conflict and compromise / barbara gordon

an unexpected interruption

The ravenette was nervous, though a regular person would never pick it up. She could see it in how their bodies shifted from one relaxed pose to another, how their feet tapped at an abnormal rate and how their fingers almost shook when not above the table.

But she could also see how Barbara leaned in, taking in the other girl's presence, how they both seemed to revel in sarcasm and banter and the intensity that they stared at each other with.

This new girl, thought Cassandra, looking at her over the rim of her disguise sunglasses, would need to be observed further. 

"Thoughts?" whispered Stephanie from the opposing side of the table, "I like her style, buuuut...  I'm seeing a typeeeee."

"Black hair, likes blue," muttered Cassandra, "Dick but a girl," she huffed lightly.

"Oooooh, I hope she's as fun as Dick," chirped Steph, between mouthfuls of milkshake, "It'd be cool to have Barbara not be alo- uhhhh..."

Cass looked back at Barbara's booth and met the dark eyes of Barbara's date, narrowed in concentration at their faces. She snapped her vision down at the floor, adopting what she hoped was a meek look. Stephanie, on the other hand, had taken to whistling loudly while looking out the window.

It took only a few seconds, and Barbara was standing over their table, glaring in annoyance at her two proteges. To her side, her smiling date... Wendy! That was her name, thought Cass, was tilting her head at them, amused. 

"What are you two doing here?" Barbara asked, with an intensity to match Bruce's night-time interrogations.

"W-well look who it is! What luck it is! running into such good friends here!" Stephanie exclaimed in false wonder, "Well we were just finishing our meal here, nice to see you but we gotta go sort of thing you kno-"

"We will be talking about this," Barbara frowned at Steph.

"Bu-" Steph and Barbara break off to argue amongst themselves, and Cass stifles a giggle at Steph's guiltless face arguing proudly for her point. 

"Didn't think I'd see you again," Cass looks up at Wendy, subtly taking in her body language, amused, relaxed, embarrassed "She drag you along?"

Cass offered a small smile, "Just checking on Babs," 

"Any notes for me to be taking into account?" chuckling lightly, Wendy slid into the long seat beside Cass, "Anything you disapprove of yet?"

She was much taller than her, and Cass would have instinctively been intimidated, but she exuded a sense of companionship that pushed Cass to want to interact with her. She found herself tuning the other conversation out as she slipped into sarcastic sparring with Wendy. This was something she never normally did due to not being used to extended conversation. But Wendy made it easy, she thought, slowing her talking and excluding unneeded words.

"Where did you learn to speak like that?" She interrupted abruptly, accidentally gaining the attention of the other two across the table. 

"Spent some time in Hong Kong as a child," replied Wendy, "Thought it might be easier if I spoke in broken, English. I think I read somewhere that one of the Wayne kids was adopted from there. Are you the wrong one? Sorry there's a lot of them." 

At this, Cass' laughed quietly, "No, I am the right one." 

"Good to see you two getting along," Barbara slid in, "Wenlock re-meet Cassandra Wayne," 

"Wenlock?" Cassandra looked quizzically at Wendy,

"Most people call me Wendy," Wenlock explained, "Wenlock sounds so fancy for a college student, its actually embarrassing." 

"I think its pretty!" Steph chirped, breaking into the conversation by sticking a hand in Wenlock's direction, which she shook, "Hi! I'm Stephanie Brown, I'm also adopted!"

Wenlock tilted her head at the phrasing of the sentence, "Nice to meet you Stephanie."

"Now," Barbara cut in, with a serious tone this time, "You are both going to go, and leave us be." 

"Bu-" 

"Now," Barbara stared Steph down.

"Fine," Steph replied as she gathered her things, taking hold of Cass' hand as she rose to leave.

"Bye Wenlock!" Cass smiled at Wenlock as she was gently dragged away, waving with her free hand, "Nice seeing you again!" 

Wenlock waved back, before turning to Barbara, tilting her head and smiling. "Will this be the norm?"

"Not if I can help it," Barbara replied, taking her hand and leading her back to their booth. 

We just hit 100 reads and I'd like to say that I don't draft anything. So if stuff doesn't really make sense I'm sorry ;-; 

- I'll probably end up editing the problems away at some point <3