Dated to December 9th
After spending the night of her arrival in Compound, Cassie heads out to find the Titan Treehouse. There she is found by an old friend. Literally. Old. For her anyway.
Bart and Dick had both told Cassie where the tree house was. Both had offered to lead her there, but she'd kinda wanted to find it on her own. Now with weather appropriate clothes and a night in the warm, she wanted the opportunity to explore the island a bit and to think about her situation.
After a couple hours of exploring the snow, Cassie had come to some sort of terms with the island as she approached what had to be the tree house. Not complete terms because there was one more person she had yet to see. Dick had warned her that Tim was older and alot of stuff had happened to him in the time that separated them but, Cassie found it so hard to believe. She'd just seen him yesterday, with the rest of YJ, young and fairly happy, well, for a Bat. But she'd seen Bart yesterday too, as Impulse and an older version she barely recognized, so...
She stood underneath the treehouse, staring up at it as she considered all this.
"It's better from the inside." Tim appeared behind her with the stealth and was both his trademark and his most annoying quality. His voice was wry, deeper than it had been three years ago, but still that carefully modulated tone that assumed authority and obedience and usually got what it asked for.
Cassie started with a small yelp of surprise and whirled around in a flash of pigtails, her body in a defensive pose. When she saw it was just Tim, she grinned and punched him in the shoulder. "Don't do that!" She said with a laugh as she took in the changes in one of her best friends. He was taller and bigger. It was almost hard to believe but he had that 'Tim' quality she'd know anywhere.
He gave her one of his tiny smiles that was as good as a laugh coming from him, letting the punch through. Afterward, he was grateful that she didn't have her Wonder strength here. "You should be more aware. I was plenty obvious." Not really but more than he'd have been at home. Of course, at home, she wouldn't have had to filter out the sounds of the forest in order to isolate the ones made by humans. "It's good to see you."
"Sorry, I'm still in a bit of shock from showing up on a wintry tropical island yesterday." She said in cocky voice but she couldn't stop grinning. "It's good to see you too. So I have to ask, when did the growth spurt hit? Is it weird that the hardest thing to get used to is you and Bart being taller than me now?"
"Yes, that's weird," he told her solemnly and rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, last year. I grew three inches. Island gave me a full resupply for a winter gift. Come upstairs, it's cold out here."
Cassie rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "I knew it. We all knew you had some inches in you." Then she stepped aside. "Lead the way. Believe me, after showing up in my uniform yesterday, I've had about as much of the cold weather as I can stand."
"Technically, I'm average height for the typical American male," Tim responded somewhat defensively. Well, almost average. Nearly. Just shy. He jogged up the treehouse steps--they were far sturdier in the winter, reinforcement against the wet and snow--and pushed open the floor hatch that led up into the mudroom. He shed his boots here and his heavy jacket, for all that it wasn't much warmer than the outside. At least the wind was blocked off. "You're moving out here, right?"
She bit down her laugh at his defensive tone as she followed him up and followed his lead in removing her coat and boots, taking a moment to reposition her scarf. She'd gotten a nice red one from the box and she rather liked it. "Well duh." She replied to moving out here. "You guys are all I got."
Thankfully Roy and Dick had moved out. It gave them enough space for Cassie on the main floor. Dick's old room was probably best for her though he'd give her options, of course. Girls were strange about that. They liked to think that things were their idea. "Good," he gave her another smile and then led her up to the steps to the next level, "I don't know if they gave you the nickel tour. First level is storage right now. Second is where we live. Common room has the kitchen. Bedrooms are set up on a half clock. Jill's at 9 o clock, I'm past 10. Bart's 12. The last two are past 1 and 3 o clock and they're both available."
"Nah, I didn't want to leave the Compound last night due to the taking forever to finally get warm. I asked where this place was so I could find it myself and find the one member of my team not on the welcoming committee." Cassie nudged him with her elbow. Then she nodded along as she followed what he was explaining. "So which one do you want me in?"
"That's up to you." He gestured toward Dick's old room. "This member of your welcoming committee was in the middle of training."
She already knew Tim had picked out which room he wanted her in, so she just took the suggestion. Pick your battles and all that. "Of course you were. I wouldn't expect a magical island to change your training regime." She said teasingly as she walked into her new room and twirled around. "Nice."
"This one was Nightwing's. He and Arsenal are building a second treehouse just one more tree over. We can customize this however you want after the weather changes back, right now, we're making do." Dry wood was impossible to get in this kind of environment and there was no guarantee that was was built now would be quality when everything changed back. "They explained to you the anomalous weather patterns?"
"Yeah, and my bad luck on arriving the day after the sun disappeared." She was ruefully. "I think I can deal for a bit. Not bad, but then we both know Dick wouldn't settle for less. Real cozy."
"On the upside, in the past it's only lasted a month or so. We'll get it fixed up to suit you soon enough." He leaned back against the wall, habitually seeking out the only shadow in the room. "The design of the treehouse most of the time is better suited to summer weather. Whatever powers the island changes has to do a great deal of work to winterize the structure."
Cassie shook her head in amazement as she turned back to Tim, grinning fondly as she saw him in the shadows. "This place is amazing. If we weren't totally cut off from home, I'd say it was cool. The amount of magic that must go into this place...it's hard to even comprehend."
"Hm, some things are cooler than others." Tim allowed cautiously. The island had its vindictive side.
Cassie caught the tone and got serious. "So I got a run down from Dick and Bart. Anything you want to add?" She didn't elaborate because she was curious what he would offer on his own. Chances are it would be nothing but a girl could try.
"Without knowing what they told you that's difficult to narrow down." What did she need to know? Too much, really, for them to cover in a simple session like this. He'd have to meet with Dick and Bart to properly decide. He told her the easiest, "We train at dawn, 6 am. The training ground is three miles from here and we'll have to clear the equipment first.*
"Of course you do." Cassie said with a roll of her eyes, though it was done with complete fondness. Of course, it wouldn't have been if she'd known he was thinking about having a conference about her, so it was good she didn't.
Finally, she just walked over and hugged him. It didn't feel natural at first because of how he'd grown, but she found a place for her arms and hugged him hard. "I'm glad your here."
He gave her one of his typically awkward hugs, like he'd never encountered physical affection before. Some things never changed. "We do, WG. And I'm glad you're here too."
"So..." She asked in a soft voice as she let him go. "Should I ask? About home? Dick made it sound like the world ended but he didn't give me details."
Tim dragged his hand through his hair, "Cassie...yeah, that's close. Young Justice broke up. We all became Titans after that. And...Titans get into heavier stuff, you know?" And then Gotham went to war. And then the whole world did. "I wasn't there for some of it. Dick will be better for that part of the debrief."
Sighing, she nodded. "Yeah, okay. I will. It's just...I guess I just always thought we would be Young Justice. We /were/ Young Justice yesterday, for me. Hearing this is so weird." Then she smiled again. "But then that's our lives right?"
"For me, that was three years ago." He didn't like to think about that. About Secret and how she'd gone after everyone that had ever hurt her. About how close they'd come to losing everything. And then Donna. "We can't be young forever, unfortunately."
"Yeah," Cassie said with another sigh. Then she cocked her head, "Would be nice though."
Tim shrugged, "I don't know about that. Remember the camp out? Kon telling us all about how he's Peter Pan, never going to grow up? We all thought he was mental."
Cassie couldn't help a small fond laugh at the reminder of that camp out. Man, those were the good old days. "That was before this crazy place and seeing you and Bart so...old. I guess I just didn't want things to change but they have to." She sighed and looked around again. "So, please tell me there is stuff to do for fun around here?"
"It's a magical tropical island, Cassie. What do you think?" He tilted his head inquiringly, like the faint scars over his eyes, a remnant of a crisis that she hadn't been here for. "There's miles of beach, acres of land. A trampoline. The gym. A ferris wheel. Fun doesn't seem to be in short supply for those looking for it."
"Just checking to make sure you," She emphasized with a like poke to his chest, "knew. If Mr. Trains-A-Lot knows then there must be something good." She teased lightly. If she'd noticed the scars she didn't say anything. Something things she wasn't sure she wanted to know, not yet.
"I've been here over two years, WG, and I was trained by the World's Greatest Detective. It's my job to notice these things." He smirked and resisted the urge to rub away the poke on his chest. How come girl's pokes always hurt so much? It was like they had secret powers that had nothing to do with any meta ability.
It was a girl secret, closely guarded along with the answer to why they had to go to the bathroom in packs. At Tim, Cassie just laughed. "Have I mentioned that I'm glad you're here Robin? Because I really really am."
"You hadn't mentioned it in the last ten minutes." Deadpan was always his best weapon, "I was getting worried."
Cassie tried not to burst out laughing, she really really did. Instead, she linked her arm with one of his. "Come on, I'm sure there's lots more stuff for you to show me and catch me up on."
A wise warrior knew how to pick his battles, "Yes, ma'am."
Bart and Dick had both told Cassie where the tree house was. Both had offered to lead her there, but she'd kinda wanted to find it on her own. Now with weather appropriate clothes and a night in the warm, she wanted the opportunity to explore the island a bit and to think about her situation.
After a couple hours of exploring the snow, Cassie had come to some sort of terms with the island as she approached what had to be the tree house. Not complete terms because there was one more person she had yet to see. Dick had warned her that Tim was older and alot of stuff had happened to him in the time that separated them but, Cassie found it so hard to believe. She'd just seen him yesterday, with the rest of YJ, young and fairly happy, well, for a Bat. But she'd seen Bart yesterday too, as Impulse and an older version she barely recognized, so...
She stood underneath the treehouse, staring up at it as she considered all this.
"It's better from the inside." Tim appeared behind her with the stealth and was both his trademark and his most annoying quality. His voice was wry, deeper than it had been three years ago, but still that carefully modulated tone that assumed authority and obedience and usually got what it asked for.
Cassie started with a small yelp of surprise and whirled around in a flash of pigtails, her body in a defensive pose. When she saw it was just Tim, she grinned and punched him in the shoulder. "Don't do that!" She said with a laugh as she took in the changes in one of her best friends. He was taller and bigger. It was almost hard to believe but he had that 'Tim' quality she'd know anywhere.
He gave her one of his tiny smiles that was as good as a laugh coming from him, letting the punch through. Afterward, he was grateful that she didn't have her Wonder strength here. "You should be more aware. I was plenty obvious." Not really but more than he'd have been at home. Of course, at home, she wouldn't have had to filter out the sounds of the forest in order to isolate the ones made by humans. "It's good to see you."
"Sorry, I'm still in a bit of shock from showing up on a wintry tropical island yesterday." She said in cocky voice but she couldn't stop grinning. "It's good to see you too. So I have to ask, when did the growth spurt hit? Is it weird that the hardest thing to get used to is you and Bart being taller than me now?"
"Yes, that's weird," he told her solemnly and rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, last year. I grew three inches. Island gave me a full resupply for a winter gift. Come upstairs, it's cold out here."
Cassie rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "I knew it. We all knew you had some inches in you." Then she stepped aside. "Lead the way. Believe me, after showing up in my uniform yesterday, I've had about as much of the cold weather as I can stand."
"Technically, I'm average height for the typical American male," Tim responded somewhat defensively. Well, almost average. Nearly. Just shy. He jogged up the treehouse steps--they were far sturdier in the winter, reinforcement against the wet and snow--and pushed open the floor hatch that led up into the mudroom. He shed his boots here and his heavy jacket, for all that it wasn't much warmer than the outside. At least the wind was blocked off. "You're moving out here, right?"
She bit down her laugh at his defensive tone as she followed him up and followed his lead in removing her coat and boots, taking a moment to reposition her scarf. She'd gotten a nice red one from the box and she rather liked it. "Well duh." She replied to moving out here. "You guys are all I got."
Thankfully Roy and Dick had moved out. It gave them enough space for Cassie on the main floor. Dick's old room was probably best for her though he'd give her options, of course. Girls were strange about that. They liked to think that things were their idea. "Good," he gave her another smile and then led her up to the steps to the next level, "I don't know if they gave you the nickel tour. First level is storage right now. Second is where we live. Common room has the kitchen. Bedrooms are set up on a half clock. Jill's at 9 o clock, I'm past 10. Bart's 12. The last two are past 1 and 3 o clock and they're both available."
"Nah, I didn't want to leave the Compound last night due to the taking forever to finally get warm. I asked where this place was so I could find it myself and find the one member of my team not on the welcoming committee." Cassie nudged him with her elbow. Then she nodded along as she followed what he was explaining. "So which one do you want me in?"
"That's up to you." He gestured toward Dick's old room. "This member of your welcoming committee was in the middle of training."
She already knew Tim had picked out which room he wanted her in, so she just took the suggestion. Pick your battles and all that. "Of course you were. I wouldn't expect a magical island to change your training regime." She said teasingly as she walked into her new room and twirled around. "Nice."
"This one was Nightwing's. He and Arsenal are building a second treehouse just one more tree over. We can customize this however you want after the weather changes back, right now, we're making do." Dry wood was impossible to get in this kind of environment and there was no guarantee that was was built now would be quality when everything changed back. "They explained to you the anomalous weather patterns?"
"Yeah, and my bad luck on arriving the day after the sun disappeared." She was ruefully. "I think I can deal for a bit. Not bad, but then we both know Dick wouldn't settle for less. Real cozy."
"On the upside, in the past it's only lasted a month or so. We'll get it fixed up to suit you soon enough." He leaned back against the wall, habitually seeking out the only shadow in the room. "The design of the treehouse most of the time is better suited to summer weather. Whatever powers the island changes has to do a great deal of work to winterize the structure."
Cassie shook her head in amazement as she turned back to Tim, grinning fondly as she saw him in the shadows. "This place is amazing. If we weren't totally cut off from home, I'd say it was cool. The amount of magic that must go into this place...it's hard to even comprehend."
"Hm, some things are cooler than others." Tim allowed cautiously. The island had its vindictive side.
Cassie caught the tone and got serious. "So I got a run down from Dick and Bart. Anything you want to add?" She didn't elaborate because she was curious what he would offer on his own. Chances are it would be nothing but a girl could try.
"Without knowing what they told you that's difficult to narrow down." What did she need to know? Too much, really, for them to cover in a simple session like this. He'd have to meet with Dick and Bart to properly decide. He told her the easiest, "We train at dawn, 6 am. The training ground is three miles from here and we'll have to clear the equipment first.*
"Of course you do." Cassie said with a roll of her eyes, though it was done with complete fondness. Of course, it wouldn't have been if she'd known he was thinking about having a conference about her, so it was good she didn't.
Finally, she just walked over and hugged him. It didn't feel natural at first because of how he'd grown, but she found a place for her arms and hugged him hard. "I'm glad your here."
He gave her one of his typically awkward hugs, like he'd never encountered physical affection before. Some things never changed. "We do, WG. And I'm glad you're here too."
"So..." She asked in a soft voice as she let him go. "Should I ask? About home? Dick made it sound like the world ended but he didn't give me details."
Tim dragged his hand through his hair, "Cassie...yeah, that's close. Young Justice broke up. We all became Titans after that. And...Titans get into heavier stuff, you know?" And then Gotham went to war. And then the whole world did. "I wasn't there for some of it. Dick will be better for that part of the debrief."
Sighing, she nodded. "Yeah, okay. I will. It's just...I guess I just always thought we would be Young Justice. We /were/ Young Justice yesterday, for me. Hearing this is so weird." Then she smiled again. "But then that's our lives right?"
"For me, that was three years ago." He didn't like to think about that. About Secret and how she'd gone after everyone that had ever hurt her. About how close they'd come to losing everything. And then Donna. "We can't be young forever, unfortunately."
"Yeah," Cassie said with another sigh. Then she cocked her head, "Would be nice though."
Tim shrugged, "I don't know about that. Remember the camp out? Kon telling us all about how he's Peter Pan, never going to grow up? We all thought he was mental."
Cassie couldn't help a small fond laugh at the reminder of that camp out. Man, those were the good old days. "That was before this crazy place and seeing you and Bart so...old. I guess I just didn't want things to change but they have to." She sighed and looked around again. "So, please tell me there is stuff to do for fun around here?"
"It's a magical tropical island, Cassie. What do you think?" He tilted his head inquiringly, like the faint scars over his eyes, a remnant of a crisis that she hadn't been here for. "There's miles of beach, acres of land. A trampoline. The gym. A ferris wheel. Fun doesn't seem to be in short supply for those looking for it."
"Just checking to make sure you," She emphasized with a like poke to his chest, "knew. If Mr. Trains-A-Lot knows then there must be something good." She teased lightly. If she'd noticed the scars she didn't say anything. Something things she wasn't sure she wanted to know, not yet.
"I've been here over two years, WG, and I was trained by the World's Greatest Detective. It's my job to notice these things." He smirked and resisted the urge to rub away the poke on his chest. How come girl's pokes always hurt so much? It was like they had secret powers that had nothing to do with any meta ability.
It was a girl secret, closely guarded along with the answer to why they had to go to the bathroom in packs. At Tim, Cassie just laughed. "Have I mentioned that I'm glad you're here Robin? Because I really really am."
"You hadn't mentioned it in the last ten minutes." Deadpan was always his best weapon, "I was getting worried."
Cassie tried not to burst out laughing, she really really did. Instead, she linked her arm with one of his. "Come on, I'm sure there's lots more stuff for you to show me and catch me up on."
A wise warrior knew how to pick his battles, "Yes, ma'am."