14059/A Necessary Meeting

A Necessary Meeting
Date of Scene:	07 February 2023
Location:	Midtown
Synopsis:	Divine meets Alura. Talk of family and hope and what it all means for the future.
Cast of Characters:	Divine, Alura In-Ze

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Divine has posed:
Much to her own delight and surprise, life has been rather good lately. It's never easy being a clone, much less one who was made and then dumped off as useless. With time, effort and even some love from an unlikely place, Divine has thrived. Transformed from a discarded weapon into a thoughtful, if brash, young woman.

The thoughtfulness is on full display right now. Divine is seated on the edge of the roof of Central Park Tower, the tallest residential building in New York City. Her feet dangle against the side of the building, the breeze not seeming to bother her much beyond having to brush her hair out of her face now and again. She looks contemplative and peaceful, and will likely just politely leave when security finally gets up here to shoo her away.

At least she's not Spider-Man, leaving web goo behind.

She's dressed in her usual hyper casual, comfortable way. An oversized black hoodie, black leggings and calf high combat boots. (It helps that these things are cheap because a supervillain being a jerk will wreck them eventually.)

Alura In-Ze has posed:
The peace and quiet is broken by the sounds of a middle aged man, partly balding - his combo over flapping in the wind - letting out gurgled screams of absolute terror. He's dangling by one leg, upside down, in mid-air held on to by a woman wearing a mixture of white and black.

The body of her dress is white, while underneath is a black bodysuit. White boots, and the red House of El symbol upon her chest that the people of earth know as Hope. A long red cape flaps in the wind behind her as she regards Divine seated upon the top of the building.

"Please! Please let me down! I've learnt my lesson I swear," begs the man clasping his hands together. A phone drops from his pocket and plummets down toward the ground, "My phooohoohooone!"

Alura glances down and watches the phone go splat on a balcony below. Her eyes then look back to Divine and she clearly recognises the face, the body, just not the hair style and clothes. She knows this is not Power Girl before her. But just how quickly ha news gotten around about this 'Superwoman' taking to the skies of late.

Alura floats over to the building roof and deposits the man. He has clearly soiled himself as he cowers down, "I'll fix their insurance. The kid too. The whole family. All of them. I swear!" But Alura isn't too interested in his lies at the moment. Instead, her lips turn in to a small smile as she contemplates Divine.

"Hello," she says in English. Having met Conner and learnt about Jon, she can see the tell tale signs of another Human-Kryptonian hybrid. The future of her species here on Earth.

Divine has posed:
A man yelping in terror. Divine tilts her head slightly, listening deeper to his cries. On the surface, he's just frightened for his life. Listening deeper, though, she can hear the guilt. She snorts a little, turning her attention back to the city below. Whatever he's getting, he deserves. Guilt like that doesn't just manifest from nothing.

She can hear the cape fluttering during the approach, and she turns her head to look at Alura sidelong. Her eyes are piercing blue, just like Power Girl's. The frame and build are identical, the hair a little wilder. Artfully messy. The body language is vastly different. It's full of easy confidence, but somehow milder. More peaceful. The symbol makes her eyes flicker a bit, but otherwise she gives no outward sign.

"Did Superman send you? Am I meeting Power Girl today?"

Alura In-Ze has posed:
The man looks between Divine and Alura and asks, "Can I go?" Alura pauses a moment. She wants to talk to Divine, but he's a problem. She looks to him and says, "Do you know what the company you work for classifies an act of Super? They classify it as an Act of God.. not covered. So if I hurt you - your company will deny your insurance claim. Just like you denied coverage for that 10 year old boy seeking a medical scan for cancer."

He quiets down again and tries to look small. It's working well enough that Alura looks back to Divine. She comes to place her feet on the building top too so she's not flying. "Interesting," she says and then offers her hand to her. "Superman did not send me. This is just a chance meeting on top of a tall building."

"The media have aptly named me Superwoman, but my name is Alura. And you must be Divine. If you're meant to be meeting Power Girl I won't get in your way. My goodness you are the mirror of her likeness though."

She looks over the roof top as if only just now taking it in, then looks down at the tiny cars below and tinier ant sized people moving about. "I feel like I've interrupted something important. If I'd known you were using this building top I would have found somewhere else high for Mr. Insurance Man over there?" She thumbs to the man. He cries back, "It's.. it's just my job. It's company policy! I'm not a bad person I swear!"

Divine has posed:
The clone listens to the exchange between Alura and the man, and her face grows hard. She rises then, turning to look down at him. "It's people like you that make me disgusted to share your DNA." She snorts again, and then turns to face the other woman, looking down at her because, well, Power Girl's clone is very tall for a woman. When Alura lands and engages in the time honored act of a handshake, she does so. She does not engage in grip testing or posturing. It's a good, polite grip and it's done. Just like it should be.

"A pleasure, ma'am," she says. "And yeah, Divine's the only name I've got."

She looks at the little man again. "You should tell me what company you work for so my boss can buy it. Playing with the lives of others as a number on a sheet? You might be the most vile human I've ever met. I'd leave if I were you."

Back to Alura, the more pleasant person here. "And yeah, Superman is going to ... moderate a meeting between us. He'd like to pull me into the quote-unquote family, but he wants to make sure I don't have any ... genetic, what's the word, imperatives to try and murder Power Girl. Which is fair." She pauses, looking a little grumpy. "Not that I pose any kind of threat to a full blooded Kryptonian. My human DNA makes me weaker."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura looks a touch concerned when Divine makes mention of hating part of her DNA. It's a look of concern for Divine's mental health, not a concern for the man. The man in question hears a dismissal from Divine and doesn't wait to see if Alura is okay with it - he gets up and runs for the roof top access staircase.

Alura watches as he goes and sighs softly. "Divine.. spending money does not fix the hearts and minds of these people. My intention today was to have him come up with his own recompense. With a little nudging these people can do great things. In their sedated state, they let others do the thinking for them."

She furrows her brows a moment and realises the man is still standing in the door way looking back at her. He rubs his eyes and asks, "Is that really what you think? that.. I've been lazy? I've just... oh gods I have just done what they tell me. It's probably not even legal - we.. we deny claims and make people file challenges because we know most people will be disheartened and give up."

He looks down at his own hands as if they're dirty. "Oh man... Oh MAN... You're right. You're RIGHT. I'm going to the D.A.'s office." There's a fire in his eyes, a decision has been made and he shuts the door behind him.

Alura stares in wonder and then looks back to Divine and smiles in to those startlingly blue eyes, "See? there's good in these people - but sometimes they need a small kick in the butt. THAT is the DNA you share with them."

She floats up and places a hand on Divine's shoulder, "That is a heavy concern you've placed upon you. The idea that you might try and hurt someone against your own will. Or that you might even like it. But if you feel it is your human DNA that might make you like this - I assure you, there is more alike between Kryptonians and Humans that you know. My own twin sister is a criminal. Was a criminal, I should say."

Divine has posed:
Divine tilts her head slightly, her brow furrowing. She mulls Alura's words over in her mind, thinking about the humand she knows. Granted, most of them have powers, but they're still human. Emma, who is haughty and driven, but still has a heart under all that cold diamond. Cindy, who is funny and sweet and only wants to do good. "Some of them are better at it than others," she finally says.

She barely pays the man any more mind, even with his sudden change of heart. She's lost in her own head for a moment. "I'm not ashamed of it, though the depths they can sink to disgust me sometimes." She glances over as the hand rests on her shoulder. "It's not the human half that'd make me do it. I'm a clone, grown in a vat as a weapon. When they realized that I wasn't up to the task, they just dumped me onto the street. It's only because of the kindness of other people that I'm, well, here instead of Blackgate or something. There are a lot of good people out there, but the bad ones are louder."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura can see Divine is lost in her own thoughts. It's strange to see a third version of her daughter in as many days but Earth continues to throw curve balls at her. It isn't enough that she must get used to a whole new world filled with aliens - but even her concept of family must shift.

She's not sure words will help here. They didn't with Karen. Perhaps a different strategy might be useful this time. Her story of being discarded like trash is too horrid to let stand and so she floats in and wraps her arms about Divine and gives her a hug.

"Hush now. You are deserving of the love and family I knew growing up. Clone or no, you are part of -my- family now. It's because of your own heart that they realised you would never be their weapon."

Divine has posed:
For her part, Alura is only the second Kryptonian she's met. The first being Superman. She's been kept in the dark and away from her heritage all this time. It's frustrating and infuriating and honestly, sad. She doesn't know what she's missing, and that's almost worse than having it and losing it. Almost.

She tenses when Alura hugs her, though it's brief. Emma hugs her all the time, but this is different. It takes her time to warm up to people. Though, this feels almost correct. Eventually, she hugs the other woman back, silent for a moment, though she apparently can't resist some sass. "Well, that and the fact that Power Girl can kick my ass into orbit."

She pauses, sobering a bit. "She's never tried to reach out to me. Not once. I know she knows I exist, Miss Frost had a meeting with her and told her about me. She said that it wasn't her problem and left. Is she that much of a coward?"

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura gently brushes those wild black locks and then releases Divine from the familial hug. She chuckles softly at the quip about Power Girl booting her to orbit. But discussion of Karen is certainly a complex thing. She shakes her head in response to the question.

"Power Girl is...," she can't just say a version of her own daughter from another timeline because that's not her story to tell. It seems Divine doesn't know much about the Kryptonians on Earth at all. But that doesn't mean Alura isn't going to try and help her.

"...she has been through a lot. Hearing about you no doubt felt like yet another attack on her. Give her time and she will come around, I'm sure of it. Don't take it personally though. You aren't her, she isn't you. You have your own life to live."

Divine has posed:
Divine has never had a parent. Sure, Emma tries, but she's not super good at it beyond being very good at encouraging and supporting. This feels different, but the clone couldn't tell you how. Still, it's not a -bad- feeling at all, just one she's going to need to unpack. And it's true, Divine knows nothing about Kryptonians beyond that she is half one, and most of the time the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

She really needs to make friends with an Asgardian.

"I mean, I guess my existence -was- an attack on her. A pretty pointed one at that. Still, if she believes in that symbol," she says, pointing at the crest of the House of El. "Isn't it a reminder to do better? To be better? I know I'm trying."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura hmms thoughtfully at Divine's gesturing to her family crest. Well, one of her family crests anyway. It's also engraved on a red metallic like belt about her waist. "What's more important, Divine, is if -you- believe in this.. symbol."

It's strange to her that a family crest could become a symbol of Hope known across an entire planet. In many ways its lost its original meaning to all but the Kryptonians who wear it. And even then, Kal-El who made it famous didn't truly understand its meaning until his holographic father explained it.

"If this is something you wish to wear on your clothing, one day, and feel like it belongs there - then you might consider what it is you want to do with your life, your gifts. You were made in malice but that doesn't define who you are or how you will live your life. The skies the limit, literally, you only need apply yourself."

Divine has posed:
"I think I'm trying," Divine says, drawing a breath through her nose as she half-turns to look out over the city. "My aging was accelerated. I am a grown woman despite only being three years old. It's funny, honestly. I know things I've never learned. I have abilities I didn't earn or work for." Something down below catches her attention for a second, eyes following motion.

"When I was set loose, I was angry. So goddamn -angry-. I hated the people who made me. I hated Power Girl. I hated everyone who had, because I had nothing." She looks back at Alura, eyes cold. "I was ready to take this out on everyone that crossed my path. I was prepared to ruin lives because I was angry. Because I was hurt and sad and had no way to deal with it. Fate led me to someone who chose to help me. She helped me because she could see I was lost and needed.... something. A friend, a parental figure. Even after an angel or whatever it was bashed me through the engine block of her limo, she chose kindness. She chose to love another person because they needed it. That's what I want to do."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura nods her head, "It's ... I think it's reasonable to be angry. My daughter would often get angry when things stacked up against her. But - on Krypton, cloning was illegal. So many things can go wrong and you would be duty bound to look after your new Kryptonian. So many things went wrong in the past with this technology, so many tragedies, that it was simply outlawed."

She shrugs her shoulders, "And yet since coming to this world I have now met two Kryptonian-Human clones and you are both quite fine. So be angry - be angry that someone rolled the dice on your life, on your fate. But also be thankful that their designs failed and instead you emerged a _good_ person."

She'll file this 'angel' thing away for later searching. Yet another strange thing about Earth she has yet to learn. "Who is this kind person who took you in?"

Divine has posed:
The Heavenly Host was just another week in New York City for all the lasting power the event had. No one hardly ever mentions it anymore. There's always some disaster. Some tragedy, and then it's gone, almost like it never happened.

"Well, I agree with that. Even if I wouldn't exist without it, I'm proof that cloning is dangerous. If I had broke bad, I could have hurt a lot of people."

She smiles slightly, the pall over her expression fading. "Emma Frost. She runs Frost Enterprises, whatever they do. I'm her bodyguard, not that she needs one. She's an incredibly powerful psychic."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura lifts up her arm, a metal bracer is upon it that looks a little odd. Even more so when she motions to it and holographic alien symbols float in the air above it. With a few motions she taps in to the local internet. The lights on top of the building buzz and dim for a moment as she invades the grid.

An image of Emma Frost in a shnappy looking pants suit appears hovering in the air above her fore-arm. "Emma Frost. A powerful psychic. She is one of the mutant variants of humanity then?"

Alura knows very little about the mutants so far - save that her daughter is dating one and that apparently humanity at large isn't entirely keen on mutations. Not that they get a say in it, but it does raise interesting evolutionary questions about Earth. Is it on the cusp of a great species shift?

The idea of a psychic isn't entirely foreign to her either, since the woman her daughter is dating is one too. The contact with her mind was a very strange experience though. "A bodyguard?," she looks slightly amused and hmms.

"One day I will tell you how we lived our lives on Krypton. We certainly didn't work for anyone; unless you count apprenticeships as working for someone." It is the first time she's sounded a bit judgy and perhaps that's more on Emma than on Divine.

"Speaking of 'one day' - I would hope that you would be interested in getting more involved in Kryptonian affairs, since you are one of us. Yes, we do need to sort out this issue with Power Girl and K.. Superman is perfect for that. But beyond that, there's always work to be done and I think you should be involved."

Divine has posed:
She's not too surprised at the hologram thing, though the groaning of the power grid is slightly alarming. She nods as the hologram of Emma pops up. "Yeah. A mutant. I don't get how the people are about them. They love Superman and the Avengers, I don't really see any difference between how people get their powers, because how they use them is more important. From what I've seen, the X-Men use them well enough."

She either misses the judgy edge or ignores it, though she does explain. "Well, like I said, she doesn't really -need- a bodyguard, but it gave her the ability to keep an eye on me in case the people who made me came back, and she helped me get the damn papers that the people of this planet love. On paper, I'm a real person. I can do the things that people do without funny looks." She pauses. "Well, without funny looks that aren't people confusing me for Power Girl slumming it."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura waves her hand and the holographic system disappears entirely. The bracer becomes just an odd looking bracer once more. She lowers her arm and comes to rest on the roof top once more. "She seems smart. I hope her intentions are as honorable as you think."

But the mention of papers has her raising her eyebrows a little. "Yes. Papers. Each country seems to have their own. I think I'll pass on all that. I do not want people to think I'm picking 'sides' on this fractured planet."

Divine has posed:
"My side is the people I care about, and the people who can't protect themselves, I guess." She nods once, mostly to herself. "I believe in that symbol. Hope is for everyone."

She pauses again. "And I do want to learn about my heritage. I've spent ... a lot of time learning about humanity, learning how to be a person. But I still want, no, need to know what it means to be Kryptonian. Beyond having these powers and the obligation to use them for everyone's sake."

Alura In-Ze has posed:
Alura lifts her chin a touch and says, "Then regardless of how things go with Power Girl - and I hope they got well - we'll make sure you get a proper education in your heritage. If it turns out you are compelled against your will to do things then.. then we'll figure out a way to help you with that too. No one is going to leave you out in the cold."

She tilts her head a little hearing a voice off in the distance she was hoping to hear. "It seems my time is being pulled elsewhere now. Divine, rest easy. Superman will do right by you and I will see you again likely sooner rather than later."

Divine has posed:
Divine could try to listen to that voice calling Alura, but she does not. Someone has, at least, taught her manners. "I think it will go fine. I think my feelings towards her are my own and not from anything coded into me. Either enough time has passed, or the sessions with Miss Frost have burned them out. Either way, I want to do this so I can move on with my life and figure out what it is -I- want from it."

She nods once. "I'm not hard to find, really. And honestly, just call my name and I'll probably hear you if you're in this hemisphere. I look forward to it, ma'am."