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OPEN (with one closed prompt)

WHO: Laurel Lance and YOU!
WHERE: Across cities!
WHEN: First week of July
WHAT: Sparring, coffee and justice!
WARNINGS: None so far but will update if need be!

Note: I'll match whatever style - prose or action!

(i) Nice day for a spar (Closed to Sara and Kara):

The last time that Laurel had a good spar was well, a long while ago. She didn't want her skills to become rusty so training was an excellent way to combat that. The set-up for Sara was simple enough: gym mats, boxing gear and tonfas. Laurel was certain that Sara did a lot of fighting whilst travelling through time, and likely had someone to train with.

On a different day, Laurel put together a session for her and Kara. Now this would be an interesting sparring session. Kara wasn't exactly human, and Laurel didn't know how far her combat skills would go. What she did know was that her canary cry would likely give her an advantage over Kara that she didn't have. Laurel didn't need the sonic device to make it happen - the cry was bestowed upon her when she arrived.

With each fight Laurel hoped that she learned something new.

(ii) Daily caffeine fix (OPEN- Any city, any coffee place!):

Green tea was not the perfect substitute for coffee. Laurel knew that it had benefits and was much healthier than coffee, but it still did not quite cut it. As a compromise she allowed herself two cups of coffee per day; one in the morning and one mid-afternoon when her energy started to flag. Any other liquids would either be water or green tea. Maybe some orange juice.

When Laurel was in a rush she would get a takeaway cup of coffee (they knew her order by now so it was ready for her most days. On very rare occasions Laurel would actually have the chance to sit down and enjoy her cup of coffee seated at one of the tables. When the sun was shining she'd go for a window seat. Sometimes, she would get a bagel or a danish to go with her coffee.

Laurel also used this time to write things down on her notepad which was laid out in front of her. To-do lists, future plans and designs for floral arrangements filled the pages - as well as the odd coffee stain. She didn't want to become complacent whilst she was here. Be it offering advice on the law, helping customers pick the perfect flowers or moonlighting as a vigilante, Laurel hadto be doing something.

Idle wasn't a good look for her.

(iii) She's beauty and she's grace..she'll punch you in the face (OPEN):

Laurel wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand. At her feet lay a would-be mugger and the guy responsible for busting open her bottom lip. He was unconscious, but breathing. The man whose life she had saved had already ran off down the street, leaving her with no one to identify the attacker.

Great.

She felt a wetness on her forehead - more than likely blood. Laurel pressed her fingers to her temple and brought them down to look at. Yep, definitely blood. Thankfully, the cut was superficial and not at all deep. Lucky her.

The most startling thing of all was that Laurel wasn't even dressed in her vigilante gear. She had taken the bad guy down in her civilian clothes. Laurel had been on her way to the Porter home when she came across the man being held up at knife-point - she didn't even hesitate to intervene. It had been a bit of a struggle but eventually Laurel won the fight (after being knocked down once or twice)

Getting the man to the police station to be arrested might be a problem. For one thing, Laurel didn't have any handcuffs and the guy might need some medical attention. She sighed, looking around for anyone who may be able to give her a hand. Asking a native was out of the question. Laurel was reluctant to interrupt their day.

How nice of her.

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Well, Robb isn't exactly the help she is waiting for. He is just gazing at everything with an expression of awe on his face.

"That is well done!" He stands still as he watches her, a bit of a smile around his face. "Still, he needs to be put to justice. Should we carry him towards the dung...the police force?"

"Robb?" Just give her a moment please. How long had he been standing there for? "Uh, hi."

Laurel brushes off some dust from her jeans, using that time to think about his question. Surely she couldn't even consider allowing him to help her. "I don't know, Robb. I mean, he's probably too heavy."

A pause. Then she frowns.

"Did you see all of that?"

Robb has been standing there long enough to be able to see everything.

“Hello.” His eyes flicker from her face to the man lying on the ground. “He will not be light, but I am quite strong.”

His father says so and Eddard Stark is always right. Finally he nods at her question. “Yes, I did... Is...that bad?”

"No, it's not bad." Except it kind of is. "I would just be afraid of you getting hurt, Robb." She didn't want to put him in danger.

"Okay. You can help me if you want. But if it gets too much for you, let me know. I can always ask someone else to get him to the police station."

Robb pulls a bit of a face at her response.

“I am not some bloody tiny babe that needs to be held by its hand.” He is almost a man grown. Not yet, but almost. Finally he takes a couple of steps forward and looks down on the man. “I can let Grey Wind grow bigger and we can put him on his back. We can walk to the police station that way.”

"Look, I wasn't trying to insult you." She really wasn't. Laurel was only being protective, like she usually was towards young people.

Maybe she was wrong in this case.

"Well, if you think that could work then we'll go for it. But who's Grey Wind?" That was the only part that Laurel is confused about.

Kaneki is simply passing by the place; his curiosity gets the better of him, as he sees a man running down the street, but when he gets to the area where Laurel is, the fight was over. She looks a bit roughed up, which leaves a hint of worry, but she appears to know what she's doing at least.

"Are you alright?" he has to ask, of course. "What happened?"

"I stopped a mugging in progress." Laurel replies. "And I'm fine. Just a little grazed and bruised." She's been through worse.

Thankfully the guy still seemed to be out for the count. But for how long?

"Kind of wish that the person I saved hadn't ran off. I was hoping to have his attacker arrested with someone to confirm what had happened. Not just take my word for it."

Kaneki doesn't have much to offer her to clean up her wounds apart from his shirt - which he didn't want to take off, obviously. But at least she seems fine apart from some bruising.

"Hm, well- maybe there are cameras" he looks around for a second before he remembers "- or he could already have a criminal record." which is certainly possible and it'd end up helping the police, too.

"Cameras. Now why didn't I think about that before?" Laurel glancess up to see if there were any of them nearby, even from a distance. "And you're right. This guy could have a record."

She checks the man on the ground. Still unconscious, which was a good sign.

"You think you could give me a hand with him? Getting to the police station I mean."

Small things Kaneki remembers from the time he was working with the Police (here, and also back home). he won't forget them so soon and they are good to keep in mind.

His eyes follow Laurel for a moment and after Kanekin nods. He has inhuman strength, so it won't be difficult for him. "Sure, it won't be a problem" and so he approaches the man and grabs him by his arm, rising him up with ease and gets him on his back - piggyback ride sounds better than carrying him bridal style.

"I'm Kaneki, by the way."

She watches in disbelief as Kaneki makes quick work of picking the man up with incredible ease. Maybe he was given the gift of super strength when he came here, so it wasn't entirely implausible.

"Uh, thank you." Laurel finally says, moving to his side just in case. Not that she thinks Kaneki will drop the guy but she didn't like feeling so awkward.

"Laurel. It's nice to meet you, Kaneki. Not the most ideal of circumstances but I appreciate the help regardless."

It is a bit awkward for Kaneki too, he is carrying a man bigger than he is on his back, while walking through the streets like that. But he tries not to show that, and instead prefers to focus on the conversation.

"It's nice to meet you, aswell." he hums "Are you a vigilante, or you simply got lucky?"

"Not a vigilante. Just someone who took a lot of self defence classes back home." And trained with a member of the League of Assassins for a few months. Laurel isn't going to disclose her identity as the Black Canary to someone she just met.

"Are you just naturally strong or did you get the powers here?"

"Those classes seem to be working well" she was lucky, it appears that in this place knowing such a thing is important.

"And I had this sort of strength back home too. Which means I didn't have to train it when I arrived." always a plus, if you ask him. Kaneki is not "naturally strong", since he wasn't born with this power, but he supposes Laurel isn't asking about what kaneki is just yet, so he won't lay it out for her just yet.

"have you been here long?"

"Yeah, I guess they have." She'll leave the explanation at that.

If the circumstances were different Laurel may have asked Kaneki to elaborate on his strength and how he got it, but they had more pressing things to worry about right now.

"Over a year now. Not as long as some people but long enough to have a good idea of what can happen in this place." Sometimes, things were a little unexpected. "What about you?"

Kaneki nods softly. "I've been here for three years in September." yeah, it has been a long time since he arrived. "I'm sort of like a veteran by now" kaneki says that with an amused tone, but he knows to some people something like that is kind of scary.

"it went by faster than it sounds, though." yes, it sure did. It also helps that Kaneki has been sent back and forth by the Porter.

"Yeah, I'd definitely call that time worthy of being a veteran." It was a little scary to think about the possibility of being here for three years. They'd be three years of her life that Laurel would never get back.

"Does that make it easier? Feeling that it went faster than it actually is?" She was interested to know his perspective.

Top be fair, it'll be as if they never happened. That's a lot more scary to kaneki, to be here and in the end, it won't mean anything to him, when he returns because he won't remember it.

"Hm- well. Going by fast means a lot has happened while I was here, and not always good things." but he smiles after "Not all is bad. And being here longer allows me to meet more people, I guess. People that mean something to me, and in a way I wish I'd have even more time." it's a conflicting feeling, in the end.

"I can see what you mean. I've had a chance to spend more time with my sister than I did back home. She's been off travelling a lot lately so we haven't seen each other in a while." Laurel gets it. "And you're right. Not everything is bad."

They arrive outside the police station and Laurel holds up a hand to indicate for Kaneki to stop. "We're here."

"Hm- there are also things like that,. Sometimes people are lucky and someone from home arrives." and they can enjoy that time as well.

When Laurel stops, Kaneki does too, looking back at the station. He hums softly and decides to drop the guy ungracefully, who groans from the soreness. It looks like he is waking up. "Can you handle him from here on?"

She nods. "Yeah, I can handle him from here. Thanks." Laurel wished that she had something to tie the man's hands together, at least until she got the police to cuff him. "I appreciate the help. Doubt I could've done it by myself."

Laurel stoops down to lift the man by the arm and support his weight against her. She's strong enough to manage moving him into the station.

Kaneki shakes his head. "It's not a problem. If you need help in the future, I guess i can always give a hand." he is joking, mostly, but if she really does need his help, certainly Kaneki wouldn't say no.

"I'll see you later, Laurel."

"Laurel? Is that you?"

It's been a while since Jacob has talked to her, but he still remembers Laurel well enough to smile when he spots her in the coffee shop. He has his own cup of coffee in-hand, and looks to have been on his way out of the shop before he spotted her.

"It is, isn't it. How are you doing?"

Apparently, coffee places were great venues to run into people she hadn't seen in a while. She gives him a bright smile in return and sets down her cup to give Jacob her full attention.

"Jacob. Hi. It's nice to see you again." Another smile. "I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. Still working in the florists and thinking on my plans to offer law advice to people. How have you been?"

"I'm good," he says, nodding. "I'm still with RISE. Just got my gear upgraded. I'm looking forward to trying it out in action."

He motions to the chair across from Laurel. "Mind some company? I've got some time, if you want to catch up."

"Sure, I wouldn't mind the company and I'd love to catch up with you. Please, sit." Laurel isn't in a rush this morning so his timing is perfect.

"Who updated your gear for you?"

"Kanaya Maryam. She had help from Normie Osborn." He lowers himself into the seat, and sets his coffee down in front of him. Jacob looks proud and excited to be talking about his new equipment, like he just got a gift on Christmas.

"It's cutting-edge tech. I can fly now, Laurel."

"I've never met either of them before." Her tech guy was Cisco, and that's mostly because she knew him and he also knew her vigilante identity.

But it was nice to see how excited Jacob looked right now. She's happy for him.

"Fly? That's cool. Are there any limitations to it?"

"Plenty. The glider can't go much higher than a rooftop, or very fast. No defenses, either. But I'm not complaining about any of that."

Jacob shrugs, unconcerned. Just being able to fly is enough for him. He has spent a lot of time running around the Porter cities on foot or buzzing about on a moped over the last few years. The glider is a whole new ball game.

"None of it's been tested in serious combat yet, though. I'm sure I'll be headed right back for upgrades and repairs after I see how it plays out in the field."

A motorcycle was Laurel's transport of choice when it came to zipping around Star City as Black Canary. Sometimes she needed to go around on foot, but a vehicle was much faster.

"Are you going wait until you find yourself in serious combat or would you set up a fake scenario to train in? Personally, I'd do the second thing." She follows that up with a sip from her coffee.

"To be on the safe side."

Edited 2017-07-22 22:44 (UTC)

"Already did some training. It handled just fine." Jacob takes a reciprocal sip- more of a gulp, really. He can handle the heat, and he wants to drink fast so he doesn't have a cup slowing him down at work.

"But training is no substitute for the real thing. There's always something that goes wrong in action that you didn't see coming during your prep time." A lesson Jacob had learned years ago, during his transition from boot camp to being an active-duty combat soldier. Still, training hard meant the difference between surviving that transition and getting killed.

"I can only imagine the amount of things that could go wrong in a real battle." Laurel says, knowing full well that she has experienced first hand what could go wrong. Maybe someday she'll tell Jacob the truth about herself - the vigilante part.

"Given the chance do you think you'd ever do things differently back home? Like a job that doesn't involve combat." She can't imagine not being a lawyer. Especially after all the time and effort she put into becoming one.

"Yeah. Be glad you only have to deal with things in a courtroom," Jacob responds without a shred of irony. As far as he knows, Laurel is just a particularly committed lawyer. "I'm sure it can be stressful, but I'm guessing fewer people shoot at you there."

Her question gives him pause though, and he looks down at his cup for a moment before responding. "Honestly? No, I wouldn't. Doing what I do... it feels right. Like it's what I'm meant to be doing. Sure, it's dangerous. But if I didn't take these kinds of risks, someone else would have to. I'm okay with it."

It's an honest answer. Jacob finished working through any angst he had about the peril and violence of his profession years ago.

"No one has tried to shoot at me yet. Mostly empty threats and angry words from the people I just helped to put away for fifteen plus years." It was the ones who had connections on the outside that concerned Laurel the most. What if they took revenge on her or her family and friends?

"Although, someone did try to shoot at me in my own apartment once. He was after a kid I was protecting at the time." It's not a good memory.

She waits patiently on Jacob to reply. It mightn't have been a question that he could answer instantly - which was fine. Laurel would not want to rush him.

"At least you have made your peace with it. Putting your life on the line everyday isn't easy. I should know - my dad's a cop."

"Seriously?" Jacob is visibly taken aback by the mention of someone trying to kill Laurel in her own home- and while targeting a kid, no less. "That's awful. I hope he can't hurt you anymore. It was brave as hell of you to stand up for that kid, though."

He smiles at her with a new respect. "You've got guts. I'll bet your Dad's proud of you."

"Don't worry. The guy was dealt with." Brutally. "I was just doing my job at the time." She couldn't stand by and let the kid be harmed.

Laurel ducks her head, smiling. "Thanks. He is proud of me. Probably more glad I didn't follow in his footsteps, but I wanted to hold up the law somehow."

Edited 2017-08-06 19:41 (UTC)

"Bet the pay's better for a lawyer than a cop, too," Jacob observes dryly, relaxing once he has confirmation that the asshole had been taken care of. "But it gets frustrating sometimes, doesn't it? Seeing the wrong people get sent to prison, or the right people walk free."

That's probably Jacob's least favourite part about working for RISE. No matter how hard he works to put away renegade imPorts, they will always be free again in a matter of months.

"Yup." Not so much in the beginning, when Laurel first started out. "It can be very frustrating when those who should get locked up, don't. Or when an innocent person is sent away."

There were one particular criminal that she and the rest of the team were focused on getting behind bars. Laurel felt he deserved the lawful route more so than a permanent end - he needed to be punished for his crimes.

True, the canary cry does give Laurel a unique edge which previously only Silver Banshee has had over her. She knows that Barry technically could build her earbuds to negate the effect, but that'd teach her nothing. Along with being more than a little unfair, considering her own otherwise overwhelming arsenal of abilities. She'd been upfront about it when they'd hashed this out, and she's glad. Maybe she can finally learn a trick or two to counter an ability like that without resorting to tech.

She stands before her, legs planted firmly in a ready stance as she gazes across the room at her, a small smile on her face. "Heat vision is a hard nope, right?" Just making sure.

The last thing she wants to do is accidentally flambé a potential friend.

Sometimes, tech was unavailable and you couldn't rely on a voice in your ear or a gadget to take down a bad guy. Things could go wrong and all you can do is rely on your own skills and wits to make it through a difficult situation. Laurel didn't know who Kara worked with back home (she'll make a point to ask later) but it did seem to her that she had a team to back her up when she needed it.

"Definitely a hard nope." Laurel replies, sounding amused. At least they could joke about it. "Unless you're planning to make us some popcorn." She's teasing.

"Okay. I think we better get this show on the road. You ready?"

"Or Thanksgiving turkey," She quips back as a broad grin brightens her expression. "My adoptive mother loves it. Maybe I should do it later this year."

Because she can't cook whatsoever, and her heat vision has helped her do so much from cooking a pizza her broken oven wouldn't bake at the proper temperature to warming up Ms. Grant's lattes. Sometimes. She's glad that they're able to make light of it. Kara's done some training with Mon-El, but the last time she'd had a lot of fun was back with Laurel's acquaintances on Earth-1.

So, she's looking forward to this. Shifting her weight, she nods, thinking that maybe knocking her off-kilter with her superspeed might help.

That's what she intends to try first. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"You should! I mean, I'm not the best cook but I can try."

Her cooking skills were famously bad. It wasn't like Laurel didn't try to pull something together but it almost always ended up either overcooked or undercooked. Or burnt to a crisp. Maybe she should try to find someone who could give her a few basic cooking lessons here. Now wasn't the time for that though.

"Okay." Laurel says, taking a moment to collect herself. She's a little nervous about taking on Supergirl of all people but she knows it'll be fine. Stepping forwards, Laurel prepares her first attack - the Canary Cry. There's no collar to help her with it. She's pretty much a meta now thanks to the porter.

A shrill, high-pitched sound radiates from her when Laurel opens her mouth. It also releases a shock wave of sonic energy, enough to knock a person back.

Let's see how it works (or not) on Kara.

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i!

:)

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