25 - You can't be a Queen, you know, till you've passed the proper examination

[notdreaming]

[ Video ]

[ Kara is as chipper as the day she left, though the sigh of relief that escapes her suggests that this is a recent change. Kryptonians do get headaches, it turns out. Especially when they argue with their own Council. ]

Hello again, barge! I can see I've only been gone a few days in this timeline. It's been more like a year and a half, in mine. Superman says hello, and so does Mother. They practically insisted I take Krypto with me.

[ Hearing his name, the big white dog barks cheerfully from his place at his mistress' side. She smiles and reaches down to scratch his ears, which quiets him down. ]

I brought some... interesting souvenirs. [ She snickers, glancing off-screen to look at the small pile. ] See, everyone on Earth is really excited about Krypton, and everyone on Krypton is really excited about Earth. And I get free merchandise, because everyone wants an endorsement. A lot of it has pictures of places the artist has only seen from other pictures, and the result is... well, like I said, interesting.

Who wants a volcano snow globe, or a cat light chime?

[ She holds up one of each: A snow globe depicting a very shiny gilded gold mountain with red "lava" snow, and what looks like a Hello Kitty wind chime in orange, but instead of metal bars something that looks like tiny lines of light. These are in fact very small metal bars. They reflect rainbows all over the place, it's great. ]

Comments

[mercurialize]

Looks like I beat you back.

Hey, Kara.

[He gives a smile. Still the same face, but there's a worn look in his eyes. Something just seems missing.]

And what the hell is a cat light chime supposed to do?

[notdreaming]

[ She doesn't notice it yet, because she's too excited. ]

Kyle! You came back! Where are you?

[ Translation: hugs are going to happen. ]

[mercurialize]

[A good thing. He wouldn't know what to say at the moment.]

Yep, I'm back. Guess you were right. And I'm in my room at the moment. Want me to stop by?

[notdreaming]

[ Don't be silly, Kyle. She's already knocking at his door. ]

[mercurialize]

[kajsldkjaslkdd

Dammit Kara. He answers the door, but stands in the doorway.]

I said I could go to your room.

[audio]

[tucky]

[That light chime is super pretty; hell yes she wants it.]

Is the Hello Kitty one taken yet? Can anyone have it?

[audio]

[notdreaming]

[ Kara laughs outright. Yes, she has seen Hello Kitty and is aware that the basic design has been ripped off by Kryptonian artists. ]

No, it hasn't been taken. I have a few of them, actually. Of course you can have one.

[audio]

[tucky]

[That last flood had fucked with her head a lot, but she still manages a little smile.]

Okay. Should I come pick it up?

[audio]

[notdreaming]

I can bring it to you, it'll be faster. Where are you?

[audio]

[tucky]

In my room. Number six-oh-three.

[babyfacedkiller]

[ Lloyd hasn't been feeling his most social lately, what with the being recently deceased, so the communicator thing has gone mostly ignored. But now this blond girl is on there, glowing like she just birthed Jesus or something. And good for her, if that's the case, but that's not what gets Lloyd's attention. ]

Did you say Krypton?

[ He's not really a great reader of anything, including comic books, but he was a kid once, and then he read his share. Or paged through, anyway. He doesn't remember a whole lot about the actual stories, it's all a mishmash of WHAM and KAPOW in his head, but come on, who doesn't know about Krypton? And fucking Superman, for that matter. ]

[notdreaming]

[ She just escaped a shitstorm of politics and diplomacy. Which is a lot like birthing Jesus, to be totally honest. She blinks at him for a moment. She hasn't run into many people who know of her from other worlds, so it takes her mind a second to register the question. ]

My home, yes. That was my deal, before I left: bringing Krypton back.

[babyfacedkiller]

[ Right, he remembers. Krypton got blown off the map somehow, and that's how the whole alien in tights story started.

He's not sure what to try to wrap his head around first, the fact that this girl is actually from Superman's world or that she apparently managed to bring a whole planet back from the dead. He gives a short, incredulous laugh. ]

Shit, that's a hell of a deal.

[notdreaming]

[ She grins widely in response. She had her doubts that it was possible, that it would last, that there wouldn't be disastrous consequences somewhere else in the universe. A year and a half later she's confident that everything's sunshine and rainbows. ]

Yeah. The Admiral is pretty impressive.

[babyfacedkiller]

[ Yeah, he can't help but smile back a little bit. She's got plenty to be happy about, it sounds like, and honestly, he can't remember the last time he's seen anyone grinning so wide without the threat of sharp teeth behind it. ]

Way people keep talkin' about him, he's Santa Claus, the Wizard of Oz and the Tooth Fairy all rolled into one. But kind of an asshole.

[strangehistorian]

Welcome back!

[notdreaming]

It's good to be back.

[ Private ]

If there were any negative repercussions we couldn't find them. H'El messed around with the timeline some, but we got it sorted.

Private

[strangehistorian]

Thank goodness. Who is H'El?

Private

[notdreaming]

He's... [ complicated. ] someone who tried to do what I did with no regard for the consequences.

Private

[strangehistorian]

Ah.

Yes, we've had similar miscreants in the timelines of Azeroth. I am glad it all worked out.

Text

[walkthedarkpath]

Welcome Back, how was your trip?

Text

[notdreaming]

It was nice. I met Nero. A version of him, at least. He's a sweet kid.

Text - Locked

[walkthedarkpath]

First, that was not locked, you know I do not like people knowing anything about myself or my family. Second, you can not be certain you met my child. He was a toddler when I gave him up.

Text - Locked

[notdreaming]

That's why I didn't say "your son". Who do you think is listening anyway?

The other Vergil seemed pretty sure. I've seen you and Dante as children, remember? He looks just like you.

Text - Locked

[walkthedarkpath]

Well, at least there is that. And you underestimate yourself if you think no one listens. Besides, I have made an enemy since we last spoke for more then a few moments.

Tell me no more, I do not want to hear it Kara.