Here's the chapter! Also, I'm not gonna do the "#$ ^&" swears anymore. I think I first tried it because I always found it funny in newspaper comics, but it just doesn't work in a written medium like this. …And I really shouldn't have needed other people to tell me that.

Cassandra Cain was raised, practically from birth, to practice martial arts. Her mother and the other people who raised her had deliberately refrained from talking around her to avoid any distractions. It had worked beyond their wildest dreams. It worked. Fighting was her first language. Of course, that had consequences. Cassandra Cain's upbringing left her unable to speak.

She could still communicate, but she was limited to body language and sign language. Her brain had developed differently than a normal child's, leaving her physically incapable of learning to talk, but with a mind that understood martial arts in a way that no one else could hope for.

Some days, she doubted it was worth it. Going to high school often reminded her of the childhood she'd been robbed of and the skills she could never master. Fighting as the new Batgirl let her use her skills in a way that felt good, but there was always that tiny voice in the back of her head that reminded her of what her skills had really been meant for. She was incredibly thankful for her new family. All of them, including her, banded together to help each other.

She could use her skills to make a difference, and because she chose to, not because she had to.

To her, people were an open book. Their every movement was a declaration of their thoughts and intent. Spending a short time with anyone let her know more about them than most people could imagine. It was how she knew she belonged here. That short, awkward conversation with Vincent Irving, aka Norman Osborn, had been unnerving and enlightening.

"Report. What did you learn about the target?"

"He's a weirdo."

Jason and Cassandra rolled their eyes at that. They didn't disagree though. Batman radiated disapproval that Robin ignored. One thing Cassandra always noticed though, was the minute way that Batman relaxed when they had these interactions. Whether he knew it or not, Batman did find his family's antics funny.

"Jason?"

"Sorry, but Tim summed it up pretty well. The guy is definitely not normal. Red Tornado shows more emotion than him. He talks a bit oddly too. I dunno how to describe it. He's definitely Daedalus's little escapee though. That's pretty obvious."

"Yeah, it's weird, but he kept accidentally implying it. He also seemed to prefer giving misleading answers and lying by omission whenever we asked questions."

"Cassandra?"

{He moves like he's been trained in a variety of different martial arts and is in exceptional physical condition for his age. He doesn't show any emotion, not even in his body language. He talks and acts like normal, but he doesn't have any expressions and there's no emotion on his face or in his movements. It is kinda creepy.}

Jason and Tim nodded rapidly.

"I dunno if it was the drugs they pumped him as a kid that did it or if the way they raised him, but he may as well be a brick wall for all the emotion he shows."

"The funny thing is that he doesn't talk that much differently than normal. I mean, his voice stays deadpan no matter what he says, but he doesn't phrase things the way you would expect an emotionless person would."

"Anything else?"

{He seems to be very intelligent, but impulsive.}

Jason looked over at Cassandra with a frown.

"Really? He was a bit of a know it all, but I didn't get any impulsive vibes from him."

{I might be wrong, it was just an impression, and he is hard to read.}

Tim nodded at that, grinning slightly.

"He certainly wasn't violently impulsive."

"Oh yeah! He got cornered in the hall by Rick. He didn't even seem to notice that Rick was trying to bully him."

{Emphasis on trying. He de-escalated the situation easily.}

"I see... What do you think the chances of him being the Goblin are?"

The three of them shrugged at that.

"Not sure, but I doubt it. From what Commissioner Gordon said, the Goblin was a lot more expressive."

"Yeah, they are definitely different kinds of weirdo."

{I won't be sure unless I actually meet the Goblin, but my instincts say no.}

Batman nodded slowly.

"From what little I saw, I'd have to agree. The Goblin didn't seem to have any problem expressing emotions. I still wouldn't rule it out though. It's entirely possible he has multiple personality disorder or some odd variant."

Tim perked up a bit. He'd been the most excited since he'd heard about the new hero. Ever since Oracle alerted them to the Goblin's presence, he'd been pestering Batman to let him go meet Gotham's newest guardian.

"My patrol overlaps one of the spots he seems to prefer, can I go say hi? I might be able to find out for sure."

"No."

"Aww… C'mon! We already know he's a good guy!"

"He's a metahuman with unknown motivations, powers, and advanced technology. No"

Cassandra smirked slightly. Getting Batman to stop being overprotective was bad enough, but convincing him to stop paranoid? Tim was fighting a battle he'd already lost.

We're going back to Norman's perspective next. I want to do a double release next, but the chapters are taking a while since it's really important I get them right. Either way, the next chapter(s) are going to be bigger.