2012-06-28 Q&A

Ah, the Tribeca district. Famous for its film festivals, bright lights, large rooftops and deep shadows. It's on one such rooftop that Robin waits, keeping to the darkness as he watches the busy streets of Lower Manhattan. Its gonna be a warm night, as the heat of the day still radiates from the concrete jungle, and yet up this high, its not so bad. The young hero seems to be pacing slightly, straightening his hair, and making sure his mask is on straight.
Okay, two nights in a row, Robin has paged Supergirl with a request to meet. Only tonight, he's in New York, apparently. Cassie's never going to let Kara live this down...
Still Supergirl leaves the Themysciran Embassy, where she's been staying, and flies out to where Robin suggested they meet. Spying him on top of a building, she lands near Robin. A few deep breaths to steady herself. "Ummm....hi." Yeah, that's smooth, Kara.... "So, what's up tonight? Chasing down drug runners in New York City?"
Robin glances over, stopping one last recorrection of his hair as the girl of steel lands, he steps partially out of the shadow. "No drug runners. Just a chance to talk. I have...." he trails off, seeming to pick his next words carefully. "Some questions. I don't know where the speedster we met last night is from, but he raised some..." he trails off again, almost taking a subconscious step back into the darkness, "Concerns."
"Oh," Supergirl says, sounding slightly disappointed. She walks closer to Robin, taking a seat on the rooftop edge. She smiles up at him, smoothing out her skirt and cape. "So, what questions do you have?"
Robin hesitates a moment, then takes a seat next to the girl. The look on his face says that he really didn't want to have this conversation...not like this. "I..." he starts, then stops again, kicking his heel against the side of the building. Finally, just resolving to get it out there, he resumes. "How many more Super people are there?"
Supergirl looks away when the question is asked, staring out over the city. She wrestles with her conscience for a while, before answering. "Three. My cousin, myself, and one other." She sighs. "We don't know what is plans are, if he's going to be a hero or not. But he mostly just wants to live in peace." She looks up at Robin, smiling weakly. "I know that's probably not very comforting, but you have to believe that we want to help protect the world and make it a better place."
The young man ponders this for a moment, taking his time to formulate his next question. A cool breeze whips the edges of his cape, as he turns and looks at Supergirl. "What happens if this third turns out to be one of the bad guys?" he asks, trailing off towards the end. It's obvious he doesn't want to upset the girl next to him, but at the same time, the question seems to weight on his mind.
That question's been weighing on Kara's mind as well. But she's already done a terrible wrong to Lor-Zod, she doesn't want to compound it by casting suspicion on him among other heroes. "That is a very unlikely possibility. But one that Superman and I are aware of. All three of us are in close contact, and if there's any sign of danger, we'll handle it. But like I said, the third one just wants to live in peace and quiet."
Robin extends his arms to either side and leans back on his hands, looking over the city. "Please don't take it the wrong way. You and Superman and in a league all your own...." he stops again. .oO(Damnit Tim....your stuttering and looking like an idiot....)Oo. he thinks to himself, trailing off again. "I want to trust you." he finally states, sitting up a little straighter and bringing his hands back to his lap. "I want to trust you, but I've been taught to distrust power, and what it can do to people."
Supergirl looks back out over the city. "You're right to be cautious. Especially about me." She stays quiet for a while and hugs herself. "I made a terrible mistake last week. I gave into rage and anger and I tried to use deadly force on someone that didn't deserve it." She sighs heavily. "We have tremendous power. Too much power, some would say. And I'd be lying if I said I'm not scared to my core with the things I can do. The fact is that I've failed; failed horribly, And I have to work each day to earn the trust and respect of the people that I try to protect." Supergirl closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "But I still have a responsibility. To use these powers to preserve life and make the world better. And I'm not going to ignore those responsibilities. Or my failure. They just drive me to do better, to be better. So that I can be of better help to humanity."
Robin reaches over to place a hand on Supergirl's shoulder a moment. "The trouble starts when you stop being afraid of it." he recites, almost like a mantra that has been drilled into his head over and over. "At least that is what I've always been taught. Its good that you want to help people, Supergirl. Don't ever lose that. On the other hand, be warned." He trails off again, he we go back to that uncomfortable subject. "There are people who are going to be afraid of you. And in that fear, that will try to find ways to hurt you."
Supergirl looks up at Robin, smiling a bit. "I know. And that's why I can't give in to my emotions like I did before. Even if I'm not perfect, I have to strive to be. So that the public's not afraid of me. Or of Superman. So that they know in their hearts that no matter what, Superman and I will always stand for truth, justice, and all the best qualities of humanity." Even if we're not human, Kara thinks to herself.
The young man squeezes Supergirl's shoulder a moment, before withdrawing his hand. "That's all you can do. That's all any of us can do." he says, the uncomfortableness draining away from his voice. "I can help you with all that, if you want." His voice cracks slightly at the end of that line, probably from nerves, but Robin brings a gloved hand to his face to cough lightly to cover it.
Supergirl turns around, looking at Robin. "Well...I'm already training with Wonder Woman, so that I have better control of myself in a crisis situation." She looks Robin over a bit, smiling. "But what do you mean that you can help me with all of that?"
"I um...I..." Robin stutters a moment, shaking his head. This time his face really does seem to blend into his costume as he tries to hop smoothly to his feet for cover. However, the wind picks that moment to kick up as well, and he steps on his cape, and teeters, trying to regain his balance on the building edge.
And in an instant, Supergirl is right there, grabbing him by the arm and holding him in place. She smiles, "Careful, there, Robin...I actually already know how to fall. And to fly." Supergirl giggles a bit, trying to defuse the tension and she helps Robin back to more secure footing on the roof.
The Boy Wonder indeed. Robin steps back, safe on his own two feet, and chuckles to himself, shaking his head. "Smooth, Robin. Real Smooth." he mutters to himself before looking at Supergirl and grinning. "Thanks."
Supergirl smiles, putting her hand on Robin's shoulder. "Hey, we all have some bad moments in life. I'm sure you would have swung away to safety" Her hand lingers on his arm for a while, before she removes it, blushing. "So...ummm..." She walks away to a safer distance. "So, what kind of help did you have in mind?"
Robin ponders the question a moment before answering. "I suppose that training with Wonder Woman is much more your speed. I meant in control. We can...." he pauses. This one is a thinker apparently, and doesn't like to just blurt things out. "Look out for one another. Let each other know when we're getting to close to losing control, and need to check ourselves." He reaches up and lightly scrubs at the back of his neck, revealing a nervous habit. "And...we can do this." he motions around the roof. "you ever need to talk, just call. I'll come if I'm able."
Supergirl cocks her head to look at Robin curiously. "What do you mean, when we're getting close to losing control? Why would you loose control? You seem pretty confident and assured every time we go to fight the bad guys."
The boy actually grins. "I'm a duck on a pond." he states. "I may look calm on the outside, but underneath the surface, everything is just churning away." He grabs the back of his neck again, before realizing that he's doing it and putting his arm back down. "I get nervous too. And I'm always afraid I'll go to far and cross that line. From enough...to too much."
Supergirl smiles gently and puts her hand back on Robin's shoulder. "Some smart guy told me, 'The trouble starts when you stop being afraid'." She looks into Robin's eyes, trying to reassure him. "You can always call me too. If you want to talk." She grins wide and a hint of a blush rises in her cheeks. "Just...Let me get my own phone first? I think my friend's getting suspicious of you texting me to meet you every night. And she loves teasing me about it..."
Robin can't help but chuckle a little. "That sounds like a smart guy." he says, grinning. "I'll be sure to follow his advice." He stops when his eyes meet Supergirl's, and he stammers a second, before blinking. "You probably shouldn't be telling me real names, Supergirl. Not if you want to...." he trails off again, his voice going quieter..."keep it secret." Wow those eyes are blue.
Supergirl blushes and nods. "Sorry. And you're right. You have a mask, so you need to keep your identity secret." She smiles wide. "You've probably traced her phone already. And I'm sure you'll be hearing about her as Wonder Girl soon enough. Apparently, she has some items that Wonder Woman was able to identify. So, she's got a mentor now; and a pretty awesome one, if I say so."
Robin seems to come back to himself after a moment, then shakes his head. He's about to go 'huh' before he mentally plays back what SG said and then nods. "Sounds like I'll be hearing more about her then." He's finally able to break her gaze, and takes a moment to clear his throat. "Well...that was all I needed to talk to you about...." he says, emphasizing the word 'needed' a little too much. "Anything you want to ask me? It's only fair." Oh yeah...even though he pulls away a little, he's not looking to end this conversation just yet.
Supergirl sis back down on the edge of the building. "There's...lots of things I want to ask, I think. But I guess the one thing on my mind right now, the biggest question I have is..." He looks up at Robin. "What do you think of me? About how I do things? Am I really living up to the standard Superman's set? Even considering what I've told you tonight?"
Running his hand over the back of his neck again, Robin places one foot on the edge of the building, and leaves the other firmly planted on the roof. "I think you're...." he starts, then stops again. "Amazing." he finishes, nearly whispering the word before speaking up, "too hard on yourself." Oh yeah...he totally didn't whisper another ending to that sentence. "You are going to have to be your own person Supergirl..." he blinks a moment, then turns to the girl. "You know...I never thought to ask. Do you actually prefer being called Supergirl?" He seems a little shocked that this never occurred to him before.
Yeah, she hears that whispered word. And it makes her blush as red as her cape. She coughs and gets herself under control. "Ummm..." she points at her ear. "Super-hearing. I can hear clearly out to 10 miles..." She stands up and looks at Robin. "For what it's worth...I think you're pretty amazing too." She takes a deep breath, the blush in her cheeks vanishing. "Thank you. Maybe I'm too hard on myself, but I doubt Superman is any easier on himself. So it's only right that I'm as tough on myself as he is on himself. And, I do have another name I prefer, but Supergirl is fine for now. Maybe when we're both ready to remove our masks..."
Robin blinks a moment in dumbfounded confusion...oO(She heard that! You doofus!)Oo. "10 miles..." he says, turning away to hide the color on his own face. "This must be a noisy city then." Oh yeah...real smooth transition there. Might as well call him the Boy Blunder. "When we're both ready." he repeats. "Might be nice to trust someone that much."
"It is," Supergirl says. "And I know...Gotham doesn't exactly scream 'trust'. You and Batman have a tremendous fight on your hands there." She walks over and puts her hand on Robin's shoulder. "I'm still new here. People aren't sure if they really can trust me. Even my own cousin isn't sure if he can trust me. It's something that has to be earned. I can wait until I've earned it in your eyes."
Robin sighs a moment, then sucks in a breath meets the girls eyes. "Then, I need to confess something." he says, suddenly a little nervous. "The communicator I gave you?" he prompts...."I haven't been, but that doesn't mean I don't have the ability. To track it. " he says. He realizes that what he is saying might hurt, and seems to be resigning himself to never see those blue eyes look upon him with favor again.
And Supergirl gives him a warm smile. "I know. It's a pretty simple device and I scanned it with my vision. Also, I kind of figured that you would have been able to track the text messages I was sending you through my friend's phone. And the fact that bad guys haven't attacked my cousin's apartment after you gave it to me, or my friend's apartment where I've been staying...It means I was right. You're a good person. One who takes a few too many precautions, maybe, but still a good person. Maybe someone I can trust completely, sometime."
Letting out the breath that he didn't even know he was holding, Robin looks relieved. He raises that hand to the back of his neck again and grins softly. "Yeah...that’s why I chose Tribeca. I figured it was far enough away not to freak you out, but close enough for you to get too quickly." Robin takes a few steps away, bouncing on his toes a little. "I would understand if you wanted to give it back. The offer with it is still the same however, even though I gave it to you for the wrong reasons. If you need a hand...just call."
"I'll keep it," Supergirl says after a bit of thinking. "So that we can call each other for back-up." Pause. "Or...just to talk. Maybe?" There's a hopeful tone in her voice as she asks the question. "But, I'm sure you're totally busy. So, you know...I understand if you don't have time to chat now and then."
The boy grins. "I'm actually here for about a week on some business..." he says, trailing off. "But I'm not quite sure how to....how we're....talk. Talking now and then sounds great." There goes that arm again. The back of his neck must really itch when he's nervous.
Supergirl smiles and walks closer to Robin. "We can talk about whatever we feel like. Except for the whole 'secret identity' thing. I think that's something we need to wait a while for." She smirks and raises an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm already in enough trouble with my cousin. I think if I told everyone I met my identity, he'd really kill me."
Robin stands his ground, his confidence back in full swing. "We have that in common then. Batman would not be happy if everyone knew who I was." He smiles at Supergirl, his arm dropping from the back of his neck finally. "So...." he trails off, unsure what to say next.
Supergirl looks kind of nervous as well. Then her eyes light up! "Hey, do you like pizza? Things seem pretty quiet tonight, and I could go grab us a pizza to eat while we talk." Yeah, Kara doesn't want this to end just yet, either.
"A pizza?", Robin asks a little skeptically. "You can just fly in and order one up in costume?" he asks. What a novel concept. Why have I never done that.
Supergirl smirks at Robin's comment. "I'll change before I go inside." She winks at him and giggles. "Peperoni and extra cheese okay?"
A little dumbfounded, Robin nods. "Sure. Sounds like fun." he says. "Anything you want me to do?"
Supergirl lifts up into the air, giving Robin a nod and a playful wink. "Sure. Try not to fall off the roof..." Then, she shoots off to retrieve the pizza. And Kara can't help but think that her life is starting to get a little brighter now.
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