14265/Family are Crazy

Family are Crazy
Date of Scene:	26 February 2023
Location:	Attic - Wayne Manor
Synopsis:	Just a meal and looking at pictures in a photo album. Family is nuts.
Cast of Characters:	Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown

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Cassandra Cain has posed:
The attic of the Wayne Manor. Quiet by nature, only the occasional bat finds its way in here. Even then, it's usually not bothered or disturbed. Because the person who's chosen this space to make their own is similarly unobtrusive.

Today, there's just a small light on. Almost a candle, in fact it might as well be a candle. As the asian girl who has a bedroll on the floor, is looking at a book.

To be fair, it is a picture book. With photos, the kind that you find when you're feeling sad. Family.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown isn't trying to be particularly quiet, which would make it quite likely that Cassandra might notice the footfalls at least when they draw near to the entrance to the attic.

A soft rappity-tap-tap is given to the door. If a knock can have a cheerful sound to it, this one does. And that is probably enough to suggest that it is Stephanie on the other side of the door. "Cass, you home? I have some food here you might like," she says through the doorway. She is never quite sure now what Cassandra will understand verbally and won't, though Stephanie probably has as good of an idea as anyone. She doesn't really change her words though, doesn't simplify unless it proves necessary. Better for Cass to hear the normal words spoken and learn from them quicker that way.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass doesn't really answer, though Steph has known her long enough not to expect chattiness. The door is unlocked though, which she'd absolutely do something about if she'd wanted to be alone.

Sitting in a tank top and yoga pants, Cass is crosslegged leaning against a bunch of old tables, on the floor. She is looking up at the door, holding her old photo album. The one she saved from the underground lair.

She smiles when Steph shows, but doesn't get up. She does however sniff the air, trying to identify what Steph's offering.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown knockity knock knocks again, just to make sure, and then swings the door open. "If you're naked, close your eyes, I'm coming in!" She steps off the steps up to the door and grins as she steps inside and sees Cassandra there.

There's a brown paper bag with handles on it, the logo from a Cajun restaurant in Bristol. There might start to be some scents that make it to Cassandra. Primarily blackened seasoning winning out over the others.

Stephanie walks over and takes a seat beside Cassandra, beaming a smile over to her. "I got some seafood, but it's New Orleans style cuisine," she says. "Some of it is seasoned, but I also got some peel and eat cold shrimp." She starts pulling out containers and a couple of plastic plates.

There are also two beverages. "This is a cherry limeade. It's both sweet and tart at the same time. Want to see if you like it?" she asks, putting a straw in and offering it to Cassandra. "If not I have some plain iced tea, unsweetened," she says, setting that out too.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass' tummy chooses that moment to rumble, which makes her open her mouth and then close it, actually blushing just a little bit. To be fair, anyone who smelled that bag would become hungry, so she's not likely doing anything wrong per se. Just embarrasing!

"Hi," she offers, after Steph's explained things, sat down, and already started foisting food off on her. She learned that you're supposed to start with Hi, and she's following the rules, right?

So much to remember. Normally she just smiles. Her mouth actually waters at the smell and sight of fish, but she blinks at the sudden limeade. Which is not food, but she nods firmly at the challenge. "I will try," she says like she's taking on a training regimen.

But she peers at the cup first, looking at it from the side as if trying to see if there's anything floating in it. Baby steps.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie breaks out in a warm giggle as she hears Cassandra's stomach. "I know, right!?" she says to Cass. "You're lucky I didn't pull over and eat it before I made it back to the manor," she says with a wink towards her friend.

"So this isn't particular hot, just a nice flavor," she says of what turns out to be blackened red snapper. "There's also some dirty rice you could try," she says, putting some on her own plate before sliding the container over towards Cassandra along with a fork for the other girl.

The cherry limeade has a lot of ice in it so it's good and cold. There is a real cherry in it, the stem still attached and stuck beneath the lid so it's obvious that it is there. There is also a half a lime slice in the drink as well, though beneath the lid.

"You have really made so much progress with your speech," Stephanie says, giving a nod of admiration. "So very proud of you," she says warmly.

There's also a container of shrimp on ice. Stephanie opens up a container of shrimp cocktail sauce and sets them both out where either girl can reach it. She gets one of the shrimp, peeling off the shell so Cass will have a chance to see what to do with it if it's new for her.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass is good at watching. It's almost her super-power. She reaches out when Steph tries to show her how to shrimp, and puts her hand on top of Steph's own. It's fine, she smiles. She nods. It's fine.

Then she lets her feet out of the crosslegged position, and lays out next to the food. She pulls out a spoon (not chopsticks?) and nabs some rice, then nudges the photo album as she begins to nom down on the nommage.

She sips the limeaid idly, seeming to be okay with all of these offerings, but she upnods the book. "Father," she says softly. Like it's important.

The picture is just 'some guy'. He's wearing white, or the picture is faded. Not extremely distinguished facial features. But aparently that's daddy.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown eats the shrimp and then adds some of the fish to her plate. "Ooo," she murmurs as Cass nudges the photo album her way and mentions who is in it. "Where did you get it, Cass?" she asks of the album as she leans over to look at it, being careful not to get her food anywhere near to it.

She leans down and looks at the photo more closely. Then glances up to Cassandra, obviously comparing facial features to see if she can spot a resemblance between them. Stephanie turns the page, looking at the next set of pictures. When she looks up, Cass seems settled on the cherry limeade. So Stephanie takes the iced tea, pulling out some sugar packets which she stirs into it.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
She watches Steph as she reads the pages, sort-of. You don't read pictures. Not unless you're Cassandra Cain. Anyway. Cass unwraps a shrimp, and takes a fork of blackened fish, both of which vanish into her mouth. Before she speaks again.

"In bunker," she says. It really is a lot easier with her having a bit more language under her belt. "Just before ..." she makes a 'boom' motion with her hands, expanding them out carefully so as not to spill the drinks.

She upnods, then points to another picture. "Sisters," she shows, a pic of a younger Cass with some kind of rictus grin on her face, as she's standing with her arms around other girls. They all look bandaged and bruised, but proud. Must've been quite a day.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown remembers the boom. Big boom. She takes a sip of the iced team, deems it not quite sweet enough yet, and adds another half a sugar packet. The lid goes back on and she gives it a shake to mix it before taking the lid back off to sip it. Perfect.

The new picture causes the blond's head to to tilt as she looks at it. "Did they call you by your names?" she asks curiously, having never thought about that before. She probably assumes so, else how would Cassandra know her name. Though it could have been learned later on.

Stephanie gets a bite of her fish on the fork. "Oh I love New Orleans spices," she says, letting out a happy sigh. "I'd like to visit there sometime. Missed Mardi Gras, but maybe next year," she says wistfully.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Hm. Cass thinks a moment, the fork hanging from her mouth. She swallows, then nods. "We were no to speak," she mis-grammars, but trying to get across the idea. They were not allowed to talk, to speak. But the teachers were not under that restriction.

She jabs with her fork, at the girls next to her. "Penelope. Ophelia. Zoe." All Greek names, as was Cassandra originally. She may not know the pattern, but the detective mind of Stephanie would not miss it.

She focuses more on trying to see if she can get the cherry out of her drink while only using the straw, which is more challenging than using your fingers.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
There's a nod of understanding from Stephanie. "You weren't allowed to speak," she agrees, in a way that helps expand Cassandra's vocabulary without distracting from the conversation.

"Hmm. Penelope, Ophelia, and Zoe?" she repeats. "I don't recognize Zoe, but..." Stephanie pulls out her phone and taps on it.

"Ah," she says after she gets a result. "The Greek goddess of life. All of those are names from Greek mythology," she says. Stephanie taps on the phone a bit more, and then pulls up a statue which is a depiction of Cassandra. "This is Cassandra. She was... ah," she says, then takes the phone back to read before passing it back. "She was a priestess. Who was cursed to utter prophecies that were true, but no one would believe them. She was from the city of Troy. Which was destroyed by the Greeks in the Trojan War. The Trojan Horse thing? I don't think they had her in the Brad Pitt movie though."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass looks at the phone. She isn't smiling, getting that intensity that she has when she's giving her entire attention to something. Hm, apparently.

Then she leans back, crossing her arms with that same intensity. She's thinking about it, the food forgotten. Until she picks up the limeaid and sips, still focused.

"I see future," she says. Muses, perhaps. "Name chosen, not ...." Damnit, apparently she's not QUITE able to get it all out yet.

She's trying to say that the names aren't random.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie is digging into the food while Cass is trying to work out how to convey her thoughts. "Or someone just had a love for Greek mythology," she says. "I don't know that all of them were prophets."

She reaches out and gives Cass's nose a little squeeze. Boop. "See, did you know I was going to do that? I mean before I started," she says, giving Cassandra a warm laugh and a grin. Stephanie tries some of the dirty rice then. "I wonder what kind of meat that is," she murmurs. "Probably better to not know. Though it's a nice restaurant."