from his breast pocket and flashing it towards the desk clerk and moves deeper into the lobby.

Once inside he looks left and then right and then up to the vaulted ceiling, "Yes." He mumbles to himself and taking a few steps he puts his hands on the off set table and with a groan from his gritten teeth, Stephen starts to shove it even closer to the wall. At least one side of it.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    A nod of affirmation at the offer of food, something Cassandra was at odds with. Really delicious food at Wayne Manor (courtesy of Alfred) or things like pizza at the Watchtower, as Barbara seldom cooked for herself with her nose being buried in her computers all the time.
    The girl, dressed in simple relaxed wear and barefoot, follows her mentor into the kitchen to grab a few slices. She feels she should do, or say something, for the offer that Diana's made her. And, for the effort that Diana has put into everything. She finds the words hard to say - not because she doesn't mean them, but, they are, for her, literally hard to say. "Thank. You."
    She pauses, momentarily going into protective mode as she hears the sounds, and then instantly relaxes as she reads Stephen's body language. She stares at him, silently, intently, with awareness that most girls her age lack.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"Of course." Diana said to Cassandra's thanks, a big smile on her lips then as it pleased her to see the girl enjoying something, especially when its something as wonderful as pizza.

But she-to was now distracted by the noises that were coming from Doctor Strange barging into the training hall / dining hall and she looked up to peer out through the arched doorway that lead into the hall.

"Never a dull moment." Diana muttered under her breath as she started to walk toward Stephen with a plate of pizza in her own hands, which might amuse anyone to see her with, but hey... Wonder Woman can like good food too!

"Stephen." Diana said to him, her two training sisters paused their fighting to glare at the man in the suit who just barged into their home.

"What, precisely, have your gotten yourself into now?" The Princess asked, glancing back to Cassandra for a moment to make sure the younger one saw that this wasn't an emergency situation, yet at least.

Doctor Strange has posed:
"I am at the precipice of causality!" Stephen says strained by his effors to continue to push the table until it's satisfactorilly clear of the area he requires to do his work.

"We, here, this very room, this ..." He pauses and snaps his hands out in a rapid motion, his palms glowing pink with runes seemingly errupting painlessly from his flesh. "This is one of the focal points of the planet. Several of the terra firma ley lines pass through this point." His hands continue to spew light onto the floor until he clasps his palms before his face and laces the fingers intricately.

"Diana, I am preparing a very powerful spell to save a young woman's life. In a way. And I require six separate locations in order to focus not only my magics, but the very mana of the Earth."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Cassandra looks at Stephen, still. Her face is utterly unreadable, a neutral expression that simply suggests she's watching him - not on a level of mistrust, but openly scrutiniing him and every single nuance the man made.
    She nods once, to Diana. A sign that Diana would have come to learn that Stephen -is- speaking the truth. At least, as far as he believes, at any rate.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana showed a soft smile to Cassandra for reaffirming the doctor's truth telling needs, the teenage girl was like the lasso... in human form?

"Cass. This is Doctor... Stephen Strange." She'd do a hand motion with her right hand from one to the other. "Stephen, this is Cassandra, she's staying with us here... studying under us." She could tell that the Doctor was in one of his mindsets where he was very focused on something.

At Cass, she continued. "As apt as his surname is sometimes... case-in point... Stephen is a friend. We have worked together several times in the recent past."

At Stephen she'd look then. "That all sounds very serious though... Is there anything I can do to help you?" She asked, her black eyecrows lifting up some above her sparkling blue eyes.

Doctor Strange has posed:
Stephen glances at Cassie briefly and then back to the woman he's familiar with. "She doesn't seem to do much." He says before rolling his wrists and hands with his palms pointed down, his fingers overlapping and with his thumbs crossed.

"It would help me so SO incredibly much if you could make sure no one steps into this circle... or keep anything from coming out... That is something that COULD happen." Stephen says before extending his hands down quickly and a three foot diameter circle lances through the wood beneath him with intricate vines and symbols appearing inside of it.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    The small young asian woman regards Stephen still, after his comment. His comment that, under other circumstances, she might take that as an opening or invitation to spar -- but she is in the Embassy. And, she is disciplined. Instead, the turns, and takes one of the set plates, along with two slices of the recently delivered pizza, and then she walks back to the circle, near the edge, and she sits, naturally, in a lotus position and begins to eat the pizza, casually.
    Taking it upon herself, one might presume, to watch the circle. And protect the Embassy from whatever madness was being unfurled. The pretty lights, the magic - well, that is something new, too.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana would listen to this from Stephen and she'd frown at the part where he made an observational statement about Cass and then she'd watch and listen as to the rest. She'd sigh and move toward the table he pushed out of the way.

"You know, Stephen." She said while setting her plate of pizza down and then reaching for a rather large sword. "Some time ago, they invented these 'little' devices called tele-phones." She gave him a sideways glare as she walked back out to the center of the room with the sword held at her side, which might look odd considering the rest of her outfit was a white blouse and a black skirt that went down to her knees, whe black heeled shoes on her feet.

"You might consider garnering one of these, and using them to call ahead before bursting through one's doorways."

Diana would glance to her sisters, the two Amazons in full armor and weaponry, they started to spread out around the area Stephen was on and would prepare themselves as well.

Diana glanced back to Cassandra. "Do me a favor and do not mention any of this to Bruce." She said with a light smirk.

Doctor Strange has posed:
"Or do, I could always use a hand in fighting the occult." Stephen says towards Cassie before looking back to Diana and just as the circle closes behind him its light reaches up high and fast with the ceiling until it meets and a solid clear wall is formed and Stephen seemingly disappears into the roof with it.

Or did he go down?

He kind of went both ways.

Either way, the Sorcerer Supreme is no longer in the Embassy, but the spell he cast, lingers on...

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    A simple nod is all Cassandra gives to Diana. Bruce rarely asked, anyways, about what she and Diana were doing. He trusted her, of course. Which is why he dumped Cassandra off with her in the first place. The dressed-down Batgirl watches the exchange, and watches Stephen Strange disappear faster than he arrived, which is pretty impressive. She moves back to watching the circle, intently. Ready for someone - or, perhaps something - she'd heard tale of the demon creatures Nightwing and Damian fought - to come out of the circle. She is ready.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana would glance back to Cassandra after the Doctor did what the doctor always does... something strange.

It was several minutes later before Diana relaxed some and she exhaled audibly. "It seems he's handled whatever it is he set out to do." She told everyone in the room. Diana would look to her two sisters first. "Stay close in here, at least for the time being. I think its best if we close up for the night and travel back to Metropolis tomorrow morning."

Diana would look back to Cassandra then and smile at her. "Come on. Lets go back to the kitchen. After that I will dig up that camera for you."