A Boyscout and a Bird [Superman]

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When the day dawned, it found Shayera having not slept very much the night before, but what else is new? It simply isn't in her nature to sleep in, though, so the moment that the sun was up she was too. It doesn't take her very long to throw on some clothes suitable for patrolling, stuff herself with breakfast food, grab her mace, and start her morning patrol - the sun is barely above the horizon when she takes to the sky.

This is only her second full day in Gotham, but it's nice to already have a schedule worked out for herself. One where she's actually working and feeling like she's getting something accomplished rather than days on end of contemplation. Not that any of the things that have been on her mind ever really got resolved or that all this activity is likely to change that, but at least she's doing something.

The first couple hours of the morning are full of busy work. Nothing too extreme on the criminal front - just some thugs whose night time activities bled into the morning a little, who quickly find themselves beaten into submission and handed over to the police along with a thorough description from Hawkgirl about whatever it was that she saw them doing. It probably won't take very long for the criminals in her own neighborhood especially to start avoiding her, but in the meantime she can take them off guard. And she does love taking them off guard...

By the time the 'morning rush' is over and Gotham has fully transitioned from the dark underbelly of the night to the more pleasant business center it is during the day, a glance at a clock tells her that it's nearly nine in the morning. For someone with her level of stamina, she's just gotten started, but since most of the crime has now hidden itself away until evening, she'll have to try harder to find anything. Lifting herself a little higher above the buildings to increase her field of view, she begins scanning the streets and alleyways below herself, looking for anyone foolish enough to commit a crime in broad daylight - or at least one serious enough to merit her attention. Because if she sees them, they will go to jail.

Though now that she's scanning and not finding much, she finds her thoughts drifting to other things - looking around only takes so much of her attention. And she has an awful lot of things to think about - life, the universe, and everything, but especially what she's attempting by being in Gotham. Though her thoughts also stray to wondering about Clark - has he returned yet? She trusts that Supergirl will pass along her message the moment he does, so he'll know that she wants to talk to him. Not knowing how long it will take before he's back, she tries to be patient, though she can't help but worry a little, if only because if he returns but doesn't want to talk to her then things are worse than she thought. She'll just have to wait until he comes or she catches word that he's back, and then she'll know where things stand between them. She wasn't lying when she said that she'd hunt him down if he tries to avoid her, though.

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Superman never needed much rest, only a few hours a week. Beyond that he spent both night and day patrolling the streets and working at the Daily Planet. Usually the former was a tad more exciting, yet the latter had its benefits. But after returning from a long League mission, Superman was looking forward to a rather uneventful day as “mild-mannered” Clark Kent.

Yet it seems that was not meant to be, as he was informed of a special visitor that happened by recently. Clark was slightly surprised to hear from Kara of Shayera's visit, how eager she was to see him. He had no doubts he'd track her down, he was eager to reconcile with the Thanagarian. The last he saw of her, she was leaving the Watchtower, resigning from the League. After that, Clark and the others hadn't heard from her, only supposed sightings here and there but nothing with substantial merit. He felt rather guilty and saddened; his former ally and friend must believe him livid with her. These feelings overwhelmed the hurt and anger gained from her deception. But hopefully, all that would soon be put to rest, and the hatchet buried.

As morning dawned, Clark decided something of this caliber was worth being a few hours late to work for, as they certainly had a lot to talk about. The kryptonian left the apartment in his reporter guise, before slipping into an alleyway, and transforming into the Man of Steel.

He shot into the sky like a rocket, hovering above the sprawling city. He looked down, on his poor city, hopefully she'd fare well while he was away. Now, which way was Gotham again? South west! Gotham was South West of Metropolis.

BANG

Like a gun going off, Clark broke the sonic barrier, traveling to Gotham at a whopping mach 10, arriving in approximately two minutes. The world around him turned into a blur. There was somewhat of a calmness to it. For a moment the world whisked by him, the brief sounds of all the lives around him rang in his ears. Every good moment, every bad moment. There wasn't much like breaking the sound barrier.

During his “trip” if you will, Superman thought about what he would say to Hawkgirl. It was almost funny, he's bullet proof yet doesn't always have the proper words to conflict feeling. The last he'd seen her, tension and strong emotion was in the air. Admittedly Clark was rightly upset. More hurt that his friend had lied to him than angry. Yet he didn't let his emotions cloud his perception. Hawkgirl was a loyal ally and good friend, he still hoped they could retain that relationship. But Shayera left, and it was almost as if his feelings towards her no longer mattered.

In moments, Superman stopped dead in his track. He was currently just bellow the ten thousand feet mark; Low enough so he wasn't in the clouds, yet high enough so he could see the city below him. There was still a matter of finding Hawkgirl, a winged woman wouldn't be so hard to find.A quick scan of the city, and boom; the unflappable Hawkgirl was hovering above the building tops of Gotham's east side. Oddly enough she lacked her iconic helmet. It was a bizarre sight, like seeing her without her trusty mace. Nevertheless, he flew down behind her, she'd know it was him before he even got in arms length, and flashed a kind smile.

“Hello there, Hawkgirl. It's been far too long.”

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Of course when Shayera realized that she couldn't keep herself hidden away and would have to return to the real world where she'd have to face up to everything she did, she wasn't sure exactly what sort of a reaction she'd get. Hell, she didn't even know whether they all hate her, are willing to forgive her, or what. She certainly wouldn't blame them all for hating her after what she did, though she'd been hopeful that she'd be able to earn their forgiveness. After her initial contacts with Batman, she's somewhat more confident - he's been... stern, naturally, but was willing to give her a chance when she asked for one. And she'd wagered that he'd be one of the tougher ones - he's rather black and white in his thinking, after all, and she'd never been that close to him.

Clark, on the other hand... When they first met, she'd tried to keep him at arm's length - at teammate and nothing more. But she'd have to have been blind to not notice the goodness of his heart and the skill with which he leads. She respects the crap out of him, really. And then there had been those times that she was homesick and griped to him about that. Of course, she'd been lying at the time about never being able to go back, but she'd still known that she'd be here for at least a few years and he'd been there to talk to. Knew a bit what she was going through, trying to adjust to a new planet, though that wasn't exactly the same - he grew up on this planet, and he has a family. He can even blend in with the humans in a way she can't quite manage (it really is cheating for him to be able to fly without wings...), and she's a bit jealous of that. But they're both still aliens on this planet - the only real difference is how much more used to it he is.

Of course, how he feels about her now she can only guess, though she's hopeful. Clark has always been very fair-minded, after all, and she truthfully never meant any harm to either the planet or its people. So she's sure that it's more likely than not that he'll give her another chance, though she'll not take that as a given. Her first hint that he's coming is the sonic boom of his arrival. It's hard to tell from that noise alone whether it's him or a jet or something, so she looks up to see which. Though it seems that he's spotted her first, because when she sees him he's flying down to join her. She has little time to get butterflies before he's behind her, flashing that smile and saying hello.

Which she immediately responds to by turning around and tackling him with a hug. It's the smile that prompted that reaction - just because he came here to find her doesn't mean that he's happy she's back since it could simply mean that he knew that she'd live up to her threat to hunt him down and he may just want to get that over with. But the smile confirms that he's not just willing to talk but is happy to see her! Of course she knows that there are things to talk out, and stuff like that, but for now she's just happy that he's happy to see her. And as is her habit with him, she doesn't hold back on the hug - she has super-strength and she's complained to him before about how hard it is to live on planet where you have to be careful not to break anything when you shake someone's hand. Of course, her strength isn't much compared to his, so he can take it, and since she knows that she doesn't bother to be careful - it's rather refreshing not to have to.

Letting him go, she smiles and says, "Far too long!" Glancing down, she finds the nearest rooftop and immediately heads for it. He may be able to hover all day, but... well, actually, with her stamina so could she. But it still takes effort and energy, so she'd rather not if they're going to have a long chat - it takes more effort and energy to hover than to fly, actually. "You have no idea how good it is to see you!" she says once she has a roof under her feet. "I thought that... well, maybe you wouldn't want to. I wouldn't blame you," she admits immediately.

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Hawkgirl's status had been a mystery for months, some members doubted she would be seen again, others hoped for as much, but Clark always had faith. He knew some day Shayera would reappear, his concern was centered more on her peace of mind. The fact she seemed fine, as well as happy to see him, caused Clark to gush with happiness. Not to mention, Shayera's hugs, they were always warm and loving. She couldn't give many of these without causing severe injury, so it must be as much as a treat for her to finally give one as it was to receive one. He wrapped his arms around her in response, and his grin just kept getting bigger.

Throughout his career in the Justice League, he'd always felt a clear connection with Shayera, one that goes beyond that of mere allies. During the beginning, she tended to keep distant and to herself- as if she refused personal relationships with other members. Perhaps it was the heroics they preformed together, personally seeing the character of one another that brought forward a great respect. In the end, he'd trust her to the ends of the earth. It was refreshing to see that bond had not broken.

Once the hug was broken, she responded cheerfully, he'd hate to think her distraught and depressed. During his last meeting with her, his feelings of betrayal clear. He felt anger for sometime, as it was reasonable given the circumstance, but an overarching feeling of pain marred him. This was Shayera, she'd always been so open about her home world and had spoken often about the impossibility of return. To think such a close friend had kept a secret so large from him was painful, yet secrets were a large part of the league and it's mere existence. Throughout his life he had to lie to keep himself safe, from best friends to lovers. Was Shayera's lie much of a difference? In the end she'd saved the planet from destruction, to say it was a betrayal be right?

Nevertheless, a talk would be in order; one that couldn't be done hovering stories above the ground. The aliens flew down to a nearby building, a much more suitable place to hold a discussion. “The feeling is more than mutual, Shayera. I've been very concerned.” Superman said, in a more somber tone. He wore a look of concern where his smile had once been.

Upon hearing the Thangarian's confession, Clark approached her and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. “Why, you're silly to think I wouldn't want to see you.” he gave a chuckle. “After everything we've been through? You've been a great friend and fantastic ally, those are the moments  that remind me of you. Not The Thangarian invasion, but your good heart and great nature.”

Clark gave a smile, and gave in to the temptation to give his friend a big hug. She started it after all. He could now rest easy knowing his friend was safe, and that thing that had gone unsaid had been cleared up.

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During her months away, Shayera had definitely grappled with moments of being distraught and depressed - in fact, she still does at times - but she's not one to dwell within such emotions for too long. Those feelings in larger doses are nothing but destructive, after all, though she does feel like she perhaps deserves those smaller doses of it that strike her from time to time. She did, after all, lie to her friends, betray her friends, and put the whole planet in jeopardy. Not that she ever set out to do any of those things, but that was the net result of her her actions. If she'd only made the choices that she should have, then none of it would have happened - of course, hindsight is 20/20.

As Superman expresses his completely justified concern, Shayera's head hangs slightly and she looks just a little sheepish as she says, "I'm sorry about disappearing like that - I just needed... some time. I was actually staying at the Tower of Fate." Which explains how she managed to disappear so completely - there's not very many places on even the entire planet that someone as well known as her can even go where someone wouldn't spot her and get word back to the League, but if Doctor Fate decides to keep quiet about it then that's one of them. And it's really not that far away, actually. Her expression grows just slightly amused as she says, "You should have known better than to worry - you know I can take care of myself." Still, she can't help but be a bit touched that he was.

And she also can't help the relieved smile that crosses her face at his words and the hug afterward, which she returns once again with her usual gusto. And as she does so, she can't help but kick herself for being so worried - even after what she did, she should have known that she and Clark were still friends. Oh, she's sure that if she's meant to cause harm by her secrets it would be different, but of course he'd recognize the difference.

"Thank you! You don't know how much it means to hear you say that!" she replies, finally breaking their hug again as she adds, "Especially since I'm here in Gotham basically trying to earn Batman's trust back - and you know how he is." Paranoid when there isn't a reason to be, and now she's actually given him a solid reason so it must be really bad. But then again, refusing to back down in the face of a real challenge is pure Shayera - trust her to go right after a hard one. Still, that means that she wasn't immediately greeted by a friendly face after her absence. Then again, she's not sure that she deserved one.

Sighing to herself, a very serious expression comes to her face she hesitates to say, "I got news awhile back from my people. Apparently things were worse than I knew - the battle they rushed off to was for Thanagar, our home planet. The fleet was too late, I've been blamed for that and branded a traitor. Hro was killed in a heroic attempt to retake the planet. The survivors have scattered." She stops there, closing her eyes for a moment. It's important news to pass along, both just to keep him updated on herself, but it also tells him that Earth definitely has no need to fear that the Thanagarian army might return. Or at least not for an extremely long time. But though she's sure that Clark can hear all that without much emotion since they weren't his people and didn't exactly make a very good impression when he met them, she's clearly forcing herself to be rather stoic about it. Even about the death of Hro - she was promised to him, after all, and while it was extremely over between them by the time they went their separate ways, that doesn't mean nothing to her.