12558/Kora the Explora

Kora the Explora
Date of Scene:	24 August 2022
Location:	The Grove of Antiope
Synopsis:	Diana, Donna, and Caitlin approach Kora to tell her that she gets to reenact 'Coming to America' but as a Themysciran! - This is set 2 months ago ICly.
Cast of Characters:	Diana Prince, Kora Ikassis, Donna Troy, Caitlin Fairchild

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Diana Prince has posed:
In the not too distant past:

A fine day on Themyscira. Diana, Caitlin, Donna, Cassie, were all on the island together, having arrived via the Jet not but a few hours ago. There'd been some ceremony to the arrival, a bit of conversing with the Queen, and a discussion of needing more Amazons back in the mainland, at the Embassy.

Kora's name had come up, and due to her youthful age, she was considered a good fit for the group of many younger Amazons. Thus, Diana, and the others set off to find the young woman. Diana dressed casually in a loose robe that shows off much of her back, and is split down the middle of her chest. It has one sleeve covering half her left arm, while her right arm is left completely bare up to her shoulder. She has simple leather shoes on, and a braided cord of gold mixed in to her ponytail behind her shoulders.

The Princess carries a silver cannister with her, with a little black spoon held against its side. She's moving beneath the flowers that lead toward the grove of Antiope, and glancing over to the others with her.

"I hope that Kora finds this exciting, and to be a fun adventure. If not... this might all be a little awkward." She finishes that statement with a slight grin before turning toward the grove's entrance archways.

Kora Ikassis has posed:
    Kora idles by the pool of water, a book opened at her side but forgotten for the moment. It is one of the rare moments that Kora is not intensely training, studying, or sleeping to recover. The Grove is a refuge for the young Amazon, new to the island, new to certain aspects of the culture despite her mother's efforts to prepare her to assume a role among them.

     The young woman's dark hair, braided back into an intricate fishtail, falls to the middle of her short white tunic, and she wears leather sandals laced to her knee. She doesn't wear the armor she has the honor to don every day to practice by the sides of some of the best warriors in the world.

    Voices break into her reverie, prompting her to stand and take a few steps down the path toward them.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "I'm pretty sure she will," Troia says with a grin. "I mean pretty much ever since she arrived a couple of years back, Themyscira has had a lot of reasons to be talking about America. Think about it. She shows up on Themyscira and it's this whole huge new world for her. And just a short time after she arrived, I was off to the World of Men again, and she must have been wondering what /that/ was about. And since then the three of us and Cassie have been coming back and forth pretty regularly, and we've had visitors, and... well. There are a lot of Amazons who are bugging mother about when it's going to be their turn to visit America. If the older ones are this excited by the prospect, I'm pretty sure Kora will be even more excited."

    Unlike Diana, Troia is dressed fully American style. Jeans and a tee. It would seem quite exotic if it wasn't for the fact that people have got quite used to it by now. Troia glances at the cannister. "How well insulated is that? I mean we've been looking for her a while, if Khryse was wrong and Kora isn't in the grove, we might... oh never mind, there she is!"

    Troia points down the pathway, through the down-hanging branches, to where Kora is already getting to her feet to greet them. "/Khaire, Kora!/" she calls out as the three pick up their pace to meet the youngest Amazon.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's dressed in a (relatively) conservative tunic that hangs to her knee and flatters her frame without clinging to it. The redead's hair is worn loose and hangs to her shoudlers; the humidity of the Aegean prompts it into large, rolling curles that grant extra volume. Simple sandals and a lack of jewelry or accotrement aside from her bracers gives it a comfortably homey look.

"What I'd love is to get Eponia to the Mount Sinai hospital," Caitlin tells Donna. "I've got some resident instructors I'd like to see taken down a peg or two. They tried to tell me I'm doing sutures wrong. I'm going 'You realize that Eponia was there when they *invented* stiches, right?'" she says with a wry amusement.

Diana Prince has posed:
Donna's words cause Diana to shoot a quick look down to that silver container she's holding. "Several hours. If not entirely through the night depending on how much is inside it." She responds, with a slight grin, and a twinkle in her eye to suggest she's tested this before, maybe many times...

"And you're right... of course." The Princess says in her soft voice as they start in to the grove.

Up ahead, she sees Kora, who garners a big smile upon her red hued lips. Diana's left hand comes up to wave excitedly toward the youngest Amazon who still calls the island home.

"Kora. There you are. we have been trying to track you down. I think we have been right behind you for awhile now, so it seems." She says with a light laugh. "We brought you a treat, from America." She states then, before offering the metal container and black plastic spoon. "How are you?" She then asks of the younger one, before glancing to Donna and Cait.

Kora Ikassis has posed:
    "/Khaire Basileia Donna, khaire Basilea Diana/, khaire Aitkaterin" the young woman echoes, lifting a hand to greet them, returning Diana's sunny smile.

    "Looking for me? I had no idea." Her gaze flickers to each of the Amazons, eyebrows rising high in question. "From America? So you just returned. Welcome home!"

Donna Troy has posed:
    Kora will have heard of ice cream before. Ever since Diana had come back from the World of Men, extolling the virtues of the delicacy, it has been gaining interest amongst the Amazons. It's not a Themysciran tradition though. There are iced deserts, something pretty similar to a sorbet, made with shaved ice, fruit juices and honey, but it's really not the same.

    The cooks at the palace have tried making it a few times, but to their dismay, those Amazons who have spent time overseas always tell them it's just not the same. Troia has provided the palace kitchens with an ice cream maker, but it hasn't been put to use yet. This is because it's an /electric/ ice cream maker, and the palace kitchens are not wired for electricity. It's very likely that this is one of Troia's sneaky ploys to trick Hippolyta into agreeing to modernize. There is, after all, an electrical generator not far from the palace, and in recent months, at Troia's urging, arrangements were made to run a cable to the palace, so that people who have them could recharge their phones and plug in their laptops. There's no /reason/ the whole palace shouldn't be wired up, it's just that Hippolyta doesn't see there's a reason it /should/ be.

    Yet.

    Troia flashes Caitlin a big grin. "It's funny," she whispers to her old friend. "When you first came here and met Epione, you were very critical of how primitive our medicine was. She found you incredibly frustrating at first. I mean... you found her pretty frustrating, too. You're both realizing that you have things to teach each other though. You know last time I was here, Epione asked me to bring her some text books on neurology? I think it's funny that she asked me, not you."

    "Just back a couple of hours ago Kora!", Troia tells the young Amazon with a huge smile. "Cassie's here too. She had some things to do but she might be along in a little while. Or if not you'll see her this evening, I'm sure. How is your training going? And your English lessons?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin rolls her eyes with a tolerant smile for Donna's chivvying; she's not *wrong*, of course. When introductions are made, Caitlin smiles at Kora. "Is nice to meet you," she tells the younger woman in heavily American-accented Greek. "I hope the ice cream you like," she offers to the yonuger woman. "It is very good. Uh-- /I/ think it is very good," she amends carefully. Her cadence is slow but deliberate, trying to prnounce each worth clearly. "Have you been well?"

Diana Prince has posed:
Once the cannister of ice cream is handed over, Diana places her hands together over her lap while introductions are made. She smiles toward Cait, then toward Donna, before she looks back to the young woman. "Yes. I thought it was time you made a bit of effort to get to know one another." She says with a playful expression crossing her visage.

Diana's right hand reaches out then to motion toward the stone benches nearby. "Shall we have a seat for a moment?" She asks then, before moving to do just-so.

Once seated, Diana's hands smooth out her crimson garment and come to rest atop her thighs. "The ice cream, is to make sure you get a taste of what's to come." She says with a hint of a grin. Her slim chin lowers down a little then.

"We just came from the Queen, and I have some news for you..." She begins. "How would you feel about joining the three of us, and Cassie, back in New York City?" She inquires. "Back in America?"

Kora Ikassis has posed:
    In English, lilting with a reasonably heavy Themysciran accent, given that she only speaks during lessons, Kora replies, "It is okay! I have much to improve." Little does she suspect that her accent will charm people susceptible to her sunny disposition when she gets to America.

Her green eyes rest on the silver container in Diana's hands. "A treat, /Basilea/? The young Amazon is too self-contained to clap her hands, but her eyes flash at the prospect of a treat specially brought from America.

    America, though she has seen pictures, remains a nebulous place for her. A place where Donna and Diana perform feats from the tales she hears from the others when they are in a mood to tell stories in the evening. The Man's World - full of technology, pollution, and strife. She both longs to go and has moments that she dreads it.

    But ice cream!

    Tales of ice cream have made the rounds on the hottest days. Sweet and colder than anything she has tasted yet.

     Kora trades a sympathetic smile with Caitlin, "Pleased to meet you," she rattles off in Greek, happy that she doesn't need to trot out her English in front of all the experienced speakers. "Oh, yes! Very well. How has your trip been?"

     It is not only treats today but momentous questions. Kora's eyebrows knit as she parses Diana's query.

    The Queen. New York. Her?

     At the end of a deep breath, she claps her hands, exclaiming, "New York? I am ready? Oh, /Basilea/. Yes."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "She's eager and she hasn't even tasted the ice cream yet, Diana," Troia says with a soft laugh. Following Diana's urging she takes a seat, but rather than occupying a place on the bench she opts to sit on the grass. That's what it's for, after all! It's soft, comfortable and today at least reasonably dry.

    Also she's wearing jeans, and that's what THEY are for. At least now she's an adult, Hippolyta and the palace workers don't despair at Troia's habit of returning to the palace with grass stains covering her clothes.

    "Best way to improve your English is to spend time in a country where they speak it all the time Kora," Troia tells her. "But for now rather than that I suggest you eat the ice cream before it melts. Diana brought it all the way from New York city, forty-two thousand /stadion/ away. It will not last forever, and you wouldn't want your first experience of proper New York ice cream to be a puddle of melted ice cream in the bottom of the container."

    Troia grins up at Caitlin. "And it is good. It comes from the famous Big Gay Ice Cream shop in New York." Such exotic-sounding names! "There are two different flavors in the cannister. The 'Salty Pimp' is Diana's favorite, but I told her to get you some 'Rocky Road' as well. That has bits of almond in it. And... other things. Try it, you'll see."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Donna's English is still very bad," Caitlin tells Kora with a conspiratorial grin. The towering redhead elects to sit on one of the benches with a habitual sense of propriety; she tucks one ankle behind the other and sits with impeccable posture in her spine, hands loosely folded in her lap.

"But it is better than my Greek," she admits a beat later. "I am still learning. The um, the--" she looks to Donna and Diana. "Slang?" she queries in English. "The things people say here, between friends, not so formal. I am still learning those."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana gives a wide smile over to Donna who explains the ice cream, she then regards Caitlin. "You are doing wonderfully with it all, as ever to be expected from you, sweet Caitlin." The Princess gushes over the redheaded hammerzon.

When her eyes return to Kora though, Diana nods once to the ice cream cannister, before she shows a warm smile for her. "Yes. We have been talking with the Queen, and several of the Amazon trainers that have been overseeing your progress. We have more than enough hands in the Embassy to continue your training there, while also allowing you to be closer to the Amazons your own age. This... seems as though it could beneficial for your training." Diana notes, with another glance to Cait and Donna.

Her eyes spring back though. "Of course, this is entirely up to you, but the door is open now, and should you wish to take it, you're more than welcome to come with us. It would... be very different from what you are used to here, believe me..."

She pauses for a slight second again, as she exhales softly. "You will see things, experience things, that are both unbelievable, on a spectrum of terrible... to spectacular, with everything in between coming at seemingly random moments. It is... not a utopia, by any means. But it is a place where you can learn to be the best Amazon possible. Plus, it is not as though you cannot return here. You will be traveling with us, coming back when we find the time, and quality reason to do just so..."

Kora Ikassis has posed:
    Advice about learning English properly merits a serious nod. Donna's jeans have garnered a few surreptitious glances from Kora who politely schools herself not to stare. They look hot to her, used to having her legs free, even when in a saddle. But, this is something she will learn to wear when she goes to New York. She can barely believe the phrase.

    She throws a look of smiling disbelief at Caitlin. How could her idols be bad at something?

    Then, Kora settles on the soft grass not far from Caitlin, sitting on her knees, ready for the ice cream from forty-two thousand /stadion/ distance and still good to eat.

The names puzzle her but she promises herself she'll learn. Big Gay, Salty Pimp, Road with Rocks are all stored away until she can consult a dictionary.

Eating ice cream is momentarily put aside while Kora listens to Diana's recital of what is in store for her in New York. She looks up at the Princess expectantly, excitement in her hands pressed against her thighs.

    "It will good to be in New York with all of you." Her gaze rests on Caitlin a moment, "Good to train with others of my age. You can teach me about what I must do."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "/Idioma/," Donna tells Caitlin. "We don't really have a word that's more... well in English, the word 'slang' implies something not simply informal and personal, but also perhaps improper to use, and that's not really a concept we have. That's why your /swear jars/ will never catch on back here." She quickly sticks her tongue out to Caitlin before looking back to Kora, grinning.

    "Aikaterine is making a poor joke. My English is excellent. When Aikaterine first met me, it was not that good. Better than her Greek is now, but I made a lot of mistakes. Caitlin is just upset because she wasn't born an Amazon, and doesn't have our gift for languages. However I have lived most of seven years in America and I now speak it better than most of the Americans can. You will be shocked how bad many of them are with their own language."

    "As for America, it is full of interesting things, and you will find it fascinating, disconcerting, full of wonders and horrors at the same time. There is ugliness there in a way that you will not be used to. Many people are unwell, and they do not do a good job of helping them become better. People are not permitted to build themselves a home on empty land, so while there are vast empty spaces, there are also those who do not have the smallest shelter of their own. There is foolishness, cruelty, and spite everywhere. People harm each other for no reason other than their own personal benefit, or even just to amuse themselves. And yet there is also great beauty. They fill their world with the arts, and their scientists are given great honor and study the cosmos in incredible detail. You will meet people who would sacrifice everything for the benefit of their fellow humans, and some are like the heroes of old. There is much we have to teach them, but there are things they can teach us, too."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlins hands spread at the two princesses in mute appeal. "Gee whiz, don't try to downsell it," she scolds them both in English. Caitlin sighs in exasperation and turns to face Kora more directly.

"It is not that bad," she assures Kora, speaking in Greek again. "America is not a nation like--" she gestures vaguely around. "Of women with a single purpose, a single vision. It is a many different people from all over the world. New York is one of our most important cities. We have museums filled with thousand many arts, great music, surprising food. There is nowhere else on Earth that is so diverse."

Diana Prince has posed:
A light smile is shown to Kora before Diana looks to her right where Donna and Cait are. She regards Donna from her place on the grass, and then to Cait, who gets a sly grin. "We certainly do not mean to desparage your home... But, much of it will stand out to Kora upon her arrival..." She just replies in a quiet tone of voice before her eyes trail back over to the young woman who is being given this offer this afternoon.

A quick nod is given to what Donna and Cait say before Diana adds on a little further. "I was first shown London, located in Great Britain. It was... quite some time ago, and things have radically changed since those days. Much for the better, no less. One of the things that I admire about the rest of the world is that push toward bettering each other. You will see it in time too. The majority of people want better for themselves, and for others. Though there is much work left to do... there is still... so much good, and so much potential yet to reach for. This is what occupies the majority of all of our time, in fact, and is at the core of what it is that we are trying to do in the mortal world."

Diana takes a slight breath then before she looks around the grove. "It is... easy to get home sick at first too... But..." She looks back then, casting her eyes around to all three of the women with her.

"We have each other to make that a little easier than it used to be..."

Kora Ikassis has posed:
    So much of what Donna tells her is beyond Kora's grasp. It is unthinkable to not help someone in need. She has always lived where everyone knew each others' names, and not just their names, but their reputations, their strengths and occasional foibles. No one would be left in need. On the island she grew up on if a fisherman lost his netting then the whole village would work together to replace it.

    She shakes her head in wonder, considering what it will be like to among strangers. Strangers that do not share the same purpose and vision.

    If she does not understand what it will be like, she understands Caitlin's kind attempt to soften the horrors she might see. With a smile and a brief touch, she thanks her.

    Diana's words hearten her. Her eyes flick to her sister Amazons, "So it is not so bleak? People want to make life better for themselves and others. It would be a black place that didn't."

    And still the glories of ice cream await.

Donna Troy has posed:
"London, Toronto, Paris, Sydney, Singapore," Troia intones, as if chanting some litany, the names as strange-sounding and foreign to Kora as any Latin service. "New York is not quite so exceptional as you claim, Cait." Troia punctuates her claim with another sticking out of the tongue, clearly a frequent ritual between the two. Kora will probably have figured out by now that Aikaterine and Troia tease each other in a way only people quite comfortable with each other do.

    "I did mention the good sides of it too Aikaterine," Troia concedes. "What she says is true, Kora. You will see much there that is good. The world beyond these shores is so large. While we have arts created by thousands, they have arts created by billions. You will see wonders. Their best artists, writers and musicians are as good as our own. In some cases even better. They have arts that we do not, like photography and film. You will find the place is so large it is impossible to know even a fraction of the streets in the city the way you can learn all of Themyscira city, and yet it does not matter because they have machines that you can keep with you in your pocket that will show you a map of wherever you happen to be in the world. You can be separated from your best friend by a thousand miles, yet this same machine will let you talk with them as if they stood beside you. You will get to taste the food of a hundred different cultures, you'll be able to watch cartoons and play video games, you'll meet people very different from any you have met before"

    "But it is important to prepare you for the darker side of things to, because the World of Men has both light and darkness in equal measure. It will not be too hard. You will have the three of us there, and Cassie. And you will stay at the Embassy, where we have a dozen more Amazons from the island at any time. You'll have friends who will show you how things work and help you prepared for the things that might go wrong."

    "When I first went to America, the only other Amazon there was Diana. She had told me stories of what New York was like, but it had not prepared me for the experience." Troia tilts her head back to Caitlin. "Cait, you saw some of that. Of the Donna who spent half her time being excited and loving everything she was seeing, and half the time telling you that Americans were foolish. But you met me after I'd been in America a few months and had got over the initial shock. For Kora it's going to be /harder/ in some ways. Remember that she was not born here on Themyscira. Until she was eighteen, she had met nobody but her own parents and a few local fisher-folk. Themyscira city vastly dwarfs the island fishing villages she may have seen before, yet New York city dwarfs Themyscira city by just as much. And it's hard to express just how shocking it was to see people who were physically /old/ for the first time."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin rolls her eyes and palms Donna's face away from her with zero effort behind the motion. She giggles once despite herself, and when Kora gives her arm a squeeze Caitlin reciprocates with a warmly maternal expression and a similar touch to Kora's forearm.

"I also will you help," Caitlin reassures Kora. "So will Donna. And the other Amazons who have been living in the city. You will not be guessing what to do and you will have help if you see something weird or danger," she adds, keeping her comfort light and simple.

Diana Prince has posed:
There comes a soft laugh from Diana as she lets her eyes sweep around the three of them. "Well. I think we've done enough to instill a rather sizable amount of anxiety in Kora." She jokes, of course, before she nods once to the young Amazon. "But yes, you have time to consider all of this, and prepare yourself to come with us, should you really wish to do so. If so?" Diana then asks, motioning to Caitlin and Donna.

"They can help you choose what you'll need most to bring with you from your personal belongings." She motions to Donna specifically then.

"As you can see, the dress stylings are considerably different too. So if you do decide to come, when we get there, we can spend some time going out to garner you a new wardrobe so that you may fit in as you feel comfortable. That alone should be a rather fun experience, I think. We know some of the best fashion designers in New York, let alone many of those other places that Troia has mentioned."

Diana starts to rise up then, and smooths her silken garment. "That being said, we should get back to the Palace, I think, and prepare for this evening's events?" She raises a brow then as she looks between the other three women.

Kora Ikassis has posed:
    The byplay between Princess Donna and Aikaterine brings a half-smile to her face. It is as it should be between sisters - trust and camaraderie. The cities Donna rattles off are still distant dots on a map for her, along with a collection of memorized facts that will soon become a reality.

    She is going to New York!

     Finally, she will fly in the big jet that she has only visited in the cave where it it is kept while on the island. And, she will have a marvelous machine that can help her talk to friends.

    Kora flashes a smile at Caitlin then looks down in her lap at Donna reminding everyone of her origins. Not that they are unknown, or that she doesn't hold her village and parents in affection, but it marks her as being very different. Fortunately, none of her sister Amazons have made her feel less for it.

    New wardrobe is almost indecipherable for her, as well as fashion designer. She smiles at the word fun.

    Kora stands when Diana rises, she still holds the silver flask with the yet uneaten ice cream. "If I may, I will come to the Palace this evening with my decision."

She looks at each of the women in turn, "Thank you for your help."

Donna Troy has posed:
    At the signal from Diana, Troia gets to her feet, grinning mischievously at Caitlin. There's no attempt to seek immediate revenge for Caitlin's playful face-palming, but she's sure to find some delayed revenge before long. She dusts herself off and looks back at Kora with a grin.

    "There's going to be a feast at the palace tonight, so you better be coming, with your decision or not."

    "But there's no need for you to rush into a decision. Take your time, ask questions of those of us who have spent time in America, and consider what you want to do. I think you'll enjoy coming there, but whether you do that this year or in a hundred years doesn't really matter and that's a decision for you to make."

    Troia raises a finger of warning. "But! Don't forget your ice cream. Eat it before it melts! But we better let you eat it in peace. If you open that cannister with Diana around, she'll stare at you with big, hopeful, pleading eyes, until you give half of it to her."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"You don't have to give her half," Caitlin reassures Kora. "Maybe a quarter. And she can always get more, so it wouldn't kill her to miss out today." She grins at Diana cheekily; the banter with the princess is perhaps a shade more respectful, but there's the same sorority there as we Donna-- not just as Amazons in the company of their own, but among friends.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana is already down the pathway again toward the balcony level outside of the grove. She turns back to look over her shoulder at Donna and Caitlin. "Ha ha..." She chides them both back, before she starts to turn again toward the balcony level exit. She pauses, then looks back again. Her right hand comes up as she pinches her thumb and forefinger together.

"Only this much." She says happily. "That is all I'll ask for. I promise." And then she starts further out of the grove. "Maybe this much..." She further adds, adjusting her fingers so there's about twice as much as she'd just suggested..."

This continues on outside, of course!

Kora Ikassis has posed:
Kora sits down cross-legged in the grass and opens the canister. A big smile spreads across her face at the first spoonful.