2013-01-04 I Just Wanna Have Something to Do

As some might say, the Themysciran Embassy is charmingly old-fashioned. There's on phone, by the desk near the entrance. No lights. Everything is lit by sunlight and candles. Unnecessary perhaps, but this also means that the Amazons don't need to depend on outsiders to keep their embassy running. Early evening marks the time when some of the candles are allowed to extinguish, letting evening settle inside the building.
It's also the time when Diana runs a few classes in the embassy. Today is specifically a self-defense course, run in the gardens outside. A crowd of thirty women follow Diana's movements, as she explains the purpose behind each movement.
The group is, of course, very into it -- who wouldn't be, when Wonder Woman is teaching them anything, let alone how to protect themselves? Still, attention seems to be a bit split after a crucial moment, seemingly at random. It's not hard to see where the eyes are going, though. Hovering over the gardens is a single figure, her red capelet fluttering in the breeze.
Power Girl rubs the back of her neck, looking for words as the group continues to look at her and murmur amongst themselves. "Er..." She doesn't lower any closer to the ground. "I think I might have picked the wrong time to drop in..."
Wonder Woman follows the gaze of her students, offering the hovering woman a gentle smile. "No, no. By all means." The Princess gestures to the ground. Her students have seen their class interrupted a few times, and by many people they've likely seen on TV. So they murmur, yes, because despite it happening before, it's still a surprise when it does happen. "Welcome to the Themysciran Embassy."
Power Girl turns her lips inward and returns the smile tightly, visibly embarassed. Maybe it's not so much the intrusion as her super-hearing picking up the whispers of the women in the class:
"Who is that?"
"Is that Supergirl?"
"No, look at her, she's way too... big to be Supergirl..."
"Is she a mutant?"
"D'you think she's, like... one of the She-Hulks? There are two, right?"
And so on. Power Girl drifts down to the ground, her boots touching down on the grass noiselessly. She looks around at the crowd, and then her eyes settle on Wonder Woman... as must happen often, when Wonder Woman is in a crowd. "Hi, I'm Power Girl," she says, with the steely reserve of someone who's focusing all their willpower on not letting their cheeks turn red.
Wonder Woman is not about to admonish her class. They're adults, after all. Stepping forward, she offers a hand. "Diana of Themyscira, Ambassador to the world beyond our island." She smiles again. "Better known as Wonder Woman in the newspapers." A name she did not choose herself; someone remembered reports of her mother in World War II. "What brings you to the embassy, Power Girl?"
Power Girl clasps the hand that's offered. She has a strong, firm handshake, even moreso than one might expect from looking at her. She smiles, less amorphously but still hesitantly, and nods. "Well, you, actually," she replies, to the question. She draws a breath, and then explains, "I mean, I was hoping for a chance to speak with you in your... official function." She sounds like she might not be the most natural person with such tactful phrasing.
Wonder Woman's grip is likewise strong, but that should be no surprise. "Of course." She glances back at her students, then calls over one of the other Amazons, asking her to take over. "I will see you all next week." There's only ten minutes left in the class. "If you have any questions during the week, please come and see me." She then gestures for Power Girl to follow her, nodding to the door that leads back to the embassy proper. "What can I do for you?"
Power Girl's boots crunch grass softly as she walks toward the path to the doors. She watches the women leave idly, still listening in on their whispers... how can she not? Still, if it bothers her, it doesn't show... more than anything else. She looks like the sort of person who's easily bothered. "Well, that place you're ambassador, Themyscira, that's real, right?" Power Girl seems to realize what she said only after she said it. "I mean, ah, crap, no, I mean, like... it's... a place that can be gotten to, not another dimension or an alternate universe or any of that... right?"
"It can be found, but you need to be invited or guided by an Amazon," Diana confirms, seemingly not offended (she's not) by the slip of words. "Why do you ask?" Curiosity is piqued, eyebrows arched.
"Figures," Power Girl mutters, perhaps a touch too loud. "Why--? Oh, well, I mean... I dunno how to put it nicely, ha," she says, adjusting one of her gloves. "It sounds like a pretty sweet deal, is all. All the stuff I've overheard about it -- an island of super-women, pretty much. It seems like a good place for a super-woman to go and get her head together a bit."
Wonder Woman holds the door open, letting Power Girl go inside first. "A place to rest your head?" she smiles. "You don't have such a place for yourself?" Not that she's judging, just being curious. "I admit we have many spare rooms here, in the embassy, which we often loan out."
Power Girl steps in, glancing around at the decor as she does, and perhaps getting a sense for the floor plan with a bit of discreet, cautious x-raying. Super-hearing helps her avoid looking into rooms where private business may be occurring. "Oh, I have an apartment, and... all that," Power Girl says, waving a hand as if that wasn't the issue. "No, I mean, I need..." Her expression is a bit flinty. Perhaps she knows what she needs and is loath to admit it. "...somewhere to get away to, to be away from all of this for a little while, do you know what I mean? I've been doing this hero thing for longer than people think, and... rgh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's stressful."
On the main floor, there's really nothing beyond meeting rooms and a hall to the kitchen, where the only light conversation may be coming from. In the foyer, the Princess nods to the guards and introduces her guest, then calmly leads the way up the stairs to the second floor. Past her office. "It is stressful," comes the agreement. "But it is rewarding in its way." She smiles a bigger, brighter smile. "Sometimes you need a place where you can be yourself, away from the stress, and not worry about hiding behind another identity?" She's guessing. But she does have many friends in the hero community, after all.
Power Girl does not have many friends. In fact, she's not really known for her gregariousness amongst her fellow heroes. She's done team-ups, she's flown alongside Superman, but she's still a big question mark to most. Someone who's just... there. "Yeah," Power Girl says, running a gloved hand along her bangs, smoothing them. "Yeah, exactly," she repeats, gaining a bit of confidence in the idea. "Ugh, I make it sound like I'm trying to get into Club Med, or something..."
And while Power Girl may have been using X-Ray vision to get an idea of the embassy's layout (surprisingly no tricks or traps in the building), Diana's own truth sensing ability has been working overtime for her. Telling her that Power Girl is, in fact, being honest. "A little." Diana stops before a room, pushing the door open. "I'm afraid we're a little on the... spartan side of things." Not intended as a joke. But inside is something of a den or living room, with a few chairs and a table, and a door beyond leads to a bedroom.
"Doesn't bother me," Power Girl says with a more ready, genuine grin as she proceeds into the den area. She glances back over her shoulder to talk as she steps. Not walking into anything? Must be super-coordination. "The furniture in my place is still in the delivery boxes, just about." She laughs, but the laugh fades a bit halfway through... like as soon as she says it aloud she realize it's funny, but not ha-ha funny.
"If you'd like something a little less 'I am Power Girl', we have a weaver among the residents, and she could make something a little more in the vein of traditional Amazon garb." Diana remains within the doorframe. "We'll have to introduce you to the morning guards, so they know you."
The comment about "something a little less 'I am Power Girl'" makes a certain tightness show at the corners of Power Girl's eyes, but she blows whatever it is off, and doesn't explain. Not her style, it seems -- she just pushes ahead like nothing happened. "Traditional Amazon garb? Well, I've got a closet full of things at home, so maybe I should research my options," she says, with a small smile. "And, oh, uh, of course."
Perhaps the Amazon Princess senses how her comment was taken. Empathy, after all, is a gift. She steps forward, a hand rests on Power Girl's shoulder. "I simply meant something that doesn't reveal you for someone that others might recognize from the news or the paper," she offers with a smile. "Nothing more." Because given what Wonder Woman's wearing, she really can't judge, can she?
And stonewalling is a gift a well. "Hey, hey," Power Girl says, doing a rather remarkable job of seeming to not know what Diana's talking about, even if she doesn't quite flinch at the woman's touch. "No worries, trust me, I got what you meant." She grins, trying to force the issue out of discussion. "Still, okay, so what's traditional Amazon garb, then?"
Wonder Woman gets the hint, and allows the topic to drop. "Normal clothing is called a chiton." She considers a moment. "If you know Roman clothing, it would be similar to a stola, worn by their women." Similar, but not quite the same thing. "That is the most common, but there are other choices."
Power Girl nods, but in a focused, attentive way -- she seems to actually know what Wonder Woman is talking about, or at least be able to visualize it. "And no one will take any offense if I opt for a sweater?" She has a wry half-smile about it. "I mean, sometimes it's nice to mostly cover up every now and then."
"Of course," she says. "It's part of my normal offer." Diana grins. "We've taken in more than a few girls and women without homes, so I find that we are providing clothing too, as well as a home." Not that providing either bothers her.
Power Girl glances around for a moment, her eyes lidding gently. She's silent for a moment, but a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Y'know," she says, after that brief pause, "usually when something seems too good to be true, that's exactly how it's turned out in my life. What's the catch?"
Wonder Woman considers for a moment, and then smiles. "Enjoy yourself. Relax. Maybe learn a thing or two, and make a few friends." So in other words... no catch at all. "We teach classes at night, starting at 6 pm. Feel free to join any of them, if they seem interesting."
Power Girl seems mildly reticent, like she's still not convinced, no matter how authentic and genuine Wonder Woman is. Then again, maybe that's just her nature, to look gift horses in the mouth. Still, she seems happy with the set-up. "Thanks," she says, in a tone that comes out a little less steely than she intended.
Wonder Woman offers a hand. "I'm going to head down to the kitchen and see if I can find something to snack on. Would you like to join me?"
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