7461/Titans: For once the bird has wings.

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Titans: For once the bird has wings.
Date of Scene: 11 May 2019
Location: Titans Tower
Synopsis: Colette continues her recruitment drive by introducing Kian to Raven and Danger. Kian concludes that humans are weird, and he's not wrong.
Cast of Characters: Stardust, Kian t'Kaeh, Danger, Raven




Stardust has posed:
    "…And this is the living quarters.  Basically where we hang out.  Not literally, I mean Robin works for Batman, yes, but Batman doesn't hang upside-down the way bats do.  I've asked.  Hang out as in sitting around, chatting, playing games, eating pizza.  Relaxing.  That's a good word for it.  Though you'v e probably been on Earth long enough to have picked up the meaning of 'hanging out' already."
    If Colette suddenly developed a new voice, it wouldn't really matter.  You'd probably still know her by the voice.  Vocal quantity, if not vocal quality.  Accompanying the voice, Colette strides into the living quarters, a visitor in tow.  Short, winged, and distinctly not human, Kían is the poor long-suffering victim of Colette's tour.  He's had worse.  At least she isn't using Peeps in her demonstrations today.
    "It's also kind of the nerve center of things," Colette adds, gesturing towards the giant screen that takes up much of one wall.  "We can access all the tower's systems through this, so we can work while relaxing.  It's also rigged up to give us any high priority alerts on screen automatically, which is really annoying when you're trying to use the screen to play PlayStation and your timing is thrown by someone trying to steal the moon or whatever."  She hops over the back of the giant sofa and takes a seat.  "Do you have video games on Akiár?"

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían is, for his part, taking in one of the few rooms that makes sense to him that he's seen since arriving on Earth.  "I like this room.  It has a sensible size.  It's like the core of my home—all open and… well, I only ever closed the windows when the weather was bad," he says, pressing a hand against the glass and gazing out, his wings flexing and folding slightly.
    "Video games?  I'm not sure.  You mean computer-run games?  We have those, of course.  They're generally fully immersive through a mindport."  He shrugs, with a soft rustling of feathers.  "I was never much good at them."

Danger has posed:
    Appearing in the room out of her own room, Danger is currently looking like a teenage human girl with red hair, green eyes, pale, and freckles.  She is wearing a pair of loose pajama pants and a shirt.  She looks around a moment and blinks at Kían and then Colette before raising a hand and waving, "Hi!"  She states simply and starts over toward them, "I have returned!"  She nods her head.  She then looks to Kían, "And I do not know you.  I am Danger."  She nods again.  "I was recently helping Superman until he punched me."

Raven has posed:
    Whether Raven was already present or not is one of the many mysteries of Titan social gatherings.  The truth of it may be some weird combination of the two of them.  There is, however, no greeting.  Whether they walked in on her, or her on them, is not told by her first lines.  Instead, Raven is, in one moment, not at the coffee machine.  In the next, she is—yet the stage at which the coffee is brewed is incongruous to how long she's been at the machine.
    In fact, the coffee is finished brewing—though she seems to have only made the one cup—and she is busy pouring it into a jet-black mug.  There are no words, of course.  Instead, she is merely serving herself coffee as if her presence is not as abrupt as, well, it is.  Raven is, in her very nature, a very spooky person.  There is absolutely no way that she came from the stairway or the elevator.  All the same, it almost feels like she definitely wasn't here when the others got here, and yet the coffee means she had to be here before then.  Also, she's a little rude, because she isn't saying hello to anyone.

Stardust has posed:
    "Heya Dane!"  What do you call someone who was a room when they originally got their name?  Colette doesn't worry to much about consistency.  Danger is smart, Danger can probably figure out today's nickname.  "Kían, this is Danger.  She used to be a room.  Uh.  Which I was about to tell you about.  The room, that is.  I haven't shown you that yet, the Danger Room is the largest space in the tower, you'll like it.  It comes equipped with holographic and force field projectors, and can simulate any environment for training purposes.  However you can also plug games into it and play them immersively.  Anyway, the room developed intelligence made herself a body.  It's a long story and nobody understands it anyway.  Danger, this is Kían, he's a friend.  Helped me, Brick, Robin and Vorp out a few times.  He's from spaaaace.  I've invited him to stay here for a while, while I try to persuade him to become a Titan.  Anyone need a drink?"
    Colette hops to her feet and heads over to the kitchen area, still talking.  "Superman punched you?  I thought he was ina coma or something.  Weren't you going to see if you could help figure out what was wrong with…" Colette comes to a stop when she notices that the kitchen area is occupied.  She's fairly sure it wasn't occupied a moment ago, though she wouldn't actually bet on it.  "Uh.  Hi Rae."  She glances back at the other two, one eyebrow raised as if to ask 'It's not me, right?  Rae wasn't here a second ago?', but she doesn't voice the thought.  "Kían, this is Raven.  She's not a bird either.  She's our magic expert, and hates people making too much noise, even when it's perfectly justified.  She's kind of…"  She turns to look at Raven for a few moments, then looks back.  "…Raven.  Honestly, that's the best way to explain things.  You'll discover.  She's probably not talking to me right now, because I annoyed her with some cans of tuna.  However I usually manage to annoy her about something, and she hates me.  Only not really, but that's a secret.  Shhh."
    Colette turns back to Raven and the coffee.  "Hi Rae.  This is Kían.  You probably heard my introduction already.  How's things?"

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    "Uhm," is the best Kían can manage for a moment, a little overwhelmed, wings spreading slightly.  And then he remembers his manners and bows to both in greeting.  "Kíe, Dayn-tcher?"—well, he'll learn better pronunciation with practice, one hopes—"and Rae," he says.  He does not offer his hand.  "It is good to meet you."  He re-folds his wings neatly, the tips just crossing behind his ankles.
    And then he turns to Colette inquisitively.  "Are these more names that I should not use in front of others?"

Danger has posed:
    A nod is given to Colette and she smiles at Kían, "Nice to meet you, I am not a room."  She shakes her had and then looks over at Raven and then grins, "Oh and Hi, Raven.  Speaking of helping coma man."  She walks toward Raven.  "What do you know about using magic and science to alter a Kryptonian at a cellular level and then taking over his body for the potential purpose of some kind of possession while then using an Einstein-Rosen Bridge to transport a shadow version of yourself, two other people and said Kryptonian both in and out of the Justice League Watchtower?"  She tilts her head, "I know technology but not magic.  I was hoping you could shed some light."

Raven has posed:
    There is a long silence following her serving of coffee.  Raven, it seems, is nonplussed at Colette's statements.  It is only at the end of Colette's statements that Raven says anything- "Hating you would require too much effort.  Instead, I have requested we soundproof the area immediately surrounding you, so that you cannot bother any of us ever again."
    Then, Danger happens.  Raven sips from her coffee, eyes half-lidded with sour mood (as usual) and she responds with a swift statement.  "I can tell you that's not how I'd do it.  There are a lot of molecules in a person.  Probably more in a Kryptonian.  It would take more effort to do that than almost if not any other method I've ever heard of getting that result.  Whoever you're looking for is either bad at it, or wants to do things the hard way on purpose."

Stardust has posed:
    "Not really, Kían."  Colette busies herself in the kitchen area, searching for drinks.  "Can I get anyone anything?  Uh.  I mean some of us have a public identity and a private identity, like me, Robin, and Vorp.  Some of us don't bother, like Brick.  Rae and Danj fit into that category.  Uh, Rae is short for Raven.  She answers to either.  Or doesn't answer to either, but that just means she's brooding.  Rae broods a lot.  It's her thing.  Even Robin thinks she broods too much."
    It may be hard to read Raven's mood and determine how much she actually means the digs at Colette, but it's quite easy to read the feeling behind Colette's digs back.  It's entirely lacking in malice—if anything, it seems almost affectionate.
    "Einstein-Rose…" Colette falls silent as she listens to the conversation between Danger and Raven.  Neither physiscs nor magic is her subject.  "Raven's right," she concludes.  "Unless the other end of the bridge is in a different universe.  Having both ends of the bridge in the same space-time context would require the bridge to be continually renewed.  So either a different universe, or you saw the three-dimensional representation of a more exotic manifold and mistook it for an Einstein-Rosen bridge, in which case you could back-track it from the metrics of the hypersurface topology, or it's someone with access to insane amounts of energy and doesn't really care, which pretty much limits it to dipping into the Source Wall."
    Neither physics or magic is her subject, but she does have some pretty knowlegable internal advisers.

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    "As far as I know," Kían begins slowly, trying to absorb the conversation… then trails off in mild frustration.  "Nnh.  I don't know all your words yet but it sounds like wormhole engineering.  I may know what you're talking about, but by different names.  I learned a lot of physics trying to understand my powers.  A lot," he repeats with gentle emphasis.  "In the real universe, they require untenable amounts of energy to keep stable.  Between universes… is a bit outside where my studies ended.  Research on them kind of ended once we perfected the tachyon conversion drive.  They probably weren't realistically possible anyway.  And the math really is awful."  Despite that last comment, the little birdman clearly warms to the topic as he speaks.  But then, it's the first thing he's heard in a long time that makes any sort of sense to him.

Danger has posed:
    Danger considers Raven's words and hmms before looking back at Colette, "Well, from what I understand, it involved gods and something to do with another planet."  She considers.  "Apokolips I believe."  She nods her had and then shrugs before looking to Raven again and then back at Colette, "Based on how these people spoke, energy isn't their issue.  It's having a Kryptonian that they altered on a celluar level."  She nods her head.
    She looks then to Kían again and nods to him, "Perhaps, but I do not know that enough energy is an issue for someone deemed a god.  They, at least in myth, tend to have lots of energy."  She then hmms.  "Nice wings.  I have wings.  Sometimes."  She then nods again.  "Either way, I must think on these things.  I also must consider how best to help Superman in the future.  Without him ripping my head off.  Again."  Danger nods again before looking to her room.  "See you all later!"

Raven has posed:
    Raven sends her attention to Colette for a moment.  Her mood is impossible to read, to be frank, as she's good at keeping this neutrally disapproving expression in regards to all people present.  Raven is always bothered, or nonplussed, or just plain in a bad mood, and finding her in a different mood is almost if not impossible.  Unlikely may be the right word.
    "If energy is infinite, then whoever is doing it probably just doesn't know any better," she offers, to Danger.  "They may be an amateur, or a novice.  They may also just never have had to give the effort to learn to do things in a more efficient, or skillful way.  That is my two cents," she states, before looking to Kían.  "Welcome to the tower.  We're all sorry for Colette.  She won't stop no matter how many times we've asked."

Stardust has posed:
    "Apokolips.  Ah.  Omega for… no, apparently that still wouldn't be an Einstein-Rosen bridge.  Hmm."  Colette turns to look at Kían speculatively.  "Brick is our man for this stuff.  He's probably the Earth's number one expert on Fourth World technology.  Sounds like you know a bit too though, Kían.  Maybe I can help with the worlds, I'll see if one of my guys knows your language."  She gives up going through the fridge, and with a shrug of her shoulders pours herself a coffee instead.
    Colette turns to Danger with a nod.  "Okay Daro.  Can you liaise with the Justice League for us, get any data you can?  They should have some like… energy readings or whatever from the watch tower.  Between Brick, Kían and my guys we may have more luck figuring out what happened than anyone else."  Heading back with her coffee, Colette resumes her spot on the sofa, and sticks her tongue out at Raven.  "You wouldn't want me to stop.  You'd have to find someone else to get annoyed at all the time, and BB isn't around much these days."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    Kían looks thoughtful a moment.  "Well, I don't know about any 'fourth world', but again, I might know it by a different name.  I'll have to learn how to read your language and your mathematical symbols so I can study it properly."
    He turns a smile to Raven.  "You don't need to apologize for Colette.  Unless I completely misunderstand the nature of Earth relationships, she's not your responsibility… I think?  Besides, I think that's just the way she is."  He tilts his head inquisitively in Raven's direction, then shrugs.  "I have not known you long enough to know how you usually are."

Raven has posed:
    There is a look, that Raven gives, that runs between Kían and Colette.  Her expression remains the same.  "I do not need someone to be bothered by.  I was and am happy that Garfield is taking longer absences.  The lack of explosions, both real and from our speaker system, has been as akin to the most serene situation for me to be in as I have ever felt."
    Then, back to Kían.  "Trust me.  That you're not sure what I am referring to only means that you are not as well versed in Colette as you will be soon.  She ruins things.  It is her only pastime."

Stardust has posed:
    "Fourth world is a term for the powers of Apokolips and New Genesis, birdy," Colette replies to Kían.  "Boom tubes, parademons, stuff like that.  That little army we fought?  Them.  The most technologically advanced guys around, excluding a few scattered remnants of ancient races, and even that's not certain.  Also, she's not really apologizing for me.  She's just saying that to imply I need apologizing for.  Told you, she hates me."  She gives Raven another wink.
    Turning back to Kían, Colette warms to her theme.  "Truth is, Raven doesn't approve of things like parties, friendship and happiness.  Don't try to cheer her up.  I tried once, and the world nearly ended.  I'm not even joking.  Well I am slightly.  But the whole…" she waves a hand around vaguely.  "Raven.  The whole Raven thing, basically if she gets too happy the world ends.  So she needs an excuse to be unhappy.  I'm that excuse.  She hates me, but it's for a good cause.  It makes her happy.  Only not that kind of happy where the world ends, the kind of happy where the world doesn't end."  Colette pauses for a few moments.  "Ignore all that, Kían.  This is just weird human behavior.  Sometimes we say things we don't really mean because it's easier than saying the things we do mean."

Kian t'Kaeh has posed:
    As close to dismissive as Kían ever gets, he says, "Oh, I'm not well versed in anything about this strange world."  Then he starts guiltily.  "Nnh.  I suppose it's not strange to you.  I only meant… nnh.  Well, I find it strange," he finishes, just a trifle sulkily.
    He listens to Colette's explanation… and it just washes over him.  "This is some Earth thing I won't understand.  I have no idea what that means, to say something you don't mean to avoid saying something you do.  That just doesn't happen."  He taps his temple.  "We can't help it.  At least among my people.  I suppose since you can't hear each other's thoughts, you can do that here."
    He adds, with feeling, "This planet is weird."

Stardust has posed:
    "No, Kían, honestly you're right.  This IS a strange world," Colette agrees.  "Humans are weird.  We all know that too.  Anyone who disagrees is lying.  Which is not to say that there aren't many weirder.  If there's one thing that my trip to Knowhere taught me, it's that humans are weird, but so is everyone else."
    Colette glances momentarily back at Raven.  "Oh and that makes me remember something.  Don't touch Raven.  Your whole… thing?  It's probably best if you keep well clear of Raven's head.  She's a very private person, even by Earth standards."
    Colette focuses her attention on her coffee, blowing on it and then taking a sip.  "Anyway Kían.  You've met most of the Titans now.  We're probably no worse than any other bunch of people on the planet and… hey.  If you want to help stop the madness, that's pretty much what we do.  Well, that and eat pizza."  She gives a shrug of her shoulders, glances momentarily back at Raven, and resumes sipping coffee.  Something is muttered under her breath which might possibly be "Sorry, Rae."