Owner	Pose
Angelica Jones	The garage. Yes, the garage. Concrete floors, vehicles parked in each of their zones, and silence. Or that's what should be here; the alarms upstairs have drawn off nearly all of the Titans. All except.. The sound of sobbing in a corner, between two cars more expensive than one might believe, betrays a person. Retreated from the drama unfolding above, the red hair of Angelica Jones is missing from their conversation. She pulled back, ran away. Ran downstairs to here. And hid. She has her back to a wall, cold and hard. Curled up with her arms around her knees, she lets it all out. There's nobody here to hear it, after all. She doesn't have to pretend to be strong. Nobody told her that heroes couldn't cry, after all.
Karolina Dean	Karolina had been... gone. She took a trip to NYC to water her plants, to take care of her apartment stuff, and to talk with her class counselor on altering her schedule. Superheroes still have to go to school but sometimes there's things that make classes easier to manage. She also picked up a new bracelet from the few she had stored at home, just in case.     The no-longer-glowing girl had taken the train, but also rented a car in Metropolis. No sense in flying everywhere, or having a taxi come to the tower every time she wanted to go places, so the mundane little two-door rolls into the garage, finds a spot, and stops. For the moment, Karolina leaves all of her stuff on the seat, planning to come back later after getting something to eat. Once the sound of the door closing stops echoing, though, and she starts walking... she hears a familiar sound. Familiar because she's cried, a lot, and recently. By now the alarms have died down, and she starts to follow the sound, even if the way it echoes makes it a little bit difficult.     "Hello?" she calls out gently, "...is... someone hurt?"
Angelica Jones	The sound turns into a hiccup, whomever it is trying to stop crying in too big of a hurry. The sounds collide and turn into something that, in other circumstances, might have been funny. It's feminine; none of the big tough boys would come down here to cry. In fact, it seems an odd place to choose. Until you realize, it's lonely. Sometimes you need that. "I'm (hic) alright," says a mess from between two cars. She picked well, one of them's a Maseradi. But the sight that greets Lucy when she turns to look is red hair and ruined makeup. "So not all right," Angelica says more quietly, not looking up. "Some big damn hero (hiccup)." She waves her left hand, hitting the car. She might have smooshed some of the wax job, but not much else. Not a big powerhouse this one.
Karolina Dean	Karolina blinks, finding the girl, the mess, and her expression doesn't just soften, it turns quite sad. She's no stranger to tears, and she almost looks like she's going to cry herself. She moves between the two cars, getting closer to Angelica.     "...heroes can cry..." is the first thing she says, kneeling within arm's reach, offering her hand, bracelet jingling lightly. "...what happened? Are you hurt? Did someone do something to you?" she seems to get defensive immediately, even though she knows that nobody on the team would hurt a fellow Titan. Or so she hopes.
Angelica Jones	The eyes that meet Karolina's are a little red. Angelica hiccups again, then looks downward between her own knees. She shuffles to one side, making room wordlessly. An invitation, even if she isn't saying so out loud. Hiccup. She seems to be calming a little, but she murmurs, "No," and rests her forehead on her left knee. "Nothing happened. I don't know what's wrong," she lies. "Nobody would hurt me." Truth. "Sit with me?" Desperate truth. She turns her head to look, and she ...oh god, she looks -better- when she's a mess. She's one of THOSE.
Karolina Dean	As a member of a group of random kids with supervillain parents, Karolina knows this look. She feels like she's been here. Like maybe she's staring into some mirror where she's got red hair. She never did have a hair dye phase. But she blinks, tilting her head. "..you're sure nothing's wrong?" She doesn't have a sixth sense, but it always helps to be sure.     As for the invitation, the blonde in shorts and a tank top accepts it, moving to take that seat, leaning back against the wall and offering a half-smile to Angelica. "You don't have to talk, if you don't want to... but I'll be here for you, ok?"
Angelica Jones	This is when Karolina learns something about Angelica. She's very, very tactile. Settling in next to her is like falling into a hug, and she's got an arm around Karo the moment the young woman shows her it's allowed. Almost before, her arm out and ready automatically. She rests her head against whatever she can, she pulls in close. She touches. "No? Yes. Maybe, I don't know," Angelica murmurs as she looks at her knees, up close enough now that Karo could easily hear. "I just needed to cry," she says. It sounds...sulky? Not quite, but close. "Sounds stupid. I just....whenever it's about me, or my emotions, I break down. Like, my own don't matter." She's not hiccuping anymore. That's good!
Karolina Dean	That's a good thing, because Karolina is also a hugger. She's only three inches taller than the redhead, too, though for Karolina, it's likely more in the legs. But as the arms go around her, so too do hers around Angelica, and she holds on to her gently. She's so warm, her shoulder is smooth and soft. A little bit of gentle heaven, perhaps.     "I understand," she says, simply. "...I cried in your arms the day after we met.." she reminds the girl, closing her eyes and exhaling a sigh. "...sometimes we need to do it. To just let the emotions flow instead of bottling it up. Sometimes we don't know why but the need is there, and we do it..." she meanders a little, stream of thought stuff.
Angelica Jones	Angelica blows her hair out of her face, which is firmly convinced that it belongs in her mouth. It goes right back and she sighs. Clearly a losing battle that she's been fighting for years. "You've got reason though," she says, turning her eyes to the one she's apparently snuggling. On the floor of a garage. "You lost friends. Important ones. I barely even met them. Why would I be crying?" Oh, there are reasons. She's clearly highly empathic, and she thinks that people around her matter. But this is about her, and she's biased. Hers...don't. Sigh, blow hair, look around to see if anyone else is coming. "You know, two weeks ago I was in high school? Things change so fast. I gotta get back to school soon, I know. I'm missing classes." She's changing subjects too, but this...relates. "They're moving me to a new school though. One I won't melt." She lifts a hand, and a fingertip starts to burn. "You're warm."
Karolina Dean	"Not to... devalue their loss... and they're coming back, we just have to find them... but I've only known them for a handful of days, too. But the Titans are a family, and we take care of our own.." she eexplains softly. A hand lifts, tender fingers reaching for that offending lock of hair, trying to tuck it behind Angelica's ear so she doesn't have to keep chewing on it.     "Maybe you just feel the loss, the tension around us? Everyone's pouring themselves into work, into distractions... into not sleeping... it's all I can do to run around and make sure the beautiful idiots remember to eat...!" she laughs, cheeks turning a faint pink. There's so many cute girls in the Titans, she's overwhelmed. And she's happy to be bringing food, too.     There's a sigh, "I'm still in college... I just got back from New York, to get my class schedule... fixed... I don't want to drop out just because I'm doing the hero thing again.... and I'm sure you'd like to get your diploma too, right?" she offers, then blinks.     "...I... well... yes... I'm warm... so are you?" she seems to miss the point.
Angelica Jones	The moving of her hair is a small thing, but it gets Angelica's attention. She turns her face toward Karolina's, looking at her up close. And she watches the young lady talk, considering things. Thinking. Putting two and two together. She blinks, then she suddenly slips her arm FROM around Karolina. Or starts to, then stops and more awkwardly squeezes. There's a moment when she's almost back to normal, and then she's visibly blushing. And it's SO OBVIOUS that she's just figured something important out, while watching Karo talk, and isn't sure how to address it. "I'm ...what? Huh?" She wipes her cheeks with her free arm, then takes a deep, long breath, and closes her eyes. When she opens them she's under control. And no longer pulling away. "I..uh.." Beat. "Karolina, are you hitting on me? Is that what this is? Because I really need a friend first, and I think I'm ..." Pauses again. "Being incredibly rude. Ugh." Face plants back onto her knees. Oi.
Karolina Dean	Karolina is a gentle soul, and she'd just seen how the whole hair-blowing thing was a nuisance. She also blinks, though, and feels the pulling of the arm, and then the squeeze, and then the pinkness. She stares, unsure of what's going on. She's oblivious. Maybe Angelica was reading way too much into the blonde's words. She opens her mouth to speak, then pauses, then her eyes widen.     "What? Hitting on you?" she asks, bewildered. "No? What gave you that idea? We're talking about the team.. the family... school stuff.. you.. commented on me being warm.. and.." she's tracing the steps back in the conversation, trying to figure out exactly where things took a turn down a different path.     "...n-not that... you're not pretty..." she blinks, eyes still wide, "..what I mean is, you're pretty, and... I like helping you! You've been so nice to me! But I wasn't hitting on you... should I? Should I not be? Oh goddess this is the same thing that happened with Nico... did I miss a cue somewhere?" she looks away from Angelica, staring between the cars now, a thousand yard stare to be sure.
Angelica Jones	"Oh lord, I've done it again." Angelica's voice is broken, awkward, and she proceeds to slide down the wall. She ends up on the concrete floor, staring up at the concrete ceiling. She stares up, as Karolina is staring between the cars. Hers is frustrated, embarrassed...and worried. But this isn't about HER now. She's hurt someone. Much more in her ballfield. "So, how do you tell someone that you've just messed up horribly?" she asks, staring upward. Not pulling away, which is better. "That was me. You were being awesome, and I read it totally wrong. Me and my stupid." She keeps staring upward, not wanting to chase Karo away. "I got this feeling, from the last time we woke up in the guest room. Been trying to....it doesn't matter. I am so sorry. You're right to be upset, especially when you were being...so damn awesome. And I was crying over nothing." Not nothing, not remotely nothing. But she's in mom mode now. "Not all of the beautiful idiots are smart," she adds. Hoping it helps.
Karolina Dean	"Again?" Karolina asks, snapping out of it. "...you've... done this before?" it's a curiosity, but, despite her confusion, she laughs. "...I've been there.... I... goddess..." she sighs, looking down, "..I did worse..." she tries to assure Angelica, relating her own experience. "...I ..was still coming to terms... with that I liked girls. I thought my best friend was making a move on me... and I did it. I tried to kiss her. I tried to kiss my best friend! I misread her so bad!" she buries her face in her hands.     "She.. got over it later... but... I haven't even talked to her since I moved to New York..." she mutters, looking down at the prone form before her. "...you didn't mess up horribly. I don't think you did. Not at all! Not in the slightest! Maybe I just don't know what I want? There's so many nice girls here... I like more than one. I.."     "I like YOU. I worried so much for you, then you held me. And now I find you here crying... and... and..." she pulls her arms around her knees and buries her face in them. "I'm overwhelmed..." she mumbles, muffled.
Angelica Jones	She does like girls. But she wasn't hitting on me. Okay. I'm not a complete imbecile. That brings Angelica back up, and she pushes her back to the wall again. Also Karolina's actual talking, not storming off in a bout of temper or tears. "Hey. Hey, it's okay," she says, finding her arm around the girl again. And she realizes, right now? It is a girl, even if she is older than Angelica herself. "First, you gotta eventually forgive yourself, okay?" She pauses, lifting off the wall enough to look Karo in the face. "Think about it this way. We all do the stupids, when we're young. You learned from it? You definitely learned from it, but the trick is to figure out what you learned. It's harder but it's worth the time. Don't have to tell me anything, but what you tell yourself is important. And eventually, you gotta forgive yourself. For being young, and it being your first time." A moment to let Karo process, then she smiles a little. "About the girls here? Let it have some time. Nobody's in a rush to get their knickers in a twist, if you know what I mean. So....don't be in a rush either. You're stupidly cute, maybe let one of them ask you out. Donna was making eyes at you I think."
Karolina Dean	Karolina is indeed a girl. Still just a person. Sure she's a flying rainbow alien that doesn't have to breathe in space, but she's still a person, with feelings, hopes, and fears. And right now, the arm around her brings her comfort, even if her own limbs are busy hugging each other instead. And, she actually laughs. "I.. haven't known Donna for that long... and I doubt the first thing on Donna's mind is going to be asking out the new girl, whenever she gets back from being lost in space with the others..." she grins. Maybe she's not attracted to the Amazon like that anyway?     "And what if I like more than one girl, huh? What does that make me?" she breaches that subject, looking up at Angelica. No tears in her eyes, but there's that little bit of glazed-over stare in her expression that seems like she might be closer to it than away from it. "And... what about you? Your feelings? You're focusing so much on me... think about yourself, too..." she says gently.     "I'll be okay... are you? Will you?" she asks, gentle and tender. And she's still warm. Even moreso now that she's had some time to be emotional.
Angelica Jones	"What does it make you?" Angelica can handle this one, the answer is obvious. She smiles, turning to cup Karo's cheek with her other hand. "Karo, hon, it makes you normal. The most normal thing you've shown me actually. So stop listening to whoever told you it was wrong, and love who you love." She sighs, then shakes her head. "You don't know me Karo, but I'll tell you something you'll figure out fast enough. I love everybody. I know, cliche much, but it's true. I'm the one who's gonna get shot down in a fight because I'm trying to talk to the bad guys when they're not listening, and do it again and again. I. Get. Hurt. Gonna happen, and..." She pauses, thinking about what she just said. Shot down. Shot down? "Holy crap I think I can fly!"
Karolina Dean	"Normal..?" Karolina blinks, "...I. Guess." She laughs, "...it's like... I'm rebelling against everything my parents stood for. Their... bad deeds... their..." she struggles with the word. "...heteronormativity... Man, woman, married... one child.... vegan Hollywood stars... here I am, only one aspect of that sticking... I love my food..." she smiles.     Then she shrugs, "...keep being you, then. If you get hurt, get back up. That's... all we can do, right? And... if I don't know you, I want to get to know you. I can promise if you pass out again, I'll try to be the one of the first people you see when you wake up," she smiles. It's a bright, winning, sincere smile. She really does come from California.     She blinks afterwards, then laughs, taking one of Angelica's hands. "...want to fly together sometime? I remember when I first learned I could. It'll be amazing!"
Angelica Jones	"Deal," Angelica says, though she's still not sure how. To fly. To do a lot of things, but to fly...that's one hell of a thing to figure out. The rest of it she already knew. She's been hurting herself on others for her whole life, and she'll keep doing it. And getting back up. "Totally a deal," she says, turning to look again. And seeing the friend she wanted, when this all started.