Suffering Builds Character

Sido and Barsad were heading back toward the door of the warehouse, after having yet another target practice, making small talk. Sido was in the middle of a sentence when a loud screech from the other side of the building rang out. She knew the sound all too well, having been witness to many men who found entertainment in hurting a living creature. She couldn't give two shits about another person being hurt, but to deliberately injure an innocent animal was something that never sat well with her. She stopped dead in her tracks at the screech and immediately turned on her heel, but Barsad grabbed her upper arm before she could get far.
"Sido, you're going to get yourself hurt trying to help. Just let it be," he warned. She shot a hard glare at him.
"I ignored this shit too many times to let it be, Barsad. I'd rather get hurt than let an innocent animal be tortured," she snapped before wrenching her arm out of his grip and running off toward the other side of the building.
She found a small group of men surrounding an animal. She could see it was a cat, and another man was standing directly over it. Without an ounce of hesitance, she sprinted at the men, slamming between two of them and throwing herself onto the back of the man in the middle with all the power she could muster. The man lost his balance and fell with her on top of him, and she immediately had him in some kind of sloppy but efficient choke hold, arm squeezing tightly as her legs were locked around his waist for added hold. Her adrenaline was rushing, and she was hardly even phased by the elbow being jabbed desperately into her side. The man managed to struggle out of her grip to attempt to pin her, but from her position on the ground, she managed to kick his legs out from underneath him before he could really regain his balance. She was straddling his chest in an instant, his arms pinned beneath her knees, and with one hard punch, she heard the satisfying crunch of his nose.
He didn't move once she got off of him, only laid on the ground in pain with blood running out of his now crooked nose. None of the other men had attempted to help their friend. Looking up, she found out why. Barsad was there in their place, and it seemed he had sent them off. He was standing there looking at her, a hint of shock in his sleepy eyes. She ignored the look on his face and immediately set out on her search for the cat they were attacking. She found it behind the old air conditioning unit they were standing by, courageously guarding a litter of kittens despite her obviously broken leg. Upon seeing Sido, the cat started stiffening and a warning growl was rising from the creature. Sido sat still for a long moment, before taking off her jacket slowly, keeping her eyes on the cat.
Sido had to move quickly. The cat still had the potential to move exceptionally fast, especially when she had babies to protect. Barsad watched as half of Sidonie's body suddenly dove behind the unit. There was a short struggle before she pulled the cat out, braving the scratches and bites, before bundling the cat in the jacket to make it immobile.
"Barsad, get her kittens," Sido said. Barsad obeyed without hesitance, and took his own coat off to collect the kittens in.
"What are we doing?" he asked, standing up.
"I can't just leave them here with people like that. They need to go to a shelter, somewhere safer than here. It's too dangerous and too cold for them to stay," she said.
"That's not my call to make, Sido," Barsad said. She huffed a sigh and suddenly started making a beeline for Bane's office, Barsad following, still shocked and slightly confused. With her hands full, she settled for kicking the door lightly. Bane opened the door a moment later, and was taken aback by the girl and her scratched arms, dirt covered clothes, and the angry look in her eyes. He glanced up at Barsad, catching the shock and confusion on his face before looking back at Sido.
"Bane, these cat's need to go to a shelter. Let me take them. Barsad can drive if you don't trust me. They just can't stay here," Sido said before Bane had a chance to speak. He was quiet for a moment.
Bane gave them the go ahead, and Barsad helped her get the cat's into a car and they drove to the nearest shelter. Sido handled everything, feeding the shelter worker a white lie about the real situation, and the pair were back on the road to the warehouse.

Once they returned to the warehouse, Sido went to go wash the scratches on her arms. She turned around when she was finished and a small gasp escaped her lips. Bane was standing there, watching her with an unfathomable glint in his eyes. How he got there so suddenly and so quietly was beyond her. Suddenly, she felt her stomach drop. Standing there, feeling small under Bane's intent gaze, she remembered the damage she had done to the soldier.
"Barsad told me about your attack on Yuri," he said. "In great detail, as well. You were willing to put yourself in harms way to protect that creature, with no thought for yourself?" Sido gave a nod, relaxing once she realized she wasn't in trouble. "You could have gotten hurt, had Barsad not been there," he said, voice lower. Sidonie could have sworn it was a tone of concern.
"That animal didn't deserve to be treated that way," she said, looking him dead in the eyes, almost challenging.
"You care for animals."
"Animals are the only creatures that live truly innocent lives. You can't take away an animal's innocence like you can take away a human's, you can only train it to be afraid. I care for animal's very much, and I will do what I can to protect one's innocence," she explained. Bane watched her for a very long moment. His eyes gave nothing away, and his steady stare was beginning to make Sido feel a little uneasy. She could feel the first little tugs that would lead to her shrinking self consciously into herself, when Bane finally straightened up.
"Your technique is sloppy, according to Barsad. I'm sure it served you well in your time spent on the streets, but it could use work," he said. She furrowed her brow in confusion.
"What are you saying?"
"If you wish, I will train you to become a better fighter. You will get angry, at yourself and at me. I will push you to your limits, both mentally and physically. It won't be easy, but if you are willing, I can make you more dangerous than any of my men," Bane said. She rose a brow and gave him a quick once over.
"You would destroy me," she said, her tone almost amused.
"I won't use any more force than you can handle, rest assured," he said, the same tone reaching his voice. Sido thought for a moment. Training with Bane seemed impossible. She had no idea what to expect from his fighting style, or how on Earth she could ever be an actual threat. It seemed ridiculous.
"When do we start?" she asked, her decision made.
"This evening. I will come get you. Until then, I need you to teach the layout of Gotham to Thatcher's unit. They're being sent to monitor the city, and I can't have them running blindly. If they have any questions before they are sent out, they will go to you," Bane said, stepping aside to let her pass. So she found Thatcher, and he and his men were already waiting for her, a map spread out on the table in front of them. She pulled up a chair and sat down, grabbing a pen and immediately diving into explaining. She told them what each part of the city was like, the best ways to get into the tunnels without the chance of being seen. As she talked, she made notes and markings, and all kinds of directions on the map of the city.

"I'm going to have you do a few excersises before we begin," Bane said as he pushed his desk off to the side of the office to make room. "I need to know what I'm working with in order to train you properly."
He already knew a few of her strengths. She was a fairly quiet individual by nature, and Bane had seen her unintentionally sneak up on Barsad on more than one occasion. With practice, stealth would be one of her biggest allies. Her reflexes were quick, and coupled with her ability to pick apart situations quickly would serve her well in combat.
When he had her doing stretches, he found her to be rather flexible. That and her small stature would aid her in getting out of tough situations if she found herself trapped. She had the potential to be a very good fighter, all she needed was practice.
"Alright, stand up. It's time to begin," Bane said, crouching ever so slightly into a fight stance. "Show me what you can do."
Sido lost count of how many times she'd been sent to the ground by the end of the sparring session. She had been pushed, tripped, pulled... Her ass was definitely going to be bruised in the the morning. She was breathing heavily, and she could feel the sheen of sweat against her skin, and Bane hadn't even broken a sweat in that hour. She pulled herself up off her back and crossed her legs, staring up at the hulking man.
"There is no way you and I are ever going to have a fair fight," she panted, letting him pull her up. His eyes crinkled at the corners very lightly, the blue green hues lighting up in what could only be described as amusement. It was almost more unnerving than his usually hard expression.
"You did well, Sidonie. You will only get better. You may surprise yourself someday," he said.
"I'm not going to get better at anything with you as a teacher. I didn't get a single hit in," she muttered.
"What use would it be if I were to simply let you hit me? An enemy is definitely not going to give you that chance," he said. She simply gave him an irritated look. "You should get some rest, Sidonie. You will need the energy," he said, walking over toward the door.
"I'm going to need more than just energy to train with you. I need a miracle," she said, stepping outside. "Goodnight, Bane."
He watched her as she walked back toward the warehouse. She wasn't afraid of him like his men were. She wasn't afraid to snap at him if she felt she had a reason to, or give him that challenging little look she would sport if he questioned her. She was extremely reserved around him, of course, but she wasn't afraid to show any irritation or anger. If he was honest with himself, she was a baffling creature. He wasn't used to being treated that way. He was used to being a monster, he was used to seeing fear in people's eyes. Fear of him. He wasn't used to being glared at, or snapped at, or challenged. The few times she had done any of those, he had the fleeting thought of putting her in her place, letting Sidonie know that he was a man to fear, not to challenge, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when he saw such a familiar fire about her. Sidonie Domitrovich was destined for something great, even if she didn't know it yet.