14280/A Trip for a Trio

A Trip for a Trio
Date of Scene:	06 April 2022
Location:	The Maldives
Synopsis:	Clark, Lois, and a surprise Diana Prince start a brief vacation in the Maldives together. Of course, Clark forgets to inform Lois he invited Wonder Woman along.
Cast of Characters:	Superman, Lois Lane, Wonder Woman

---

Superman has posed:
A short while ago, in Metropolis..

"Yeah, you just need to get a swimsuit and clothes for warm weather," Clark mentions, staring through the window from within Lois' apartment. Lois is off in her room, browsing through her wardrobe. "If I remember my timezones correctly, it's... roughly noon there? So it'll be hot and sunny."

Clark pauses a moment, letting his gaze drift now through the foyer he's in. Upon the distant kitchen table he can see a dead potted plant Lois has not taken good care of; its brown and wilted leaves slump and sag in piteous despair, calling Clark closer. He moves with a natural grace, no longer worried about performing the oafish act; it's liberating, in a way, being able to be himself with Lois. He has people who know Superman, and people who know Clark Kent..

It's nice to have one who knows both. Though there are still some things about Superman that Lois will need to learn..

"Don't worry, lil guy," Clark tells the dying plant, reaching out to stroke a finger along its stalk. He fetches it some water from the sink and turns the cup over, dribbling it nourishment one thin stream at a time. And when the good deed is done, Clark pulls out his phone, sending a message to one Diana Prince.

"Hey, beautiful. Listen, in a little bit I'm going to be at the Maldives. That resort where we fought -- yeah, the big octopus monster, with the beak. The owner was so grateful he gave me a lifetime membership. Right, well, there's someone I want to introduce you to. Properly. And I really feel like taking a swim."

--

And so is set our scene. Wrapped in the aegis of his embrace, Lois is brought into the skies, allowed to glimpse the world from Superman's perspective; how the stars dazzle when one lifts above the pollution of the city lights, how the eye can trace the gaseous passage of cosmic dust and radiant nebulae; how the clouds swirl like churned butter as, faster than fast, she is taken over the oceans, left to cradle into his chest; see there the whales and the fish and the coral reefs and see the glories of the sun as night turns to dawn turns to tropical paradise in the Arabian Sea.

Gleaming there like an emerald amidst the shimmering blue, as Clark slows the blur of the world refines to sharp definition -- behold the towering palm trees and the white sands, behold the straw-and-wood bungalows looking out over the water on the piers.

It is a slice of Eden, a modern twist on the fabled Garden -- and, as the pair descend quietly amidst the trees, unseen by any, it is their home for the next..

.. day or two, roughly?

Clark sets his flip-flops down on the ground, cupping a hand over his face and shading it as he sets Lois on the ground. "Careful, you've never flown that long... might need to get your land legs back."

Lois Lane has posed:
The woman was not planning on packing for a vacation, and she did take two minutes to text Perry with a quick: 'Clark and I have food poisoning. Don't ask, you don't want to know. We'll be out two days. Pray for us.' Hopefully it's a good enough lie that Perry doesn't come breathing down their throats. She won't pay for roaming on her cellphone anyway, so it doesn't matter! Eventually, she does shove two different bikinis into her bag, a night gown, two sundresses, and a few underthings. It'll do. Then she's scooped up in his arms and off they go.

The flight is utterly terrifying and utterly beautiful. She spends half of it hiding against his chest, far higher up than she's ever been before, even when he's rescued her, but she does peek out to see the oceans and some other gorgeous sights. Over all, it's only her trust in him that means she makes it the whole way without a complete panic attack.

When they are landing, her hair is clearly wind blow and a little wild. She stretches out on her legs, popping one of her hips and leaning a hand against his shoulder as she does get her feet back beneath her. "That was... wild. Clark. Su-... wait... What do I *call you here*?" She abruptly whispers that last little bit, leaning down and close to him so no one else hears it. They flew here so is it Superman?

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana had been surprised by Clark's phone call, but had to admit, a bit of a getaway sounded like a good idea. Unlike most of the royalty to be found in Man's World, Diana was used to hard work and kept her nose to the proverbial grindstone. Leisure was something she permitted herself only occasionally.

She arrives at a discreet distance from the resort, walking the rest of the way and eventually making her way to the lobby. She gets herself checked in, the staff remembering her and, frankly, swarming to cater to her every whim. Their gratitude is met with reassurance and serene beneficence. A Princess is used to being fawned over, after all.

Eventually, she makes her way to the beach where she expects to meet with Superman and this mystery person. She's wearing a two-piece black and gold swimsuit, a spaghetti strap bikini that she casually picked up in the gift shop, her bare feet sinking in the sand. She calls out when she sees the pair, "Hail and well met, my friend!" she calls.

Superman has posed:
Beneath the shade of the trees, Clark stares down at Lois; he looms over her like some protective sentinel, his back to the waves. "You can call me Clark when it's just us, Lois," he mentions. "No one saw us land -- and it's not like anyone here is going to recognize us. If someone from the resort staff asks questions, I'll take care of it."

He smiles wide, those perfect white teeth shining. A warm, salty breeze rushes from over the water, rustling the leaves and cooling their skin. There's a little slice of privacy here, in this moment, nestled in the quasi-darkness of the dappling shade; Clark takes advantage of that to cup Lois' head in one massive palm and lean in to rub his nose against hers. "It'll be fine. Eskimo promise."

It's almost certainly not how eskimos actually make promises, but forgive him: he's rural. "Now, I should change..."

--

Shortly thereafter, Clark and Lois walk hand-in-hand. How picturesque they must appear: Clark, tall and imposing, with hard and lumpen back of a bull and shoulders that go on for days, his chiseled jawline and well-proportioned cheeks dusted with a five-o-clock shadow, his bare torso gleaming in the light as the dark hair over his chest and stomach heats up. If one's eyes followed that fur down, they'd see it swirl beneath his navel, and trail down, down, down, into..

... a pair of absolutely dorky Superman-themed swim trunks, as blue as the sapphire sea and with the ever-famous red and yellow S icon over the center.

"Diana," Clark calls out, drawing ever closer. "You look... divine."

Lois Lane has posed:
When they were changing into their swim suits, Lois almost tossed Clark down right then and there, until she saw the shorts. That just got a good groan from her, roll of her eyes, and a smack to his butt as she shakes her head, "You are an absolutely square, Kansas. You know that? No matter WHO you are, you're a complete nerd." Lois accuses him with a rather wide grin. It's an affectionate statement. Then she pulls herself into her more skimpy of swim suits and takes at least three little bottles out of the mini bar. One is knocked back, two more are put in the beach bag. She's officially on vacation.

Walking on the beach side by side, Lois is an attractive figure, but not quite so godly as Clark Kent is. She's thin, skinny enough to see hip bones and the faint edges of her ribs, but she's been gifted with a nice check and sweep of her thighs to give her somewhat of an hourglass shape beneath the low riding red two piece she wears. It just covers the lower half of her hips and then two triangles attached by strings with gold beads on them. She's pale from the winter, in desperate need of a tan, but it matches her black hair and ice blue eyes. She walks casually proud at his side, until...

Until she sees Wonder Woman. Lois stops dead in her tracks, half stumbling, as she stares at the gorgeous woman across the beach. Suddenly, those pale cheeks are going a little flushed as she blinks between Clark and the woman ahead. "You...you...know who that is... right? God, she's hot... Why is she here??"

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana closes the distance between herself and the couple with a few easy strides, "Clark, thank you for inviting me. Judging by her blush, I'm guessing it's something of a surprise," she says. She casually kisses the man on the cheek, giving him a half embrace before turning towards Lois.

"And of course, Ik now who you are. I've read so much of your work, Lois, I confess, I'm something of a fan. It's a delight to meet you properly in person," she says, offering another embrace of the reporter will accept it.

"I had been needing a bit of time off so your call came at the perfect time. I was growing extraordinarily tired of reviewing the latest Themysciran proposals to the United Nations. It's not as if they ever listen to us anyway. War mongers, the lot of them," she sighs. "In time, however, I'm sure they'll come around to our wisdom. Especially as countries start electing more women," she says with a playful wink to Lois.

"But enough of such matters. Have you taken to the surf yet? The waves here are quite warm and welcoming."

Superman has posed:
'You know who that is, right?'

Clark stares at Lois for a long moment, lips pursed and his eyes widened. "Oh, my God, Lois," he says, voice utterly deadpan and monotonous. "It's Captain Marvel."

He releases her hand as they walk and gives her bottom a light swat, before coming into contact with the world's foremost royal beauty, Diana Prince -- Wonder Woman -- herself. As she moves to offer him a friendly kiss on the cheek and a half-embrace, his arm snakes out around her waist, and his face turns to make the greeting a bit more obviously affectionate than it might have been previously, lips meeting lips.

"Lois, this is Diana. Diana, this is Lois." They clearly know the other's names, and his introduction is unnecessary, but he does so anyway. "The wisdom of the Amazons is a gift to the world," he remarks, and the wisdom of Clark to not interrupt the moment of girl power is his mother's gift to him. "And by blending new wisdom with old, the world will progress -- it might be slow, but it is steady. We have to take things one day at a time."

The arm wrapped around Diana's back gives her a faint squeeze, and then he disengages, turning about-face. A few people further down the beach look to them, but it makes no difference in the end; they won't approach, just look.

"Now, come on. Last one in's a rotten egg."

Clark Kent, Kal-El, Superman: whatever his name, he is a champion of civilization, mighty beyond compare, a hero's hero --

And he is running at a normal person speed like a great big galloping goober, his bright blue mom-purchased swim trunks flapping in the breeze, into the water. Splash, splash, splash.

Yeah, okay, maybe he should have explained things better, and maybe he's running into the water out of nerves.

Lois Lane has posed:
There isn't that much which leaves Lois Lane in shock, but twice in as many days her world has been somewhat turned upside down. She watches them interact, the closer hug around Diana's waist and that kiss on her lips. It gets a curious tilt from Lois' head, but not a jealous one. Simply interested. She's still trying to sputter her way through figuring out how Diana is here.

"*Clark*..." She mutters as he teases her about Diana being Captain Marvel. She swats him back but then introductions are being made. And the Princess reads her articles. And Lois is blushing even deeper. She really has no clue how to process this. "Uh... wh... Ambassador... Wonder Woman... Ms. Prince... which... What do you prefer? Diana, I... I guess, yes, I'm Lois. Clark's... his... Friend... partner... Not just work partner, but... work partner..." Even Lois can get awkward sometimes. And Clark has just abandoned her to the waves. She blinks from him, back to the gorgeous, literal Amazon in front of her. "W-well... I suppose we should... Swim?" She half laughs before thinking to actually run. She will probably lose this bet.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Clark gets an amused glance at his public display of affection, but she certainly doesn't seem averse to it, welcoming both and patting the broad-shouldered man on the back. She meets Lois' eyes and then smiles at the sputtering, stepping forward to take the other woman's hands.

"Diana is just fine, just as I'll call you Lois. I do hope we can be friends. I deeply admire the work you've done in exposing corruption and advocating on behalf of the downtrodden. So much journalistic work is mere sensationalism, but you have shown yourself to be more than a mere provocateur in search of salacious gossip," she smiles.

"Not that I mind the occasional piece of salacious gossip,' she teases. "And yes, let's go, before he uses that pesky super-breath of his to turn the water all chilly," she says, running along with an easy, loping stride before crashing into the surf.

Superman has posed:
Clark sucks in a deep breath and dives forward as the shore falls away, there one moment and disappeared next into the clear and shimmering waters. Those muscular arms push forward, his cupped hands turning outward and pushing him through the water, his legs kicking. He's no Atlantean, but his butterfly stroke is superb, merely another activity the Man of Steel excels at --

And then he's descending deeper, accelerating, his limbs driving him with force enough that small shockwaves stir the cooler, lower waters, each stroke propelling him dozens of meters; that long torso sinuously glides through the depths, twisting around that he might gaze up at the light's reflection on the unbroken surface so high above. How sweet the sun.

A little later, and back at the shore, bubbles mark the man's return. His head breaks the surface and he rises like a dolphin, the spray of water around him glittering like diamonds. His wet hair drips and clings to his face until he runs a hand through it, slicking it back and looking toward the women.

"Lois, be more confident in yourself. You're not my work partner -- you're my woman."

Beat.

"And a rotten egg."