16351/Kitchen Raid

Kitchen Raid
Date of Scene:	07 June 2024
Location:	Interior - Wayne Manor
Synopsis:	Cassandra and Gwen meetup one more time before Gwen heads out of Gotham from her weekend visit. The beginnings of a friendship are on the horizon.
Cast of Characters:	Ghost Spider, Batgirl (Cain)

---

Ghost Spider has posed:
Some sort of fancy crackers that were likely served as a side at some dinner party, or were intended to be.

An open jar of jelly with a knife sticking out of it.

A small pile of cheese slices on a napkin rather than a plate.

Two slices of ham.

A wine glass full of... water?

And a twenty-something blonde that (while no one would call her 'old') is definitely too old to be sneaking scraps as a 'midnight' snack. It's not midnight, though. It's morning. Not too far off from the last time Gwen ran into Cassandra, actually, but this time Gwen has actually found her way all the way into the kitchen.

Where's Damian? Who knows.

Who's supposed to be supervising his house guest? Probably no one.

Was there a lot of explanation of how the mansion 'worked' in their interaction? Was it impressed upon Gwen that she should avoid the Third Floor Corridor so she doesn't run into a three-headed dog? No.

And after a night full of crime-fighting in an unfamiliar city, Gwen was hungry.

So, it's still dark outside, Gwen's leaning against the counter in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt that has a cartoon eukaryotic cell taking a picture of itself, with the words 'Cellfie' underneath.

Eating. In the near-dark of the room.

Apparently she couldn't find a light switch, either.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
There was the sound of the kitchen door opening, a hint of light coming in from the hallway beyond allowing the visual of a silhouette. Slim, feminine. Not much else as the door closed again and cut off the light sounce. And there the person stopped because Cassandra hadn't expected anyone to be here yet.

Alfred usually showed up about an hour from now to prepare breakfast for the few people that might want it after their night of patrolling. Cassandra was usually one of those. So to find someone in the kitchen at this hour had caught Cassandra by surprise. She had come in to grab a bottle of water out of the large, walk-in pantry. There was some in the refrigerator of course but she liked hers room temperature. Her hair was wet, the result of having taken a shower after getting home. She too was dressed casually, much as she had been the first time she'd met Gwen. Athletic pants with a tank top, showing off strong arms with defined musculatur. She had on socks but no shoes.

She didn't bother with the light switch either. After all, she knew where everything was. She could navigate the entire mansion in complete darkness if she needed to.

She padded toward the door that led to the pantry then realized that she should be polite. Barbara would never let her live it down if she found out. And to be honest, Barbara found out everything. It was frankly terrifying on some level.

"Morning." No good in front of that. Because it seemed unnecessary.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Crunch. Crunch. Crun --

It's quiet (though it's louder in her own head), the way Gwen munches on the cracker-cheese-ham-and-jelly-sandwiches she was making for herself, but it's not absolutely silent.

When that door opens, though, she stops mid-chew, still holding the cracker-sandwich to her lips, and just stares at the silhouette. Apparently she wasn't expecting anyone to be in the kitchen at this hour, either.

She doesn't even breathe. Maybe she thought if she stayed absolutely still, they couldn't see her.

Gwen was many things, but she was not, in fact, Miles. And when that door swung open the light sliced across her like some sort of comical spotlight that had found and targeted her, framing her in a perfect rectangle. It even threw her shadow on the wall behind her.

She had to know she was busted, the way the other woman stopped, but she still didn't move. Maybe she was waiting to get into trouble.

But then the door closes, the other woman's moving, her eyes are adjusting back to the darkness...

"Mffhfhf.."

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Long drink of water.

"Good morning. Sorry. You caught me with my mouth full. I was starving. It's been a long night."

Beat.

"Not like that! I couldn't sleep. I didn't mean... Damian wasn't even there... that would be super gross to talk about with... actually... are you guys... related?" Is that racist? They don't _look_ related. But they all look around the same age. And Damian said he grew up in Asia. So.. it's possible.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cassandra disappeared into the other door and perhaps Gwen would think she had been ignored. Or gotten a reprieve. Only for Cassandra to reappear a moment later with two bottles of water in her hand. She walked over to the countertop that Gwnn was using as a table, eyeing all the various offerings curiously. One bottle of water was set on the counter. The other was opened and she took a swig from it before she moved on to addressing the questions offered.

Cassandra knew it had indeed been a long night for Gwen. It had for the entire Bat Crew as well. And no, Gwen and Damian had not been together. Yet, the fact that Gwen just overshared all that information had Cassandra fighting a smirk. Because to smirk would be to give away something and that would never, ever do.

"No." Then she reconsidered. "Not by blood." There. It sort of left things in the air but it was known that Bruce Wayne had at least one ward in his past in Dick Grayson. Not that Cassandra was a ward, officially. She just was sort of part of the family without being part of the family. It was really hard to explain. And she wasn't sure she had the words to do so even if she wanted to share. But she didn't want to give a wrong impression so she added, "Like family though."

She wasn't sure about what she was witnessing being eaten. It seemed an odd combination to have jelly with ham with cheese with those little crackers they used with the caviar during big events.

Ghost Spider has posed:
They don't take much to eat, those little sandwiches. Just a couple of bites for each one is all, and soon Gwen is making another one.

She was at a bit of a disadvantage where information was concerned.

Actually, she was at a huge disadvantage.

There was Damian's bike leaving and returning, which she knew she'd have to admit to if she was challenged, but she could explain as a late-night joy ride -- irresponsible given the chaos of the evening, but not impossible.

The was the fact that Gwen was so... Gwen. It's hard to keep up two totally different personalities. The masked help her focus on what she was doing -- whatever that purpose was (patrol, taking down Vulture, keeping a bridge from collapsing), but she still had a lot to be confident about out of the mask, too. She was in a band, she had a job as a researcher and another job as a model.

Peter, at least, had the whole uber-nerd thing down pat. Nobody would believe that lovable, self-conscious, uncoordinated dork was Spider-Man until they literally saw him take the mask off...

_Stop thinking about Peter._

Anyway, Oracle was sure to have all of the details: The time she came and went. The time Ghost-Spider first showed up on security cameras and the time she disappeared. But Gwen didn't have any intel on Batgirl. She didn't even have a lower face to go by.

"That's pretty great, actually. I've got a couple of people like that. We don't all live in a giant mansion together or anything, but..." But she'd do anything for them.

"Sandwich?"

Maybe she caught that curious gaze, or maybe she was just being polite. In any case, she offers the most recent one out on her palm -- it didn't even have a bite taken out of it!

"My dad's a cop. He's _amazing_ and I never wanted for anything, but you don't grow up rich on a cop's salary. You eat what's in the fridge. And, honestly, you find some pretty cool combinations that way."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cassandra didn't act as startled as she was when the little sandwich was offered. In truth, she hadn't expected it to be offered. There was that moment of tension, that tightening of muscles as Gwen prepared to extend her hand with the offering within. That had been what startled Cassandra but it was a second before the offering actually happened so it might have been there but it was already gone by the time the offer was made. It was just one of those weird things with her cues being from body language instead of spoken word.

While Oracle was no doubt digging up information on Ghost Spider and Gwen Stacy, for two entirely different reasons, it was likely the woman would put two and two together. For Cassandra, it had been a lot easier. It was the movement. Like fingerprints. No two people moved the same. Even casual movements. It helped her when people were in costume as she could often tell who they might be out of it. Yet, she also had it drilled into her the importance of such things being secret. And thus, she respected people's secret identities unless they chose to share them. Thus, she would never let on she knew Gwen's secret. Nor would she share it with anyone else, without the explicit permission of Gwen to do so.

She took the offering and considered it critically then finally just decided to try it. After all, she'd spent a good portion of her life living on the streets, eating anything she could find to survive. This was pretty high class even if it seemed odd. She carefully took a bite. The surprise showed first in the lifting of the eyebrows then in the smile after she swallowed. Followed by her quickly eating the second half of her little treat. It was something she'd have to remember for snacks in the future. Though the thought of doing it in front of Alfred made her grin anew since he might have a coronary at the very thought of the mix. That would be fun, in its own way.

"Thank you." She said since again, polite. Though she felt she might want to clarify. Cause while she did have a room here, she didn't consider it her residence. Though she would use it as a mailing address maybe, if she ever got mail. Being a ghost in the world had its benefits: No junkmail. "Not always here. Sometimes." Then a little grin as she channeled her inner Stephanie. "You are lucky, seeing me twice."

Ghost Spider has posed:
It's like in elementary school, when you're sitting at the lunch table, and there's this person that you really want to be friends with, so you take something out of your lunch box and you offer it to them...

Except it wasn't really Gwen's food to begin with. But she 'made' it!

And, it has the same sort of effect on Gwen, the way her smile brightens when that little gift is accepted.

There's something _genuine_ about Gwen. And... yes. She lies. Everyone that wears a mask lies. But whether she's trying to help Gotham while she's in town or showing interest in the only other person in Wayne Manor she's had the opportunity to meet, there's no doubt that she's doing it for the 'right reasons.' There's no personal gain aspect. There's no thirst for power or fame or riches or status.

She just wants to be a good person.

And she might not mind at all if she and Cassandra were on the same page about the evening's events, but wasn't even planning to drag Damian into that part of her life. She certainly wasn't about to drag his Almost-Sister into it.

"You're welcome," she says as she sets to making herself another one. Cracker, jelly swipe with the knife, cheese, ripped off piece of ham, another swipe of jelly, topped with another cracker..

"I _am_ lucky." Blue eyes are back on Cass, and she's smiling. "I'm going back to New York today, and I was worried I wasn't going to get a chance to say bye. You're the only other person around Damian I've gotten to meet."

Beat.

"Not that I... we're not... I didn't come here to meet his family. We've barely..."

Oh god.

And all at once it seems to hit her. The fact that she can still count on one hand the number of distinct days she's been in Damian's presence. And she spent the night in his room. Well... one of the nights.

Heat climbs into her cheeks along with a little bit of shame.

"Anyway..." It's like her attention is being dragged back from a great distance. "I wanted to tell you how nice it was to meet you."

Seconds tick by. There was more Gwen wanted to say. It's probably the appropriate time to make an offer of contact information, but she doesn't. Why would Cass want to contact her? She lived in New York. Being Damian's bed-buddy didn't really mean they had to be friends.

And that bothered her, too.

So she just eats her cracker.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
It wasn't surprising she was the only other person Gwen had met. She'd probably met Alfred but most people outside the family considered him as 'the help' when he was far more than that. He was part of the family. A father figure to some, like Bruce. Perhaps grandfatherly to some of the others. Not that Cassandra had that sort of understanding of relationships. Not with the fact she had never seen such things until after the age of eight. Though sometimes she did wonder what she would be like if she'd grown up like other people. Like Gwen. With a police officer father who didn't make a lot of money but still had a great life and didn't want for that emotional connection that Cassandra struggled to even comprehend.

Bruce was a very social person. When he was pretending to be Bruce. But the truth was, he was more Batman than Bruce Wayne. Something those on the inside knew. So him coming to meet a girl that Damian brought home was unlikely. He probably was more nervous she might find or see something but Wayne Manor wasn't completely off limits. They even had events here at times. Bruce was damn good at hiding his secrets, even in plain sight.

Gwen remined her of Stephanie. They were both very open, friendly. Sure, they lied. The caped life did that. But then again, as Cassandra well knew, everyone lied that didn't wear capes. Even to those they loved. But Gwen seemed genuine and that did appeal to Cassandra. That lack of ulterior motive in what she was doing. She liked Damian. He invited her home, however weird that might be after barely knowing the woman. So he was probably getting those same vibes that Cassandra was from her.

It wasn't like Cassandra had a lot of friends. She had the family. She had Stephanie. That was about it. She didn't go to school, never had actually. She had been homeschooled some at the urgings of Bruce and Barbara but that was it. Her life before Wayne Manor? There had been nothing. Hell, there hadn't even been speech until she was eight. That was when her entire life changed.

She made her own little sandwich this time, completely mirroring everything that Gwen had done, right down to the second application of jelly and the exact amounts. Then she munched the tasty treat before she spoke again.

And to be honest, she'd enjoyed fighting alongside Ghost Spider last night. While the woman had no skills to speak of, she had style. Skills as in the strict training like Cassandra had been raised on. Obviously the woman could fight and hold her own damn well. It was just a different sort of skill and more stylistic. Impressive nonetheless. And Cassandra had found herself smiling more than once behind her cowl last night.

She took a long draw from her open bottle of water, almost draining it. That silence was stretching. A quick swig to finish the water, the cap put back on, the bottle tossed unerringly into the can set aside for recycling. Then she peeked sideways over at Gwen. "Keep in touch?" And her eyes were back on the counter, as she pulled over the second water bottle and pretended the answer didn't matter. Even though it very much did. And why the hell was that.

Ghost Spider has posed:
"Would you like to come to New York?"

The words are out of Gwen's mouth the barely a second after that question. She's got one hand covering her mouth so she can be as polite as possible while she's still swallowing, but she's still only eaten about half of that cracker.

Once she's swallowed the bite, though, the hand drops, and it's all hopeful smiles.

"Not with Damian. Just you. And I mean... not today. Just... whenever you felt like it. You could stay with me, if you wanted. It would save you having to get a hotel, and we could... I don't know... order a pizza? I could show you around. I don't know if you've spent much time in New York, but I know some pretty cool places that hardly anyone else knows about."

Of course she does. She has an all-access pass to everything that's not an enclosed building 24/7. Just like Batgirl knows all kinds of things about Gotham that the average citizen doesn't know.

"You don't have to answer right away, even. I can give you my cell number, and if you feel like coming some day, you can just tell me. Standing invitation."

So... that may be a LOT for a response to 'Keep in touch?' but it's all, apparently, sincere.

"I don't even snore."

Beat. Head tilt.

"I don't think."

The recent split from Peter may have given her both a bit of a self-confidence problem and an existential crisis, but it didn't make her any less outgoing or any less friendly. She was still that blonde-haired girl-next-door that really liked chemistry and making people smile.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
The immediate instinct is to decline. She had duties here. What would they do if she wasn't here to hold up her part of patrols? Being that she didn't have a life outside the cowl, she was the most reliable of them to always be there. Outside Batman himself. No one could compare to Batman's devotion to the cause. She was probably a close second though. Others had jobs, social lives, all the things that made them people.

She had the costume.

Yet, the others had been able to take their opportunities to become something more. To grow and branch out. Dick now had his own city to watch over. Though that was more needing to not be in the shadow of Batman probably, again something beyond Cassandra's understanding or comprehension.

"You don't." Or at least not loud enough to have been heard outside Damian's room when Cassandra had passed in the hallway while Gwen was within asleep. Presumably asleep at some point at least. Don't think about that one too much. It was far too much to have in her head.

"I..." She paused then gave a nod, looking back over at Gwen again now that the initial trepidation was gone with the acceptance. "Would like to see New York." Though she had seen it briefly from time to time, she'd never really explored it. She didn't explore the sights or go have a nice meal. If she was there, it was generally 'work' related.

If the others got to have time away, if that was normal, shouldn't she try it?

Though if Gwen thought about this conversation later, something might click for her. At least twice, when Cassandra wasn't looking at her face to read her lips, Cassandra had understood what Gwen was saying. Just now when her eyes were on the table. When she had walked into the pantry earlier. So perhaps she wasn't deaf after all. Though it might not be something coming to mind immediately.

Ghost Spider has posed:
_You don't._

It doesn't seem to make any sense to Gwen, at first. She doesn't what? It actually takes her a couple of seconds for it to sink in, even though it was literally the last thing she said...

And _then_ the horror set in.

Because... yeah.

Both of her hands came up to cover her mouth and nose as her face started turning darker and darker shakes of pink.

"I'm so sorry."

Her eyes are _full_ of apology.

Okay, Gwen. Move on.

But... NO.

Move. On.

She brushes her hair back behind her ear and clears her throat, then goes back to pressing her fingers to her cheeks to try to cool them off.

Did she even _notice_ Cass's trepidation through her sudden, multi-wave panic attack?

"_So_. Yeah... I can leave my number for you! And Damian has it, obviously. But, I really hope you do. And I'll be back here, at some point. Probably, you know?" Something that hinged entirely on Damian Wayne and the evolution of their relationship. "If nothing else, I'll be in town. I'd really like to see more of the city."

Which was code for wanting to come back as Spider-Gwen and try to run into Batgirl again, even if she wasn't staying at the Manor, because _that_ was fun.

Not that 'Cass' would know that.

Except she did.

There's a little quirk of a grin, then, as she starts to clean up and pauses.

"I should probably try to get an hour or two of sleep before I have to leave. Are you a..."

Yeah. It's happening. At least, the _offer_ is happening. It's telegraphed _well_ in advance for Cass's senses, Gwen's hands come up a little from her sides. But she doesn't push it. She doesn't encroach into Cass's space.

"... a hugger? Can I give you a hug? It's okay if not. It's not for everybody."

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
There is a brief nod in agreement that Gwen should get some sleep. Even as Cassandra picks up her second water bottle and prepares to leave the kitchen to continue with her day. Which means heading off into the training area of the BatCave and putting in a few hours time there. Before she heads off to sleep away the day only to awaken in the evening and once again don the costume in the protection of the citizens of Gotham City.

She sees the warning signs. That slight tilt of the body, the tensing of the muscles to bring arms up then watching them rise partly after that telegraphing but stopping as the words continued.

And there is that movement from Cassandra just as quickly as the sentence was finished. Two steps backwards, maintaining distance. "No." And that came out a lot harsher than she meant it to. She frowned a little. "Don't like...touch." And that was the truth of it.

Gwen had been raised with love. She had been cared for and protected. She had known hugs and positive affection from other human beings from the moment she was born. Certainly she faced darkness, particularly now that she wore a costume, but her life was the very opposite of Cassandra's

For Cassandra, from birth, had been raised with no touching unless it was violence. No sound except focusing of chi, grunts of exertion in combat, or cries of pain. There had been no speaking. No talking. But there had also been no touch of a hand on hers in comfort. No brush of a mother's fingertips tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. And certainly no hugs.

"No offense meant," she added. Which just that might be enough to make Gwen wonder about her history. Though that was a tale for another time. Or perhaps never. Batman knew it. The family did out of necessity so they understood. She was only learning to be accepting of a hand on a shoulder or the like. It was still strange to her. Easier to keep distance.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen shakes her head, turning her palms up and drawing them back. She couldn't physically back up any more without climbing on the counter, or she might do that, too.

"I won't," she promises. Then those hands close and she goes back to cleaning the counter, shaking her head and seeming none the worse for the wear about the whole exchange. "It's okay." A small, gentle smile curls her lips. "Me either."

She puts the crackers and the jelly back together and sets them aside so she can put them back where she found them. Then she moves to the sink, taking her wine glass of tap water and her dirty knife with her, to hand-wash so they weren't sitting dirty in the sink.

The plan had obviously always been to leave no trace that she was ever in the kitchen, and to do that with as few disturbances as possible.

"It's been nice to meet you, Cassandra."

And even that is said mostly with her back to the other woman while she started on cleaning.

Washing out the glass while it sloooooowwly dawned on her how many times Cass had responded. In the pantry, while she was covering her mouth and talking while chewing, times she wasn't even looking at her lips...

Cassandra isn't deaf.