( closed )

[beknight]

Who: bruce wayne (beknight); asha greyjoy (laveers) & pals.
What: bruce makes friends; asha learns to shoot.
When: before & during the event.
Where: around olympia.
Warning(s): violence! more will be added if needed. pm/pp if you want me to set something up!

Comments

[mayarah]

No.

[ there's a moment's hesitation, before she forges on: ] Were we friends?

[beknight]

[ He rests his hand on his chin, where it covers his mouth, then straightens. ]

[ Some things are simple. They deserve to be. ]

Yes.

[mayarah]

[ that's — great news. kara wants to be friends with him. she wants to be friends with anyone her cousin likes, and she assumes (and hopes) that clark likes this guy. if he knows clark's secret, probably that's the case.

she smiles, bright and open. ]

Great!

[ the smile dims a little, a moment later. ] I'm sorry I don't remember anything about you. Will you tell me again?

[beknight]

[ He nods. ]

Do me a favour. Check for eavesdroppers.

[ She doesn't need to look around for that, only listen carefully with that excellent hearing of hers. ]

[mayarah]

[ so he knows about her, too. if they were friends, that stands to reason; kara knows that no matter what she says, she's terrible at keeping secrets.

she focuses, for a moment, no outward sign of it except for a slight frown pulling at her brows. ]

There's no one.

[beknight]

[ Good girl. He nods. ]

Where do you want to start?

[ Anyone else, and there's no way he'd begin with that. But an open hand, and she's a good person, like Clark. They can start with it. ]

[mayarah]

Do you —

[ she thinks for a moment. ] Are you a superhero, too? Like Clark.

[beknight]

[ The idea of what he is being anything remotely in the same league is amusing. Bruce shakes his head. ]

I prefer the term vigilante.

[mayarah]

Oh.

[ kara tips her head a little. she has some ideas about that term, but that isn't saying they're his ideas, too. ] Why?

[beknight]

[ No bright colours, for one. And most people aren't happy to see him. ]

It's where I started. You have to remember where you come from. I think you know something about that.

[mayarah]

[ kara glances away at that, memories of krypton a heavy weight right now, with the loss of earth making old wounds feel fresh. ]

Of course.

[ but after a moment, she looks back at him again. ] So what do you do? Do you have powers? And are you doing things here, too?

[beknight]

No powers.

[ I'm human. But that's cruelty to say out loud, and Bruce isn't in the habit of pain without purpose. ]

I'm not running an operation here, not officially.

[mayarah]

[ the message comes across without the reminder that kara very much isn't, that she never quite fit in on earth. ]

Not officially?

[ if he's a vigilante, were any of his operations ever official? ]

[beknight]

[ He smirks. ]

Unofficially, we'll see. [ and to pre-empt, ] There'll be a place for you, if you want it.

[mayarah]

If it helps people, of course I do.

[ but that brings her to another question: ] Are there others?

[beknight]

We'll have to see about that.

[ He's building something. It's still in the early stages, and he's not sure how successful an experiment it's going to be. There was a need for the League, to fight their enemy. Here it's not so clear. ]

There are a few people who'd recognise Supergirl. [ speaking of, ] You should keep your human name a secret. I understand you're not used to that, but the other way around is easier here. If not, you can ask the Orbiters for something to conceal your identity. No one will connect two lives unless you tell them.

[mayarah]

[ see about helping people? kara frowns, for a moment — and then the frown stays when he continues. ]

What do you mean, keep my human name a secret? [ and also: ] Who do you know would recognise me?

[beknight]

I mean introduce yourself as Kara Zor-El. Supergirl.

[ His voice is low, it won't carry, and he says her name without moving his lips so no one around can read it off a tape or nearby. Even though he told her to check for eavesdroppers. Her identity is secret for a reason — Bruce knows secrets. He's not taking any chances. ]

There's myself, Diana, and my daughter Cassandra. We're all in the same business.

[ The other friends she's made will approach her soon enough. ]

[mayarah]

[ he's better with her secret than she is; kara's a hopeless liar. she knows why keeping her alien nature a secret was necessary on earth and she's been continuing as she had there here as well while trying to figure out if that was necessary at all. ]

And pretend like I never lived on Earth?

[ earth has been her home, too. ]

[beknight]

Depends on how open you want to be about what happened to Krypton.

[ If it was him he wouldn't breathe a word — but they're the furthest thing from him there is. ]

It's your choice, Kara. I can help you come up with a story, if you want.

[mayarah]

Why this instead of pretending to be human? Aren't most people here still human?

[ that would be a change, but almost everyone she's met so far seemed to be human at least. that, and — ] I've already introduced myself to people as Kara Danvers.

[beknight]

Most people here aren't going to bat an eye at another alien. Pretending to be normal might make you stick out more.

[ He nods amiably enough. It's not a problem — least, not one of those that can't be managed. ]

If you want to keep doing that, go ahead. I'm only offering a suggestion.

[ Bruce's "suggestions" tend to be directives. But. ]

[mayarah]

[ he seems to have strong opinions and given that he's been here longer than she has, given that he's a friend of clark's, kara is inclined to listen. to assume that he knows what he's talking about.

but this still strikes her as odd somehow. ]

You don't think I can pass for normal? [ the question is quiet, not accusatory. she's managed for over a decade on earth and managed well enough.

she's not sure she could pass for someone who's never lived a human life. not anyone. ]

What did I do, before? And do you think I told anyone?

[beknight]

You can.

[ She and Clark have been doing it for ages. He doesn't doubt that. ]

You had a pair of glasses from the Orbiters that magically [ he hates this word so much ] concealed your identity. I'm not aware if you told anyone the truth.

[ most importantly, ]

I don't trust that. The other refugees come and go from the station all the time. If someone wanted to find you, they could.

[ And Luthor is asleep in those pods. ]

[mayarah]

[ kara never wanted to lie to anyone. she hated the necessity for it then. she doesn't like it now. ]

And you think I need to hide? If no one here will bat an eye at another alien, can't I just be me?