17003/Wonder Marvel

Wonder Marvel
Date of Scene:	23 January 2024
Location:	Sandy Beaches
Synopsis:	Diana and Carol catch up on the sandy beaches of Themyscira.
Cast of Characters:	Diana Prince, Carol Danvers

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Diana Prince has posed:
Being that Carol Danvers is one of the shortless of those who are permitted to fly in to Themyscira any time they wish to, she was greeted in the city upon her landing. Diana was on the island for the past few days, thus Carol was likely directed to find her here. She'd been out on a patrol with members of the Enchanted Forest Amazons, when word of Carol's arrival had come to her. She'd told the messenger that she would meet Carol at the beaches on the western cove, and thus is where she is arriving now.

Diana, on horseback, rides down one of the winding footpaths that leads to the beach and its white sandy shores. Wearing a set of leather armor with golden embroidery, her dark hair tied back, Diana's horse slows to a trot as it heads out on to the sand, the Princess' hair flowing around her shoulders as she looks out toward the waters, while pulling on the reigns of her horse to angle him toward Carol's location, the closer the Princess gets, the clearer her smile shows upon her sun bathed facial features.

The waves of the blue sea are calmly rushing across the dark wet sands of the beach, with flocks of birds flying off one of the rocky cliffsides to the south, the island of Themyscira as idylic as ever.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Usually when Carol Danvers flies onto the scene it's at truly spectacular speed, and more often than not 'through a hostile spaceship to ruin some alien despot's day'. But not always! Sometimes Carol reminds herself that with great power comes great... flying around like you're just taking a stroll through the neighborhood. And when that neighborhood includes Themyscira, sometimes you just can't resist the siren call of dropping by to enjoy the weather and friendly faces.

And once messengers have done their sacred duty while Carol /really/ tries to downplay how it's not that important and interrupting the Princess's day really isn't necessary, but... well, of /course/ she can wait on one of the island's beaches! It gives her an opportunity to take advantage of one of the perks of a costume with pockets. Which is why Carol's head is bobbing as she shuffles on the sand, doing a little half-hearted subconscious dance with earbuds in leaving her utterly oblivious to Diana's approach until she happens to look up and see a /galloping horse/! Well, okay, the horse is almost forgotten immediately as Carol's lips spread in a wide smile to rival Diana's own brilliance as the princess rides closer and those earbuds are hastily stuffed into a tiny pocket on the upper arm of one sleeve of her costume.

She quirks an eyebrow as Diana rides in and chimes out cheerily, "Hey, Di! ...I didn't interrupt you riding to Gondor's aid or anything did I? I mean, I'm not here for /business/ or anything, I was just kinda..." She frowns slightly and shrugs, "Wandering around? Figured I'd enjoy some scenery and your island's /way/ more picturesque than like... the Grand Canyon."

Diana Prince has posed:
When the horse trots up close to Carol, it comes to a stop, its brown fur glinting in the sunlight pouring over the beach in the afternoon hour. Diana slips herself off of the mount from its right side, dropping her sandaled feet down on to the soft sand, while stepping forward to offer Carol a hug.

"I am glad you chose here to come and find relaxation. Many talk about you here, you know." She says with a grin replacing her smile. "Many speak of you as a warrior that we should all aspire to be. I for one, would have to agree too." She holds the grin before glancing out toward the waves. "professor Tolkien was a very interesting man to listen to. I had the honor of seeing him speak twice." She adds, noting the Gondor reference, clearly, as well as touching on just how darn old she is!

"They told me this was a casual visit." Diana continues then, as she holds the leather reigns of her horse who stomps one of its front feet in the sand, its eyes roaming over the birds flying around in the distance.

"I hope this is a new trend. It is nice to see you without some... serious situation unfolding on the wake of your arrival."

She smiles warmly again, "Wishing to stay for awhile?" She inquires.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol's hand lifts on reflex as the horse closes in, only to stop with a jolt, a jolt that says 'I was going to pat that horse on the nose, but if you're not supposed to pet service dogs, you're /definitely/ not supposed to pat a warhorse on his snoot'.

Luckily, she doesn't have to worry about too much lingering awkwardness because Diana's oh so smoothly dismounting and stepping forward, and Carol's not going to turn down a hug from as good a friend as her! Despite what internet commenters might claim, Carol has human emotions and friendships and everything and does in fact enjoy such things! She perks her eyebrows up and huffs out a little breath, "Well, I mean, people talk about me in a lot of places, but I bet they're way more complimentary here. And c'mon now, like... I do my part, but I'm nowhere near as brave as your sisters here!" She frowns thoughtfully, "I might need to drop by more often. You know, give some pep talks. I can do that 'sit backwards on a chair' thing that Cap does! I mean, it's probably way less 'Look how casual I am' if I have to use a marble bench or whatever... but I'm sure I can make it work."

Carol just stares for a moment and then grins brightly, "Well, I mean, I /could/ have used another fantasy author reference but then there's the chance I'd pick something super niche and then we'd be standing here all awkward as I explain what a /nerd/ I am..." She heaves out a forlorn sigh at the sheer thought of it and then bobs her head with a wry little smile, "Well, I can always try to stop by more regularly. I mean, I'm trying not to spend all my downtime at the mansion or using the League facilities up on the moon to train. I'm trying to... you know, find that whole work/life balance."

Her eyebrows perk like she hadn't considered the idea of staying, "Well! I mean, if you're inviting me to I totally can. I'll just text my neighbor upstate and have him doublecheck my pipes don't freeze while I'm gone. I mean, spending some time here is always wonderful... no pun intended." She flashes a little grin. A little 'That pun was totally intended' grin.

Diana Prince has posed:
Carol's dry wit sense of humor was always one to earn a continued grin, or outright smirk from Diana. She would even tilt her head to the side ever so gently as she eyed the other woman through some of the joking comments. "It is certainly an option, at least. We have a number of places in the city that I would have set aside, should you wish one. They can be a nice vacation from the snow and ice, that New York is blanketed in this time of year. Even if I'm rather fond of it, myself..."

Diana raises her left hand up to stroke the side of her horse's face, indicating that it is indeed entirely fine to touch the animal, and judging by his affectionate reaction to her pet, it seems to desire such attention!

"Care for a stroll?" Diana questions, as she starts on southward, as a long wave of water rushes across the beach, very nearly touching their feet as it glides across the smoothed wet sand.

"You look happy." Diana states over to Carol, looking to her on her right side now, her sun-hued skirt gently swishing in the wind coming in off the water. "I would have assumed you were on the far side of the galaxy, keeping us safe from enemies we do not even yet realize exist..."

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol grins lopsidedly, "I mean, hey, all that fresh white powder during sunrise after it fell overnight? Heartachingly beautiful. Wonderful. Wouldn't trade it for the world. But a week later when everything's starting to mix up with the road salt and dirt and the snowbanks look like chocolate ice cream from hell?" She feigns a shudder and grins. "Oh! God...s! I wouldn't want to be like, an imposition or anything. I mean..." She frowns thoughtfully, "Okay, I guess 'I can just pitch a tent' isn't a fair suggestion, like... it would really clash with the whole 'Refined antiquity and literal paradise' vibe if I was camping out in the woods like a hobo..."

Carol does her best to appear imperious and not totally joyful at reaching out to apply gentle pats and pets to the horse as she bobs her head and smiles brightly, "Of course! Lead on! Or, you know, wander on." She shrugs lightly, after all 'leading' sounds so much more serious than Carol actually trying to /relax/ and not latching onto an objective or goal.

She laughs softly as she keeps pace with Diana, if anything she might slow her pace a little, so very not Carol's usual demeanor when things are pressing. "No, not today at least. There was a pirate fleet massing out around Tau Ceti... I don't think they were settled on where to raid yet, but it was close enough that..." She shrugs and grins wryly, "Well, it's not like dissuading pirates who were going to raid some innocent star system that /wasn't/ us is a bad thing."

Diana Prince has posed:
The 'hobo' comment does earn a little short laugh from the Princess, who shakes her head to dismiss it from her mind. "We will not allow the good and kind, great and strong, Captain Marvel, to live in a tent." She counters, a glance sent over to Carol, with Diana's chin tipped down, a smile on her visage again. "We have a number of lovely villas, one that I hope you would struggle to choose from for which to stay." She says, once more allowing a grin to grace her features. "Tents are for camping out in the forest. Which is also an option, should it be the escape you are looking for. But, I get the sense you are more inclined for a nice comfortable sofa, and a glass of chilled drink. Perhaps some sliced fruit, and dried meats to go with it." She states, her voice further laced with the good humored nature of her mood in the moment.

She takes in a breath, as her eyes go southward for a second, before returning to Carol beside her. "I would like to see the faces of space pirates, when they see you arriving at their locale, to disuade whatever terrible plans they've concocted. That would be a treat to behold..."

With another smirk, Diana pats the side of her horse's face again. "How is your farm? the last time I was there, you had quite a lot of work to get the tractor running ahead of you. I assume that all went well? Truly would be a beautiful sight to see that property in a fresh blanket of snow, no Hell Chocolate what so ever."

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol just grins all the wider at Diana's laugh, like making the amazon princess laugh is the most impressive thing she could have done today. Which is downright silly with how warm and good-natured the princess is. But still, ego's gonna ego and the stand-up comedian in Carol is just happy to get the laugh. "Hey, if I make it out of silk or fine cotton I think we get to call it a pavilion and it's all the rage in warm climates for nomadic nobles! See? It's classy then." She narrows her eyes playfully as she murmurs thoughtfully, "Oh! Well, I hadn't considered a /villa/, or a little like... Themysciran house hunters adventure. Okay, I'm definitely staying."

She clears her throat and murmurs dryly, "I mean, for a couple weeks or something, barring any emergencies flaring up. The joys of patrolling space but /not/ being a Lantern. I get to set my own hours and I can force myself to take vacation." ...She can. Does she often? No, no she does not. But she's trying to change.

Carol's throat clears, "Okay, yeah, chilled fruit beverage, a little platter of grapes and some cheese, sunny skies and a comfortable sofa... yeah. Villa. Villa is the way to go."

She quirks an eyebrow and grins just a /little/ wickedly. "You know, for being 'space' pirates, a lot of them do have planetary bases. If you ever want to tag along. Though I suppose there's nothing stopping you from dealing with them in space, unless it like... muddies the brand image?" She sighs out and grins crookedly, "Oh, it's doing better! I've been doing a bit of interior renovations. The kitchen's... well, okay, it still looks... classic? I'm going to be generous and say 'classic' and not 'outdated', but it's structurally sound and has some new appliances. Fortunately they make a lot of retro looking fridges nowadays." She sighs out and laughs softly, "And yeah, the tractor's up and running now, but I still need to fix the barn up, consider whether or not I want to deal with paying my neighbors to handle some extra work taking care of some four-legged tenants when I'm, y'know, 'out of town'." She reaches out again to give the horse another fond little patting.

Diana Prince has posed:
"I cannot imagine that you purchased that residence, only to update it and bring it out of the charm that exudes from its timely charm." Diana responds, with a light smile cast over to the other woman. "It was a time capsule, to be sure. But, then again, I remember when those 'classic' styles were new, so you could say that I am a time capsule as well." She adds, another happy grin showing upon her face, as she raises her eyes to the horizon.

Around the edge of the cliffsides on the southern stretch of the beach shoreline, the sight of a Themysciran ship can be seen coming in to view, with the crew aboard it performing some kind of drill. The women aboard are tending to the ship's many elements, though they are too far away to easily recognize what they're doing precisely.

Diana watches the boat for a moment, before she looks to Carol again as they walk side by side with the horse on Diana's left. "I rarely venture out in to the reaches of space. Admittedly, I feel a bit unusual leaving Earth behind, and this island so far from myself. It feels as though I must stay here, but perhaps I am just inexperienced with space travel, even if I have been dabbling in it since the turn of the century..."

She looks back to the direction they are walking, a few Themysciran structures are built upon the shoreline at the base of those cliffs, a small port ready to service their ships, most likely.

"With you as a guide though, I am sure I would know far better what to expect out there. I cannot imagine all that you have seen, afterall."

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol grins and rolls her eyes, "Hey, I'm not bringing it /entirely/ out of the past, but having the electrical panel redone so I'm not constantly worrying that the house is going to catch on fire seemed like a /really/ good idea... also? Better hot water tank. Cold showers are overrated." She snickers softly and shakes her head slowly, "I'll admit, that hum you get from those old vacuum tube radios are pretty neat. And don't worry Diana, I'm never going to forget you're /timeless/!"

The approaching ship diverts Carol's attention for a moment, eyebrows perking for a moment, and then eyes narrowing as Carol does her best to spy out what the drill is.

But it's only a momentary distraction before Carol's smiling at Diana again and nodding her head, "I get that. I mean, it's probably more responsible to keep close to home. The world needs you as an inspiration and a beacon of hope. But if you ever want a vacation to go check out some space, let me know! I mean, it seems only fair I offer to return the vacation favor however I can."

She smiles lopsidedly and bobs her head, "It's... it never really gets entirely mundane and predictable. Every time I think I've become jaded to the wonders, I see something I really haven't ever seen before."

Diana Prince has posed:
With the ship, in the distance, now turning northward, it becomes visible that it is actually two ships moving side by side. The figures aboard them become more visible as well, with a net connecting the two sea-fairing vessels together. "They are sparring." Diana says of the approaching ships. "It is a boarding and capture scenario." She elaborates, as she's certain Carol is curious. "There are some new techniques being worked in to our naval training, that are adapted from modern Navy Seals. Not that our methods are poor, of course, but it is always good to incorporate new training from others, training that might become invaluable when dealing with modern threats."

She smirks then before she puts her eyes upon Carol again, and grins back at her. "I would like to see a Black Hole. From a safe distance, of course, but close enough to bare witness to what I assume is a majestic display of powers that might make even much of the things that I have seen pale in comparison. I would like to see one of those planets where it rains diamonds too." She states, adding a lilting little laugh after she speaks those words. "That might be more of a vanity desire though."

She smiles once to Carol, her left hand touching the side of her horse's neck again. "I do believe I will take you up on the space offerings, some day."

Carol Danvers has posed:
Once it becomes clear what the /two/ ships are doing, Carol can't hold back a low, impressed whistle. Her mouth opens to ask just in time for Diana to answer her questions before they're formed, giving a solemn, firm little nod. "They're impressive. And yep, always a good idea to not limit yourself when you can pick up new tricks and tips! Which /does/ remind me I've been getting a little rusty in... not solving fights with energy blasts..." She grins a touch wider, "But I think if I'm going to do any sparring, I'll use it as a reason to drop by here more often and /not/ as part of my vacation."

She bobs her head with a low, thoughtful murmur, "You know, that's a good idea! I'll make sure to keep a list of the best looking black holes in mind for when we've got time to go for a little space jaunt."

Her eyebrows perk and she gives the horse another little pat, "So! About that villa..."

Diana Prince has posed:
The two ships performing the exercise, begin moving northward, soon to reach where Diana and Carol are strolling the beach. The women aboard can be heard shouting, the ship commanders barking orders to those performing the exercise today. Diana spares one more look toward them, before she regards Carol again, showing her another sly grin.

"Villas." She corrects. "Come, let us show them to you. Let you pick which one fits you best." She states, turning her horse, Arrow, toward the east to head back toward the winding roads that lead back up to Themyscira City.

As they walk, Diana looks Carol over. "We will have to get you a better wardrobe while you are here too. Not to say I dislike your uniform. My own Avengers uniform was designed to be somewhat of an homage to your own... But, while you are here, I think it best you wear some leathers, perhaps a few skirts too." She says in a serious tone, soon to show a grin to her friend as they walk side by side, with the graceful horse clopping along in the sand beside the two women.