I... [Deep breath.] Okay. [She's quiet for a long moment, trying to gather her thoughts, trying to steady herself and keep it together. Talking about her hasn't gotten easier. But she knows she has to--sooner rather than later, probably--and Persephone is offering.]
Stephanie was... my best friend. [The way she says it--it's like there's an implication that Cass can't quite grasp. Like the phrase doesn't quite do justice to how she saw her.]
My--first friend, really, I hadn't... had one before. [Bruce and the others were family.] She was... one of us too. Bruce didn't...
[She shakes her head a little, staring right ahead over her knees.]
He'd... push her back. Wouldn't teach her. Then act like... her being... rough was, um, her fault. Like she's not... trying enough. So--she came to me, and... I trained her. We were... close.
[Bruce had not been good to Stephanie. Which, from where Cass was sitting, only ever made her more determined to prove herself. That was what had won her over when Steph asked her for training--Steph never, ever, ever gave up. Bruce looked at that determination and saw recklessness.]
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Stephanie was... my best friend. [The way she says it--it's like there's an implication that Cass can't quite grasp. Like the phrase doesn't quite do justice to how she saw her.]
My--first friend, really, I hadn't... had one before. [Bruce and the others were family.] She was... one of us too. Bruce didn't...
[She shakes her head a little, staring right ahead over her knees.]
He'd... push her back. Wouldn't teach her. Then act like... her being... rough was, um, her fault. Like she's not... trying enough. So--she came to me, and... I trained her. We were... close.
[Bruce had not been good to Stephanie. Which, from where Cass was sitting, only ever made her more determined to prove herself. That was what had won her over when Steph asked her for training--Steph never, ever, ever gave up. Bruce looked at that determination and saw recklessness.]