3255/Two Batgirls Talk Books

Two Batgirls Talk Books
Date of Scene:	27 November 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Cassandra needs to learn to read so she approaches Barbara for help
Cast of Characters:	Batgirl (Cain), Oracle

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Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Things have been going well enough. The nights are busy fighting crime as Batgirl. The days are spent working out in the hidden training areas of the Batcave. Cassandra spends her time driving herself to exhaustion before crashing a few hours and starting the entire process over.
    Unfortunately, it doesn't help stop her from thinking as she had hoped it would. Upon waking in the early afternoon, she found her mind going back to the last talk with Batman. He was disappointed in her. The lack of learning, of trying to improve. Physically she was fine. It was mentally where she was lacking. She couldn't communicate the reasons to him though, only proving that he was right and she needed to try harder.
    Her mind wandered to the one person she felt wouldn't judge. Thus, she dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a white tank top with a hoodie thrown over for warmth and headed for the Clocktower. Over her shoulder is slung a small backpack, a handful of items hidden within including her costume. It's Gotham. One never knows when it might be needed.
    Arriving at Barbara's place, she actually knocks instead of just letting herself in as they are want to do sometimes.

Oracle has posed:
    The cameras alert her to Cassandra's entry into the lower levels of the Clocktower, and Barbara is a little surprised to see the young woman coming over in civvies. It's relatively rare. But when the door opens to her, the redhead's smile is genuinely pleased. "Cass! Come on in," she invites, stepping back to let the young woman into the apartment. She closes and latches the door behind them. "Not like you to come by without your ears on. Everything okay?"
    She gestures for Cassandra to go ahead and make herself at home, the invitation expansive. Barbara has no secrets from the girl who shares her identity on those streets. "Want something to drink? I have some water, some cola..."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Upon seeing Barbara, Cassandra genuinely smiles. It's something only those in the Family really get to see. She isn't one to go out and spend time socially in the world at large. Few are let into her protective walls. But Barbara has always been open, friendly. There is no duplicity in her posture or movements, like so many people. It halps Cassandra to relax, something she rarely allows herself. At the offer for a drink, she shakes her head. Three steps into the room, she stops. A little furrow appears as her brow knits together.
    Now that she's here, she's not quite sure how to bring up the subject on her mind. If only people could read her the way she can read them! It would simplify the world.
    She motions with a thumb toward the computer room, lifting her eyebrows a little as she 'asks' the question about if they can go up.

Oracle has posed:
Quirking a brow curiously, Barbara nods. "Of course. C'mon up." Cassandra, of all the people who visit here, might be the one to note the subtle differences in the loft that from her last visit. The security is still tight, but if the schematic that sits in the corner of one screen is correct, there are several more sensors placed around the Clocktower's exterior. And one of the moving images is not of Gotham but of Bludhaven -- apparently the redhead now has her eyes on both towns instead of just one.
    "What's on your mind, sweetheart?" she asks, gesturing Cassandra to go ahead and make use of whatever pieces of equipment she wants.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Seeing the images of Bludhaven, Cassandra moves toward that screen and examines it a moment. Then she looks to Barbara with a quirked brow, another question about the new addition. Yet she doesn't linger on it. Instead she turns back to face the redhead as she considers. The backpack is lowered to the floor by her feet so she has her hands free.
    She glances to the screens. One of them shows some text, that foreign thing which eludes her so completely. It's shapes and images, artistic strokes that are nothing more than splashes for her. She turns her body and places her fingers just above the front of the screen. She learned not to touch them. Touch screens are evil when she has no idea how to manipulate them. One of the computers at the mansion required someone else to unlock it after she managed to touch the wrong things in the wrong sequence.
    She trails her index finger down the lines of text from top to bottom. Then she looks to Barbara and shrugs, showing that she has no idea what it means. Then she steels herself, reaching for her backpack.
    From the top, she withdraws a handful of Little Golden Books. Included amongst them is The Poky Little Puppy. She opens that one and motions to the words inside then shrugs again. Then she looks to Barbara, points to the book and then to herself.
    Would Barbara help her to learn to read it?

Oracle has posed:
Her chin jerks to the Bludhaven screen, and Barbara admits softly, "I need to keep an eye on him. I ... worry." The redhead, slips into a chair while she watches Cassandra. She's not entirely sure what has so fascinated the girl about her keyboard right now, when she's shown little interest in anything but the screens in the past. And then the book comes out, and enlightenment is instant.
    "Of course," Barbara tells her immediately. "I can help you learn to read." She smile is soft. "Anyone can learn it... it just takes a little time and a little practice. Both of which you're fully capable of." She pauses. "I know you can't read words, but you understand them... do you know the sounds each letter makes?" There's no judgement to the question -- it's simply a way for Barbara to determine where and how to start.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    That gets a shake of the head again from Cassandra. She had tutors. Wonder Woman had arranged for them. Only, they were not so understanding. Some were not wanting to do it at all and were there for the money. They had no interest in the young woman. The others thought she was stupid. She knows she is not. Only, there was no way for her to explain that. Instead she simply rebelled, refused to continue the tutoring and they went through a half dozen before the frustration reached a level that led to Batman being called in. To let him know of her defiance. There was no way to explain it wasn't that at all.
    Her lack of reading and communicating more effectively is beginning to hamper her life.
    She pulls over a chair and settles into it. She sets the books down on a clear spot on the desk between them. When it comes to speaking, she has managed to use a single word here or there but it is difficult for her. The idea of the letters being sounds was mentioned by a previous tutor but Cassandra had already been shutting her out when she acted like Cass was slow, speaking to her like she was underage or mentally incapable of comprehending more.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara nods. And because Cassandra works better with visuals, she'll use the books, but first she'll use the same kinds of programs that help younger children. "There are videos -- I know you love movies. These aren't quite as much fun." She grins a little at Cassandra. "They're meant for children younger than you, but they make learning the sounds that each letter can make easy to understand. And since I know you've got a fantastic memory, it won't take you long to have that part down." She pulls up a screen with letters on it, and a screen with video.
    "After the letters by themselves, there are some words that teachers call "sight words" -- because they're very short, only two or three letters, and they're used all the time in everything, so you memorize them just like you do with the letter sounds. Like the words "yes" or "no." Those are simple to learn by memorization, and memorizing the rules that apply to them will also help you sound out bigger letter combinations that don't quite make the same sounds they would if the letters were separate."
    Slanting a glance at the younger woman, Barbara offers a grin. "Since I already know you're way smarter than most people, if I'm going too fast, just hold up your hand and make me stop, okay? Like teaching any other skill, I need to know if I'm making it too complicated or giving you too much information at once."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    As Barbara starts to explain, Cassandra scoots forward so she is sitting on the edge of her seat, leaning in to look more closely at the screen. Totally unnecessary but it is her way of showing she is paying very close attention. The idea of movies that might teach her how the letters work has her looking over at Barbara in surprise then back to the screen. Letters on the one side, video on the other. While she isn't exactly a prodigy, she does have a very fast memory for movement at least. By using the video in synch with the letters, Babs might be on to something.
    The words 'yes' and 'no' have her turning back to the redhead momentarily. Those she has managed to learn and say. The idea of sounding out the words has her frowning since it makes no sense to her. Why say it when she just wants to read it? That makes no sense to the way her brain is wired.
    When the other woman voices her concern about going too fast, Cassandra gives a bright smile and a shake of her head then motions to the video again, turning to pay closer attention to it. Maybe, just maybe this might work.

Oracle has posed:
The redhead nods, her grin both amused and proud. She's far more aware of Cassandra's potential, apparently, than the tutors were. And she doesn't treat the young woman as if she's stupid or as if she has a learning disability. She simply treats her as a person who has never been exposed to written language before. She's also, perhaps surprisingly, quick to understand the puzzled frown. "The reason for sounding out the words is because most people want to talk -- and obviously to do THAT, they have to have the same language, right? In your case, learning the words means being able to ... " She pauses, looking for a way to explain. "If I want to say something nice to you in a way that you can keep and look at forever if you want to, I have to write it down on pretty paper." Swinging her chair to the side, she reaches into a drawer and brings out a card. "I know you can't read this right now... but it was one of the first things my father gave me after he adopted me. And I kept it because it makes my heart happy. ANd I can read it over and over again, and I can hear the words in my head as I read them just as if he's saying them to me."

She keeps her eyes on Cass's face. "The purpose of the written word is to convey in writing the same information you might SAY to someone, if you can't speak to them. Or, in your case, if you choose NOT to speak to them verbally. There are also forms of sign language you can use instead of verbal words. But to use any of those, you have to have a common base of sounds and written letters that everyone understands mean the same thing. Does that make sense?"

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    The card is examined closely but not touched. Cassandra understands the concept of things that are precious, important. She may not have them but she does 'get it' as some of the family would say. It took her a while to figure out that phrase wasn't literal. That has been her struggle since words can have so many meanings so she has to rely on tone, body language, to realize how they should be taken. Not really different from an average person yet completely different at the same time.
    The card is pretty. The letters inside neat and all in those rows that are needed to know which way to read. She has understood that much.
    As Barbara explains, she looks directly at her and listens intently. The sounds are necessary. They will allow her to advance further in her understanding. She gives another nod as it makes perfect sense. At the mention of sign language though, she tilts her head a little to the side as she wonders what this is.

Oracle has posed:
"I have a feeling we'll perhaps be learning sign language together," Barbara replies, the look of interest helping Cassandra. "It's where you use your hands to represent the words you want to convey, instead of your mouth." A third screen comes up, and she shows a very brief video clip of someone 'saying' /Good morning. My name is Jane./ She explains to Cassandra, "The motions she's using mean the same thing as these words that they're showing across the bottom."
    There's a smile. "I promise, we'll do both things, if you're interested. But it all starts with the letters. So... let's go through this first video, and then we'll work on them until you've memorized all of them and can give me the sound back when I show you one. Okay?" It won't take as long as some people, but it's still not something that will be done in one night.