( OPEN ) i'll put my armor on

[boobwindow]

WHO: KAREN STARR/POWER GIRL and YOU
WHERE: De Chima, Heropa and various other places.
WHEN: 3/15 ― 3/20
WHAT: The double life of one Karen Starr/Power girl. If you would like a specific prompt, feel free to PM me at this journal or kitties and we can work something out.
WARNINGS: TBA.

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➊ COFFEE SHOP | de chima ( karen starr )

[ While the weather has been getting nicer day by day, it's still chilly enough on most days for the locals to continue lining up for hot drinks at cafes and other shops. Karen is often among the small crowd, in need for her daily intake of caffeine, always stopping in at a cafe on the corner a block away from her office. She's done with work for the day, but she's decided to sit down for a while in the shop and enjoy the relative peace and quiet. No telling how long it will last in the midst of a Cold War turned scorching, apparently.

Or she would have been seated nearby a window, staring out in quiet contemplation or with a newspaper opened if she weren't still at the counter. She's pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation as one of the employees on the opposite side stares back at her disdainfully. The line has been held up as a result of whatever argument Karen and the employee are engaged in, with people getting more and more impatient as the minutes pass. ]

I'm not asking for extra cream cheese. All I'm asking is you spread what you already put evenly on the other side of the bagel. See, look: there's a glop of it you're always putting on one end and―

[ The employee shakes their head and insists it's an additional charge for the "extra" cream cheese. Karen throws her hands up, aggravated but finally relenting. She's been at this for nearly ten minutes now and all she wants is her damn bagel. ]

Forget it. I'll do it myself.

[ Her bagel is practically dumped in front of her along with a plastic knife. She shoots her server a glare before moving toward the opposite end of the room. Fourth time this week she's gotten into an argument over cream cheese here. Perhaps it's time to stop coming in here, as conveniently close as it is to her work. ]

➋ SHOPPING | de chima ( karen starr )

[ When the weekend rolls around, Karen finally has some extra time to get the shopping she needs done. She has a couple of stops to make over the weekend, though the first place she heads to is one of the larger shopping malls in the city. It's peak hours in the mall, so it's packed full of teenagers who off from school, full-time working adults who also need to grab a few things and of course families with kids running and yelling in every direction. Karen has to be careful when navigating the mall, narrowly avoiding small children who seem determined to run into people's legs.

She can be found in various areas of the mall, such as women's departments, fitting rooms, dodging or accidentally bumping into people in the crowded mall when she needs to step aside, or seated at the food court with her bags tucked under her seat and enjoying a large plate of spiced turkey with avocado-grapefruit relish. ]

➌ OBLIGATORY SUPERHERO PROMPT | de chima ( power girl )

[ Karen might get the weekend off from work, but when it comes down to her other job, there's no such thing as having days off.

When she overhears the blaring of sirens about twenty kilometers away and gunshots ringing out somewhere in broad daylight, Power Girl takes to the sky, following the loud and panicked sounds until she comes across the situation unfolding just outside a local bank. There are a few police cars surrounding the entrance, their drivers rushing back into the front seats as a large van with some bullet dents speeds past the makeshift barricade. The van strikes a car and swerves just a little, but continues to drive away from the scene.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that's the getaway vehicle. Peej zips after it and tries to get the driver to pull over. When that fails (of course it does), she gets ahead of the van and waits for it to get closer. She knows they'll attempt to run her over and the second the van hits her its tires screech and the entire vehicle stops moving. She slams her hand down on the hood, holding it in place as the police catch up and have the thieves surrounded.

With the end of that, Peej leaves the rest in the police's hands, watching them take away the bank robbers in cuffs and retrieve the money they had stolen ― which turns out to be very little than anyone had expected. ]

All that drama for that amount? [ Peej will scoff to whoever is nearest her. ] I'll never understand it.

➍ SPARRING | heropa ( closed to jaime reyes )

[ Having not been down to Heropa in a while, Peej won't miss an opportunity to get some sun there when she heads over for a pre-planned spar with Jaime. Since she's first met him, Peej can see how he's grown more cautious about how he engages a situation and the efforts he makes to ensure he's as prepared as he can be. They've all been caught what feels like too many times off guard by power nulls. Even Peej has to remind herself she can't always rely on her powers. This spar is good for the both of them: Jaime gets to learn some new moves and Peej can dust off her own she hasn't used in ages.

Naturally, she doesn't make use of her full strength when throwing any punches, but she isn't exactly gentle either. In their line of business they don't always learn by being gentle. ]

You can hit harder than that, Jaime. I know you can.

➎ WILDCARD

[ Anything of your choosing. If you aren't sure, you can PM me! After sparring with Jaime, Karen can be found in Heropa and normally wherever in De Chima. Power Girl can be spotted flying around wherever. Just list the location and if it's Kar or PG you would like a thread with in the subject. Thank you! ]

Comments

3!!

[foreshadower]

Desperation does funny things to humans, or so I hear.

[ Says a voice from the side.

Who didn't help. Like at all. All that commotion, all that trouble, and she could have had help? That's the problem with lazy people, they always think someone else is going to do the work, or at least get it all done, and go figure -- someone did, this time.

Of course, it resulted in Power Girl having to work on her weekend off, but... semantics. ]

I have to say, they could have used a little more finesse, couldn't they?

[boobwindow]

What―

[ The voice registers immediately and Peej jerks in the opposite direction, as if to put distance between herself and Shade before she relaxes. Then her eyes roll and she heaves a sigh. ]

Sneak up on others much?

[ She really doesn't like when people do that, especially ones who are former criminals. Maybe. She hasn't been keeping up to date with whatever Shade's been up to in this world. She hopes he's been staying out of trouble. ]

[foreshadower]

I teleport, it's not as if I can help it. Most people are more upset when I show up in their homes, than on the street.

[ Okay, so maybe the commotion was enough to interest him, and seeing Power Girl in action was something of a treat.

Not really his kind of hero, but he did think she was impressive, all the same. ]

I apologize, if I scared you. Are they keeping you busy today?

[boobwindow]

You're lucky I didn't punch you.

[ Shade's always been an enigma to her. Only Jay or Alan would understand him better when she thinks about.

... which reminds her and has her wonder if Shade's spoken to the Jay in this world yet. It's a curious passing thought, but she decides against asking him just yet. ]

Not scared. [ A tough defensive, but she lightens up quickly enough. ] Not too busy. Only bank that seems to have been hit so far today.

What are you doing anyway?

[foreshadower]

Me? I was going to go browse a bookstore I heard about. Apparently they have impeccable first editions.

[ He waved a hand, like it wasn't important. ]

And then there was this exciting little distraction, and here I am.

[ He grinned, slightly. ] This is better, honestly. Being a librarian hardly gives me the liberty to purchase books like I used to. My assets are much smaller these days.

[ You know, now that he doesn't have blood money from being an assassin for hire. ]

[boobwindow]

[ She dusts off invisible dirt on her shoulders and then gives them a nice stretch. All the while she's been keeping an eye on the cops handcuffing the thieves and reading them their rights before they're put into the back of a police car. The other cops make motions with their arms for the crowd to back up or move along as the situation is now over.

Then Peej glances over at Shade, wrinkling her nose. ]

Harmlessly browse, right? [ She puts a hand on her hip. ] Though I'm surprised to hear you don't have that many in all this time we've been here.

[ He's changed his ways a long time ago... hasn't he? ]

[foreshadower]

Yes, yes. Harmlessly browse. [ He waved a hand, dismissively. ] I would steal from museums, where the items are kept but insured -- but I'd hardly keep a gentleman from feeding his family. Most things I owned I purchased, I'll have you know.

[ But really, can he blame her? His reputation was crafted particularly for this reason. Nobody knew he lived in a house on Paper street in Opal, nobody knew it was filled with the relics of a life lived for 200 hundred years -- mostly purchased from money he had from a long, long history of... well, assassinations. Probably best they didn't know. ]

I did come in with my book collection from the City, but... there are new authors here, new people to discover. Who knows when we'll be moving to another word? It's interesting to think of taking the works across worlds, from one to another.

Maybe even share it. [ He wouldn't, but it's a nice thought. ]

w-w-wildcard [pg, nonah-ish]

[dramaking]

[Leaping around rooftops was probably not the most efficient means of getting around when things like cars exist, but at least this way 'Star doesn't have to rely on other navigate other people to travel. Which is probably his least favorite thing to have to do in the world.

It's not like him to not pay attention, but here he is. Maybe he's distracted by trying to figure out where he's going in unfamiliar territory. Maybe he's just distracted by the fact that he's been here for almost two months now and he's long since grown restless. Maybe he just doesn't expect an obstacle to come bearing down on him from above.

Whatever the case, he jumps from the next roof at the precise time that PG makes her way through the area at a similar enough altitude.

What happens next is predicable.]

[boobwindow]

[ Peej should have also been more vigilant regarding her surroundings, even if she is in the sky. She's not the only being that can fly or reach unusual heights in general in this world, so she probably should have been just a tad cautious. She's distracted by persisting, worrying thoughts as well and while they are fleeting, they're long enough to have caught off guard by a figure leaping in front of her and the both of them smacking right into each other as a result.

It knocks her off balance hard and fast and she tumbles toward the ground below. Luckily, she lands in an open area of a park and the couple of civilians below managed to scramble away as she and the other imPort hit the ground.

The world spins for a moment when she cracks open an eye. Something also feels heavy on her chest. ]

What?

[dramaking]

[When they land there's a soft snapping noise like a twig being stepped on, and a low grunt of pain from Shatterstar. Almost immediately he manages to push himself up with one arm with enough momentum to sit upright, unsheathing his gauntlet swords at the same time--he thinks he's been attacked. It's only after that that he manages to process his surroundings. And, uh, exactly where he is.

The woman he's landed on seems as surprised as he is, and hasn't made another move despite having ample opportunity to do so, so she likely isn't a threat. On purpose, anyway. She also has rather nice breasts.

'Star smiles down at her, friendly-like. He doesn't sheathe the swords just yet, though.]

Hi.

[boobwindow]

[ The sound of something snapping is alarming, but any concern she has for the other fellow is currently non-existent as confusion and irritation are the more overwhelming feelings. She opens her eyes to see a man with a strange insignia over his eye smiling down at her and rather than give him a few seconds to collect himself and get off, she immediately loses her temper and throws a fist into his face to knock him a good thirty feet away from her. ]

Get. Off. Me.

[ She's not too worried about striking him; if he's managed to survive such a high fall, he'll be fine. ]

[dramaking]

[He does go flying, right into a tree, even, though thankfully he doesn't break anything else. Though he wouldn't really care if he had. It's been forever since he was punched like that. Awesome.

He recovers fairly quickly and with only slightly wobbly balance, wiping the part of his face where she hit him with a wolfish grin.]

A fight you want, is it? I'm happy to oblige. [He keeps his unsheathed arm ahead of him in a ready stance, waiting to see what she'll do.]

[boobwindow]

[ She gets to her feet quickly, dusting herself off and throwing her hair out of her face so she can get a better look at whoever it was that managed to knock her clear out of the sky. What was he even doing up there? There's quite a number of questions she wants to ask him, but when he falls into a more aggressive stance she's quick to mirror it. ]

Okay, creep-o. You wanna get your teeth knocked out?

[khajidont]

If I hit any harder than that, I might break my hand, [Jaime can't help but joke, but he takes her comment into consideration, bouncing back a couple of steps and rolling one shoulder. Pulling his punches is one of his bad habits when he's sparring; you spend all your time in-uniform with superstrength, and you learn how to hold back.

Out of uniform, it's just a one way ticket to getting his ass kicked... or, honestly, hurting himself.

It's easy to see in what ways he's been trained by Kaidan. His style - while sparring, not in a tight spot; that's where Peacemaker's training comes out - is classic and without flair. Some might even call it a little too simple. He certainly doesn't have any of the style or deadly efficiency of any of the Bats.

He throws another punch, this time a good, grounded one... but his left side's been left open.]

[boobwindow]

[ She alternates her stances when it's appropriate, swaying back and forth between defense and offense depending on Jaime's actions. She is a lot bigger than him so it makes her a more opposing opponent even when you take the Kyptonian super strength out of the picture. She knows Jaime has taken on bigger enemies before, but seeing that left side left completely open she's a bit concerned he isn't fully aware how defenseless he's leaving himself while taking them on.

The hit he throws is good, but she can roll with it and lifts up her knee to knock him on his left side and down to the floor mat. ]

You've got to be sharper than that.

[khajidont]

[It takes him a little time to get into the swing of things. Put him into hot water, and he'll fight like a cornered animal (complete with biting, which he is not trying against Kryptonian skin), but one on one sparring? That, he's got to work on. Too much time goofing off with Eddie, maybe, and not enough time taking sparring as seriously as he should unless he knows for a fact that his opponent will go all-out.

(Thanks, Peacemaker, you big jerk.)

Instead of answering immediately, however, he's back on his feet and rising into a crouch almost as soon as he's knocked forward, sweeping one foot out to kick out at her ankles, hoping to get her off-balance even if he doesn't have the manpower to knock her over.]

Working on it!

[Whether it's successful or not, it's not long before he bounces back up into a standing position, weight pushed forward onto the balls of his feet.]

[boobwindow]

A little better!

[ It does manage to knock her off balance, but as she gets low to the floor she rolls her frame and gets one foot on the ground to support herself, the other leg flying up to kick Jaime square in the chest using her heel. She's an aggressive teacher and she sometimes prides herself on that. ]

You know I can take a hit, right?

[ She rolls to her knees, getting back up and raising both fists. ]

[khajidont]

[Oh great, he's being kicked again. A woman after Peacemaker's own heart... which is too bad for Jaime, because now he's certain he's going to limp away from here sore as hell. Still, there's nothing like riling him up to get him going again, so after he wheels back with a not-so-quiet oof!, he's springing back again.

And yeah, maybe Karen can take a hit, but hitting hard while in plainclothes just isn't what Jaime relies on; no matter how much he's been training - and he's trained a lot - he typically finds that anyone he encounters is still stronger than him.]

Do you train everyone like this, or am I just special?

[That being said, he throws a punch at her gut, keeping his weight low and his free elbow tucked in, prepared to dart away at a moment's notice, because running too is part of his winning fighting stratagem.]

[boobwindow]

This is nothing compared to what I've put my team through during training sessions.

[ She winks playfully, never staying quite still on her heels. When Jaime hits her stomach, she does double over enough that her arms pull closer to her body. Before she can grab at him, though, he's slipped from her, forcing her to have to rotate her figure to keep up with him which throws off her focus a moment. ]

Good! You've got to stay light on your feet.

2!

[glowsferatu]

[ Kanaya, never one to be underdressed, even while shopping for clothes, finds Karen outside the store she said she'd be at. From the basket she's carrying, Ashiah perks up as she recognizes Karen, giving her a chirp in greeting. A few passersby stare as she does, trying to figure out what exactly they're looking at. ]

Ah, there you are! [ She glances through the windows, into the store. ] Have you been in yet, or were you waiting?

[ Someone stops next to her, taking a picture with their phone. No sooner does it click than Kanaya's smile immediately drops into an uncomfortable grimace. She gives him a look that is trying not to feel crazed, coupled with a strained smile. ]

Excuse me. [ One of his friends asks him, and not her, "What the hell is that thing?" Kanaya turns her look back to Karen, then the shop, her smile straining further. ]

[boobwindow]

[ Leave it to Kanaya to dress up even when clothes chopping. Karen finds it partly amusing, but at least she has an idea how to dress when compared to others like Atlee, who sometimes over or under-dress in inappropriate situations.

As for herself, however, she's donned rather casual wear than overdress for the occasion. Not that it's possible for her to do so when she only has a few nice clothes reserved for fancy occasions.

When the people begin taking pictures without Kanaya's consent, Karen steps forward briskly to get in between them, her smile fading before she can answer Kanaya's question. ]

Hey, could you stop taking photos without her permission?

[glowsferatu]

[ Kanaya puts a hand on Karen's shoulder, tugging lightly. Hardly enough to really pull her anywhere, just enough to express the idea that moving is what they should be doing. She's already halfway pointed towards the door. ]

Leave it, Karen. Let's just go.

[ Were they being rude? Absolutely. But Kanaya's always hesitant to really confront them about it, she knows what would happen if either of them fought these miscreants. She isn;t, however, convinced that's really the best way for this to happen. imPort/native relations are always so complicated as it is.

Ashiah just stares at Karen, not seeing why any of it's a big deal. ]

[boobwindow]

[ It's not as if walking away from the scenario is difficult, but she doesn't like that these people did that without ever once thinking about someone else's comfort levels. Though she steps away following Kanaya, she does shoot the locals another look before tearing her eyes away from them and looking back at Kanaya and Ashiah. ]

Are people constantly doing that? You know, it is against shopping center policies to take photos of people without their consent.

[glowsferatu]

[ Kanaya takes a deep breath, realizing she'd forgotten to for a few moments. But the situation is defused, at least for now. She has the chance to relax. ]

I wouldn't call it constant, but it isn't exactly uncommon. Especially not since Ashiah's hatched. People just don't know how to process what they've never seen before, or they want to enjoy the spectacle.

Making a scene of it is only bound to make things worse, so I just try to ignore it.

[boobwindow]

If I had a kid I don't think I'd have the patience for that sort of behavior.

[ Nonetheless she'll abide by Kanaya's wishes and keep walking, although ignoring the stares they get from other shoppers today is hard when the imPort trio continues to turn heads no matter where they go. She rolls her eyes at a group of teenagers quickly filming them. ]

Did you want to eat first or do some shopping?