2906/Flashback: Cassie in WONDERland.

Flashback: Cassie in WONDERland.
Date of Scene:	14 August 2020
Location:	Palace - Themyscira City
Synopsis:	2019: Just after learning she is Zeus' daughter, Cassie and Helen Sandsmark are taken to Themysicra by Diana. She meets with Queen Hippolyta and a pair of ex-Titans, Troia and Caitlin, who seem to be in residence. Cassie accepts the queen's offer to train and her mother reluctantly agrees - for now.
Cast of Characters:	Cassie Sandsmark, Diana Prince, Hippolyta, Donna Troy, Caitlin Fairchild

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Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
The last chunk of Cassandra Sandsmark's life has been a total roller coaster. As the perpetually bored, occasionally misbehaving daughter of a world-trotting archeologist and single mom, she had occasion to meet Diana Prince, a seemingly unassuming (if you ignore all the very assuming parts of her!) fellow expert and colleague of her mother. Then she saw a certain battle with a certain Doomsday on TV, did a little mental arithmetic, and did the only natural thing: raided Diana's closet for magical artifacts, put on a bad wig, and starting following her around like a sidekick.

Her mother hated it. Diana, for some reason, allowed it. Which leads to the current moment, where that amusement park ride hit its final peak. Literally: atop Mount Olympus, where Diana presented her before the Pantheon and, above them all, the man her mother had ever hidden from her throughout her life, her father, Zeus Olympios, Zeus Astrapaios, and a dozen other names: King of the Gods, wielder of lightning. In that moment, she acquired more than just her birthright and the powers that went with it, but a destiny... as well as a half-sister and an entire new people.

After appropriate feasting and ceremonies on the mount, the mere demigods have left the divine realm and descended again to the mortal world, albeit to a place that seems still half steeped in myth and legend. Blazingly out of place with her modern clothes, modern sensibilities, modern everything... Cassie took her first footsteps upon the island of Themyscira. And from there, she was soon whisked away to experience all the rest.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana had been quiet with her reasons on why she let Cassie tag along with her, why she let her being the proverbial 'sidekick' to 'Wonder Woman'. But, she had done it, and she'd been pleased to do it. She was happy to work with Cassie and help her train, to fight and to have combat smarts about /when/ to fight.

Being a public super hero since that fight that Cassie had watched on television, had given Diana a little over 2 years of public experience in... dealing with it all. Her notoriety was across the globe, at this point, as she was working directly with members of the Justice League /and/ the Avengers.

Diana had conducted many public interviews by this point too, telling tales of the Themyscirans, and... well... fudging some of the details on where the 'hidden island' was located so as to keep people from openly searching for it in what would be the generaly right location. They were, instead, going to search several hundred miles away.

The trip to Olympus had been important, even if Diana was not thrilled about being there. She had disagreements with many in the Pantheon of Gods. Though, she also had those she rather enjoyed to see, since gaining her own ability to go to Olympus at all.

Ultimately, though, Diana was eager to leave there once they'd settled their business and quite eager for Cassie to end up here...

On Themyscira, at home...

She watches the young woman as she takes her first steps, standing off to her right side. The winds of the island rush over them both, and cast Diana's dark hair in waving sweeps across her otherwise bare shoulders.

They stand at the top of one of the training plateaus that overlook the city. It is a flat circular field of grass on top of a tower of rock, carved to almost resemble a castle's tower. A set of stone stairs run down the north side of the plateau, with varying levels that turn and eventually wind their way into the city itself.

So this leaves them with a heck of a view of Themyscira City, with the palace just a short distance away, and the rolling greens of the island, the white sandy beaches and the beautiful sparkling oceans beyond that.

Hippolyta has posed:
Akantha was heard first upon the field, her fingers deftly moving across the strings of the Kithara, rhythnically plucking deep, plangent tones from the strings, accompanied by Glykeria's rhythmic accents on the koudonia. The percussion instrument's bell-like resonances contrasting with Spyridoula's masterful playing of the double reed of the aulos, the wind instrument eliciting a sound both solemn, yet somewhat melancholy. They were heard long before they were seen. As if sprung out of the music itself, It is in this manner, and accompanied by that Prosodion, that the court of Themyscira set foot on the training grounds, with senators and other members of the august machinery of state clad in an attire befitting the ocassion- that of welcoming the divine yet again in their midst.

At the head of the procession is the Queen of the Amazons, resplendent in white and gold and accompanied by a smaller entourage consisting of advisors, priestesses, senators and generals. While their bearing is solemn, there is also an undercurrent of excitement and anticipation, nowhere more visible than on Hippolyta's face. All at once, the procession stops and two Amazons lift their keras to their lips and play a long, droning note in welcome, which echoes across the field. There, her garments swept by the wind, Hippolyta steps forth to meet the new arrivals.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Themyscira might have seemed almost normal after Olympus, at least at first. Granted the landscape is breathtaking and the architecture is something like Athens meets Lord of the Rings, but that's all in the background. Underfoot is grass and stone. There is sun and sky, and sea and tree; familiar, homely even. It is the right universe or demi-plane, at least.

    Then what was background becomes foreground, and all is very /different/ again. The court of Themyiscira swarms into the training field, an array of armor that glitters in the sun and tunic-like and toga-like robes of delicate fabrics wrapped, cinched, and folded over and over in elaborate patterns. It may not be exactly what the archeology books would lead you to expect from Ancient Greece, but it's not far off given the millennia that have passed. The voices that talk amongst themselves are in a language recognizably close too, but not quite, Greek. The movements - the effortless precision of guards with bows, swords and plumed helmets stepping out in unspoken formations, the subtle jockying of the politicians and scholars that patterns of influence and deference to a monarchical heirarchy - are a world and a hundred generations away from America.

    Unless possibly in Hollywood.

    Standing next to Hippolyta in what must be a position of some honor are a pair of women that make an odd picture, giving a sense of something of an anomaly in the court. One woman looks quite typically Amazon, quite similar to Diana but a bit shorter and perhaps leaner. While most Amazons are pretty tall, the other of the pair towers over the assembly - there are one or two others of similar height, but having that height topped with red hair like the red aircraft-warning light on a tall building, she stands out. She's dressed in a comfortable-looking toga-style gown, and there's something in her body language which says 'don't look at me' - which makes her stand out even more.

     The shorter one in contrast grins with confident amusement and stands straight. She is dressed in a variant of the armor of the palace guard - the same style, but enamelled in black with silvered stars running up the sides. Once the procession has come to a halt she nudges her taller friend and whispers something to her, smirking broadly to show that whatever she's saying she's not being serious. There may be some kind of mischief afoot.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
There's definitely a disconnect between the redhead and the rest of the Amazons. She's inarguably *part* of the procession, of the people. She looks like she belongs there. But it's a hairsbreadth of distinction all the same. Caitlin lacks the military bearing, the innate familiarity with pomp and ceremony. Always a half-beat behind the formalities and a half-step slow to join the momentum of march.

But her smile's pleasantly welcoming all the same, as much as she'd be more than content to be in the ranks rather than up front. Up front means being perfect, and her nerves clearly rob Caitlin of any grace she might have compared to the ageless Amazons.

The muttered sidebar from Donna earns a firm step on the Princess' foot from the tall redhead and a swift, sidelong glare that is ruined by an abashed grin. "Don't make me tattle on you," Caitlin mutters sidelong to Donna. Her arms hang in front of her with fingers loosely interlaced in front of her thighs and she waits with outward patience for the ceremony to welcome Cassandra to Themyscira's shores.

It's kind of a big deal, after all.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
"Look at that view! A whole city, amazing! And there, fully intact propylaea! But the architecture, it's not quite representative of any of the major schools. Some Ionian elements, I think, which might correspond with the mythical placement of the Amazons in Anatolia, but much further east... No, it doesn't really match that either." That? That would be /Helena/ Sandsmark talking up a storm.

Did we mention, that Cassie's mom is part of this whole thing too? It was a condition of it, in fact: she'd spent her life trying to hide all of /this/. She tried to be the sort of super mom, where the absence of a father would go unnoticed. Not for her own shame, but to keep her daughter safe from it. But that hope ended when she caught Cassie sneaking in her window with winged boots and a crooked wig.

So Helena's grudgingly consented to all of this, with condition, granted by Zeus himself as a favor to his once-love. She holds the key to her daughter's abilities, and to her new life in general. And no way she's giving Cassie over to be raised by an ancient tribe of warrior-women (anthropologically fascinating though they may be) without getting to know them herself. Which makes two Sandsmarks on the plateau. And while the elder takes in the culture, Cassie takes in the raw natural beauty of the place, albeit in her own way: "This is amazing! It's like one of those places you only see in celebrity instagrams. I gotta share this..."

Out comes the phone. "Ohmygod, no bars!" Tragedy.

Still, she's far too excited to be stymied for long, ignoring her mom in favor of Diana (ouch). "So you live here? Or, well, you're from here? And all your other Amazons?" Cassie's gotten at least a little primer on what she's here for, but she lacks the context to imagine what the reality of it would look like. Which goes doubly as the royal procession crests the stairs. "Woah..." Even chatty Cassie is pretty much speechless.

At least momentarily! She knew, among other bits and pieces, that she was to meet Diana's people, and her mother. And the mother of a Princess... "Um, hey. I mean, er, hello, your majesty." She actually spent an hour in front of some Olympian mirror practicing this, including a sort of bow. It still comes out a little awkward! But she straightens up grinning. And from there, her focus widens to take in the full granduer of the group, all the styles, the outfits, the armor, the 'fantasy movie in real life'-ness of it. In that survey, she can't help but notice the two near the Queen, but for the moment, she refocuses to finish her practiced greeting. "I am Cassandra Sandsmark, daughter of Helena," who watches, frowning, but adds a quick "Charmed," before her daughter continues, "And... apparently Zeus. Which is hard to believe but it must be true because woah Olympus was -weird-. Um. Anyway. Yeah, hi."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's eyes are more focused on the presence of the Queen, her entourage, and her sisters in-general. Not that she is not taken by the beauty of her own home, but, well... she's a little more used to it than the Sandsmarks. Because of this, while Cassie and Helena dip their toes into the warm waters that is Themysciran ambience, Diana is start to step over toward her mother, smiling to her.

She pauses a few steps away, and looks back to the Sandsmarks. "Mother. I present to you, Cassie and Helena. Cassie, has been diligently working at my side since we discovered the nature of her origins." She looks back to the Queen then, stilling smiling. "She has been a wonderful help to me, in my growing responsibilities across the entire planet. I... had not fully realized the scope of what I was stepping in to when I became a public figure. I believe it is good to begin to train, assistants, such as the good Cassie here."

She motions again to the young woman and her mother.

She lets Cassie and Helana speak then, while she takes a step back and ends up near to Donna and Caitlin. She reaches out to put her right hand on to Donna's shoulder. She smiles at them both as well, but remains quiet for the time being to let the newcomers really get their feet wet now, with that of the Queen's presence.

Hippolyta has posed:
Hippolyta acknowledges Diana's official introduction with a smile, and Cassandra's awkward attempt is appreciated. It was not that long ago that her own daughters were a mixture of youthful nerves, eagerness and some awkwardness. Not nearly as awe-struck as this young lady, perhaps, especially in regards to Diana's childhood mischief- but alas.

"Cassandra Sandsmark, child of Zeus, be welcomed to these shores under the auspices of the Patrons." She smiles, "That one so young has done as much as you have, to receive the praises of an Amazon is no small feat."

Then her eyes glance upon Helena, "Helena Sandsmark, beloved of Zeus, we welcome you among us as if you were our own, the blessing of Aphrodite be on you." Her eyes linger for a second on the mother, with a quiet respect. Although one is a queen and the other a woman from Patriarch's world, they are both equal as mothers of demi-goddesses. The divine spark seldom brings quiet children into this world, and the raising of one is a titanic effort. She then faces Cassandra once again.

"Cassandra, It is the will of the gods that you receive the learning of the Amazons, but it is the pleasure of the Amazons to instill in you the principles of our people, that you may be a beacon of the love of Aphrodite and the wisdom of Athena. The initiation is arduous, not to be undertaken lightly, and so it is my duty to ask you: Are you certain that you wish to embark upon this path?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna responds to Caitlin in the time-honored fashion of sticking her tongue out at her friend. This provokes a response and there are a few moments when it looks like full scale tongue-sticking-out-war may be declared between the pair right here and right now. Only the timely arrival of Diana stops serious escalation.

    Donna puts her hand on top of Diana's and turns to give her a big smile. There will be time for a proper sisterly greeting later, but for now Donna contents herself with a quickly whispered "Just wait until she finds the palace doesn't have wifi either..."

    At this point in the narrative it is necessary to interject a note of historical precision. It has been claimed by some that during the Queen's greetings to the newcomer, Donna had surreptitiously stuck her tongue out at Caitlin again, attempting to resume the aborted battle. Others claim additionally that Caitlin had responded in kind, and that relying on the focus of the crowd being elsewhere to maintain a stealthy approach to such a contest, the pair had persisted to make faces at each other during the speech.

    A study of the records of the day show /no evidence/ for this having happened. No first-hand testimony witnesses the claim. We must therefore conclude that these claims are no more than scurrilous and mischievous rumor, that the pair are innocent of such slander, and the sun was in your eyes so you couldn't have been sure what you thought you were seeing anyway. You can't prove a THING.

    What certainly did happen is that when Hippolyta's greeting was given and her fateful question asked, Donna gave Cassie and enormous grin, a double thumbs-up and an encouraging nod. Do eeeeet.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Sweet and encouraging. That is the expression Caitlin goes for-- sweet and encouraging, and a warm smile when Cassandra mounts the dais and is introduced to Hippolyta. Anything else that might have been percieved is surely a trick of the light. Swamp gas reflecting off Venus, etc. She and Donna look to be roughly of an age, but their playful jousting speaks of a familiarity long past the stage of casual friendship.

"Donna started it," Caitlin mouths at Diana. It's done so quietly only Diana and Donna are likely to understand her subvocalization. She, too, goes to still attentiveness when Hippolyta starts speaking.

Just to try and put Helena at her ease, Caitlin beams a smile at the older woman standing next to her daughter. Next to Diana's own visage, Donna and Caitlin might well be two of the best-known female superheroes in the world.

And unlike Donna, Caitlin's not been on indefinite hiatus on the island for most of three years.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Helena is no doubt a bit torn. On one hand, this is all absolutely fascinating. She could write a dozen papers just based on the entrance of Queen Hippolyta and her court. On the other hand, she's the single least happy person in the gathering, a sole gloomy outlier in the moment of celebration. And she doesn't -want- to be. There is a glance spared Diana, a good friend and colleague who is nonetheless the center of her daughter's obsession, and then toward her own mother in turn.

"Your Majesty. You're very kind. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever been greeted so well." She takes a cautious pause. "I'll be honest that I'm not really thrilled about this. I never wanted this for Cassie. But seeing who and what my daughter is, and that her father has thrown all this on her without ever spending a day in her life to show her what to do with it... well, I'm not sure I have anyone -else- to turn to."

The same pronouncement by the Queen has a much headier effect on the younger Sandsmark. All she hears is talk of Amazon ideals and training. And in the background, Donna giving her a big thumbs up. "It's all I've ever wanted since I found out about Diana and-"

But here Helena cuts in. "The adults are still talking, sweetie." Well, damn. "Sorry," she continues to Hippolyta. "I'm not cut out for this. But you have to understand that I have a lot of doubts. I wasn't raised with a sword in hand. Cassie's going to be putting her normal education on hold to spend time here, and I have my work. So if I'm going to be putting her in your care, in the care of strangers... Well, you shouldn't take it as an insult, but obviously, I have doubts. Concerns." Caitlin's reassuring smile doesn't seem to diminish these: she's not ignorant of superhero business. She just never wanted it for her daughter. And now here they are, ready to take her into their fold.

"Ugh, mom, c'mon... seriously?" She looks around the others, from Diana first, to the new faces.

Diana Prince has posed:
The antics of Donna and Caitlin go entirely observed by Diana who gives them both a grin and a light shake of her head. They seem happy, which makes /her/ extremely happy because of it.

But, it's the conversation being had between Queen and Cassie's mother that draws Diana's eyes back. It isn't until Helena 'shushes' her daughter that Diana starts to walk back toward her friend, and her friend's now-shushed-daughter.

Diana steps behind Cassie and raises her hands up to place them both lightly atop Cassie's shoulders. "I will see to it that Cassie's training, in... her gifted abilities, continues and flourishes as mine has over the past century. But what she needs from being here is the discipline, the combative routines, the baseline education in not simply how to fight, but when to fight. She cannot stay nearly as long as even Caitlin has, but... we are escalating our presence in Man's world, with your blessing, mother."

She nods once over Cassie (since she's a good head taller than the young one) to Hippolyta. "Two Amazon warriors will accompany us back to New York City, as we have arranged, at the end of Cassie's visit here. Together..." She looks to Donna and CAitlin then, but back to Hipplyta, then to Helena. "She will be able to continue to train, and only flourish with these abilities, with what we have come to learn about her. Zeus..." Diana cracks a sly grin. "Well... I promise you, his involvement is not needed beyond what we just went through."

Hippolyta has posed:
Sometimes the propriety of royalty is a hindrance, especially in the realm of direct communication. When Helena makes her displeasure known regarding Zeus and unasked-for impositions, Hippolyta must find a more dignified utterance than the very appropriate 'Sister, don't I know it?' that would be the first thing on people's lips.

"Cassandra, your mother has the right to be worried," she says softly, and looks at Helena directly. "The burdens of the eternals can be heavy indeed, and their designs are often not the ones we ourselves would follow. Rest assured, Helena Sandsmark, I know the misgivings that arise in a mother's heart. My daughter Diana has surely told you of the long discussions we had regarding her journey to Patriarch's world. Although I could oppose it for a time, in time it was inevitable that, like you, I would find myself unable to stand in the way of her path."

At Diana's intercession, she nods, "It is as my daughter says, Helena. Your questions have merit, and if it should allay your fears, I ask you to remain with us for as long as you can afford as our guest, that you may know us by our own words and deeds rather than the reports of others, and thus feel that we are wrothy of your trust.'

When Cassandra expresses her desire to follow in the path of the Amazons, Hippolyta smiles. "Your desire is noted, Cassandra, and Athena and Aphrodite have heard you." She glances up briefly at Helena.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna gives a huge grin to Cassie when she says that this is all she ever wanted - clearly Cassie has a supporter in the crowd! It's Helen she addresses when she steps forwards to speak though.

    "Ms. Sandsmark, your concerns are very understandable," she begins with a nod of her head, in an accent that's a little deeper than Diana's but noticably less than Hippolyta's. "...but if it would help ease your mind, your daughter will not be in a place that is entirely foreign to her. Diana has lived in America for many years and does understand how different things are. Although most here are immortals who have lived a very long time, I am only a few years older than your daughter and have lived in America too. I was one of the Titans and know what it is like to be an American teen. I will do what I can to make sure she feels at home."

    She gestures to Caitlin, urging her forwards too. "My friend here is Doctor Caitlin Fairchild, also of the Titans. She is a frequent visitor to Themyscira and I am sure she will want to help your daughter settle in too. "

    "Even if you are dubious about her reasons for it, I urge you to consider what else your daughter will get out of this visit. I went to your country from this when I was even younger, and it opened my eyes to so much that was new to me. If your daughter does the same in reverse I am sure it will do the same for her."

    "And while you may worry about her missing her studies, there are things she can learn here that she would not have the chance to learn back in the States. If she likes maybe I can teach her Mycenaean Greek, for example."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin lifts her hand and wiggles her fingers in a hasty greeting for Helena and Cassie Sandsmark when she's introduced. One thing Hippolyta and Helena have in common: they have that stern authority inherent in all royalty. It's just that Helena's the queen of her museum. The redhead marshals her dignity and steps forward to join the conversation.

"I'm just a doctoral candidate," Caitlin corrects, and flashes an apologetic smile to Donna and Helena. "I live on the island a couple months out of the year. Don't worry, when I get back I fully intend to commit myself to a full-scale thesis panic attack." A little venture in the realm of humor.

"I'm not sure how much help I can be, but if nothing else she's not the first out-of-towner to stay here. The island help put me together after..." Her smile freezes as muscles clench and work against each other at some nudging inner trauma. "After I got hurt in 2017." Doomsday.

"It's the only home I've ever had except for the Titans." Caitlin's shoulders rise and fall in an apologetic shrug. The Titans effectively disbanded shortly after the Death of Superman, after all; the Tower still stands but the team's been out of the news for quite some time, despite their individual celebrity and accomplishments.

Cassie Sandsmark has posed:
Diana's speaking up is the opportunity Cassie is waiting on. While Hippolyta is a new (and intimidating!) presence for both of them, the Amazon Princess has become a familiar presence and friend to their family. Cassie's open hero-worship is no secret, but Helena holds her in high regard as well, as a colleague and friend. So the younger Sandsmark seizes on the moment:

"See, mom? Di thinks so too." She can't help but tilt her head back and smile up as Diana appears behind her, towering as she does. "And you know, none of the stuff, the trouble I've gotten up to, it wasn't /her/ fault. I chose to follow her. And I'm choosing that now. Except," and she waves a hand vaguely in the air, which becomes a gesture toward the assembly of Amazons, Donna and Caitlin at their center (and you better believe she knows the full hero lineup of every group and team, hero super-fan that she is), "I'll be doing it, like, properly. You heard her Majesty, it'll be real arduous and stuff!"

It also cannot hurt that Helena and Hippolyta do share some similar personal experience, albeit at different time scales. Donna, meanwhile, offers a much more practical consideration, that Cassie won't be alone in her outsider, 'modern' status. Indeed, Caitlin's credentials seem to help! "Really?" What, are most doctoral candidates not that huge and RED? "What are you working on?"

All of this just leads to the inevitable conclusion:

"I'm willing to give it a chance," Helena finally relents. The true winning factor? "I /do/ have at least a little bit of personal time I've saved up, and I'd love to stay and see the island, well, and see what you're going to have my daughter doing, exactly." Was that a slip? It may have been a slip. It's not like this place is the embodiment of a lifetime's study, populated by glorious women who just happen to be living vessels of history, or anything. "Obviously, Cassie has made up her mind." Here she adds one final caution: "I haven't, but I'm willing to keep it open. And this is a lovely home you have, your Majesty. I'd be honored to stay a while."

None of the extra reasons matter at all to Cassie, though, all she hears is what she wants to hear, and gives the traditional celebratory cry of /her/ people (basic white girls?): "WOOO!"