Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Cassandra Cain, or Clayface, in addition to any other DC Comics characters. They are owned by DC Comics.
Batman judged people. It was a quality of his that he just couldn't help. He eyes and brain were like vultures, analyzing anyone he saw for what they are and could potentially be. Most of the time, they were threats. But here and now, it was something different.
The eyes of a man whose life was defiled by tragedy glanced at his computer screen, watching as two people he knew clearly practiced Shakespeare. The large man made of mud was Clayface, and the girl in black was Cassandra Cain, better known as Orphan. They were acting out "The Tempest," and thanks to the hours spent performing the material, were getting quite good at it. Every time she positioned her body and he imitated another character, the dark knight could see the bonds keeping the craft alive.
For the longest time, he didn't know if Basil coming onto the team would work. He'd tried to kill some of them long ago, after all. Yet that spark of hope in him kept persisting, and so far it had rewarded him plenty. Clayface had gained a greater understanding of who he was, how he could use his powers, and better yet, how to help those other than himself.
Then there was Cassandra. She, herself, had a damaged background; raised to be an assassin, taught only to kill, and learning of other options too late. If the Gotham Knights program was like high school, she was the social outcast because of her unfamiliarity with everything and how hard it was to speak. A part of him felt like it was being crushed whenever he saw her alone, wishfully wanting something other than the half-baked life she seemed to be in. From what he could tell, Basil understood that as well, and it was their common link.
Once Spoiler had left, the two had gotten heavily into the Tempest, going so far as to practice as much as they could between missions and Mud Room training. Her knack for memorizing monologues was helping to teach her valuable speaking skills, whereas Clayface would use his powers to turn into the character – or sometimes multiple ones – that she was talking to. Batman had bet that their correlating pasts were helping them through it all, pushing beyond the Shakespearean dialogue to relate their stories into something concrete.
Nobody talked about it much, but most of the others' thought the friendship to be something kindred. Both learned from each other and still fought for Gotham's good, so what was there to comment about? If Batman would say anything, it would be that they had changed. Some might have viewed an ex-villain and a girl who could kill people effortlessly as nothing more than "damaged goods," but not him. If that was true, he and many more would be in the category. The day that happened, there would be hell to pay.
Damaged or not, their friendship was something precious. You didn't find things like this that often.
This is a fic for anyone who liked Basil and Cassandra's friendship in Detective Comics. Enjoy!