Owner	Pose
Karen Starr	It's a quiet night in Metropolis. There's all the ambient noise, of course, but in the way that Karen Starr would pay attention to it, Metropolis is practically silent. It isn't without effort. She's been building up to this for days. Ostensibly, Karen Starr is on vacation, spending a little over two weeks in New York for the Stark Expo. The autonomous nature of the preparations she's made for that have allowed Karen Starr to simply disappear. Over the days since the Expo opened, Power Girl has been abundant within Metropolis- practically, if not even literally, everywhere... All to build towards the calm of tonight. A window of nothing into which she can shout.     Or, rather, speak, quietly.     "Kal-L. Clark Kent. My name is-" There's a pause, a nervousness to her tone. The pronunciation isn't... The -same.- Sure, it's the same word, but at the same time it's like a slightly different dialect to his last name. "I need to talk to you. There are some things you should know."     Another momentary pause. Her words on the wind, only for ears that, like hers, can hear the rest of the world.     "I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but you will once we've had a chance to talk."
Clark Kent	The voice is far above the city, but in general, there are certain cues that Clark listens for. Cries for help is one of them, and his own name is often one of the others. The response isn't immediate: because he takes a little time to decide and orient on where the person speaking is. He changes his clothes almost instantly, into the same attire he recently wore to speak to shield: it is a version of his Superman suit, though it is in dusky grays and blacks. The use of his alias is very disconcerting, though her voice is familiar enough to where he at first thought it was someone else. Now, Superman moves onto his balcony and uses his vision to sweep the area of the source of the voice, picking her out, and then moves to intercept. He doesn't rush at her from nowhere: he also doesn't come directly from his apartment, but does a hyperspeed circle up into the sky, before approaching on her level, gliding towards her. It has to be an encounter out of the lost echoes of Karen's past, to have Superman, long deceased, on approach. There's no fake here: it is absolutely him, down to the concern and seriousness of the tension to his expression, but no aggression.
Karen Starr	The calming breaths she takes, vestigial in their entirety, yet still taken... Those are audible as Clark makes his sweep. Of all the people on the planet, she is perhaps most prepared for his arrival- not in his presence, but in his approach. She tracks him through the air not with her eyes, but in the noise it makes, the rush of air twisting around the city.     When he does arrive, the moment she sees him, there's almost a tear, welling up in her eyes. "You're so young." She begins, unable to help herself. Her voice isn't... Entirely familiar, but there are hints of it. She's older, more brusque, deeper. Stronger. Yet, even that strength is waivering right at this particular moment. The last time she saw that face, it was lifeless- its eyes, glassy. Seeing it now, even if it isn't -exactly- the same, brings back that sense of hopelessness, that even if she were to return to her home, it would be to return to one without Kal-L.     "Those colors don't suit you, Kal." A moment of hesitation. It's her that shoves herself back onto the actual path of the conversation she came here for. "I'm sure you've got questions." He may have already answered some. One glance at the molecules that make up her cells, of the building blocks within, tell him a madlibs version of the story. This is Kara- but there are... Left-handed isomers present in her molecular structure that aren't possible in this universe.     "My name is Kara Zor-L. I'm not... From this universe. In mine, you landed several decades earlier than you did here, and you were born earlier, too. We both were. I know this is going to be a lot."
Clark Kent	In truth, Superman doesn't generally look at peoples molecules. It's ... invasive. Not a particularly heroic move, and one he doesn't default to. He's skeptical with her, there's a caution and distance in his examination: if he does end up looking at molecules it doesn't show in his expression either way. He doesn't answer her right away: she seems to have a lot she needs to say to him, and his empathy is always in the front of most of what he does: to allow her, in her clearly agitated and worried state, as he hears her work to calm herself? She's not threatening in any way he normally would judge it. And he believes the best in others, the best of people. "No, I do not care for these colors either," Superman finally answers aloud. He may be younger, but his voice is probably just the same, the delivery the same: a gentle rueful quality to it. He doesn't freak out now, any more than her other version of Kal-L did. He's taking things in, and a dimensional rifted traveler is not entirely bizarre. But then he switches into Kryptonian dialect. "> You are not the first to be lost in time and space; I wish I could say otherwise, <" Superman begins, his tone easing into kind. Supportive. "> I am guessing you would like to attempt to return to your own universe? <"
Karen Starr	When Power Girl speaks, this somehow alien Kara, it's in Kryptonian. Hers is practiced, as if she speaks it natively, but there's a syllable or two here and there that don't sound the -same- despite that they're in the same language. "> I know. I've heard of something similar happening a few times, but it's... This is different. <" She... slumps, then.     "> I've been attempting. The... Entire basement of Starrware is dedicated to this massive machine. Like an interdimensional drill that's supposed to break through, but every time I try, I can't quite burrow far enough. There... Probably isn't anything to return -to.- <" Her hands come up to her face, and she rubs at her features for a moment. "> It... Might just be impossible. Last I remember, you were... <" She can't quite finish the sentence. There's an exhale. To say that she's unstable would be incorrect. She's fully cognizant, just morose to the extreme. There's an underlying happiness, some tinge of familiarity, that can be assumed to be because this Kal isn't all that different from HER Kal.     "> It killed everyone. I wasn't strong enough. If I were able to go back now, it'd just be for vengeance, and to see if there even are pieces to pick up. That's... Part of why I'm here. I didn't arrive soon enough to help during Doomsday, or the invasion. But I'm here now. I don't know why you've stayed in the dark so long, but whatever the reason, I can understand it. I think part of what I want to say is that... We never got to take a break, so if you want to keep to yourself a while, you have that room. I'm here for you. <" She's the one on the verge of tears, and she's here for him? Probably a little odd.     "> Does... Does Lois know yet? <"
Clark Kent	This is a lot of information all at once to take in. Another version of his cousin, adrift here in this universe, clearly against her will, with attempts to return home... It's hard, and certainly he has his own difficulties and trouble from his own death: his Doomsday battle that led to the colorless suit he's in now. There's a damage to him too, though for now it is very cloaked. He isn't going to show his own problems: she has enough depression, and he can see it clearly. Superman folds his arms slowly, a very thoughtful look to him. He's analyzing everything she's given him, and the gesture isn't necessarily defensive or blocking: it's more of a thinking pose, as they float there in the air above Metropolis, wind pulling at the long cloaks. "> I can bring you into contact with experts on dimensional movement, such as the Fantastic Four, if that's the direction you'd like to look in,<" Superman begins. Loss of a home slams hard into his heart, and he'd like to help her get to wherever it is she wants to be. The Lois thing makes him blink, hard. Eerie. And defaults into English. "She.... does. As of only a month, or so, now," he gives, with a slow, mild awkwardness. The relationship is very, very new. He isn't embarrassed, but there's that slightly shy thing in there that he does related to his family, or Lois. That soft spot.
Karen Starr	Despite the cloaking, the hiding- Karen can tell that something isn't quite -right- about this Superman. However, despite that, any assumptions she could make are likely worse than the truth, and even then... She seems accepting. As if there's one person she can accept taking a day, or a week, or a few years. Truth is, if Kal-El told her that he was done, that he was just going to be Clark Kent, she would probably be supportive. Her Kal had earned it a thousand times over before they met. How could she regard this one any differently?     "> That might be beneficial. If nothing else, the progress I've made could be useful to somebody. I don't think it's a product for Starrware's catalog. There's plenty of abuse that can be made of extradimensional spaces. I built on what I could remember of Phantom Zone projection technology. Pulling the destination from it and using it as a tunnel rather than a subway. <" The knowledge of Kryptonian technology alone is... Well, it's a wealth of expertise. She was raised on a version of Krypton- that she can recreate that lost civilization in even small ways might be impressive even to this world's greatest minds.     When he returns to English, so does she- but there's this almost mischievous smile to it, as Karen finds it very easy to return to the playful ribbing that used to be so familiar between herself and... Well, Family. "That's good. I'd like to meet her. I've... Stayed away. She was important, back home." Is it even safe to say how important? Could such a thing as Spoilers matter? "I'm sorry, I know it's a lot to take in." She repeats. "It probably seems... Very strange, but I couldn't ignore -that- you were forever. I always thought I'd be able to make it back when I had the resources. That I'd be able to just... Leave the place alone. Then, I fell into the old habit. I couldn't stop myself. From -helping.-"
Clark Kent	">In some ways, many ways, no, Kryptonian tech is not something that should be generally available, I'd ... agree,<" Superman says, in a little bit of a closed manner, but also something of a tired way. If it can help, that is one thing, but there's a mixed bag of emotions around Krypton's loss that she may or may not feel from another dimension. He doesn't have the bandwidth emotionally to delve into it right at the moment. That he very clearly DID take a break after his death, in some form, may now be evident, on his face. But from his rescue of the plane, to other things he's been doing in a subtle way: he can't stop himself from helping either. "Have you met my Kara of this dimension?" Superman finally asks, releasing his arms from the crossed posture to settle at his sides. "She's young, but also... helping." A smile shows. He cares for his cousin. Which could explain a lot of the reaction to Karen now: he'd like to help.
Karen Starr	Karen nods. That's kind of the curse of being raised in a farmhouse in Kansas- one farmhouse specifically, at least. Someone said it somewhere, with great power... "> I use some harmless things in Starrware. I needed resources, but it's nothing out of the realm of possibility for what some of the forward-thinkers already have. I've tried to stay close to level. <" She also knows much about losing Krypton. Technically, she's lost her home twice now. That she's even capable of making a home here in the face of that is... A testament to the power of Hope.     There's an exhale. Power Girl's eyes widen, and she looks off to the side for a moment. "I... Don't know if I can handle that. There's so many mistakes that -I- made, I think I'd just give bad advice. I can already tell that we're... Different. Just from the news." she offers, reaching up then to rub at the back of her head. "But, if you're teaching her, then I'm sure she'll do... Very well. Probably better than I did, at least I hope." She's got the weight of a dead universe on her shoulders. She's placid now, but there's no telling how she'd react to all of that -potential.- At the very least, though, she's not at all morose anymore. That mood has passed.
Clark Kent	"Kara," Superman says gently, and extends one hand to gently set the palm on her left shoulder. His hand is warm, secure. It's a quiet lifeline, extended to someone he fears is drowning in the loss and turmoil of not knowing where she belongs. "While you're here, I welcome your help, to keeping those in this world safe. There isn't a need to feel like an outsider here, though I realize so many things are differnet. We'll look into returning you to your home. Meanwhile, I appreciate your aid." Superman gives her a secure smile, as his own difficulties wash away for now. He's a rock for so many, and he knows that, and can be that. Sometimes the reminder of what he /does/ in fact bring to others, that Hope, is something powerful as it is. It can bring that side of him forward. Perhaps they are helping each other.