13139/Themyscirans: New Souls

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Themyscirans: New Souls
Date of Scene: 03 November 2022
Location: Temple of the Well of Souls
Synopsis: The Themyscirans gather at the Well of Souls to greet the first arrival of a contingent of new Amazons, more women arrive in one day than have been seen in over a thousand years from the Wellspring, and yet more are set to come...
Cast of Characters: Diana Prince, Monet St. Croix, Jennifer Walters, Kora Ikassis, Cassie Sandsmark, Kate Bishop, Donna Troy




Diana Prince has posed:
The Well of the Souls was one of the original locations on the island. It was where the bulk majority of the original Amazons came from. They emerged, tortured souls lost to violence and a world that was not kind to them. their souls became streaks of light destined to soar through the cosmos, and those souls were chosen by the Goddesses that oversee the well-being of Themyscira. The souls who were chosen were brought to the island, and a sense of peace would wash across them as they emerged from the pool of sacred water here in the wild lands of the island's rolling grasslands.

But it has been a long time since anyone emerged from the pool... since before even Diana had been brought to life as a gift to her mother.

Until just a handful of days ago. The Watchers of the Well, a group of Amazons assigned to patrol the grounds, and caretake its well-being, these women were stunned to see a solitary figure suddenly standing n the edge of the water, entirely devoid of clothing and dripping wet from head to toe. She has been named since, her name Silja. She was quickly tended to, clothed and brought to the Queen. Not wishing to overwhelm the poor woman, the Queen only had one question for the newly arrived Silja. "Are you alone?"

"No." Was her calm response. "There are many more coming..."

And so it was that Diana was contacted, and the Princess thusly reached out to members of the Themysciran-aligned within New York City. The Invisible Jet was prepared, and the journey to the island was on!

A first for some of those who boarded the Jet, but one that would not be met with the normal pomp and ceremony, due to the circumstances. The Jet had arrived at the island on a sunny afternoon, the weather calm and peaceful. The passengers diesembarked outside of the grand Themysciran Palace where they were met by members of the Amazon military. Horses and Kangas were prepared for them, and the ride was on to the grasslands outside the city.

Halfway through the ride, the clouds in the sky high above opend up and a calm rain began to fall, and it hasn't stopped yet. Soft pattering of raindrops on grass, flowers, and the pool of the Well of Souls makeup the ambience of the setting now. All around the pool there are a hundred Amazons, in formal attire, watching and waiting, as they have been since Silja's arrival. The young, newest, Amazon herself waiting amongst the others now, wearing new clothing and a anxious expression as she speaks to some of her new sisters here and there.

When Diana's troupe had arrived, the Princess had gone to Silja to introduce herself, and been met with a gracious.. and happy greeting from the woman. The others with Diana were also introduced, to the Amazons waiting, watching... with the Queen likely being the most intimidating of those to meet here today. She stands amongst her closest advisors, on a balcony connected to the temple itself. Her hands rest upon a railing, as she holds casual conversation while watching the pool like everyone else.

The rainfall is light, everyone drips, but the weather is still warm and it is far from unbearable.

There is chatter, there is an anxious feeling in the air, as the time is approaching as per Silja's knowledge. Diana stands with those who came with her, dressed in a casual Amazon attire, a white skirt and a leather bodice over a matching white top that hangs from her shoulders. Her dark hair is tied back with golden twine, and her neck, ears and arms are adorned with modest jewelry.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
It was the first time that she had ever been on the island. Somewhere ultimately she had not presumed she would ever journey. So it's with a rare quiet an da sort of awe that Monet St. Croix goes along. In the company of the others she's for once making sure to keep herself quiet and reserved. The weather does not particularly trouble her, even as she goes to wait and listen.

The arrival of the Amazons has her curious. She watches them.. Paying attention to body language, dialect, changes in posture, physique.. Looking for those subtle differences and disctinctions that would make them stand apart. Trying to get a sense over of thier origins or thier different life experiences. Monet is quite content to just watch for now. Her position is that of an ally. A trainee at most.

Or ultimately just token rich girl that has all the $$$ that she shares about. The anxiousness doesn't have her on edge.

She's quiet, wearing a dress of Morrocan design, somewhat of a more Arabic origin. Not something she would usually wear, but it seemed to be in better taste given where she would be than anything in her normal wardrobe.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    A trip on the Invisible Jet! Yes, please! This would be Jennifer's first time to Themyscira, and she can't wait to get on board. She's dressed casually, a pair of black slacks, and a cream colored blouse. It's nice enough to greet new Amazons, yet light and comfortable enough to ride a kanga. (It's funny, since she never did get to learn how to ride a horse when she was a kid, so when presented with the option, she had to go with kangas.)

    Ever since the ride on the Jet, the jade giantess couldn't help stop grinning. "This is the best road trip ever, Diana," she says. "Though I don't understand why you need so many of us. Are you expecting any trouble?"

Kora Ikassis has posed:
The transition between New York and Themyscira is far from humdrum for Kora. Themyscira had laid its stamp on the impressionable young woman; she felt more at home on the serene island than in New York City's mad pace. Absence from the isle has refreshed her love for it, the pool below and its surrounding garden even more beautiful than memory. Even the clothes she had longed for in New York have a different feel, no longer the second skin of everyday clothing.

She stands in the row behind the Princess's close advisors, still close at hand to run errands or fetch anything that might be needed. Time had been lavished on her fishtail braid, threaded with a red cord. She wears leather armor, all the nicks and divots from hard practice polished away. Her white corselet hangs heavy with brass scales along the bottom. In time-honored tradition, her sturdy sandals lace to her knee.

Like the others, her attention is focused with an undercurrent of excitement on the deep pool below where the newest Amazons will emerge.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
On the plane ride over, Cassie is definitely a display of anti-pomp. She's casual, kicked back in her seat, which the disc-slash-ship has conveniently reformed into something more recliner-y for her comfort! She has her big, clunky headphones on, streaming something or another on her phone. At least for as long as her connection is good. Reception can still be an iffy thing on the island. But she's got plenty downloaded, too! And so, nicely zoned out in her own world until they reach their destination. Not a long trip, really...

Once they make it to the island, presumably landing in the normal place near the city and having a bit of a stopover before the journey to the well, she swings by her room to change into more local attire like Diana. She's rather come to enjoy the light, breezy styles. She puts her hair up, too, but is otherwise rather unadorned other than her bracers and lasso, those nearly ever-present Amazon symbols. Oh, and her phone still. She has an armband-style runner's holster for that. What? She can document this grand event for history in a slightly more modern format than mosaic or statuary!

"I wonder if we're gonna get... like a whole new generation of Amazons," she considers, standing near Diana but looking curiously at Silja. "You know, like it happened the first time. Like, they've been storing up souls for another shipment!" Is that how this works? Who knows!

Diana Prince has posed:
After Jenn had spoken, Diana had put her hand on the other woman's shoulder to afford a smile to her. The group of those who came with Diana to the island today are all greeted by one of the royal servants who brings them some drinks to take should they so desire it, though most seem to not being indulging in any of the choices, wine, water or otherwise. Everyone seems to simply be wrapped up in that anxious anticipation.

"No trouble." Diana replies to Jenn. "But, there are a lot of questions with regard to all of this..." She quietly says to her friend as she glances toward the pool down amidst the gardens. She looks back to Jenn then. "This is... not normal for our people. It usually means something may be coming, something possibly big for the island. Or. It could be ... something else." She says in that husky voice of hers before she looks to Kora and offers her a slight smile. "Happy to be back?" She asks the young Amazon who came to the island through other means than this sacred pool of water.

Queen Hippolyta is only a small distance from the Princess, and her friends, she glances over at them and stares with a blank expression for a moment. Some of them the Queen does not recognize, but they have loosened the rules of-late, especially for those who meet Diana's own personal tastes for allowing to come. She'll have to speak more closely to them though before they leave the island, and this is something resting on her mind amongst all the rest that has been since the arrival of Silja.

Diana looks to Cassie and offers her a sly grin. "They are all coming here to put you to work, I am sure." She teases her young sister. "

The offered drinks gets a look from the Princess who takes a goblet of water for herself, and one for Monet who she offers it too. "You look a bit uncomfortable." Diana tells the French woman in a soft tone.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would muse over for a moment ass he would watch things. Her expression is contemplative as she watches the back and forth amongst the Amazons, the diplomatic engagements, the discussions amongst those that would be sisters.. Were sisters, in spirit. She would watch in curiousity and analysis over as she would pay attention to the protocols amongst the Themyscirans. The queen, the warriors, the newcomers to the island..

As Diana would approach her, she would break ehr quiet thoughtfully, her head still at an angle where she could listen using her slightly enhanced hearing. "There is much to learn here that I am.. Ill informed of." Spoken as someone whom considered herself on top of everything and knowledgable of almost all topics. A rare admission that she felt out of her element and wary. "There is much to glean from analysis. And.." she would go on..

"As for the reasons of the sudden joining and arrival. I do not presume to know of such things.. But logic is that beyond the reunion of your sisters together that something ill is on the horizon." She would accept the drink and takea very small sip of it. "Safety in numbers where isolated they had their own culture and history. Something necessitated them returning here after so long apart. There must be a reason for it." But she's not attempting to inquire directly, as diplomatic protocols and politeness.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen nods as Diana explains. "Alright. But right now it's a cause for celebration, right? More Amazons is a good thing, I would think. Oh! Thank you!" she says, when somebody comes around with a drink. The last time she had Themysciran alcohol she had gotten slightly tipsy, which was something of a novelty.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Kate mostly kept to herself on the ride over on the invisible jet with the others. She is in her full Hawkeye gear, sword, quiver, batons, and WonderBow all ready to rock. Sure she might not need it for a dire battle this time on the Island, but she damn well packs them in case she can get some practice in with the General.

    Honestly it looks like she is doing freshman college calculus based on the books she has open as she works on something on a tablet. Rich girl recognizes Rich girl though which might be something Monet picks up on, with the Hawkeye sunglasses up on her forehead she might even look familiar to elite social circles.

    She does head to a specific Kanga she recognizes when the troupe arrives and is taken on the ride to the Well. It is pretty obviously not her first trip to the Island.

    Mostly she quietly chats with a familiar Amazon or two while they wait with the undercurrent of excitement.

Kora Ikassis has posed:
Kora stops the automatic smile and nod that bubbled to the surface at the Princess's question. After a moment, she bobs her head thoughtfully, "I'm always happy to return to Themyscira, Princess. The change boggles a bit." Conscious of the others around her, she refrains from saying anything beyond, "This is incredibly exciting."

The new Amazons will arrive in the manner of old, very different than Kora's arrival. She and her mother had sailed to the island guided by her father's sure hand on the rudder. They had beached the ship on a spit and waited while her mother walked inland to reunite with her sister Amazons. It had been the first time Kora had left the tiny island where she was born.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Another group of Amazons arrive at the temple. Heralded by three Amazon guards, followed by the high priestess Menalippe and three of her priestesses, with Troia and the hooded figure of Magala, the chief sorceress of the Amazons, taking up the rear. The three guards file away to take up guard positions, the three junior priestesses approach the edge of the pool and huddle together talking, while Troia, Magala and Menalippe head over to where Hippolyta stands to exchange hushed words with the queen. Menalippe looks troubled, Hippolyta stoical, Magala inscrutable. Troia, increasingly animated -- at least until Magala rests a hand on her arm and mutters a few words to the younger princess. Troia nods her head to Magala, then to the queen, and leaves the three to continue their conversation.

    Instead, Troia flashes a wide smile in Diana's direction, and walks over towards the group she has brought along. "Hey guys," she says with a wave of greeting. "Nobody knows what's going on. The Five apparently think we should be able to figure it out for ourselves, or so Menalippe has concluded. Which... I mean it's obvious, really. I think it's more that people don't want to admit the truth."

    As she joins the small crowd Troia scruffs Kate's hair, gives a wink to Cassie, and asks Kora "Did your mother tell to you the early history of the Amazons? What the Well of Souls actually is?"

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Diana gets a stiff rebuttal from her young sidekick. "Pffffft. Put me to work? If we get a buncha noobazons, I'll have senriority this time around! So I'll be putting them to work! Early morning drills! Push-ups! You name it." Cassie curls an arm, whether to flex a bicep or show off her bracer. Or both! "Cuz it definitely makes more sense to go by 'bracers date' not 'how old your soul is.' Otherwise, like, I could just convert to Buddhism or something and shoot to the front." Whether that is total and complete logical nonsense (along with being mildly blasphemous) or not, the young woman seems firm in her conviction! She ain't always gonna be on the bottom of the pecking order.

Speaking of...

"Kooooora." She's spotted one person she's sure she gets to pull rank on. It's a very small club! Quickly, she hustles over toward the other young Amazon. "Whaddya think, huh? Ready to meet the reinforcements? Wonder what they'll be like. Since, you know, the originals were, well, from all over, right? Could be really ANY kind of person." And from one young friend, her attention shifts to another, and she takes a couple exaggerated steps over toward Kate. Who she'd left alone on the plane because gawd, homework. Near the end, she slows down, shuffling nearer with tiny steps as if sneaking up.

"Yo." Much casual, such hello. "This is wild huh?"

Diana Prince has posed:
"Well." Diana says to Monet. "Lets try and keep a positive look about it, I should say." She states to the young French woman before sipping from that small chalice of water which she sets aside on the stone railing when she moves to stand beside Jenn. Her eyes look to the others with her group, watching Kate, and Kora, then seeing Cassie move to corrupt them she just smiles at this but tries to reserve it.

Donna's arrival has Diana look to her sister. She smiles more brightly when she approaches. "Troia. Glad that you were able to come. Did you bring the T-Jet?" She asks in a soft voice, her hands held in front of her skirted lap. She then looks past Donna to the Priestesses and she leans toward Troia to speak softer. "I hope /they/ are remaining positive about this..." She says in a 'knowing' sort of way.

The Queen had a small conversation going herself on the other side of the Balcony when someone speaks up from down below...

"Movement." One of the assigned Watchers speaks.

All eyes flock to the mirrored surface of the water then, as it takes a few moments to become widely visible, but when it does, it becomes quite clear... There are figures under the water, many of them, and they're ascending the stone steps beneath the surface... A line of them, five aside... They become more visible the closer they get to breaking the water, and when they do part from the water, they begin to rise up as they walk with a calm cadence to their steps. The first five are all of different sizes and ethnicity. They all look relatively fit though, and their ages are somewhere in their 20s to late 30s, though it is anyone's guess really considering it's even still lightly raining as the nude women start to rise up out of the water.

Met by the Watchers, they are greeted in Themysciran, with robes and words of praise for the Goddesses. Each woman who emerges from the water goes to one of the Watchers and accepts the clothing, accepts the prayer and offers a bow of respect for it... somehow knowing what to do upon leaving the embrace of the Wellspring behind.

The first five are soon on bare feet upon cobblestone, as another five appear in the water...

The Queen sits forward some in her chair and then moves to stand up and step to the stone railing to place her fingertips down upon it, a serious expression across her hardened visage.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would nod over at Diana, "But of course." She would smile over and keep up a diplomatic expressoin. Her tone is thoughtful as she goes to proceed to analyse events once more. There are no more statements of whatever concerns she has. For now.. There is much more going on than she is aware of, and she has to accept hat her own knowledge is extremely limited and lacks perspective. She takes a sip over of her goblet of wine..

And watches the Amazons as they would approach one another and go through their ritual of.. Exchange? Identity? Greeting? She watches the ritual, watching it and the women leaving the Wellspring. Something she does not know of.

So when there is talk amongst the others of 'history of the Wellspring' she dutifully moves to walk in that direction politely to ensure that she can learn herself. Adding to her knowledge base is alway sgood. Giving a light nod to the others as she would approach, "Ladies." Turning to be able to keep one eye on the greeting ritual, the other on her conversational companions.. very, very intrigued. It was an excellent oppotunity to learn. And she would make the most of it.

And add to her extremely, extremely limited knowledge of Themysciran.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Kate smirks a bit wat the hair scruffing from Donna, it is a fond smile though and she knows better than to give her a pop in the shoulder in response. Like hitting a wall. Damn Amazon chicks.

    To Donna "I'd definitely be good with a basics explanation on what the Well of Souls is again." she asked a few questions earlier but can't hurt to hear Donna or Kora's take.

    Hard to say for sure whether she is aware of Cassie sneaking up on her or not. At least until she mock startles, but then grins at her friend. "Yo. I'm excited to meet an Amazon actually younger than me, that is for sure." amusement. "It is wild."

    Her attention shifts to watch the emergence from the Waters. "Woah.. that is... a good deal already wonder how many.. many is...."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    At the warning of movement, Jenn's emerald eyes turn towards the water as well. She watches as the women come pouring out of the well, five at a time. "I wonder how many will come," she asks, echoing Kate's sentiment.

Kora Ikassis has posed:
Being everyone's little sister has been deeply heartwarming (and instructive) for the youngest Amazon though she'll have no problem ceding her place to the next generation, no matter the age of their souls. Cassie pretending to lord it over her has been nothing but a delight. She had been raised without sisters or age mates. The other youngest had rapidly become her fashion advisor and source for all things modern - cell phones, texting, videos, ad infinitum. Smiling widely at Cassie, shaking her head, "They still will need to be shown what to do. Here or there." (There being New York.)

When Donna addresses her, the smile sobers respectfully, "It is not something that I studied, Princess. Why has it been so long since it was last used?"

Kora shifts her attention when Diana alerts them to movement below, watching the first group emerge with wonder parting her lips. She refocuses on Donna, hopeful to hear more of the pool's history while history unfolds in front of them.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Troia gives Diana a shake of her head and a grin. "Nah, I asked Rae to zap me over," she replies. "Quicker. Though not quite as comfortable." She lowers her voice to match Diana's hushed tones. "More than anything they are surprised, sister. They are very cautious about drawing conclusions. But /we/ know." She seems very confident and unconcerned about all of this. "It has been a long time since the world /needed/ any more Amazons. "

    She gives Monet a nod of greeting when she approaches, then lets her attention go back to Kora "Because it is a long time since the Amazons were born to this world Kora," she replies. It's story time!

    "Three and a half thousand years ago, at least in this part of the world, the Greek world, it was a bad time to be poor or disadvantaged. Kings stopped being servants of their people and became dictators, hoarding the wealth, oppressing the masses. Particularly the female masses. The lessons of the gods about the importance of compassion had become forgotten. "

    "Five of the goddesses decided it was time to do something about that. They sought out the help of Gaia, the mother of all, and she lead them to this place. Themyscira was not the first home of the Amazons, but it was their birthplace. Here, on an island hidden from the world of men, existed the Well of Souls, a gateway to the place where souls go to after death. From the maelstrom of the souls of the dead, the Five selected amongst them the souls of women who had reason to know the pains of oppression and the strength of character to do something about it. They crafted for them magical bodies, granted them the strength and the lifespan to mend the world. First to step out from these waters were the queen and her three sisters."

    "In that time, the Amazons lived in a place we'd now call part of Turkey, in a city by a river that was called Themyscira. They were the superpower of the world, and they broke the dominance of the tyrant kings. If their numbers dropped, they would be refreshed as more women came out of these waters and were sent by the five to join their sisters in Turkey."

    "So it went on until the Amazons were betrayed and the city of Themyscira burned. When they sought revenge for their betrayal they forgot their own oaths for a while. When sanity came back to them, the five sent them to live here on the island where they were born, out of sight and memory of the world of men. Since that day, until today, no more sisters have come to us from the Well of Souls. Only a few strays like Kora here, a few who were not born to be Amazons but had the connections anyway like myself and Cassie, and finally Aikaterine, coming to us because we were no longer hidden to the world and our message was being heard again."

    "And now... the goddesses send us more Amazons. A hundred years ago Diana went out into the World of Men to do what we Amazons were always supposed to be doing. Where she lead, we... all of us, including those of you who are not Amazons but have been inspired by her -- we are doing what Amazons are supposed to do." Donna grins a little. "And it can only be a message that we are being sent reinforcements now, at last."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Right? We're not the babies anymore," Cassie enthuses back at Kate. "Ooh here they come!" Yep. The young woman is zero ceremony, one hundred percent excitement for all of this. Which isn't to say that she's not appropriately awed. It's an amazing display. But the Amazon Watchers are there for the ceremony parts, so she...

Well, reflexively, she reaches for that bicep-holstered phone! Although as she brings it up, she does briefly hesitates. They're naked! But it's a momentous event in Amazon history. Hmm. Tap, tap. Ah, those handy filters! Now everyone gets convenient censorship overlays in the shape of cutesy little cartoon flowers and butterflies! Fits the natural aesthetic nicely! (This is debatable.)

Meanwhile, a sidelong glance back to Kate from her screen, her expression slightly sly. "Careful, don't let your jaw hit the ground now..."

Of course, as the emergence continues and more and more of the women emerge, the momentary excitement gives way to more in the way of increasing curiousity. At their number, and their diverse composition, in age and everything else. "Still kinda feels like we're on the younger side..." Is that good or bad? Surely she's not eager to go all uber-boomer like Diana. Looking back and forth from Kate to Kora, she bobs her head at the latter's thought. "Yeah. Good thing I've got you two! There's uh, yeah, I don't think I could take all of them shopping at once, haha. We're gonna have to form a modern education boot-camp, on top of everything else."

Donna is doing story time, and while she knows it, it can be fun to listen, storyteller that she is! "Does kinda seem like a bit of a portent, when you look at it that way. 'Hey, maybe you're gonna need a buncha extra sisters for something.' Ominous!"

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana separates herself from her small group on the eastern side of the Temple balcony. She smiles at the history lesson she hears Donna giving, and the quirky silliness that ever comes from Cassie. She pats them both lightly on the back as she passes them by, and moves toward the Queen's side.

Hippolyta and Diana share a look before they both put their eyes forward again toward the stairs coming up out of the water. Before Donna can even finish her history lesson there are twenty women emerged from the pool, and more coming out.

"This is unprecidented." The Queen quietly says, just for her daughter's ears.

Diana looks over to her, and holds a faint smile, a restrained smile, her positivity about all of this trying hard to be restrained so as not to be too giddy about it all. "It is a sign of our good choices made, mother." She says back in a hushed tone, her left hand moving to her mother's arm to gently touch it.

Once more Hippolyta looks to Diana, and considers those words, likely not as willing to believe so whole heartedly in this being 'all positive'. But she does silently dip her chin a single time to Diana's words, and then reaches over to put her arm around the Princess' shoulders, to squeeze the side of her shoulder opposite to the one closest to her.

They stand like this for a few moments, until there are 30 women out of the Wellspring, and yet more coming up the stairs...

Still, the women vary in age, and Cassie and Kora might be happily surprised to see that there's a number of them who look to be in their late teens, or roughly the same age. They're being greeted by the watchers, who hand out the robes and the proper ceremonial greetings before escorting the newly arrived women to the statues of the Goddesses that rest in their designated alcoves. It's there that prayers of 'thanks' are given to the Goddesses for bringing the new Amazons to the island... it's there that the numbers are staring to really become quite obvious too.

Hippolyta takes her arm from Diana's shoulders and looks to her, then to Troia. "Take your sister, and your friends, help them. The Watchers are being overrun..." The Queen says, able to see that there's more arrivals now than there are Amazons to greet them.

Diana nods to this, and turns to walk toward the others she'd come with. "Come, let us help." The Princess says, stepping around to the stone stairway that leads down to the pool's edge....

The piles of clothing are soon handed out to the ones with Diana, to give to the arriving women, who stare with wide eyes, curious eyes... at everything, after emerging from the waters, their hair plastered down the back of their shoulders, their faces and bodies dripping with the blessed waters, and the rainfall that still lightly comes down from the clouds over the whole of the island today.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The explanation over from Donna as to the purpose and function of the Well catches Monet's attention. That explains a great many things. She muses to herself.. "Fully formed, with life experiences and an adult's personality." That interests her very, very much. And to the reason that they have been sent by the goddesses.. Monet suspects that if the Amazons are, as has been stated, sending reinforcements.. That particular turn of phrase has ill omens, and that particular interpretation is rather present on her face, even as she takes pains to keep her general expression neutral.

"Then we'll hopefully be getting an education as the ceremony continues." The nakedness and exposure does not particularly matter to her. Nor the spontaneous shadows and flowers that slide up to cover things, or perhaps even conveniently blocking plants, fogs, and things providing just a deft amount of concealment.

She watches as more and more women come out of the water. Nothing is wrong, but the sheer number seems to catch eveyrone by surprise. The Gods do not do anythingw ithout a purpose (at least by thier own interpretation of it).. So the reason why after millenia of inactivity and then even a century of their presence in Man's World.. Even with the calamities of the modern age of powers..

She feels ill at ease. But as her face settles into her mask she goes to watch over at the others. Donna. Cassandra. Kora. Jennifer. But most of all she looks for a very light cue from Kate Bishop. The other girl has far more experience and immersion in the culture. So there's a movement of light deference to Hawkeye that M will follow along what Kate moves to enact. This is the time and place to take part in the ceremony. To stand and observe. Not to consider things or analyse it for information.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Okay that actually gets a bit of a blush from Kate, damnit Cassie. She blinks and eyes her friend sidelong "Shaddup." is hissed then she goes back to watching the procession of newly born, and yes naked, wet Amazons emerge from the well.

    "I have many questions, do they remember their old lives... if so it is a good chance that that some might be more recent right.. and get technology?" she mms "Totally on board with helping introduce them to modern society and tech... but we could have some other help there too."

    She doesn't look alarmed, more curious at this point. A bit amazed. "Hopefully it isn't because we are going to need all these reinforcements for a new threat.." she murmurs softer.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer listens to Donna's story, and nods. "Well, that's certainly more poetic than getting a blood transfusion from your gamma irradiated cousin," she confesses. "I can't even imagine how the ancient Greeks would write that in their plays."

    She watches as Amazon upon Amazon upon Amazon come up from out of the well. "That's a lot of new Amazons," she breathes. "I hope you have space for them all. /Clothes/ for them all."

    When beckoned to come help, she gladly does so, taking a large bundle of robes and heads down to help dress and greet the newcomers. She gets the odd look since she's nearly seven feet tall and jade green, but they accept the robes and her greetings in broken Themysciran nonetheless.

Kora Ikassis has posed:
Whispering to both Cassie and Kate before Donna narrates the pool's history, "Not the youngest now! Just think it will be like if any of them come to New York. It will be so much fun!"

As she watches the first group walk dripping onto the pathway, she leans forward toward to Princess Troia and asks in a low voice, "Thank you for the history. Why reinforcements now, Princess?"

She lingers a moment, waiting for the answer before joining the others in assisting their new sisters. Unlike her, they bring a wealth of experience in the world. Life and experience still stretches before the young Amazon. Looking at them, she imagines they carry both wisdom and remembered pain from their previous lives.

Silently wishing them joy in this rebirth, she gathers up clothing, holding them draped over both arms and goes to a woman who looks like she is in her thirties. With a short bow, she presents the clothing to the woman and hands her undergarments, saying warmly, "Welcome to Themyscira. My name is Kora."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Not all portents are bad Cassie," Troia responds. "I expect we're going to need a bunch of extra sisters for a lot of things. The world is a whole lot bigger than it was in the bronze age."

    She gives a nod to Kate. "Good question. Yes, they do. And a few things granted to them by the wisdom of the five, such as how to speak our language. The original Amazons came from many backgrounds. Many places, many times. I'm sure the same will be true of these new sisters. Considerably more people have lived and died since that first birth of the Amazons than in the millennia before. If we exclude children, for they would not be chosen as the souls to become Amazons, there have been perhaps thirty to forty billion women to choose from. Statistically we could expect perhaps ten percent of this new intake to have died at some time in the last century. Since Diana left for the World of Men. If we are to get a hundred new Amazons, there may be a handful who know how to drive a car. There might even be one who'll be disappointed that Livejournal is dead."

    "You raise an interesting question," Troia says to Jennifer as she helps by bringing over more clothes. "We have no idea how many are coming. There's quite a bit of space on the island though, and nobody would object to lending a new sister some clothes."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Kate's initial reaction is definitely what Cassie was going for. "Ehehehe." Ahem! But there's more pertinent questions, to which she knows the answers no more than her friend. "I dunno. But seems like it could be, right? If its souls from... whenever? Or since the last time, maybe? Which was, wow. I guess that's a pretty wild range, from antinquity to twenty twenty-two. Maybe they know StarkPhones, or maybe they know the 'new hotness' that is the triangular sail or the windmill." It covers a lot of history!

Regardless, they get to help! Which is definitely a big shift in the whole dynamic, from playing peanut gallery on the sidelines.

So when they're called down to lend a hand, Cassie is eager to jump to action to pitch in. She even tucks away the phone! "Time to play welcome wagon." A quick jog down to the water's edge, and she holds out her arms for a pile of robes to be draped upon, ready to hand these out in turn. And then finally, well, she's face-to-face with a water-dripping, newely reborn genuine lady of the lake. "Uh... hi! Welcome to Earth!" Wait, wrong genre. "Erm, or welcome back I guess that is." Also she realizes she's babbling in English. "Do they..." Since Donna suggests they should, in fact, speak Themysciran, she tries that, just to test it out. But she also keeps running through other languages. Because that should be a hint to each of their identities, right, if they remember much of them? "Bienvenidos, bienvenue, willkommen, erm, ahlaan bik, svaagat he..." Plus, it's one of Cassie's powers! (Ok, it's something she learned following around her mom): very tiny amounts of a lot of different languages. So she runs through them, like a test program, to see if any seem to ring a bell with the line of ladies in front of her. She'll sort 'em out one way or another.

In the mean time, lots of robe-draping.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana is right there with the others to greet the newly arriving. The ones that Diana meet seem to actually recognize her too, and offer deep bows to the Princess, but Diana just smiles that away, and makes sure they take their clothing to drape it over their exposed forms. "There is plenty of time to get to know one another. We must focus on helping you settle in first." She quietly says while the Watchers continue to greet the arriving women in Themysciran, whilst Cassie works through her rolodex of languages.

"And yes, the memories are within them." Diana takes a moment to confirm to the others. "But their lives are different now. These are new ... vessels for them to be reborn within. These are new lives for them to lead. Some may have even been disabled in their previous lives, but now? No more. Now they are, and will, reach their maximum maturation, and become the best that they could be." She smiles at this. "And we... will be here to help them achieve that."

Fifty Amazons are out of the water now, and gathering toward the area of prayers where they kneel and speak their words of thanks to the stone faces of the Goddesses that they owe this opportunity to.

More cloth robes are brought to help supply the flow of arriving women also, the prepared garments that were on-hand having already reached their limit, now dresses from the city are arriving and being passed out to those helping the newcomers.

When it is finally the very last line to wade their way out of the water, up the stone steps, and to be received by the Amazons, and their friends, there is exactly 100 women joining the island residents that had come here to greet them.

Then the pool grows quiet, and still. It's waters only shifting slightly as the rings of rain drops splashing in to the pool cause it to gently ripple.

"Silja." Queen Hippolyta speaks then, causing the young woman who had only been here a handful of days to look up to the Queen from her seat on the balcony. "Is that all then?" Hippolyta asks of her.

Silja looks down amongst the crowd, watching the Princesses, their friends, and the Watchers helping the 100 women as they finish their prayers and are lead to carriages that will ultimately take them to the city.

"No, Your Majesty." Silja's soft voice says. "There will be more, tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that...." She says with a serene softness to her physical mannerisms as she says it.

Hippolyta lingers her stare, and then looks down to the water's surface. She looks concerned, but not overly-so.

Diana overhears this, and looks to those with her. "We should help prepare more clothing." She tells them with a faint smile given over. "And.... see if we can help them with where they will be staying. It seems we may have to build more homes in the days to come."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Now that.. As she goes to aid the others, Monet's expression turns in one direction, ever for a moment as she views the Queen and the interaction with Silja. The very, very minor display of concern that fades away. Which she cannot tell is from discomfort, surprise, or merely diplomatic. But Monet goes to watch and her expression finally goes to settle over on a default that goes to etch itself on before going malleable and back to a more diplomatic engageemnt.

Something is wrong. Somethign is very, very wrong. And the worst is yet to come. Whether or not there is any sort of accuracy to it, a massive wave of what she can only perhaps call soldiers coming from nowhere after so long..

To her mind, it is almost as if ranks are being filled before the war comes.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Kate is there to help, she volunteered to come along and be here to help with this momentous moment after all. Not just stare at the spectacle.

    She follows Cassie and the others down to help hand out robes and be welcoming and greet people. Just not in Themysciran.

    Mostly she follows Cassie, Donna, and Kora's lead on this.

    When the flow is done and all she glances to listen to Hippolyta and Silja "Huh... well giving a chance to keep pace is nice of the goddesses." she murmurs.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer has a massive pile of robes and clothes hiked up effortlessly in one arm, a testament to her strength as she greets the newcomers as they keep coming... and coming... and coming.

    She cocks her head to one side when Silja mentions that there will be more. Many, many more. "That's an awful lot of Amazons," she breathes. "I can't help but think the goddesses are preparing us for something."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Ahlaan bik/i/," one of the women replies to Cassie with a smile and a friendly laugh, as she takes a robe.

    "Shuu ismik?" Troia asks her.

     "Mariah", she replies. "Wa anti?"

    "Troia u Cassie."

    Donna doesn't have a Helena Sandsmark to encourage learning bits of a multitude of languages, but Amazons are good linguists and Donna has spent some time in Syria.

    "They are responding to a change in the world," Troia replies to Jennifer's comment, as well as Monet's unspoken thoughts. "But I think it's clear what. We are doing more than we have done in a very long time. We have been prepared for a very long time, but all that preparation is pointless unless we use it. As long as we remained isolated, what reason was there for more Amazons in the world? The Amazons exist for a reason, and it can be no coincidence that we start receiving more sisters now, when after so long we start fulfilling that reason once more."

    It's a far more optimistic take on it than most seem to be taking. Hippolyta, overhearing Troia, gives her younger daughter a long, hard look -- but says nothing.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Cassie's reaction is like Kate's. Perhaps it's like a lot of them. A hundred? A large group, to be sure, but managable in the grander scheme. A hundred a day? She looks back over her shoulder toward Diana, and back up toward the Queen overlooking the whole affair. "Wait, all of these very day? Oh wow." She looks over the group, which has at last finally ceased emerging, to consider its size. "I wonder for how long..."

And still, she is nothing if not a creature of optimism! Even if there is some lingering thought as to the cause for these apparent reinforcements, in the moment? They are new sisters, and potentially, a whole bunch of new friends to meet and greet and get to know. "Oops!" she echoes back at the one she apparently hits (close to) the mark with. "Mariah," she repeats, smiling. And where no one language can handle them all at once, she inevitably does slip back toward their local tongue. "So... I'm Cassie. That's Kate. Kora-" She is going through this with a handful of them who happen to be close by, even if there are dozens more. "Being perfectly honest, it might take us a while to learn all of your names..." Yes, meeting new people a hundred at a time is totally normal. "But there's time for that!"

Finally, she looks back at Diana again. "So when we've got em all covered and mostly dry, what's step the next? We going to the city, or..." She doesn't know the layout of every neighborhood and building as Diana and the other older Amazons might, but she has enough of a sense of things to realize that there's generally not hundreds of rooms free -in one place-, even if there may be no overall lack of space across the island. "We could throw up some war tents, like when we set camp near Metropolis after the invasion? Might be easier than trying to just fit them all, erm, well, everywhere."

Diana Prince has posed:
"Cassandra is correct." The Queen announces from her place on the balcony's edge. "We will setup a campsite until we can build the appropriate accommodations. Perhaps it is time for the small settlement upon the beach to be looked in to that the city architects have been wishing to push in to construction too."

Hippolyta looks to those who look to her, including some of the new arrivals.

"This is a joyous occasion. One that I wish to celebrate with everyone here, and those who have yet to come. We are better off today, than we were the day before, because of this. We must be grateful for this gift. In just one day, we have replenished the entire amount of numbers that we have lost in the past many centuries. This is nothing short of something to be utterly thankful for...."

Diana shares a look with her mother, and then helps guide one of the younger new Amazons toward the prayer area. She looks back to her friends then, and walks toward them. A glance is given up to the sky where the clouds are lightening up again and the rain is much less than before.

"We prepare to return to the city, our new sisters will have many questions, and a desire to explore their new homeland as they grow more accustomed to being back amongst our world again."

She places a hand on Kate's shoulder, then smiles to Kora and Monet. She steps around to put her arm around Jennifer's waist. "Come. Lets get ready to bring them to their new home." The Princess says with a big smile that she gives to everyone around her.

"And then we get ready for tomorrow...." She adds with a light bit of laughter.