Shaky Foundation [Terra]

[Connor Hawke]

Players: Connor Hawke and Terra (Gemini)
Location(s): Titans Tower
Plot Summary: Connor and Terra get to know each other at the Tower. Little does Connor know that he's speaking to a mad woman.

The Tower was nearly as fancy as Ollie's mansion. It was definitely more technologically advanced. He had to admit that he preferred living here than to Star City. It was something he wouldn't want to say out loud but it was true. He could see why Mia had spent all her time with the Titans. Unfortunately her current disposition had resulted in Tim passing her over for recruitment. It was a decision that Connor didn't agree with but he did understand it. Being a member of the super hero team wasn't supposed to be therapeutic. You needed to stay focused on the mission at hand and know how to control your temper. These were two skills that Mia had seemingly lost and Connor was doing his best to help her get them back. Unfortunately this meant she wouldn't be suitable for a team until that happened.

That being said Connor had found himself accepting more responsibilities as a member of the Titans. He was far from a team leader but he found himself running more missions and patrols. He had also been working harder to master his archery. It was a skill he had temporarily lost after suffering a bullet wound to the head. He had regained some of his skills but he wasn't nearly as efficient as he used to be. The Tower was stockpiled with more difficult obstacles and training sessions than the mansion had been. It was another reason why Connor had been spending more time here. He wasn't abandoning Star City. He had no intention of doing so. But it was one city and there were many like it that were bad off. Connor had realized he needed to widen the scope of his agenda if he really wanted to make a difference as a vigilante. He couldn't be as close minded as his father.


He stood in the training room with his arms at his sides and a relaxed expression on his face. He was currently surrounded by four robots with reflexes faster than an Olympic trained athlete. He was going to have to take them out in a span of a minute. Then a loud beep sound vibrated through the room and the robots came to life. Connor immediately pulled an arrow out of his quiver and stabbed the nearest robot through the chest. He then lashed out backwards and kicked the robot behind him to the ground. As the remaining two began to fire he sprinted to the side and pulled out two arrows. He slipped both onto his bow and fired. One arrow pierced a robot in the ribs. The other went through its eye. Connor slowed to a stop and glanced up at the time. Fifteen seconds.

Connor inhaled slowly and then exhaled before he checked the time on his wrist watch. He really needed to get something to eat. Connor trotted out of the training session and down the hall. After a ride up the Tower elevator he soon found himself in the kitchen. Connor quickly rummaged through the fridge until he found a salad he had been waiting to eat. Many of the Titans' members still acted like teenagers and ate each other's food. Nobody ate salad. Not even Gar who was an established vegetarian. Connor smirked as he poured himself a glass of orange juice and then sat down at a nearby table. It felt good to be a vegan.

[Gemini]

Titan's Tower... It was much more magnificent then she would have ever assumed. Something had always told her that this place would be full of evil spirits. Rotten with the corpses of fallen Titan foes and paying homage to some dastardly... nefarious being that urged them on to their savagery. Yet as she cautiously meandered through the halls of this beacon of 'justice', she found herself less and less apprehensive. Whether it was the beautiful soul of a character she was inhabiting, or natural serenity that enveloped her, she was no longer at war with this home. She no longer hesitated around corners, she found herself avoiding other Titan interaction less and less... she had even smiled once or twice.

How could such devious creatures illicit such positive reactions from her? It had to be the skin she was wearing. Atlee was an amazing being. For an alien she was immensely complex, rivaling if not surpassing most human beings. She made Gemini feel like a one dimensional character... apparently relying only on comedy and general rambling made you more of a mary sue than a curious alien. At the moment, she was sitting in the courtyard, her hands running over the increasingly level ground. Eggman had outfitted her with another set of superpower mimicing accessories and these were a lot less conspicuous than the bloody gauntlets she had to lug around.

An onslaught of fine induction wires connected to a deep tissue control implant, right alongside her ribcage and eventually linked to her brain. Matrix of wires right underneath her epidermis that when activated blah blah. She had been phasing in and out of consciousness due to both the blood loss and the stimulating pain. The end result, was very obvious and apparent. She pressed her palm against the flat ground and when she pulled it up, a trail of pebbles sized from largest to smallest followed her hand. She was a geokinetic now. The earth and her bounty were hers to control and she'd have blown the scene within hours of gaining her new skills, if it weren't for the flesh wrapped around her rubbery form and the conscience that came with it. She relinquished her control of the earth and rose from her meditative position. Food.

She made her way back inside the tower and meandered through the halls again. Running her hands along the walls and the air, trying to get a feel for the home she now inhabited. She would get lost in the amount of raw emotion she could feel stemming from this place if she didn't center herself. Luckily the rumbling in her stomach was enough to drive her towards the elevator. Arriving in the Kitchen, she made her way towards the pantry when she sensed another presence in the area. Another Titan.. another 'hero' to watch her, scrutinize her every move... another soul to catch onto her ruse and remove her life from her mortal cage. She cleared her throat in apprehension and pulled a box of cereal towards her chest. Connor.. I didn't know anyone else would be up this early in the morning... She glanced down at her box before pulling some milk from the fridge.

You look tense... Training? The marksman. The hunter and the long range predator. She had run into his 'adopted sister' back in Gotham, at the sleepover party. If they were anything alike then this entire correspondence would be difficult. Would you mind if I joined you? She pressed a spoon into her bowl and smiled at Connor without much intention. Having down time with the team was preferable to actually helping them in battle. Her priorities would always be skewed and her true identity would only be divined faster. She could only pray that Ivy came up with a final plan faster.. she didn't want to stay in the lion's den for too long.. she had a habit of growing fangs.

[Connor Hawke]

The leafy greens in Connor's bowl gradually disappeared as he continued to peck away at his food. He really did appreciate his fellow Titans but there was a definite calm and quiet in the early morning. It gave him the opportunity to think and reflect without being bothered. This particular ritual had been in effect ever since he had moved in with Ollie. Soon he found himself staring at an empty bowl in front of him and realize he was still hungry. Connor glanced around quickly before he inserted his finger into the bowl and wiped the clear vignette dressing from the bottom. Just as he was licking the dressing off of his finger a dark haired woman entered the room. Connor startled and then glanced to the right. The one thing about early mornings was that he felt no particular need to be observant. "Hi Atlee." He nodded at her and smiled. "I like the peace and quiet." He explained. "Things can get a bit rowdy later in the day."


When she told him that he looked tense Connor shrugged. He wasn't a tense person but he was guessing that he did look a little uptight from training. He hadn't meditated or engaged in his usual cool down methods that relaxed his muscles. He had simply been too hungry. Now that he thought about his muscles did feel a little tight. It wouldn't hurt to relax or even take a small nap. As much as Connor depended on meditation he knew that it wouldn't solve all his problems. "Yeah." Connor finally said. His muscle memory was slowly getting back to him. It had taken a shot to the head to knock out all of his archery skills and it had been a real pain to get them back. Yet he was getting there and his mind and muscle were finally starting to work in sync again when it came to his bow. It had been a long time coming. Connor stood to his feet and slipped past Atlee. " 'Scuse me."

He reached into the fridge and pulled out a container of cantaloupe before sitting down again. Atlee asked if she could join him and Connor smiled. He really did prefer quiet but he also didn't mind conversation. Atlee didn't seem like the type of person who would ruin his calm. His other teammates couldn't either but that didn't mean they didn't come close. As much as he loved his teammates he really did prefer peace and quiet. It was something that crossed his mind quite often. "Please." He gestured at the seat next to him. He speared a piece of the orange fruit on his fork before looking up at Atlee. Tim had filled him in on a few details about her backstory. He was interested in learning more. "How are things on the surface treating you?" From what he understood the Titans always had someone who was new to Earth and naive of their customs. Connor was fairly naive about the culture of San Francisco. Maybe he could bond with Terra over that.

[Gemini]

Peace and quiet? She was intruding on his downtime. She would've been content with bowing out peacefully from the situation and allowing him time on his own... but why? Why did she want to respect his wishes and be.. a generally good person. This disguise thing was not good for her. I understand that... I opt to meditate early, so as not to be bothered later.. though if I am intruding on your meditation, I will leave you in peace. She took a spoonful of the cereal and chewed it as quietly as possible, her face lighting up at the taste. Sugar... I never get tired of it. Gemini could only assume that Stratans didn't have sugary breakfast cereals... and if they did then they weren't as alien as everyone thought.

There was obviously something on his mind. It felt like an hour before he finally responded to her question. She took a step backwards as he went on into the fridge. For a moment, she stared at the back of his neck, her hand tightening drastically around her spoon and her mind rapidly becoming focused. He was here.. his back to her, his defenses down and no witnesses in sight. She could start her revenge here and now.. begin with him and make her way to those that had actually committed the crime. Yet she let him go.. she watched him make his way back to his seat and followed after, after he bid her to sit. She sat opposite him and took another spoonful of her cereal. The way she moved seemed so slow and cautious, as if she couldn't fathom what would happen if she had spilled some of the cereal, or made a mess of her face and that she wasn't eager to find out what would happen. It was definitely odd being so calculated and careful in her movements, if she hadn't been disguised as.. a rock alien, she would've made a mess of this kitchen minutes ago.

Surface life is interesting to say the least. Everyone up here is so different in personality from each other, with such opposing and conflicting ideals and peoples.. it's not surprising how much war takes place here. As she spoke, she stared down into her cereal bowl, twirling her spoon about as if the whirlpool were a viewing portal into the heart of man. Picking the spoon up, she popped it in her mouth once more before looking up at Connor. She smiled and cleared her mouth before trying to steer the subject towards warmer waters again. On a more.. personal subject though, if it could be called personal.. I've been receiving all manner of propositions and requests from people on the streets.. I keep asking and yet no one will give me a straight answer... What does this mean?

She raised her hands and started pushing her pointer finger through a hole made by her thumb and other pointer finger. I get it a lot, and also copious references to my chest. It's safe to say, I'm thoroughly confused by them.. Priceless.

[Connor Hawke]

"You're not bothering me." Connor said with a smile before he sipped on his orange juice. Now he felt mildly guilty for implying that he had. Connor really didn't mind company. He just didn't want to deal with a noisy environment right now. Yet so far Atlee had proven to be someone who enjoyed quiet conversation and enjoyed hobbies similar to him. On top of that they were both outsiders to the Titans. Atlee had only come above ground to Earth recently and Connor was joining the Titans for the first time. Maybe they could make something of this. "You might not get tired of sugar but sugar will tire you out."

Connor hated coming off as a self-righteous vegan but Atlee was new here. The best he could do was start her on the path towards being healthy. Connor always offered his insight once when it came to things like this. He wasn't like Beast Boy. "Here." Connor stood up and grabbed a fork from the cabinet. He sat down again and pushed his bowl of cantelope towards her. "Try the cantelope. It's sweet but it doesn't have artificial sugar. Plus it's good for you." He nodded at her in an encouraging manner before he returned to his own drink.

As Atlee explained her experiences on Earth Connor let her talk. He didn't interrupt her and instead listened. So many people just wanted to talk and talk and not really consider what the other person had to say. Connor strived to do the opposite of that. Yet when she brought up the issue of her body Connor nearly spat out his orange juice. His self-control prevented him from even hinting at that happening. Yet he was somewhat disturbed and a little annoyed. However, having a younger sister who was a former prostitute made absorbing this information a little easier.

"I'm sure you're already doing this but...just be sure to ignore them and don't do what they say. Here in America some men have an unhealthy obsession with women and their....assets so it'd just be best to pretend that they're not there." He hoped that he had nipped that in the bud.

[Gemini]

Not bothering him... Fantastic. She returned his smile with one of her own as she continued emptying the bowl of it's contents. Now that the sun was slowly climbing it's way up to its throne, she knew these moments of calm would readily be vanquished in lieu of the controlled chaos that the Titan's radiated. Oh.. wait what about sugar? Tire.. Is that a side effect of the sugar? All thing's considered, it does make sense. She had a funny story in mind about Terra falling asleep in the middle of stopping a volcano from exploding, inadvertently burying Pompeii. Now she couldn't actually share that with anyone, but she did allow herself a small smile.

During her insane musings, she failed to notice Connor sliding her a bowl of cantaloupe to tear into. She twirled the fork in her fingers absent-mindedly before plunging it into one of the fruit pieces. She hated fruit... it was all she was allowed to eat in New Bludhaven and she had grown immensely tired of all of them. From Grapes to Lingonberries. Though.. to outright refuse his request would be odd. Or perhaps not, she hadn't spent enough time studying Atlee's mannerisms it seemed. Pulling the fork out of the bowl she chewed slowly on the cantaloupe and allowed her mouth to creep into a slight smile. Oh this is pretty tasty. Thank you, Connor. I'll be sure to add these to my rider. So far her rider was the least cluttered of those she had seen so far. Beast Boy's was entirely composed of tofu based substances and an assortment of brushes.

She pulled her fork from his bowl of fruit and passed it back to him, not wanting to commandeer his entire breakfast. She was more civilized than that, and of course.. someone had to finish her cereal. She raised her bowl once more as Connor went about explaining the dos and don'ts of being sexually active. She nodded thoughtfully at his insight into the problem and eventually nodded in the affirmative. Ignore them. Power Girl told me as much.. thank you, Connor. What of you though? How are you adjusting to life on the team and in the city? It was only courteous to pose the same question to him. Though her need to be courteous was alarming. She felt something stirring in her stomach. Something like a hurricane of bile hoping to find a release. She shoveled a few more spoonfuls of cereal down her gullet, to try and tame the pain.

She tried not to show it to Connor.. but her discomfort was growing faster the longer she stayed here.