| Wonder Girl's Homecoming | |||||
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| What: Wonder Girl returns to the Titan's. | |||||
It's been a long time since a certain blonde power house has been around, but today, that changes. Cassandra Sandsmark, aka Cassie, aka aka Wonder Girl, is finally returning home. 'Home' being the Titans Tower. Outside, there's an arrival from the air, as Wonder Girl, decked out in a newer costume (as it were) descends from above. She carries very little, save for a rucksack packed to bursting, with the zipper nearly parting thanks to everything that's been shoved into said backpack.
When her booted feet touch the ground, Cassie will take a moment to look at the grounds about and the Tower. When everything looks to be as normal as it was when she left, Cassie smiles. "Good to be home." Says the young woman, even as that smile transforms into a grin. Then she's hoofing it towards the Tower, easily covering the ground with a fast stride as she makes her way inward.
Perhaps, the security systems will alert anyone who's home that a new arrival is upon the grounds. It doesn't flash as an emergency, only because Cassie was and is on the current roster of the team. Simply flagged as 'on-leave'. Likely that flag will be switching to 'active' status very shortly.
What a night! The joys of the Star Sapphire Ring Recharge lead Star Shimmer to a fetish club. Details perhaps later. Shimmer got in about three AM. After a few hours of sleep, She is up and positively glowing. Happily she goes to the kitchen and starts making some Waffles.
A few moments later, she senses something. Cocking her head, she raises her ring. "Okay, Someone clearly has great love in their heart. My guess is for here." She goes to the computer for a moment, using a few constructs to handle the cooking. "I don't know her." Keying in a few strokes, she gets her answer. Using her comm she speaks up. "Hello Anyone know a Wonder Girl? Because there is a Wonder Girl here!"
[Titans] <IC> Star Shimmer "Hello Anyone know a Wonder Girl? Because there is a Wonder Girl here!"
[Titans] <IC> Shazam "Huh? Gosh, no..."
[Titans] <IC> Star Shimmer "according to the computer she is a Member of the Titans, just has been on leave for a while."
[Titans] <IC> Shazam "Oh, well, let's go greet her then! She could be a really swell person and friend after all. I'll be at the Tower in a few minutes."
[Titans] <IC> Star Shimmer "I sorta have a lot of stuff cooking... Invite her to breakfast!"
Billy on the other hand, is on winter break from school, it's why when he hears the comm chatter from Shimmer he flies from Westchester where he was staying at the X-Mansion to be able to finish his education. He lands on the roof and then calls forth the magic lightning with his magic word, "SHAZAM!" and turns himself from the big guy back to plain ol' Billy Batson as he walks to the elevator, the scanner scans him and a female computerized voice says, "Recognize Captain Marvel, #015." The elevator doors open and he takes the elevator down to the lounge.
He sees Cassie and lifts off the hood of his magic cloak and cape and grins and says, "Holy moley! Hi there... You must be Wonder Girl, I'm Billy, Billy Batson or Captain Marvel (Shazam), Star Shimmer said you were on leave?" He's very polite as the young man offers Cassie his hand in greeting and continues, "Shimmer's in the kitchen making breakfast, want some? Gosh, I don't know about you, but I'm STARVING and she's a GREAT cook!"
By the time Billy arrived, Cassie had just made it to the lounge and was dropping the rucksack from her shoulder to well worn couch. At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, the blonde automatically turns back towards the door. Some might jump, or look suspicious, or tense for an attack, but this is Wonder Girl. She's not so suspicious, at least, not when she's on home turf. "Hey! A new face!" She calls out in a friendly way even as her hand automatically raises upward in a wave, "Nice to meet you, Billy! And yes, I'm Wonder Girl. Or more importantly, Cass. Wonder Girl is for on the field, here, I'm just Cass." When he extends his hand, Cassie reaches out to give it a friendly squeeze and shake; mindful of the strength of her grip.
"Breakfast sounds /wonderful/. I've been flying all night and morning to get back to the Tower. And Shimmer - " Another new name and face! " - Is correct. I was on leave for a bit, but now I'm back. It's really good to be /back/." She says, that smile transforming into a grin as she steps out of the lounge and makes her way towards the kitchen. "So, tell me what I've missed since I've been gone?"
The Star Sapphire has moved back to the kitchen. She pokes her head out and waves, "Hiya, Wonder Girl! I'm Star Shimmer. I will drop the formalities in a few minutes. Cooking up a storm in here." She returns to the kitchen. Then, from the kitchen, Shimmer's voice rings out. "DAMMIT SILKIE! I JUST FINISHED THOSE!!!"
Inside the kitchen, Star Shimmer has picked the Silkie up and put him on her shoulder while she works on more batter. The Silkie had eaten all of the Waffles she had whipped up so far. Things are insane out there. There is maple flavored sausage links cooking filling the air with the sweet aroma. There is are all sorts of berries, a few other fruits and whipped cream. All in all... yummy breakfast.
Billy grins as Shimmer's voice rings out and says, "Not much honestly, oh Kori's picked a consort, his name is Solaire. Hmm... It'll take me a while to figure out what's happened because I'm not so sure how long it's been since you were here last." He calls back to Shimmer and says, "You know, if you fed Silkie first, he might not have eaten what you just cooked!" He laughs softly then.
Billy then says aside to Cassie, "So... you're Lord Zeus's daughter aren't you? Does he talk to you much? Gosh, the Wizard talks to me all the time, but he's the Wizard and Gods know that he's the biggest meddler there is!"
Once more, Wonder Girl raises her hand upward in a friendly wave when Star Shimmer pokes her head out of the kitchen. "Hey there, Star Shimmer. Nice to meet you -" More could have easily been said, but the other woman darted back into the kitchen too fast for Cassie to say anything else. Turning her attention back to Billy, Wonder Girl listens intently to what he has to say, nodding as he drops some information to her. "It's been a while. A little over a year since I"ve been here, so any and all news would be welcomed. Even if I already know about it."
Once inside the kitchen, Cassie's gaze will take in Star Shimmer, the various food stuffs, cooking and already upon the table, and of course silkie. The flurry of activity causes her to shake her head for a minute, grin still upon her lips as she says, "Man, have I missed the craziness of this place. Seriously. Let me help with something - why don't I grab drinks? Juice, water, tea ...
And not one to be idle, Cassie does go and do that. There's a sureness to her movements, as she's quite familiar with the kitchen, but that doesn't mean everything is still in the same cupboards and upon the same shelves, which she finds out as she opens one cupboard and then another, before finding glasses and mugs. It's only when Billy pipes up with his question that the young woman will poke her head out from behind a cupboard door, "I am his daughter, as /crazy/ as that sounds and seems, but no. We don't talk too much. I get the feeling he's pretty busy himself and knowing the old stories like I do ..." A few glasses will be placed upon the table, as she continues, "I'm sure /he's/ meddling somehow, someway."
"What about you both?" Is her last question, even as she snags a large jug of orange juice from the fridge.
Star Shimmer smiles a little, "Thank you! Waffles will be done in just a minute or so." Using her ring, She's actually doing the dishes as well as cleaning up. She is definitely using her abilities thuroughly this morning. "Well, you can call me Autumn. Wally and my dad call me Shimmy. She laughs. "Anyway I only started here months ago. Still a new hero though and I help out where I can. I guess I should give you the whole spiel. Star Shimmer, Star Sapphire Corps sector 2814. She uses her ring to pick up one of the sausages to taste. "Ooo Yum!"
"Nice to meet you, Autumn. Like I told Billy here, just call me Cass. Wonder Girl is for the field and we're definitely not there." Juice will be poured into three glasses and then once each is filled, the jug goes right back in the fridge. After all, who likes /warm/ OJ. Definitely not Wonder Girl.
"Sector 2814?" Cassie echoes slightly, as she picks up a plate and begins to add food to it. While some girls might just go for fruit, Cassie is anything but that. She goes for all the good rib sticking food.
"Lanterns?" She finally hazards a guess having met a few Lanterns that used that same sort of verbiage and since Star Sapphire Corps doesn't have the whole 'Lantern' tacked upon their name, Cassie didn't want to assume. "So, lots of energy constructs then?" She continues, as she adds some sausages to her plate, as well.
"And it doesn't matter how 'new' or 'old' you are in this business, all that matters is that you /help/ people." States the blonde firmly, even as she smiles towards the other woman. "Everyone started out as new at some point. If you could have seen some of the /mistakes/ I made when I first came on the scene?" Her blue eyes roll upward in a good natured way, "/Man/, so so embarassing. I hate to even think about some of the mistakes I made!"
Star Shimmer smiles, "A pleasure to meet you Cass." She quickly begins making up a plate of her own. Definitely not a typical plate. She has a few sausage links on that thing, a pair of waffles and then, whipped cream and fruit. Good belgium waffles. "Ahhhh That is so yummy!" She states as she takes a bite. "Well so far I kissed Wally, Pissed off Donna and then had the lack of sense to get into the sparring ring with Donna and not power up.... Got knocked through three sky scrapers while trying to stop a kryptonian... oh became a princess... blew a hole in a wall at home... Tones of fun right!"
Than onto shop. "Yes, Star Sapphires are one of the Lantern corps. Star Sapphires wield the Violet light of love. Sector 2814 is this sector of Space. It contains this entire solar system." She beams. "My Mother, who adopted me, is the Princess of the Star Sapphires. She's the one who recruited me. When she adopted me I sorta got a lot more responsibility. I'm just happy she's back in the Sector."
Cassie likewise snags a waffle, though instead of whipped cream, she'll instead go for maple syrup and lots of butter. Again, she's not shy about what she's eating. Settling into a chair at the already overstuffed table, the blonde will take a bite of the waffle. "These are good." She adds between mouthfulls, before that second bite pauses upward to her mouth.
It's all the information that Star Shimmer just devulged. That bite of waffle hangs there for a second longer and then it's eaten by Cass. Finally, when that second bite is finished, the blonde girl will offer a grin towards the other woman. "Soooo - " She says humorously, "- Just a normal day then at Titans Tower?"
"And that's great to hear your mother is back in town. I know when my mom used to go out on digsites for all hours it would be hard. Then when she would come home, she would always be extra over protective." And there's only the smallest note of teenage 'angst' still in those words, as Cassie does understand that it was her mother's way of showing how much she loved and missed her daughter. "It used to drive me insane, but I kinda understand what she would go through. How long was your mom gone for?"
Star Shimmer smiles, "About a month and yes, just another day." She smiles but there is her own bout of teen angst behind her smile. She takes a few more bites of her waffles. "Sorry, I had a trip to Mercury a few days ago and I am still getting rid of of the horrid taste of Mercurian steak out of my mouth."
Than she gives a little sigh, "I said that my mom adopted me. Well technically my mom and dad adopted me. My birth parents... well they weren't exactly accepting me. This was before my ring came to me. I was a umm.... Transgirl. Born a male was female inside. My parents didn't approve. I was Valedictorian of my class, The staff used my chosen name... My parents threw me out. I guess that is when my life really started though."
"Mercurian steak? I'm afraid to ask what it tasted like." Cassie says, even as she eats another bite of waffle. Star Shimmer's angst is heard, but for now, Cassie doesn't touch upon it. She doesn't know the young woman well enough to really pry and for now, Cassie doesn't.
It's only as Star Shimmer tells the tale of just how she became a hero, that Cassie's fork will be placed upon her plate. It's the sigh. It sounded sad or perhaps tired, or maybe even both? There was something behind that sound that causes Cassie to realize the next words might not be all that easy for the other woman to say.
"I'm so sorry." Says the blonde power house, when Star Shimmer's sad story is given. "That's horrible." While she just met the girl that doesn't stop Cassie from scooting her chair close enough to offer Shimmer a careful arm squeeze. Careful, beause of Cassie's own innate strength. "I can only imagine what it would be like for your parents to kick you out, but I'm glad you found a new family that accepts you for who you really are. That's what matters the most." Her own childhood, while tame in comparison, had some bumps that Cassie understands not everyone has the white picket fence ideal for a family and can easily empathize with how one might feel.
Star Shimmer laughs, "Well... when my ring came to me, my entire world got turned upside down. Its been a wild ride... both as Star Shimmer, And as Autumn. My ring noted that my body didn't match who I really am so it healed me. One hundred percent pure female now!" She laughs a little. "Also got thrown into Arkham by my birth parents. Star Sapphire got me out and sorta torched their house. I showed them that I wasn't their little boy anymore. Everything has worked out since though. I never thought I would be a super hero. I never thought I would be like this... Hell I never thought I would be a princess! I've just seen so much awesome stuff since this. Its awesome!"
Billy speaks up then, having finished stuffing some sausages and eggs down his throat which had occupied him for a bit, "I got chosen by a Wizard! Not that it was such a great thing, since at the time I was only 12 years old and had been living on the streets of New York for 2 years." He swallows and then says, "Holy moley Shimmer! Your cooking is so good, I'd marry you!" He grins at the Star Sapphire and then glances at Cassie and says, "It's not the past that defines us, it's who we are inside and the lessons we learn from our mistakes." Looks like the Wisdom of Solomon can sometimes leak out even when he's not Captain Marvel.
"Being a super hero is pretty awesome, isn't it?" Cassie says with a grin, then she's settled back in her former spot, as she adds, "I remember the first time I saw a super hero. I used to dream about being a super hero, myself, and now here I am." She shakes her head at her own memories of the wild ride of becoming a super hero sparked from this conversation.
Billy's words cause the young woman to focus her attention upon him now, as she nods. "Agreed. Completely. We've all made mistakes, or had bad things happen in our past, but it's what we do going forward that really defines us. I think most of us here have a unique and crazy story all our own. It's something to always keep in mind when dealing with others. Especially if you don't know them that well. You don't know what issues they're dealing with and sometimes, those issues can you make you lash out even when you really don't want to."
And then realizing the convesation has gotten a little heavy, the young woman adds, "Unless the baddies are smashing buildings up. Usually the smash and grab type are just that, smash and grab. Just out for themselves and doesn't care if /anyone/ gets hurt by their actions. Those types, you usually just need to knock out to get them to see 'reason'."
Star Shimmer smiles, "On the contrary. The past does actually define us. It shapes who we are. Without the things that have happened we would not be who we are. Our experiences teach us things that we could not learn any other way. As much as we learn, we can't live in it. That is the catch." She smiles and her constructs fade. Yup her constructs had been cleaning the kitchen up. "That worked out nicely. Okay I think I need a few more winks of sleep. I had a wild night last night. Star Sapphires Curse. Recharge time can result in some really interesting nights. " She laughs a little. "Cas welcome back and I look forward to seeing you around a bit more. Billy I will drop by the school this week and do some tutoring with you and Chenda."
Billy glances up at Shimmer and then simply nods his head and waves, still eating as much of the huge amount of food Shimmer has prepared as he can. He swallows long enough to say, "Sounds good Shimmer! I know Chenda and I really would appreciate it!"
"See you later, Autumn. Next time we're both around we should have a practice together. It's been ages since I could use my full power without breaking something." Cassie says, even as she offers a quick wave. Then her attention shifts over to Billy, as she asks, "What school are you going to? I just enrolled at Metro U. to start finishing up my first semster there."
Billy glances at Cassie and says, "Well... actually, I'm going to the Xavier Institute for the Gifted... I err, ended up dropping out of school when I was in the 6th grade and then once I was chosen by the Wizard to be the Champion of magic and Protector of Mortals, I didn't think it was safe for me to go to a regular school. Not to mention I don't think I could use being a superhero as an excuse for missing class!"
"Right. Up there with a gryphon eating your homework. My teacher's didn't accept that excuse either." Says Cassie, even as she picks her plate up and then motions towards Billy's. "You done?"
"I think I've heard mention of Xavier's Institute for the Gifted. How do you like it so far? And if I can help in anyway, I'd be happy too. Just not triganometry. I hated trig class." And no, she doesn't make a big to-do about Billy only finishin up to the sixth grade. Again, they've all had very odd childhoods. Missed schooling isn't a surprise to her.
Billy looks down at his plate, then at all the food he's eaten, burps, turns red and then picks it up and says, "Yeah, I think so... I'll wash, if you'll dry and put them away?" He offers as he starts taking plates to the sink so that they can wash, dry and put them away. Billy then says, "As for the school, it's great! I don't have to hide who and what I am. It's kind of strange being the only non-mutant there, but all the teaches and my classmates are really swell people."
"Sure." Cassie says, a grin being bestowed upon the red young man. "I hate washing, anyway." Her plate will be dropped carefully in the sink and then the blonde looks for a handy tea towel to dry with.
When the first plate is put in the drying rack, Cassie will easily snag it up and dry it, even as she thoughtfully listens to Billy. "It sounds nice there. Who's this Chenda you were speaking of? A fellow classmate?" She asks curiously, as she dries a second plate and stacks it upon the first. Obviously, she follows the dry, stack and then put away method of dish washing.
Billy grins as he washes the plates quickly and efficiently, it seems he's quite used to this, probably had more than one job under the table as a dishwasher at a restaurant. He then replies to her question about Chenda as he hands her washed plates, "Yeah, her full name is Richenda Grey, but she likes to be called Chenda and she's a very good friend and classmate... kind of funny how we met, I was in the library studying and she was talking to one of the college students and I startled her and she made the college student's pants disappear with her powers by accident!" He blushes, "I sorta got an eyeful of black lace panties and she nearly fainted with embarrassment... Chenda, although Ms. Rasputina, the college student, took it all in stride." He grins then, "After everything was over and she was gone and I helped Chenda get over her embarrassment, I made a silly remark and then we err... had a pants dropping duel..." He blushes.
One blonde eyebrow raises high upward on Cassie's face, as she turns to give Billy an amazed look. "Ahhh. Yeah, I'd be dying of embarassment too. There's costume malfunctions and then there's /costume/ malfunctions." She shakes her head, as she diligently dries the dishes, though she's not as quick as Billy is. It's only when he states that last bit, that she turns another amazed look upon the boy.
"I've only just met you Billy, but that sure takes the cake. You don't strike me as the pants dropping type." She flashes a quick grin, to hopefully take out any sort of string her humorous words might cause. "So, who won?" She asks, with that grin still upon her features.
Billy blushes bright red and fumbles for a moment with the dishes before he hands her the last one and says, "Err... it was a draw, we both dropped our pants at the same time." He shrugs and says, "At least I didn't go, umm, commando that day... I tried not to stare at hers, because that would be too rude though!" He hastens to add, even though he totally did, trying hard not to, but being male and human... yeah.
The last dish is accepted from Billy, as Cassie lets loose with a burble of bright laughter. "A draw. I like it." And then once that last dish is dried, Cassie will stack all the plates up and put them back in their particular cupboard. The towel will simply be drapped on the countertop to dry, so it doesn't mildew.
"And yes, staring is rude." The girl says brightly, an obvious tease in her tone, as she settles her hands upon her hips. She's giving the kitchen a once over, making sure they didn't miss any other dishes. When it's clear that everyone is cleaned up, Wonder Girl turns back to Billy. "So, who else is on the roster still? I want to say there was close to a dozen of us when I was here last. I've a feeling though, that there's going to be more new faces than old."
Billy empties the sink and makes sure that it's all cleaned up before he dries his hands off carefully so that they don't end up arthritic from having dishpan hands. He then thinks, "Well, if we're talking active members, mostly it's Kori, Wally, Shimmer, me and Power Girl. The rest are on leave like yourself." He adds and then remembering the duel mutters, "Pink, with a purple bow..." He then blinks and reddens again.
"Okay, some of those names are familiar." Cassie says, sounding pleased to know that some of her friends are still around. This does indeed make her happy. And it shows, as she offers Billy another one of her bright smiles.
It's that last bit, that causes Cassie to muffle a snort of amusement. "Uh huh. I'm pretty sure that means you /looked/, Billy." Sure she doesn't necessarily know that Billy is muttering about underwear that were pink with a purple bow, but one, Cassie is a girl and two, she knows what sort of underwear girl's wear.
"So, what's your power set, Billy? Power house?" She asks, hazarding a guess, just from what little he's said.
Billy then blinks and turns as red as his sweater and mumbles, "I couldn't help it... I tried not to, but I was curious..." He then claps his hands over his mouth as the embarrassment meter maxes out and metaphorical steam can be seen coming out of his ears. When finally he's able to speak again, he manages to answer her question and says, "I'm a lot like Kal-El, except I don't have his vision abilities. Truthfully though, because I'm magic, as Captain Marvel I might actually have the advantage over him because he's vulnerable to magic. Not that I'd want to fight him at any rate, because he's Superman after all!"
There's another bright burst of laughter from Cassie, even as she shakes her head. "Boys." She says simly, even as her laughter quiets down. She's then listening to him describe his powers and with a nod, she says, "Cool. We'll have to spar sometime then. I suppose you could say mine are magic based, as well. Honestly, I'm not sure what you'd describe them as, but magic seems the best category to put them."
Afterall, she was technically born with the powers. They were just latent. "Anyway, do you know if my room was kept the same, by chance? I wasn't sure if they just mothball'd the rooms of people on 'vacation', or re-absorbed them. If it's not avail no big deal, I can just grab another empty room and make it mine, again."
Billy shakes his head, "I have no idea, I'd assume your room is still there, I've never heard of them packing up rooms and the like." He smiles, "I'm pretty sure no one would touch anyone's stuff, that's not the way we work around here."
"Great. I figured as much, but if space was at a premium while I was gone, I could see people packing it away." Cassie says, before she offers a wave to Billy, "It was great to meet you, Billy. If you don't mind I'm going to grab my backpack and go and see how much dust has accumulated in my room. Talk with you later!" And with that said, the blonde quickly makes her way out of the kitchen.
Once out of the kitchen, she zips to the lounge, grabs her backpack and then goes in search of her long, lost, room.