(Collab post between me and Green Grenade.)

Jin raised her eyebrows, and lifted her goggles to her forehead. "Uh... sure." She pushed off the wall to deposit her tool back in the box, then detached herself from the apparatus at her waist that was holding her up. She dropped back to the ground feet first, landing in a neat, athletic tumble that ended with her back on her feet. "Come on." Striding ahead of him, she led him off into one of their HQ's many hallways. She'd discovered a blind spot in the cameras a few days back, and hadn't let anyone know. Leaning with her back on the metal wall, she grinned at her best, possibly only friend. "What's up?"

"I noticed that, um, during the one-sided fight against Icicle, you'd have a panic attack every time a cold blast of wind occured. You're afraid of the cold, aren't you?" asked Gabe, rather bluntly, wanting to get to the point as quickly as possible. He watched as Jin's grin quickly turned into a frown. 

Jin raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. The reflexive frown was quickly replaced by an almost lazy smirk. Her dark eyes bore into his, as if daring him to counter her. "You think I'm afraid of a little frozen water? Please..." Most people had nervous tells, or tics when they lied. Jin's tell was a lack of such- she relaxed into lies, almost seemed to enjoy them, to challenge people to not believe her. It worked for the most part- but the few people who knew her well had probably seen that pattern.

Gabe's straight face changed into a weary one- lies would get them nowhere in this conversation. He may have believed Jin if this was happening a year before, when Gabe had only just arrived at the Batcave, but he knew better now. He knew when Jin was lying.
"To be frank, Jin, I think you're scared of ice. And not just that, the cold in general. Come on, Jin- don't lie to me. You need to open up," he said, hoping that that was enough to make her tell him the truth.

If it had been anyone else, Jin would have kept on lying until she was blue in the face. She didn't want admit her fear, seem weak in the eyes of others. Even if it was Batman himself, she wouldn't have told him. Gabe was different, though. They'd trained together, fought together, had each other's backs for a year. She trusted him more than anyone on the planet- including her mentor. Her steady gaze wavered, then dropped. "It's not all cold. I mean, I can handle AC and all that and be fine. It's more like... anything that feels like winter." She pursed her lips, as if trying to hold something back. "It's like my brain is back on the street."

Gabe understood. When he was on the streets, it was horrible- especially in winter. The snow would fall, the wind would tear through anyone who didn't have enough layers of clothing, and the air would feel like knives stabbing his throat and lungs. He'd spend days looking for a warm shelter, one warm enough to keep him from freezing in the harsh environment that was the streets. And then he discovered his powers. Powers that let him generate heat at will, that let him expel the cold. But Jin didn't have those powers. And Gabe felt his sympathy surge towards her. "You know- Batman once gave me some advice- advice that I hold on too every day. He told me that fear... it's a choice. An illusion. An illusion that, for some reason, humans choose to hold on too. And that if we choose to overcome our fears- not only have we overcome them, but we've harnessed them. And, I think, that that makes us brave. That makes us the bravest of all. Don't you?"

Jin had heard that saying before from Batman. She hadn't quite understood it, though. "...I- I don't know if I can overcome it. I've woken up next to people who've frozen in the night. Th- The cold took them." She was starting to shiver. "Winter kills, Gabe. Nothing I overcome will change that. H-how am I supposed to overcome nature?" Now she was fighting it. Her eyes were going slightly vague. "I can't win."

It was then that Gabe embraced her in his arms. It was the only thing he could think of doing. The only thing he thought would comfort her. "Don't you [i]ever[/i] tell me you can't do something. Ever. That's not the Jin I know. If there's anything I know you can do, it's overcome things. Just think of all the situations you got us out of back in Gotham. Overcoming is in your blood, Jin. And if you don't think you can overcome your fear- then let me help you. If not me, then [i]someone[/i]. Because in the end- in the end, it's not the winter that'll kill you. It's your fear of it."

Jin froze up in response to the sudden contact. Even after a year and a half off the streets, she wasn't used to that kind of thing. But Gabe's warmth tugged her free of her memories, and she relaxed, slowly. She rested silently against his solid frame for a moment, before looking up and smiling faintly. "Well, I did take down all those gunners with one shot... I suppose a little bit of winter is a walk in the park after that." Her gaze darted around, as if making sure the hallway was still empty. Once she was clear, she clutched Gabe in a tight hug. "Thank you. I... I needed that. All of it." Her cheeks were red as she pulled away. "A-ah.." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I-I've gotta get back to the upgrades. Bye Gabe." Jin rushed from the hall before she could embarrass herself more.