Chapter Text
Cass didn't recognize this place, the structures were familiar in their design but she couldn't figure out where she was, just that people lived here. It's been a while since she saw others, wandering the woods, her only company being the creatures that lived there too.
The people around her didn't notice her even though they paid more attention to their surroundings than most people she's seen. There wasn't the usual buzzing that came with so many people but the place wasn't any less alive.
In fact the city never seemed to sleep, even as Cass caught sight of that stunning array of colors scattered across the sky whenever the sun started hiding behind the horizon.
She wandered, turning her head to take in the different colors, arches and statues of creatures she'd never seen before. The air grew colder with every couple of steps, the wind carrying a whistle through the city. That wasn't the only thing the wind carried though, with the whistle a shout reached her ears and Cass was off.
In a moment Cass made it down the street and perched atop of a roof. The breeze kept rustling her hair as she peered into the window below. There was a man, pulling along a girl behind him. Both of them had blonde hair but the younger one sported a fearful expression while the male's held anger.
She yanked her arm, trying futilely to release it from his grasp, but his grip stayed as firm as ever. The girl opened her mouth and made some noise, it had a pattern, it wasn't just incoherent babbling but Cass couldn't understand a word.
What she could understand was that she was pleading with him. The man ignored her attempts. Cass peered in, trying to see where the man was leading her. There were a couple things in the room, but they seemed to be heading towards a door on the wall. It was when the older reached for the handle that Cass struck.
The man was knocked out in an instant and Cass caught the girl's arm to stop her from toppling over before quickly letting go. The blonde stood there, staring at her with awe and surprise.
“You.. stopped him”
Stephanie finally felt like she could breathe, like a weight had been taken off her chest, at least momentarily. Her mouth was agape, she was unable to close it in her surprise. Steph wasn't expecting anyone to step in.
Her father laid unconscious on the floor, it felt… relieving. She outstretched her arms and moved forward. The girl took a step back. Steph paused immediately. Oh. She tried not to show any disappointment. Not a hugger. The ends of the girl's mouth turned downwards. Steph couldn't stop herself from mirroring it. Did I mess up?
Stephanie started talking before she could stop herself, a river of words spilling out. “I didn't mean- I shouldn't have done that, I just- …Thank you” The pit in her stomach only grew every second of silence that overtook the room. “Uhm, who are you anyway?” More silence.
Steph chuckled awkwardly, “Not a talker?” Still nothing, the girl just stood there looking conflicted. “...I guess not” She started swaying side to side, fidgeting with her fingers as she did so. “Are you staying or do you have somewhere else you need to be?”
…
“Can you even understand me?” No answer to that either, it was getting frustrating, like Steph was talking to a brick wall. “If you can understand me, wave–or something! –Stop being so quiet.”
…
“You can't?” Suddenly things fell into place and Steph didn't know what to do next. How could she communicate with her if she couldn't understand her? Maybe she could find some other way to communicate?
She left the room, walking down the hallway to get to her room. Once she grabbed what she wanted she spun around to be greeted with a figure standing in the doorway. There was no noise, no warning, it was as if she had just appeared.
“Ack! Don't scare me like that!” Steph pouted.
Steph walked past her and down the hall, only stopping when she reached the end. The black haired girl still stood at the end of the hallway, staring. “C’mon,” She said, waving her over.
The girl glanced down at her feet before following. It didn't take long for Steph to make it onto her roof, the sound of footsteps drifting after her. Steph took a moment, a moment to breathe in the fresh air and look up at the sky. It was full of tiny lights, dancing on a beautiful black canvas. She had gazed at them for countless nights but she never got bored of this particular light show.
It was when Steph finally turned her gaze away grom the stars that she noticed she was being watched. “Oh right,” she said, ignoring that she could feel her cheeks heating up. They only got hotter when she noticed that the other was smirking at her.
Picking up the pencil, she began writing in a notebook. It only took a few more seconds than it normally would, mainly because Steph was trying her hardest to make her writing as legible as possible.
Can you read this?
She didn't show any signs of recognition. Stephanie frowned. Why did I ever think that was going to work? It was a dumb idea. Steph picked up a pebble, turning it over in her hand, examining and chucked it as far as she could.
She glared at it, well where she thought it landed, she continued glaring at it for a long moment. “...Sorry” she said, tucking her face behind her arms until she heard a sound.
Tap! Tap!
When she opened her eyes she determined the pair of feet in front of her to be the culprit. “Hmm?” Steph's eyes trailed up her body, landing on a soft smile awaiting her.
Steph's jaw hung open slightly. She couldn't help but remember rumours of a new face in Gotham, especially not as looked at the girl, drifting across the moon, dark against the night sky.
Could she be?
Cass waited as the blonde scribbled in her book, in the meantime she had picked up a stone and began tossing it in the air and catching it again. The girl turned around the paper to show her another symbol. This one stood out from the rest, it was bigger, filled in and most importantly Cass recognized what it was supposed to be.
The connected arches reminded her of the wings of a familiar screeching animal, the spikes of its ears and the color of its fur and skin. She glanced up at the girl who held anticipation and curiosity in her eyes, the girl caught her sight and tilted her head, purposefully giving off more curiosity.
Cass hesitated, slowly tilting her head down and back up, as if testing the waters. The girl’s curiosity and anticipation were mostly replaced with awe, her eyes blown wide and her mouth slightly agape. Suddenly she smiled, a big one that made her shut her eyes, the contagious type.
“Hi Batgirl, you can call me Stephanie!”