16873/Mother-Daughter night: Themyscira Embassy 1

Mother-Daughter night: Themyscira Embassy 1
Date of Scene:	11 January 2024
Location:	Themysciran Embassy - First Floor
Synopsis:	Irie visits the Themysciran Embassy with Caitlin as a continuation of their 'mother-daughter' bonding time.
Cast of Characters:	Caitlin Fairchild, Irie West

---

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
The inaugural nights of Mother-Daughter time with Caitlin and Irie were a little awkward. Not for want of affection; but there was no context for their newly revealed relationship. Irie had not had a 'mother' figure per se since the time-travel accident brought her to 2023. Caitlin frequently played mother hen to the Titans, but having responsibility for a biological child (future conception or not) is a step in an entirely new direction.

Fortunately, they had figured out swiftly that activities together were the key to building a stronger bond.

"I always feel like I'm home here," Caitlin explains to Irie. They're not in any great hurry; just meandering around the embassy. After all, Irie is effectively an Amazon by birthright. In time she might even take up the bracers herself. "I mean, not completely," she allows a minute later. "There's not enough marble around here. It's /everywhere/ on the island. Did you know that marble statues were actually painted bright, vivid colors?" she remarks. "The first time I saw them painting the statues I about died of shock. It turns out that colorless Greek aesthetic is more a factor of weathering than intent," she says, and stops to examine a statue of a woman mid-dance, the silk streamers twisting around her made of the same stone but shaped with marvelous skill. 'Painted' is not just a byword. The artist practically brings the tiny statue to life with incredibly precise attention to tone and detail. There is even a beauty mark that can only be seen with a magnifying glass.

Irie West has posed:
    Awkward indeed. Irie is still a little unsure on how to play this. Mother-daughter nights were a thing in her past, and this is uncomfortably close to what they've done. Still, she can't help feel a little excitement about their day together. She's missed her mother so much, and while this Caitlin my night exactly be her, her willingness to be her proxy has made the girl happy.

    "Um. Yeah, I did!" she says in answer to Cait's question about the statues, without mentioning that the person who told her about this was Caitlin's future self. "I thought it was kinda neat, to be honest. That the ancient Greeks didn't have this kind of sterile aesthetic that we all think of today." When they stop at the statue she gestures at it. "I mean, see? This is //far// more pretty than the plain old marble."

    "I'd like to go to Themyscira and see it for myself," she confesses. "We never got a chance to go back in the future. Things just kind of kept popping up and we were too young for most of that time." She looks over to her maybe-mother-to-be with hope in her eyes. "That's something we can do, right?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Anytime you like," Caitlin assures Irie immediately. "That's why I've been inviting you to hang around the embassy more. It's good to meet your..." she smiles bemusedly. "Aunts," she finishes, and laughs a little at the absurdity of the situation. "I'm a little surprised you haven't been there before," she admits. "Though I suppose going as an adult is a lot different than going as a kid."

Upon arriving Caitlin had traded her pink scrubs for a comfortable white tunic, something bordering on brief in public but she seems perfectly comfortable in it here. "The island is bigger than people realize. I think it might be one of those things where it's bigger than it can be actually measured," she clarifies. Two Amazons pass them in the hallway, in deep discussion in something; they do a little dance with Caitlin to get past, and smiles and quick greetings are exchanged before the women move on to their task at hand.

"The enchanted forest in particular, that's somewhere you don't want to get lost. Donna says it's magical, and people can spends days at a time in there even if they're only gone 24 hours. But, if you decide to take on the Trials, you'll learn about it yourself," she promises Irie, and smiles reassuringly.

Irie West has posed:
    "Kinda like the TARDIS," Irie says with a nod. "Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside." She scoots aside to let the other two Amazons pass, giving them a hearty grin, and gives them a "Hello!" in Themysciran. "You were teaching us Themysciran when we were growing up," she explains. "I know enough to get by, but... it's been a while. I'm not exactly fluent in it yet."

    "You've-- She warned me about the Enchanted Forest, too." Almost verbatim. Talking to Cait like this is like having an hour long session of deja-vu. "She told me about a lot of the critters that live in the forest." She lets out a little laugh, "I told her I wanted to pet the unicorns, but she told me that that wasn't a good idea. Still wanna pet one."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin shifts uncomfortably but plays it down well enough by making a show of plucking at her tunic. Not entirely accustomed to the strangeness of being called 'you' while referring to 'her' in the same breath. Caitlin, but not Caitlin. Some other Caitlin.

"I wanna pet one too," Caitlin confesses in a stage voice, and laughs along with Irie. "I've played with the Pegasus some, though. I rode one through Niffelheim and I've petted the ones on Themyscira. They're very smart and very brave. ...And very stubborn," she admits with some irrepressible honesty.

"How was Billy holding up after the party the other night?" she asks, switching topics. "It took a lot of courage for him to walk into the proverbial lion's den. Everyone seemed to take a liking to him right off the bat. Showing up with tacos, that was a good move," she approves.

Irie West has posed:
    Irie catches Caitlin shifting uncomfortably, when she shifts pronouns from 'you' to 'her'. "I'm sorry," she says softly. "I should have asked before. How do you want me to call future-maybe-you? I've been using 'her' for such a long time that I'm okay with that if you want."

    "Yeah!" she says, brightening up and grateful for a change of subject. "Pegasus are also on my 'to pet' list. As are Kangas. We never got a chance to ride them because we were too small, but maybe that's another thing we can do! You can teach me how to ride one."

    She grins sheepishly when Cait asks about Billy. "He's doing fine," she says. "He was expecting to be grilled by everybody, but when the conversation turned out to be about his tacos, he relaxed and got into the swing of things. I had one of his spicy tacos and WOO! it was spicy. Thank goodness I have an accelerated metabolism because I don't think I could have withstood that burn for longer than I did."

    "I'm glad people ended up liking him. He's... well, you heard my speech. He's all that, and chivalrous, but in the good way! He opens doors for me and pulls out chairs, but he checked in with me first to see if that was something that I wanted him to do. I think it's sweet."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"It's-- It's OK," Caitlin tells Irie. She manages a reassuring smile, though obviously its a bit of a sticky wicket for her. "I admit it, it's weird to hear about myself in the future and past tense all at once. But, I guess we need to differentiate between your mom then, and.." she takes a steadying breath. "Your mom, now."

As Irie talks about Billy, Caitlin absentmindedly reaches out and pushes a few strands of Irie's hair back behind her ear. It's a grooming gesture Caitlin does almost constantly herself and she doesn't seem to realize she's doing it.

"Be careful, with Billy," she suggests, looking a little worried. "He seems like a nice guy but he's still a boy, and boys can be... pushy," she says, lips pursing a little. "I made a deal with Donna I would at least give guys a fair shake when they asked me out, but even the ones from church either wanted me to settle down as a housemaker or just wanted to show me off to their friends. Just don't... don't let him push you into anything you're unready for. Okay?"

Irie West has posed:
    Irie tries to stifle leaning into the little gesture of having her hair tucked back. It's been so long. God, so long.

    "Yeah, I know," she says about Billy. "So far he hasn't pushed for anything. Not without checking in first. Like... our first kiss. He asked if it was okay first, and would have honored it if I told him 'no'. He's really considerate and into making sure he has consent first."

    "I don't know what he has planned for the future... for us." She gives Cait a lopsided grin, "To be honest, I don't think he's thought that far ahead. He seems content for now, and if he pushes me..." she shrugs. "Well, I push back. Not gonna let a guy walk all over me, you know?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"That's... well, that's good," Caitlin admits. Her tone suggests she's far from entirely at ease, but really, who can object to that sort of proper behavior? And Irie seems to have it well in hand. "I'm afraid I won't be much good for boy advice," Caitlin admits, finally. "I don't... Wally and I..." she struggles with the words. "I feel like I've been rushed into a decision I've still got a decade or more coming," she admits. "I could kinda see it, when he was older, with the beard and all, but right now, I'm just..."

She shakes her head and flashes a wan smile at Irie before straightening her back out to correct her slumping posture. "I'm sorry. That, I definitely shouldn't push on you. Wally and I will... we'll get it sorted, eventually."

"Meanwhile," she says, and starts their path moving forward again. "I suppose if you need any kind of ...advice, you should talk to Donna. The best I can do is a really boring lecture on human anatomy and the science of reproduction." She gives Irie a sideways glance. "You... /are/ being safe. Right?" Normally a topic she'd blush and dance around, there's a little clinical detachment there that seems to override her sense of Catholic propriety.

Irie West has posed:
    "It's okay," Irie says reassuringly. "I don't mind. I know that this is all sudden, and not at all how I wanted you to find out. I don't like that you feel pressured like this," she says softly, "but I understand. You //shouldn't// feel pressured. You've got time and we know that if it doesn't work out, I'm not going to disappear." She scowls a little bit, "Is Wally... is he pressuring you? I can talk to him again if you like."

    When asked if she's being safe, her face turns beet red. "I... we... we aren't there yet. Just kissing for now! I don't know if I want to go there at all, if I'm being honest. Maddie is ace and aro and if I think about it I think I might be ace as well? I suppose that could change but right now the thought of... that... just kind of turns me off, you know?" She chews her lower lip in thought. "I should probably bring this up with him."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"It might be healthy to have an open discussion about it," Caitlin agrees with a certain delicacy. "I know I've been waiting for the right per-- guy to come along. No one's ever stayed long enough to even get to /that/ discussion. I've always known I wanted to be a mother, and that required... y'know, another gene donor, but that seemed so far down the road," she admits, a little wistfully.

"Anyway-- don't worry about Wal-- your father. He and I both got a bad shock. We saw proof that we made a pretty irrevocable decision sometime in the future, and you were the product of it. So we're both looking at where we thought we were, versus where we are now, and it's just a little daunting. I always saw kids and marriage as something five, ten years down the road. Maybe longer."

She frowns. "Though come to think of it, I'm apparently alive a thousand years from now and I overhead Jin-- Lucky, saying something about my future kids. That could end up being a /lot/ of brothers and sisters," she advises Irie.

"Gosh, there I go again, talking about my problems." Caitlin sighs to herself. "C'mon, let's go to the courtyard and match you up with some of the Amazons here. Palladia is a brilliant duelist, and she's quick enough to give you a little extra work out to keep up."

Irie West has posed:
    "Could be," Irie allows. "I mean, I'm twinsies with Jai, but she wasn't pregnant with anybody when I rocketed back to the past. So maybe Lucky was just talking about the two of us." Her tone turns thoughtful as she taps a finger to her lips. "Though if you *do* live a thousand years there's nothing that says you didn't pick up other partners along the way. I wonder if I inherited the longevity." She waves a hand to dismiss the thought, "Anyway, yeah. That's a thing for future you to figure out."

    "Yeah!" Irie says, brightening considerably, hopping up. "I promise not to use superspeed on her, so she can go easy on me. Ooh! Will I get to wear armor? That'd be so cool! I've always wanted to wear the armor."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin grins at Irie's irrepressible enthusiasm, and gives her a quick one-armed squeeze around her shoulders. "/Training/ armor, but, yes," she assures her. "It will take you a little while to build up to it. I didn't realize it at the time but Donna spent years preparing me for my initiation. Even before Doomsday broke my leg."

"But if you work hard and you have the right spirit, I think they'll welcome you. We might have to do some fast talking about the time-travel bit," she admits with a laugh. "But a big part of earning your place among the Amazons is having persistence and the will to keep going in the face of adversity. That, you don't need to learn; you can show up with that in hand."