13914/On the Wing

On the Wing
Date of Scene:	21 January 2023
Location:	Sky over Titans Tower
Synopsis:	Birdfolk meet. Birdfolk talk.
Cast of Characters:	Kian, Kendra Saunders, Gar Logan, Terry O'Neil

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Kian has posed:
    It is one of the few perqs of his rhy'thar, his powers, that Kían appreciates: the ability to wrap himself in a cocoon of infrared warmth so he can fly unencumbered even in this planet's completely ridiculous winter season.
    As for what he's doing up there… well, it's not immediately evident, but it's both graceful and athletic, and rhythmic as well, like dancing in three dimensions.
    Which, actually, is exactly what he's doing, to music only he can hear—assuming there are no other telepaths in the area.
    At this altitude, though, that's most unlikely.
    An observer with sufficiently sharp vision might also note that his eyes are closed and he's smiling almost beatifically.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    As a member of the Justice League, Kendra Saunders patrols a lot of places.  Given recent threats, her patrol corridor is the US Eastern Seaboard.
    Approaching Metropolis at high speed, Hawkgirl is wearing her signature mask along with a midriff tanktop and snug fitting trousers.  All are yellow on green, her traditional colors.  As she gets closer, Kendra spots the winged man flying high over the tower.  She slows to hover, within comfortable shouting distance.  "Are you lost?"

Kian has posed:
    "Kya!"  The noise is an odd one, halfway between a hawk's startled keen, and a human's startled cry.
    His recovery, like his flight, is graceful as well.  "Oh, no, I live—c'Rhys'yw!"
    Guess when he noticed he's speaking to someone else with wings.
    Really, if there were more winged people on Earth, it wouldn't startle him so.  "Nnh.  You're not Akiár," Kían says, whatever that means, glancing quickly at the newcomer's hands.  "And no, I'm not lost.  Except maybe in thought.  I live here… well, down there," he amends, gesturing to Titans Tower far below.  "I was just taking a break from my exercises with some skydancing."

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders hovers with casual ease, her wings spread and fanned while moving only minimally.  "No, and I'm not familiar with Akiar either," Kendra greets.  She isn't holding a weapon, but a large, metal mace hangs casually at her right hip.  Her gaze follows his down towards the Tower and she gives a single nod.
    "That's Titans Tower," she declares.  Pausing to recall for a moment, she adds, "You must be Kian, then.  Unless the evening news hasn't run a story on you yet."

Kian has posed:
    "Kían takh."  He manages a slight bow while hovering.  "I'm sure they have run something on me.  Donna has shown me video," Kían says with a bit of a smile, "but I don't watch the news.  We have enough trouble without it."  Definite grin.
    "Come to think of it, I have seen you in our computer systems—q'káeh… sorry, Hawk-girl, is that correct?  I had hoped to meet with you some day, but we're always so busy… and if the Titans have it bad, the Justice League has it worse, I think."

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    "Yes, I'm Hawkgirl," she replies, with a polite nod of her own.  The angle of her wings shifts slightly and she eases closer in her own hover.  "I trust that you were looking for a good meeting," she replies.  "It always sounds a little ominous when someone says they've been looking for you."
    Kendra scoops off her helmet, showing the dark, tousled hair and big, brown eyes beneath.

Kian has posed:
    Kían has no helmet, or any other sort of uniform to doff—despite what the news says, or his Wikipedia page, or any of the myriad websites and blogs dedicated to following the various supers of Earth, Kían goes out of his way to remain just Kían.  "Well, I had hoped at first that maybe you might have heard of my people, even if you aren't one.  You have too many fingers."  He holds up a hand—three fingers and a thumb.  "I was quite lost when I first came to Earth, but thanks to Terry tenár'h I have contact with my family and my people again."
    And then, quite suddenly, he laughs, quite genuinely and merrily.  "And can I say," he finally gets out once he has better control of himself, "how nice it is to meet someone who uses the name of a bird and has the wings to justify it!  I mean, with Robins and Nightwings and Ravens, none of whom are even remotely feathered…" and he trails off into fitful giggles again.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders raises her hand when he does, spreading her fingers wide.  "That's because I'm human," she replies.  "Just a unique human."  She smiles a little at his laughter.  "And let's not forget all the many Bats, especially around Gotham," Kendra adds.  "If you're not from Earth, then who and where are your people?  If you can share with me."  Her wings make small corrections as she hovers, sometimes extending and sometimes contracting, feathers angling a little differently as well.  "Like I said, though, I'm still fundamentally human.  I've just seen a lot and done a lot."  Her left wing extends without a thought, naturally riding a breeze.

Kian has posed:
    "Me?  I'm Akiár.  My people are not far from Earth, actually, about…"  Kían trails off, eyes closed, thinking.  "…six parsecs away.  The homeworld is a little further, but my world is… it's… nnh.  I can never remember the name of it in the local Earther naming system.  But it's not visible from here, or I might've recognized some of the star formations.  Kyshán is in your southern sky, and by very bad luck, Earth is in Kyshán's northern sky and my home is in the south, so I couldn't find any star patterns I recognized.  The Gods have a sense of humor, don't they?"

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    "You are the first Akiar that I've met," Kendra declares.  "But if your home is only six parsecs away, there are League members who could take you there.  At least they could if you knew the location."  It's Kendra's turn to laugh, then, when he mentions the gods having a sense of humor.  "Yes they do!  I grew up with the gods of Ancient Egypt, and their humor hasn't improved with the millenia."

Kian has posed:
    "My people have kept a low profile," Kían says.  "Considering the number of times Earth has been invaded in just the short time I've been on this world, that's probably a good thing.  Or maybe we dcn't get noticed because Earth is here and it's a magnet for things like that, I don't know."
    He shrugs—entirely possible while hovering.
    "I hope you don't think it's mean of me that I don't mind that Earth gets all the attention so that we get left alone."

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders shrugs at that, her wings spread but only occasionally shifting as if to hang on the wind.  "I don't mind at all.  I mean, Earth has actually been pretty good at taking care of itself, between the Justice League and other organizations.  I mean we do have some pretty heavy hitters, all things considered.  It's better if we do take the attention away from other places."

Gar Logan has posed:
    Monitor duty in the Tower is coming to an end, and Gar's been watching the encounter between Kian and Hawkgirl by adjusting one of the cameras on the roof.  Depending on how high above the building they are, there's only so much he can zoom in, but it's enough that he says to himself, "Oh, I recognize her."
    Good thing, monitor duty's ending!  "Hey, I'm heading out," he says to his replacement, and in doing so he changes to another form so he can fly up the empty elevator shaft and out into the great wide open.  As what?  A hawk, though a very green one in all ways.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Terry has a room at the Tower.  He seldom uses it, because he has his own apartment in Metropolis—but every now and then it's nice to be away from the city.  Fresh out of the shower, the redhead pauses by the floor-to-ceiling window and frowns as he distinguishes figures moving over the tower.
    The alarms haven't been triggered, which is why he isn't particularly worried.  "Marvin, is that Kian up there?" he asks, hastily drying his hair as the tower AI answers him.  He raises his eyebrows at the answer, and goes back to the bathroom.  "Iiiiinteresting."
    He closes the door for a moment and heads towards the mirror, and then the bathroom is lit up in multicolored light.  The person who emerges is no longer human.  He pauses for a moment, trying to decide between two alternatives and then, after some cogitation, he turns left and walks down the hallway, to get a certain something before he can join the people in the sky.

Kian has posed:
    "Yes, and that's something my people have no experience with.  They're… we're only aware that other sentient races exist, we haven't made contact."  Kían glances out towards Metropolis.  "I don't count, I'm here accidentally," he adds with a lopsided smile.  "Not counting me, we haven't had a first contact yet, and from what I've seen here, I'm not sure if we're ready for one."

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders lifts a dark brow, chuckling softly at that.  "Admittedly, contact with aliens and alien tech is a double-edged sword.  Believe it or not, Earth's first contact wasn't as recent as you might think.  I can only vouch for one that happened about 3 millennia ago, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were others."

Gar Logan has posed:
    The green hawk catches an updraft and uses it to soar higher, using less effort to do it than otherwise necessary.  The bird circles around a few times in drawing closer, until he comes around from one side of both Kian and Hawkgirl, at which point he attempts a landing atop the head of the Akiar.
    "Oh, hey.  Look who I found," he says.  Birds like that shouldn't be able to talk, yet he does.  One guess who this really is, as he gives the hovering human a sharper look with the angling of his head.  "S'up?  Hawkgirl, right?"  Of course he knows, but it's only polite to ask.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Terry has a perfectly functional wingset which Kian has gifted him from his home planet.  It has a limited range, yes, but these people are perfectly within it, so it is only logical that he would use it to come up and say, hi.
    And if you thought Vorpal would do the logical thing, you don't know him very well.
    The Cheshire Cat is wearing a large hat.  It's a floppy hat, with a pointy tip.  Yes, it's a witch's hat.  That's because he comes flying at them while sitting astride a broom.  A broom that is flying.  And glowing faintly with a purple light, which means it has been enchanted for that purpose by him.
    "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, who is this above the rubble?" he asks with a grin, bringing the broom around on a lazy arc to glide around the trio, now that Gar has joined in.

Kian has posed:
    Kían "kya!"s, and then reaches up to give the green hawk a scritch.  "Kié, Gar!  I've met another winged person!"  Well, that's kind of obvious.  "This is—oh, you know her already."  That really shouldn't surprise him, but Kían doesn't do Terran connectivity very well yet.
    He blames Gar and Terry for not explaining the Internet better.
    Or maybe he thanks them for not explaining it.
    "Is Terry around any… uh."
    He stares for a moment at the Wicked Cat of the West.  Eventually all he says is, "You have a sensible way to fly, you know!"

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    When the green hawk rises up, Kendra's hand settles on the haft of her mace.  "Right.  Hawkgirl," she replies, keeping her eye on it once it perches on Kian.  "And you would be… Gar?"  Then Terry flies out on the broomstick wearing the pointy hat.  She just shakes her head slowly.  "Are you sure we're not in Gotham?" she asks, tracking his flight progress.

Gar Logan has posed:
    The wings of the hawk fan out as Kian pays him a little attention, then he settles again.  "I know a lot about the other groups!  I have a lot of free time on my hands sometimes, but other times I just wing it!"
    Lest she swing that mace at him, or Kian reach up for another reason, he leaves the vicinity of the Akiar's head as he adds, "That's me, Beast Boy in the flesh and feather!  But hang on, let me take a little more comfortable form."  A moment later, there is a near-copy of Kian to his side, as Gar becomes the green Akiar version of himself the Titans are so familiar with.  Attire, body shape, and size are all similar, except with him maintaining his own features for the most part.
    He explains, "When Kian was new here, I managed to become one of his people and that helped a lot.  He… oh, look out.  Here comes the chaos."  A hand indicates the approaching Vorpal, in all his, well, usual glory.  "A broom, dude?  Do you even know what those are for?"  As an aside, he quickly asks, "What brings you by, Hawkgirl?  No, we're much saner than Gotham, present company excluded."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "Pish posh, Garfield, we are all mad here."  The Cheshire grins, bringing his broom to a stop.  He stands up, balancing expertly along the handle like the feline that he is.  "Flying on a broom is a perfectly sensible way to travel, Kian.  Cats have been doing it for generations as the familiars of witches.  It is practically tradition.  Are you asking me to forsake the ways of my people?"
    He tilts his head and grins, crossing his arms over his chest.  "Hawkgirl, I presume, as Boyfriend One presumed?  This is the first time I've had the pleasure of meeting you, although I did work with the Hawkman a while back when a mutual friend was besieged by a ghost who wanted to stop his rock and roll tour—"  He trails off and pauses, reflexively.  "Life can get weird sometimes.  In any case, what brings you to this sunny tower?  Anything we can help with?"  He gets visibly excited.  "Anyone needs a good trouncing?  A lesson to be taught?"

Kian has posed:
    A little blankly, Kían remarks, "And this is my normal now.  Which is why I stay on Earth rather than return to my own world."
    He can't help but smile at Garkiar and Vorp.  "Well, okay, I do have to admit it's quite a bit more interesting here."

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    "Dark Elves," Hawkgirl replies simply.  "They appear and disappear at will, which is why recent encounters with the League have been… inconclusive."  Her wings flare and feather to maintain steerage more than simply hover, as if lift came from some other means.
    "I've not personally seen any, but I have been told that their appearance is unique.  Their intentions should be presumed hostile, and they are to be engaged with extreme prejudice wherever possible."
    The winged woman pauses for a moment, then adds, "Do not hesitate to call the League for assistance."

Gar Logan has posed:
    "…and there goes the chaos."  Gar grimaces as something seems to go haywire with the broom construct Vorpal's riding in on, after it's stopped and he's come to stand upon it.  Something flares up and leaves the feline to grab hold in a sense of self-preservation, cat and broom soaring off again.
    Rubbing a temple, Gar jerks a thumb—now part of a total four-fingered hand rather than five—in Vorpal's direction.  "That is also normal.  And I don't know much about dark elves.  We've been able to handle a lot of stuff ourselves, but that doesn't mean there's no room for a team-up.  People love a good crossover."

Kian has posed:
    Kían looks helplessly at Gar.  "There are more Earthers I need to learn about?"  Terry disappearing on board an equipment malfunction?  Yes, that's fairly normal, just something to make mental note of and deal with later if necessary.
    "I mean," he continues, nodding once at Kendra, "I don't even know what an 'elves' is, but if I run into one, I'd certainly ask for help with it."
    He shakes his head as he considers Earth and Earth culture—a gesture Gar is probably agonizingly familiar with by now.  "I don't like the idea of something that should be considered hostile on sight.  Has anyone tried talking to them?"
    Ever the optimist.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders slowly shakes her head.  "Not 'Earthers', per se.  Dark Elves are from a distant world, much as Asgardians.  Or Thanagarians."  Her wings flutter a little at the latter.
    She looks a little amused at Kian's question.  "Wonder Woman has set the rules of engagement regarding the Dark Elves.  Capture, if possible, but do not forget that they can appear and disappear at will.  So far, all encounters with them have shown them to be hostile.  Do what you will with this information."

Gar Logan has posed:
    Gar Logan's Akiar wings beat steadily to help him remain aloft, just like Kian, compared to however it is Kendra or Hawkgirl does it.  An interesting difference.  He doesn't know all about the Nth Metal and whatnot.  "Kian, someday you'll remember that not everyone is gonna be friendly on sight.  There are some people out there who would try to hurt you and not care about it at all."
    He asks her, "Does that mean they can teleport, or is it just a sort of cloaking thing?"  Maybe someone with better senses would be able to keep tabs on positioning.

Kian has posed:
    Kian raises an eyebrow at Gar.  "Maybe not, but I will always give someone the chance to be friendly on sight.  Think of the number of times Earth has been invaded by aliens.  If this world followed that logic, they should have assumed, on average, I was an invader too.  And then what would have happened to me?  SHIELD might have locked me away, and then I would have been a menace because imprisonment would have driven me mad, and I don't want to know what I would've done with my rhy'thar—"  He glances at Kendra.  "—sorry, my special powers if I were not in my right mind."
    He pirouettes in place, to give his wings something other than hovering to do.  "I have also been told by Donna that you should not raise your hand until you have first offered it."
    Yeah, that much of an optimist.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders considers for a moment, hovering as if it was second nature.  "Teleport?  I will let you know once I capture one," she replies.  "And interrogate it."  Kendra shrugs a little at Kian's response.  "As I said, do what you will with this information.  The Dark Elves have already drawn first blood.  Their leader is named Maleketh, should you meet him.  Their intentions are not known, should you find yourself having a conversation."

Gar Logan has posed:
    "You didn't come in attacking anyone.  There's a difference," Gar reminds Kian, and rather than continue hovering like this—not that he can't—he goes back to a smaller form to perch at one of Kian's shoulders, this time as a squirrel.  "We'd know pretty quickly if someone meant to hurt us, unless they were just trying to trick us first so we let down our guard."  How capable he is at sifting through deception like that remains to be seen.  "But we can definitely pass some info along if we come across anything.  By the way, your wings are cool."

Kian has posed:
    Kían snickers at the green squirrel occupying shoulder space.  "Oh, I know my wings are amazing," he says airily—no pun intended—and then grows serious again.  "If you're expecting me to react like an Earther, you should know by now that's not going to happen, no matter how long I've been living here.  I am just not ever going to be able to assume ill of someone just on sight.  What if I did that with Terry, who has a passing resemblance to monsters from our mythology?"
    He shakes his head firmly.  "No, this world gave me a chance and—"  He pauses to scritch between green squirrel ears.  "—even a home.  I am obliged to pass that along."

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders smiles wryly as well, inclining her head to Gar by way of thanks.  "Then offer whatever benefit of the doubt you deep appropriate.  The Justice League can be on-hand with short notice, if the conversation proves to be less civil than you expect."  Kendra shifts a little, hovering slightly closer.  "My wings are not easily concealed, and I am very accustomed to prejudice because I have them.  I understand your position.  I do not often start fights, but I always finish them."

Gar Logan has posed:
    Gar Logan reaches out with a small squirrel hand to bat at the side of Kian's head.  "I was talking about hers, you birdbrain.  You already know what I think of yours."  He doesn't think to ask Kendra whether or not hers are real, and based on her words about prejudice he's inclined to believe they're all natural.  "Yeah, well, I've grown up the color of asparagus almost my whole life.  I've kinda learned to stop worrying what others think about that.  I say, you do you and if someone else can't handle it, that's their problem."
    He scrambles up to the top of Kian's head after a little chittering at the rub between ears.  "And if you guys ever get in over your heads, you know how to reach us too."  The Titans, after all, have handled their fair share of business as well.  His bushy green tail twitches a few times.

Kian has posed:
    "I don't know why you would even want to conceal your wings, they're very nice indeed."  Well, Kían may be biased in that regard.  "They wanted me to hide mine, the first place I came to when I arrived on this world, but that's simply not possible.  And even if I could, I wouldn't.  And anyone who thinks less of me because I have them, well, that's their problem and not mine.  Even after that recent trouble with angels.  I'm not an angel, after all."
    Everyone can be thankful Terry isn't here to comment on that statement.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    Kendra Saunders offers a wry smile to Kian.  "Exactly. I stopped trying to hide my wings a long time ago, especially since this era is generally pretty tolerant."  She shrugs, then.  "Oversized cloaks usually worked, but cloaks haven't been in fashion for quite some time.  And the mace is a pretty good deterrent."

Gar Logan has posed:
    Gar Logan grabs hold of Kian's hair to help with his perching, little squirrelly hands keeping a good, but not uncomfortable, grip.  They already got his opinion on being who you are with no reservations, so he comments instead on two things.
    First, Kian and angels.  "Ha, that's for sure!"
    Then, Hawkgirl and her mace.  "I'd say so.  I like having my face all in the right places."

Kian has posed:
    "Your face is just fine, tenár'h," Kían remarks, providing another earscritch to the Garsquirrel.  "Even when it's not shaped like normal.  You do have a tendency to become pettable animals.  And I wouldn't like to see you get hit by something or someone."  His mood turns on a dime, becoming suddenly happily agitated.  "Oh!  Gar!  We should teach her qihár!"
    Realizing a little too late that Kendra probably has no idea of sporting priorities on the Akiár worlds, he adds a little sheepishly, "It's a game we play.  Created by winged people, for winged people.  But I could keep you here for hours talking about it."  Judging by the excitement in his voice, that is certainly true.  Pursuing that thought would be like asking a gamer about his favorite D&D character.  Tread carefully.

Kendra Saunders has posed:
    "Alright, then.  You two enjoy the rest of your evening," Kendra offers.  "Maybe you can teach me qihar another time?"  And with that, Kendra's wings feather and she dips in altitude.  It's a shallow dive, but then she turns upward and accelerates rapidly with a rush of wind.