Jason read to her for a little over two hours about a fascinating tale about a girl named Alice who fell down a hole into a fantastical sounding world. He'd had to stop because reading out loud for so long had started making his voice hoarse. And boy did she sympathize with that. He'd told her that he had some work to do which would probably be boring for her to watch. He didn't have anything for her to do in his room, so he told her that she could wander the manor if she wanted to. The only rule she was given was that she couldn't go outside without someone else. She was fine with that, going outside by herself was risky and she probably shouldn't have tried it this morning.
She decided to watch him for a while, not yet sure if she wanted to leave the room by herself again. After a few minutes of watching Jason, she found that he was a mumbler. He nearly constantly grumbled at his computer screen as he typed away. It was entertaining to watch in its own way. However, she was getting rather restless. Her mind started going between staying or going to look for something to do. She was used to her days crammed full of training and lessons. Perhaps she should take the opportunity to memorize her new surroundings. This manor was rather large, she had Jason's little house down pat before he had even come home, this place would take a while. She wasn't particularly fond of not knowing where possible hiding spots are or where a certain hallway may lead. She knew most of the labs like the back of her hand, even the areas she wasn't technically supposed to know about. She bit her lip in uncertainty, she did have permission to wander so there was nothing wrong with actually leaving the room. Right?
Her brain immediately jumped to the last time she had left the room without Jason. She had been attacked by the one called Tim. He had promised to keep his distance from her, but she had no idea if he would keep his word or not. She shook her head as she crawled off the bed and plopped onto the floor. She would simply keep her senses up and if he started coming in her direction she would promptly go the other way. She was fairly certain she was faster than them, so worst case scenario she could simply sprint back to Jason's room. Mind made up she headed for the door.
She looked back to Jason with one hand on the doorknob to make sure he didn't change his mind about letting her leave. All he did was smirk at her and give a small wave. She waved back before finally opening up the door and slipping out. Now, what to do first?
She figured her best bet would to take stock of where everyone was. While she wasn't particularly worried about the people in this manor she didn't want to risk getting spooked. She closed her eyes and focused on both her hearing and smell. Jason was obviously in the room she just left. She heard Damian in what she was assuming was his room. The familiar sound of a pencil on paper made her realize he was probably drawing again. Her nose picked up the canine scent she could now associate with Titus in the same room with him. She was really glad about that, she was only okay with the giant dog when Damian was around to control him. She didn't trust the dog by himself yet.
The scent of glorious smelling food caught her attention so she assumed Alfred was cooking in the kitchen. She could neither smell nor hear anyone else near her location so she decided to wander a small bit just to find out where everyone else was. If she decided to still wander around after locating everybody would be something she decides then. Maybe it was best to start small on her newfound freedom.
She slid down the hallway in her tights and once she reached the stairs skipped down them with glee. Her shoulders shook in silent laughter. This place was really fun in such simple ways. She was free to simply be herself. Doing anything fun like this at the labs was not allowed and would be met with punishment. They always expected them to show no emotions and to simply follow directions. Here she was free to show all the happiness, glee, and excitement she wanted. She found herself being a naturally chipper person, so hiding what she found natural was really difficult. Yasha was more of a grumpy person so hed had done better remaining neutral. She violently cut that line of thinking, no need to make herself sad by thinking of memories of her brother.
Glancing towards the direction of the front door she realized that Dick's most recent scent leads straight through it. Had he left for something? With a shrug, she mentally crossed another person off her list. Only two more to find; Mr. Bruce and the one called Tim. She silently slid down the halls, deciding that sliding was so much more fun than just walking. So, as long as there was slide-able floor that was how she was choosing to travel. Her ears twitched as she caught a heartbeat and the tic-tak of a keyboard coming from the room Damian took her in to go to the basement-cave. She easily identified the person within the room as Mr. Bruce. She did file away the information that it was much harder to hear into the room than it normally should be. Soundproofing? The most present scent of the one called Tim was through the same door. Perhaps he was down in the basement-cave? She had learned earlier that she wasn't able to hear between the upper and lower places, so she couldn't be a hundred percent about it. She decided to simply go with that he was in the basement-cave. Which meant he wasn't up here with her, which was something she was more than okay with.
Now that she had found where everyone was, what should she do? It would probably be smart to look around the rest of the manor like her original plan was. Find a couple of hidey holes and start figuring out the layout. She just didn't feel like doing that right now. Too boring. She wanted to do something fun. Plus, from what Jason had said they were only staying here for the rest of today and tomorrow yet. Hopefully, after tomorrow they could go back to Jason's place. It wasn't like she disliked the manor. As she had thought earlier, it was actually fun. However, she had liked Jason's small and cozy home. She had felt safe there.
Her lips twitched sidewise in consideration of what to do before her mind drifted to Damian. Maybe he wouldn't mind her watching him draw. It was calming to watch him sketch stuff out. She started heading back to the stairs with a new destination in mind. She was halfway up the staircase when a new scent caught her attention. It was one of the animals that she had smelled last night. She had initially brushed them aside as unimportant, something that had been pretty dumb in hindsight. The surprise of Titus this morning being a perfect example of that. She had assumed that the animals would be kept locked up as that is what they had done in the labs. Well, unless they were uncaged to be used as punishment.
She suddenly became hesitant. While she knew that one of the animal scents had been canine, as that was a scent she was more than familiar with, dogs were the only animals she had ever seen. That meant she had no experience with the other two. She bit her lip in thought, frozen on the stairs. They wouldn't let a mean or dangerous animals wander freely. Would they? She had to think no. Hopefully.
Shi got down low and actually crawled up the last few steps. She peaked her head over the top step only to find there was a small fuzzy face staring back at her. She nearly fell backward in surprise but managed to keep a grip on the top step and managed to hold herself still.
The creature let out a "Meow" noise as it laid down in front of her. She didn't know what to do, what did it want her to do? She quickly mentally flipped through the limited schooling she had been mind fed at the labs and managed to figure out that the animal in front of her was a cat. A flash of a memory of a smaller crème colored cat made her mind hurt for a moment before it went away.
The cat meowed again, pulling her attention back to it. Again, what was she supposed to do? She had no other information about the cat other than that was what it was. She remembered Damian telling her under the tree earlier that Titus loved being petted. Perhaps that is what this cat wanted as well?
Very slowly she picked her hand off of the floor and cautiously brought it to the cat's head. As she got a few inched from it, the cat lifted its head towards her and Shi froze. She noticed the cat start sniffing her hand and she realized in a type of amazement that the cat was taking in her scent. Something she herself did with new people. Scents were at times easier to remember than faces or appearances. Plus, her previous Alpha had the ability to change what he looked like at will. His foul scent on the other hand always stayed constant, so that was something she had become dependant on.
The cat butted its head against her hand which Shi took as acceptance. She let her had move further up the cat's head and gently lowered it down. The moment her fingers sunk into the silky soft fur of the cat stars appeared in her eyes. This was the softest thing she had ever felt in her whole life. This was even better than the grass! When the cat didn't give any negative reaction to the petting she eagerly continued. Shi nearly melted when the cat started purring. For some reason, she just unconsciously knew that the rumbling noise was a good thing. She made herself as comfortable as she could laying across nearly four steps and completely lost track of time petting the cat.
Damian set his pencil down as he finished his sketch. It was another hard sketch of Shi as she had become a new sense of inspiration to work from. He like drawing people and animals and Shi was a mixture of both. He glanced at his clock and realized it was close to six. Supper would be called soon, so he might as well head down. He could let Titus out early to go to the bathroom and run around for a while. Et the large dog burn off some energy before nighttime. He turned to look at his bed and saw Titus making himself comfortable upon it. In the confines of his room, he let a light smile pull at his lips at the sight. He truly loves his animals.
"Come, Titus," he called lightly as he stood up, stretching slightly after being bent over for so long. Titus also stretched before dropping to the floor to stand behind his master. Damian casually petted Titus' head as he opened his bedroom door. He only made it a few steps down the hallway before he stopped in confusion.
Right at the edge of the staircase laid Alfred the cat. That in itself was odd as the cat wouldn't usually settle down somewhere so hard. The other odd thing was that Shi was laying on the stairs themselves, which had to be rather uncomfortable. Her face didn't show any discomfort, only pure bliss as she gave Alfred the cat all the attention he could ask for. Before he even knew what he was doing he had his phone out and was snapping a photo. The action made him freeze with a scowl on his face. That is something that Grayson would do. He looked down at the picture with his finger over the delete button. He hesitated several seconds before deciding to keep the picture. He could use it as a drawing reference his mind made up the convenient excuse for himself. He slipped his phone back into his pocket before continuing to the edge of the stairs.
While Damian stopped right beside Alfred the cat, Titus bound down the steps towards the patio door. Where he would wait for Damian himself or Pennyworth would get to him first and let him out.
To his amusement, Shi didn't even acknowledge either himself or Titus' presence. He would have thought her fear of Titus would at least make her flinch, but she barely even blinked. Damian sat down on the top step and raised an eyebrow at her, "What are you doing?"
Shi glanced up at him and gave him the happiest smile he had seen upon her face since her arrival. She continued petting at scratching Alfred the cat.
Damian let out a thoughtful hum, "Well obviously you've been lavishing Alfred the cat with attention. How long have you been here?"
A thoughtful look appeared on her face before she simply shrugged. She had absolutely no idea. She's been more than content to just lay here and make the cat continue it's purring.
Damian rolled his eyes slightly as he stood back up and picked his cat up. Wonder appeared in Shi's eyes as she popped off the ground. She didn't know that carrying the cat was an option! Damian smirked slightly and held Alfred the cat out to her, "Would you like to hold him?"
Shi nodded furiously as she held out her arms eagerly, her tail swinging side to side in anticipation. The moment the cat was placed in her arms she carefully cuddled him to her.
"Follow me. Supper will be served soon so we might as well head to the dining room. I'm sure Alfred the cat would be willing to lay on your lap for a while."
Shi followed after him placidly as she happily cuddled the cat. Damian sat at the table and Shi settled down in the chair next to him. It took some maneuvering to climb into the chair while not letting go of the cat. Shi glanced over in thought as Alfred the person started bringing dishes in.
She reached over and tugged at Damian's sleeve to get his attention. When his eyes met hers she gestured between the cat and the man in question.
Damian guessed her question rather easily, "I named my cat after Pennyworth as their temperaments are very similar. Most of the others have nicknamed my cat A for convenience."
Shi nodded her understanding before giving Alfred a grateful smile as he set a cup of tea in front of her. She breathed in the scent of chamomile tea and a smile pulled at her lips. She blew on it lightly before taking a delicious sip.
A few minutes later people started trickling in like they were magically summoned. Maybe they could smell the delightful food as well. Jason was the first to enter and she noticed that when his eyes landed on her his shoulders untensed slightly. Had he been worried about her?
"I was hoping you found your way here," Jason commented before his eyes landed on the cat curled up on her lap. He shook his head in amusement, "Great, the dog-girl is a cat person."
"Where is Grayson?" Damian scowled.
"He got called into work. He said he'll be back tomorrow afternoon." Bruce answered as he entered the room.
"Tsk." Damian frowned slightly.
Bruce glanced at the people gathered around the table as he sat down. Shi looked mentally torn between keeping her attention on the cat or staring hungrily at the food. He had to admit that he was surprised that Damian was letting Shi hold Alfred the cat. He could be very protective of his animals, and usually didn't let new people near any of his pets. Jason was on his phone, frowning in concentration on whatever was on his screen. He had forwarded a few possible leads to him earlier about Shi's case so it was possible he was deciding which lead to track down first. On the other hand, he could simply be playing a game. With Jason, it was a horse apiece.
Bruce's gaze landed on his youngest, who was putting on a good mask of not caring. He knew him long enough now to see past that mask. He was strangely diligent with the young girl sitting next to him. The fact that he was letting her sit right next to him spoke legions in themselves. His dining room table was large and kept growing as his family grew. Which meant if one person didn't want to sit next to another person they by no means had to. He noticed all of the side glanced Damian directed towards Shi. Someone who didn't know Damian well enough would simply assume he was checking on his cat. His gaze rarely landed on the cat, however. Which means he was constantly making sure that Shi was alright. It warmed Bruce's heart to see his son showing concern for someone outside his pets and the immediate family. Perhaps he was finally starting to grow out of the conditioning the League of Assassins had put him through.
The calm silence was broken by Shi's sharp intake of breath as Tim walked through the doorway. Shi watched him warily with wide eyes, unconsciously leaning closer to Damian for safety. Damian's eyes darted to the third Robin and glared.
Tim rolled his eyes at Damian before making eye contact with the girl he shouldn't have attacked, "I'm just here for the food. Don't worry I'll sit away from you." He reassured her before walking behind Jason to sit at the far end of the table by himself.
Shi glanced around at the table and bit her lip. Bruce was sitting at the end of the table with Damian at his right, followed by herself and Alfred the cat. Jason was sitting across from her, leaving an empty space between himself and Bruce. The one called Tim was on Jason's side of the table, but there were five whole chairs between the one called Tim and the rest of them. Now she felt bad. She didn't' want him to isolate himself from the rest of his family because of her. She knew all too well just how painful loneliness can be. She had been by herself over a month after Yasha was killed. That had been the worst month of her life.
She tried to make eye contact with the one called Tim to try and communicate with him, but he was invested in what was on the laptop he had brought in with him. She reached her foot out as far as it would go but still had to slide down on the chair quite a bit to tap Jason on the knee.
Jason looked up immediately when he felt two soft taps on his knee and he had to hold back a laugh. Shi was nearly lying down in her chair and balancing A on her stomach to be able to reach him, "What's up?" he asked her.
Shi righted herself in her chair before gesturing towards the one called Tim.
"What about Replacement?" Jason asked.
Tim's head popped up towards them when he heard Jason's annoying nickname for him.
Shi made a 'come closer' gesture, though the look on her face was uneasy.
"You want him to sit closer?" Jason's eyebrow raised in disbelief. The look on her face and her body language clearly went against what she was gesturing.
Shi hesitated before nodding slowly. No, she didn't really want him closer to her. Honestly, she would have been fine with him staying in the basement-cave where she wouldn't have been able to see his self forced isolation. She wouldn't' have even thought about it before she saw him sitting a room-length away from everyone else and guilt boiled in her chest. However, she would never force loneliness on another person. Except maybe her previous Alpha, he could get all the loneliness the world had to offer.
"Are you sure you're okay with that? The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable." Tim asked her.
She hesitated once again before nodding at a normal speed this time. She watched the one called Tim gather his things before taking a new seat. He left a spot between himself and Jason, but he was a lot closer than he had been before.
"It must be hard for you, but try not to do anything stupid Drake." Damian bit out.
"Oh shut it, Demon spawn. " Tim growled back.
"That will be enough of that Young Masters." Alfred reprimanded them as he brought the main meal in from the kitchens.
"Sorry Alfred." Tim apologized immediately.
Damian merely let out a Tsk and looked away with a scowl.
Jason chuckled evilly glad to not be the one in trouble for once. His research project on his phone was keeping him busy enough to avoid the disappointment of the butler.
Shi looked between them in concern, were they in trouble? What were they in trouble for?
"Everything is fine Miss Shi," Alfred reassured her as he placed a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of her.
Damian's mind wandered slightly as they all ate in silence. Pennyworth hasn't made something so 'homey' as Grayson would call it, in a while. Backed macaroni and cheese with hamburger in it. Of course, his portion was without any meat, per his preferences. His eyes once again darted over to check on Shi. For some reason, he felt a need to make sure that she was alright. She was practically glowing as she ate, happy was a good look on her he had to admit. Alfred the cat had decided that Shi's lap was a perfect place for a nap. An idea started forming in his mind and he consciously kept his face neutral. He didn't need any of the family getting concerned by a devious smirk, then he would be watched too closely and he wouldn't be able to go through with the idea that was blooming in his mind.
Shi tilted her head in delight as she took another large bite of noodles. Damian fought back a small frown. The name Shi seemed more like a nickname which was why he was so reluctant to call her by it out loud. From what he understands, Todd started calling her that from the collar he took off of her. She did not seem concerned Todd suddenly changed her name, and she learned to answer to it rather easily. That brought up the question if she even had a name before or if she was simply called Project Shikon where she was before. Perhaps they should give her a proper name. Something that starts with Shi so the rest of them could keep calling her that if they wished to.
His attention turned to Jason who had been done eating for a while now, "When are you leaving Todd?" he asked as that was something that he needed to know if he ended up going through with his possible plan.
"Why do you care Demon spawn?" Todd shot back not even looking up from his phone.
"I am simply tired of having to look at your face." Damian verbally sparred back though there was no actual bite in his words.
"We're staying through tomorrow yet and then we're gone."
"Ah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that Master Jason. Could you perhaps persuade you to stay until Monday morning? I could prepare you and Miss Shi some pre-made meals tomorrow for you to reheat at a later date."
Jason looked up from his phone with a relieved grin, he had been worried about what he was going to feed Shi when he went back home, "I would appreciate that. Thanks, Alfie. Yeah, we can wait until Monday morning, but that is it." He did have a day job that he had to get to in the afternoon. Thinking about it now he would probably have to figure something out with Shi while he went to work. He didn't want to keep Shi at the manor, even though he knew Alfred would be more than willing. He didn't want to depend on Bruce's help. Maybe Roy would be willing to babysit? Roy had a job that he was able to work at home so he could watch Lian, perhaps he wouldn't mind one more. He didn't think Shi would be any trouble, she's been pretty well behaved during their stay in the manor. If all else failed he was sure that Starfire would be cool with watching the kid for a few hours. Sure, she was dating Dickhead but she was his old teammate and he trusted her. He would call Roy tomorrow sometime when he got some alone time. He would figure it out later when it came to it.
He saw that Shi was done eating so he stood up and made his way around the table. He pulled Shi's chair back, scooped A off her lap, deposited the cat onto Damian's lap, and plucked Shi out of her chair. She looked at him in confusion as he carried her out of the room.
"Want to do a little training?" he asked her as he carried her towards Bruce's office.
Shi's eyes lit up in interest and nodded. She wondered what Jason would teach her, hopefully not shooting guns. They kinda scared her and the loud bangs hurt her ears. Maybe he would spar with her? She focused her attention on the wound on her side feeling how healed it was and realized that her Ki must have recharged as the gashes felt almost healed. If he did want to spar with her she would be able to put a bit more effort into than she was able to do with Damian. Maybe he'll teach her something new? She loved learning new things!