Eleventh Unused Utility Belt | Video, Spam

[hellofist]

Um. I'm awake, now.

[Have a wave and half a smile, Barge.]

Didn't mean... to worry anyone. Sorry. I'm okay, though. I know... things have changed. Birthday passed. Was going to be... first one. Never knew it, growing up. Guess weapons... weren't allowed them. Merlin said, can have party. Don't know how, though. Could use tips.

Want to see everyone. Can meet somewhere, or you... come to Merlin's room. Staying here now, moved stuff already. It's... safer, this way. For my heart.

[That doesn't make a lot of sense out of context though, does it? She sighs and her smile fades, dissolves into a look that's somewhere between uncomfortable and just sad.]

There's a man here, David Cain. My father.

[She's truthful almost all of the time anyway, but this is when it becomes clear she's affected by this flood.]

Don't kill him. He's not... worth your time. Deserves a chance. Bad father, bad man, deserves to die, maybe should die, but... deserves his chance, too. Just leave him alone. Don't want people... getting hurt. Love you all too much.

That's... guess that's all.


Private to Bruce Wayne
Don't anymore, okay? Once is enough.

I love you.



Private to David Cain
Promise still stands. You kill anyone, I kill you.

... Hope this place... works, for you.



Spam for Dean and Barbara, separately
[Some people deserve to see her in person without waiting so she goes to them first, knocks and knocks and knocks on their doors until they open up, let her in. Once they do, they'll have an armful of Cass because there's no stopping her once she sees those faces again.]

Comments

[peektuttut]

Hey, glad to see you up again.

[Private]

[His level of 'I am extremely uncomfortable with this' could not be higher.]

Have you talked to him yet? [She doesn't seem crazy and murderous, which is greta, but...]

Private

[hellofist]

Thanks.

[She sees how uncomfortable he is, so she does the only thing she can think of to fix that.]

Will show you... conversation. Can meet, when you want.

Private

[peektuttut]

Are you busy now? [He's seizing that opportunity, because that's what he's good at - taking what information is offered.]

Private

[hellofist]

Can make time. This is... more important. Your room?

Private

[peektuttut]

[There's the slightest hesitation as he glances around his cave - because it's not a room, not yet - and his eyes settle on something off screen before flicking back to hers. It only takes a few seconds.]

How about the conference room?

Private

[hellofist]

[Her room isn't much better, so it's not like she'd judge. Still, she nods.]

Meet you there.

[She just goes, because getting this over with fast seems like a good idea. She'll be waiting for Tim there with her comm already on the table, the right conversation already pulled up for him.]

Spam

[peektuttut]

[He says his 'hey,' when he walks in, even manages a quick smile before he sits down and, with a glance, pulls the communicator toward him. He starts listening without looking up, studying the screen, neutral.

Until Cass admits that she wants Cain to love her. He shifts a little, then, reacting, and remembering that she's there and trying not to. It makes him uneasy. That was what Cassandra had wanted, that was why she killed the others, and she was so not herself that he doesn't know how to equate her to the Cass he's listening to now. But it still unsettles him. Maybe even frightens him.

When it finishes, he stares at the screen again, replaying it in his head and resisting the urge to replay certain passages, relying on his memory instead. Then he sets the communicator back down, and slides it back over, watching her.]

Thanks. I know this isn't easy-- [And he hesitates for just a fraction of an instant before pushing on.] But if you want to talk...

Spam

[hellofist]

[It's starting to become clear that whatever it is she does in his future, whatever she becomes, it's always going to keep her and Tim from really getting as close as she'd like. It's always going to stand between them, some horrible thing she hasn't even done yet.

She rubs at the back of her neck and doesn't take the comm back. Instead she gives it a dirty look like it's all the comm's fault, she considers finding a way to delete the whole conversation but even if she could find out how, figure it out by pushing random buttons, she can't. She can't just make it un-happen.]

Things are... going okay, right now. For me. Even with... Cain here, I feel... happy. But, that won't last. [She gives him a small, sad smile.] It doesn't, for us. Something will happen, will... go wrong.

When it does... will ask you. Will ask... what I do. But not now. Not... ready, now.

Spam

[peektuttut]

[He opens his mouth, takes a breath, and the smile he'd pushed forward when she said she was happy is gone, and he doesn't know what to say. So he says nothing, for a moment, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair.]

Cassie... [There's a world of things he wants to say, but he only lets out her name. He doesn't want to tell her, he doesn't have enough answers, why should he burden her with this when he knows next to nothing about the why of what she did? Will do?

He hates this.]

I didn't mean to...to make things worse.

Spam

[hellofist]

[He calls her Cassie and she manages a smile. She likes that, nicknames and acknowledgements of people liking her. She can see it, but it always feels nicer to hear it too. She doesn't like him blaming himself, though, so she reaches for his hand.]

This started... before you came back. Other Tim, Steph, Dick, were... surprised, to see me. Like this, not... how I was. Was here before, too. As... future me. Don't remember it. Can't... imagine it.

Point is, not your fault.

Spam

[peektuttut]

[He lets her take his hand, and holds tight, like he can hold onto her like this. Like she was when Batman sent her to keep an eye on him (but without him being a jerk, maybe); like when she'd sneak into his apartment in Bludhaven and use up all the hot water. And the Rice Krispies. He smiles a little, too, and nods.]

Okay. [He blames himself for a lot of things, especially when he can't sit there and say I wasn't there, and I should have been. That's why he was here, now. That's why Conner was gone.

He squeezes her hand.] We won't worry about it. Not until we have to.

Spam

[hellofist]

[Without a word, she gets up and goes around the table. It's been a long time, she's missed him. They both need it so she just does it, leans in and hugs him tight.]

Time to start fresh, okay? No more dwelling, blaming. Clean slate. For... both of us.

Spam

[peektuttut]

[He stands when she comes around, guessing what she's about and knowing how awkward a sitting hug can be. This way he can get both arms around her, and close his eyes and wish this is the Cassandra he'd found at home. He doesn't like the idea of losing her.]

Okay.

Spam

[hellofist]

[She had never really thought of the idea of Tim needing her this way before. The last one had been a little distant, but that was just how Tim was. Still loving, but holding himself back. If he needed someone, he went to Dick.

This Tim is new, he hasn't had years of only depending on his brother. Now she can have him too, and for however long they're here, he won't lose her. She'll make sure of that.]

Love you.

Spam

[peektuttut]

Yeah. You too. [Love is that awkward word that he just does not say easily, but the sentiment is still there, in the words and the hug.]

Spam

[hellofist]

Told Bruce... to stay away, from Cain. You should too. Don't... talk to him.

[It's not really that she thinks Tim even wants to talk to her father, or hurt him just because he's here. It's more that Cass doesn't want her father telling Tim things that might change his opinion of her. She doesn't want to lose anyone because of Cain, whether it's because he turns them against her or he tries to hurt them. It's better if everyone just stays away from him.]