shatterverse | (no subject)

"The Birds of Prey," Steph says, grinning. "Lady Blackhawk, Black Canary, and Oracle."

As to whether she misses it or not ...

After a moment's serious thought, she shakes her head slowly. "You know, I don't. I mean, the excitement and adrenaline, I miss that, but ... I dunno. It's just ... nice to have a break."

"Good names, I think I've met some."

Kate then asked, "You don't? Having the opportunity to help people? Protect them and keep them safe? I've been enjoying my time here, with Will, but... I feel guilty that I know there's people out there who need protection. And they need somebody to look out for them."

Steph turns her bike off and leans against it, thoughtful.

"I ... I guess the difference for me is that here ... my city's dead. And I have -- well, a sort of a family, now. I never used to have any reason to keep myself safe, you know?"

Kate had cut the engine on hers, and contemplated some things.

"I lost my friends and family from home, I don't even know how they are now. There was a war going on when I was dropped here. And from what I've heard, New York's gone. I don't have my city either. But I don't want to let go of making a difference when I have the chance to do it."

Steph offers her a waterbottle, after taking a sip, and settles down in the grass beside the road. After a moment, she digs out a packet of chocolate biscuits, too, with a grin.

"Yeah... I know what you mean," she admits, breaking a biscuit up into smaller bits. "I do feel kind of guilty that I'm not -- like, travelling the world, saving lives, all that. But ... I just, I dunno. I was in this other world for nearly a year, and there wasn't anything to fight there. And ... I dunno."

She's not even sure why she isn't hurrying back out to fight the world. She just ... isn't.

It's confusing.

Kate thanked her for the water bottle, and had a sip herself.

"I guess it's just I'm still new, and haven't had much chance to do a lot of heroing yet. Was just getting started."

Steph is very thoughtful as she offers biscuits too.

"I haven't really thought about going back, honestly. It just ... it didn't really occur to me, not since we landed in this world.

"I guess it should have. I always used to be all gung-ho. But ... it was to stop my dad, y'know? And he never existed in this world. And I just ... didn't really think."

But oh, she's thinking now.

"I want to still. Even though things have been great and amazing with Will, and I still want to help him get to Sherwood so he'd feel better. I just want to still be able to help people and protect them somehow. Why I'm keeping an eye out around here for any trouble, you know?"

Steph nods, smiling.

"I know exactly what you mean. Like, there's a part of me that's never not going to want to protect people. I guess it's just that since Eden, 'people' means 'Hana and Loo and Mel and Sokka and everyone else at the farm' and not so much 'Gotham at large.'"

She nodded, "I know, a lot less people to protect out there now. But some of them still need our help. I know not everybody can be saved, but still have to try anyway." Still regretting having to leave San Francisco behind with the people still willingly enslaved to the Queen there.

"Yeah ..."

Steph thinks of Gotham, and the corpses there. Even the living ones.

"But if I go out hunting for crime to fight, I'll be away from my family -- and even the farm, you know, it's great, but just because nothing can zap in doesn't mean nothing will walk in and try to hurt them. I can't leave them unprotected."

Even if they could defend themselves perfectly well without her.

Kate was thoughtful at that. She wanted to keep the farm safe too, and she'd never forgive herself if anybody was hurt.

"...Know what you mean."

"No easy answer, right?"

Steph sighs, and looks sad for a moment. Then she shrugs.

Staying with her friends -- her almost-a-family-really -- that's the right thing to do. She just -- knows.

"So ... you and Will?"

"Never is. Not with people like us. We just do the best as we can."

She then nodded, and smiled, "Mmm-hmm, I love him."

Steph grins. "He's sweet. I hope it works out."

"He's very sweet, also stubborn and tricky. We're just figuring our way out together."

"Boys, huh?" Steph smiles wistfully. "I'm glad, though. Finding good things like that is awesome."

"They'd never get by without us."

She laughed, and added, "It is. Both of us have been through a lot, and we looked after each other. Started out as comfort, and it snowballed from there."

Steph grins fondly. "Yeah ... that must be nice."

"It is."

She then added, "Well you know how it is, how reassuring it is not to be alone. To have someone else there. This world doesn't feel so lonely and empty then."

Steph wraps her arms around her knees, wistfully.

"I don't think I've ever had a boyfriend who I trusted like that," she admits, shaking her head. "It's good to have friends. But ... Well, the last time I ended up in a new world with my boyfriend, he didn't really ... make things any better. I'm kind of glad he didn't come through to this one."

"I'm sorry. Maybe that's why you got brought here, to have a better life and opportunity."

Steph shrugs, looking doubtful.

She won't say what she thinks about how likely it is that they'll have a long life in this world or the next -- because by this stage she's pretty sure there'll be a next, and probably another after that. Steph figures the best she can hope for is that she gets to hang on to a few of her friends throughout.

"This world is nice."

Kate knew that assuming a long life was foolish. Especially when you decide to do heroing with your life. It's fast and brutal, and can be over in an instant. She knew that, especially after previous encounters and attacks back home, and what's happened since coming here. The most they could hope for was a good life for as long as they could.

"It is, parts of it are at any rate."

"Yeah." Steph smiles, fondly. "Especially the bits with my friends in them."