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Meditating is one of Diana's favourite things to do. For all she's an exceptionally physical person, being able to simply sit and feel her spirit connect with Gaea is a rare treat.

The sudden noise and light - visible even though her eyes are closed - is more than enough to snap her out of her reverie. Although when she does survey her surroundings and stand, slowly, she's not entirely certain she isn't still dreaming for this is most definitely not Themyscira anymore. If Diana had to put a name to it, she would almost say this was...

Patriarch's World

Wherever she is, it's in ruins and there's a foreboding feeling of death all around her. Stumbling backwards, she turns in a slow circle and searches for anything she can use as a weapon.

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There's nothing particularly weaponlike nearby.

Two things of note, however: plenty of pomegranate trees, and the rapidly approaching sound of flapping wings.

Very, very large flapping wings, at least in comparison to any kind of bird.

Those wings... they do not belong to any beast Diana feels even a remote connection to. This has never happened before and there can only be one explanation.

Doom's Doorway has been compromised.

Crouching low to the ground, she surveys the sky, poised to attack if necessary. Failure is not an option.

Lucy pays very little attention to the crouching human on the ground. All her focus is on the pomegranates, specifically a certain stand of trees that happens to be fifty feet away.

This is mostly because she just had that talk with Clark about learning to control herself, and flying to Greece from Kansas is hungry work, thank you very much.

The look of the creature does nothing but confirm Diana's suspicions. Only a beast of the underworld could appear so, and do such damage to the outside world once it was breached.

Perhaps the Gods brought her here to stop it. Diana isn't certain and this isn't their way, but she will not let this creature do anyone anymore harm.

Quietly, as the best hunter of the Amazons would, she cautiously approaches the stand of trees.

Lucy brought a sack, and upon landing begins innocently gathering fruit.

She's also not wearing any clothes. She prefers not to, for long flights. It's awkward and uncomfortable for the other self, and modesty is not a concept that holds much interest for her.

Diana stops. Shape shifting was not something she was expecting, but it shouldn't surprise her. Not really. Creatures of the underworld would use any trickery at their disposal. This does, however, possibly call for a different tactic.

"[Hold, beast.]" Her voice is firm and loud enough to be heard from the distance she keeps. "[I cannot allow you to continue to harm this place.]"

Hopefully, this can lead to a peaceful resolution. Although chances would be better if Diana spoke something other than an isolated dialect of Ancient Greek.

With an expression that can best be described as worriedly ravenous, Lucy looks up from the half-eaten pomegranate in one hand.

"Go away, please," she says on the off-chance the strange Greek woman speaks English.

And she starts eating faster. Diana doesn't look like she means any harm, and Lucy really doesn't want to backslide so soon.

As long as she doesn't change to the other self she should be fine.

The language is unknown to her. Either this truly is Patriarch's World, or it is some strange demon language she has had the fortune of not hearing until now.

Unfortunately, Diana has no idea if she herself was understood or not. So she tries again, taking a small step forward, unafraid. "[Will you leave peacefully? The Doorway will be closed whether you return or not.]"

Lucy takes a tiny step back, drops her partly-filled sack, and tries her best to ignore the urge to shift forms and feast.

The pomegranate is rapidly dismembered, and between bites Lucy shrugs helplessly, attempting to indicate her total noncomprehension of - well, she presumes Diana's speaking Greek, given the country she's in at the moment.

Well, this isn't going quite the way Diana's been hoping. So she steps even closer, as the creature doesn't appear to be immediately dangerous. It would have attacked by now if it was.

"[Was it an accident you were freed?]" She frowns at the thought. Perhaps this poor beast is simply lost and afraid in unknown territory. "[I can take you back, if you'll let me.]"

Covered in pomegranate juice, she edges back again.

"Go away," she repeats urgently, picking up her sack and digging for another fruit.

She'd shift and fly off, but she's not sure she'd be able to control her hunger with Diana this close.

It's afraid of her.

"[I will not harm you,]" Diana tells it in soothing tones, tentatively reaching out a hand. "[We can get you home, where you will be safe.]"

Lucy jerks back, ripping into her second pomegranate viciously.

"Please go away," she says between bites, eating from one hand and making frantic shooing motions with the other.

"[You cannot stay here.]" Her tone is firmer than before, but not as authoritative as she used originally, and Diana stands her ground. "[You do not belong.]"

"Go away. Please."

She inhales and frowns, confused. "You're-- helpful, protective-- why do you smell like clay?-- nice, I don't want to hurt you, go away."

No, her coherence really isn't helped by struggling with the hunger.

"Go... aw-- away?" Diana attempts, haltingly and slowly. Perhaps if she mimics the creature's language, it will feel more at ease?

Lucy frowns.

No, trying to speak English really isn't helping. Obeying the English in question might.

At last, she takes a deep breath, stuffs her face with pomegranate seeds one last time, and turns to run, shifting and leaping into the air as she goes, only pausing to snap up another fruit in the hopes that it will distract her from the presence of live meat not ten feet away.

As a distraction it doesn't work very well, but by concentrating on getting home to Clark she does manage not to immediately turn back and devour the crazy human.

Surely that counts for something.

Diana sighs deeply. Obviously, she can't let the beast go and possibly cause more damage.

She leaps into the air in pursuit.

...

She's honestly tempted to shift back down in midair just so that she can borrow a phrase from Alice and shout 'what the fuck?!'.

Is this human nuts? Ignoring the flying thing - lots of people with odd abilities have been showing up lately; it's specifically unprecedented, but not generally so - what kind of person takes a look at Lucy's other self and decides to follow her somewhere?

Time to put on the speed. At the very least, if she gets back to Kansas very very soon, Clark might be able to restrain her when her own ability to do so inevitably breaks.

This human is not nuts. In fact, if Lucy's senses can pick up on such things, Diana would be radiating nothing more than a calm determination.

She also isn't giving up. This is a speed she can keep up with quite easily and will do so all the way to Kansas, if necessary.

It will be necessary so long as Diana doesn't come close enough to make an irresistible temptation.

And Lucy is doing her best to ignore the scents coming from behind her, as currently they aren't telling her much other than 'food! food! food! (clay)'.

It's a leisurely enough pace that Diana is able to get a sense of the land below them - and tell that the devastation she saw in the place she met this creature is a very widespread phenomenon. Underworld creature or not, this one beast could not have done all of this itself.

The situation is graver than Diana thought. She bursts forward, coming in line with the other being in flight.

Lucy is strongly tempted to borrow a few more phrases from Alice.

Phrases like 'shit shit shit' and 'oh, fuck this'.

Because she hasn't had any live meat in a while now, and her desire not to disappoint her family just lost the battle with her desire to eat.

Hi, Diana. Meet Lucy's teeth. Lucy's teeth, Diana.

Diana's reflexes - even in flight - are uncanny. Of course, nothing's ever really tried to bite her before, so those teeth graze her upper arm before she has a chance to dart out of the way.

She's never seen her own blood before. It does not make her happy, even if the cuts heal mere moments after they were opened.

Hi, Lucy. Meet Diana's fist.

The advantage of having a long dragonlike neck is that you can get punched in the head without it affecting your flight path significantly.

That doesn't stop Lucy going 'ow', of course - or 'hssssssssshh', as the case may be.

Nor does it stop her from going slightly insaner at the taste of blood and whipping around to attack again, this time claws-first.