9391/Chillin' at the Embassy

Chillin' at the Embassy
Date of Scene:	01 January 2022
Location:	Diana's Office: Themysciran Embassy
Synopsis:	Diana teaches Morgan some of the philosophies of battle while they enjoy some homemade cake!
Cast of Characters:	Morgan Finn, Diana Prince

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Morgan Finn has posed:
The smell of something delicious baking has been going on for about the past hour. And Ferdinand hasn't allowed anyone into the kitchen. 'Getta outta there, the kid's cookin' something,' he would say warmly to anyone who tried to get in.

No doubt Diana can hear Morgan's unsteady footsteps approaching her office long before he gets there, as though he's carrying something. He pushes the door open with his butt because he's carrying a freshly baked, scratch-made cake in his hands. The cake is frosted with a handmade whipped cream frosting. There is frosted writing on the cake: I'm sorry, Diana! And also drawn on the cake is a (not-very-skillfully depicted) female head with a red wound on the forehead.

"Hi, Diana!" Morgan says with his usual warmth and vigor. "Happy New Year! I made you a cake."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana stands on the opposite side of her office from the entryway. She's wearing denim jeans and a white top with a white loose sweater worn over it that hangs open down the front. She has her dark hair tied back in a ponytail and is putting some books away in to the bookshelf on the wall.

"Morgan..." She says in that warm voice of hers. "I heard you were taking over the kitchen..." The Princess notes as she looks back over her shoulder to see he'd brought her something.

"Oh, my." Diana says as she sets the last two books down and turns to face him, her hands going up to remove the black thick framed glasses that were covering her eyes. "What have we here...?" She inquires as she walks toward him.

Morgan Finn has posed:
The young demigod looks up at Diana with a big grin as she comes around. He's all the time poking fun at people like this. It's just his nature. But he has demonstrated that he can take it as well as he can give it, so the Embassy staff generally aren't bothered by it. "It's a red forest cake with whipped cream frosting." He peers at Diana hoping for a positive reaction.

"Are you hungry? You wanna piece?"

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana steps closer, her eyes taking in the sight of the cake, the decorative display he'd adorned upon it too. Her expression goes from curious, to a smirking smile that she sends up his way. "How lovely." She says in a dry tone of her naturally sultry voice. A moment later and a more genuine smile crosses her red lips.

"I would love a piece." She says then as she motions to the table between the furniture. "Set it down, I will gather us up some plates and utensils..." The Princess notes as she steps toward the little bar area of her office where she has small such items on-hand.

"You did a great job. Both in the kitchen, and in the arena, this week." She notes as she does this...

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan carefully carries the cake to the table and sets it down. He sits. "It's been hard to be violent," he says to Diana. "You know that, right? That for someone like me it's very hard. But I trust you. You say that sometimes you have to inflict a smaller violence to avoid a larger one. I believe you."

The kid folds his hands on his lap, a bit out of his element. "I just hope you know my hesitance is never because I'm afraid."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana gets them both a plate and fork as she carries them back to him. Some napkins are already in a wooden container on the table. She smiles at him as she settles down on a chair beside his, then offers him his plate.

"Not afraid?" Diana asks as she glances at him while sorting things out a bit further...

"I am always afraid during hostile situations." She quietly admits. "It is part of being... a person, I believe. Our emotions are what make us who we are, and Fear is just as important as Happiness. Without dark, there can be no light." She smiles at him then as she offers him a silver knife.

"Would you like to do the honors, Headbutter?" She asks then with a glint of a teasing style to her question.

Morgan Finn has posed:
The dig makes the kid grin. He's a jock and locker-room banter has prepared him for just this occasion. "How hungry are you on a scale from one to ten?" he asks.

He positions two plates and uses the server to cut himself a huge piece -- apparently he's somewhere in the eight or nine range.

"Well I'm sure I'll be afraid when I'm in it for real," he admits. "When Alex and me got attacked, I wasn't afraid. But I felt like they were just normal dudes and there was no way Alex would let anything bad happen." A little shrug. "So that probably doesn't count."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana watches him cut his slice, which has her laughing softly at the size of it. "I am... uh... a five." She says, gauging the size of cake piece he cut himself, and assuming he'll get her half the size then!

Her eyes go up to his while she sits there on the edge of her seat with her plate on top of her denom clad knees. "The point of all of this training is that you do not consider what Alexander may or may not provide to such a situation. It's that you decide how the situation ends on your own. Alexander could very well just sit back and watch you handle it all, idealy." She says with a soft smirk given to him again. "But yes, through minor injuries to others, we stop much larger injuries from happening, and spreading. It is a necessity of combat. Especially on the side of the 'Just'."

Morgan Finn has posed:
For Diana, a piece about half the size of Morgan's is cut, served, and presented. The cake itself is quite good. Morgan has not been neglecting his studies in the kitchen, that's for sure. There maybe just a smidge too much vanilla, and there is an occasional flour puff indicating that it could have been beaten a little more. But overall, it's quite fluffy and tasty. He's already three bites into his by the time Diana can even start.

"How will I know which time is which? How will I know how far to go and when it's too far?" he asks inquisitively, peering up at his mentor.

Diana Prince has posed:
Once the Princess gets her piece on her plate, and gets a forkfull of it in to her mouth, she draws the fork out from between her lips and just lets her expression do the talking. Diana has a sweet tooth, and everyone who knows her well knows this. Vanilla is her favorite ice cream, and vanilla cake is damn near on the same level for her.

"I love it." She says with a bit of a full mouth still before she dabs at her lips with her napkin, then tries to serious-up a bit. When she clears her mouth she speaks right at him.

"Your training will dictate your professionalism in a battle situation. It is why we have to train you very hard, if you truly wish to jump in to the madness that has been springing up more and more commonly throughout the city, let alone the rest of the world. Trust in your training, and pick your battles wisely..."

Morgan Finn has posed:
The fact that Morgan has slowed down how fast he's eating the cake and starts listening intently to Diana is a testament to how serious he takes her words. He nods in understanding and eats another bite of the cake.

His voice is soft and cautious when he asks, "What is it like for you? When you first went into battle? A real battle, I mean?"

Diana Prince has posed:
"Confusing..." Diana admits instantly to Morgan's words.

Her eyes are down on her plate of cake as she uses the side of her fork to separate another corner to scoop up with it.

"A fight came to Themyscira's shores, and I did not know how to process what was happening. We had not trained for the enemies we were going up against... They... had an early advantage because of it. But it quickly eroded as we adapted."

The Princess partakes in the next little bite then before she looks back up and over at him. "You have to remember that in most fights, the people on the other side of the fight are likely just as scared as you are. Soldiers die for causes that they generally believe in, but that does not mean that they are not just as afraid when the fighting starts. Confusion is ... common place. That is where your training takes over... You become your training."

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan is utterly riveted on Diana's description of her first battle. For those few moments there's no cake, there's no nothing. Just the tale.

Drawing a deep breath while he processes this, Morgan finally nods. "That's why you guys have me do the same stuff over and over again. It's just like running football drills. Just when you think you got it down pat, you gotta figure out what you're doing wrong and fix it."

More cake in mouth. Good stuff. He offers a caky grin to Diana. "Do you want some milk?" he asks with a laugh, and with glittering eyes.

Diana Prince has posed:
The response that he gives her has Diana gently nodding her head. "Right." She says. "But beyond that, it is about building muscle memory. It is about channeling your discomfort that you are feeling in to your trained actions, to build a new type of comfort. You have had hardships in your young life, Morgan, but you have not lived the life of a warrior. Not yet."

A quick smile is shown then as the Princess indulges in another bit of cake before she grins. "Yes, milk would be wonderful..." She then says to him. "And this is very good. You will have to save some for Cassie and Donna, and the others..."

Morgan Finn has posed:
The kid hops up. "Psh, they snooze they lose!" he calls out as he runs out of the room. For a minute or so Diana is alone in her office.

Then from the hall can be heard someone saying "Hey!" followed by Morgan calling out "Sorry!" The fledgling demigod bursts back into the office -- does he ever do anything at normal speed? -- carrying a carton of whole milk and two glasses from the kitchen. He sets them down and fills them with milk.

"When I first started hanging out here Ferdinand trolled me by saying all the milk in the embassy came from his ex-wife." The kid smirks.

He flops back down in his seat. "Hey, did you eat some of this?" he says teasingly, looking at his piece of cake. "It looks smaller."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana turns to watch the boy run out of the office, she laughs softly as he goes.

When he returns, she has finished her piece of cake off, and is leaning forward to set the plate back down on the table beside the rest of the cake. Another laugh leaves her lips as she hears his story of Ferdinand. "That is quite the joke... but I believe every word of it..."

Diana then leans back in her chair then and crosses her legs at the knees. Her eyes go to his plate. "I will never tell the truth to that question." She says with a smirk toward the young man.

Morgan Finn has posed:
The teen pushes a glass toward Diana and picks the other up taking a deep drink. "Well maybe someday I'll have a lasso and we'll get to the bottom of this Case of the Missing Cake."

"I wonder if Alex's girlfriend liked that arrowhead," Morgan wonders aloud. "Can he even tell her what it is? I mean, is all of this stuff supposed to be kept secret? The whole world knows you're Wonder Woman. And I even saw a news article online at Fox News saying I was a Wonder Woman's son grown in a vat by a secret government lab." He blinks. "Do those guys at Fox ever get anything correct?"

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana accepts the glass of milk, taking a sip from it as well. When she lowers it again she dabs at her lips with that napkin once more. She laughs softly again. "It is best not to get your news from the television." She advises him. "Anyone that needs money to survive is going to tell the world what garners them the most ad revenue over whatever is most truthful, and honest..."

When she takes another sip of her drink, she regards him then. "Speaking of a lasso though... We will be going back to Themyscira soon with the King of Wakanda. I thought I might ask if you could have a few days off from school to come with us... if you would like."

Morgan Finn has posed:
Blink. Blink. Blink. "Are you kidding me?" Morgan says enthusiastically. "I would love to go! To see your homeland? That would be such an honor." Then he breaks into a sly grin. "I heard there are a lot hot women there."

He digs back into his cake. For just a moment he's a normal kid eating a piece of delicious cake. He looks up once and flashes a smile. Then he takes a deep drink of milk.

"What's Wakanda? Is that in New Jersey?"