13929/Isalia drops in

Isalia drops in
Date of Scene:	22 January 2023
Location:	Grasslands and Rolling Hillsides
Synopsis:	A new (old?) Amazon basically drops out of the sky. Introductions are made.
Cast of Characters:	Isalia, Monet St. Croix, Donna Troy, Diana Prince, Cassie Sandsmark

---

Isalia has posed:
    It's a fairly typical day on Themyscira, sunny and warm. A slight breeze ruffles the grass and leaves as it passes over the island. Fluffy white clouds float overhead, almost glowing against the bright blue sky. Everything is pretty par for the course as far as Themysciran days go.

    And then things get less normal. Overhead, the clouds seem to almost stretch out and then swirl into a ring over the island. The ring of clouds start to rotate clockwise, slowly at first, but gaining speed. The space inside the ring starts to glow, faintly at first, but becoming brighter every second. Finally, a column of light flashes down, with something glowing inside it.

    As quickly as the column of light appeared, it vanishes, leaving behind a woman in white and gold armor in a recognizably Amazon pattern, bracers on her forearms and what appears to be a very small bow in a sheath strapped to her right leg. Looking around the area, she notes that there are several other women present at the moment.

    Turning to the nearest of them, she says "Well met sister! Goodness, it's been a long time since I set foot here. How have things gone lately?"

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Having been on hte island some months ago when a similar thing happened, but in far larger numbers, Monet St. Croix quickly goes to evaluate. Comparing the pillar of light to the scale of teh one previously experienced.. Looking for similar traces that might indicate a large number of fresh arrivals were coming. The exact nuance of it was beyond her.
    So the Moroccan mutant would remain and be gazing about quickly rather than approaching. Moreso out of calculations for if she would be on duty for running to grab bedding things and temporary accomodations if there was another onslaught.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Isalia's first moments on Themyscira might make her suddenly doubt, because these people don't look like Amazons. Although it's a long time since Isalia had been here, Themyscira is meant to be an unchanging land; so who are the people here to greet her? Monet's face is not one known to her, and nor is that of the second person to approach. It might seem at first that Isalia has stumbled across a group of Amazons in training, and indeed there are swords present, but the clothes aren't right. This second one is wearing something that looks like it might well be some kind of armor, but it's like nothing she had ever seen on Themyscira before. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

    "Who are you?" the second woman asks Isalia, alert and challenging but not exactly unfriendly. The language, at least, is right. This second woman, Troia, raises a hand to indicate caution to the first, Monet, before continuing. "I do not recognize your face, yet you speak our language. You found your way here past our guard, yet you speak of familiarity, of being here before."

    Troia lowers her hand, resting it ready not on the pommel of her sword but on the lasso she wears on her other hip. The lasso is not a common Amazon weapon, though it won't be entirely unfamiliar to Isalia. The fact that this woman's lasso glows slightly when her hand is on it will tell Isalia one thing though -- this must be a fairly highly ranked Amazon. The magical lassos are not common.

Diana Prince has posed:
On the edge of the training ground appears two riders mounted on Kanga. On the right is Diana of Themyscira, and on the left of hers is Cassie, her loyal sidekick! They had been out in the forest training edges today, helping with some of the archery lessons. You see, it is a well known tale on the island that Cassandra Sandsmark is an archer in need of some refinement....

Diana is ever trying to improve her young sidekick's skills!

Dressed in training garb herself, Diana looks to the sky, then looks to the figure standing near to Donna, and the young Monet off in the distance.

"Something is up." She says quietly to Cassie as she tightens her grip on the leather reigns of her Kanga mount, and starts to ride faster toward them, a nice hopping jog that will have her there in moments....

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Hahaha, oh boy. If Donna is out of place on Themyscira, wait till she gets a load of Cassie...

While she often enjoys Themysciran fashion during her visits, when it comes to exercise, she's advocated at length regarding the benefits of modern synthetic fabrics and high-performance athleticwear. So it's not unusual to see her mixing the two, as is the case today: modern yoga pants and support tank top, overlayed with a quiver strapped over her back, Amazon bracers, sandals, etc. Always the eclectic mix. Also, one extra armband... for her phone, which she's got strapped in and turned on, playing some tunes through clipped on earbuds for the ride back from the training area. What, are not the blissful sounds of nature enough?

She's singing something about lions and cages, wonderfully oblivious as Hoppa bounds down the familiar path.

OK, not totally oblivious. When Diana speaks up, one of her hands goes up to her ear to tap a control. "Hmm?" Her own gaze tilts briefly upward where her mentor was looking, and then levels ahead, only to see that Diana has already sped up. Quickly, she gives a squeeze of her ankles to speed her mount along in pursuit. "Ha!"

Isalia has posed:
    Facing Troia, she answers, "I? I am Isalia, daughter of Zanira. Nor do I recognize you, but that is no great surprise. While I am not entirely sure how long it has been since I received my bracers and returned to my father's realm, in the reckoning of this world, it was 157 AD when I completed my training. Doubtless there have been many changes since then, including to the normal Amazon garb."

    As the two kangas approach, a smile lights up her face. These are familiar, a steady point to focus on as her return here was thus far filled with a number of unfamiliar things. Of course, then she looks from the Kangas to their riders, Cassie in particular.

    She blinks then says to Troia "I see fashions have changed a good deal since I was last here. It does not seem terribly protective should combat break out, however. I believe I would prefer to continue on with my armor when not at home."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
That conversation catches Monet St. Croix by surprise. She could speak passably in Ancient Themysciran, moreso by simple memorization and the cheats she had taken in quick telepathic dives. So the 'from 157' has her thoughtful over. She would look over in interest while folding her hands together and then turning over to Diana and Donna. Bowing her head.
    Monet was not engaging - even as she would look ever so minimally annoyed at the tune Cassandra was humming. The girl was off key! How dare she!

Donna Troy has posed:
    Troia smiles wryly at Isalia. "In that case Isalia, daughter of Zanira, you have somehow managed to arrive at the one place in Themyscira where there is nobody who would recognize you. This is Monet, who is a guest on Themyscira. I am Troia, and the two approaching on Kangas are Diana and Cassandra. The three of us are Amazons but none of us were born when you were last here."

    That's an odd story. New Amazons? Something very rare -- Isalia herself was one of just a very few to have been made Amazons since the exile to the island, yet apparently here is a group of three.

    Troia glances in Cassie's direction as Isalia comments on her manner of dress. "Cassie chose not to wear her armor today, we aren't really expecting trouble right now. But she is not from Themycira originally. Her mode of dress comes from the World of Men, where she was born."

    Troia gives a nod to Isalia. "You'll understand if we ask you not to draw any weapons until we have been able to confirm that you say you are, sister. This is just a formality -- I know you are telling the truth as you believe it to be, but Themyscira has enemies who are not past using very subtle trickery."

Diana Prince has posed:
With Diana's enhanced ability to hear from long distances, she's able to catch most of what is being said, even with Cassie's music going for at least part of the little jaunt over to where the newly arrived is located.

When she arrives with Jumpa, Cassie and Hoppa, Diana stops to watch and listens directly.

A glance over to Donna and Monet... a look back to Isalia, the Princess just soaks the appearance of her in.

"A pleasure to meet you..." Diana says now to Isalia, her natural tone of voice husky and calming to most ears. "This is a surprise, to say the very least. There have been similar suprises coming to the island in recent weeks. Who might you wish to see first, that you may remember from when you were here last?" She then asks as she remains on the Kanga's leather saddle.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
With a final springy hop, Hoppa lands just beside Diana's ride as the pair fully arrive. Definitely plenty of a welcome party.

"Yo, new Amazon, who dis?" Cassie asks jokingly, although obviously it's going to go over Isalia's head. Then a quick glance to Donna, and back. "Yeah, it's just workout stuff, I've got armor back home," she explains, before curling an arm both to flex her bicep and hold up her bracer. She's got a rather cocky smile. "Plus these do the job pretty good most of the time, y'know? Swish swish, ping ping. Armor's usually just for the big crazy alien invasion type things."

Dump more weirdness on her, why not!

There's a degree of uncertainty that remains with her about the whole thing, more just on etiquette than any actual suspicion of a new arrival, so she keeps shifting her attention between the more senior of the Amazons to see if there's a lead to follow about how to handle all of this. Still, she's starting to catch on. "So you've been gone a while... is this one of those time travel things, or were you just uh, like on a long trip somewhere?" Aliens, time travel! She covers all the important bases.

Isalia has posed:
    Turning to face Diana directly, it's fairly easy to tell who is in charge here. There's just a certain presence to Diana that says louder than words that here is someone to be respected. She bows to Diana, then thinks a moment and replies "Well, my mother for one, unless something has happened to her. I'm fairly sure father would have told me had anything occurred. As for who else... perhaps Io, who crafted my bracers."

    Looking around this rather unusual group of Amazons she can finally stay stiff and formal no longer, and a beaming smile spreads across her face. "I'm so glad to meet you all! You would not believe how boring places that never change are. Oh, and since Troia brought it up, how do we prove I'm me? I mean, I know I am, but how do I prove it to you? Though I guess my mother could vouch for me if she's here."

    She manages to stop herself before drowning everyone present in a flood of words, but it's fairly obvious that she could easily keep going for the next week or so. One interesting side effect of loosening her tight control is the fact that she is now floating a couple inches off the ground. She doesn't seem to have noticed yet.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would bow her head over to Isalia, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." HEr speaking slowly in Themysciran - her fluency in the tongue was merely adequate, and this was a formal occasion. She keeps her expression passive, accomodating. Watching over at Isalia going to float, eyes glancing to Donna. Sending to her telepathically ~That is.. Unusual.~ To her limited awareness, few Amazons could fly - at least without some form of artifact. She would watch curiuosly..
    It would at least give her an excuse to have to tune out Cassandra's tunes.

Donna Troy has posed:
    With the possible exception of Hippolyta who tends to refuse to confirm or deny such things, the only three Amazons who can fly are right here, so when Isalia starts hovering Monet is not the only one to react. Troia nods her head slightly to Monet, confirming her agreement, before giving Diana a slight eyebrow raise.

    "There are two Zaniras," Donna replies to Isalia. "One spends most of her days sculpting. The other is in the Palace guard. I would guess the second, who I know explored the world quite a bit in the earlier days of our exile. I do not recall the name Zanira being on our monuments to the fallen, so I think it likely your mother is still alive. "

    "I know you believe you are who you say you are, and on that basis... " Troia takes a step back and brings her arms up in to give the cross-armed clash of bracers salute. "Welcome back to Themyscira, Isalia daughter of Zanira. However to make sure you are not a victim of some deception aimed at us all... " she tilts her head in Diana's direction, though keeps her eyes on Isalia. "Diana is the bearer of the Lasso of Hestia. If you wish, she can determine the truth."

    The Lasso of Hestia? Why would anyone other than Queen Hippolyta herself carry that? Unheard of!

Diana Prince has posed:
Something about all of this is very curious to Diana, and the floating display that Isa performs with seemingly no realization that she's even doing it, only deepens that curious edge.

A glance is given over to Cassie, and then Diana dismounts Jumpa. The Kanga only moves a little, shuffling his heavy feet as his rider sweeps herself down to the ground. It's visible on her hip then, the length of golden twine that Donna just now calls out.

"I know your mother well. She was one of my favorite training partners growing up here." The Princess says. "I, and Donna, are daughters to Hippolyta. Cassie here is a off spring of my father Zeus. Monet is an outsider to these lands, but a faithful friend, someone we trust in."

Diana unlatches the lasso from her harness with a clip of a metal button. She holds it out in her right hand. "If you would not mind, simply slipping your hand between this loop." She says, now offering said loop with her left hand. "And say that you are the child of whom you claim."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Io's totally still at it," Cassie adds, a little helpful aside on top of the more serious discussion. She's a big fan! Someone's gotta keep up her ammo supply of surprise super secret lethal projectile earrings...

"Plus, usually the wards keep randos from getting in here too easily," she muses, as if it's mostly good enough of an explanation for her. Plus, they've got the ultimate cheat code to the whole thing. Cassie doesn't seem worried! Or at least, she acts totally chill about the whole thing. "It's cool we've got so many new people showing up around here. Well. Even if you're a new old person this time, instead of a real new-new person."

What?

Still, she plays shadow to her mentor, dismounting as Diana does. She lands with her normal weight, not showing off her own talents. Maybe there is a little cunning underlying everything! Hoppa gets a reassuring pat, and she falls in behind, casual in pace, despite the fact she is very much in position to be back up if needs be. Outsider, yes, but Amazon still!

Isalia has posed:
    Without hesitation, Isalia puts her hand through the loop of the Lasso and repeats, "I am Isalia, daughter of Zanira and Aeolus, god of the winds." She then withdraws her hand and salutes the other Amazons with the clash of her bracers. "It's good to be here and meet new people. I mean, the island seems fairly unchanged, but father's realm never changes. Do you know how boring that can be? Still, it's my duty to guard the Vault but the threat to it seems to be coming from this world. That's the main reason I'm here, but I suppose the middle of a field is not the best place to talk about serious matters."

    "I would like to see mother, then, well, everything else. I probably will need to go out into the world to deal with what we're not discussing right here." She seems quite excited and happy even as she talks about something that may be something quite serious. "If you could point me at someone who can catch me up on the world out there, I would surely appreciate it a lot."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
God? To Monet's limited understanding of such things, that would make the new Amazon a demi-goddess. Which would also explain her ability to fly. At least from what limited experience she had seen. Seh's thoughtful as she sees Diana advance and Donna explain about the rope. Is the woman a possible threat? Her attention goes over on Cassandra.
    Monet is the outside here. The one that has not been trained. She goes back a few meters to defer to the Amazons. And she goes to take a position at Cassandra's flank that puts her somewhat out of the way to leave it to the other three women if they need to to advance. When facing what you do not know, defer to those that do.
    Isalia's response under the geas of the lasso seems to render any sort of unsureties moot.

Donna Troy has posed:
"Cassie counts as a princess too, by reason of being Diana's half sister," Troia interjects with a wink in Cassie's direction. "She's not getting off that easily." Whether this is an expression of sisterly feelings to Cassie or more a kind of 'if I have to be then she has to be too' thing is anyone's guess.

    Isalia's easy pass with the lasso of Hestia is persuasive, and Troia reacts to it by giving the newcomer a very wide grin. "Welcome back indeed then," she says. "You'll find far more has changed here that is apparent at first. As for finding out more about the world outside, you've come to exactly the right people for that. We're there a lot. In recent years Themyscira has opened up once more to the world outside. While visitors here remain rare, they are considerably less rare than before, and have even included a number of men. As for the reverse, the existence of the Amazons is now once more well known in the world outside, and we maintain a constant presence in two locations beyond our island. If you wish to go out into the world, it would no doubt be best if you attach yourself to one or other of those. "

    "We maintain an embassy in a country called America, part of the land across the Ocean. It's where Cassie was born, where we met Monet, and where Diana and I spend much of our time."

Diana Prince has posed:
The golden glowing lasso shows its power, it glows brightly for several moments when Isalia answers that question, states the truth, and then retracts her hand again. Diana recoils the rope up once more, then lowers it down to hang at her side in her right hand. Diana gives a look from one of her sisters to the other, before she nods toward Isalia. "We will take you back to the city, to find your mother. There is much that you must be filled in on, before you can come to the greater world beyond the island's shores. But... I am sure that you will be a welcome addition to those of us who are living in America now."

Finally, Diana shows a smile to Isalia, before she once more regards the others. "Let us travel back to the city then." She says, turning to remount Jumpa with a simple bit of motion.

Once up again, she draws in a light breath. "It seems we are gaining more and more numbers, through a myriad of unusual methods..."

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Well, that settles that!

"Cool, coolcoolcool," Cassie declares, returning Isalia's salute, but then turning one of her hands about after lowering the other to transform the gesture into a more casual thumbs-up. "Another branch of the old whacky family tree, huh? Well, welcome home." Then she looks sidelong at Donna and gives a bit of a snorted laugh. Whether anyone wants to claim some technicality of it, 'Princess' doesn't exactly align with her usual presentation or self-image. "I tried to tell my mom that once, you know, to claim royal privilege against being grounded. Diplomatic immunity, too. None of it worked."

With the declaration that it's time to head back, she's soon reversed course back to Hoppa, although she re-mounts with a little more flair, showing off the flight she hid before, to loop up around before dropping onto the saddle. "Heh. After you're done here, we can set you up a tour. Definitely gonna need, ah, a bit of a cultural interpreter. Luckily, I'm an expert!" Self-proclaimed.

After reaching back up to tap her ear, but without further warning, she urges her Kanga into sudden motion, bounding ahead of Diana rather than falling in behind this time. "Race ya!" she yells, as she zips off. In her wake, they'll catch her singing: "... I want to see Beverly, on my knees ...."