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Cass swings back and forth slowly, hanging upside down from the ceiling strut.
She inhales deeply, holds for three and reaches for the ground, her back pops and she exhales, relaxing.
The bats chirp.
She sighs in contentment.
She looks down when she senses eyes watching her. It’s Tiffany.
She waves and Tiff waves back.
Tiff points at a spot beside her, silently asking if she can join Cass in her attempt to become one with the Caves’ bat population. Cass nods.
After a minor scuffle with the aerial ropes that reach to the ceiling, Tiffany hangs to Cass’ left, facing the opposite direction. She sighs.
Cass hums questioningly.
Tiff makes a noise somewhere between a grunt and a huff and Cass nods in understanding. Brothers, they’re such pieces of work sometimes.
Cass sways to the quiet radio station playing over the Titans Tower speakers. It’s a hero news station that doubles as a music station.
Sometimes all I think about iyou~
Late nights in the middle of June~
“Hey Andra!”
Without turning, Cass waves to Beast Boy in greeting before signing hungry?
“Aren't I always?”
Cass giggles and steps to the side with a flourish, making jazz hands for her creation.
Garfield comes closer to inspect the frosted cookies and makes grabby hands at one with a head tilt. She nods and Gar picks one up off the tray to bite into it. He hums in contentment, “Delicious as always, Anna.”
Cass grins and grabs the pan off the counter top, heading to the rec room to share.
Koriand’r startles when Andra drops beside her on the couch in one of the more tucked away rooms, two cookies in hand. She holds on out and Kori takes it, nodding her head in thanks.
Andra smiles and signs, “How are you feeling?”
This is why Kori likes Andra, she doesn’t ask if you’re fine, she already knows the answer and she’s straight to the point. Doesn’t let you make excuses but backs off when you need space, “I am well, unharmed and content, if unnerved.”
A Balrog Hunter had come to Earth to make an attempt on her life since the last time Andra had seen her, it was very disconcerting.
Andra nods, “Understandable, would you like to talk about it?”
Kori shakes her head, “I’ve been speaking with Garth over calls at length, thank you.”
Andra nods again and smiles, “good, I’m happy you have someone to talk to.”
“Would you sit with me?”
“Of course.”
Once Dick enters the Zeta room, Cass picks up her duffle bag and presses the warm up button for the Zeta tube. Before she can move too far in the direction of the Zeta platform, her brother's hand curls around her elbow and slides down her arm to grab her hand. She stops to look at him questioningly, he smiles and steps back. She giggles, using the momentum from pulling her towards him to spin her around before tugging her along to the Zeta.
She swings their hands between them as they walk and step onto the platform.
Dick drops her hand, “Ready for home?”
She gives a single firm nod and Dick pushes the ‘verify’ button.
They’re whisked away in the bright blue and somewhat nauseous feeling of the Zeta Tube, unfortunately unaware of the eyes of a certain archer on them.
“Caaaaass,” Tim whines, “Give it back,” he jumps to reach her hand and the subsequent electronic in it, he huffs when he falls a few inches short and Cass laughs at him.
“Too much screen time,” she signs one handed.
Tim crosses his arms, “You’re just saying that because you wanna play.”
“Doesn’t hurt.”
Tim kicks her in the shin before freezing and realizing his mistake. He looks up to her slowly, seeing her slowly rising eyebrows, before her eyes narrow.
“Please don’t hurt me.”
It was too late, the Sibling Instinct was too strong for her to ignore.
“Cassandra Martha!”
Cass drops Tim on the floor like she’d been bit. Or like a normal person would if they were bit. Tim had actually bit her, but she didn’t flinch.
Bruce, like the single mother that he is, puts his hands on his hips, “Why the hell are you guillotining Tim?”
Cass sniffs, “Talk shit.”
Her dad’s face goes through the five stages of grief before settling on acceptance and he sighs, “Tim?”
“Actually I hit and she talked shit. Then I talked shit and got hit.”
Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose, “Okay, sure, whatever. Cass, help your brother get cleaned up.” Yeah, those scratches look mean.
Cass hums and grabs the hand Tim holds out to pull him up, before Bruce calls out again, “And for the love of god, remember that your siblings are breakable Cass.”
“Lies.”
Shadow’s falling, down, down, down, down, before its line tightens and it’s flying up, up, up–
Crash!
It dives through the window, tackling one thug and throwing out a flash-Batarang at another. It rolls to its feet and slams a boot on the thug's head before diving behind an office desk.
It listens to the shouts of the other thugs in the room before slinking out, the flash-rang still emitting a bright light at random intervals. Crawling low across the floor it latches onto one of the men's ankles, its claws piercing flesh. Its other hand comes up to grasp at his thigh, ignoring his screams and climbing its way to its feet using his leg.
It grabs the barrel of his gun when he swings, twisting it out of his hands before grabbing his wrist and yanking him down over its shoulder. It stands and throws the thug at two of the others, toppling the three of them, before turning and throwing a knock-out dart at the one trying to attack it from behind. It scoops up the flasharang and slides another one coated in a sleeping agent at one of the thugs that had climbed to his feet, removing him from the fight fully.
It launches itself at the final thug, incapacitating him with a nerve strike.
It turns to the only conscious thug, his leg bleeding sluggishly from the cut of its claws.
The only door to the room splinters, revealing Wrath in all its glory, tracking (probably) fake blood through the room, Hatred not far behind, the two leaving unconscious bodies in their wake.
“The girl.” Wrath snarls, “Where.”
The man splutters in terror before stuttering out an answer, “Ivy’s park! Please! That’s all I know.”
Shadow almost feels bad when he starts to cry. Almost being the key word. It looks to Wrath who nods and Shadow grabs the man by his hair and slams his head into the floor, knocking him out cold.
Hatred snorts, “What he do?”
Shadow sniffs and signs, “He’s bad mouthed.”
Hatred tutts, “That does it.”
“Let us go,” Wrath interrupts, “Secrets has the Others converging.”
“Cut that out,” Max snaps.
Carl rolls his eyes, “It’s a cigarette Maxie, it’s not gonna sell us out.”
Max smacks his lips, “If we get caught ‘causa you, I’m gonna put a bullet through ya’ head.
“Whatever,” there’s no way a Gothama’ll find them out here, they don’t go near the villain territory unless there’s somethin’ obviously shaddy goin’ on. As far as anyone’s concerned, they’re just two guys hangin’ out passed dark in a park.
The trees overhead rustle and Max jumps, his eyes darting around.
“You’re lookin’ too jumpy, if you’d jus’ calm down, no one’d look our way.”
“Look, Car, you’re new, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, they’ll find us no matter what, I just wanna get paid. So the moment they show up? I’m out. You should do the same.”
Carl huffs and looks up, watching the smoke from his cig, “If you’d sit down, we’d look normal. Chill.”
A twig snaps somewhere in the brush and Max actually jumps up.
Carl grunts, leaning against the garden shed that’s housing the Carlyle girl, “Really?”
But Max doesn’t say a word, in fact Carl can’t even hear his breathing. Carl looks back at Max, to see him staring into the woods, expression somewhere between terror and… something else, something haunted. Carl doesn’t like that look.
“Max?”
But Max doesn’t answer, doesn’t look away, and doesn’t start breathing again. Carl follows his sightline slowly, but he can’t see anything.
“The bugs aren’t making any noise,” Max says suddenly.
“Bugs?” Where did that come from?
Max looks at him, his expression fearful and accepting, “The silence is the only noise they make,” is the last thing he hears before the park lights go black.
He hears a giggle above his head. He raises his eyes slowly only to see those soulless white eyes that everyone who’s ever had an encounter with an Aspect raves about.
Max starts praying.
Shadow watches from a rooftop close enough to Robinson Park to watch the commotion of police lights below.
Beside her, Hatred whistles, “Damn, Devotion hit cow coat good.”
Shadow snorts, and signs ‘cow coat’ at Hatred.
Hatred laughs, before signing “Shut up, it’s not my fault we don’t have a word for leather,,” back.
Shadow giggles, “Race you to the Clock Tower?”
Hatred nods and stands, Shadow following suit.
Cassandra wins the race and Barbara made them cookies.