2015.01.04 - As the Watchtower Turns Part 1

Within the Watchtower it's likely hard to tell what time it is down upon Earth, but currently it's between late afternoon and early evening. Even with the 'hours' being within the 'daylight' realm and the majority of the heroes tending to have a real nine to five job, that doesn't stop the Tower from always having /someone/ roam around within.

Today that someone is Kendra Saunders, or as most people know her, Hawkgirl. She arrived within the Watchtower courtesy of a teleport from another teammate upon Stormwatch and as such, here she is. She's currently in full costume, with helm, wings and weapons. One of her most favored weapon hangs at her hip, a spike-headed Nth Metal Mace.

While the majority of her face is covered by her mask, what can be seen is her mouth bent into a narrow frown. It's obvious by her direction that she's heading towards one of the computer labs. She has research to do and since she couldn't find Hawkman to ask her questions (of course) Hawkgirl decided to come to the Watchtower to use their extensive computers to help her with said research.

Star Sapphire doesn't use a teleport. She rather doesn't care for it. She would rather fly herself. She rockets up towards the Watchtower, wanting to use the simulation room. As she emerges from the atmosphere, her violet glow would be seen from a distance as she heads towards the watchtower. Perhaps you saw it as you were heading towards the lab as Star Sapphire requests permission to enter. Once it's granted, she enters - and... something draws her. She walks along, remaining in costume (if you can call it that) and heads towards that mysterious source of love energy she is finding. It's not Hawkman but something else...

Hawkgirl did indeed see the purple glow and it only makes her frown more. Not because of what or rather who that purple glow is bringing into the Watchtower, but simply because it's bringing someone to the Watchtower. Hawkgirl would rather be left alone today and as such, she chooses to be all sullen and silent. Not offering any sort of greeting through the comm system.

On a side note, idly the purple glow did almost make Kendra think of her friend Jade. Albeit Jade's powers are green based, not purple.

Either way, Hawkgirl is completely unaware that Star Sapphire is stalking her throughout the Watchtower. In fact, because she's unaware of that particular fact, the winged woman simply goes on her way. This is why Star Sapphire will find Hawkgirl within the computer labs, steadily typing away at one of the various computers. She's settled within a seat (carefully of course, with her wings) and her helm has been put to the side upon the computer table, as the short-haired woman diligently starts her research. Her topic? Jim Craddock.

Star Sapphire continues to track - then she realizes why it feels different. Hawkman represents the male animus of love... she is tracking the feminine anima. It has to be Chay-Ara's descendant. It has to be. She turns the glow off as she peeks around the corner at Hawkgirl - she can almost SEE the violet light of love coming from her. She pulls back around the corner and uses her ring to contact Hawkman, to ask him what she should do - go say hi or wait for him to get here.

Hawkman was out in Metropolis spying on some prey when something buzzed at him. His eyes narrowed a little, "Say 'Hi' to her. She's not going to bight your head off or anything," he was a little confused why the woman would have asked. Then their last meeting dawned on him, "Just remember she'll be like me when it comes to the energy levels. Don't get googlied eyed on her. You might spook her," his eyes narrowed. Then he had to ask, "Where are you?" Hawkman was out of the loop of league affairs so he wasn't sure where they were, what they were doing, etc. He had no idea they were both part of the league.

With Star Sapphire being /so/ close to her (just around the corner), it wouldn't be hard for the Violet Lantern to hear the sounds and words of frustration coming from the winged woman. "What do you mean there's a hundred Jim Craddock's? Come on, that is not /that/ generic of a name." Is that the sound of a keyboard being repeatedly slammed down against the desk? Yes, yes, it is.

Finally the sound of the poor keyboard being so abused quiets down and the click-clack of keys is once more heard. Idly, as she starts scrolling through some of the search hits, Kendra will run her hand through her short hair, spiking it up even more with that irritated gesture of hers.

Star Sapphire decides to walk in, watching Hawkgirl, shivering as she feels that power coming from her. She walks in. "Oh hello," she states. "I... I don't think we've met. I'm Star Sapphire and I was going to check these computers which were more advanced than anything I have access to on Earth... going to do some simulations."

"Where are you?" Hawkamn asked his communicator again hoping Star Sapphire would answer the message. Soemthing about Star Sapphire being there with Hawkgirl put him on edge and even he wasn't sure why. Leaning against something he waited to see what was going to happen.

Star Sapphire blinks and transmits a message silently that would play for Hawkman - "In the Watchtower's main computer lab" so Hawkgirl won't see it.

While Kendra should have known that there were others around, she's still taken by surprise when Star Sapphire enters and says hello. It's enough that Hawkgirl will jump within her seat and reflexively go for her helm. Then she remembers that the League knows her civilian identity, so not much point in trying to hide it.

It takes a second, or two, possibly three, but finally Hawkgirl finds her manners. "Uh, hello. Didn't realize there was anyone else up here." Clearing her throat she'll strive for something that's more normal, "The name's Hawkgirl. Nice to meet you Star Sapphire." Her own computer screen will be pulled more towards her, to potentially block from Star's field of vision. "By all means. That's what the computers are here for. I'm doing some research too."

Groaning softly Hawkman tried to figure out how to make it into space. Pushing off the building he went for the Hall of Justice. It was going to take a while for him to get there his plan was simple. The old ID should have worked. It would have allowed him to slip inside from one base onto the other.

The night sky was was going to be filled with visions of an "Angel" as he streaked across it just trying to get to the familiar white building. He sighed to himself and wondered, "Why am I doing this?" It felt wrong to come upon league business not being a member anymore.

Star Sapphire nods. "You must be Hawkgirl. It's a pleasure to meet you.” Star Sapphire seems quite distracted by things as she loads up the schematics she brought. The logo of Stark Industries and an airplane model appears on her screen. She doesn't peek at your screen out of politeness.

"Yup, that's me." Replies Hawkgirl quickly enough, even as her head ducks back down towards her computer screen. The sound of keys being hit pretty hard can be heard, before that sound pauses.

While Kendra's on the hunt for her information, she does realize she's being rude and so, with a faint sight the winged woman's head pops right back up.

"Sorry I'm so quiet. Like you, I'm doing some research too. I tend to forget my manners when I'm focused upon a project." And then, as she speaks, Hawkgirl frowns thoughtfully. "Wait, you said Star Sapphire right? You're one of the newer members, yes? I think I saw an e-mail about that." Or whatever the League uses to let people know what's going on with the team, "Welcome aboard."

Star Sapphire nods. "Yes. That's me..." she states. "My fiance Green Lantern convinced me to come here... and I've had no regrets. For a while I barely used my abilities - tried to ignore it and lived a civilized life. Then I was made a princess," she muses, smiling faintly. "There is an aura around you... it's hard to explain..."

For all of Kendra's worldly experience, it still surprises her when other people's stories sound or rather are just as crazy as her own. "A princess?" Is that a bitter edge to her voice? Possibly. "Well, glad you joined the team. We'll have to spar some time to get a feel for each other's powers. IT always helps in fights to know what the other person is capable of, and how they think." And likely Kendra would have went on longer about training and teamwork, but then Star Sapphire brings up her aura.

If it hadn't been for Illyana just bring that same thing up the other day, she possibly could have let it slide, but with the two happening so close together Kendra is perhaps a little sensitive to it. Her eyes narrow as she looks back to Star Sapphire, "An aura?" She asks, "Funny, I just had another person tell me that recently too. Just what kind of /aura/ is it?"

Star Sapphire smiles softly. "Well... that is a complicated story and you wouldn't believe me anyway," she muses. "But there is an aura of love energy around you. Tell me - does the name Chay-Ara mean anything to you?" she asks. She knows all about Hawkgirl's ancestor being intertwined with Hawkman's ancestor - the two crystallized skeletons ARE the core of the Central Violet Power Battery. That's the part she doesn't share - it sounds preposterous.

For a silent moment, Kendra simply stares at Star Sapphire, after she reveals what Kendra's aura tells her. At first, with the mention of love energy, Kendra's expression fills with disbelief and it's enough that she utters to herself. "Love energy? You gotta be -"

The rest of what she was about to say simply stalls, at the mention of her first self. That of Chay-Ara. While it truly means nothing to Kendra on an emotional level, she is aware on an intellectual level just what, or rather who, that is. Supposedly the first version of herself. Eyes narrow once more, as she eyes the Lantern. "I know who that is, if that's what you're asking."

Star Sapphire nods. "Yes..." she murmurs softly. "I could feel your energy from outside the Watchtower. The Star Sapphire Corps is powered by the violet light of love. In our Central Battery is a pair of embracing crystal skeletons that is quite possibly the perfect embodiment of love, that powers me and the rest of my Corps." She gazes at you. "The name of the two are Khufu and Chay-Ara."

"Recognize: Hawkman," a voice cried out in the man room and Hawkman wandered through the teleporter in an array of bright light that winked out. Hawkman wasn't near the pair, but the light was so bright it may have caught their attention that another was here. Star Sapphire could have felt who was here the second he stepped aboard.

Wandering he made it to the room the duo were in. Leaning in a doorway he looked at them, "Making sure you two were okay," he said. In reality it was more of a "Making sure Hawkgirl was okay," but he didn't present it as such. His arms were across the muscular frame that was barely covered by the two strapes of leather. Both eyes were focused on the pair in the room. He didn't know Star Sapphire would have felt the power of both Hawks together in the same room.

Again several emotions war upon Hawkgirl's features. Disbelief is one of them, frustration another and then finally anger. "Let me get this straight - " She begins quietly, "Your power is derived from skeletons?" And no, she's not going to say from 'my skeleton', that would be just too much for her to think about.

"I don't even know what to /say/ to that." She says, voice rising upward with her anger, "Seriously. That is not something you just ... " ... say to someone on their first meeting. That's what the rest of the sentence would have been, but thanks to Hawkman's timely intervention, Kendra's angry words trail off. Switching her glower from Star Sapphire to Hawkman now, Kendra huffs, "Oh yay. The gang is all here." Rising from her seat, Hawkgirl will stab at the send button on the e-mail she had created, before her hand reaches for her helm. "And we're just dandy. Isn't that right, Star?" Her words are laced heavily with bitterness and sarcasm, as well.

Star Sapphire shivers as the two come together. "External love energy detected," a heavily-accented female voice announces from her ring. "Analysis confirms as subjects Khufu and Chay-Ara, though interlinking power signatures compromised," the ring continues. She looks down at the ring, sighing softly. "My ring has an AI in it - it knows the two of you... seeing the two of you together - makes me both excited... to LITERALLY meet the framework on which my Corps was made... and sad that you two aren't together the way you should be..." She sighs softly

"A different lifetime," Hawkman said sounding bitterly. Star Sapphire would have detected sadness and regret, however it showed, within him. His eyes went to Hawkgirl, "I just arrived. Stow the attitude Kendra. I was coming to get somethings," he may have loved Kendra, but sometimes her attitude needed to be curbed.

After a while he watched the woman he was training, "Did you get my Christmas present?" It was a pair of MMA gloves black with yellow palms. They were better than the tape she wrapped her hands in during training. A note was attached saying, "Dinner's on me if you can actually land a shot," along with a fifty dollar gift certificate to Big Belly Burger. Kendra liked her greasy hamburgers and no one made them better than Big Belly.

A nod was given to Star Sapphire. They had met before and Hawkman knew the ring was right. However, saying anything that would have agreed would have spurned Kendra more. She didn't get that he loved every part of her, Kendra along with Chay-Ara, and all the lifetimes in-between. Love did hit him at first sight when Kendra appeared at a book signing, but she wouldn't have believed it.

So many conflicting emotions for Kendra and she's not one that deals well with most of them. The mention of the Christmas present from Carter causes her to momentarily look stricken. Simply because she didn't get anything for Christmas for him, or any one else truly, but it's enough for her to feel guilty about it. Thankfully though, that guilt is road right on over at Star's rings confirmation of just who they, or she, is and then of course, at the mention of the two of them not being together.

A look is once more shot towards Star and then back to Hawkman. Is she crazy? That's the look she's giving Hawkman and with his experience with her, he should be able to read that message loud and clear. "You know, I think I'm just done for the night, so /goodbye/ to you both. Bye-Bye." And again with the bitterness, the winged woman /stomps/ away from Star and then past Hawkman, as well. Nothing more said to either them, as Kendra leaves the room. She'll stomp right on down to the other room which holds the teleporter and with another flash of light, she's gone from the Watchtower all together.

Should Carter look at the computer screen that Kendra was doing her research upon, he'll find a familiar name. That of Jim Craddock, the Gentleman's Ghost.

~End of Part 1~