Cassandra slept late the next morning and tried to go back to sleep after she did, but couldn't. She tried to pray the night before, but nothing besides simple, generic thoughts came. She was numb. More numb than she'd been in some time.

Hunger and a need for the bathroom pushed her toward movement, but she only rose when she heard, "Are you still really in there?" from the hallway.

Cassandra rolled toward the door, Damian stood just beyond the threshold with one eyebrow raised. "You weren't even out last night."

"Still sore." Cassandra said. It wasn't entirely untrue, but it was easier than explaining the night before. She was sure she wouldn't even have words for what had happened.

"Well, Father called. Whatever the League needed him for, he's finished now. Just going to need time to travel back."

Cassandra managed half a smile at that. Bruce was safe, that had to account for something.

There were still appearances to keep up with, so Cassandra pushed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Though she'd been awake for at least an hour, it was as if her senses had only caught up with her. Her eyes felt crumby and sticky, though she couldn't remember crying the previous night. When she came to the shower, she turned the water up higher than usual. It stung a little on first contact, but she acclimated quickly. For reasons she wasn't sure of, she tilted the showerhead down and sat on the floor, buffeted by the hot water until it started to cool and she finally stepped out.

It was after noon when she stepped into the kitchen. It slowly passed her mind Damian's question should have seemed out of place, since she was out most nights and usually slept later. Unless he kept mental notes of when the team was actively working. Cassandra deemed that was a better thought not lingered on and scoured the pantries and refrigerator for something to eat. Alfred was probably on much a schedule of sleep and tech support for Bruce in the night, Cassandra hadn't seen him in days.

"You seem off."

Cassandra turned to Damian as she was undoing the knot on a bread bag. "Forgot you were here."

"Do you think I go anywhere during the day?" He passed her and walked to the refrigerator.

"I never see you much."

"Nobody ever told me to keep social. But I guess that doesn't mean much of anything directed at you, does it?"

Cassandra shook her head as she slipped half of a baguette out of its bag and cut two slices. "You never talk about it much."

"What?"

"Being younger." Inside, Cassandra wasn't sure how much of Damian's life she really wanted to hear about. But maybe he could just distract her for a while.

"If Father is to be believed, it was a lot like what you went through, just not to the same degree. Rigorous training, Mother always overseeing my progress, I have a lot to live up to."

Cassandra nodded as he spoke. "Did you know my parents?"

"More by reputation than anything. Shiva's still pretty legendary around there. No one trusts her as far as they can fight her, but my grandfather keeps in contact. Cain though, he's considered tarnished silver at this point."

"Tarnished?"

"I've only met him a few times, but I heard a lot of the talk. They joke that he had all the potential in the world and he just ended up creating two of the biggest pains the League deals with. My father and you, of course. He must be why you're feeling off, right?"

It was certainly easier to explain, so Cassandra nodded. "Yes."

"Why do you care though? I like to fight but even I'd hate him for what he did."

"I don't like pain. I want to save everyone I can. Even him."

"Were you always like this, or was it after your religious phase started?"

Cassandra's toast popped up. "Not a phase."

"You know what I mean."

Even with her own struggles, Cassandra did understand Damian wasn't trying to be disrespectful. He didn't understand the weight of some of his words, just like she didn't.

"David only taught me how to hurt and be hurt. Since I ran, I wanted to make things better for everyone."

It was only saying it aloud that Cassandra considered what similar things Connor had said. She became acutely aware that even if it had only been a day, she missed him already.

"Why the church stuff then?" Damian followed Cassandra as she buttered the toast and took it into Wayne Manor's massive dining room and sat herself at the head of a huge mahogany table. "Sounds like everything except your wardrobe has been exactly the same."

"You may not understand," Cassandra said. "Do you believe in God?"

"Never saw a reason to," Damian said. "Never came up back in the League. Mother only ever called religion a means of manipulating people. I know my grandfather had a few servants outside the League who worshipped him or saw him as some kind of savior, but they were always viewed as fools under his foot. What do you get out of it?"

Cassandra shrugged. "Don't always know… Used to think life was dark, that we were fighting the way things are. With God, I believe life is light, and we are protection."

"Do you really think there's such a big difference?"

"I don't know. But I like it better. Other reasons too, but that is important to me." The two sat in silence for a minute while Cassandra finished her toast. "What do you want when this is over?"

"What do you mean, over?"

Cassandra clutched one of her shoulders. "When we don't have to fight anymore."

"I don't think that day is ever going to come," Damian said. "Not the war my father fights. The League of Assassins have been around for centuries, common criminals are never going away for good. It'll never be over because we won, it'll be over because we quit."

Cassandra leaned into an open hand and rubbed her forehead. "Do you think that will happen?"

"I could do this forever," Damian said. "I give the college kids another year or two, tops. They're not made for this line of work."

"They're stronger than you know," Cassandra said.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Some days I just want to leave."

Damian frowned. "Why? You're so strong and so good at this even my father doesn't want to think about trying to fight you. He's said it himself."

"If I could help the sick, like Stephanie's mother, I would. If I could study and lend support like Barbara, I would. I only know how to fight and pray to help people, so I do."

"Nothing wrong with playing to your strengths," Damian said. "If it helps you get your head around it, there's saving people too. Hostages and targets and stuff like that."

Cassandra gave a halfhearted nod.

"Either way, there's always a lot of work to be done." Damian pushed up from his seat. "I'm going to get some cardio in."

Cassandra's nod served as a farewell and she leaned her head deeper into one of her hands. Their talk and the nature of their work had brought Connor back to the forefront of her mind. What would he have said to her?

Connor hadn't been clear if he actually believed in God or not, only that he didn't think it was a very important question. All that was actually important was the choices that were made and to keep other people from suffering.

Cassandra rubbed her forehead as she considered what that really meant. If she hadn't told Sadie to stop, only one of them would be suffering instead of both of them. Or would she really be suffering at all? Did she tell Sadie to stop because she wanted her to, or was it out of some misplaced obligation?

If it didn't matter to her that she was violating one of God's laws, why should it matter so much that she was violating another?

Even then, that was Connor's perspective, not hers. Cassandra had beliefs, Sadie knew about them. If she had given into sin and let Sadie do likewise, they would be suffering worse, she knew it. God's way wasn't always the easy way, she knew that.

Damian interrupted her reflections. "Hey, Brown just texted me, said you weren't answering your phone. She wants to know if you're coming to her, 'Reaping the Reapers' party tomorrow night or something. I assume you know what that means?"

Cassandra figured it must be Stephanie's gloat about defeating their armored foes all at once. She didn't especially want to go, she still didn't feel well, but didn't want them to know how she was feeling. "Where?"

"She just said to be at her and Drake's bunker by eleven. Fireworks go off at twelve, whatever that means."

Cassandra nodded and Damian departed again. At least she had another distraction to look forward to.