6534/Titan Memories 2015: The Tower.

Titan Memories 2015: The Tower.
Date of Scene:	12 June 2021
Location:	Main Room - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Caitlin, Dick and Donna get to visit the finished Titans Tower for the first time.
Cast of Characters:	Donna Troy, Dick Grayson, Caitlin Fairchild

---

Donna Troy has posed:
    For just over a year, the Titans had been watching the tower rise up over the skyline of St. Martin's. There had been the initial plans and the renders and everyone had been excited to see it become reality, but it had only been the last few months, when the construction had reached the massive top section of the T, that it had truly felt real.

    There had been opportunities to visit, of course, but that was before the interiors had been put in place. Even then it was impressive - and big. It seemed inconceivable that the Titans would need so much space, but then buildings always feel bigger when they are empty. In the last couple of months the computer systems had been installed, the tower decorated, and everything put into place. Finally it was time.

    Over the last three years the Titans had grown from being a few kids hanging out together into a global phenomenon. While it was generally considered that the League was the Real Deal, the Titans had shown time and time again that they meant business, and the public had taken them to their hearts.

    The press, perhaps even more. While the League seemed distant, almost god-like to many, the Titans were always more grounded, more relatable. They were young - just stepping out of their teen years - they were photogenic, they did exceptional things and they were approachable. They were rarely out of the news, a fixture of the gossip web sites, their posters hanging on a million bedroom walls. They were rock stars

    And they were about to get a magnificent new home. The shiny T on the skyline was the talk of Metropolis, a marvel of engineering and technological progress, a showcase of the best that Wayne Industries and S.T.A.R Labs could build, and in two days time it would be officially opened, with great ceremony and considerable press excitement. There was already a significant press contingent hanging around outside, hoping to get a little ahead of the game. Those early comers had got what they came for, cameras snapping frantically as three of the Titans had made their way to the small island just off the coast of St Martin's, struggling to keep their own excitement at bay as they'd used their access cards for the first time to enter the gleaming building.

    And then it had been time to explore. They'd seen the labs, the huge underground garage, the offices and meeting room. They'd seen the Danger Room, a technological marvel that wasn't quite working yet but the S.T.A.R Labs engineers promised them that the tech /did/ work and they would have it on line soon. They had seen the huge gymnasium floor, and Caitlin had had to drag Donna away or they'd have been there all day.

    Then finally the living quarters. The main room, and the dormitory levels above. The elevator doors slide open and Donna strides forwards with typical confidence, but when she sees just what she is stepping into, she comes to a halt. Her eyes go to the exposed metalwork of the ceiling, to the vast monitor on one wall and the view across St. Martin's on the other. To the beautifully appointed kitchen area, and to the great curved sofa in the middle.

    "Uh. Wow."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick had a certain attachment to the gym as well, having designed at least parts of it to support his acrobatics training, and seeing it come into reality was quite the eye-opener. He was playing on the rings and overhead bars while Cait was trying to get Donna to check out the rest of the place, though he was willing to hop down and follow when the Amazon was finally urged out the door.

Stepping off the elevator, his reaction almost mirrors Donna's as he takes in the room and the glorious view. At least until such time as the viewscreen catches his attention. Staring at it for a moment, then looking to the large couch and then back to the viewscreen, his first comment on this marvel of engineering and architecture is, and I quote:

"We have GOT to hook a Playstation up to that!"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Golly," Caitlin murmurs in assent. The view is something else; not just the rooms and the facilities, but the windows with their vistas of New York and glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean glimmering in the daylight.

"I feel like w-we shouldn't be in-- in here," she admits with little trepidation. Her red hair's held back lopsidedly by a few hastily acquired rubber bands, and it's a losing battle against the frizzy locks frame her face. Rugged looking canvas trousers are a strange clash against the bright pink of a brand-new Columbia U hoodie.

"Or at least we shouldn't be wearing shoes. May-- can we wear shoes in here? I think I should kick of- off my shoes. Just to be safe," she says, addressing the worried line of thought to Dick. "Would that be ok? Or is that rude? Who is gonna clean it? I don't think I can keep up with school if I have to clean it all. We're going to need a cleaning schedule. Someone's going to have to make a cleaning schedule." Her voice is a little strained by the enormity of the reality staring them in the face and her stammer worsens. "This is-- this is a mistake, it's gotta be, we don't need this. It's too much."

"Oh gosh, I already terminated my rental contract. I can't move back if the-- like-- the League shows up and-- and they tell us, this is really for THEM!"

One downside of superhuman lungs: chattery anxiety attacks don't slow down for want of air.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna turns around and around on the spot, just taking everything in. The light of dozens of LED spots glimmers from her armor, making the silvered stars sparkle against the black enamel.

    The first day Dick had met Caitlin and Donna, Donna had charged a group of alien invaders with a sword and shield. Not long afterwards she had turned up in a full suit of armor. It was certainly a distinctive look in the superhero community, and had been the major reason the Titans often liked to tease her by calling her Xena. If it came across as archaic the soon-to-be Titans had learned that first day that it wasn't for show, as that shield stood up to Khund blaster fire. By now they had become accustomed to the look, just as each of the Titans had become accustomed to the idiosyncracies of all their team-mates, but something about the lighting brings that armor to life.

    "It's for /us/, Cait," Donna says firmly in her smokey, honeyed, oddly-accented voice. "I like this better than the Hall of Justice. The League cannot have it." She flashes Caitlin a grin before turning to Nightwing.

    "Dick, tell her to calm down. Gods, this is magnificent. Of course you will connect the Playstation, this is inevitable. I imagine it is the first thing Vic will do. And there's so much /space!/ Even Hank won't be able to make /this/ place feel crowded."

Dick Grayson has posed:
With a grin, he walks forward, nodding and saying, "It's ours Cait. I've seen the paperwork, so you have a place to live. As for shoes, think about the people who are going to be living here and ask yourself, how neat is the carpet really going to stay?"

He does a flip over the back of the couch, landing on it in a sitting position and looking up at the screen looming over him. "Yeah, Vic and I are gonna be living in this room, I think. By the way, take a deep breath, and check out the kitchen, it looked pretty amazing." Turning his head to look out the windows, he just stares for a minute and adds, "Man, that is so much nicer than all the gargoyles and clouds in Gotham. I could get used to this really easily." Considering Cait's other worries for a moment, he adds, "I bet the budget can afford a cleaning service, cause yeah, we're probably going to be too busy to clean it all the time."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"If you say so, Richard." Caitlin sounds a little dubious but the reassurances from the other Titans seem to have mollified her a little.

The kitchen's as good a direction as any, and she steps behind the counter with fingertips trailing over the granite surfaces.

"Wowie. Look at this cooking range," she marvels, and fiddles with the knobs on the gas grill. "It's /gas/. I've never cooked with gas. My place doesn't even have a proper kitchen, just a hot plate and a sink. And we've got a hot grill!"

The redhead starts opening drawers and cabinets, rummaging around with growing enthusiasm.

"Holy smokes!" she sputters, and turns back to Donna and Dick to gesture frantically at the commercial sized refrigerator. "This fridge is huge! And-- and there's a larder!" she says, pulling another door open to reveal a walk-in dry storage room. "I think this might be bigger than my bedroom!"

"Well, we're not gonna go hungry for lack of utilities," she tells the others. "This kitchen is amazing. It's bigger than the one at my friend's restaurant."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Metropolis is always nicer than Gotham. I assumed that's why you started hanging out here," Donna tells Dick with a grin. "It just is a not place that is very... Batman, you know? Perhaps if Bruce lived here he would be less dramatic. Owl-Man or something."

    Donna simply cannot resist the temptation of the giant sofa. She walks over to it, tests it with a hand, then lets herself fall back into it. She grins up at the other two, stretches her legs out, and makes herself comfortable.

    "I support the notion of a cleaning service," she states firmly. "I hate vacuuming my sister's apartment, I'm certainly not vacuuming a place as big as this. Think what it will be like when we are all moved in. Vic will drip oil everwhere. Kole /never/ picks up after herself. Wally is going to absolutely wreck that kitchen." She turns to look at Caitlin, expecting a reaction to this last one, and a mischievous expression grows on her face, and she gives her friend a wink. "Cait, if you're worried about the cost then you could always accept one of those modelling contracts. I'm sure the people who wanted to do a Fairchild Calendar had something very tasteful in mind."

    Donna gives a bounce in her seat, testing out the sofa some more. "This is... it's going to make such a difference. People cannot fail to take us seriously now. This is what we have dreamed of. We will be able to achieve so much now. We have a jet! Even a submarine. I wonder what Garth would have made of that. He will be kicking himself for leaving the team now."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick looks over at Donna with a mischievous grin and adds, "Comon, we have all kind of merchandising opportunities. Just think of a Titan's Tower playset with little Titan action figures and all. Every kid will want one. And be fair Donna, if Cait's gonna be in a calendar, you should be too. Maybe you two could alternate months or something."

He hops up and goes over to the window, actually leaning against it to look out over the bay and then down towards the ground below. "Seriously though, this is outstanding. I mean, we're pretty good, but having a base like this at our ages is crazy."

Turning to look at the town of them, he continues, "We're gonna have to live up to this, you know. All joking aside, moving into this place is probably going to make us a target for bad guys out to prove themselves, cause we're making it real obvious who and where we are. We need to think about that as well as cleaning services."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin walks behind the sofa Donna sits on, sticks her toe under the back of it, and casually tilts the sofa forward to about a 45 degree angle. It's set back down carefully and she sticks her tongue out at the Princess before looking for a seat for herself. A couple of the chairs are quite oversized, seemingly deliberately so, and she settles her weight into one carefully.

When the metal doesn't creak or bend, she beams happily and fully settles back into the chair's support.

"Isn't that-- I mean, it's better us than a school or a business, right?" Caitlin says with a bit of uncertainty. "That's the whole point, it's showing that we mean business and that we're here t-to help people." Caitlin sits back with an adolescent sort of gawkiness, knees together and heels kicked apart. "B-but we could probably figure out, um, some kind of s-security or defense system," she suggests. "That way at least they won't-- would'nt-- get the drop on us?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    "I cannot, Dick. My sister would kill me," Donna replies to the suggestion that she alternate months with Caitlin, laughing. Donna's sister Diana works in museum conservation, but that's pretty much all the other Titans know about her. The idea of her threatening Donna seems kind of absurd, and Donna is grinning.

    The grin grows wider when Caitlin starts tipping the sofa, and Donna leaps up to hover in the air just above it until it crashes down again, and she retakes her seat. She's such a show-off, really.

    "Yes, this is true. We will be living in a giant 'T' that is visible across the city. We are advertizing our presence to the world, I think," she says, finally getting to the more serious question. "And this is something I believe is good. We fight to make the world better, to right wrongs. I believe this is something that people should know."

    She gives a nod of her head to Dick. "I understand the principle that your mentor follows is different, but he is different. Gotham is different. We give people something to believe in, and we give this city pride. This is best achieved with visibility, yes? People will look out at the sky and see our tower here, and they will know that we stand guard over them. There will be those who will see our tower, and it will become their ambition that one day they will join us here."

    "And as for those who see this as an opportunity to challenge us? Bring it on." Donna's teeth gleam white as she grins with enthusiasm at the thought of a good fight. "This only means they are not hiding from us, and that we get to fight them on our own territory where we can plan our defenses. This is a great tactical advantage."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick Grayson laughs, "Pity, I woulda bought a copy of that calendar and hung it right" he points at a section of the wall between the kitchen and main room 'there for everyone to see." He walks back over to the sitting area, patting Cait's shoulder as he passes, then plops back down on the large couch. "Yeah, it announces us nice and clearly. But we do need to think about security and some defenses, because we are going to be fighting here, I guarantee it. We all know how ego driven villains, especially supervillains are, and we're basically putting up a huge 'here we are' sign. Still, you're absolutely right Cait, better they come to us than attack innocents, we just need to be ready for it, cause it will happen."

Looking over at Donna he nods in agreement, "Oh yeah, we have a _way_ different attitude than Batman does. Inspiring fear works for him, and works in Gotham, but we have to be more, like you said, we have to be visible and give the people heroes to look up to. And it won't be easy, because any time we fail, that will be just as public as when we succeed, so we can't let a failure stop us or we'll be letting people down."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin narrows her eyes at Dick in as threatening a manner as she's capable of emulating. "You're lucky I don't have anything to throw at you," she informs him. "And also that this chair is super duper comfy."
% Her feet dig gently into the carpet, letting the chair pivot slowly back and forth. It's definitely built on a scale for people like her and Victor.

"Also, um, like, we should have a policy about... visitors," she adds, delicately. "Like.. friends, or..." eyes flicker towards Dick. "Um, mentors. And stuff." Fingers twiddle nervously and she jams them in the hoodie pouch. "I mean not-- he's not, um, /bad/ or anything," she tells Dick. "Y'know. Um... Batman." The name's said a little under-her-breath as if she's scared of invoking the bogeyman. "Just that, it, um, might be good, if, y'know, there's some... warning. I mean, advanced notice. If he comes by. Not that he can't come by," she clarifies hastily.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna gives Dick a thoughtful look, then nods her head. "I have considered your thoughts on failure, Dick, and I have come up with a simple solution to our problem. Simply, we avoid failure." Her eyes flash and she breaks into a grin.

    "Guys, we are /strong/. It is time we stopped underestimating ourselves. Three years ago the League would not accept us as members because despite our achievements during the invasion, they believed we were too young and too inexperienced. We have demonstrated that they made a mistake. Where we are now, who we are, what we have achieved... but for Superman, I believe it is us, not the League, that would be the most potent group.

    "And this..." she looks around, then gestures expansively, the wave of one arm taking in the tower around them. "This is simply proof of that fact. It must be proof to ourselves, as well as proof to others. Have more faith in our strength."

    Donna has never been short of confidence, arguably dangerously so. Indeed that's something that has been argued a number of times. Apparently the Tower is making that worse.

    A short nod of acknowledgement concedes that there is more to it that that though, and behind that enthusiastic confidence is a real sense of tactics. "We are told that the tower has a radar array that will inform us of people approaching. There are defensive measures. I am sure that Vic and Dick both will wish to improve those. Already I have studied the plan and see some flaws in the arrangement of defenses for the island. They have considered the... I don't know the English term. Angles of regard. How each weapon can affect the space around it, the places where it is possible to target, so that if an attacker retreats from one they come into the target of another. But they did not sufficiently consider the effects if certain defenses are targeted when they designed this. How one gun must cover another. We can improve this."

    "As for visitors, perhaps we should not rely on these door passes. Dick, could you make it so your T-Coms activate the doors, and also the elevator? This way we could differentiate between someone who enters with a pass, and someone who is a member of the team. We can control access to different parts of the tower this way."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick Grayson nods, "Yeah, well, I prefer avoiding failure as well. I'm not a fan of losing, as I think you well know. Just saying that if we do, we need to remember we're in the public eye and not start blaming each other, but be sure to work to fix the issue."

He looks between Donna and Cait, then smirks a little, "Oh sure, easy to talk about strength when you can pick up cars and toss them around. Some of us have to deal with being human." He winks at Donna, then adds, "But I know what you mean, and while I don't know that we're quite _that_ strong, we're a darned serious team. I'm sorry, but we're not quite League level yet, even though we're pretty good. Keep your expectations realistic, young lady."

Listening to her talk about the defenses, he nods and answers her thoughts by saying "Vic and I will no doubt be improving them on an ongoing basis, every time we come across a new enemy or technology. After all, tinkering is something he likes to do, the defenses will not escape his attention. But your idea for the T-Comms is a good one, easy way to tell team members from visitors. That won't be a problem at all, we can program the Tower systems to recognize a T-Comm as a full access pass and the guest passes as more limited ones."

Turning to Cait, he adds "And I'm sure we can set up a policy about warning of visitors so we know to clean up before important people drop by."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin looks relieved by Dick's reassurances, and flashes a sincerely grateful smile. "That sounds reasonable," she agrees. "I don't know how much help I can be with the, um, security stuff," she confesses. "I know you and Vic know a lot about it. But I can probably help with some of the setup and things," she offers as helpfully as she can. "And I do wanna learn how to make some of these microcircuits and the other repairs around here. It'll be good for me too, I'm really nervous about starting school next year. And Vic says I'm not allowed to mess with his implants anymore after what happened at the Aquarium, so I really could use the, um, practical, hands-on stuff. If I won't be in the way."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "You deal with being human pretty well," Donna replies with a grin. She hops to her feet, walks over to Dick, and drapes a sisterly arm over his shoulder. "It's about skill, not power. You know that. Being able to throw cars around just makes it easier. And I did say 'but for Superman'. Honestly, take Superman out of the League, and my money's on us."

    She gives Dick's shoulder a squeeze and makes her way over to the kitchen to explore there. "Cait, you're good at the geeky stuff. You were always helping me with my computer the first year after I first met you," she says, opening every drawer she can find to explore what's inside. "And you saw the labs downstairs! All that gear for you to get better on. I'm sure in a few years you'll be giving Vic a run for his money as the group's biggest geek, and he'll let you mess with his implants again."

    Donna switches her attention to the range, switching on all the burners just to see them in action. An idea strikes her. "Maybe you could overclock him!" she suggests. "That could be cool." She's a lot more tech-literate than she was that first year Caitlin had met her, but as the saying goes, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Dick Grayson has posed:
With a shrug, Dick answers her with "Well, with Batman as your mentor, you get skill or you scrub out fast. The two of us had to deal with some pretty serious bad guys, so you learn to use every possible advantage." He grins, "Oh, I like your confidence. So you're ready to take on Aquaman, then? Cause he'd be your equivalent, Batman would be mine, Cait.. dunno, if we're leaving out Superman, maybe the Manhunter? Maybe we should train against them sometime, see how it goes, it could be interesting."

"Yeah Cait, if you want, you can work with me on the T-Comms, that'll get you some experience without danger of messing with anything really important like Vic. I can always just rebuild a T-Comm, that's not too hard."

Turning to look at Donna, he points a disapproving finger at her, "No. We are not overclocking Vic. His brain needs to be able to interface with his cyborg components, we're not messing with that, it's too dangerous. He's not a computer that we can order another of if he burns out."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I still think he would have won that Dance Dance Revolution contest," Caitlin points out quickly to defuse the discussion. "But honestly it's probably just as well that we didn't push his actuators any furthur than we did."

"Anyway-- I'll help you, sure," she tells Dick, and smiles grateful for the offered inclusion. "And I don't really have anyone like you guys do," she points out. "I really don't know Superman that well, though he seems like a nice guy from the little I've talked to him. But he's way stronger than I am, I mean, by, like a -lot-," she points out. "So is Aquaman. And I can't fly. Or float. Which is super inconvenient. But I'm sure they're really busy, the League's got big important hero stuff to do. I'm OK. I don't mind figuring it out as I go."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "That's not how we'd do it, Dick," Donna objects. "You're thinking like this would be some exhibition match. It's not about nearest equivalents. Take Bats out of the fight early and they lose most of their tactical smarts. And we wouldn't go one-on-one. Holding actions, while we pick them off. Put Hank with Cait to hold off the Martian guy while we deal with the rest. Kole could play havoc with the Flash's ability to run around with her crystal things. Combine that with Don's anticipation and... no wait."

    Donna grins and shakes her head. "You're getting me sidetracked! I'm not talking about fighting them. They are our allies. I mean who's the most effective team. Put them against a threat, put us against the same threat. I think we've got the abilities to match them, I think we've got the tactics, I think we've got /more/ flexibility. More varied powers and skills. That's all I'm saying."

    Rather more quietly, she mutters "And I could totally take Aquaman. On land, at least."

    "You've totally got someone, Cait," Donna says with a broad smile. "You've got /us/. And I mean we've got important hero stuff to do, but then so do you. That's why you don't train more, right?" Smile becomes teasing grin. "I admit you've got a lot better since I've known you, but I keep telling you that you could be so much better. One day, Cait. One day when things are quiet I'm going to get you to learn how to fight properly. Going to get you to learn how to use a sword, too!"

    She appears to be ignoring Dick's admonishment though, and goes back to exploring the kitchen, testing how hot the grill can get. Apparently she's conceding the argument on overclocking, even if she's convinced that it would allow Vic to win any number of DDR contests.

Dick Grayson has posed:
"But it's so much fun to sidetrack you," he replies. "But you're probably right, we do have a lot of tactical options available to us, even if we don't quite have the raw firepower they do. Trust me, I wouldn't have pushed for this place if I didn't think we had the abilities to handle being this public. We kick a lot of ass - sorry Cait - and that's a simple fact."

He snorts, "I heard that. It'd be a heck of a fight, anyway."

He nods to what Donna tells Cait, "Exactly, that's what being a team is, we all have each other to work with, train with, talk to, whatever you need." He points to Donna, saying, "Listen to this woman, she knows what she's talking about. You are already pretty serious, add some of her technique to it and you'll be a real force to be dealt with. It's not always about just how hard you hit something, I'm proof of that, I use skill, sneakiness and gadgets. You don't need the sneakiness and gadgets, but the skill is never a bad thing."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin reflexively makes a face at Dick's casual profanity, but it's mollified instantly by his apology and she smiles to let him no know harm's done. "Yes, I know, Donna's told us since day one that she grew up in a gym," Caitlin points out. She gets to her feet and moves towards a bucket of remodelling supplies that haven't been put up yet. A tin can's dug from the scrap and she starts peeling off the label. "And you've been training under Batman since you were a little kid. Garth grew up in the water and Victor's half computer."

Some masking tap is applied to the container and she starts writing on it with a broad-tipped pen. "I'm doing better. Just learning how to lift and carry stuff has helped a bunch, when we first got started it never would have occurred to me to actually learn good lifting technique."

She sets the tin down on the mantle under the TV set, with 'Swear Jar' written in blocky but tidy handwriting. "I'm just a little jealous of you guys sometimes," she confesses. "Having someone you can just ... call up like that who you know has the right answer. Even Kori had mentors, and she's from -space-."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna sticks her tongue out at Dick. For so many reasons. Whether the specific reason in this instance is the suggestion that it's fun to side-track her or whether it's the snort over her chances against Aquaman is really beside the point. She appreciates the fact that for someone mentored by Batman he's really quite relaxed and a lot of fun to have around, but that does mean he participates fully in the Titan's tendency to bantering, and thus deserves to be subject to the occasional stuck-out tongue.

    Besides, she's not going to be any more argumentative than that when he's admitting that she knows what she's talking about.

    "Cait, when I first met you, you barely knew how to throw a punch. And you were scared of your own strength. Already you have improved a considerable amount. The facilities we have now..." she glances at Dick, grinning. "Well, I am sure that Dick and I will be working you very hard over the next few months. Lifting technique only helps with lifting. You're good with the team tactics, but we can make real improvements if you learn more about timing, and about reading your opponent. We shall work on this."

    As she's talking, she wanders over to stand beside Caitlin, watching her work on the jar. When Caitlin's done, she picks it up, stares at it a few moments, then puts it down again. She turns back to look with an almost comically bemused expression. "What is a swear jar? You want us to fill this jar with swears?"

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick knows what a swear jar is, but Donna has given him a wide open excuse for fun. "Yeah, so do we like just shout them in, or are we going to write out all the ones we can think of on little slips of paper? I speak like six languages, can I repeat the same swear in multiple languages to fill it up faster?"

He waits for Cait to start to react before laughing a little and saying to Donna, "It's actually to make us think about our language, anytime someone swears they're supposed to put money in the jar. Well, can, in this exact case, but you get the idea."

Going back to what Donna was just saying about training, he nods and adds, "She's right Cait, we're going to be doing a lot of training with you so that you not only know how to hit, but how hard. Different opponents will call for different levels of strength, and you need to know how to judge that on the fly. That was a bigt part of what batman started me with, knowing what to use to defeat the opponent without killing them."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin looks from Donna to Dick, and back again, and spreads her hands slightly. "Why are you acting like this is something I disagree with you on?" she says with a nervous laugh. "I mean, golly-- I do work out at the League's gym, as much as I can. And I haven't ever killed anyone, I'm very careful about that," she reminds them. "Donna keeps telling me I should learn swordfighting or something, and that-- that just sounds like someone could get hurt!" she protests. "I'd feel terrible if that happened."

"And stepping on people doesn't count," she adds swiftly, before anyone else can. "That reporter shouldn't have been standing so close to me anyway, he was -way- inside my personal bubble. If anything, it's his fault."

She winces a beat later. "Oh dear, but I do hope his foot healed okay. I do feel bad about breaking his toe."

Donna Troy has posed:
"I think it is more correct to say that this reporter broke his toe on you, than that you broke his toe," Donna says with a grin. Her eyes remain fixed on the swear jar. "People must be responsible for their own actions. He placed his foot where your foot was about to be. I saw this clearly. This was a foolish thing for him to do, and he must bear the responsibility for his actions."

    She looks back to give Caitlin a big grin before returning her attention to the jar. She picks it up, gives it a shake as if expecting to hear something inside it, then puts it down again. "I don't understand. Why would we want to put money inside this jar? Or can. A can does not need money. Or is this so that we can afford to upgrade the can into a proper jar? Dick raises an important question. Do we place money into this can if we swear in another language? Even if nobody can understand the word that we are saying? In fact when I think of this, I realize this entire arrangement is unfair on those of us who have not as much experience in English. For myself and Kori, we do not always know when a word is considered a swear or not. How is it decided if a word is a swear?"

    She turns to Caitlin, smirking. "Cait, to make this fair I can see only one option. It is necessary for you to write out a list of all the words that require a payment to be made, otherwise this serves no purpose. It cannot make us think about our language if we were not aware in advance that a word requires payment. You must write out the list and we can print it in large letters to post below the jar. That is the only way this can work."

    Her smirk grows even wider, and she glances to Dick with a look of pure mischief. "For example, Cait, I think it is important to know if Dick must pay money every time he says his own name."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Shaking his head, Dick starts laughing, managing to get out, "I think you shot yourself in the foot on this one Cait, because she's right."

After a couple moments. he gets it down to a controlled snickering and addresses her more serious point, "It's not that we don't think you're willing to train, but you seem a little, I dunno, hesitant to put yourself forward, I guess. We just want you to know that whatever you need, we're here for you. And I actually agree with the swordfighting thing, that's pretty dangerous. There's a reason that even with my normal human strength I don't use blades and stick with my batons."

He looks to Donna, "I know the sword goes with the whole Xena thing you have going on, but sharp pointy objects lead to people bleeding out by accident sometimes. Still safer to just punch them, though I suppose you can use the sword if we fight robots or something."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's ears start to pink at the chivvying from Donna, and she just narrows her eyes at her friend over an exasperated smile.

Dick rescues her with the discussion about training, and she sticks her tongue out petulantly at Donna and moves back to the chair she was occupying. Her heel props up on the chair seat and she wraps her arms around her shinbone to rest her chin on her knee.

"I just... I'm just /careful/," she tells Dick. Her tone seems more about reassuring herself than others. "But I know what you're saying. I'll do better," she promises. "I'd feel really horrible if I hurt someone, like, for real. When that guy sued us over his stupid car getting wrecked, that made me really anxious. I still have bad dreams about that sometimes, and that was just some dumb sports car I threw. It's really hard to tell who I can punch safely until they hit me a few times, and even then I'm a little worried about it."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna rolls her eyes at Dick. "I do not have a Xena thing going on. I didn't even know what that show was until I finally got someone to explain what you were all referring to!"

    Donna's hand goes to the hilt of the sword she wears on her hip, but it's a subconscious gesture, almost protective. "We have had this discussion already too many times," she says. "I am very careful how I use my sword. If it is a risk to cause unnecessary injuries, I refrain from using it, but when it is suitable to use it, it is a potent weapon to employ."

    She moves away from the swear jar, giving it a last warning glare as if to dare it to demand money from her, and returns to her seat on the sofa. "This is not the point of training to use a sword. Rather, it is the point. That it is dangerous means that it requires more control. You are very talented with your batons, Dick. But surely you remember the time Caitlin broke one of them? This is the problem. Although perfecting your skills make the baton more effective, it is easy for someone to use them with little concern. With a sword it is /necessary/ to become precise. To learn your timing. To anticipate your opponent."

    "I got my first sword when I was six, but it was blunt. It was almost two more years before I was allowed one that was sharp." That really does raise questions about parental responsibility, but it has long been established that Donna's upbringing was far from usual. Maybe the 'Knights of Ilium' Donna has explained she received her training from just like to start early. "I am much better with my fists now, because to practise with my sword has meant I understand the importance of precision," Donna continues. "In fact, to practise with a sword means you are less likely to hurt someone with your fists. I will teach you Caitlin, nothing will go wrong."

    Donna looks around again, and grins wide before blinking at the others. "Gods. This is... So great. I love it here. Tomorrow I shall bring my things and move in. I feel so good about all of this. Already it feels like home."