noteful | Birthday Party for Laura/X-23

Entry tags:

Birthday Party for Laura/X-23

It's a pretty low-key party, all things considered, and not significantly different than the one Parker or Meg would have thrown in a dorm room for a friend at home, not-exactly-traditional menu not withstanding.

There's music, low enough to talk over (and maybe with a little more folk in the mix than one expects to find a party). Balloons and streamers in purple and blue and red. A place to leave presents. People to meet or catch up with.

And, most importantly, a chance to wish X-23 (or Laura) a very happy birthday.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She hasn't heard that word for it before.

So instead of answering, she asks, uncertain, "And you - like it?"

"School?"

Dinah's tone is lightly sprinkled with a round of 'are you kidding?'

"It's alright. I have nothing in common with half of the kids, though."

In Elle's incredibly limited experience, this seems to be a common opinion. But it never ends up beating down her curiosity.

"What, they can't do what you do?" Her tone is somewhat sarcastic, but tempered by the fact that, well, she doesn't know.

It's not that Dinah doesn't catch the sarcasm, it's just that that's the point.

"Exactly," she says. "And it's not like I can tell them what I do."

X used to go to some mutant-school-thing. Elle never knows what to expect.

"So they... don't know about things like that, in your world?"

"They know we exist," Dinah says. "It's pretty hard to miss the Justice Society, or Superman. We just don't want people to know who we are."

"So... you have fake names like that? Like in X's world?"

This will probably never stop being weird to Elle. 'Superman' doesn't sound like just an alias for a job.

"Codenames? Yeah, everyone's got one. I'm the Black Canary."

Elle doesn't really get it.

But instead of asking, she answers, "We don't... have those in my world."

"It's dangerous otherwise," Dinah explains, almost apologetic for her world. "If our enemies find out who we are, they could target our families."

"... because they all know about you."

She says it like it's still a very weird thing.

"Well, crime prevention makes the news," Dinah says. "And Mom was kind of high profile with the Justice Society."

"And... people are okay with it?"

Pause. "Besides, um..."

In a carefully enunciated way, "Those - enemies?"

That's a complicated question.

"...Why wouldn't they be?"

"Because..."

There isn't really a word yet for what people like Elle do. But what seems to come up most often, next to 'special,' is 'freak.'

"... they don't like it. When you do things they can't."

It's taken a while, but Dinah now realises that they've been talking at slightly different purposes.

"You're just talking about metas, right? Like the Canary Cry?"

Dinah had been talking about the whole hero thing, most of which has nothing to do with her birdcall.

"People are scared of people who are different. That's a given no matter what."

As one involves using an ability very publicly without bothering to hide it, Elle wouldn't be very good at seeing the difference.

It also means she only goes to, "So... they don't like it?"

The difference is people like Dinah Sr, Ted Grant and Bruce Wayne, who don't have powers.

"Most people do," Dinah says, with that defensiveness that comes of having to explain not everyone is a dick, despite knowing more than a few people are.

"We help people. They know this. The Justice Society are Heroes."

X has even told Elle about heroes who don't have powers. But she'll have to understand 'heroes' before getting to how they work.

Still, it's not her world, and so she's perfectly willing to answer with a blank but cheerful, "Okay."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Birthday Party for Laura/X-23

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests

Re: Mingle with the other guests