shatterverse | (no subject)

Eden is, it must be said, a very good listener. She nods and looks very interested in everything that's said.

"A world called Eden that's a hellhole - I'm sure a brighter mind than me could take that in a theological direction," she says, her mind already toying with that.

"Can't say I've heard of Gotham. I'm from one that doesn't have a Gotham. Or a Metropolis.

"Gotham doesn't have a lot of space? ...Or, Eden doesn't?"

"Gotham's a huge city, big as Metropolis, only much darker and more crowded. You know how Metropolis is all, like, sunshine and bright light? Gotham's all filth and crime." Steph sounds very proud of her city, and a little bit worried. "There isn't space like there is here there, though. ... Well, I guess there might be now. Clark says it's mostly destroyed. That's why I've gotta go there."

Eden nods, frowning sympathetically. "Totally. I would've been to New York first thing I could if it hadn't been demolished." There's a faint hesitation while Eden banishes doubt from her tone and figures out just what to say. "I hope things are better in Gotham."

"They'll be what they'll be," Steph says, placid. "A -- um, a boy I used to know taught me not to worry about stuff I can't change. I'll worry when I get there, but Gotham's survived earthquakes, I think my mom can dodge a few monsters." She grins at Eden, trying to reassure her that it'd be hard to say the wrong thing.

Eden nods approvingly. "That's a very good attitude to have." There's a hint of wistfulness, as Eden wishes she could share it.

On to brighter, more hero-ey subjects! "If you think you can coax Clark into coming with you, I'd say go for it. That guy's good to have at your side."

"He already offered," Steph says, wrinkling her nose -- not with distaste for Clark, but for the idea of anyone else coming with her. "He's really sweet, isn't he? In that sort of old-fashioned way. Guys in Gotham aren't like that.

"I said no, though. Cos if I find my family there, I'll probably stay, you know? And it's not like my people mean anything to anyone else or anything. I don't want anyone here getting monster-ed 'cos of me."

"He's totally sweet," the woman agrees brightly. "Like a teddy-bear. In flannel."

Eden listens to Steph's explanation, looking thoughtful by its end. "Seems to me there are people here who don't get monster-ed easily. I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping you out."

Eden discovers she has maternal instincts at the oddest times.

"Yeah ... maybe," Steph says doubtfully. "But I don't want to ask anyone to come. It's the end of the world, you know? Everyone's got their own problems, really."

"It couldn't hurt to ask," Eden insists. "Really." She leans forward in her chair to better impress the point: "There's a lot of shit out there."

She still has nightmares about the things.

Steph is clearly willing to be persuaded, if reluctantly. She sits up to look at Eden, seriously.

"What are they like? Have you seen them?"

Eden gives a chuckle that's a mere puff of air, expression utterly serious, gaze burning.

"I only saw one of those things, and that was enough. I'm sitting in my room, right? Just got off the phone with a friend. Then the coloured lights get going," Eden doesn't remember what she's quoting, and will roll her eyes at her brain's inappropriateness once she does, "and I'm a small town in California.

"It's destroyed. Not by the earthquakes or the...moving statues, because apparently this place had those for a while...but by something. Houses ripped open and the people-- I'm sorry, I should so shut up." Eden gives another laugh-that-isn't-one, shaking her head as she sits back in her chair.

The kid is looking for her mother. Eden shouldn't be doing this.

"No, I need to know," Steph insists, face very grave. "I need to know what to hide from and what I can fight."

Steph would insist that she's not a kid, but so would every other sixteen-year-old in the world. Still, she's seen more than most -- with the Robin thing, the baby, and the months in Eden.

"What did the thing you saw look like?"

Eden closes her eyes, fixing the image of the creature in her mind. "You can't hide from these - I think they smell, though I don't know how, don't remember a nose on them. They're covered in copper armour, they're the size of polar bears, they've got a head covered in orange eyes, a big clubbed tail and spider legs.

"And they're just the small ones. The bigget ones can smash houses in, open them up and get at-- what was inside."

Eden opens her eyes, blinking a bit more rapidly than she needs to to adjust to the sunlight. She purses her lips and swallows heavily.

Steph hovers, unsure whether to hug her or not, and settles for reaching out a hand cautiously.

"I'm sorry. That you -- had to see that."

Civilians aren't supposed to have to deal with gore. :( Stupid end-of-the-world.

Eden doesn't pull away from the hand - though it rankles that she lost control, she doesn't let it show. (She's not bursting into tears. This is progress.)

Eden takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Thanks. I haven't seen one since." She tries to inject hopefulness into her tone, but it feels so false that she glances away from Steph.

"Clark saved my life. Helped me get away from it."

Okay, so now she does get hugged.

"Clark's pretty cool. And he's got superspeed or something, yeah? I bet he'd be a hero if he lived on my world."

Ah hah ha ha.

Being around Anna has helped Eden accept hugs. There's still a part of her that doesn't like being touched - it's there in a faint hesitation before Eden hugs back, and the lack of pressure to the hug.

"Superspeed and one or two others, I think," Eden says. She pauses for (feigned) thought, then shrugs apologetically. "Everyone seems to have so many I've lost track of the specifics. You should probably ask him."

That way she's not blabbing about secret abilities. People might get touchy if they're mentioned. (People like Eden!)

"To be completely honest, I gotta say I'm glad he's in this one," she admits, and doesn't sound particularly ashamed.

"I totally am too," Steph agrees, patting her back before letting go to flop back on the ground. "He's just kinda reassuring. Maybe I'll go back and take him up on that running-there offer. It sounds like it's worse out there than I thought."

Eden nods soberly.

Then, quietly, she says, "Thanks."

"No, thank you," Steph says, lightly. "For telling me, otherwise I could totally have just run off thinking it was just bugs or something."

"Well, I'd be careful around bugs, too. Fireflies, especially. All that blinking - I think it's something sinister."

Said jokingly. ...Well, she's trying to joke. She winces apologetically when she's through, acknowledging that it's not going all that well.

Trying is good! Steph gives her a thumbs up and a laugh for the effort.

"Hey, I once fought a giant moth that was hatching full-grown humans in a swimming pool," she says, grinning. "After that, bugs are never gonna be the same again, seriously."

Eden's expression cycles from confusion, to being impressed, to being concerned, to being creeped out, then back to confusion.

Before the process can repeat, she simply asks, "Story, please?"

Steph giggles.

"Hey, if I knew why there was a giant moth hatching humans, I'd be Batman. Something about Charaxes getting out of gaol, dying, and wanting to reproduce. I have no idea why he picked people, though. Nah, I just went in there and tried to stop it -- the little redheaded men kept killing real people, see."

Welcome to Confusionville. Population: Eden.

(If Batman rings a bell, she's too confused to note it.)

"If you could start from the beginning and explain about Charaxes, who the redheaded man is, and why he keeps killing real people?"