Azrael and Batgirl discover the meaning of Christmas

[skemono]

Per request.


Azrael and Batgirl get a note to go to Oracle for a mission. As they wander through the snow, Jean-Paul Valley starts babbling at Batgirl. He says that they have a lot in common, such as both of them being raised by their fathers to be assassins. Then he asks her to take her mask off.



Good to know that even after the city's completely fallen apart, disowned by the government and quarantined with nobody allowed in or out, there's still plenty of lipstick to be had. (Why is she even wearing it under her mask? Heck, would Cassandra wear lipstick at all at this point?)

Anyway, they get to Oracle, who gives them their mission to find babies that the Joker has kidnapped. But we have more important things than an urgent mission to rescue some infants from a homicidal madman! Namely, gifts:




I kinda love Azrael's reaction to the gifts in the second panel there. He looks not just confused, but almost terrified. But maybe that's just because he lives in a world with the Joker. "A box wrapped in colorful paper? Oh god, this will kill me in so many ways--wait, no, it's just Oracle... calm down...."

(Of course, I have no idea why he doesn't know anything about Christmas... he went to college and lived a regular life apart from his father for years. How could he not have learned about Christmas in that time? Maybe the War on Christmas was finally won?)

So they leave, and with all the urgency that Oracle had impressed upon them, stop to play music and dance:




Oracle had suggested they start with the area of town that Luthor is building up. There they stumble upon a Christmas tree laden with explosive ornaments, because the Joker has the superpower of everyone around him letting him do whatever he feels like, especially rigging their stuff with explosives. The tree explodes, and Azrael jumps in to protect Batgirl and Mercy Graves.

Later:


And as a bonus, here's what Jean-Paul got to do as a child instead of Christmas:


So that's the meaning of Christmas! Not rescuing babies from the Joker and not eating live frogs.


From Azrael 61; seven pages of 22.

Comments

[crinos]

Okay, I'm just going to say it. Cass dancing is the most surreal thing I have ever seen.

[icon_uk]

Indeed, I could see her performing training kata routines to music because that's the closest thing she would know to dancing, but spontaneous ballet seems odd.

[freezer]

Maybe it was her version of interpretive dance? She theoretically knew what dancing was and wanted to give it a shot?

[his_spiffynesss]

Who knows? . Was this during her mute and only speaks violence phase? If it's Christmas time in Gotham, maybe she saw the Nutcracker, it would be curious what she might have made of that during that period of her life.

[skemono]

Was this during her mute and only speaks violence phase?

Yeah, this was part of No Man's Land, when Cass was introduced. She couldn't talk yet. One of the parts I find charming is that Azrael seems to have no problem understanding her anyway.

[biod]

I have a great image of Cass joining a ballet class and systematically taking down all the other dancers by accident.

[leikomgwtfbbq]

Hooray! Christmas cuteness!

[mrosa]

Very good, very good!

[beoweasel]

And then they made Cass evil.

[skemono]

That's what happens when you don't get Christmas gifts as a child.

[janegray]

This is adorable!

[lonewolf23k]

Actually, when you consider toad-licking, St Dumas eating a frog being what inspired him to become a Saint turns into Fridge Brilliance.

[donnblake]

So Azrael is an alternate personality? Is it Azrael or Jean-Paul being adorably awkward with Batgirl?

[skemono]

Jean-Paul at the moment. Azrael only comes out when he's got his full costume on (hence why he's not wearing the mask in these scenes).

[donnblake]

He's kind of adorable. I previously only knew him from the audio-play version of Knightfall.

[chieflewal]

I also didn't exactly understand the reasoning behind Christmas gifts. Thank you, Barbara Gordon.