3052/Surprise Training

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Surprise Training
Date of Scene: 22 August 2020
Location: The Robin's Roost - Chelsea
Synopsis: Cass the Ambusher attacks again and tries to get Conner and Hope to learn some moves with mixed success.
Cast of Characters: Conner Kent, Cassandra Cain, Hope Summers, Tim Drake




Conner Kent has posed:
It is Saturday again. And Conner came to the Rooster and maybe too early. No one around. Not even Tim. Again. He has tried to keep in touch with the group through texts, but he spent a while in the North Pole, so it wasn't easy. Also, his cell is out of batteries.

He left it recharging in his room and went down to the gym area to check how his abilities are working now. Because coming and going from Superman's fortress was not easy. It was exhausting, and he actually felt the cold. The kryptonite poisoning was greatly relieved after Phoebe gave him a healing boost, but it seems he is hardly at one hundred per cent.

The problem is Tim is not around to explain how the high-tech devices work. But he can likely figure it out. What's the worst that could happen?

Cassandra Cain has posed:
With training as a goal, there is only one way to accomplish this. The machines are interesting but limited. Not to be used unless you have a specific goal in mind. Training is too broad, too wide a concept. The machines aren't what he needs. So they won't be what happens.

Scouting ahead helps. So does having the gadgets in place, to keep you quiet. Not even a heartbeat. Motion is impossible, you keep your muscles quiet with thought. You wait. Until he's in place.

And then a section of the ceiling opens above Conner, and then a woman in black and orange drops onto him. An asian woman, one from the party. And he's suddenly being grabbed by a wildcat, and thrown if he's not prepared to stop her!

Ambush training!

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope isn't great at the whole staying in touch or telling people where she'll be thing. She's just not used to it. And it interferes with her perceived independence. But after refugee work, parties, and missions, she's ready to check back in with people.

"Knock knock!" she announces as she arrives, in jeans and a t-shirt with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Just in time to see the drop-bear attack.

Tim //did// say that there was a mute Asian girl they should train with if it looked like she wanted them to follow her. And hey, that definitely looks like an invitation to train! So as if it's all very normal, she sets her bag down by the door, crossing her arms over her chest to watch.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner does have super-senses, but they have not been as amazing as usual lately. Certainly the whole 'hearing heartbeats' is not something can do right now unless he is concentrating. So, oops. Ambush training!

He was turning to respond to Hope's greeting when at wild battling appears. Drops on him. And somehow manages to throw him to the other side of the room despite being half his size.

"Hey!" He protests, flailing. He manages catch himself just before hitting the floor, and land on his feet. "Who are... oh, it is you. Er... hello?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra is standing, no mask to hide her face. She doesn't seem to own one, having shown up a few times now bare-faced. One of those heroes then. She looks as if she's studying Conner's form, as he flails his way out of the toss. She has one hand on her chin and a thoughtful expression on her face.

The eyes turn toward Hope, dark and staring. Not cracking a grin that one might ask if she even has in her repertoire, she inspects the woman as Hope drops her bag. Then she motions to Hope, a 'come hither' if ever was to say one. Without words.

Then she's walking toward Conner, instantly raising her left hand in a 'halt' gesture. She approaches, then offers her hands, clearly trying to guide him somehow. Not an attack then.

This would be so much easier if she spoke.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope tilts her head slightly at the invitation, as though considering. She's seen enough to know when she's likely to get her butt handed to her. Then again, she's had her butt handed to her enough times in her life to know the value of it. After a moment, she moves toward the mats, pulling at least some of her hair back into a ponytail as she walks. THe uneven cut means a lot of it still falls around her face, but hey, she's trying.

"This would be a lot easier if I still had Doug's power loaded," she says ruefully. "But I've got a feeling I'll appreciate what I've got as it is." She takes her time getting to the mat, circling around to one side while giving Cass plenty of room to help Connor up.

Conner Kent has posed:
"You're Cassandra, right?" Conner is not very good at remembering names. But he got this one right. "Are you a ninja?" Because both times he has seen her she has been super-sneaky. Tim really needs to make better introductions.

He gives Hope a quizzical look, maybe asking her for explanations. Maybe Hope knows Cass better!

Then looks at Cass as she offers her hands. Hesitating only half a second. After all she can't really hurt him, right? He takes the offered hands.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The wordless wonder nods, at what exactly isn't clear, then guides Conner into the...the same throw that she just used on him? Yes, Hope would see it clearly. Then she pauses, just before the pivot point; she took one of his ankles in her right hand, her left on the back of his shoulder, and leans just a touch to let him see where the balance occurs. She's teaching!

She motions to Hope, calling her over, and then offers a hand, to let her try the throw? If she comes she'll be led into the motion which allows it, but she pauses to touch Hope's forehead, get her attention. She points to the ceiling where she came from, and touches her lips. Shss. A dropping hand, then she mimes turning and throwing. Only good for a sneak attack?

Hope Summers has posed:
"Pretty sure she's not a talker," Hope notes to Conner with a wry smile, nodding as she comes close enough to see the demonstration. "It's a balance point," she translates, setting her hands where Cass did and gently pushing first one way, then the other. "Useful for when you're not the biggest person in the room but you're fighting above your weight class."

She grins at Conner, nodding again to Cass. "Hard to get into position if the target sees you getting started, though. I'm Hope," she adds to the silent girl, tapping on her own chest as she says it. "You were at the warehouse, right?" Her head tilts again as she gives her a once over. "You look pretty good for getting shot."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner hrms. "Well, yeah. I am not as easy to throw around when I am not relaxing in our secret base, y'know?" He protests. "Because when I am out there, I am usually flying and controlling my own inertia."

It looks Conner already knows Hope. That should be obvious to Cass due to his body language. "Ah, you met her before the other day?" Shoot? He looks at Cassandra again, but he can't detect her being injured. "Did you see Phoebe already?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The headtilt offered to both Hope and Conner is slightly annoyed. Cassandra, if that is her name, actually dusts off her shoulder, the one which got 'shot', and then motions to Conner. She turns her back, then looks back at him. The response to all that talking is, apparently, not more talking but instead an invitation to try the move himself.

The fact that he's not likely to need a sneak attack move? She doesn't seem to care, and her eyes say, 'well, come on?' though her stance says 'it won't work on me'.

Then she relaxes a little. So he can try, her muscles trying not to be too prepared, and she gives Hope an upnod. For...some reason.

Hope Summers has posed:
"There was a thing at a warehouse," Hope explains to Conner. "It wasn't exactly planned and there wasn't a lot of time for introductions. I met Phoebe the other day though," she nods, stepping back to give him room to try with Cass.

"And I ran into her at the club opening, which was fun. Cassie was also there, though she seemed...a little, uh. Well, I'm glad she was having a good time." Hope seems to have picked up on a few things, but not enough to put together the details yet. "And Tim, with who I assume was Rose, though he ducked out right as things were getting interesting. Interesting crowd, to say the least."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Really sorry to have missed that party," comments Conner. "Looks like all my friends were there. But I was... uh, I actually spent a time with the other Kryptonians. Pretty interesting stuff."

Now, Cass thinks she is ready for him, right? He cracks his knuckles. Of course, he could try a super-speed dash but that is what a martial artist would expect from a Kryptonian. Instead he crouches, taps with his hand the mat and lets his telekinesis flow.

Cass will find the mat under her feet suddenly vanishing. Well, yanked hard. YOINK.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass was offering to let him try the throw she was teaching, actually, which Hope noticed and gave room for. She tilts her head, then goes head-over-heels, quite unprepared for this type of assault!

She lands on her left shoulder, rolling in a motion that's both practiced and unconscious, and before she's even regained uprightedness she tosses a leg sweep Conner's direction, content to comment on his choice of moves with an appropriate counter.

She doesn't use anything complex, simply allowing him to react. Though her face showed a moment's surprise, it comes up calm enough, slightly smiling even.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope quirks a brow when Conner goes for the mat-pull, taking a step back herself to make room for reprisal. Mostly because she doesn't want to be caught in the middle of it. "Yeah?" she asks Conner, apparently willing to continue conversation while training. "Sounds like it'd be interesting. And a nice way to get in touch with...family?" The last word has a slight uptick, like she's not entirely sure it's true, but doesn't want to presume.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner hahs, floating up to avoid Cass' sweep. Then he tries to boop her on the nose, moving at high speed. He is quite sure not even Rose would be able to avoid him. Well, maybe Rose would because she is precognitive. But probably not.

"Genetically, we are family," he admits to Hope. But not really, right? He had not even talked to Supergirl ever before. Still, Kryptonian culture and technology was way more interesting he expected.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain apparently does not see the nose boop coming. She takes it, not bothering to react, and simply did not try to stop it. She rises to her feet with a frown appearing on her face, then places her fists upon her own hips. Then she takes a step back, away from both of the two that she's with, and motions from Hope to Conner with a sweep of her hand. The frown is new, and she's no longer in attack mode.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Funny, things are kind of opposite for me," Hope says with a wry smile. "All my family's got no genetic tie to me. That said, there're a lot of them." No one is ready for the Summers family kudzu bush.

She nods to Cass's direction, stepping forward with a sharper, more speculative look at Conner. He's seen her fight at least once - enough to know she knows what she's doing. And she's seen enough to know she's not going to beat him in a //fair// fight. Luckily, Cable never taught her to fight fair.

"So," she says as she steps forward. "It sounded the other night like you guys got your asses kicked by someone." She feints toward where she saw he was injured before, then follows up with a strike at his other side, moving to the opposite side from Cass.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner head tilts to Cass, trying to figure out the young woman moods. It is difficult, she is not reacting like he expected. "You okay?" He asks, offering a smile. Yes, he wasn't taking it all very seriously. Maybe that was the problem.

"Oh, well Krytonians are nearly extinct. They were super-advanced and could have colonized other planets, but they didn't like to leave Krypton." Which is mind-boggling. They could travel through space and did not! "Anyway, Superman was also... really great. Super-nice guy."

At the mention of getting assess kicked, Conner's hand unconsciously goes to his abdomen. There is still a pretty ugly, if mostly healed wound there. "Yeah. Deathstroke the assassin. He is also Rose's dad. He was armed with Kryptonite and he... took down Laura in a second, it was brutal."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain's eyes are funny things. She looks in the strangest places; she tracks Hope's strikes, but not where they land, checking out muscle motion and form even in mid-spar. She watches their stomachs, talking while they 'train'. She looks to Conner when he talks, a glance at his mouth that causes her to moue a little.

She waits for the words to be right, for their breath to be the most expelled, and then.

Then she steps into the fight, placing the inside of her foot on the heel of Conner's back foot. She lifts it in the direction of least resistance, almost lazily toppling his balance, and proceeds to tilt him horizontally. She drives her elbow into his stomach, slamming a message with all of her might and a hint of martial chi: he'd feel it, if it were anyone stronger, he'd be out of breath and out of the fight.

And then, turning, she steps underneath Hope's own guard and simply places a hand on her stomach. She holds it there, keeping her from breathing properly. She'd have had her own breath expelled and been taken out as much as he.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope expels what's left of her breath on a laugh, a glint of humor in her eyes and the crinkles at the corners when she looks at Cass. "Traitor," she accuses jokingly, though she nods her understanding as well. Without waiting for Cass to move back, she reaches down, one hand pushing on the inside of the other girl's elbow, the other trying to grasp her wrist to bend and push her hand up over her shoulder.

Quitting, it seems, isn't something Hope really does.

It's hard to give a 'style' to the way she fights, either. Most of it has nothing that could count as anything formal enough for style. It's brutal, efficient, and unapologetic. Still, every now and then there's a glimpse of something more polished - some sort of kung fu?

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner was just avoiding Hope's strikes. He has inhumanly fast reflexes, but mostly he is finding silly sparing with normal humans. If Hope hits him, she might hurt herself. He is not used to spar anymore, to be honest. Of the team Cassie can give him trouble, sure. Bart is so fast he is almost impossible to avoid. But it has been a while.

And Cass against catches him unbalanced, tripping him. When she drives the elbow into his stomach, though, he rolls away to lessen the impact. And Cass will still feel she hit a steel plate with her elbow.

This time he stays on the floor, on his back. "Okay, you win. I am dedz. Sheesh."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The chicken-wing on Cassandra is allowed to work, and she leans back into the move. Hope gets her back, the move quite painful and opening her up to a bunch of other options. She simply lets it happen though, her arm close to being dislocated. Then she uses that hold as a pivot point, which has to add to the pain involved and could not possibly have been taught by an instructor who cared about his students, and lifts both of her legs to try and wrap around Hope's head, to throw her in a counter.

She not-so-subtly ignores Conner for a moment, trying to see how adaptive Hope is, as she tallies up the injuries from this sparring session. Don't use the elbows for a bit, definitely. Not much more yet, will see if they start actually trying.

Hope Summers has posed:
Oddly enough, Hope doesn't seem surprised that Cass is willing to take the pain to get through the fight. Maybe she's sparred with others who don't feel so much, or heal. Or maybe she'd do the same.

She //could// push enough for that dislocation, but she doesn't just yet. They're sparring, and she doesn't know the full range of Cass's abilities. Rather than fight the throw, she rolls with it, wincing when she hits the ground but managing to roll up into a crouch after.

Poor Conner. The girls are distracted trying to kill each other.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner is actually pretty okay with it. After all, how can a guy complain if two good looking girls are kung-fu fighting just a few yards from him. He could watch and have some popcorn.

No popcorn, but still watching. "Gotta say, Cass. You are very quick for a... uh, maybe you are meta. Definitely faster than Robin."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra is being gentle, going easy, and actually isn't on Hope the moment that she's up! She lets the woman get her breath, glancing at Conner when he speaks. That's an odd habit but one that is noticeable. Someone talks, her head turns and she looks at them. Something that could be used against her if her perhaps, though her trainers whoever they are have GOT to have noticed, and planned for it.
    She gives Conner a small glare, not taking a great deal of time to chat (if that's what she's doing??) and then steps in beside Hope. Not in front of her, beside her. She was planning a punch and Cassandra reaches out, grabs the arm and the hip, and locks her in place!

Eyes on Hope's now, she looks serious. Then she release the hip lock, patting the woman's elbow. She bends it slightly, then puts a hand on Hope's waist. She shifts the hip backward, then walks behind her and adjusts her heel. She goes through a PROCESS, planting her hands on the woman and making her punch....better.

And did it mid-sparring.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope seems to be getting the general idea of what Cass is 'saying' fairly easily. No talent there, expect maybe practice. It's clear she's spent a lot of time training - and not just training, but taking training seriously. Enough that when Cass moves over to correct her, she follows along and adjusts her stance, nodding once. "It's not speed, exactly," she says to Conner. "She just...already knows what we're doing. I've got a friend who's got a power that lets him read body language. I mean, other things too, but...This is what I meant when I told him just because he didn't think it was a combat-heavy power didn't mean it wasn't dangerous."

Straightening up, she takes a step back with another nod and a flash of a grin for Cass. "It seems fast, but that's because she's reacting before you expect someone to process the information about what you're doing."

Conner Kent has posed:
"She still seem very quick to me," insists Conner. Still sprawled on the mat. Super-lazy. Also, hopefully Cass won't hit him again if he is already down. "I was actually here to see how much weight can I handle right now, not for this. But it was fun."

Even though Cass is a little odd. He is pretty sure she was trying to tell them something, not just picking fights. Unfortunately, he is not sure what.

He sits up, looking at the redhead. "Why did you come, Hope? Looking for someone or something in particularly or just to hang out the Saturday afternoon?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The sparring clearly on pause, over, or at the very least taking a second, Cassandra stops and scoops up a bottle of water. She tips it back, draining it to halfway while never once taking her eyes off of either Hope or Conner. She has this...presence, that she never lets down her guard. It might seem as if she's trying to teach these things, but in reality it's simply how she lives her life. A stark difference from Conner's laziness that's allowed her to tip him twice tonight alone.

She turns, whipping a second bottle into Hope's left hand, forestalling any attack with a clear message that sublimes what Conner just noted: she's talking, and that was an order. Hydrate, lady.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope reaches out to catch the water bottle, wasting no time in getting a drink for herself. It's one of those things she'll never take for granted. "There was a lot going on when I got here last time," she answers Conner. "And it seemed like...there was probably a lot that I needed to know if I was going to be part of the team. Knowing your team's an important part of being good in the field."

She walks a slow circle as she drinks, keeping half an eye on Cass. She's definitely cottoned that the other girl could make a test attack at any time. "Their strengths, their weaknesses. And how they interact with each other. Like, what was up with the whole...relationship thing the other day? That was a lot of high emotion just for some unwanted PDA."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Ah, that is because Tim, Rose, Cassie, Bart and me go from way back," states Conner. "Well, three years. Seems much longer. We used to meet most days, find trouble, do some good. Try to keep Rose away from her dad. Shenanigans of all kinds." He sighs.

"Now Rose and Tim are dating, and it seems to be working," which since Hope lacks the contest, he can't really explain how amazing that is. "But there are some... old business, assumptions and lingering issues. We have all grown too fast, I guess."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra's face grins then, as Hope does the circling maneuver with her eyes LOCKED on her own form. She bows her head in appreciation, a lesson clearly learned from an apt pupil. She could get to like this one. The fact that she may not even be a part of the team is immaterial: she has yet to do anything that isn't helpful.

Annoying, yes. Embarrassing, most certainly. But not...unhelpful. And she seems to be completely without drama. Which might be nice once in a while.

Thus when Conner and Hope begin to talk properly she takes three steps, walking out of the ring. She gets completely out of Hope's danger range, and picks up a towel to wipe off her skull. Then starts poking at her elbow, where she struck Conner. Not 'wincing' but definitely tentatively. She might have hurt herself.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Who's Bart? I don't remember meeting him." When Cass moves out of range, Hope, grins back at her, raising her water bottle in salute before taking another long drink. There's something about the way she talks, the questions she asks, that's more like a commander assessing personnel files than a typical teenage girl. Then again, she's got a lot more experience with the former than the latter.

Catching Cassie's elbow-check, she moves over to Conner and sits cross-legged on the mat next to him, promptly reaching over to try to poke at his arm with one finger. "Think she might've hit you a little hard making that point earlier."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Fast guy, brought in pizzas?" Explains Conner. Can't blame Hope, he is also bad at names and tends to forget one or two when introduced to many people. He frowns slightly when Cass checks her elbow. "Hitting invulnerable people like that is not a good idea. I have to admit she confuses me a bit," he adds, speaking more quietly. "See seems sweet and nice in an odd way."

He stands up, and offers a hand to Hope. "We should go to the upper levels, I hear noises, someone must be up to something. Maybe food."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The mute girl bends over, scooping up her tunic. More of a hoodie, but it's clearly got some gear in it from the weight. She turns and tosses it toward the pair, the only warning a glance in their direction, and then when it lands she motions to it, waving amicably. Go on.

A closer inspection would show a plethora of...simplicity. No high-tech gadgets in the pockets, but the elbows are specifically armoured to protect from exactly the types of strikes that Cassandra had just used on Conner! She's prepared for these things, but this is clearly training.

There are also a form of brass knuckles hidden in the sleeves, easy to slip on for powerful strikes when needed, and the whole thing seems to have some kind of sewn-in armour. Plates over the vital organs, some kind of hyper-flex mesh everywhere else. And she just tossed it to them...

She's..sharing? What she can do. The pair were literally just talking about knowing your teammates. Apparently she's not completely deaf after all?

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope takes the offered hand, hopping up and taking another drink. "Don't remember seeing him," she shakes her head. "But there was a lot going on." As Cass starts to make a throwing motion, she turns to face her, just in time to see the hoodie. Curious, she goes to pick it up, brows rising as she looks it over.

"//Nice//," she approves, looking back to Cass with a grin and a nod. "I need to get me one of these. Save me from needing to worry about healing, for sure. Although if Laura's around, that's not as much of a worry," she muses, mostly to herself. "Still. Super cool."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim, however, is wandering over from his house on the front side of the base. Lightweight grey sweats and barefooted, and shirtless... which the latter is usually not his style... he is rifling through the refrigerator in the base for caffeine. Finding what he is looking for, he cracks the soda open and wanders out into the rec area, pausing by the touchscreen on the wall to summon up info on whats going on in the Roost.

That print is still stable, if slow at only 56%... bioanalysis still running in the lab.... huh. He pops the comms unit for the training room. "Hey, guys. Cass kick your asses yet?"

Conner Kent has posed:
"Ah, this is armored. Makes a lot of sense," he grins at Cass. "So, you can understand us, right?" I thought so. It is just... oh, I didn't come down here to spar with you. It is difficult for me to find a partner for training. Cassie can do it, but she is rarely around. I wonder if Megan is strong enough. I have to ask her."

He spots Tim just then. "Tim... oh, she did, I guess," he laughs. "This reminds me, I need to make a couple phone calls. So, you are in charge of keeping these ladies amused, Timster." Because Conner is flying upstairs.