*Conspires*
As she creeps down to the Cave, Cass moves silently out of deeply ingrained habit. She was not really trying to escape notice, nor does she delude herself into believing that she could escape Batman's notice. She does not bother to say anything, either. He knows she is there.
Bruce can feel her, but he's not sure he can handle any more recrimination. The four hours of patrol with Dick had helped. But he really. Not now. So he says nothing.
She waits, standing like a soldier who expects a dressing down. When it becomes clear that he will not, she finally asks "Am I in trouble?" It sounds a lot... smaller than she'd meant it to.
"No," is the clipped response. He doesn't look at her. instead he just watches the video feed of Jason. He's scanning through it to see if the man had done any injury to himself while Bruce was out.
Encouraged, Cass comes forward and stands next to him, watching the tapes. Getting her first good look at the man she's been 'chatting up'. She doesn't know what to say. So she settles for why she's down here. "Steph is asleep. Having someone in my bed is strange."
"She will have her own room in the morning." Actually, it's ready for the girl now. But he wasn't callous enough to wake her.
"...Okay." It wasn't really a complaint. Just an observation. "I require... teaching? Never worried about saying the wrong thing before. Have to now."
Bruce blinks at the word choice. he finally looks at her. His face looks as it always down, cold and...efficient. but under that, which is just another kind of mask, he is so very tired.
She doesn't know how to explain it any better. "Said wrong thing to Damian, said wrong thing to Steph. Do not know if said right thing to Jason. Do not want to say wrong things. So... tell me what to say?" It's slow and stilted, but for her, it's practically babbling.
Bruce blinks at her. And then his lips are twitching as he actually chuckles. "I doubt I'm the person to advise you. But if you are in doubt, you can always send the person to me."
"No. I do not mean ---" she makes an odd little gesture with her fingers as she fumbles for the vocabulary she needs to express herself. "Not feeling-things. Know you're bad at that. But -- have to tell me if I can say things. Or I will not know. And I will tell Steph, or Jason."
"If it impacts them personally. tell them. If it doesn't, wait for them to ask. If you still aren't sure, come and find me. If there are things I want you to keep from them or anyone else, I will tell you specifically."
"Okay." A long pause, and the words that follow it are slow. "Told him." She nods to the screen. "Was... that wrong?"
"About Stephanie returning?" he frowns. he WOULD have liked to keep the two of them from knowing about
each other. At least for now. But. "He has access to the blogs." and he would likely have seen it eventually, since he hadn't thought to tell anyone to lock their blogs. it was careless on his part. Like so much else.
"...What would you have told Steph?" she asks, trying her best to keep any accusatory inflection off the 'you'.
"Nothing before I had confirmed her identity. And after that. It would depend." he frowns. He's not wanting more Robins. And while he loves his family, he failed her. Just as he did Jason. At least with Jason he has a plan, something to work toward. He has nothing of the sort with Stephanie.
She does not feel like defending her identification of Stephanie. "Depend... on what?"
"On what is relevant. Necessary. Sometimes too much truth is a very bad idea. people aren't always ready--or able--to deal with it."
She's not talking in general, she's talking about Steph. "But Jason is murderer. Should not she know he was down here?" She shakes her head. "Is done. Sorry." She wants to fidget, so she quashes it and goes completely still.
lady
"He's no threat in his apartment. And I've changed the settings so that no one else will let themselves in and be trapped in there." He won't sleep. He knows that. But maybe a meditation would be good enough?
"Don't think you are wrong." She says bluntly. She knows Dick and Tim have been riding him. "Could be in much worse boxes."
Bruce blinks at that. he nods slowly. "I'm not going to ask for your help," he says cryptically.
Cass blinks. "Why? Asked everyone else."
"Because I won't make you lie for me." When they talk, and he's sure they will, Jason will want to know if Bruce asked her to help. Cass wouldn't lie about that, and he wouldn't ask her to.
But in telling the truth, Jason would probably never trust her. And that would only compound things further.
That... is not a useful statement. She looks carefully at Bruce, groping for clues even though she knows that he's always more still than a real person has a right to be. "Should we not talk?" she checks, indicating Jason, not knowing whether the night's events have changed anything in regards to that.
"Do what you want because it's what you want." It has to be that way. Even if he's not sure what the girl wants or what shape it will take. It's a gamble that rankles in his soul but there is no way around it. As soon as he asks for anything, he'll ruin any possibility of their connecting, of Jason trusting her. And at this point, Jason needs someone he can trust, more then anything.
There was a yes in there. Cass heard it. Okay. "Want to talk." she says honestly, felling much better about it for knowing she won't get in trouble. "Can tell when he's being sarcastic," she adds without really knowing why. It's sort of relevant.
"Among other things," the large man says with a slow nod. Would she tell him what else she sees without him asking?
He's waiting. "Watched logs," she volunteers. "Not all. But some. Know he has bad dreams. Know he feels trapped."
Bruce nods, there really isn't anything else for him to do. sometimes, like now, he truly envies Cass her ability to read others so easily.
"Don't... don't touch him," she adds hesitantly. "Makes cage smaller. Already no control, touching him makes it less."
He frowns, but nods. fine. Touching is off limits. he doesn't like it and he's not sure that's that best way to go. But for now. It's how it will have to be.
"Likes little Tim. Kind of. Very bored. Gave movies, but he doesn't want." Cass reels off what she's noticed, then ends with a shrug. "Is more. But very complex."
"I. Appreciate your observations, Cassandra." And he does. Hearing helps he feel less. Alone.
"Okay." she replies quietly. "Will tell if I have more."
Bruce nods and there is just the barest hint of a smile in his eyes. "Because you want to. I'm not going to ask."
Cass nods mutely in understanding.
Bruce can feel her, but he's not sure he can handle any more recrimination. The four hours of patrol with Dick had helped. But he really. Not now. So he says nothing.
She waits, standing like a soldier who expects a dressing down. When it becomes clear that he will not, she finally asks "Am I in trouble?" It sounds a lot... smaller than she'd meant it to.
"No," is the clipped response. He doesn't look at her. instead he just watches the video feed of Jason. He's scanning through it to see if the man had done any injury to himself while Bruce was out.
Encouraged, Cass comes forward and stands next to him, watching the tapes. Getting her first good look at the man she's been 'chatting up'. She doesn't know what to say. So she settles for why she's down here. "Steph is asleep. Having someone in my bed is strange."
"She will have her own room in the morning." Actually, it's ready for the girl now. But he wasn't callous enough to wake her.
"...Okay." It wasn't really a complaint. Just an observation. "I require... teaching? Never worried about saying the wrong thing before. Have to now."
Bruce blinks at the word choice. he finally looks at her. His face looks as it always down, cold and...efficient. but under that, which is just another kind of mask, he is so very tired.
She doesn't know how to explain it any better. "Said wrong thing to Damian, said wrong thing to Steph. Do not know if said right thing to Jason. Do not want to say wrong things. So... tell me what to say?" It's slow and stilted, but for her, it's practically babbling.
Bruce blinks at her. And then his lips are twitching as he actually chuckles. "I doubt I'm the person to advise you. But if you are in doubt, you can always send the person to me."
"No. I do not mean ---" she makes an odd little gesture with her fingers as she fumbles for the vocabulary she needs to express herself. "Not feeling-things. Know you're bad at that. But -- have to tell me if I can say things. Or I will not know. And I will tell Steph, or Jason."
"If it impacts them personally. tell them. If it doesn't, wait for them to ask. If you still aren't sure, come and find me. If there are things I want you to keep from them or anyone else, I will tell you specifically."
"Okay." A long pause, and the words that follow it are slow. "Told him." She nods to the screen. "Was... that wrong?"
"About Stephanie returning?" he frowns. he WOULD have liked to keep the two of them from knowing about
each other. At least for now. But. "He has access to the blogs." and he would likely have seen it eventually, since he hadn't thought to tell anyone to lock their blogs. it was careless on his part. Like so much else.
"...What would you have told Steph?" she asks, trying her best to keep any accusatory inflection off the 'you'.
"Nothing before I had confirmed her identity. And after that. It would depend." he frowns. He's not wanting more Robins. And while he loves his family, he failed her. Just as he did Jason. At least with Jason he has a plan, something to work toward. He has nothing of the sort with Stephanie.
She does not feel like defending her identification of Stephanie. "Depend... on what?"
"On what is relevant. Necessary. Sometimes too much truth is a very bad idea. people aren't always ready--or able--to deal with it."
She's not talking in general, she's talking about Steph. "But Jason is murderer. Should not she know he was down here?" She shakes her head. "Is done. Sorry." She wants to fidget, so she quashes it and goes completely still.
lady
"He's no threat in his apartment. And I've changed the settings so that no one else will let themselves in and be trapped in there." He won't sleep. He knows that. But maybe a meditation would be good enough?
"Don't think you are wrong." She says bluntly. She knows Dick and Tim have been riding him. "Could be in much worse boxes."
Bruce blinks at that. he nods slowly. "I'm not going to ask for your help," he says cryptically.
Cass blinks. "Why? Asked everyone else."
"Because I won't make you lie for me." When they talk, and he's sure they will, Jason will want to know if Bruce asked her to help. Cass wouldn't lie about that, and he wouldn't ask her to.
But in telling the truth, Jason would probably never trust her. And that would only compound things further.
That... is not a useful statement. She looks carefully at Bruce, groping for clues even though she knows that he's always more still than a real person has a right to be. "Should we not talk?" she checks, indicating Jason, not knowing whether the night's events have changed anything in regards to that.
"Do what you want because it's what you want." It has to be that way. Even if he's not sure what the girl wants or what shape it will take. It's a gamble that rankles in his soul but there is no way around it. As soon as he asks for anything, he'll ruin any possibility of their connecting, of Jason trusting her. And at this point, Jason needs someone he can trust, more then anything.
There was a yes in there. Cass heard it. Okay. "Want to talk." she says honestly, felling much better about it for knowing she won't get in trouble. "Can tell when he's being sarcastic," she adds without really knowing why. It's sort of relevant.
"Among other things," the large man says with a slow nod. Would she tell him what else she sees without him asking?
He's waiting. "Watched logs," she volunteers. "Not all. But some. Know he has bad dreams. Know he feels trapped."
Bruce nods, there really isn't anything else for him to do. sometimes, like now, he truly envies Cass her ability to read others so easily.
"Don't... don't touch him," she adds hesitantly. "Makes cage smaller. Already no control, touching him makes it less."
He frowns, but nods. fine. Touching is off limits. he doesn't like it and he's not sure that's that best way to go. But for now. It's how it will have to be.
"Likes little Tim. Kind of. Very bored. Gave movies, but he doesn't want." Cass reels off what she's noticed, then ends with a shrug. "Is more. But very complex."
"I. Appreciate your observations, Cassandra." And he does. Hearing helps he feel less. Alone.
"Okay." she replies quietly. "Will tell if I have more."
Bruce nods and there is just the barest hint of a smile in his eyes. "Because you want to. I'm not going to ask."
Cass nods mutely in understanding.