Just make sure to lean into turns. [The instinct to lean out of turns is usually what gets people unfamiliar with bikes, so Steph just wants to make sure.

She hops on the bike, but pauses at Kate's question, her grip tightening momentarily on the handle.

Smooth, Brown.

She mentally kicks herself for not being better at keeping a hold on her emotions; it's not like it's Kate's fault, or even her dad's fault, despite the apparently shitty attitude he has. She's just always had an instant, visceral defensive reaction to anything that even comes across like classism. For all she knows, she could just be misinterpreting wrong. At the very least she owes an explanation.]

It's not you. I just-- [she breathes in, counts to five, breathes out] Your dad might think it's a waste of time, but I probably wouldn't have made it to high school without soup kitchens.

[because dumpster diving wasn't always a successful venture, and while school lunches kept her fed, during the summers when her dad was in prison and her mom was spending their tiny income on pills, having access to a free meal was a lifesaver.

A lot of them had been Martha Wayne centres. It had been weird finding out they were essentially funded by Batman.]