( open ) ✘ ❝ i know my call ❞

[advena]

CHARACTERS: kara zor-el & you.
LOCATIONS: around the city.
WARNINGS: physical violence, angst, general Good Times™
NOTE: forward-dated. spoilers up to supergirl 3.09
SUMMARY: as of january 5, kara's come back from her canon update, and she's ready to ... not be here, mostly.

✘ arrival & arrangements.

( her arrival is... sudden, for lack of a better word. she arrives as swiftly as she'd fallen, blood and bruises still prominent even after the city's administration checks her in. no, she tells them, i want to remember. if she must be here, if she must come back, she wants to be herself.

they offer her the belongings she'd left in their trust — things like her keys, filled with access to everything from the off-site townhome she'd registered with someone else to the back door of a business she barely remembers — but she declines them all. instead, kara quietly accepts a temporary assignment in the alpha building, a room they promise she'll find particularly comfortable on the top floor.

is it comfortable? perhaps it could be, if she wanted comfort. but all kara zor-el can ask for is the one thing she cannot have just yet: peace, brought by the knowledge that what horror she's left behind to flourish in her absence has finally been silenced, and that will not happen until she earns her piece here.

charity, they tell her, or intimate kindness. the idea of being intimate with anyone feels impossible. so here she is, lingering in the hallway of the volunteer center, looking considerably worse for wear, trademark glasses and librarian get-up traded in for dark slacks and a deo-issued grey sweater. )

I'd like to volunteer, please. Somewhere quiet.

✘ the sky & the sea.

( in the middle of the night, the sky is milky black and shimmering from the echoes of the stars dotted across; every so often, the occasional speck of a plane or a light in the distance breaks the scene. if you look closely, though, there's more than just clouds and birds and metal in the sky — there's the faint outline of a girl, too, a blur of colors floating in the distance, the outline of fabric fluttering in the breeze. it's neither a bird nor a plane, however; it's just kara, aimlessly drifting over the city.

from the ground, it might be hard to tell exactly who's up there, but if you've got a higher vantage point — like the high floors of a building, or your own capabilities for flight — you might be able to recognize the shape of the girl afloat, though said shape might be the only thing recognizable. instead of her librarian chic getup or the bright colors of her supergirl cape and boots, kara's dressed a bit... less formally.

warm grey cotton, varying shades from head to toe, might not indicate her current state, but the gentle close of her eyes just might. her hands dangle from her side as she floats, the night breeze carrying her to and fro as she slumbers. sleepflying. it's a thing. maybe you'll care to wake her, or to listen as she murmurs in her sleep. )

... the book of Rao... the symbols... please don't...

✘ of fists & fangs.

( sucker punch, with its dim lighting and the inexplicable coating of dust that seems to settle in everything, is not the sort of place you'd expect to find sunshine incarnate kara danvers. really, it's not even the sort of place you'd expect to hear about her, let alone run into her face-to-face. but if you happen to go in on just the right day, at precisely the right time, you might just find her there.

to be entirely fair, it's not exactly kara danvers, human ray of sunshine, who finds herself settled inside the ring. no, the slim, quiet girl with the echoes of bruising across her cheekbones hardly seems a fair comparison to the chipper sweetheart that had left this city just a week ago.

there's a quiet intensity to her now, intent in each strike of fist against the reinforced metal she's hung in place of a punching bag, resolve in each low exhale of breath as she attempts each move in her memory.

when the metal finally gives way, she lingers near the ropes of the boxing ring, blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and her everyday attire exchanged for a rather cozy-looking sweatpants and t-shirt combo, looking more like a skittish potential fighter than a girl who could knock out the hulk with a good right hook. it might be easier to practice there. it's only this knowledge that has her turning to the next person who crosses her path, to murmur: )

I need a sparring partner.

✘ free spaces & wildcards.

( for convenience's sake, i've drawn up a few starters! however, anyone who knows her might notice she's not been at any of her usual hangouts — home, criminales, the alluring warmth of wok and roll on unlimited potstickers day, and so on. feel free to call her out on it, or alternatively, if you fancy a chance meeting with the girl formerly known as kara danvers, by all means, have at it.

feel free to pm me or hit me up at semicolons if you want to hash something out in advance, though! )

Comments

sparring

[ischyros]

( Diana likes to come spar from time to time though she has to be mindful of reserving her strength so she doesn't flatten her partner on accident. Having a live partner is more interesting and of more value than attacking the bags so when she hears the woman next to her ask for a partner, she's quick to volunteer. She recognizes her a bit, she thinks, but something seems off from the person she met before. )

I'm willing to be your partner, if you'd like to spar for a while. Bare handed or with weapons?

[advena]

( beyond the odd piece of rebar wielded against a rampaging someone or other, kara's not particularly keen on weaponry. she doesn't have anything that's particularly her own — no bow and arrows, no impossibly sturdy shields, just her own fists and cape and unwavering trust. not that the last part was really very strong these days, but so's the phrase.

to diana's question, kara only offers: ) No weapons. I think... I think I'd rather just my hands.

( she remembers diana. of course she does. how could she not? )

[ischyros]

( Diana is good with her hands. Her hands are the first weapons she ever learned how to use and ultimately they're the ones she's most comfortable with. They're the ones that can never be taken away from her in a fight and, therefore, are the most valuable. )

Hands, then. Best of three? Or do you think you have more stamina than that, Kara?

[advena]

I — ( but to diana's question, she hesitates. does she have more stamina than that, nowadays? she doesn't know. she might have, before, but she's not sure what she's capable of anymore. ) Best of three, to be on the safe side.

( though it's come at a terrible price, it seems kara's kryptonian cockiness might be taken down a notch these days. )

[ischyros]

( Best of three it is. Diana hasn't had a fight against someone who can match her in a while so the idea of it has her blood pumping even before she makes the first strike. She bounces on the balls of her feet, tips her head toward a ring marked off for sparring. )

Ready when you are, then. It'll be my pleasure.

[advena]

( is she ready for this? maybe. whether she is or not, kara nods, following the other woman into the ring with a quiet determination.

the first round, for a few minutes at least, goes okay. she manages to evade the more obvious hits; a flash of light across the way distracts her, and the back of diana's hand makes contact with her chest, sturdy and strong. )

... ow!

( well, yeah, kara. getting punched hurts. who'd have thought? )

[ischyros]

( Diana rocks back onto her heels before striking out again, this time with her feet for a sweep of the legs. It's sparring, after all, and she wants to make herself the best opponent she can. It's no use if she isn't a challenge to defeat and her partner doesn't challenge her. )

Come now, Kara, you can do better than this! I've seen you fight before.

[advena]

( she wasn't expecting that. or, rather, maybe she was expecting it, but the distraction of hand to hand combat actually being about hands making contact is enough to throw her off completely — diana's feet sweeping underneath her pulls her to the ground, crumpled and practically frozen in place from shock.

it hurts, and maybe that's the strangest part of all. in her weakened state, still recovering from her fight with worldkiller, kara's kryptonian superstrength seems to be sapped from her bones. it's as if she's low on battery. )

I don't know what's wrong with me.

[ischyros]

( Diana stops then, kneeling down beside her. She considers Kara a friend even if they haven’t spoken all that often and she doesn’t want to see her hurt - especially not by her own hand. )

I am sorry, Kara. I thought you were still at strength and could match me. It wasn’t my intent to hurt you. I hope you know that.

[advena]

( a tight nod indicates that, yes, kara knows all too well that diana's intentions were nothing but kind. they may not be close, but kara knows of diana well enough to know she's only ever meant well — while this may not be the same diana that her cousin had told her of, she has a feeling the two are close enough. )

I'll be okay. I think I just — ( a grimace as she pulls herself to her feet, mouth pulled taut to hold back a groan ) — I should probably take it easy. At least for a little while.

[ischyros]

( Diana thinks she should take it easy for longer than just a little while but she's hardly in a position to make decisions for other people. Still, she cares about Kara even if they aren't close; she's always been kind to her and Diana has always had too big a heart even if it opens her up to be hurt. )

I think we should hold off on sparring and have a cup of tea. Do you think so?