I’ve traveled all this way for something

[maskormods]

WHO: YOU.
WHERE: Eden East's cruiseship
WHEN: Saturday February 15th, around 5 PM EST
WHAT: Registration in motion... among other things.
WARNINGS: None anticipated; let us know if this should be edited.

" The new frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises -- it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. It appeals to their pride, not to their pocketbook -- it holds out the promise of more sacrifice instead of more security. But I tell you the new frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. "
( from jfk's speech "the new frontier," 7/15/1960. )

The sun hasn't set yet and the temperature hovers somewhere just below 70 degrees this evening; imPorts, both recently arrived and not, will have been escorted to this event so that they can meet each other, have a good time, and of course officially state their registration status. Or lack thereof. It's your decision, they emphasize, even though the unspoken "but" is always there.

It's an elaborate spread, certainly much more elegant than last time. Eden East herself, elegant in her backless champagne-colored dress, meets and greets each and every imPort as she flutters to and fro. She'll find you and chat for a few moments, shaking your hand and complimenting your dress. She'll know your name, and she'll have an entourage of aids and cameras following her wake. Captain Holiday, in contrast, maintains the energy of someone who feels out of place holding the Swear-In ceremony somewhere so extravagant. As imPorts arrive he tells them where to be for the ceremony part of the evening, but that they are free to enjoy themselves until then and after.

( Please state your character's official status -- REGISTERED or UNSETTLED -- in the subject header of your thread. Characters who are UNDECIDED may be contacted later in the week for their decision via their IC contact post. )

Comments

[boobwindow]

[ The frown on her face deepens and she steps closer to him, a gentle hand clapping down on his shoulder.

They all do things they don't want to do. Rao knows in this business how many of them have been manipulated over and over again by forces beyond their control. She still carries enough guilt over the Crisis, knowing she had been an important instrument in it. She could have stopped Superboy-Prime and Alex and done something sooner. ]

You're not an accessory.

[ She pauses, suddenly sounding uncertain. She is; she hadn't been there and Max's story still makes her leery, but there's a part of her that's inclined to believe him. ]

You said someone or something had taken control of you again. It's happened before, so it's possible this time we missed it entirely.

[retconman]

[ Max looks at her with an uncertainty that's sincere and a guilt that's calculated, his shoulders slumping wearily when she touches him. He doesn't let his guard down for a moment, still turning the situation over in his head, testing for weak points, flaws, and never discarding the possibility she could be lying to him.

It's a long shot, but Max can't afford to dismiss any possibility just in case. ]

Right. I... [ He frowns tensely. ] I can accept that. Well, I have to.

[ There's a pause as he frowns down at where his cigar fell earlier. ]

Thanks, Karen.

[boobwindow]

It's...

[ Not fine. She doesn't know how to tell him "You're welcome" after dropping this truth bomb on him when he hasn't been in Heropa long or have memories of the City. It does get her wondering about the possibility this Porter can't recover memories of those from the City as it had never ported them here before.

She removes her hand not too long after, a sign she's just as unsure as he is. ]

I'm sorry it came out like this tonight.

[ She reaches up, her hand rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. ]

And it's not... all.

[retconman]

[ He can predict what's coming, but he's not certain he wants to hear it. Superman comes next, of course, and then Wonder Woman. It's so fresh his neck almost still creaks from whiplash, but it's not that.

He does need some time. He need to think. To react. Max doesn't need to relive everything up and including his death in one evening and in front of a witness.

He puts his hands up. ]

Can it--

Listen, can it wait?

Not tonight, Karen... all right? I hope you can understand.

[boobwindow]

[ The image of Wonder Woman snapping Maxwell Lord's neck repeatedly throughout the city on multiple screens no matter where she looked isn't an easy memory to push side, but she manages it.

She frowns, but finally concedes, holding both hands up. ]

... Alright. [ She doesn't feel up to telling someone at a party Wonder Woman snapped his neck like a twig and watched him drop dead. ] But we do need to continue this after tonight.

[retconman]

[ He exhales slowly, relieved that he doesn't have to hear it right now. Not on his first night, not before he can steady himself. Max wants to brace himself, get control of this situation. Thinking about Wonder Woman with her hands on his face and lasso around his shoulders evokes the opposite of control.

That's nothing Karen needs to know, of course. Nothing she could. He gives her an unsteady smile, leaning against the railing of the boat again. ]

I just need some time to... [ He sighs. ] Let me ground myself before you pull any more rugs out from under my feet? It isn't like we won't have time, right?

[boobwindow]

I hope so, Max.

[ As the last time he disappeared too quickly on her. She hates to press on such awful topics, but it's a necessity, and she's had to deliver awful news and ask the hard questions over the years. She hates it, but she knows she can do it. The question is how will Max handle any of it? ]

[retconman]

Right... me too. You know-- we can do the whole reunion thing right. By which I mean, not right now.

[ He exhales again, shaking his head and taking a step backward. ]

The time could probably both do us some good. And the space. Just immediately.

[boobwindow]

[ She's reluctant to even entertain the thought. He left too quickly back in the City, leaving her with a pile of questions and moral struggles. She actually had been hoping to leave it back there. ]

You don't need to pretend you're say anything but "back off Kar", Max.

[ She holds up her hand in mock surrender and takes a step back. He's got to be in one of the houses, so keeping an ear out won't be hard at all. ]

I'll let you be, but we're going to talk again. Don't make me chase you down, though. I'm... I'm trying to help.

[ Friends letting friends know their other friend killed them? A+ relationship skills. ]

[retconman]

I know-- I know you are. And I appreciate it, don't get me wrong.

[ He smiles a forced sort of smile that is calculated to look both sincere and strained, a man who is struggling with a heap of bad news. ]

Just-- you know me. They train people in my line of business to be able to spot bad news even before I hear it, and there's already been enough bad news tonight. [ Slowly he manages to relax a bit, breathing slowly in and out. ] We'll see each other around. You know that.

[boobwindow]

There's a difference between spotting and dealing with it.

[ She exhales a sigh, looking down at the remains of her drink.

Hell with it. She downs it all in one go. It's not as if it does anything to her. ]

I'll be on this ship for the rest of the party unless something comes up if you want to talk anyway.