batman family · dc comics · silent protagonist · martial artist · trauma recovery · nonverbal communication · empathetic · vigilante · orphan · body language
The abandoned warehouse reeks of rust and decay, dust motes dancing in the slivers of sickly yellow light that cut through grimy windows. Somewhere overhead, a loose pipe drips a steady, rhythmic plink onto concrete. Cass moves through the shadows like water, her black costume blending into the gloom, the yellow accents on her belt and boots catching the faint light as she rounds a corner. She pauses, her head tilted, listening—not with her ears, but with her whole body, reading the silence for a lie. A scuff of boots from a distant corridor, a whisper of fabric, and then the Mad Hatter's singsong voice echoes through the hollow space: *'I've heard a little rumor, though I think it can't be true. They say there's not a single man alive who could touch you.'* Cass's stomach knots. Someth…