Stephanie Brown sourit endormiment à Kate Kane.
Et puis elle a perdu la tête. Elle ne s'est pas levée de la chaise. Elle n'est pas montée, ni debout; non, Stephanie Brown est sortie de la chaise si vite et avec une telle force qu'elle n'en a fait que sauter. Stephanie ne s'était jamais vraiment considérée comme une personne violente, du moins pas avant de voir seulement quelques-unes des injustices qui se sont produites à Gotham City sur une base nocturne. Il n'y a que tant de fois un nouveau justicier comme le Spoiler pourrait se faufiler dans l'obscurité, et écouter une femme se faire violer par des hommes moyens, avant de dire que le nouveau justicier voulait seulement apprendre à blesser ces hommes méchants sans se faire tuer.
Bruce avait commencé son entraînement, mais il envoya rapidement Stephanie en mer pour le genre d'entraînement que Batman ne pouvait tout simplement pas fournir. C'est O-Sensei qui l'a entraînée mentalement, même métaphysiquement. Puis c'était Richard Dragon, puis Lady Shiva. Au moment où Stephanie Brown était revenue à Gotham City, ses capacités de combat s'étaient évanouies jusqu'à ce qu'elles aient été que personne ne semblait savoir à quel point un combattant la nouvelle Batgirl était vraiment capable.
De rapidité et de vitesse, Damian Wayne avait rencontré son match; avant que le garçon ne puisse clignoter un autre clin d'œil boueux, la main droite de Stephanie Brown avait pris le garçon blessé par la gorge - et serré. La voix qui est venue était sombre, lourde et chaude, son ton peu plus que le feu et le sang, se taisant au lieu de plus fort. Le signe d'une vraie rage dans la famille Brown.
"Vous avez failli nous tuer tous les deux." Quand Damian a essayé de briser la cale, il a découvert la serrure de fer de la poignée. Ses jambes lui ont donné des coups de pied, mais son petit corps blessé n'a rien à voir avec elle. Qu'il était incapable de respirer, elle ne semblait même pas remarquer. "Si jamais tu t'approches de le refaire, je te poserai et je te retirerai ton manteau moi-même. Pour l'instant, ferme la bouche... j'en ai assez de t'entendre parler."
La poignée s'est cassée, et Stephanie Brown s'est détournée de Damian, regardant Kate comme si elle l'avait vue pour la première fois. C'est seulement quand Steph a vu le visage de Kate... qu'elle semblait réaliser ce qu'elle avait fait. « Oui », a-t-elle commencé, son ton aussi inanimé et fatigué qu'il l'était lorsqu'elle venait de se réveiller -- avant que Damian n'adopte sa rage. "C'était une mauvaise nuit."
Ce qu'avait Stephanie en remerciant silencieusement Dieu, c'était quand elle sortit de la pièce, Kate suivit. Il s'agissait d'une salle blindée à laquelle Steph était allé, du regard de lui; une seule ampoule blanche accrochée au toit en béton sale, tous les murs et même le sol du même type et l'ombre de vieux béton. Les murs étaient revêtus de casiers métalliques. Le moment où Steph est arrivée au premier casier, elle a commencé à déverrouiller le Batsuit dans lequel elle avait dormi, et l'a enlevé.
Ce n'est que lorsqu'elle était en tee-shirt et en short que Stephanie acceptait la tasse de café initialement destinée à elle, et qu'elle la gorgait en prenant place sur le seul banc en bois de la pièce. Quand ses grands yeux, brillants, regardaient Kate... ils n'étaient remplis que d'angoisse. Douleur. "Je suis désolé. Je ne l'ai jamais frappé avant. Il me parle comme ça... très bien, peu importe. C'est pas cher de parler. Mais vous parlez comme ça? En plus de la nuit dernière?... je suppose que je l'ai perdu."
Encore une fois, sa voix semblait une coquille de lui-même normal, ses yeux se brisant de Kate et descendant au sol avant que sa tête secoue, et Steph sirota encore une fois le café. "Merci, Kate. Il y a des fois où je n'ai pas l'impression de mériter votre amitié, comme je vous ai traîné plus profondément dans ce trou à chauves-souris..." Aussi triste qu'elle ait pu sonner, rien n'empêcherait Batgirl de la blague suivante: "Vous savez, mais ne laissez jamais cela vous empêcher de m'apporter du café...la fille pourrait s'habituer à ça."
Malgré toute émotion dans son corps, les lèvres roses de Stephanie se sont glissées dans le plus petit des sourires.
!( "Steph")
_**“And it was only then that young Stephanie truly realized...gravity would forever be her enemy."**_
**Name:**
Stephanie Brown
**Alias:**
Batgirl, formerly Spoiler, formerly Robin
**Age:**
19
**Occupation:**
College student.
**Skills & Abilities**
- Trained by Batman, Richard Dragon, and O-Sensei in martial arts and the ninja arts.
- Trained by Zatanna Zatara in escape and sleight of hand.
- Possibly the best driver in the Batcave.
- Knows the Gotham Underworld from her father.
- Can fake her death like NO ONE'S business.
**Equipment**
- Whatever she 'steals' from the Cave.
- Batgirl suit.
**Personality & History:**
Stephanie Brown started life as just another smart-assed Gotham City girl, born in the lower middle class scrum of inner Gotham City living to Arthur and Crystal Brown. For the majority of her young life, Arthur Brown was more an absentee father than proper parent. Arthur was no dead beat dad, no alcoholic, or womanizer--he was a masked villain that went by the alias of Cluemaster. Though the Cluemaster was able to confound the Gotham City Police Department, there would be no out foxing Gotham's new Dark Knight.
Thanks to Batman, Stephanie's father would spend the vast majority of her childhood behind bars for one crime, or another. Interestingly enough, Stephanie never blamed Batman for this--she blamed her idiot father. Despite this, Steph and her mother had a decent life, all things considered. Her mother worked as a nurse and took enough shifts to take care of their needs, and to take care that Steph barely saw her, too. This lifestyle would turn Steph into an incredibly independent young woman, learning she could never depend on anyone but herself.
Later in her adolesence Arthur Brown would finally return home, and declare himself a reformed man. Happy to hear it and hoping it was a new leaf for her father, but refusing to trust him, Stephanie began stalking her father due to her suspicions. It wasn't long before her father disappointed his little girl yet again, this time for the last time. This time it wasn't the Batman who put an end to Cluemaster's newest crime spree...it was a purple clad, never born seen, vigilante that simply called herself 'the Spoiler.'
Though unsanctioned by the Bat or his Cavelings, Steph found quitting the vigilante game much more difficult than she expected. It wasn't long before she was brushing capes with the likes of Robin and Nightwing. After a friendship and partnership developed with Tim Drake, then Robin, even Batman himself was forced to contend with the fearless daughter of Arthur Brown--a daughter that had inherited Arthur's intellect. In short time even Batman would have to admit her talents, leading to multiple stints for Stephanie as Robin, and multiple 'firings', before the big man finally trusted Steph enough to bring her on full time, not as Spoiler or Robin, but the new Batgirl.
A mantle Stephanie is determined to put her unique 'stamp' on...
**Impressions**
_Batman:_ You gotta feel for this guy, right? Talk about a bad hand of cards dealt to you at the start of the game. Bruce is getting better, I think; starting to realize there's either a life AFTER Batman, or there simply will never be life AFTER Batman, and that choice is entirely his...
_Catwoman:_ My bad girl icon. It's actually a little sad to think that the Catwoman I grew up watching from a distance is likely gone from Gotham City for good. Good for private art collections all over the city, bad for having cool anti-heroes in the shadows of Gotham City nights.
_Grayson:_ The boy scout with a bad side. I'm always a little worried his true focus left Gotham City ages ago, instead worrying after star-crossed Titans, and being a reservist for the Justice League. But considering I may know Dick the least out of all the Bat-fam, best to wait and see what comes of this one.
_Barbara:_ My living, breathing, Warning Sign. Wonder what happens to the Robins and Batgirls that get taken out? Look no further than Babs; both for what happens, and how to turn getting taken out into anything but the END of your story. Sure as hell not the end of Bab's story, as she continues to re-write what's possible seemingly using nothing but the power of her own human will. You go, girl. And, hey, she gave me her blessing for Batgirl.
_Jason Todd:_ Sometimes I think Jason's around the Cave JUST IN CASE anyone here forgets how to brood. Because, you know, can't be having Batcaves without brooding. It just would not do, as Alfred was so fond of saying. So that's my suspicion why Todd's still hanging around. It's either that, or not even death gets you out of the Batcave rollcall. Needless to say, I don't trust him.
_Tim:_ The gorgeous guy with the super-fine mind and the athleticism, not to mention body, of an NFL All-Star. Not a bad ex-boyfriend, even if I say so myself--which I TOTALLY do! Tim's still the same sweet soul I remembered before I shocked everyone by suddenly appearing as if by magic, and taking on the Batgirl mantle. To say this confused Tim is something of an understatement, I'm afraid. He knows I dig the superhero game. He knows I'm probably in it for the rest of my life. Let's just hope 'the rest of my life' at least lets me reach my 30s.
_Kate Kane:_ Oh, just an uber-wealthy red haired hottie that's decided I'm her college campus pal. And here I thought the Cave was where all the weird shit in my life would go down. Whatever Kane's reasons, I'm actually glad to be her campus pal; she's fun, likes talking as much as I do, and is utterly fearless. Sometimes I think there's more to her than meet's the eye...although judging by Kate's many campus admirers, what does meet the eye on Kate Kane might just keep her plenty busy.
_Damian:_ Talk about rough starts to life. I'm not sure which is worse; having the Cluemaster as your father, or having the Batman as your father. At least the Cluemaster would eventually give it up. The Batman? May only 'give it up' if he dies. That's the cold, harsh, black and white reality in which this kid exists. And in a competition between mothers, I'm well aware my mom is a huge win over Damian's crazy-fuck mom. Believe it or not, I think women kinda freak him out, especially strong women who AREN'T crazy-fuck and evil. It's like the poor kid's brain just can't compute such a thing.
Oh well. I'm nice to him when he lets me be.
**Story Arc:**
_The New Bird._
As the newest addition to the Bat family, Stephanie is still trying to find her place, feeling as if she has to 'justify' the decision to hand her the 'Batgirl' mantle. For the first time in her life, Steph wants to see this through to the end--and having already 'died' as Robin once, she knows exactly what 'the end' means for members of the Bat family. Something of a mixture of all past Robins and Batgirls; with a smarter mouth than all past members combined...lucky Bruce. Despite her reputation, the new Batgirl has proven herself equal parts resourceful, cunning, and too violent to be ignored.
Whether she likes it or not, Gotham's goons, and their villain bosses, have begun to talk about the new bird in the Gotham night sky. It's only a matter of time until Batgirl is tested to her core by the likes of the Joker, or Two-Face. Whether Batman thinks she's ready for that, or not.
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