14936/Intervention

Intervention
Date of Scene:	22 May 2023
Location:	Med-Room
Synopsis:	Damaged bodies lead to damaged egos. Silver Sable is working Gotham? We'll see about that.
Cast of Characters:	Cassandra Cain, Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Talia al Ghul, Dick Grayson, Phoebe Beacon, Bette Kane, Austin Reese

---

Cassandra Cain has posed:
This is what happens when you try to slip something past the best.

Cass doesn't really think that she's being watched. She's not used to being part of the team, so she does things on her own sometimes. Lately she's been working a job, and coming back badly hurt. She never put too much onto any one location, but it creates a pattern.

Patterns are what we do. Steph noticed blood on her floor. Bette saw Cass limping, and using the Clocktower facilities. Phoebe healed Cass one time too often. That kind of thing. So, someone followed her one night.

Cassandra is nothing if not hard to follow. But that's normal for her. On its own it rung no alarms, but the alarm was already ringing in everyone's heads. She definitely didn't want to talk about it, that much was clear.

Then Talia insisted on being there. She did not explain why.

This is tonight. This is now. Cassandra arrives at a room, she thinks that nobody knows about. She has activated the medical bed that she's stashed here, the room quiet and empty. And she's sleeping, the medical-bed fixing her up. Broken arm, lacerations. Signs of a bad beating.

This is where you're gathering. This is the time.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Bruce had been getting reports from multiple sources within the team. And, of course, he noticed, too. Probably why he hadn't seen Cass in a while - no way she'd think he wouldn't notice. He's the Detective, after all. Yes, he has a lot on his plate, a whole city under the protection of his leathery wings, but he doesn't miss things. Especially not things happening right under his nose.

Everyone is protective of Cass. How can they not be, given who she is, what she's been through? She's been through enough and yet she's out there on the grind every night. They all are. But not like this.

Batman steps out of the corner and turns on the rest of the flourescent lights. The others are nearby, gathered and listening in, but Batman felt he should go in first, in case anything went wrong. He doesn't know what's going on yet. But she's his responsibility first.

"Tell me."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown had a bag of Bugles before. And now they are stuck in her teeth. "Ugh. What a horrible snack. But then a musical instrument made out of metal doesn't really inspire a lot of confidence when it comes to taste, does it?" she mumbles to whomever is nearby. She peels off a glove, using a finger to dig something out of a tooth. "Next time I'm putting floss in my utility belt," she adds softly.

Glove back on, Batgirl refocuses on the doorway to the basement apartment, which now stands open where the rest of the team can look in without crowding Cass. Stephanie glances over to the others, giving a smile meant to be reassuring. Though the blue eyes show the concern she feels for her friend.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
And Talia Al Ghul has been following breadcrumbs. The others might be htere to go to find out whatis going on with Cassandra - why is she hurt so often? Or has she simply been wandering amiss? Talia has already begun to look into matters. Or at least, has the pretenses of such. The girl had indicated she wanted space, so Talia would give her that much. So for now, she had kept things to herself unless directly asked on them. She has, however, just taken the time to track the others..

So when they all go in a cloud of Bats.. it's the least she can do to go along with them. She's not involved in the group sitting and waiting.. She's a ways behind them since she was just following them in the disatnce. From what she could get of the reveal..

Since when did the daughter of the demon giggle?

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nightwing had not really noticed the issue until it was pointed out. It's not that he doesn't care about the others, but more that he trusts them to come to him if they have a problem. It might be a somewhat optimistic outlook for a place as dark as Gotham, but it's who he is.

    He's currently one of the crowd of Bats gathered outside the door. It's probably safe to say that this safehouse is no longer one. A crowd of crimefighters gathered around the doorway tends to draw attention, even if it is in the basement. Looking around at the people gathered, he asks quietly, "Do any of you have an idea what she's been up to lately, or are we all playing catch-up on this one?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Now is the time. Too many times with the healing, less information than usual even with the barrier, and when asked to show to support for Cass her immedidate response was 'place and time'. Unlike Stephanie who'd taken in Bugles (and only presumably had them on her fingers, that is a requirement, isn't it?), Phoeb had stopped on her way back from other business, and as Batgirl was picking corn chip out of her teeth, Oriole dug into her sidepack and offered a SUPER MINTY dental flosser and tooth pick.

    Helped get the tobacco taste out.

    So she was otherwise leaning against the wall, looking to the other assembled bats outside the door, and she gives a small shrug of her shoulders and a grimmace.

    "Other than the extra heals and making sure she eats on patrol, I haven't the slightest. Glad finally we might get something, though..."

Bette Kane has posed:
Bette likes Cass. Sure, she's the strong silent type, and Bette literally is incapable of shutting up for five minutes. Honestly, Cass reminds the blonde of Kate more than a little. Driven, confidant, socially weird. They're a lot alike, at leaste in Bette's opinion.

Which is wrong a lot.

She huddles outside the door with everyone else, letting Bruce take the lead. He is, after all, the boss. Perhaps even The Boss.

"I don't have the foggiest. I just thought it was weird for -Cass- to be -limping-. Especially when there wasn't, like, a Croc or a Bane sighting in some time."

Austin Reese has posed:
Austin had run enough patrols with Cass to know something was wrong. Which is why when this gathering went out, he made sure he'd shown up. Osprey wasn't too far away from Oriole when the lights came up, a frown on his face as he looked over to her for a second when she talks.

He lets the others talk for a bit, finally speaking up, "She's been going out on her own, no idea where, yet, but she's definitely been getting hurt. Could see it last time we were out on patrol, she was favoring her left shoulder really bad."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
It's good that you all allowed her time to finish the healing process, at least mostly, or waking her up would be torture. It's possible to heal a broken arm in a night, but it's not recommended to be awake for the process. Not fun, and deeply experimental. Cass has apparently gotten access to some very special doctors to set up here. And now it's not private anymore.

Her eyes are shifting, still closed, when everyone begins to make themselves known. Deep in REM sleep, her heart beats slightly faster beneath her ribcage. The eyes slow, and she wakes. Her fingers stay calm, hiding that fact until she's identified the sounds. Then she visibly furrows her brow, and opens her eyes.

She looks deeply annoyed, looking around and giving each person a quick glance. Then she looks at Batman himself. Her jaw tightens, and she can be seen going through her options.

Apparently gauging that she might as well finish the accelerated healing, she looks away from his piercing eyes. But only sees others, who also care. In different ways.

"Training," she says. But it's clearly her trying not to share any more than she absolutely has to. It's an evasion.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Often, those close to him get a glimpse of Bruce Wayne's softer side. His compassion. His caring. The father figure who looks after them, makes sure they're on the right path. He's always been stoic, by nature, but he's grown a bit more open as he's grown older, built this makeshift family around him. Most of the time, when it's just them, these days, Bruce is who they're dealing with.

Not today. This is Batman.

"You train under my aegis and my authority. Not on your own. You can't be part of this if you're going to keep secrets. I'll ask again. Tell me."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown takes the offered minty floss stick from Balm. "See," she whispers to Nightwing, "Now this is what it is to be prepared." She gives a little motion of her finger towards Phoebe, and then flashes the other young woman a grin.

Batgirl sits there looking through the doorway with the others, engaged in dental and gum hygiene. When she's done she disposes of the implement in one of her pouches for later disposal.

"Yeah, not the kind of injuries from training," Stephanie whispers to the others, Nightwing especially. Keeping her voice down to not interrupt the conversation.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
And Talia Al Ghul arrives after the rest, and goes to tap on her arm, "For someone so wlel read, you're a horrid liar. Few things on this planet are capable of giving you a solid challenge, or training. So don't lie to your friends, to your family."

She would lean over against the wall. "You're not going to findany challenge here. So you've expanded your horizons. Against individuals with powers. Enhanced ones." She's keeping her arms crossed while watching the rest, her hands in full view of the rest. Her tone slightly imperious. But then settling. Her body language shifting to that of someone slightly frustrated - then forcing relaxation. A quick mental exercise - breathe in and out and focus calm. A slightly internal mantra that ends with her uncrossing her arms.

Her not including herself in that list. No, she's an outsider amongst them all. And that also has all the limitations on this being something within the family. Still, the faint hum is present of irritation in her body language even highly suppressed for thsoe that were skilled at reading such things.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nodding, he whispers back "I agree. She's in way too bad a shape to have it come from training. Bruce will get to the bottom of it." His faith in the man who took him in and trained him after he lost his parents is pretty much unshakable, although he's still fighting a valiant rearguard action to get the man to take a vacation now and then.

    Looking over to Austin, he asks, "Has Oracle managed to find out where she's been going? She's got to have a way to track all of us even when we're trying to hide, the woman knows just about everything that goes on in the city."

    Looking back over to Phoebe he grins, saying "Now you're making me look bad, I don't have a toothpick holder in this suit." he teases.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "They're not even normal injuries for her. They don't feel like normal patrol." Phoebe whispers, reflective behind the blue lenses of her domino, and tapping her fingers against her bicep she looks over to Osprey. Oriole makes a face beneath her domino at being used as an example, and clearly looks embarrassed as she listens in on the conversation in the room, her head canting forward a little bit as she gives a soft hum, her shoulders rising up a little bit as she looks back over to Nightwing, and then looks him up and down.

    "Where would you /put/ a Toothpick Holder, Nightwing?" she inquires quietly, stretching her head to one side and the other to stretch the tense muscles. She's tense and worried about Cass.

Bette Kane has posed:
Flamebird, for her part, keeps her eyes on Cass and Bruce. This is important, though she does raise an eyebrow at the ... dental hygene talk.

These people are weird as hell.

Somehow, she remains silent. Listening. Waiting. Nosy.

Austin Reese has posed:
"Oracle has not managed to find out exactly where, yet. Her tracking was part of what lead us here, though." He takes a moment to look at Cass when she says training, shaking his head a little bit, "What are you putting yourself inside of somebody's punching bag? That's a weird kind of training."

He doesn't say much else besides that. The tone in Batman's voice says more than anyone else in the group needs to say, in Osprey's mind.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra doesn't know what the word aegis means. She does, however, read body language and gets the gist of it. No secrets. We're here because we care. "You do not understand," she says abruptly. Not sitting up, her medical-work isn't done yet and she can feel the muscles still knitting. Nowhere to go, might as well ...

Sigh. VISIBLE sight.

"When young I, the monster was to beat." She glances at Steph to see if her grammar is accurate, and then frowns. She can be seen visibly rearranging words in her head, trying to use English. She shakes it off, trying harder.

"You no understand. Always was to beat the monster, in training. Someone better than us, we had to beat, every time. Fights made more real, if they real threat. So, always fighting..." Uphill? The underdog? She lacks the words, but hopes that the idea is getting across.

She was taught by fighting people who were better than her. Always better, and that person was the monster.

Defeat the monster, and live.

"I find fighting place. Strong fights. Woman invite, I go. Talia beat me!" She points to the woman, accusingly. "I am weak. Get stronger!"

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Bruce Wayne listens carefully. He understands the limitations Cassandra has with language, but he is also a person who doesn't respect limitations. She has come a long way, though, and he can parse what she has to say. At the mention of Talia, his head turns sharply towards the Daughter of the Demon.

"You I'll deal with later," he says simply, his voice a harsh rasp.

Then he turns his attention back to Cassandra.

"That was the way of Red Room, yes. To put you in danger, to let you drown to teach you how to swim. And it made you a dangerous human being, one of the most dangerous in the entire world. Powers or no powers."

"We only hurt those who deserve it. We do not fight for pleasure or for sport. You found an underground fight club? Then it's our place to shut it down. Not participate."

"I try to give you...all of you," he says, making sure his words carry to the rest, "A great deal of slack. I have allowed you all to act independently because you have earned my trust and because I think it serves us well to have different perspectives. That leniency, however, can be revoked."

"There are many kinds of battles, Orphan. If physical combat isn't enough of a challenge anymore, try a different monster to conquer. Language. Understanding. Human behavior. These are the disciplines you need. Not getting yourself broken over the knee of some superpowered thug who bought his potence on the black market. You are a valuable tool in the protection of this city and I won't have you put yourself at risk - and by proxy put my city at risk - by potentially killing yourself chasing dragons."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown gives Austin Reese a nod as he mentions Oracle's role in getting them there. It had been a team effort, tracking someone like Cassandra Cain. She whispers over to him, "Just glad we found her."

She looks back over, listening to the exchange between Cassandra and Batman. Stephanie's body tenses a little as she hears how Cassandra has been spending her. How she's been getting hurt. And why.

The black and purple clad young woman gives a tiny shake of her head. She doesn't say anything, not wanting to intrude on Batman's conversation with her.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
There's more tapping along her arm, and Talia Al Ghul goes to glance down at Cassandra from her position. Analytic. Evaluatory. "I took advantage of something very, very niche in your conditioning." She would at being prompted go along. "The Red Room does things in a very specific way. I just had to bait a situation that matched how it would respond. It was a one time thing. It is not a statement against your skills or talents!" She hit the girl -once- in a very, very 'abuse the laws' way.
    This was totally not her fault! ... Okay it was mostly her fault but Cass was the one that took taking a single hit as tableflipping of her entire life's perspective. Taking Bruce's glare then and letting out a sigh at it. For those reading her body language, irritation spiking but also apology. Her seeing if Bruce would wave at her to depart or there was assent to stay. Because if not outright dismissal, she would remain. B ut now was not the time for her to get snippy or defensive. Her posture easing from the flippancy from just a few moments ago turning to a weary push of more apology along her posture.
    She hadn't prompted the girl to go out and fight - nor had she followed her. She had just made a few guesses. Presuming once more one was analysing her body language - most of the Bat Family could after all.

Bette Kane has posed:
Bette listens. Bette understands. On a deep, primal level, she understands. She's the tryhard. The one who twisted Kate's arm to get into this. She always throws herself into the deepest part of the pond she can find to force herself to learn faster. To get -better.- Pain is a teacher like any other. Better than many, honestly.

She looks at Cass and Bruce for a moment, turning her attention to the rest of the 'kids', and then back to Cass. The blonde does her best to meet Orphan's eyes. To pass along the feeling of 'I understand.' Because she does.

She's not Cass, though, so if she did it, she would die.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nightwing stops to think for a moment, then opens the keyboard on his bracer and starts typing. A holographic display pops into existence, showing a map of Gotham and it's surrounding area. Red dots start popping up on it, then a silver dot begins to move through the city. Along the way, it intersects almost all of the red dots. He watches it run for a moment, then utters a mild curse under his breath.

    Raising his voice slightly so he can be heard inside the room, he asks, "Would this have something to do with Silver Sablenova's visit about two weeks ago?"

    Thank goodness Oracle keeps track of about everyone of importance who sets foot in the city.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... it's like the injuries I saw when we were fighting--" Phoebe trails off a moment, and she straightens up a moment, tilting her head a little as her frown deepens, and though the lenses on her mask don't show it, Talia might feel her eyes on the Assassin, and she turns her head away, listening to the conversation inside as her shoulders come up further, and she grips her hands in her gloves.

    She goes quiet, contemplative, withdrawing into herself as her shoulders rise up nearly to her ears, her hood crumpling a little bit.

Austin Reese has posed:
Osprey rubs his chin faintly as he looks at Cass while she gives her explanation of what's been going on. Always trying to slay the biggest, baddest monster? To some extent he can definitely understand the sentiment, but no matter how much training you do the body can only take so much. It starts to show, and it affeects your performance.

Talia knew where she was going? That figures. He frowns as he listens to her say her bit. He himself doesn't talk, though. He's not going to step on Batman laying down the law, especially when at least part of it applies to him too. After he's done, he looks to Cass, "You've been going to this place for at least a couple of weeks. What exactly have you been fighting?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass lowers her eyes. She nods, then shakes her head. "I not go anymore," she says softly, under Bruce's words. Under everyone's questions, and worry. She's done a lot, and didn't really register that it was hurting anyone. Anyone other than herself.

Lesson one in being part of the family. You're family. Did Cass not really believe that, somehow?

She glances at Balm, and at Osprey and Steph. Then lowers her eyes again.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
If her display of remorse touches Batman, he doesn't show it. He stands unyielding, his cape enclosed around him.

"We'll be taking the machine," he says. "It seems Silver Sable, as she likes to be known, thinks that her diplomatic immunity counts for something with me. She'll find out rapidly how little my tolerance for these sorts of games runs."

"Orphan, you're confined to monitor duty for two weeks. No patrols, no missions unless I personally authorize it. GIve the details of what you have seen to Oracle for distribution and analysis."

"Nightwing, Batgirl - find Silver Sable. We're going to pay her a visit. The rest of you - learn a lesson here. Orphan, you have been put to use by someone else for their own personal gain. Whatever you thought you were doing, you were only serving her agenda. The only agenda any of you are here to serve in this city is mine."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would go to fold her arms over, "Interesting. Leader of the Wild Pack.." Her running thoughst through her head. And some mental analysis over of it. That went to stand in over with some other, unpleasant facts.
    "She has a solid reputation. I've worked with her a few times. Professional. If she wants the girls for something she'll be fair with them, by her standards, at least." She goes to purse her lips, tapping her finger along her cheek. she was missing something here.. And looking at it too simplistically. Sable wouldn't be picking up the girls to return them to the Red Room - she had some level of principles.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown's teeth press together though she manages to keep from grinding them as Nightwing brings up the surveillance and ties it into what's been happening with Cassandra. "Someone needs their butt kicked all the way back to Symkaria," she murmurs quietly before straightening from where she's waited.

As Batman hands out some assignments, Batgirl moves into the room, the blond giving a quick nod towards Bruce. She moves over to the side of the Cassandra's bed. "You know you don't need to keep this kind of stuff from us. We're family," she tells Cass softly and gives her a reassuring smile.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nightwing hits a couple keys and sends the data he's looking at to Batman so he's got it on hand if he wants. He nods at the assignment and says "Shouldn't be a problem, I'd be surprised if Oracle doesn't know where she is. And if she doesn't, we'll just have to put in some tracking time. One way or another, we'll find her. It's what we do."

    With Steph talking to Orphan, he leans against the wall and goes back to pulling up data to track Sable. "Ok, got her last location, but not a current one. Investigation it is."

Bette Kane has posed:
Bette can't help but wince. Monitor duty. Brutal. She shakes her head. An earned punishment. As Batman addresses the rest of the group, she starts to turn to leave, then she stops. Her teeth grind a bit as her temper gets the better of her.

Oh no.

She turns back, staring at Batman, her eyes flickering across everyone else here who isn't Nightwing or Batgirl. She speaks, her voice quiet but forceful.

"The rest of us have names too, Batman."

Then she leaves, turning in a swirl of flame orange cape as she stalks off.

Austin Reese has posed:
The lesson to be learned here will be, and Osprey for sure will take it to heart. There's a lot of lessons that could be learned no doubt, like don't hesitate to ask for help. Osprey shakes his head a bit after the punishment is handed out. Two weeks of monitor duty is a soul killer.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
That's when Cass' machines are no longer worth allowing to finish. She doesn't need to be top-health, so she lifts her hands and snaps the restraints. Then she gets up, and pulls herself free of the wires and gizmos.

And then, she looks at Batman. And turns away, walking to Phoebe and Steph both. She gives each of them a touch, just that, and then she leaves.

Monitor duty. Yeah, that'll fine-tune her skills. But she looks up at Bette, and doesn't know what to say.

So she says nothing. Got monitors to watch, after all.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
And Talia? She reaches forwards to give a soft squeeze to Cassandra's shoulder. Her body language as soft and reassuring as she could. Form totally relaxed, sincere, and open. A show of vulnerability. And affection. Then she goes to look over at Bruce.

"I.. Have some other things that may have some relation I fear we have to discuss."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman looks at the data given him by Nightwing, a quick glance enough to absorb it. Cass isn't the only hyperlexic individual around here.

"Sable likely is expecting we'll have a response at some point. Which doesn't mean we shouldn't have one. Gotham is protected. If Orphan wants to go work with her instead of me, she's free to do so. But underhanded tactics, spilling blood in Gotham, putting people we rely on at risk - she's going to learn some manners."

He starts to turn to leave but then pauses.

"Someone tell Flamebird if she wants my attention, she can earn it. I don't have time for hurt feelings or bruised egos. If she doesn't like the way she's treated, she can go back to playing tennis."