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

[notdreaming]

Nobody falls off the edge of the world, either.

[mercurialize]

[Good at sea, bad at astronomy. It would help if he'd ever seen an ocean.]

What? Why would they do that?

[notdreaming]

Have you ever tried standing on a sphere?

[mercurialize]

I don't know, probably?

[But he can walk on ceilings so... what does that have to do with anything?]

[notdreaming]

Gravity, scale, relativity. [ She waves a hand, as though to say 'it's not actually very important'. ]

Some time I'll put you on a moving vehicle and I can show you exactly what I mean.

[mercurialize]

[He frowns]

Vehicle- car, right? I think I was in one. Do you remember those death dreams?

[That one sucked.]

[notdreaming]

[ She grimaces. ]

Hard to forget. There are other kinds, though. A bike, for one thing, would be a lot easier.

[mercurialize]

Bike?

You're gonna have to explain that one.

[notdreaming]

It's an Earth invention. It has a seat and two wheels, and you make the wheels spin by pushing the pedals with your feet.

[mercurialize]

So a wagon but... you're the horse?

[notdreaming]

Something like that, yeah.

[mercurialize]

Next time we're in a port you'll have to point one out to me if you see it. [Because right now he's visualizing something pretty ridiculous. That can't be right.]

I- Oh. Sorry. Did you want anything to drink or something?

[notdreaming]

Oh, that's alright. I don't need anything.

[ She doesn't really get thirsty, and she doesn't want to impose. ]

[mercurialize]

[He shrugs.]

All right.

[He isn't sure what else to say for a while and then a cheeky grin crosses his lips.]

Anyways, think you have any advice for me?

[notdreaming]

[ She can't help grinning too. It's just so nice seeing him as a warden here. ]

Just don't give up. I know you'll do great.

[mercurialize]

[He keeps a smile as he relaxes in his chair a bit.]

Me? Give up? Never.

[notdreaming]

[ Her smile widens. ]

Good. The rest will take care of itself.

[mercurialize]

Just... like that?

[notdreaming]

You still think I had any idea what I was doing?

[mercurialize]

[Hmmn.]

Nope.

[notdreaming]

[ She grins sheepishly. ]

Good. At least I'm not disappointing you.

[mercurialize]

[He smiles in return.]

Nah, I don't think you could even if you tried.

[notdreaming]

Oh, nice of you to set the bar so low.

[mercurialize]

I'd call it a relative standard.

[notdreaming]

That definitely makes it better.

[ She raises her eyebrows, trying to restrain her grin. ]