First Unused Utility Belt | Video

[hellofist]

[When the video feed comes on, it looks like everything is upside down. Only Cassandra's neck and chin are visible at first, showing a lopsided frown as she fumbles with the communicator, nearly drops it, and then finally turns it upside down. Now the view is her face right side up, and she grins into the camera before a paning shot shows she is hanging upside down from a tree in the CES.]

Crunches. Upside down. 500. Bored.

[She could have done this in the gym, yes, but there are less people here usually. Besides-]

Climbed the tree. Always wanted... to try. Bats are upside down. Funny, because [She puts her hand on her chest here.] Batgirl. Warden.

[And then she waves.] Hi.

Comments

Private

[hellofist]

Did it work?

[It couldn't have. Could it? It's hard to believe that even something like leveling an entire city would stop them. She hopes so much it only made them push harder. Tim isn't pulling away, so she stays where she is, curled against his chest with her head ducked down, trying to will her tears to stop.]

Can... dead people come here?

[Is there a chance she might see them again?]

Private

[peektuttut]

No. It didn't work. [But everything had come so close to falling apart. He missed the days before, when things made sense. When he didn't have to hold his breath every time the phone rang, didn't have to hope - he'd stopped praying so long ago - that he wasn't about to hear that one of his friends had died.] We got through it.

[He nodded over her head, and started rubbing her back in little circles; mostly because Dick had done it to him, before, when he was overwhelmed by the latest horror the Barge had turned him into.]

They can. Who knows, they might show up as wardens. You never know.

[But it's an empty platitude, so he pauses, and says,] That's Dick's deal. To save Bludhaven.

Private

[hellofist]

[She can cling to those good things. They can give her hope and strength and she can push on. She needs to, to honor the memories of everyone who died.]

Brenda would be good. At wardening. Took care of me.

[And then he goes and says that and Cass pulls back fast, eyes wide and hopeful.]

Save it? How? Will it come back?

Private

[peektuttut]

[He shifts his hands to her shoulders so she can move, and a small smile starts in the corner of his mouth.]

Yeah, I think so. When he graduates an inmate, the Admiral will restore the city. And everyone who died there.

Private

[hellofist]

[Tim's smile might be small, but Cass' is nearly big enough to split her face in two. Brenda and Zero, they can come back. The whole city can, because of Dick. And now she can't really contain how happy she is.

She throws herself at Tim, arms wrapping around his neck and it's almost enough to knock him over backwards if he doesn't react in time.]

Good!

Private

[peektuttut]

Oof. [He grunts as she slams back into him, and they almost tip over before he manages to straighten again, arms wrapped around her middle. It's hard not to smile, though, seeing that happiness on his face. Well, hard not to smile more, so he does.]

Yeah, that's what I said. [But some concern flickers across his face, and the smile fades a little again.] What are you here for?

Private

[hellofist]

[Oh. That's a little more serious. She sets her chin on Tim's shoulder as she thinks of how to say it, but no matter what, she's going to sound like a coward.]

Wasn't ready to... face Shiva again. Came here instead. To learn and... help.

Private

[peektuttut]

[Shiva. He has his own history with her, and most of it isn't pleasant. The last time they met, she broke a bunch of his ribs, dislocated his shoulder.

But he got her, in the end. He'd been good enough. (Like Batman.)

Squeezing Cass a little tighter, Tim nodded.] It's okay. Time won't pass, there. You can take all the time you need.

Private

[hellofist]

[He's lucky, then. Shiva killed her. Twice.

And she's just learned she likes squeezes to be part of her hugs. Her face burrows into Tim's shoulder a little bit more.]

Good. Will get stronger. She won't know... what hit her.

Private

[peektuttut]

[Oh he does not doubt the luck. :c He smiles a little, glad she can't see it, because he's sure it isn't completely happy. There's still so much about Cass' time away that he doesn't know about. Things that they just haven't talked about, at home, things he doesn't even know how to ask.

He isn't even sure he wants to know, really, because the guilt of not looking for her is pretty thick.]

That's the best way. Surprising her.

Private

[hellofist]

[She can feel a change in him, feel something serious coming, and she doesn't want it to. She just wants to be with him because the hug feels nice, doesn't want any more news, no more questions, just a hug, conversations that are easy.]

Do you have... inmate? Helping?

Private

[peektuttut]

[He can't be sure if the subject comes up because of him, but he thinks it might. So he does his best to relax, to smooth things over. This is perhaps the longest he's hugged anyone in a very long time, but he's waiting it out.]

Yeah. He's name is Luther, he's...he's a good kid, who made some bad mistakes. [It makes him a little sad, but he knows Luther can be helped. He's more hopeful for Luther than he was about his first inmate, and Sylar managed to graduate.] It might be a while before you're assigned. Sometimes the Admiral takes his time.

Private

[hellofist]

[She should let go. She's pretty sure she should let go, but no one has ever explained hug lengths to her. Is it weird, that she's been hanging onto him for so long? He's still hugging back, but it might just be because he's indulging her weirdness. It wouldn't be the first time. Slowly, she starts to pull back, still close but now if Tim wants to let go, he can, or she'll see it at the very least.]

Will be patient. Probaby will have... hard time, finding inmate who...

[She trails off there, because it's something she's been worrying about but hasn't actually talked about yet. Who would want a warden that can hardly talk to them, can't even read? She expects to be on her own for awhile.]

Spam

[peektuttut]

[Dick would probably just keep hugging her, he realizes, but Tim isn't Dick. When she starts to pull back, so does he - but he settles his hands on her shoulders, just for a few extra minutes.]

There are other ways to communicate. [And then he smiles, and drops her shoulders so he can hold up one fist.]

Spam

[hellofist]

[And just like that, with that one gesture, all of Cass' worries about not being good enough evaporate. There are people who understand her. It just takes time, sometimes. Her smile is bright and she wants to hug him again but she just reaches for his hand with both of hers to unwind his fist.]

Not how you do it.

[Once his hand is open, she slips hers into it and gives it a firm shake. Her way is still better, but this way has it's own merits, she supposes. She just grins up at him, full of mischief, and gives another shake.]

Like this. Didn't anyone... ever teach you?

Spam

[peektuttut]

[Okay, well done Cass, he is just going to outright laugh and shake her hand firmly. He misses the old days, a lot - when things weren't so grim, so serious. He likes laughing with people he cares about. It's a good thing to remember.]

Looks like everyone can use some brushing up.

Spam

[hellofist]

It's okay. I'll teach you.

[His laugh is good, she can tell it's been awhile since he's had something to feel happy about. It doesn't bode well for her future, but so far not much has. She'll just have to make the most of the time she has on the barge.]