Do It For the Vines
Chatzy log. The second part of the Inque Saga. Takes place a few days after Dick and Cass' first encounter with Inque but before Cass is attacked by Walt. Guest stars Poison Ivy and Inque
[Cass Txt to Dick] Wanna patrol hang out? I'm suited up
[Dick TEXT] Best kind of hangout! Meet you there.
He arrives two minutes later, also suited up. "Where do you want to patrol? Any place in particular?"
Cass smiles at Dick's arrival, "Uh, not sure. Gotham." obvious.
Dick waggles his eyebrows once in a "duh!" motion. "How about Robinson Park? It's a good place for hiding, and last time something big happened, that's where a lot of them seemed to end up." He grins. "Besides, don't you kinda wanna punch someone? Or a few someones?"
"Always." As they make their way to the Zeta platforms she asks Dick, "Them?"
Dick shrugs. "Y'know, low-level thugs, looters. The squishies of our vast array of enemies."
Cass grins, "My favorite."
Dick leads the way when they arrive in Gotham. The looters aren't out in as much force as they were the night before, but there's still a few patches and groups of them to get at. "So, what do you think Batman thinks of our future gal?"
Cass "She's curious." Cass shrugs, surveying the nearby group before diving in, "Too much to tell."
Dick nods. "Yeah, that's probably true." He moves through the group like dancing, easily dodging attacks and dealing out blows. "It's weird how many people we know from the future or future worlds. You'd think that'd start doing things to the time stream or something."
Cass sighs, following after Dick's ballet, where her moves are more like a surgeon’s. Exact, precise, and necessary, no flourishes allowed. "Nightstar, Booster Gold, Inque. Who else?" she cuts down a particularly large thug, tumbling his weight over her's with a grunt, "Maybe it has."
"Whoa, like it's already changed and we don't know it?" He grins, punching a goon in the face. "Trippy."
Cass laughs, ducking to avoid an oncoming swing from another thug, "I don't know! Probably!" it's not like she was any scientist, but it seemed believable. "Inque'll be here forever." She decides. Mar'i had never left, so how would Inque? There were no time machines, and like Jason said, who knows if this was HER past.
Dick hums, pleasantly amused as he hits the thug swinging at Cass on the back of the head. "That could be interesting. I wonder what she'd think of that. She said she has no family, but she must have people back home."
"Maybe.." Cass shrugs, moving to trip up another goon that's making his way too close to Dick, "A boss, or a crew?"
Dick "Probably a crew," he says, his eskrima punctuating his mild statement with a loud crack against a thug's ribs. "She seems like she'd be the boss."
"Yes." Cass agrees, darting to hit several pressure points on the next thug, sending him straight to the ground, "RH said she's meta?"
Dick knocks the last goon down and shrugs. "That's what he says, but I don't know how. He said something about she can her arm out like crazy? Whatever that means, but it sounds pretty meta."
Cass raises her brow, "Her arms?" it sounded dubious to her, as Inque hadn't displayed any powers to her, but then again. Why would Jason lie about something like that? "Weird."
Dick "Right? I kinda hope we run into her again. I'd like to see that."
"Seriously." She looks around the park, things considerably quieter after their impromptu smackdown, "City tag?" she suggests. Her favorite game, because she always won.
Dick grins. "You're on! I'll beat you this time, I will!"
Cass takes off, calling back, "No you WONT!"
Dick jumps as she takes off. "Why you--!" He tears off after her, laughing as he runs.
Cass teases Dick across building after building, sticking out her tongue and diving off rooftops to her great delight. Dizzy, and a little winded she eventually winds down, sprawling out on an apartment's rooftop.
Dick lands about fifteen seconds after she does, collapsing beside her. "You're just lucky you've still got all that youth in you. You're cute when you win."
Cass grins, kicking her feet against the roof with excitement, "Yay!" she rolls over, hugging Dick, "That was fun."
Dick hugs her back, squeezing her tightly. "It was! I didn't think we'd have fun again for a long time. Not really." His words are bittersweet, but his smile is vibrant all the same.
Cass lightly thunks her head against his chest, "We can always have fun."
Dick rubs her back. "Yeah, I guess we can. Sometimes it just feels like we're 'not allowed', y'know?" He laughs. "We should still have fun, you're right. That's what family's for, right?"
Cass nods, understanding the 'not allowed' feeling he described. The mission was always the most important, but. Sometimes she wished it didn't need to be. That someone else could save the day. "Yeah."
Poison Ivy isn't really all that surprised to find that parts of Gotham aren't quite what they used to be. Of course, she's well aware of that 'Parade of Tears' nonsense, it's why she's not still rotting in that putrid Arkham cell anymore. Now it's more of a putrid warehouse, but at least there's room for her babies to flourish here. Any trace of what the place was originally meant for is lost now, every inch of the interior covered in vines. It's not fancy, but it's a good enough home for the moment.
"You ever wish we were just an ordinary family?" He chuckled. "I think maybe we've had this conversation before. But, y'know, just normal siblings going through normal things without all the death, destruction, and doom we face?"
Cass hums on the idea, "It'd be...nice, but not the same." the idea alone has her realize that if they were in fact to be normal siblings, no heroics with Bruce- they'd all still come with traumatic backgrounds. That would never change. "Maybe we are. On another world."
Dick smiles. "That's kinda comforting to think about, in a way. Maybe we're all more OK somewhere than we are here." He ran a hand through her hair. "But, hey, we're pretty OK here, too."
Cass sits up, peering over the edge of the apartment building, "We're ok. We'll be ok." she is steadfast in this belief. "That family is as happy as ours." All the disfunction, with none of the crime fighting still left plenty of room for further disfunction.
Dick laughs and sits up. He opens his mouth to say something, but a strange scent tickles his nose. "Hey, Cass... You smell that?"
"Smell...?" her nose itches as Dick mentions the scent, and she covers her mouth and nose on instinct, "What is it?"
Inque rounds the corner, holding up a tiny vial half-filled with thick, black liquid. "This is the best I can do," she says, walking towards Ivy and holding it out. "I'm not a chemist."
Dick shakes his head. "I don't know. It smells... floral. Pretty strong to be hitting here since--" He stands and looks around, but there aren't any plants nearby to be putting off that kind of aroma. He turns back to Cass. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Cass groans, "Probably." she really didn't want what they were thinking to be right though.
Poison Ivy lets a little smile slip onto her face as she turns away from the large flower she'd been attending. "You don't have to be. That's what that troll Hatter is for." She crosses the vine covered floor in a few long strides taking the vile and holding it up, her grin growing wider. "This will do just fine."
Dick nods his head in what he thinks is the direction of the smell. "C'mon. Let's go smell the roses."
Cass tries not to roll her eyes at his quip as she follows after him.
Inque echoes the grin, taking a step back and leaning against a thick, gnarled vine covered in broad leaves. "At least you have a use for him," she replies, winding a tendril around her index finger. It tightens, cutting off the circulation -- but then passes through as her hand liquefies and re-forms.
Dick chases the scent along the rooftops through the streets, searching for any sign of wild plants where they don't belong. "I wonder if they're all going to be coming out of the woodwork soon."
"If the scent is anything, yeah." Cass thinks out loud with Dick. It was building to something. It had to be.
Dick shakes his head. "Man! And here I was just starting to get used to only one crazy at a time." The grass below them is getting brighter and more lush. That's usually a sign. He points down, then ahead, signalling to keep moving. They must be getting close.
"For now," Ivy agrees with a slight nod. "Once he's made enough, he'll no longer be necessary." Her eyes flick to the vine, her expression fond for a moment. "My little darlings are so curious, it's been so long since they had someone to play with, I hope you don't mind." The plants have quite a mind of their own. Though largely they're contained within the warehouse, there's a few vines that have twisted their way around the doors and out the windows, thin tendrils stretching out to explore.
Cass "Is it connected? All the crazy?" the idea doesn't seem so far fetched to her. She quiets as they head down, investigating the unnaturally green foliage ahead.
Dick shrugs. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. I think it'll be easier to deal with if it is." He spots a vine poking through a window and points. "In there," he whispers."
Inque glances behind her, watching other little tendrils curl out and dark violet flowers bloom. "I don't mind all," she replies, looking back to Ivy as she trails a finger across the top of a broad, serrated leaf. "How long do you think he'll take?" she asks, standing up and gently pushing an inquisitive tendril back towards the flowers. "Not that I'm in a rush, I just love the idea of Gotham tearing itself to pieces."
Cass peers inside the vine window, brushing the small bit of foliage away for a better view.
Tim exhales slowly, releasing the frustration that is gradually taking hold of him. When deciding to track down a lead involving Ivy, he knows better than to be this careless and sloppy. His shifts his weight slightly, contemplating his options to free his feet and prevent the vines from crawling higher without alerting Ivy. Then out of the corner of his eyes he detects movement near a window.
Poison Ivy lets the fond smile linger for a moment more before the usual, more devious one slips back into place. "Not long, especially with this," she notes, handing the vile off to an awaiting vine that carefully coils around it. "There's a test batch already made, it's incomplete, but is should give us some idea of how well the full version should work once it's ready. With my Nightshade and his Deep Freeze out on the streets, the city should be in pieces in no time at all." Her smile fades for a moment as she notices a shifting of the vines, her eyes following it up to the window. "It would seem we have company," she says as her vines move in force to block Cass' view of the window, thin tendrils attempting to wind around her arm.
Dick notices the vines closing in on Cass and whips out a batarang, slicing at them. "So much for the element of surprise."
"Dumb, dumb dumb!" Cass hisses, scolding herself. She ducks away from the vines, letting Dick's batarang hits its mark.
Tim narrows his eyes at his siblings. So much for stealth on all their parts. He reaches for his feet and starts cutting the squirming vines to no avail.
Inque smirks, crossing her arms. "They haven't even discovered this mutagen yet, it'll be years before they figure out what it's derived from." She might sound a little bitter, but only a little. She's mostly just pleased she could help Ivy out by supplying a little bit of herself to add to the potency. Ivy mentions their guests, and she lazily turns her head, peering up at the duo -- smiling. "What an unexpected surprise."
Poison Ivy hisses when the vines retreat from the window, almost as in they're in pain. "No one hurts my babies." Another cluster of vines move the same way in the opposite direction. With a growl, she waves a hand and the vines surge again, this time headed straight for Tim, climbing higher, wrapping tighter to keep him in place. She glances at Inque, an idea occurring to her. "Pick the Bat you like the least. It's about time we gave the first batch a test, don't you think?"
Inque grins widely, predatory. "Bluebird gets a free pass tonight, I want the girl.”
Dick tosses in a flash grenade after the vines. It won't damage too much, but it should singe the hell out of them.
Cass blocks her vision as the flash grenade goes off, backing away from the building, "How many?" she asks Dick, wondering if she should be expecting more than an angry Ivy to be coming after them.
Dick makes a face. "Is 'a lot' too vague for you? The place looks like a jungle in there. And I think she's got someone."
Tim grits his teeth at the vines that ascend his body, gripping his calves and surpassing his knees. If he doesn't find a solution soon he might never escape from Ivy's slippery flora. Dick's flash grenade does little to help him. He groans and wiggles a bit with stabbing gestures near his feet. Wouldn't want to stab himself, right?
Poison Ivy practically snarls, the plants writhing as they shoot towards their attackers, aiming to knock them to the floor to pull them into the mass of vines. The tendrils climbing Tim only move faster as he tries to wriggle free, trying to pin him down before he can escape.
Dick jumps and bounces trying to avoid the vines, but one snakes up around his leg faster than he can get off the ground and pulls him down hard.
Inque is perfectly okay with waiting until they see her. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, after all. She takes a few steps back, hands on her hips as she looks up at the window with Dick and Cass, smirking.
Cass removes a batarang in the highly likely chance she needs to cut herself free from the snaring vines. She turns as Dick slams to the ground with a vine around his leg, giving another vine just enough time to wrap thickly around her middle. Growling, she begins to saw, the surrounding vines pushing forward, trying to cover her hands and tool as she works.
Dick twists in the vine as he's pulled in, trying not to move too far and pop his own knee. More vines are joining the first, carrying him up through the window and into the warehouse.
Tim fights Ivy's flora to the best of his ability, not allowing them to pull him down and lose more of his mobility. "Little help?!" he finally bellows wondering what's taking his siblings so long. He turns his glare to the poisonous villain, sawing his way through her greens.
"You're missing all the fun." With a flick of her wrist, the vine yanks Dick's leg, dragging him further inside. Another motion of her hand has the mass around Tim tugging him towards the center of the room. "Two down, and... there, all three," Ivy says as another motion brings Cass forward to join the party.
Dick growls up at Ivy. "Can't you just join a gardening club or something?"
Cass hearing Tim's call has Cass' heart sinking, so much for any backup. As she's pulled in with the rest of her siblings she hisses, "Weed."
Inque stretches out her arm, snaking the black, inky appendage around the writhing plants as she reaches for the first batch, snagging two of the little green pills. Her arm slithers back, solidifying with the pills in her palm as Dick gets pulled down into the warehouse. "You're the one that crashed the party, Bluebird," she purrs, taking a few steps closer.
Dick's eyes widen at the sight of her-- and her hand, holy-- but then he frowns. "And why am I not surprised you're already in with the villains? Guess you didn't want our help anyway."
Tim decides to stop squirming and wiggling for the moment, saving his energy to exercise for actual plan once he conducts one. He eyes the pills Inque revealed, frowning. If he could just reach his pouches, any of them will do right now. His eyelids are basically the only things not being restrained however. Even wiggling his toes tightens the grip the vines have on his limbs. He can imagine the bruises in the morning already, if he survives this.
Cass outright glares at Inque, her curiosity over the woman vanishes as she's clearly solidified her position with a villain. "Great." the vines around her tighten as they do to Tim, any movement setting the vines off to constrict her further.
Inque tilts her head, the smirk softening into something a little more flirtatious. "Villains? You mean she isn't with you?" she asks, mock-surprised. Her skin and clothing darkens into one homogenous shade of inky black, her face a white oval as she stretches, leans in closer, one 'hand' cupping the side of Dick's face as she laughs a little. "I told you I could take care of myself, but your concern is touching."
Poison Ivy clicks her tongue disapprovingly at Cass. "I see Batman stopped teaching you manners." Small smile on her face, she glances over at Inque. "Would you like some alone time with the Toy Wonder? I can wrap these two up for later."
Dick scrunches his nose at her touch, the strange feeling of her-- skin?, sure probably skin-- on his face. "I can guess you're pretty touched."
Inque, for lack of a better term, giggles a little, her neck twisting around as she looks back at Ivy. "Not necessary," she replies, snaking around him, getting closer to Cass. "Business first, fun later." She snakes her free hand across Dick's chest, up Cass' arm, around her neck and over her mouth -- settling on her nose, the inky blackness blocking her from breathing through it. She can wait.
Dick wiggles and struggles, trying in vain to pull himself free from the vines. "What are you doing to her? Let her go!"
Cass stills as Inque's hand covers over her mouth. She doesn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. If the blackness hadn't blocked her breath she might've considered trying to spit at the substance.
Tim is alarmed when Inque closes in on Cass to drug her. He wants to yell at her, but knows better than to instigate her, unlike his brother. Seriously. Tim grunts, biting a vine that pokes his face.
"It's nothing to worry about," Ivy says flippantly. "Just a little test. It's this new formula I've had Hatter working on for me. Really, the sooner she lets it happen the better.”
Dick struggles harder, trying to get to Cass. He's seen what Hatter's drugs can do and they need no part in it. He considers using the one-time shock in his suit, but the way the vines are wrapped around them all, that might backfire spectacularly.
Poison Ivy stalks a bit closer to Cass, stopping just in front of her, hands on her hips. "Really, I'm curious to see just what it does, aren't you? Just open wide, dear, it will make this so much faster."
Inque slithers around Dick, wrapping him up along with the vines. "Nothing personal," she says, pinching Cass' nose shut, the pills above her mouth. She stretches her neck out, snaking it over towards Tim. "Don't think we've had the pleasure."
Dick shudders as she half-wraps, half-melts around him. Even though his suit covers nearly all of him, he swear he can still feel her... whatever she is.
Cass keeps her gaze on Inque, not moving a muscle in her mouth. If they intend to make her take this drug they will have to force it on her fully.
Tim resumes glaring, doing Batman proud, when Inque takes the time to pay him some attention (he's definitely not admiring Dick right now, he can have all the crazy villains). "Why don't you take one yourself if you're that curious?" he suggests angrily.
Inque grins -- not that he can see it, with the whole not-having-a-face thing. "He's feisty," she says, glancing back at Ivy. Her attention goes back to Tim as she squeezes Cass a little. "Which one are you?"
Poison Ivy rolls her eyes as she turns to look at Tim. "You know, I think each new one is feistier than the one before. The littlest one hisses at people, so rude. I remember when they actually had manners."
Tim quirks an eyebrow at the inky villain and Cass' incredible lung capacity. Distracting Inque isn't truly working, yet. His eyes shift towards Ivy shortly. "I'm Teen Titan's Red Robin. There are more of us waiting to crash your party." Okay, bluffing with a tight pokerface is his last option.
"How many has he gone through?" Inque asks, a little surprised. "Thirty years, and none of you even exist anymore. He doesn't take very good care of his precious Robins, does he?"
Dick glares at her. "Maybe you just have a bad memory. Time travel will do that."
Inque stretches her neck back over towards Dick, tilting her head a little as she gets a little too close for comfort. "Believe me, I'd remember if there were more of you," she says, sounding a little sour.
Tim grunts faintly, eyes on Cass as he notices her struggling for air. He jerks an arm, kicks a leg, restricted so tightly the movement is nearly invisible.
Dick twists, bumping up against the vines-- and Inque-- as he tries to pry a batarang loose.
"Both of you should just stop squirming," Ivy says with an almost irritated sigh. Casually, she takes a few steps back from Cass, knowing it can't be long now. If the pill work as she intends, it might be better to observe from a distance.
Inque leans back from Dick, snaking over to hover in front of Cass' face. "I admire the willpower, but you have to breathe sometime," she says, stroking the side of her face with an inky limb.
Cass finally gives out, inhaling sharply, air stinging the inside of her mouth.
Dick jumps, as much as he can. "Black Bat!" He pulls out a small batarang, finally getting it to his hand, and starts slicing at a vine. It's not much, but it can't hurt.
Poison Ivy hisses as Nightwing starts carving up her babies, but continues moving back. "Inque, as soon as she takes it, let them go," she calls, their escape route already planned and waiting. A few of her darlings might get caught in the crossfire of testing, but in the end this will be the first step in making them a new home.
Inque replaces the air Cass sucks in with viscous black and the pills, stuffing them into her mouth before recoiling and unwrapping herself from around them, moving to stand next to Ivy as she reshapes into her human form.
Dick watches Inque in mild horror, but keeps slicing the vines, hoping to free himself in time to get to Cass and make her throw the pills back up.
Cass gags on the pills and viscous black substance that is Inque as it all fills her mouth. She tries to tilt her head to the side but it's too late, the pills have been swallowed. She struggles slow at first against the vines, in hopes of freedom to force herself to throw up. But as before it's no use, and the pills take hold. If her heart was pounding before, it felt like nothing in comparison to the acceleration that occurred now. Her breath quickens, her eyes dilate, and she full on surges at the vines covering her limbs. Her movements begin with rapid jerks. As if she can't get ahold of the speed she wants to move at just yet, she just has a few goals and she goes full force to accomplish them all at once.
Inque tilts her head a little, crossing an arm across her chest and tapping her chin with an index finger. "Works fast," she says, admiringly.
"Time to go," Ivy says, even as her lips curl into a smirk. Lifting both hands high, the vines shift and shudder before rising up, almost like a platform beneath her and Inque, lifting them up towards a broken skylight. A single tendril rises from the platform with the small vial wrapped up tight. Reaching the open night air, she blows a kiss at the Bats below. "Have fun with my little Nightshade."
Dick shifts as the vines slither away, back towards their mother plant, and scrabbles up to his feet, trying to reach Cass over the moving vines.
Inque smirks as they leave, making eye contact with Dick for a few brief seconds before her line of sight is blocked off by flora. "That should keep them busy. How do you feel about margaritas and other peoples' money?"
Tim wiggles in between the vines as they loosen, freeing himself. He stares up at the femmes shortly, Cass' safety of higher priority. "Black Bat, can you hear me?" he asks as he rushes over, hands reaching but not touching her in case she might startle.
"Sounds like the perfect combination," Ivy replies as she steps off the vine and onto the roof of the building, tucking away the vial. "And afterwards, we can watch the show." The cameras left in the warehouse and outside it should give a fairly good idea just how successful this first batch is.
"Yes." Cass replies as she scrambles to sit up, to stand. Trying to chase after Ivy and Inque, she practically trips over her own two feet, her limbs stiff from being bound unnoticed thanks to her sudden surge, "Come BACK!" she shouts with her voice hard.
Dick rushes after her to catch her. "Black Bat, stay here."
"No!" Cass shouts back, "They're- NO!" She stumbles, looking upward to the escape route taken by Ivy and Inque. Turning, she moves to sprint outside the warehouse, wanting to climb to the roof to get to them. Now.
Inque turns her head slightly, listening to the commotion. "Sounds like it's starting."
Dick glances exasperatedly at Tim and takes off after her.
"I wonder if she'll try to climb up," Ivy says, glancing towards the entrance of the warehouse. With another flick of her hand, the vines follow them onto the roof, stretching out to form a sort of bridge to the next building over. "Would you rather stay and watch? I doubt she'll be able to chase us very far, the high shouldn't last long."
Inque thinks for a moment, and then smirks. "I think I want to see this first-hand, don't you?" she asks, crossing her arms. She really doubts Black Bat will make it up to the roof, and even if she does, she'd have a hard time dealing with the both of them, even dosed. "Then drinks."
Tim shares a look with Dick. Whatever they gave Cass is causing her to behave irrational, but also faster, somehow. "We have to find out what's in her system, we can't let her go after them until we know she won't be poisoned," he tells Dick, thinking their best option is to constrict Cass if she won't co-operate. "We have to get out of here."
Dick nods and sprints after Cass, pulling out a line to possibly lasso her if they can't catch up with her.
Cass scrambles up the warehouse wall, half relying on her gauntlet's and half on a grappling hook. Cass' ordinary 100% determination feels as if it has been doubled, driving her forward, not even stopping to think of any possible consequences. She just goes. Nearing the edge where the wall meets the roof she shouts to Ivy and Inque, "You SUCK." because seriously. They suck so much.
Tim follows Dick's lead to try and stop her, wincing at her loud voice. "Black Bat, you have to calm down. Let's retreat for now, figure out what they dosed you with," he tries to persuade her as he nears her carefully like she is a wild animal and one wrong move might make her flee.
"Fine. I suppose it will be informative." The vines retreat back to the roof, covering it as they had covered the floor and walls inside the building, ready to trip up and Bat that might make it up to them.
Cass groans, pausing on her path to explain to Tim as if he's five, "They're right there."
Dick nods, holding out a hand to her. "Yeah, but we can take them down later. They never go that far."
Inque takes the mention as a good opportunity to give the trio a little finger-wave and a smirk. "With any luck, she might turn on them. Wouldn't you be disappointed if you missed that?”
Cass pushes away Dick's hand, choosing to continue climbing. "You're no help." Pushing herself, she increases her speed. Reaching out toward the vine tendrils hanging down over the roof, she yanks down hard, half hoping the vines are directly attached to Ivy.
Tim resists a groan. "Let them be, your well-being is more important, come on!" he insists, going after her. His climbing is considerably slower. Once he reaches her, he tugs on her ankle like she does to the vines.
Poison Ivy nods and hums thoughtfully. "It would be very entertaining. Not sure if she will... but if she doesn't, I'm sure that can be fixed in the next formula." She lets out a little snarl when Cass tugs on the vines, the leafy tendrils quickly doing their best to throw her from the roof, some tiny ones even attempting to tug her grip into loosening.
Dick sighs and loosens his line. Looks like it's time for some sister-wrangling.
Cass kicks back at Tim, "Quit it!" She keeps a tight grip on the vines, swatting back at the other that try and push her back.
Tim scoffs. "Hey!" His fingers clutch her ankle, other hand reaching for the other and hoping his entire weight will drag her back down.
Dick actually makes a lasso out of his line and tosses it at Cass, trying to catch her around the shoulders to pull her back. He moves to stand under her, in case she falls, because he is a considerate big brother.
"Listen to your siblings, Bat," Inque calls down, smugly. "You wouldn't want to hurt yourself."
Poison Ivy tips her head to one side, smirking. "You know, she's sort of cute. So determined, I almost feel bad it won't last longer."
"Shut up!" Cass snaps back at Inque, entirely sick of the woman now. But between the vines, Tim, and Dick she can't move much further forward. Just as she's about to begin arguing with them all, her muscles begin to feel off. As quickly as her surge of energy and adrenaline came, it altogether vanishes. Her body feels like jell-o and her grip on the wall and vines slacks. Tipping back by Dick's line, she suddenly falls down and away from the wall. So shocked by it all she can't even scream.
Dick drops the line the second he realizes that Cass isn't just falling back, she's falling. He holds out his arms and lines up his body beneath hers, bracing himself to catch her.
"And that's time. Even shorter than I expected, we'll have to get that fixed in the next batch. And now for drinks?" Ivy asks as the vines once again for an escape route.
Tim is unprepared for her fall and his grip slips, eyes widening as he watches her descend into Dick's arms. He releases a sigh, snapping his head back to the villains for a well-deserved glare. "You haven't seen the last of us," he warns them.
Dick lays Cass down once he's steady, propping her up with one arm. "Black Bat, look at me. How do you feel?"
Inque laughs a little, taking a step back. "Sounds good to me," she answers, turning to walk away. "It's a good start."
Cass crumples her body into a ball as soon as she can. She tries to bury her face into her hands, but her arms don't seem to want to move upward. "Bad." she cries softly.
Tim jumps down, scurrying over to inspect their sister. His heart aches at her soft cries.
Dick coos and curls her into him, hugging her close. "It's OK. We're gonna get you somewhere safe you can sleep it off, don't worry. You're OK now."
Cass presses her face into her brother's chest, crying between breaths, "Ok...ok." but it doesn't feel ok. She's mad at herself, and at Inque, at Ivy, at the drug...she wants to be mad at so many things, but her body feels like it's completely given out on her. As if she'd run 100 patrols in a single second.
Tim shifts his weight on his feet, licking at his dry lips as he inspects their surroundings. "We should go.." he tells Dick softly.
Dick looks up at Tim and nods. "Yeah. We should get her to the Watchtower." Adjusting his hold on her, he stands, cradling her to his chest. "Don't worry, we've got you. We're not gonna let you go, Cass."
Cass stays still in Dick's arms, nodding slowly in understanding. Yes. Go.
Tim takes the lead, clearing their way through the limp vines as they go.
