(2014-02-28) Sunny Skies and Sharing
Sunny Skies and Sharing
Summary: Power Woman and Moon Maiden get together for a bit more of a getting-to-know-you gathering.
Date: 2014-02-28
Related: Wherefore Art Thou, Weather Wizard?
NPCs: None
Scene Runner: NA
Social/Plot: Social
Players:
power-woman..moon-maiden..

It has been a few days since their encounter above the stormy skies of Seattle, but a message has come through one of Moon Maiden's web portals, forwarded to her by her father.

"Sunny skies today. Meet me where we met before. Moonrise, local. — Kara"

The promised code is attached, assuring - as best as can be hoped - that this is a legit message from Power Woman.

At the appointed minute - 6:11 PM, local time - the red white and blue streak that is Power Woman appears, zipping in from the North-northeast and coming to a halt, hovering just above the dockside intersection where they first encountered onea nother on that rainy night. And she hovers, waiting.

Tonight, punctuality doesn't seem to be the Moon Maiden's strong point. It is not until 6:14 PM that she arrives as a blazing white light from the sky. At first, she might be confused for a shooting star. To someone with telescopic vision, however, it might be clear that the falling star is, in fact, Laurel, re-entering Earth orbit and then rushing down to the Seattle skyline.

There's no heat radiating off of her, however, as she comes to a stop mere feet away from Karen. No sign that she's suffered at all from her trip from orbit. "Sorry I'm late." Laurel says, "I stopped to deflect a meteor chunk. It was on course to slam into Rio so I made sure it hit an unpopulated area where some meteor hunters can pick it up for a museum."

Kara smiles and nods to Laurel, watching as she 'falls' into place, apparently not in /such/ a huge hurry that she dashes off when the person she's here to meet isn't already waiting for her. She's not /that/ self-important and full of herself, thanks. "Not a problem. Glad someone else was looking out. I missed the alert on that one." Yes, Power Woman does orbital watches. Truth be known, she does it as much for the view as she does any chance of catching something that needs to be diverted. But she does them nonetheless.

"I wanted to get in touch, because I have managed to get some help, and put together a program that will crunch the weather patterns across the world, and look for anomalies that would seem to fit the pattern of Weather Wizard's work. The program has been set up to send a message to me, and to you through that website. It'll be tagged as coming from me, which I thought was best." That way Laurel's dad can tell it's legit traffic, not some pain in the rump spammer. People will spam /anything/. Or anyone.

"Dad worked for NASA." Laurel says, without mentioning that her dad was the last man to visit the moon on NASA's dime. "So, when they get wind of a potential problem they send the message along to him and he gets me a message." She listens to the explanation of the program being sent up. "That sounds very helpful. Like I said, I've already checked out the strange patterns over Westchester County. That's one of the good guys. But we need to find him. He's an idiot but he's one of the most potentially disruptive idiots on the planet. If he puts the wrong storm in the wrong place at the wrong time… you've heard of the butterfly effect."

Kara nods. "I have, and I agree. Now, thanks to some thought, some talented programming, and a few Beowulf Clusters, we have a Weather Wizard detection system." The blonde glances up at the stars, and smiles at Laurel. "I love the view from up there." She's thinking, of course, of getting Laurel's dad to join the Platform, so that alerts like those would be come part of all of the data she sifts through to find those in need of help every day. Just in case. But baby steps will do.

"Oh, it is wonderful." Laurel sighs. "You know the old cliche. When you're in space there are no borders, no divisions. Just land and water and clouds. And there's nothing like watching the Earth rise over the horizon of the Moon. Oh, I do love that." She smiles in pure delight. "We're both aliens, you know. Though I was created a little closer to Earth than you."

Kara grins, clearly appreciating Laurel's wax poetic. "I heard that." she offers, acknowledging Laurel's 'alien' status. Of course, she was born on another planet, but she was born of humans. Not so much, with Kara. But the thought still counts, definitely. "And you were raised here on Earth, just as a human, the same as me. I'm guessing your parents didn't hide your origins from you, either?" So both grew up keeping it secret, but knowing the truth. More bonding. "You get to visit your birthplace, though. The best I can do with that is virtual reality systems. And with my senses, they can never quite match up. I always know it's not real."

Laurel shakes her head. "The interviews aren't quite right there. My parents never hid that I was adopted but they didn't tell me the truth about where I came from until I woke up in my room, floating above my bed with everything flying around me. Then dad told me." In her interviews she's never said who her parents are or how she got to Earth - she protects their privacy - but she has said she's from the Moon, created by an ancient order of Roman alchemists. "You know, the first question most people ask me is if I have a belly button."

Kara laughs softly at that, and shakes her head. "Well, I won't ask you that. Promise." That could be because her X-Ray vision means she can already tell. Or it could mean that she's pretty well aware that a girl created by humans on a template of humanity would still require some means of gestation, even if artificial, and would biologically link to that with a placenta. Or it could just mean she's not going to ask. "My parents had to tell me. Otherwise, I'd have gone to school expecting other girls to be able to pick up tables and toss them around, or left cars that were in the way." She grins a little. "Best part, though, was when I started high school, and flying went from occassional and accidental to purposeful and any time I wanted. /That/ was awesome."

"Oh, I looooove flying." Laurel spreads out her arms and spins, slowly, in place. "I love it. The best thing about having powers. It isn't lifting tons of material or even saving people's lives. Though I love that, too. I do. But flying. Just being able to soar and woosh through the air…" She sighs. "Though I think a lot of people would be surprised by how noisy it is. Like being in a car going full tilt on the Autoban without the shell of the car to protect you from the wind."

Kara grins, doing a twirl of her own in counterpoint to Laurel's. "You're right, of course. Thankfully, my super-hearing can still hear things beyond the noise. I have found that at even moderate speeds, the microphones they advertise as 'noise canelling' can't keep up; I usually have to stop in order to talk to someone via any kind of phone or headset." Which means, of course, that she has tried to do so. She doesn't /just/ go flying to embrace freedom, though she clearly does that too. "I will admit, the other /really/ cool power, personally, is heat vision. Pin-point accurate laser heat. It's a real personal-grooming bonus. And can be great for awesome practical jokes."

Laurel can't help but giggle. "That's another question I get way too often. From people who really should know better. Do alchemically created girls from the moon have to wax?" She rolls her eyes. "I'm guessing you break razor blades and scissors, though. I mean, it would be strange if your hair wasn't as tough as the rest of you."

Kara nods. "Yep. Which is why I was /so/ glad when I figured that out. High school was tough, once I got so tough I couldn't shave normally. We had a means to weaken me enough to make it work, but it makes me sick in a hurry. And I can't move super-fast when I'm working through that, so … yeah. Heat vision was a real blessing." She grins. "It helped that I still had teenager hormones, though." She doesn't explain why. But the sparkle in her eyes says it's something she finds amusing. "I do always love the inappropriate questions. The one I get the most: are those real? As if someone who is resolutely bulletproof could go under the knife for breast enlargement. Seriously?"

"I get 'why does your armor curve over your chest like that. Real armor wouldn't'. Which would be true of conventional armor but this isn't. It isn't much thicker than paper and stronger than steel. So, it can conform to my body shape a little better." Laurel says with a snort. "Okay. I'm curious. I don't show any signs of being anything other than human, which makes sense because I am. Obviously your anatomy is human enough to fool most doctors who don't look closely. Heart beat in the right place. Things like that. But how did your parents slip things like immunizations past the school records? The weakness you talked about?"

Kara smirks at Laurel's comments about her armor, and nods. She had noticed how thin the armor was, but wasn't going to ask beyond that. "Well, I wasn't completely bulletproof when I was younger. I was never entirely normal, but my powers got a lot stronger, and a lot more constant and stable, as I got older." She knows nothing about the Spectre's Curse, or its end, and has always assumed it was merely her own aging that did the trick. "Since immunizations happened young, it wasn't a huge problem. The harder trick was the records required to make my adoption 'legal' so that I could go to school like other kids." A challenge to say the least, and no connections with Lionel Luthor to pave the way.

Laurel nods. "My folks were lucky enough to have the government on their side. It wasn't hard for them to work up records and my dad is highly regarded enough at NASA that the government's never come to claim me, even now that I have powers. I guess I'm fortunate that way."

"A bit." Kara nods, agreeing. "Honestly, I don't quite know how you do it, going public like you did. If I didn't have my regular life, and I had to be Power Woman all the time, I'd go a bit nuts." Of course, the efforts she has to expend to keep that secret aren't minor by any stretch of the imagination.

"Well, it isn't like I went super public." Laurel points out. "I'm Laurel the Moon Maiden. I don't tell people my last name. Or who my parents are or where I live. All that information remains top secret and I don't share it with many people. Of course, yeah, I don't wear a mask and my hair is pretty distinctive. If people really wanted to know they could figure it out. But so far, no one has. Or they haven't said anything."

"Well, I hope they don't. That would suck." Kara sums it up. "To tell the truth, I never much thought of it. I just assumed you were really 'out,' living as Moon Maiden full time." An assumption many probably make, just as many assume it would be impossible for Kara Zor-El to pass without being noticed and recognized on the streets. So far, she's been fine. Good thing, too. "My bad for assuming."

"I am Moon Maiden, most of the time." Laurel admits. "But, sometimes I go home. Have dinner with my parents. Actually, my dad comes on a lot of my adventures. He doesn't have powers but he's one of the best and brightest the US military has ever put out there." Not to mention the NASA astronaut corp. "So, umm…" She pauses a moment. "I've got to ask. How do you…" She makes a twirling motion with her fingers. "Do you need someone as invulnerable as you or…"

Remember those questions that no one should really ask? Kara coughs at that, shaking her head. She eyes Moon Maiden a bit, and then shrugs. "Nah. I don't have to have someone as invulnerable as me. It can help. I have to really hold myself back, with someone who is pretty normal. Frankly, I usually have to fake an orgasm. A real one, I'd probably crush them. A custom toy could work. To be honest, I haven't bothered trying to work that out. I usually get by in other ways."

"Sorry." Laurel says, "I just ask because, well… I realize we've only met twice but I sort of get the vibe… I mean. We're both single. Which I know now. And we're both obviously… different. Having a relationship in this business can be hard so there's really no one to talk to about it. I mean, I tried once. With my mom. But I got to the part when I was like 'mom, what do you do when you're with someone and you orgasm and suddenly they're flying out the window…' well, it shut the conversation down fast."

Kara looks up, eyeing Laurel sheepishly, and then sighs and shrugs. "Sorry. Just … wasn't ready for that question." she admits. "I have to keep my eyes closed a lot, during sex. Between property damage and the chance of hurting my partner, it's just the better part of valor. But I admit, a lot of my partners get really sensitive about the fact that I won't maintain eye contact with them during sex." Kara doesn't discuss this stuff with /her/ Mom, either. Heck no! And as far as she's concerned, her father won't know she's not a virgin until it's too late. "Tell me you caught them?" she inquires of Laurel, with concern.

"First floor." Laurel says. "So, small favors. No one was really hurt." She shrugs and smiles a bit ruefully. "I learned the hard way, though. At least it was my lunarkinesis and NOT my lunacy power. I would have scared that poor person for life that way…"

Kara makes a face at that, shaking her head. "Yuck. Yeah. that would have been even more awful. Hopefully everything turned out OK enough, despite the embarrassment?" No glaringly terrible injuries from window glass or the like, or so Kara hopes. "It can be a real challenge, finding the right people, too. In the end, to drop your guard that much usually means you're dealing with someone who knows. If they don't, that makes it even harder."

"And what happens if you break up? If that person turns out to be the sort that will run to the tabloids. UGH." Even the Moon Maiden isn't entirely invulnerable to the menace that is the media. "I have nightmares about that. It must be even worse for you if you have a full secret identity."

Kara simply nods. Clearly, she agrees with everything Laurel has to say on the subject. "Suffice it to say, serious drought. I had to grow up a bit to realize that what I really wanted, I couldn't get without opening up to the other person a lot more than I was ready to do. Since then …" She doesn't bother with details. It's clear enough. Karen Starr is not quite the hot player college chick some might expect. Good thing, too, or she'd never have time to save the world.

"And, of course, there are the people who make snap judgements." Laurel rolls on. Fully on board the subject. Glad, for once, she has someone who understands to talk to. "I wear a short skirt and show off my legs. Never mind that I have on shorts underneath. I must be easy. Or want guys to hit on me." She pauses, the smiles wryly. "How many people actually talk to your face?"

Kara nods to Laurel's words, clearly agreeing with her. "I seriously considered a skirt for my costume, too. But Mom put her foot down. She said if I was going to be flying around, I should be covered up. I laughed, but I listened. Of course, she did the sewing, so I can't really argue." The blonde shrugs a little. "Honestly? Very few." It doesn't help that Kara is so tall that for some, her chest is just naturally at eye level. There's just no winning, there.

"They ARE magnificent." Laurel has to admit. Yes, her eyes do fall down to that level. She can't help it. Those suckers practically have their own pull of gravity! "Of course, they're only one part of you. They shouldn't be the only thing anyone sees…" She forces her eyes away and glances down towards the city, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Magnificent, hunh? Kara doesn't say anything, but she notices the word choice, and it rings a bell for her. Not one that bothers or upsets her, but one she notices nonetheless. Perhaps it helps that Laurel manages to look away, or that she makes a point that they shouldn't define her, or be the sole focal point of her interactions with others. "I appreciate that. For a lot of people, though, they seem to become that: the only thing those folks see." It can be a mite disturbing, or annoying. "I'm always glad to meet folks that seem able to look past that to see more about me." She smiles a little. "Can I ask you a question?" she inquires, waiting for permission.

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course." the Moon Maiden got just a touch distracted working so very hard not to focus on Power Woman's most obvious…. assets. "Of course. We're peers, after all. If we can't ask each other questions there really isn't anyone to ask questions of, is there?"

Power Woman nods. "Well, that's what I figured this was about, but I didn't want to ask unless you felt it would be alright. If you choose not to answer, that's OK." Clearly, Kara doesn't want to push Laurel into anything. "I'm just wondering how you manage to find potential romantic partners. I know I find it rather challenging, myself." She doesn't bother to mention that she basically requires that they be someone who can indeed look past her obvious assets, before she will even consider them. That should be as obvious as, well, those self-same assets.

Oh. Oooooh." Laurel nods, as if that makes sense. The question, that is. "Yeah, we can't exactly go onto J-date now, can we? Honestly, I've only had a few and I met them all through academic circles. I don't attend any particular university but a lot of them are very nice and let me audit courses. Occasionally someone is brave enough to talk to me and even more occasionally we hit it off but… it doesn't last." Laurel sighs. "Dating someone like us is like dating a doctor. Who can bend steel with their mind. Or bare hands."

Kara nods. Clearly, Laurel understands. It helps, hearing that someone else of their ilk has similar difficulties. "My normal identity encounters plenty of people, and I would be lying if I said I didn't get a lot of interest. But it's rare that I connect with someone strongly enough that I have the urge to build on that connection. And then there's the difficulty that honesty is of paramount importance to intimacy." Which would require telling her potential romantic partner at /some/ point that their entire association to that point has been predicated upon a long-term falsehood, or at least upon the hiding of truths heretofore unrevealed and of significant importance. "My own encounters have been similarly rare. The best I managed, truthfully, was a few months with another hero I met and worked with. But that didn't last."

"What happened?" Laurel asks, curiously. "If I can ask, I mean. I don't mean to pry and, certainly, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to." But she wants to know. "I've never been involved with someone else with powers. Or who wore a costume and fought the good fight."

Kara shrugs a little. "Sure, you can ask. It was pretty passionate. And we had a good deal in common, since we were both costumed heroes." Clearly, Kara has fond memories, at least of the start of the relationship. It probably felt pretty damned good to be in one, given all of the challenges her attempts must face. "But over time, the other hero found it more and more difficult to separate personal feelings from instincts and reactions in the field, becoming less able to let me do my job in contributing to our efforts, and trying to protect me in the field, even when I was even more capable of dealing with the threat. We had to split up and go our separate ways. There really wasn't any other choice."

Laurel listens as Kara explains what happened. "We all have a very powerful instinct to protect other people, I suppose. I mean, why get into this field if that isn't what you want to do with your life, right?" She pauses, then says. "Still. I'm pretty sure I could grab and piece of metal, hurl it at you with all my might, and MAYBE I'd make you bleed. But that's more powerful than just about any weapon out there other than an intercontinental ballistic missile and they can't match the point of impact.. umm… sorry. I got a little math there."

Kara cannot help but chuckle with amusement as Laurel's inner science geek peeks out. "No, it's OK. And you're right. Since high school, the worst I've generally dealt with, when my weakness wasn't at issue, have been minor cuts, scrapes and bruises." It's possible some alien weapons could do more, but she hasn't run into those. Yet. "And I know that we all have powerful protective urges. But if I'm with someone, I will do all I can to respect their ability to contribute, and to keep themselves safe. If they ask for help, I will be there. Absolutely. But I won't just crowd in, as if they can't take care of themselves. After all … contributing as a hero would be a part of who that person was to me, part of what attracted me to them in the first place. Invalidating that part of them would invalidate the love I felt for them." That's how Kara views it, and why it hurt so much when it happened for her.

Laurel listens. It is a bit of a long speech, isn't it? Still, she listens and she smiles. "You've been holding that in for a while, I think. Maybe you told her but she didn't understand and you just wanted to share it with someone you thought would. Or him. Sorry. I shouldn't assume gender. That isn't very open-minded of me at all."

Kara blushes a bit, and nods, shrugging. "Yeah. Been holding it in for a bit." she admits. "It wasn't exactly something I could talk to Mom or Dad about." But finally, she has another friend who would - so it seems to Kara - understand. So she spilled her embarrassing guts. Whoops! "No, it's OK. It's easier to say if you assume a pronoun, even you're wrong. I get it." Kara was awfully careful to never use a gender-specified pronoun at all. It's not hard to consider that an indication that she wishes to avoid an assumption of gender-normative values. "I don't think it much matters if the person was male, or female. Or something of both, really." Maybe there was a Martian? Who knows?

Laurel nods in agreement. "No, you're right. You're right. It doesn't matter. People are who they are regardless of biology. That's something the best of the ancient Romans understood… even if much of the Republic or the empire, I suppose, didn't." She touches the laurel wreath that circles her head. A reminder that she comes from a mixed legacy.

Power Woman nods in agreement, a touch of a smile gracing her lips as she receives confirmation that Laurel feels the same way. "Since you haven't ended up dating another hero, I'm guessing that's not something you've run into, really?"

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