Owner	Pose
Talia al Ghul	Rain in Gotham City flows as natural as pain. It drives down from thick storm clouds above, and rolls off of the rooftop architecture of Wayne manor in ribbons. Talia al Ghul, the Daughter of the Demon, is not in hiding. She's standing in plain sight directly upon the grounds. A pair of high-waisted jeans and black boots account for her lower half, and her top is obscured by a black leather jacket with a sky blue hoody worn beneath. That hood is pulled up and over the top of her head, but does little to protect her raven black hair from that unending, oppressive rain. But people in Gotham City do persevere, don't they? She's got both of her hands tucked into her coat pockets and is looking up at what is, in all likelihood, an empty master suite through its massive dark window. Her expression gives little away. Even through the sound of rain drops on the grounds, she can hear footsteps. Her ruby red lips thin and her eyes narrow, torso twisting in the direction of their source.
Cassandra Cain	Cassandra is outside, running. One expects people around here to be all kinds of odd, but given recent events she's just not. In a tank top that shows her tummy and arms from the shoulders down, she's sweating and working herself. But there's no joy in it. Scars all up and down her arms show old wounds. Her stomach and back, exposed: the same. Black tight yoga pants allow her to move, and her muscles ripple with barely hidden power. She's clearly a workout type. So why such a sad set of eyes? She isn't trying to hide her steps, and running in the rain is a very audible thing sometimes. Splashing through a puddle she turns a corner, then slows near to Talia's shrouded form. It's a moment like that, with two silent figures standing in the rain, and Cass takes a moment to pull her sopping hair from her eyes. There's a look in her, as if she's already ready to wince and pull away. Which is at odd with both the scarring and the body presented. This is a warrior, those are gunshot and knife scarring. So..what?
Talia al Ghul	Talia al Ghul is not a particularly warm or particularly kind woman. The wounds and scars on Cassandra's body are given a glance, but Talia's eyes do not linger. Her gaze is without pity or compassion, but it also lacks any venom or aggression. She simply stands there for a moment or two longer, both hands tucked into the pockets of her leather jacket, and looks down at the younger woman through the veil of rain that separates them. "Another one of Bruce's strays, I presume?" she asks. "Which one are you? I have such difficulty keeping track." Her voice is heavily accented, though it's difficult to pin down a precise location. Some flicks and lilts of her tongue ring southern european, others middle eastern, and some words bounce off the roof of her mouth to sound almost Asian. Her body posture remains neutral, however. Relaxed. She does not flinch, wince, or pull away, but she doesn't advance either. She just stands and waits, head tipped inquisitively to the side.
Cassandra Cain	The asian girl doesn't look as if she understands English. At least, her immediate reactions don't indicate it. She looks at Talia's lips as they move, not taking in the accents or even most of the words. Given the obvious pain in her, she still takes a step closer to Talia. The outfit hides no weaponry, not unless it's in her hair. But then she glances up at the room that Talia was watching, and when her eyes return they're different. A sudden breeze touches them both, and as Cassandra ties Talia to Bruce with the simple expedient of her having been looking at his window, she nods her head in assent. And then reaches up with her right hand to touch her own ear. It looks for all the world like she's just activated an earbud. Which is probably best, given that is actually the truth. She's just sent a one-tap signal to whomever's on comms.
Talia al Ghul	Talia's face scrunches up for a half moment when her question is... well. It isn't ignored, is it? Talia's eyes turn down to watch the young woman's eyes as she speaks. Deaf? Talia cants her head to the opposite side now and removes her hands from her pockets. She tugs off her left glove with her teeth, and then the right with her bare fingertips. In some cultures, the act of removing a pair of gloves can be considered provocative. An instigation of a fight or conflict. A challenge. In Talia's case, she simply tucks the gloves into her left pocket and lace her fingertips together. She holds her hands together atop her thighs and simply watches Cassandra a moment or two longer. Her suspicions, at least as far as she is concerned, are confirmed when the girl reaches up to touch against her ear. She recognizes those comms, and she likely knows that a signal has been sent. And yet... here she stands. When she de-laces her fingers and lifts her hands up, it isn't to strike or to engage, but to communicate. A naturally-gifted communicator and polyglot, Talia is well-versed in sign language. Her hands form the words, and she gestures like she's fluent. She speaks, too, with the hand motions. "Do you sign?" she signs and says.
Cassandra Cain	Cassandra's eyes flick to Talia's hands. They move as she moves, still maintaining a distance. Talia would note that it's the distance a normal person would choose as defensive: just outside of a regular person's attack range. So she's at that level then. It is an intentional action on Cassandra's part. She doesn't like to give away her own thought processes, and is one thing she can do right now given the chaos in her own mind. Putting her feet firmly into a puddle, Cass frowns the tiniest bit as Talia moves to sign at her. She shifts, then she nods hesitantly at the question. She's made no attempt to open her mouth. Even the muscles there are lax, it's likely that she IS deaf. Then she motions toward the mansion with her right hand, an eloquent offer in her own fashion accompanied by a tilt of her head toward. Clearly not a threat, but neither is she letting her eyes fall away. Alertness and patience both.
Talia al Ghul	Talia's smile is a wicked one. It is wicked in insidious ways, because it -looks- kind. She looks warm. When Cassandra's eyes turn to her hands, and she's able to coax out a nod from the girl, Talia smiles. "Good," she says, and she signs. "Then we can talk." She observes the girl across from her attempt to speak and, while her gaze is striking and pitiless, it is not cruel either. She does not mock the girl for her struggle to form the words, nor look at her as if she is delicate, fragile, and weak. If Cassandra is noting body posture, then Talia al Ghul is calm and composed. She is neither defensive nor offensive, electing instead to simply stand, casual and confident, that she would be able to deal with this young woman should the situation turn to conflict. Instead, however, Cassandra is making an offer. A gesture to the manor, and shelter from the rain. Talia lets out an amused laugh. "You know," she says, with hands and fingers accompanying her words. "I used to sneak into this place through that window," she says. A gesture given to a window on the second floor. "But that was a different time." Her body turns, and she reaches behind her back to lace her fingertips together once again. She begins to move towards the manor and, unless stopped, will move inside along with Cassandra Cain.
Cassandra Cain	There's a moment when Cass is in a perfect position. When she could attack, and her advantage would be at its best. The instant afterwards would be Talia's though, when the situation would be entirely reversed and Talia would be in prime spots. They are instants that could be predicted, but only if you were used to assassin work. They are also tags, giveaways that people have been trained in that particular deadly art. Nearly impossible to hide, Cassandra tenses ever so slightly just as her moment comes, and visibly allows Talia to take the upper point of superior angles. When it passes though she's alive, and so is Talia. A small lift of her jaw says volumes; that she's coming along as well, and the way that she walks suggests a small amount of subservience due to where she chooses to be. Her eyes flick up to her right though, toward the earbud. She's listening to instructions in her earpiece most likely about the new arrival. For all that she's clearly silent, she's possibly less annoying. Not a question asked, she's already scouted out Talia and arrived at several conclusions of her own.
Talia al Ghul	The chill and wet of the rain is replaced immediately with the warmth of Wayne manor. Talia seems, for her part, entirely at home within these walls. If what she said about sneaking in through the window was true, then she's likely to have been here before. Still, she looks quietly and curiously around while shrugging off that top layer of her leather jacket. "Where is Alfred?" she asks and signs, shortly before hanging the coat up herself. Her boot-covered feet carry her towards the fireplace and those four antique chairs. She laughs when she pulls one out, staring down at as a memory flashes through her mind. "Would it kill him to get something a bit more comfortable? You know, he really is quite sentimental," she says, and then lowers herself down onto the chair near the fire. Talia angles her knees towards it, hoping that the warmth of it will start to take some of the wet of the rain out of her jeans. A gesture is given to the spot beside her, and she even goes so far as to push that chair at enough of an angle to suggest Cassandra is meant to join her. "Sit, sit," she says. She's sure, by now, her presence within Wayne Manor has been noted. This moment alone with this young woman will not last for long. "Do you know who I am, child?" she asks.
Cassandra Cain	Out of the rain, Cassandra drips onto the expensive hardwood floors. She is not dressed for this kind of weather, and as she approaches the fire she steams slightly off of her skin. Her shoes, black and tight to her feet, leave less trace than one might expect. She sits then. No argument, no egotistical posing or pretence to superiority. Hands on her own knees she looks at Talia as if she's the only person in the world. The level of attention could be intoxicating if it were only accompanied by dedication. But there's no chance of her missing a thing that Talia does or says. When she shifts and opens her mouth, it almost comes as a surprise. Because it changes everything when she says, "Damian." Yes, she's seen enough of Talia now to spot the similarities. The softness of the cheekbones. The fingertips. There are cues. But her voice goes back to silence again, as if she's unable to use it much. Or perhaps, not used to the habit?
Talia al Ghul	If Talia is either approving of this attention or disapproving, she gives nothing away. In fact, it's likely quite difficult for even Cassandra to identify much from her. Those moments where Cassandra had the upper hand did not yield an increased heart rate or even dilated pupils. No, Talia is confident to the point of hubris. But she does lean back when Cassandra sits, watching the steam lift off the girl's body as she dries. Another glance is spared to the scars and wounds -- memories of harsh lessons imprinted on skin. Talia's own remains pristine. "Mmmmh," she says, and nods to the girl's voice. "Is that what a woman becomes when she becomes a mother?" Talia muses, her eyes turning towards the fire. Her hands reach out to emote the words again, signing as easily as she speaks. "Just a mother or a wife. Not the sum of her hopes, ambitions, and dreams?" That question hangs in the air for a moment or two before Talia turns her head to look back at Cassandra. In the low light of this room, just the cheek nearest the fire is illuminated. The warm orange glow catches in those wide, dark irises and pupils wide in the low light. "I am Talia al Ghul. What is your name?"
Cassandra Cain	But there's a problem. Cassandra doesn't seem to have understood. She spoke her word, and then her eyes went to what Talia was saying and...nothing. Her eyes and expression wilt in that way they do when you've lost track of what's going on, and are trying to get the heart to tell the person that you're with. That you're confused, that they've gone over your head. That Cassandra doesn't comprehend some of the terms that Talia's just used. It's not until the woman states her name that Cassandra starts, visibly jolting back into the conversation. She nods, a clear agreement that this is, in fact, words again. "Cassandra" she says with that reluctancy in her voice again. This is not deafness, it's more than that. Something to ask when one sees Alfred perhaps. Bruce would be blunt, but Alfred would explain properly. The girl clearly is in some way damaged. She might surprise then, rising to her feet as if making a choice. Thus far she'd allowed Talia to make all the decisions, to call the time of the dance. But she walks to the fireplace, and to the mantle. Where she lifts a hand, placing it upon the bricks above the fireplace. She looks at Talia, then turns and looks at the bricks themselves. Poised there she seems a figure of contrasts. Softness within an iron shell. She lets the corner of her eyes track Talia, but then not even that. The equivalent of allowing the woman free rein on her. The chance to kill her, if she chose to do so.
Talia al Ghul	It's thankful that as a woman who, at the very least, -dabbles- in villainy, Talia al Ghul is able to monologue regardless of whether or not her words resonate with another. And how can she expect a twenty-something to understand the plight of motherhood? The irrelevance that it can cast within oneself? To be known as Ra's' daughter and Damian's mother, but never as Talia. She laughs a little, and waves a dismissing hand. There are more important matters at hand. "Cassandra. A strong name. Did you know that? It means 'warrior'," Talia says. She crosses one leg over the other and grimaces when she sees that a bit of half-decomposed leaf has gotten itself stuck to her jeans. She flicks it off of the denim and it plaps on the floor just in time for a set of familiar-sounding footsteps to descend the grand staircase. Talia can hear that they're moving a bit slower in the years that it's been that she's last felt them beneath her feet. Cassandra moves and rises, and shows her back to Talia in a moment of weakness. The Demon's Daughter flicks her gaze over the young woman's form for a brief moment before rising to her feet. "It is a pleasure to have met you, Cassandra. You have a very pretty voice," she says, and signs, and turns to leave the room. "Miss al Ghul," Alfred says from above his nose. It is not a kind look that he regards her with, but it is, as always, polite. "Mister Pennyworth," she says back, "I must say, I love what you've done with the place. It is as if I have walked into the pas--" "Miss al Ghul, spare me the pleasantries, for I tired of them some time shortly after we became acquainted." Talia's small smile softens, and she tucks her hands back into the pockets of her zip-up hoody. "I came to see Bruce," she says. "Master Wayne is indisposed. Perhaps I can take a message for yo--." "Alfred. Please. I need to speak with him. It's... it's important," says Talia. Alfred's old face softens a touch and he turns his chin down when he speaks next. "...Come with me. I will let the Young Master know you have arrived. Do not make me regret this... Talia," he says. She steps closer and, as the two ascend the staircase, Talia reaches to offer her arm for support and stabilization. For a moment, Alfred hesitates but, after a few steps, he reluctantly takes it. "You look well, Miss. Not a day younger. It is uncanny," he says. Talia just chuckles warmly.