2474/Coming to Shore

Coming to Shore
Date of Scene:	16 July 2020
Location:	Exterior - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Garth is welcomed back into the Titans fold
Cast of Characters:	Garth, Kara Danvers, Donna Troy, Nadia Pym-van Dyne

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Garth has posed:
When last Garth had been on this island, the Tower had only been a dream, something he and the other Titans had talked about when imagining a future. When they hit the 'big time'. They had only just begun to shed their status as sidekicks and grow into adulthood. Then Garth had lost someone he cared about and, for a time, his marine telepathy. Feeling useless, he'd retreated to Atlantis, sending only occasional messages to assure his friends he was alive, at least.

The young man who lands on the island now is very different than that Garth. He is Aqualad no more, rechristened Tempest. He has grown to manhood, scrawny build replaced with lean muscle, a hint of scruff along the line of his jaw. And his hands glow with the magicks that lifted him aloft and set him down at the perimeter, staring up at the Tower now.

"Bigger than I imagined," he admits, wondering how long his presence will go before being detected. No way the place is unsecured. He wonders, also, who might be home...

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara finishes peeling the armor off of the bank robber and extracting the man from within. Laying him out unconscious on the ground so the police and paramedics can do their thing. "Inventive, I'll give him that." The remains of the home made metal armor sit motionless on the side walk, peeled open like a can without a can opener, unless you count Kara as the can opener. This guys mistake was getting up in the morning and deciding to rob a bank.

While she could return to the DEO for a debrief.. eh.. more fun to visit her friends at the Titans Tower, so Kara shoots through the air across the city to the island and spies a stranger by their doors.

Hovering in the air with her fists on her hips and red cape billowing in the breeze, she grins down at the man, "Hello there, are you lost or looking for somebody?" Kara has never met Garth, whether as Aqualad nor Tempest. There's only so much one can learn about Earth in a year. In that year since she revealed herself to the world, the mighty \S/ has only grown in popularity with not just Superman, but now Supergirl making the news.

Slowly she lowers herself down to the ground and smiles at the handsome Magician, "Or do you need help?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    How long before his presence is detected? Not long at all. Before he even hit land, indeed. The Tower's defenses extend into the waters, and he'd have been picked up on sonar before the underwater cameras tracked his arrival. There is a hidden underwater entrance to the tower even - something added to the designs with Garth at least partially in mind, back before he left the team.

    "Oh I wouldn't say he was lost," a voice calls out to Supergirl from above. "Just very, very late. " The figure descending through the air from the top of the tower is someone Garth hasn't seen in six years: Troia, or Donna Troy as the Titans knew her in private. Time hasn't wrought any dramatic change, and that oddly foreign accent, all smoke and honey, does not seem to have become any less pronounced in the intervening years. She even appears to be wearing the same armor she'd had back in 2014, black with silver stars, in the style of an ancient Trojan soldier. It had seemed an odd affectation to the Titans back in the early days, at least until they learned how strong the metal was.

    "It is tall. I remember watching it as it neared completion, level after level being added," Donna says to Garth. "Looking at the blueprints just wasn't the same, was it?" A playful smile crosses her lips. "I hear you're going by the name Tempest now. Welcome to Titans Tower, Tempest. We were expecting you five years ago."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
The buzz of bio-synthetic wings heralds Nadia's approach. Still new to these surroundings she has been flying about exploring the outside of the tower today. Her first time around a giant superhero base, it has been a lot to take in.

What is perhaps most notable though is that her wings don't seem dependent on her suit. Dressed in a red bomber jacket, along with jeans and a t-shirt, somehow the wings seem to just extend from her back.

"Hi!" she calls over as she buzzes over upon seeing Donna. The other two get a friendly wave as well. Two more new faces to add to the ever growing list of new friends. "I'm Nadia." she smiles brightly as she descends to the level where everyone is congregating.

Garth has posed:
Garth would regard Supergirl more warily were it not for that emblem on her chest. Long as he's been from the surface world, he knows that no one could wear that symbol without earning the right. Before he can respond, Donna and Nadia arrive as well, "Greetings. Tempest, yes, but any friends of yours can call me Garth," he says, directing his attention to his old friend first.

"I didn't mean to be gone so long, but I found a new calling and, for a time, it took up every bit of attention I have. Maybe I can bribe you into forgiving me?" he says.

He extends a palm and mutters a few arcane words, his consciousness directing a flow of energy as water rises in a pillar across the breadth of his hand, swirling and then growing dark, creating a black crystal figurine, studded with gleaming sparkles of sea-born minerals and bearing a striking resemblance to Donna troy.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara's inquisitive expression softens as she realises Troia knows him. "Better late than never?," a saying she's picked up from her adopted DEO father. She's not entirely sure she agrees with the sentiment, but it is very human. She raises an eyebrow to Nadia and says, "Hi Nadia, Hi Garth. I'm Supergirl."

She offers her hand to Nadia as Garth and Troia are doing a miniature sea crystal type thing. "Nice wings," she says encouragingly to Nadia. "I heard about you. You were in the other part of Brainiac's ship and you flew back on the T-jet? I hear you were very helpful, thank you." She thinks back to that monstrosity, Brainiac, stripped of his exterior shells - a machine of death and the pain he caused her. She shuts her eyes for a moment to clear her thoughts.

Kara asks Troia, "Is he the other Titan I've heard of?" and offers her hand to him next, "..if so, welcome home."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna watches Tempest slightly warily as he performs his feat of apologetic magic. "She was very helpful, Supergirl. And she has been helping us put the recovered equipment into working order," she says, giving a small nod of acknowledgement in Nadia's direction.

    "You don't see someone for five years and the next thing you know they've become a wizard," she says to Tempest with a slight smirk. "I'd heard as much, but it's..." she gives a shake of her head. "Well, now I have seen it. There's nothing to forgive, Garth. You felt the need to leave, so you left. A few years later the rest of us did the same thing. Until a couple of months ago if you'd planned to return, you'd have found the tower standing empty."

    Donna replies to Supergirl, but her eyes include Nadia in her answer. "Yes - Garth used to be called Aqualad. He was one of the founding Titans, but he... he left before we got big, I guess. Last time we saw each other, this island was bare and the tower was still a gleam in the architect's eyes. "

    Her eyes return to the former Titan. "I don't know how much news you get from the world above the waves, but the team broke up in 2017. We are back together now though, the original team and a whole new generation of younger heroes joining us. So the obvious question is - social call, or were you planning to follow suit, and become a Titan again?"

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia's eyes light up as she watches Garth create a black crystal figurine, "How did you do that? Was that magic? That's so cool! Can I study it? I wonder what kind of energy it uses..." Garth's trick has definitely caught Nadia's attention.

Before Kara reminds her that there are other people here, "Nice to meet you Supergirl!" she glances over at her buzzing wings when they are mentioned, "Thank you! I made them myself. Though it seems everyone around here can fly." she nods a few times when Kara brings up Brainiac, "I was just finishing up making a suit when the Avengers sattelites I was 'accessing' started going crazy. I couldn't just sit there and do nothing. So I kind of followed the T-Jet through Brainiac's defenses and everything else just sort of happened. I heard you were injured, I'm glad you seem to be doing better now. Did you get some of the pizza? It was SO delicious!"

Her head nods several times when Donna mentions the recovered equipment, "It is really interesting, his technology is alien though not incomprehsenible. His shrinking tech works in a completely different way than Pym Particles changing the size of the molecules themselves rather than condensing atomic distances. His real innovation is the energy transference and his power sources, the amount of energy required is huge. But there is still a lot more left to understand about how it all works."

"Oh right, I'm also The Wasp!" she adds remembering that whole second name thing, before listening to Donna's introduction of Garth and watching him curiously.

Garth has posed:
Garth smiles, "Glad to see the new recruits are enthusiastic,' he says regarding Nadia, "You can study it if you like. In my experience, arcane energies tend to be rather difficult to measure by scientific means. They are, by nature, elusive powers of mystery for a reason. But, by all means, feel free to try."

He nods at some of Donna's questions, "I had heard some things. I encountered some of the newer members - a furry gentleman and a green boy who could change into animals...Gar. Yes, that was the name."

"And, if you'll have me, I'd like the opportunity to be a Titan again. I like to think I have more to offer now than just talking to fish - but I can do that again, too," he says with a smile.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara's face lights up with delight at Nadia's seemingly infinite energy and curiosity. She shakes her head though and chuckles. "Amazing. So many bright minds, the Titans are very lucky." She folds her arms and peers out over the bay to the city, watching the people wandering along the piers and seawalls. "That's great news," she says as he asks to join the Titans again, "Any friend of Troia's is a friend of mine."

There is a moment where she tilts her head as if listening to something far away. An eyebrow slowly raises, then she looks back to the ground, satisfied that everything will turn out okay. "Magic... one day may be I'll understand it. I admit I am at a loss when it comes to magical things. I'm more of a science nerd, though it's hard to continue my studies here on Earth. As incredible as the technology is here, it is a very alien way of doing things, thinking of things," she says with her odd accent.

Her accent has been getting steadily better as she works on it, sounding more and more American, but she is struggling to shake the remnants of her Kryptonian slurs and almost-clicks. Kal great up speaking this way and struggles to sound natively Kryptonian to her ears, which is also a weird experience on the other end of the spectrum.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna's face cracks into a wide grin when Tempest brings up talking to fish. "You always had more to offer than just talking to fish, Garth. And I wasn't going to bring that subject up until you did. I hope that means you can finally forgive us for the teasing, but you know it was only ever friendly. Like whenever people called me Xena, or telling Vic to get in out of the rain in case he rusts."

    Donna pulls out something she had clipped to the straps of her armor, and offers it without a word to Garth. On first sight it bares a close resemblance to the communicators Robin had made for them all those years ago, though it's obvious the design is a lot more sophisticated these days. It's already showing Tempest's name on the miniature display - obviously this has been waiting for him since the news came out he'd surfaced again.

    "Funny thing," Donna says a little sheepishly. "I...um. If you've ever heard of Wonder Woman and the magical island she comes from, Themyscira? So the existence of Themyscira was a big secret until the queen finally allowed Diana to reveal it three years ago. All that stuff I told you guys about Northern Turkey and the Knights of Iluim was a cover story. I'm a Themysciran too, and Diana is my sister. So... technically speaking, that whole warrior princess thing? Yeah, actually am."

    She grins very widely and waves a warning finger at Garth. "That doesn't mean you guys are allowed to start up with it all over again, though. I answer to Donna or Troia, but not to Xena."

    "The guys you met were Vorpal and Beast Boy. Beast Boy actually joined us shortly before the team broke up. He was pretty much the one who brought us back together again. Supergirl here is Kal's cousin, the symbol she wears isn't just a boast. You remember what he was like... well, Supergirl's just as nice, and just as strong. Nadia we met on a mission a couple of days ago and she's been helping out since then, she's not a Titan..." she shoots a glance in Nadia's direction and smiles knowingly. "...Yet. We have a few more new faces too, but you'll have plenty of time to meet them all. The team really is turning into quite something, it's an exciting time."

Garth has posed:
Garth holds up his hands, "Wouldn't dream of teasing you, Donna. I think we've all grown up a bit by now. Well, maybe not Wally. I can't imagine him mature,' he says with a bit of a laugh.

"I always kind of figured those old stories you told were fibs. Aquaman hinted as much to me, the few times I mentioned it to him. I suspect he knew the real story but wanted to let you keep your secret."

He examines the communicator for a few moments, familiarizing himself with its functions before putting it on, "Superman's cousin? Well, you must be relieved to have him back then. Like the rest of the world," he says. "And who are we kidding? Anyone who comes in the vicinity of the Titans gets drawn in one way or another," he says.

Kara Danvers has posed:
There's a flash of confusion across Kara's face, "Relieved to have him bac--- oh.. ah.. Yes! very." She glances off to the side as she remembers the whole planet was in mourning. Her arrival was never truly without Kal. Within moments of her landing in Siberia, she had levelled numerous trees and caused a massive second crater. He came to her in that moment and she had never felt so relieved to be with family.

"He's doing well. We're all very pleased. Very pleased," she's so terrible at lying. "Best reunion a cousin could hope for." She nods as if that were the final word on the subject. Poor Kal, he just wanted to live a quiet life. It seems nothing is ever quiet on this planet. "You've probably heard this before, but the symbol is our house crest, it says El, it means Hope." That's the line Kal went with, a pretty decent translation.

"So, are we going inside. I don't mind standing out here in the sun it's kind of my thing, but there's pizza being reheated in the oven if you want some Garth."

Donna Troy has posed:
"It wasn't really /my/ secret," Donna says, shifting her weight from one foot to the other in a uneasy manner that gives away her unease at the subject. "It was my mother's. She insisted I didn't tell anyone, but I wanted to. Almost did once or twice, though honestly I suspect that if I'd started telling you all that I was secretly a princess form a magical island of immortal women you probably wouldn't have believed me. At least the Knights of Ilium story sounded a little more credible than reality.

    Donna gives Kara a quick, encouraging pat on the shoulder. It's not entirely clear what brought it on, but Donna's like that sometimes. She never had the full story of Kal's disappearance, but if Kara is bad at lying, Donna is good at recognizing lies, and there had been plenty of hints that things had not been exactly as described.

    "Good idea, Kara. What do you say Garth? It's been a long time since you had pizza with the Titans. How do you feel about renewing an old tradition?"

Garth has posed:
Garth laughs, "Pizza sounds good. I don't think I've had any since I came back to the surface. My palate took a bit of time to adjust to the different textures and flavors again. Oddly enough, Ramen noodles were the best to transition with. All that salt," he grins.

"I'd have believed you," he says to Donna with a wry grin. He, too, can tell there's a little something disingenuous in Kara's reassurance, but that's no business of his. His own words have a certain lyrical quality due to his Atlantean heritage, the accent of a language used to being heard underwater, carrying a hint of the siren song in the deep underpinnings of its pronunciation.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara nods, "I have figured out two of the dials on the oven now, though Vic gives me a look if I go near the microwave," she comments on the nature of the pizza reheating. "I have this desire, this goal, to be able to reheat the pizza myself.. but my heat vision is a wee bit too powerful for that."

She carefully opens the doors and steps in to the Titans Tower. One elevator is an empty shaft for fliers or people who are good at jumping and climbing for that matter, while the other is for people who need an actual elevator. She flies up to the common room and opens up the oven, taking the pizza out and serving it out on to a wooden tray, then turns the oven off. "It's ready," she calls out for any and all who might be interested in a slice or two.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Never let Supergirl reheat the pizzas with her heat vision," Donna confides in Garth as they enter the tower. "Unless you like the flavor of charcoal. On the other hand, we can always order more pizza. Maybe you feel like reheated pizza is a little low-key for your first meal at the tower."

    "The new T-Coms do a whole lot more than the old ones," Donna explains on the journey up. "First thing to do is flip the top open and press your thumb to the screen. That will lock it to your thumb print. As well as comms it's your key to the tower, and to operate any of the Titans' vehicles once you've passed the simulator driving tests. We have a jet now. Even a sub, though that will probably bore you. The new T-coms break a lot less easy than the old ones, and should be good underwater to a few thousand feet. They have built in cameras if you need a bodycam, can access the Internet, even do real time translations for you into most languages."

    "Saying that, it's based on Google Translate, so the translations can be kind of bad. And it's limited to whatever languages they have, so for example it can't translate thigns into Kryptonian."

    She waits a beat, then fighting hard not to smirk to hard, adds "...Or fish language."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia seems to have spaced out staring at the statue Garth made and likely running thousands of scientific calculations in her head trying to figure out how he did that and how magic might possibly conform to quantum physics. To some people what Nadia does is basically magic after all.

Something snaps her out of it though and she peers at Donna for a moment, "What's a Xena?" a moment later as more that was apparently heard but didn't quite process registers, "You're from an entire Magical island?! Can I go there? That sounds amazing!"

The question of her Titan status causes her expression to become thoughtful again, "I mean, you guys have pizza and video games and save the world. I think I might want to be one. This is definitely better than a Soviet Gulag. Though I still need to find my father, I'm getting really worried something might have happened to him. I found some notes at his house that seem like he might have been trying to open a portal to a parallel universe..."

At the suggestion of more Pizza she instantly perks up, "Yes, let's have some pizza!"