17806/Shorta-kinda clone-brother

Shorta-kinda clone-brother
Date of Scene:	29 April 2024
Location:	Empire State University
Synopsis:	The first attempt or Kon and Jon to get to know each other better semi-fails due to the usual emergency, but it is a start!
Cast of Characters:	Conner Kent, Jon Kent, Kiden Nixon

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Conner Kent has posed:
Conner is going to miss the ESU campus soon, since this is his last semester, but at least he will still come visit Kiden. Just... it won't be the same. He had quite a lot of fun here, doing human normal things and enjoying some anonymity. Also, becoming a reporter.

Just like his mom.

Whom he barely knows. But he is working on that. Also working in knowing someone he never expected to meet. At least not in anything like an adult form. Since he is technically not born yet. Look, it is complicated to be a half-Krytonian clone.

It was also about time he talked to Jon when no one is trying to kill them both. Okay, true, he could have had this conversation a year ago, but there were... issues.

Anyway, Conner invited Jon to have lunch at the ESU campus, and he brought reinforcements/moral support in the form of his girlfriend, Kiden.

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon goes to school in Metropolis, but he was excited when his brother asked him to have lunch. And, of course, for the Kents getting around isn't much of an issue. So the bespectacled, awkward, nerdy young man finds himself walking to meet Conner and Kiden.

Books hit the ground. Jon accidentally bumped into a young woman, leading to her books spilling on the ground. His face turns fire engine red as he squats down to help her pick them up.

"Oh my gosh, I'm /so/ sorry!" Jon says as he begins picking up some of her books. But once he gets three or four of them in his hands, he spills them and they cascade to the ground once more.

The student laughs a bit. "It's fine, it was an accident. Here, let me," she says once she realizes that Jon is clearly more than a little clumsy.

Once apologies are made again and all books are picked up, Jon continues on his way. "Oh, hey! Conner!" he calls out when he sees his brother. He breaks into a light jog to catch up with him. That's about when his shoe comes untied and he almost trips. "Ooops. Dang it." He kneels down and ties the shoe. As he stands he pushes his glasses up his nose. "How...how are you?"

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden doesn't look like anything special. Barely five feet tall, she's a lithe little hardbody wrapped in her own punk/grunge style that includes some pretty psychedelic colors under a bulletproofed leather jacket! Still, she smiles at Conner like he has the sun in his pocket, holding his hand and tickling him playfully to help keep him distracted. Can't be nervous when you're trying to dodge your girlfriend's ticklish touch!

In the end, she tugs him down to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth beforeslipping both arms around his waist in a tight squeeze. "Now this is exciting! I get to meet the mysterious brother you've mentioned on occasiona but never REALLY talked about."

The bump and spill catch her attention and she watches the social silliness with a faint grin, glancing up at Conner as the young man calls out his name, "Well, he definitely got your looks... now I'm curious if that's why you went with boots over sneakers..." Teasing him lightly before turning to Jon.

"Hi there! Jon, I presume? I'm Kiden!" She smiles brightly and lifts a hand into a wave towards the young man.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner tilts his head at Jon's clumsiness, then facepalms. "That's overacting. A lot." He stage-whispers Kiden, completely aware Jon can hear him. Then he grins. "Come here, man," he tells Jon. "Er... Kiden, Jon. Jon-El. On disguise. Weird, for a moment I didn't recognize you with those glasses. Jon, this is my girlfriend Kiden, also a student here."

They have a table, outside one of the restaurants just outside the campus proper. Loads of students around, mostly busy, many complaining about the exam weeks, just ending. "Good to see you. It feels we never meet outside space trips, so I thought... hey, the pizza here is very good. And I don't even know where Jon lives, so maybe we could talk."

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon gives Conner a sly wink when his brother says he almost didn't recognize him. "That's the point, bro," he remarks. He gives Conner a playful, friendly elbow nudge to the shoulder. It's a playful, friendly elbow nudge that could tip a delivery truck over but he knows it's nothing to his brother.

"Hi, Kiden," Jon says with pure warmth and corn-fed Kansas farm boy charm. "It's great to finally meet you." He deadpans, "So how much is my brother paying you to date him?" Then he breaks once more into a warm, congenial smile.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Laughing, Kiden shakes her head, "Are you kidding? There isn't enough money in the world to keep me away from Conner. He's lucky I'm not koala'd around his waist." She tipts her head back to smile up at Conner, all heat and affection and a deep caring aimed his way.

Tugging Conner into sitting at one of the outside tables, she plops down next to him and smiles at Jon, "Sit! Tell me all about yourself. I want *all* the mebarrassing stories, don't hold anything back! Barring embarrassing stories about Con, just.. tell me about yourself." Winking, she leans in against Conner's side, "And feel free to ask me anything you want in turn."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Don't make me kill you," mock-threatens Conner, elbowing back. "No, I was lucky to meet Kiden, maybe I will someday thank Toyman about it, since it was his fault. But that is a story for later." He reaches to take the girls hand, grinning again.

"Sadly there are not many embarrassing stories, Kiden. We... well, it is complicated, time travel and stuff," okay, that is a little embarrassing, but Kiden already knows some things about N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and Conner's past. "Fact is, we only met recently. And usually we only met when Aunt Alura calls us for space travel and Kryptonian business."

Jon Kent has posed:
Sliding into a seat, Jon flashes his bro a grin at the mock threat. "Yep, Conner's right. It is /very/ complicated and we haven't known each other for all that long." He lifts one shoulder in a small half-shrug as he glances over the menu of pizza choices.

"I live in Smallville, Kansas on the Kent family farm," Jon continues, answering Kiden's question. "I go to school at Met U." His smile widens playfully. "The 1,200 mile commute each way is a killer. Not much more to tell than that. Between helping on the farm, going to school full time, and working with the, uh, family I barely have time to sleep each night. Fortunately my girlfriend, Megan, also lives a really busy life. So we make it work."

Jon gestures toward Kiden with a head nod. "So your turn. What's your story?" he inquires in a warm, congenial tone of voice. Everything about the young, bespectacled man radiates warmth and a gentle nerdiness. The Jon Kent guise is about so much more than simply wearing a pair of glasses. It's about presenting a unified front to the world that would cause even the most scrutinizing observer to never suspect he is Superboy. Well, one of the Superboys, anyway.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"Show me a family dynamic that *isn't* complicated, and I'll show you a family that doesn't have any skin in the race," Kiden chuckles, lacing her fingers through Conner's and giving a small squeeze. "I still say we send Toyman one of those Edible Arrangements, have it in the shape of a toy robot or something. Nice card attached... 'from Flux and Superboy, thanks for the introduction' ..."

Laughing at the mention of a commute, she grins, "Tell me about it, I hoof it from Greenwich Village to Gotham and back most every day. And that's aside from having to make it to classes here. I'm lucky most of mine can be done online so I can work *and* go to school." Her smile brightens a touch, "Aw, we definitely know that struggle. Balancing the hero life with the private life... not always easy, but when you care, you make it work, right?"

Conner gets tugged in for a quick cheek kiss before Kiden is laughing, "Well.. I grew up in Alphabet City, father was a beat cop, watched him get gunned down in front of me at 8, developed mutant powers at 13, pretty much immediately got on the wrong side of a gang, ended up running away from home and living on the streets... got deep into the party scene, drugs... made some really good friends, lost some really good friends, helped someone save themselves from a pimp who turned out to be the guy that killed my dad... friend group broke up, I ended up back on the streets... that's when I ran into Conner." Kiden smiles softly up at him, "He saved me. Maybe from myself, maybe from the streets... but he saved me."

She looks back to Jon, grinning, "You know, the usual."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner blinks at hearing Jon lives in Smallville. "What? Smallville in Kansas?" He grunts. "I... no, that kind of makes sense. In a very weird way." He shakes his head, "anyway, I have been living three blocks from here the last four years," he points the general direction of his studio apartment. "Before that, Hawaii, but I am really from Metro, kind off. I was 'born' in a facility hidden near the city." He quotes with his fingers.

Then he leans back, giving Jon an odd look. "Virtual reality education was in Smallville, although not the real Smallville. I visited Smallville years ago and it was not like the sim at all."

And the only Kents he heard about were an old couple. Something is not clicking right. Like not having all the pieces of a puzzle.

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon peers at Conner and the young man's expression and eyes get a bit emotional. He murmurs, "Hey, we need to get you to the farm as soon as possible. You need to meet your grams. I know..." Jon's pauses as his voice gets slightly thick. "...I know Ma Kent would be thrilled to meet you, bro." Then he manages to shake off the small emotional outburst.

When Kiden tells her tale, Jon's attention is absolutely locked on her. That's his gift: empathy, to make anyone he's talking to feel like they are the center of the universe. When the wild summary is complete Jon blinks and cracks a small smile. "Oh. So just your standard stuff then, huh?" The farm boy smile that follows speaks to the fact that he is only diffusing a difficult tale with humor. "I hope you'll consider me a friend, Kiden. Anyone who can make my brother happy has a friend for life with me."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"Tch... you're not a friend, Jon... you're family," Kiden flashes a grin at him and slips an arm around Conner's waist, giving him a tight hug. "Conner's been the best thing that happened to me, and getting to share my life with him has been the greatest experience." She glances up at Conner, smile softening.

Looking back to Jon, she chuckles, "It's okay. I didn't have it too bad. It sounds a lot worse than it was, and I've had some really good friends over the years. I got real lucky, and I know it." Tucked up against his side, she nudges Conner lightly, "And you should go with him, visit the family farm. You've been wanting to learn more about your family, where you come from... maybe it's time you find out."

Looking back to Jon, she points at him, "And you take good care of my man or I'll come after you. I got a brand new supersuit that I haven't taken out for a test run yet, lets not make chasing you down the first time." She winks at him to show she's teasing before looking up when the waitress comes over, "I want a supreme calzone, large, and a water."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner gives Jon a confused look. His 'grandparents' were Jor-El and Lara, and they are long dead, right? He know Lois' dad is some big name US army officer. "Er... sure," he nods at Jon, laughing as Kiden attacks again, leaning to kiss her hair. "Sure, I'll go to Kansas again, just let me know when," he decides, assuming there is some mystery to investigate there.

And pizza, "triple cheese for me, and... drinks," which is going to be soda for him, as usual. "And mozzarella sticks."

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender to Kiden. "All good, Kiden. I promise to take good care of him." He shrugs a little bit. "I mean, you're welcome to come along. My grams loves company and she cooks like nobody's business."

Suddenly Jon goes silent and tips his head to one side as though concentrating on something. He has a mildly concerned expression on his face as though something needs his attention quickly but is not an emergency. He stands up. "Hey, guys, I'm really sorry but I have to jet. They need me on the farm. One of the silos is bulging out and might collapse." He gives his bro a warm shoulder punch. "Rain check, Conner. Really sorry."

Such is #SuperLife.

Jon, the super clumsy young man who could barely make it across the quad without knocking over someone's books, weaves through the crowd with incredible alacrity and vanishes. Someone with acute senses might see Superboy--Jon's version of Superboy--high up in the air, streaking out of sight toward the west.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Watching Jon make his excuses and take off, Kiden chuckles softly and looks to Conner with a smile, "I like him. And I'm glad you're finally getting a chance to delve more into your family, meet more of them... this will be good for you, Con." She squeezes his hand lightly and winks at him, "And if they aren't what you were hoping for.. you still have me." Leaning up, she kisses him lightly, "You'll always have me."

She glances int he direction Jon went, "But he seems like a good one. Almost too honest for his own good."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner frowns, then sighs. "I would complain, but I have done that a couple... dozen times," he smiles to Kiden. "Yup, he is way nicer than me. I hope he gets born soon, for the embarrassing moments if nothing else," he winks at Kiden, kissing back. "Now, it looks we will have to eat all the pizza, my sadness has no limits. Want to go clubbing afterwards?"