2013-01-26 Flowers and Ink

It's late at night here at the Justice League Headquarters, and boy has it been a busy day. In the morning, Kal El, Last Son of Krypton, was in Denver helping prevent a nuclear meltdown. Later, he flew to New York to help with some other heroes in preventing a building collapse. And then there were the nightly rounds in Metropolis. He doesn't often get tired, but he has reason to be. Nevertheless he's sitting with some final reports and has news channels in several languages on the board behind him.
Dinah's been here all night, training and then catching up with world events even though her own duties within the League usually keep her closer to home more often than not. Unlike Kal she /does/ need sleep and has just roused from a late-evening nap in her bunk at the barracks. Dressed in baggy sweat pants and a tank top, the blond heroine pads in on bare feet, looking quite sleep mussed. "Hey, Kal. What's up?"
"Hello, Canary," Superman says looking up from his work. "Just finishing up a few things before I head home for the evening." Home could mean anywhere, really. Here. Metropolis. The Fortress. "How was your day?"
"A bit quiet," Dinah half-laments while sitting, picking one of the chairs close to Kal without sitting right next to him. "But not bad. I guess I should be thankful for the days I can say I was a bit bored." Quirking a grin, the woman curls her legs in, tucking them to one side which is easy thanks to how big the chair is. "You know, we've never really gotten a chance to talk before..."
Superman nods and makes a pained face, "You know, I'm sorry for that. The original group that came in here I was able to spend a lot of time with, but since then I haven't had a lot of time to gel with folks." He exhales, smiles, and offers, "But I'm here now."
Dinah chuckles and shakes her head. "Not your fault. You're busy and I'm not exactly the most available person at times myself." Stretching, she pulls her arms up and over her head, getting her to wince slightly. All the working out she's been doing has her a bit sore. "You and I should train together someday," she adds in afterthought. "Could be fun and I bet there are things we can teach each other."
Superman nods and considers, "I'd like that, Canary. I don't think we've ever done that, to be honest. Where did you learn how to do what you do?" So many of the mild-powered folks have such interesting stories on how they came to be here.
"My mother, in part," Dinah starts to answer before having to cover a yawn. "She was a member of the JSA, went by the same name. She kind of groomed me at first - you know, had me learn martial arts starting at a young age and what not - but then had a change of heart. I think she realized that her baby was really seriously willing to put her life on the line." A shoulder lifts. "I feel bad for worrying her so much but this is what I want to do, you know? I /want/ to help.
Superman tilts his head and smiles, "A little bit of a rebel in you then. Going against your mother's wishes." He chuckles and nods, "I do know what it's like to want to help. And you've come to the right place." He continues, "Has it put a strain on you and your mother's relationship?"
"I am, yeah. I just wish she could accept that I'm grown up now and am actually able to defend myself." There is that Cry of Dinah's, after all. Not much gets past her usually. "As for the relationship I have with her... it's pretty well strained. I don't talk with her often, I hate to say. But when I do I can hear the worry in her voice. It hurts."
Superman nods soberly, "I can only imagine. I'm lucky, in my position. My parents have been nothing but supportive, but there aren't the same concerns for safety, of course." Superman smiles softly, "You can tell her that you've got friends here who will back you up."
"It must be wonderful. I don't want to talk bad about my mom, of course. I just wish she hadn't..." Sighing, she shakes her head and smiles ruefully. "She knows I am on the team, now. But you know mothers. Can't do anything to alieve their concerns if they have them."
Superman chuckles and nods, "I certainly do, my own mother was very protective of me growing up. Of course, she taught me a lot and made me the person I grew up to be. And I think I've made her proud. Where are you from, originally? Was it Gotham?"
"I was, yes. Not the best place for a child to claim as their hometown, but hey. I managed to grow up not too messed up so I guess it turned out for the best." Unfolding herself from her comfortable position on the chair, Dinah gets up and goes to pace a bit, her brow knitting as she thinks. "What about you? I mean... you grew up here. What was that like for you?"
Superman sighs, trying to think back to his days in Smallville. "I grew up in a small town in Kansas. It was great. I mean, it taught me what life was like outside of the big city. I had a lot of time to think. And a lot of clarity--it wasn't so busy all of the time and you could focus on things. The small things; the things that matter."
"I envy that, Kal." Dinah looks at te Kryptonian from over a shoulder, her expresion faintly sad. Bothered. "Many people don't get that chance as a child and they wind up scrambling for that when they're older. And usually it is too late." Shaking her head, Dinah's smile returns although not as able to do so broadly at the moment. "I am sorry. I shouldn't be such a downer."
Superman shakes his head slowly, "I don't think you're a downer, Canary. I can tell that you really care about your mother. I'm sorry your relationship with her is strained..."
Black Canary raises a hand. "No need to apologize for that. It is what it is. Someday I'll be able to fix things but not while I'm doing the hero thing. And I don't plan on stopping." Heaving a little sigh, Dinah turns again, this time to go and sit back down.
"So tell me more about yourself, Canary," Superman says as she sits back down. "How do you like the team here? I'm sure it's been an adjustment spending your nights, sometimes, across the bay."
Dinah angles her head to the side, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It can be a bit difficult, sure. Especially when it comes time to live my life outside of the team. I run a florist shop in Gotham so the occasional lack of presence can really make it problematic. Thankfully I have someone who works for me and she's been very awesome. And thankfully she does not ask questions." Discretion is important, after all.
Superman laughs, "A flower shop? That's great!" He nods his head a few times, "I'd have to order some sometime from there. That is after we exchange the whole secret identity thing someday. But, every once in a while, I've found I've needed some flowers. Usually on my mom's birthday."
Black Canary can not help but to laugh a bit. "I'm Dinah. Dinah Lance." She does try to keep her dual identies secret while out in the 'real world' but has no reason to do so with her team mates. "Not that I'm telling you so you'll tell me yours. Nor to sell you flowers." Her eyes lower a second while she considers her next words carefully. "I know a lot of us have very important reasons for keeping that information secret. I just... I don't want to worry about that with people I fight alongside of."
Superman nods solemnly, "My name is Clark Kent. I live in Metropolis. I write for a newspaper called the Daily Planet." He hasn't told many people about his secret identity, but teammates are a different thing entirely.
Ah. The name definitely rings a bell. Dinah doesn't go into Metropolis often but her work does bring her there once in awhile and she has read the Daily Planet while there. "Such a departure from what you do with the League, huh?" Pause. "Thank you for sharing that with me. That means a lot to me."
"At least you can get your voice heard as far as what's important to you is concerned. I wish it was as easy for the rest of us who don't write for newspapers and other similar things." A hand comes up and she reaches up, Dinah brushing some of her hair out of her face. "How expensive is Metropolis compared to Gotham?"
Superman nods, "It's nice, but with the internet, pretty much everyone has a voice these days. It's more democratic, I suppose." He considers the costs, "I guess it really depends on area. I was living in a pretty reasonable area, but my cousin moved in with me and I needed a nicer place."
"Yeah, but I don't think a lot of people take a lot of what's said on the internet as being serious." Rising again, Dinah reaches out to put a hand on Kal's shoulder for a second. "I hate to run on you but I got monitor duty tonight. Best get changed and get on that. See you later."
"Good talking to you, Black Canary. Have a great night and let me know if you need anything." Superman looks back down at his work. Miles and miles to go before he sleeps, he thinks.
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