2013-02-16: Behind the Scenes: Justice Gym

It's one of those things that probably shouldn't have really been able to happen, but through an odd collection of random occurences, WAS happening. It was really the smallest of things, the tiniest forces working in tandem that had brought it about. But because of this confluence of events all happening at the same time, Courtney Whitmore was probably going to die.

The day had started off early enough: school, then detention, then she'd flown to the headquarters of the Justice League of America, bounced around trying to find some trouble to get into, stopped a mugging or two, and then decided to get a little exercise in before crashing on a cot or couch somewhere rather than flying back home. After all, the League gym sure beat the pants off of any private facility in the city!

But right when fate collided with a certain braces-wearing blonde, one of the doctors meant to monitor the facility was called away on some routine thing or another to a the med lab. Sure, no problem. Except that the other one had just also happened to step out to the bathroom. After all, this was the JUSTICE LEAGUE gym. What possible nonsense could people like Superman and Wonder Woman get into?

But the sole occupant had been the junior member of the League, one Stargirl, sans costume. She'd changed into a brightly-colored sports-bra and lycra shorts and been 'ready to rumble' as she'd put it. After tearing her way through the treadmill and punching bags, she'd moved to the free-weights. She didn't need those fancy high-tech gadgets, after all, when not wearing her belt, her strength was simply above average for a girl her age!

"NNNNNNNGUH!" But her eyes had gotten too big for her biceps, and now it was all she could do, sprawled flat across a weight bench, to keep a three-hundred pound barbell from crushing her throat. Her face was turning red and she was sweating from the exertion, weakly calling for help from a pair of staff who weren't there, and unable to lift the bar back up to it's starting position. And now her arms were beginning to shake and the bar's position was shrinking to mere millimeters of crushing her larynx or some other important throat-thing!

And then there's a hand in the middle of the bar. "Be at ease, little sister." That hand lifts the bar and the weights away from Courtney's throat more than a little easily. The weights are them moved to one side, revealing Courtney's saviour: Wonder Woman. The Amazon Princess racks the barbell in the right spot, then offers her hand to help Courtney up. "Are you all right?"

At first, Courtney's still hanging on, not realizing what's happening. Then, after she's risen a couple of inches, she lets go of the bar. "NnnnnnnBUH!" Courtney releases a huge breath of air as the barbell is taken out of her grasp by some mystical, angelic, and unseen force. Her face immediately turns a much-lighter shade of red as she begins breathing again, her arms flop to the side to hand down by the bench, and her body slaps back against the weight bench.

Eventually, her eyes pop back open and the blue orbs latch onto the woman standing over her. At first her brow furrows, because there's two of them, but when they coalesce into a single version of the same woman, taking the hand, she pops upright on the bench so fast she almost topples right back over.

"Uhhhhh, y-yeah! Totally fine! I, uh, I had it, but after a few dozen times lifting it, it gets kinda heavy, y'know?" Courtney grins widely, showing off a mouth full of metal, as if she were hoping her obvious lie might be blotted out by the sheer wattage of her smile. "Just, y'know, need to catch my wind! Shake it out and stuff." She flexes her fingers a few times while her arms hang like dead weights down at her sides. Then she tries standing, wobbles a bit, but manages not to slump right back down, face flushed with exertion, sweating, legs shaking.

"Whew! Good thing you came along. That would have been an EMBARASSING end to my career."

Wonder Woman smiles gently. "Perhaps you should sit. It would help you recover." She nods in agreement with Courtney's assessment of the situation. "You are Stargirl?" she asks. She heard things. But Wonder Woman's not usually at the Hall of Justice, as may have been mentioned to Courtney before. Usually, she's at her embassy in New York. "I'm glad we finally have a moment to meet in person... even under these circumstances. I'm glad you're okay, however."

"Okay!" And Courtney's butt finds the bench again in an instant. She may have her pride, but sheesh! Trying to lift that bar off her neck felt like it had given her a full-body sprain of her everything. She starts shaking her arms as if trying to restore circulation, or feeling, or maybe both. When she reaches up to wipe a few sweaty strands of hair from her cheeks, it's an awkward motion, at best. Most of her incredibly-long hair has managed to remain in the ponytail she put it in, but some had obviously escaped to cause mischief.

"Yeah, that's me! What gave it away, the blonde hair?" Stargirl grins breathlessly. "Just call me 'Courtney'. I mean, I don't even have my," She gestures at herself. "stuff on."

The teenager turns sideways on the bench, placing her hands in her lap as she draws a leg up onto the padded surface with her. "Yeah, I can't imagine you need to workout much! Aren't you kind of like Superman? Y'know, always super-strong, super-fast, never miss with your glowing-thunder-death-lightning-rope?"

Wonder Woman smiles. "It may have been the blonde hair," she confesses. "Courtney then. I'm Diana." Only certain people insist on calling her Princess. Like a certain man with a red cape. "We have many things in common, Superman and I, yes," she nods. At the mention of the 'death rope' however, she gestures to the lasso at her hip. "It doesn't dispense thunder or lightning. Or death. Is that what they say it does?"

"Diana, sure!" Courtney's grin, if possible, grows even wider at the mention of the older woman's name. She stays seated for a few moments longer, and then finally pushes back to her feet, takes a single step away from Wonder Woman, and crouches down next to her gym bag. She rummages around in it for a few moments, before finally producing a squeezie-bottle full water and, judging from the way it rattles, some ice cubes, too.

"Uh huh." She nods her head at the question, uncapping the top of the water bottle. "When you throw it, it magically wraps up whatever bad guy it's chucked at without fail." She strikes a pose, crossing her wrists in front of her so abruptly she sloshes a bit of water on the floor. "Then you activate the something-or-other in your bracelets and it glows with the fury of a thousand thunderstorms and fries those suckers like overcooked Pop-Tarts!"

She pauses for a moment, then takes a long, long drinks, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand when she's finished. "Well, that's what I heard, anyway."

Wonder Woman blinks... and then laughs merrily. "I hate to be a disappointment, but it doesn't do that at all." She grabs the lasso off her hip and extends it between her hands, showing it so Courtney can look. "It strikes true only if my aim is true," she says first. "When I do get someone within its confines, the magic of the lasso makes them tell the truth. Nothing so dramatic as channeling the fury of thunderstorms, I'm afraid." Though it does glow quite brightly. "My bracelets can be activated. In a manner of speaking."

The younger girl's grin turns self-satisfied as she pops the top of her drinking container back down. Hey, if she can make THE Wonder Woman laugh, she must not be making TOO much of a fool of herself. Or even worse of one than she was aware of. She at least has the good graces to not look TOO disappointed that lightning and lasers don't shoot from the ends of the glowing yellow rope.

"Tell the truth? But what does that do? You already know they're the bad guy or you wouldn't have thrown the rope on them, right?" She leans closer, raising a hand, and taking a step forward, before pausing as if thinking better of it. She lets her hand hover for a minute, pointing at the lasso. "Can I touch it? It won't like burn me, will it? And the bracelets! Is THAT where the thunder comes from? Or, lemme guess, let's you punch people out with the fury of the gods! Right?" She pantomimes punching just for emphasis.

"You can touch it. It won't burn you," she promises. True to her word, touching the lasso does not harm Courtney in any way. "Yes, but if they will not be honest, this will make them answer honestly, if I ask them the question. It compels them to answer and be honest." As to the question, she shakes her head a little. "The bracelets are a symbol of my people. Every Amazon has her own bracelets. These," she says, lightly touching her own bracelets, "were made from a shield used by Lord Zeus himself."

"Whoa, no way!" And then Courtney is touching the lasso. Barely at first, with a finger, as if she expected the glowing to make it hot, then with both hands as she gives it a tiny tug and a squeeze as if checking to make sure it wasn't made out of glowsticks or something. Then her smile turns sly. "So you like ever use this thing to make a boyfriend confess something?"

At the mention of the bracelets, though, the blonde-haired teenager lets go of the magic truth-telling rope and tilts sideways, her long ponytail falling off her shoulders as she eyes the ornamental piece of armor. "Really? So if I went to Amazon-land I could get a pair?" Then it hits her, C-average student that she is, what Diana had actually just said.

"WHOA, waitaminute! Hold up. Let's rewind a minut! Like THE Zeus? Guy with the thunderbolts and the lightning and the King of the Gods in Greece and all that? You actually KNOW him!?" She squints dubiously at the bracers. "And they DON'T throw lightning?"

Wonder Woman smiles. "Well. No, we don't give them out," she answers honestly. "But... if you were truly interested in learning, we could see about arranging something." The eagerness (and perhaps disbelief) and quickness that come with Courtney's questions serve to only make the Amazon Princess smile wider. "Yes, I've met Lord Zeus," she confirms with a nod. "And the others who sit on Mount Olympus." It might sound like just a story coming from most people, but there's just something... sincere in the way Diana says it. "I know they are considered myths and legends in Patriarch's World." There's a bit of a pause before she explains, "That is the word we use for the world outside of our island."

Green Lantern rings are awesome for many reasons. They can produce forcefields without peer, allow for flight, and make hilarious and useful constructs of pure energy.

They can even simulate weights. Which explains why Kyle's in such good shape. But, like any muscle, using a ring requires exercise- practice, training, and focus. And the gym at the Marjorie Field is set up for all kinds of interesting exercises. Kyle's wearing his usual, formfitting black uniform, green piping and white accents offsetting his shoulders and forearms. His face is exposed, revealing green eyes the precise shade of his ring. "Hey, ladies," he says with a faint Los Angelan accent. "Getting some gym time in?"

"Really? You take visitors?" The smile shrinks just a teensy bit. "Will I need a passport?" Somehow the idea that Themyscira had an airport with customs agents and such wasn't quite jiving with her mental image of what the island was like. No, she somewhat doubted there was any such airline as Air Amazon which catered to the women who lived there.

"That must be awesome, you should take pictures, and then friend me on Facebook so I can see your wall. I promise to leave, like, a THOUSAND likes on it, too. And I have a couple hundred followers, so that'd just have to increase your page traffice, too!" A beat. "Patri-who? Is that some guy who isn't friendly with the Amazons? 'Cause I bet we could take him down together!"

"Hey!" Chirps the blonde at the Green Lanter's arrival. She waggles her water bottle at him in a wave of sorts, then she motions at the dark-haired woman with it. "Dia- Er, Wonder Woman was just showing me how to... well, not die."

So many questions! "No passport needed. But you should still come visit our embassy in New York." The mention of Facebook gets a blank look. "I... think I've heard of that before. It involves the internet?" She gives Courtney an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I don't deal with the internet very much. And no... Patriarch's World is the Amazon term for the world outside our island... a Patriarch is a man in a position of authority. We do not have men on our island." The Lantern's arrival is met with a smile and nod of her head. "And getting to know our new teammate," she says, gesturing to Courtney.

"Diana's got a knack for not getting her ass kicked," Kyle confirms with an affable nod and grin. "I think she and Superman lead the pack in terms of 'not losing'." He stops just inside the circle of their conversation, returning Courtney's wave with a short flick of his wrist. "I keep thinking I oughta ask you for some hand to hand combat lessons," Kyle informs Diana, "but then I think, I like my limbs intact," he says with a wry grin. He looks to Courtney. "Then again, haven't been in a fistfight since 10th grade, so, y'know. I'm not exactly an expert."

"Cool, I'll look it up, fer shur!" Courtney's nodding her head so much she kind of starts to resemble a bobble-head, and then stops. "I mean, I can mapquest directions or something, I'm sure. Or Google Map." Though the complete lack of knowledge of everyone's favorite social media conglomerate makes the blonde glance askance at Wonder Woman. If she were any quieter in that instant, a tumble weed would have rolled by.

"Um, yeah. The internet. I could show you some time!" And just that quick, the upbeat and unconquerable teen exuberance is back. "No men, I wonder what that'd be like... the dances must be lame. I mean, what do the amazons do when they need dates? Buuuuuut I guess not having men around has its advantages." She spreads her hands helplessly. "Mom was always on about 'never letting a man control your life', but then she ups and moves us right out of L.A. to the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska, of all things, all because she wanted to get hitched with Pat!"

Courtney spins her water bottle around her finger by the little ring that's supposed to clip to a belt, had she been wearing one, like a wild west pistol as she returns Kyle's smile. "That long, huh? Well, I'd offer to give you lessons, but I'm afraid you'd have to go back into the locker room with Green Arrow and Superman and get made fun of for losing to a girl. ...Hey, speaking of!"

Abruptly turning away, the blonde lurches for her gym bag, dropping the bottle into it and begins rummaging around. "You guys don't move! Seriously!" And then, as if to herself, "This is gonna be so great."

"Arrive in your Stargirl costume, if you could," suggests the Amazon Princess. "It makes it easier to explain to everyone what to be looking for." She nods at Courtney's offer to show her Facebook. Hey, Steve Trevor can't show her everything in Man's World, right? She opens her mouth to explain exactly what the Amazons do for courtship but then decides better of it, and says nothing.

Kyle, though, does get a smile. "I'd be pleased to teach you, if you'd like." She does not comment on the compliment, though she is flattered. "I teach self-defense courses at the embassy." So she's not a stranger to teaching. As Courtney tells them to stay still, she arches an eyebrow, glancing Kyle-wards, searching for an explanation.

Kyle looks back at Wonder Woman, then shrugs. "Facebook. It's a, uh... hmm." His eyes go out of focus, and a glimmer of light plays across them. "It's a social network that functions on the internet," he explains, as if reading from a notecard. "It allows users to categorize other users as 'friends' and share details of their personal life with one another, expanding their social circle."

He makes a gesture with one hand as Courtney turns away, and a holographic image springs into life in front of Diana, just about the size of a window pane. It reads 'Green Lantern' at the top, and there's a picture of Kyle putting up the horns from over midtown Metropolis. "See? I'm in the 'Justice League' group, so I'm friends with some of our fellow Leaguers. I have a personal page too, but no one on /that/ knows I'm the GL," he explains.

"Sure, sure. 'Look for the girl in the star-spangled spandex.' That makes sense." Courtney calls over her shoulder. Rummage-rummage. Rummage. ...Pause. More rummaging. And then she's popping back upright with a loud, "AH HA!" She turns around to face them both with a large grin, holding her hands quite mysteriously behind her back. "Self-defense, huh? I'd totally be into learning some Amazon MMA!"

Now she's backing up, towards a machine that has a stable, flat surface. "Really?" She says as she turns away. "I just have a 'Stargirl' page." She's fiddling with something on the machine. "I just set it up one day from my laptop. I get a lot of fans in the younger crowd. ...And some really, /really/ pervy comments. Pat wants me to wear something that covers my bellybutton because of it."

And then she's turning on her heel and running towards both of the older superheroes. "C'mon, c'mon, get in close!" As she passes her bag, her collapsed staff leaps up from it and into her hand, expanding as it does so and changing her from gym outfit into the Blue-on-White stars of Stargirl. Provided they both do what she asks, she moves to sling an arm over both their shoulders and pull them in cheek-to-cheek with herself and a big, cheesy grin.

And what she'd left behind? Her camera, set up to take a picture in exactly ten seconds. "CHEEEEEESE!" *FLASH*

Wonder Woman ahas. That's what Facebook looks like! "Thank you," she says to Kyle. Ah, a camera. She knows what a camera is for! She smiles as is expected and comes natural. "And you can put a picture on your... Facebook page?" She much prefers dealing with people on a face-to-face basis, but has noticed that dealing with individuals through another medium seems to be par for the course in Patriarch's World.

A green light flickers across Kyle's face, manifesting into a green domino mask that turns his eyes into twin pools of white light. He extends a pinkie and thumb in a mahalo gesture, letting Courtney tackle him and stooping so he's on her level in the picture. "Sweet! Gotta put this up on the JLA page," he informs the girl, hooking his arm around her waist as she tugs on his shoulders. There's a glimmer from his ring. "I just sent you a friend request. Hit me back, ok? But none of that Farmville stuff," he warns, leaning the side of his head against her temple.

After the camera goes off, he nods at the Amazon. "Yeah. It's a great way to add pictures, videos, stories, whatever. So if you found, say, a fighting video, you could 'tag' Courtney with it, and then she'd see- through /her/ Facebook page- the video." The mask vanishes into nothingness again. "If you want, I can set you up a Facebook page. Be really easy. All you'd need is a computer at the Embassy and you can share photos of Themyscira, or of the Embassy, or promote your group... y'know, whatever. I share a lot of my artwork on my personal page," he tells the girls. He affectionately pops Courtney on the jaw with a light fist. "And if you think you wanna show me some moves, I'll go a round or two. I don't know the first thing about fistfighting, but I guess I should learn."

"Heck yeah, I will!" Stargirl grins, staring straight ahead. And then blinks a few times. And then a few more times, before letting go of the others and wiping at her eyes. "I... I need to lower the flash setting on that thing." She mumbles as she begins to lurch forward, setting the staff aside to stand up on it's own as she reaches out like a blind person trying to find her camera again.

"Aw, but I need a barn expansion!" She complains as she reaches the digital camera and picks it up, turning it around so she can view the picture. It was a little off-center, so she just crops it so the three of them appear back in the middle of the frame, then hits 'save'.

She's reaching down for her gym bag again when the hard-light fist turns her head and puts her off balance slightly, causing her to let out an indignant squawk, windmill her arms, and take a step to the side to keep her balance. "Oh, it is ON, Greenbean!" She holds up a finger in the classic teen 'let me tell ya' gesture and sweeps it out in front of her, the hand with the camera perched on her hip. "I kicked this little blonde girl named Cassie Sandsmark all over the ring the other day and I'll do the same to you!"

Wonder Woman lifts eyebrows. "You know Cassie?" She nods towards Kyle. "What day would work best for you?" Because she has no doubt Kyle has his own schedule to work around. Back to Courtney, because well... she doesn't want the teen to feel like she's been ignored for other matters! "Do you have other images on that camera of yours?" she wonders. "Many of my sisters that lean towards artistic talents find cameras endlessly fascinating, you know."

Kyle grins at Courtney, dancing backwards with his palms up in surrender. "Hey, go easy! I'm a lover, not a fighter. Artist's gotta protect his hands, y'know." While he dodges her sudden but inevitable counterattack, Kyle risks a glance at Wonder Woman. "When? How about now?" He keeps a wary eye on Courtney, and makes another gesture. The holographic screen pops into existence in front of Wonder Woman- it's a 'Wonder Woman' facebook page, complete with a pretty good photo of her from a Daily Bugle article a month prior. The banner is an image of the Themysciran embassy, and it's populated with some basic, well-known details about her 'public' persona. "I mean, that's just a celebrity page- y'know, for 'Wonder Woman'," he explains. "For press releases, that kind of thing. I can do you a personal page also, so you can message people, talk with them, whatever."

"Uh, yeah. Met her at a gym in New York. Blonde hair, pretty tough, can take a punch..." A frown actually creases her face for a moment. "You know her, too? You save her life or something? She musta made an impression, because I can't remember HALF the faces of people I jump in front of bullets for! Though I guess she does leave one with a rather good opinion of her. We're hanging out again this weekend!"

At the mention of her camera, she raises it up in the air in front of her and waggles it. "Oh yeah, I got tons! I'm practically a professional photographer." Okay, sliiiiight exaggeration there. "I could like... go to the corner store later and pick up some disposable cameras to take the girls. Hey, maybe that'd make 'em like me more so they'd gimme all their Amazonian secrets. And Zeus-y friendship bracelets."

And then she's stepping back closer to the older pair, eyeing the Green Lantern like she might strike at any moment. And then, like lightning, she... pokes at his chest. "YOU just better watch it! Or I won't friend you after all." The visual display catches her attention, riveting her eyes to the green holo-projection. So she makes a grab at Kyle's hand, to hold it up so she can point at the ring.

"I want /so/ need of those! Buy me one for my birthday. It's coming up."

"I saved from an ambush involving the Serpent Society," explains Wonder Woman with a little smile. "She trains with me as well." There's also the whole 'sidekick' thing. But she doesn't mention it. "Usually she comes to my Thursday night classes, but I offered her private lessons to help hone her abilities." She puts a hand on Courtney's shoulder. "I wouldn't be fair if I didn't offer you the same." Because while Cassie is someone she took on due to some gauntlets that were Amazon artifacts, Diana is making the offer to Courtney as one teammate to another.

Kyle leans back as he's poked. "Sorry, hot stuff. You're cute, but we only just met. I ain't gonna give you a ring unless you buy me dinner first." He waggles his eyebrows at Courtney and jabs her playfully in the midriff, letting her examine the ring- which looks as if it's made of solid emerald.

He looks to Wonder Woman. "Maybe /I/ oughta get a sidekick," he says thoughtfully. "I can't imagine who'd do it. Or if I should. I'm still pretty new at this whole hero shtick myself," he admits. "Like, as in, less than a year. I still can't figure why the JLA bothers to keep me on the roster," he says with a deprecating laugh.

Stargirl's midriff twitches away from Kyle's finger as she's jabbed with a ticklish squeal. "Don't push your luck. I only date guys who can beat me at arm-wrestling with the belt ON." She taps the red thing around her waist. Then considers the mention of a sidekick with what can only be considered an evil grin as she lets go of the Green Lantern's hand. "I could loan you my step-brother. He's real good with a wrench, and maybe you can punch some of the snot out of him. Or, y'know. You could be MY sidekick."

And then the offer from Diana is made, and it produces an instant reaction.

"Hell yeah, let's do it!" Courtney's now bouncing on her toes, with an expression so bright that one can practically FEEL the excitment brimming off of her. After all, what girl wouldn't want to train with Wonder Woman? She'd never admit it, but she still had a Wonder Woman costume in her closet at home from a Halloween party a few years ago! "I was trying to teach her kickboxing, but then I kicked her in the head. At first I felt bad, but it barely seemed to phase her! Now I see where she learned it from."

"Because you are a good man, Kyle Rayner," she says simply. Diana's sure of that. Quite sure. Again, it's one of those things that would sound corny if said by anyone else. Not by Diana. "This is not an organization simply for people gifted by their gods, or their people, or their technology. This is an organization for people who believe in what they are doing. Who feel it here," Diana says, tapping where her heart is.

She turns, looking back at Courtney. "I assume you have school. When would work best for you?"

Kyle flexes a bit, and a shimmering muscle suit of green energy flickers into existence, making him look like a green Mister Universe competitor. "Well, if we get to use /tools/..." he drawls, 'flexing'. He holds a hand out to Courtney in a classic arm-wrestling pose. "Is this right? I've never actually arm-wrestled. How do we do this?" he asks, eying the star-spangled girl.

"Y-Yeah, but only until May!" Courtney stutters, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink at being reminded she was the only high-schooler about. "Then I won't have any until I start NYU in the Fall." She makes a small, absent motion with her hand, back-and-forth. "I fly between here and Blue Valley all the time, so afternoons and weekends work best. I have my JLA communicator, but it'd probably be better to just use my cellphone. You guys have phones in Themy, right?"

And then she's off to her gymbag once more, tossing her camera into it and popping up with her phone in its place. And giving Kyle a dubious look. "I'll text you guys my number. Well, you can probably do that with that fancy engagement ring, right? Just look up 'Courtney Whitmore'. I'm even in the phone book!"

And then she points at the weight bench she had so nearly been crushed to death on, kneeling down next to it and patting it with one hand, placing her right elbow on its surface, arm bent. "You gotta do it on a flat surface, dingus. Diana- Wonder Woman -will be our ref! Call it!"

Wonder Woman shakes her head. "No. We don't have phones on Themyscira," she answers honestly. "I think you would consider our home a little... primitive." She's not at all apologetic about that. She hasn't developed the attachment to modern technology that many have. She wouldn't miss it if she went back home for good. "Even at the embassy, we use little in the way of modern technology."

"Aighty, let's throw down." He drops down on a knee across from Courtney, waiting for the go-ahead from Wonder Woman. "So, y'know, when you lose, don't feel bad," he consoles Courtney, even as her phone goes 'badingle' with a text message from Kyle, saying 'tag!'. "So, like, do we go on 3, or what...?" he asks Diana, looking up at the regal Amazon.

"No phones?" Courtney drops her arm as well as her jaw, looking at Diana as if she'd just formally announced that she was actually from Mars and was really related to the Martion Manhunter. "How do you communicate? I mean... I guess I could write DOWN my number." She says it like it involves some kind of archaic technology. "I think I might have a pen around somewhere. But..." And here she's looking entirely too serious. "...how do you guys /text/?"

She shakes her head at the thought of life without a cellphone, without being to update her status on the fly, without being able to text all of her 'superbuddies' at a moment's notice. Without being able to GOOGLE! But then it's go time, and the young blonde has probably the most serious expression on her face that's even been there. Well, when she wasn't trying to stop crime, anyway. She clasps hands with Green Lantern and then looks expectantly at Wonder Woman, waiting for the signal to begin.

And when they get it... Stargirl abruptly cheats.

She uses both hands, throwing her entire weight against Kyle's arm (and/or whatever construct he creates), pressing on him with both arms. She even braces her chest against the back of her hand and uses her legs to try and push his arm down!

Kyle blinks. "Hey, I think that's cheating," he protests, watching Courtney try /really hard/. He looks at Diana. "Is this cheating? Because I thought it was, like, a one-hand thing." His hand doesn't move a centimeter, even with all her efforts. "Also, seriously- cell phones. Texting. A world of communication," he informs the Amazon. "It's awesome. I have my ring linked to the GSM and the LTE networks all over the world. I can make an international phone call from anywhere in the world. AND text," he informs the woman. "It's the best way in the world to share a short bit of information if a phone call isn't warranted."

"Oh, right!" he says, looking back at Courtney. He twists his wrist a bit, bracing Courtney's body with an invisible shield of force, and rotates her upwards until her feet are aimed skyward. "So, do I win?" he asks, without any sound of effort.

Wonder Woman does indeed count down from 3. She laughs when Stargirl demonstrates her cheating. Which makes her laugh more than anything. "You will see, Courtney, when you come visit. I'll explain it all to you then." Poor girl's just very attached to the modern world, isn't she? She nods at Kyle. "I understand texting. Steve told me about it. I'm the bane of many in politics because I don't have a phone. They have to come to me in person."

"HNNNNNNNNNNGH!" Stargirl is really trying her best, but the Cosmic Converter Belt doesn't enhance her strength enough that she can overcome the power of Will used by Kyle's ring. But she grunts and grimaces and strains REALLY HARD even so. After all, she wasn't dumb. She knew it was her only chance of being able to win! Sadly, it is to no avail.

She's then turned upside down and her hand comes to rest flat against the side of the bench. The blonde-haired girl, her long hair now hanging down onto the floor, gives the Green Lantern a /look/ of utter disapproval. "I hate you. I hate everything about you." She vows. "Now lemme down!" She struggles to right herself and, hopefully, is released from the bracing field so she can get her feet back under her. "You are such a cheat! That was strike one." She holds up a finger and draws it downwards as if making an invisible tic in the air.

But a girl like Courtney Whitmore, superheroine or no, is indeed attached to the modern conveniences she's grown up with. She wrings her wrist out a bit and gives Kyle one last sulking sore-loser glower before the grin comes back and she's giving Wonder Woman an honest-to-goodness thumbs up. You know, the kind that went out of style back in the nineties.

"Awesome, I'm SO looking forward to it." And then she points at the male. "No boys allowed, right? Hey, who's Steve. Wait..." Lightbulbs and alarms start to go off behind her eyes. "Is he your boyfriend? Does Wonder Woman have a boyfriend!?" She looks at Kyle. "Is that allowed?"

"Steve Trevor," Diana explains, "is a man that accidentally crashed his plane on our island. I brought him back here. He's... a liaison, of sorts, for us. To the UN. He's decided he's responsible for making me learn about the world at large." She does not bat an eyelash at Courtney's question about Steve being her boyfriend. "I've been told he would like to court -- ask me out, but he hasn't yet."

"You know who tells Wonder Woman what she's allowed to do?" Kyle asks Courtney as she's gently lowered back to the ground. "No one." He nods solemnly at the girl. "So, like, if Diana says she's got a boyfriend, or a boy toy, or a harem, or whatever, I ain't gonna argue with her. You don't have harems in Themyscria, do you?" he asks Wonder Woman. "I mean, if that's a thing, I'll totally volunteer for that. As far as I can tell, yours is a land full of nothing but beautiful vistas and gorgeous women. I could retire from this life of heroing!" he declares, with a little fist pump. He eyes Courtney. "Or would that be selfish of me?"

"That'd break a lot of hearts, you know." Courtney says sagely, as if she knew anything about the matter at all. But with Green Lantern here, well, she makes a mental note to try and pry a love confession for this pilot out of Diana later. When they were alone. Possibly after the older woman mopped the floor with her face in a training session. Sparring was one of the best ways to bond, after all! Or so it had gone with Cassie.

"Way selfish of you." Courtney replies without missing a beat. "But pretty generous of them! After all, it'd take a helluva strong woman to put up with you in the first place. Besides," She says as she picks up her staff from where it's been standing, collapsing it back and allowing her costume to go with it, leaving her back in her ponytail, sports bra, lycra shorts, and sneakers. "If anyone's gonna move there, it's gonna be me."

She lets out a few shadow-punches and a kick on her way to her gym bag, and levels a temp at Green Lantern's arm. "I called dibs on learning Amazon-kwan-do first!" Stuffing her staff back into the back, she hefts the cloth container up and over her shoulder. "But I need to go take a shower before I get all rank and nasty." She holds a warning finger up in the male's direction. "Not a word!"

And then she's turning away and headed right for the girl's locker room. "I'll see you guys later, okay? I'll come by the embassy tonight!" Right as the swinging door closes behind her, she yells. "AND I'M GONNA WANT A RE-MATCH, GREENBEAN!"