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Post by RaidenFaShogun on Sept 16, 2024 0:36:32 GMT
Ororo was a renewed woman. Her power flowed through her. The Earth spoke to her. And the elements could once again be shaped by her. After speaking to the people of Zambesi, Ororo had to make another stop. Themyscira. The island of the Amazons. They had taken her in at her lowest point and...to say they rebuilt her would be dishonest. They gave her the tools she needed to rebuild herself. They helped her to see past what she thought was a weakness to rebuild her strength. What she thought was taken from her only needed to be found again. And find it she did.
The woman who the Amazons had met was changed. Her powers returned. Her connection with the Earth was deepened and her ancestors had blessed her. A trial had awaited her. One that she would never passed without the training of the Amazons. Many of those who she had grown closest with had caught up with her to greet her. There were many on the island she had to catch up with but most notably was their Queen Hippolyta. Their audience was brief as the Queen was a busy woman but Ororo wanted to make sure that she personally thanked her for treating her as one of her people when she had lost her way.
After kneeling before the queen one last time she rose to leave the queen to her duties. It was still midday so perhaps she'd linger around the island to take in the sights. She attempted to draw as little attention to herself as possible though her white Nimbus-like hair was incredibly hard to miss from any distance. It also didn't help that the island found itself a few degrees cooler since her arrival.
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Post by Countess on Sept 19, 2024 0:22:16 GMT
"Ororo?"
The voice is a familiar one- if not because of her time here, then because of how much Diana is known the world over. There, in a more modern take on a toga, is Wonder Woman with her lasso tying the cloth together. "You are back! I had heard my sisters speak of this, so I had to see myself," she says, beaming. A hand comes out to her, intending to grasp Ororo's forearm briefly, then pull her into a hug as many on the island do with their friends.
"It is good to see you again, sister. You seem... better. No, more than that... You have to tell me of your journeys since leaving here. Did you stop by my mother?" she asks, a sort of... childlike excitement about her. Diana has many hats- usually matronly- but Ororo has never been one to need that presence. Instead, she has always met her as a peer. The love remains- it is just different. That doesn't make it any less.
"There is so much to catch up on... forgive me, I had not thought you would come back here. It is sheer chance I have returned home."
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Post by RaidenFaShogun on Sept 23, 2024 16:04:04 GMT
Ororo heard the voice. She turned around and there she was. The Princess of the Amazons. “Diana!” A similar smile stretched across her own face as she returned Wonder Woman’s greeting. Though Diana was a lot stronger than her so being pulled in for the hug almost threw her off balance. Almost.
“There’s nothing to forgive. I didn’t give any warning on my return. I half expected you to be on some mission with the League. But it is good to see you are still able to find time to return here. I may need some advice on that one day.” Ororo took a step back. “I am better…I’m whole. And then some.” She had to pause to find the right word. She felt like she had found a piece of herself that she didn’t even know she was missing in her quest. “As for the queen, I didn’t have too much time to speak with her, as busy as she was at the time. But she at least knows of my gratitude. As do the sisters I trained with.”
“But what of you? What have you been up to in the last couple of months? Slain any Minotaurs?” A small joke poking fun at mythology. Ororo knew, however, Diana had much bigger fish to fry out there.
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Post by Countess on Sept 25, 2024 2:00:11 GMT
"I admit, it is rare I get to be here, and truly... be here," Diana says, looking away from Ororo for a small moment, eyes cast out to the island that had long been her home. "If I am not working for the League, I am working for the Island," she says. "It leaves little time for much else- but I am carving a place for someone special," Diana says, looking back to Ororo with a look of quiet happiness on her features. It is hard not to, when fostering love. It isn't new... but it is fresh. Taking Sue here will be... important. Very important. Exposing her to the technological advances alone will likely cause a push for explanations-
"I am lost in my thoughts of my love," Diana says, shooing the ruminating away for another time. "Whole," she reiterates, humming the word a little, letting it settle on her tongue and in her bones. "I am so glad, Ororo. This place is one of healing for many. For it to serve as this for you, too... gives me heart. You deserved this place, and the Goddesses willed it so for you to find us as you did. They do not let all in that seek us, and sometimes they let in those who do not see us," Diana says, looking back out to the Island.
"No, no minotaurs," she says, laughing. "Though, if you wish to meet a Kithotaur... Ferdinand is my chef, and a very fine man. You are welcome not only to my home here, but my home in DC," Diana says, freely offering... anything to her. "What comes next for you, sister?"
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Post by RaidenFaShogun on Sept 28, 2024 20:08:04 GMT
“Maybe next Summer I'll visit you in DC. Hopefully, if the stars align and we both have a moment to breathe." Ororo tilted her head as she thought about what her next step would be. "The Xavier School will have to be my next and final stop. Defending and cultivating the future of mutants is still my calling. And now that I’m back at 100% I need to get back to them. I don't know how much has changed since I've been gone or if they'll even have me when I return, but if I still feel the call then I still have to take the chance.”
“But what’s this about a lover for the Champion of the Amazons?” Ororo chuckled a bit. She wasn't about to turn down a chance at some gossip. “I'm not quite ready to leave yet, so if there’s anything I can do to help you while I’m still here I’d love to. And that way you can tell me more about the one who has you so lost in thought.”
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Post by Countess on Oct 5, 2024 15:07:36 GMT
"Would you ever want to be a part of the Justice League as a Liaison for mutantkind?" Diana asks. It is something she and the others have spoken on many times, but the mutant community is very distrusting and insular. For good reason, of course, and she empathizes greatly given where she comes from. Ororo, among others, is on the short list for such a position. "To have your voices and needs heard by the largest super hero community would likely help a great deal. We have aliens on our team, for Goddesses' sake, yet it seems the world at large is more willing to accept them than you," she says, not understanding the sentiment. There are many mutants on Paradise Island; there is no fear nor worry.
Diana smiles brightly at the thought of Sue, her love, though not quite her lover. "We are taking things slow," Diana says, and she seems happy about that fact. "She has worries, and I dare not spook her. I am not even sure how willing she is for me to be open about who she is, and our relationship. It does not bother me, nor does it make me think less of her. I know how the world of men is... to be Other is to be Less," she says, ruminating on that thought briefly.
"She is a fierce warrior, protective and cunning. Her days are spent as a scientist, and I will scream from every mountain her virtues and accomplishments. She is a woman worth celebrating, and one worth my love and adoration. I hope I am worth hers. My love is blessed by Aphrodite, Urania, Seshat, and Benzaiten. She flows, Ororo, through me, through all things, and she permeates all thoughts. I am lucky to behold her," Diana says, and her feet barely touch the ground as merely speaking of Susan uplifts her.
Diana says, gently lowering back down. "There is always much to do on the island. Mbaba Mwana Waresa sees to our crops and weather, so I am afraid some of your gifts are not needed. If you like, you can accompany me to a class I hold every so often. There are some women here who wish to immigrate into the World of Men, as they want more than anything the blessing of motherhood, adventure, or simply to help our sisters around the world. I teach them the ways of the world, what to expect, and how to live in a place so different than our own."
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Post by RaidenFaShogun on Oct 10, 2024 6:58:10 GMT
“So poetic.” Ororo laughed. “I think I like this side of you a lot more than the side of you that brandishes the blade.” Ororo referred to Diana’s rigorous training as an Amazon. She’d only observed from afar or took part in a sparring match but never truly been on the receiving end of her blade. And hopes she never will.
“She sounds lovely and I’d love to meet her, goddesses willing.” The Justice League, however...it gave her pause. Ororo reflected on who she was not too long before the incident that left her powerless for the first time in a long time. Before, she would have jumped at the opportunity. But now, she saw it for what it was. A massive undertaking of responsibility. She saw all the time Diana had put into bringing the League to its current state. Granted Wonder Woman had been a pillar of the superhero community for a long time now. There was no doubt in her mind that she could do it. But she was hesitant about whether or not she should. Ororo was eager to change the subject off the league. The offer felt like it was out of nowhere. But looking back, The pair had developed a strong bond over the better part of a year. ”Perhaps we can arrange something for the summers where I can come here to each on the off months from the school and we get to hang out more often. Then we can save the League discussion for that later date. I need time to assess the situation at the school and get used to having powers again. The demands of the League are many and I’m not sure how helpful I would be anywhere if my time was split.”
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Post by Countess on Oct 18, 2024 0:09:02 GMT
Diana laughs, earnest and loud. "You are not the only one to share this sentiment, sister," she says, humor in her tone. "Play your cards right, and all that you shall ever have pouring from my lips is honey... rather than hate," she continues, grinning. In truth, though Diana is a warrior first and foremost, she would rather solve her problems diplomatically. If she had done so with Ares earlier... Well. That will forever be something that hangs over her head. Some lessons are only taught with great suffering.
"I would say she is finer than the evening star..." Diana says to Ororo rather conspiratorially. "But that would invoke the wrath of Venus herself, with whom I thank every day for the blessings she has bestowed upon me with beauty and grace," she says, winking at the other woman. "There is no one else like her," she continues, and the words could be about Venus... or her mysterious lover.
Diana listens to her answer to her proposition, nodding. Ororo would be a fine member- Diana has been advocating for a mutant to joining the Justice League since its inception. Perhaps some day they will have that voice in their ranks, but she understands what it is to be shoehorned into the position of advocate and educator. It is exhausting at times, but it is what she knowingly signed up for.
"Anything you offer is welcome and appreciated," Diana says, a small smile on her lips. Paradise Island did not have a monetary system- such a thing would invoke the very classism that plagued many of her sisters' past lives. Instead, they all played their parts, giving back to the community as a whole. Acts of service were commonplace. It is what enabled Ororo to live here for a time, as well as many others. There is always a place, and always a way to give. "We would be glad to have you in the summers. All we have is time," she says, quietly referring to the immortality of all the women here.
"As for the League... just think about it. Or, if you know someone that you would recommend, I hold your opinion higher than most," Diana acquiesces. She isn't one to push, not for something like this. "Here to see anyone else?" she asks, pivoting.
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Post by RaidenFaShogun on Oct 25, 2024 7:15:06 GMT
Ororo smiled and looked out onto the horizon. She needed to leave but the peace that the Amazons so carefully maintained pulled her. Complacency. The killer of duty. She couldn't fall into it. She had to return to the outside world. She had to return to help others. Mutantkind needed her. Her home village needed her. So many needed her. And she had to answer the call. If she didn't who would? What if no one would? Why leave that up to chance?
"Diana..." She turned back to her Amazon friend. "How do you manage to leave this place behind even for a moment?"
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Post by Countess on Nov 7, 2024 3:39:56 GMT
Time stretches between them in silence as they both behold the horizon. There is so much on this island that bears memories for the woman. Much is lost to the sea of time, but others come back with a glance and a hopeful heart. She remembers all the tricks she would play on her sisters and aunts, the equal parts exasperation and amusement she would garner. She remembers her first failure, how Antiope had asked her what she learned. This island is bathed in the collective memories of these women, it blankets her like a hug. How could she leave? How could she look at this place and still want more? Questions she has asked herself many times over.
"Even when I was a child, I wasn't looking at the stars, I was looking out where the sky kisses the sea," Diana says, breathing deep. "This is my home. It always will be. I know every stone, every sister, every smile, every sound. I will never grow tired of it," she says, letting out that air in a sigh. "But it calls me, Ororo, Man's World. My place is here, there, everywhere. Not because of some perceived duty, but because of the love I feel for them. How I feel about my sisters here, I feel about my brothers, about all of my family that makes up this world. I leave because there, out there, beyond the horizon, is so much more. Beauty and happiness isn't everything, and those who have less of it than my home are no less deserving of my love because of it."
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Post by RaidenFaShogun on Nov 11, 2024 21:31:51 GMT
Diana spoke with Athena's wisdom. The words circled around in her mind almost writing themselves onto its walls. For all the beauty that Themyscira had to offer it was the need of the people that drove her. Her place was where she was needed the most. There was so much out there that called to her and she would follow that calling wherever it took her. She nodded. "Well put." Ororo looked out on the horizon, closing her eyes. She listened to the earth hoping she would give a hit about her next move. But she already knew what was next. "Yes. I should get going. Once I've got my footing again I'll contact you about your offer for the League."
Ororo went in for once last hug before she left. "Thank you, again, for the words of encouragement and wisdom." After pulling away, Ororo began to float off the ground.
"Give Artemis and the Wonder Girls my regards."
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Post by Countess on Nov 11, 2024 21:49:26 GMT
Diana meets the hug happily, sad to see her friend go but understanding this was a chance encounter. There are places to go, things to do for the both of them. Just as there is no rest for the wicked, there is none for the righteous, either. "Take your time, Ororo. My arms will always be open to you," she says, watching as the other woman gently floats into the air. It is good to see her, better to see her whole.
"Tell them yourself!" Diana calls out, a hand cupped by her mouth in a shout. "You know Lizzie misses you!" she adds, smiling. Her daughter is so very spoiled by her Aunties.
Diana watches, still, as Ororo departs from the island. She stays where she is, keeping an eye on her, until her form disappears in the seam between sea and sky.
END THREAD
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