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

[hellofist]

You do.

[How can she not? From the beginning, Stephanie wanted to do the right thing. Now she has the resources and Batman, she would assume. As far as Cass is concerned, Steph is automatically a good Batgirl.]

[ichoosefight]

[ Batman's resources, anyway. Oh, and his habit of looking over everyone's shoulder, that's helpful in its own awful way. ]

I'm not dead yet, so I figure I must be doing something right.

[ Oh. Bad choice of words, she realizes moments after they come out of her mouth. ]

[hellofist]

[And as soon as it slips, Cass' face falls. She had tried to just push that to the back of her mind, focus on Steph alive and here, not on being lied to and missing her for so, so long. She wasn't ready to look at that again already.

Suddenly, the grass is much more interesting than Stephanie's new suit and Cass isn't sure if she'll be able to look up again.]

Not funny.

[ichoosefight]

I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. [ She deflates, and the guilt comes back like being hit with a brick wall. She's a horrible friend. ]

[hellofist]

[She already cried with Tim. This still hurts, hurts worse than Bludhaven, but Steph is alive and there's absolutely no reason to cry over that.

Her heart still feels heavy and her eyes are still burning, though.]

Don't make those jokes.

[ichoosefight]

I won't, I promise. [ But she's broken so many promises in her life. Still, she'll try, and she really doesn't want to see Cass cry. ]

Never again. I'll only make funny jokes. And maybe bad puns.

[hellofist]

[Promises. They only mean anything until they don't. They've never meant much, not when they're just words, easy to make and just as easy to break.]

Do you think... your death is a joke? Wasn't real to you, means it doesn't count?

[ichoosefight]

No, Cass... [ She's caught somewhere between apologetic and angry. She may not have died, but that doesn't mean it was easy for her. It doesn't mean she didn't come close, more than once. ]

I think that if I couldn't laugh at myself sometimes I'd probably just cry.

[hellofist]

[That's fair enough. Cass' hands curl into fists, relax, only to tense up again. She doesn't want fighting or yelling or crying with Steph. She wants smiling and hugging. She wants her friend back.]

No crying. We should just... be happy. Okay?

[ichoosefight]

Sounds like a plan to me. [ She's more than happy to just let it go, move on. Try to forget, except they can never forget and they never will. But they can pretend. She pulls the cowl off her head but leaves the rest on, because it's not exactly a big secret that she's Batgirl and she doesn't feel like changing again. ]

Not to blatantly change the topic or anything, but has anyone told you about floods and that stuff yet?

[hellofist]

No. Not really. Know some, but not... from explantations.

[She means explanations, but she doesn't know she means explanations.]

[ichoosefight]

What do you know so far? [ She could spend all day explaining the finer points of floods, but she wants to make sure Cass has the important details. ]

[hellofist]

Help inmates, go to ports sometimes. Can be dangerous. Don't fall off ship.

[She shrugs.]

Know the small stuff. Didn't know... Weird timelines.

[ichoosefight]

Falling off isn't really something you can help. [ Take it from her, she's been there and done that. ]

Floods are different, though, and they're weird. There's no water, but stuff changes. Like, I woke up as a boy once. That sort of thing.

[hellofist]

[And now Cass is picturing it. Why did you have to go and do that, Stephanie?]

Bet you... were handsome.

[ichoosefight]

[ She snorts, flushing a little. ]

I wasn't bad looking. Not that I was, you know, looking to close or anything. [ She was looking way too close. ]

[hellofist]

[There is a very mischievous grin on Cass' face right now.]

You were. Did you... like it?

[ichoosefight]

[ Now she's blushing straight out, wondering what Cass thinks she did. Not that there was much she didn't do... ]

It was... memorable.

[hellofist]

[It's only Steph's reaction that makes Cass blush in return. Now she's curious, wants to ask a million questions, but even with her astounding lack of tact, she has a feeling you're not supposed to ask those kind of questions.]

Memorable... how?

[Then again, this is her best friend. Best friends talk about everything, right?]

[ichoosefight]

Well, guys are different. Everything feels different.

[hellofist]

[Honestly, she doesn't even know how girls are supposed to feel. There aren't exactly a million boys knocking down her door to show her what the whole sex thing is all about. Not when she could hardly form sentences and ran around dressed like a bat.

Well, there had been the Kon in her world, but. Best not to think about that. Not an option, anymore.

She still wants to know what's different, though. She can't help it, curiosity makes her step closer and lower her voice.]

How?

[ichoosefight]

[ Steph isn't really sure how much more she can hedge around this. And considering the conversation they've just had, she doesn't want to blow Cass off and say it's too embarrassing to talk about. It's just silly stuff anyway, no harm, right? ]

Well, you know, they're built different so your whole body just feels different. The way you walk, and sit, and stand. And in, um, other places [ those other places, she sort of vaguely gestures in that direction, ] it's like a completely other ball game.

[hellofist]

[There are really only two people Cass about these things and Steph happens to be one of them. Besides, how many other chances will she get to hear about what it's like to be a boy from someone who isn't used to being a boy? It's interesting.

And she knows the basics of male anatomy. Knows there's dangly parts, so she can see how that would be... uncomfortable. She makes a face.]

Being girl... sounds better.

[ichoosefight]

I like it better, but I'm already used to being a girl. [ She imagines she could like being a boy well enough, but the adjustment time took a big chunk out of that flood. ]

I guess I could live without having a period, though.

[hellofist]

Oh... good point.

[That is a very good point, actually. Now Cass is frowning.]

Do those repeat? Want to... be boy now.

[Think how much harder she could hit people with all those muscles to back it up!]