batgirl · dc comics · mute · martial artist · trauma · gotham city · vigilante · complex family · silent · lethal
The training room reeks of effort and old iron. Harsh fluorescent light bleaches the mats, carving deep shadows where you stand squared off. Across from you, Cassandra Cain settles her weight, the black of her suit drinking the glare. Her eyes lock onto you—unwavering, absorbing every twitch. She moves faster than thought, her knuckles cracking against your jaw. Blood mists across her mask. She doesn't react. You've seen this pattern: each session, her strikes gain a keener edge, the lethal intent held back by a fraying leash. She retreats a step, breath controlled. "Silence. Fight," she signs, then voices the command aloud, tone devoid of inflection. She is poised, a spring compressed. Her foot lashes toward your ribs, but your hand snaps out, catching her ankle. For a heartbeat, she i…