Oh, I'm hoping you'll understand

[andaway]

Characters: Superman & you?
Date: From 22/03 for Superman, a week later or so for Clark Kent.
Location: All over the turtle
Situation: Kal's finally decided to step out of prison, start actually getting consequences for his actions. This is something of a catch all for everyone who wants to talk to Superman or Clark after his stay in the prison. Threadstarters tba (if you want one poke me at plurk! crotalus)
Warnings/Rating: There might be talk of murder, will edit if needed


[Superman - Flying (low) around the turtle]

He wasn't quite sure what to do.

He had to pay visits, talk to those he'd personally offended, but- then, what? What next? The world hadn't ended, his life had kept on going. He'd killed, maimed, hurt both with his words and with his fists and yet he was still alive. What was he supposed to do, pretend nothing happened? Pretend he wasn't afraid of it happening again? Pretend the memories of it wouldn't hurt him every time he closed his eyes?

This is what he wondered as he flies around the turtle in full costume... deciding he should, at least, let himself be seen. He'd been so comfortable hiding in prison, but that was done. Superman was back, and Mark had been right about something: the longer he hid from others the worse the memories would get. The hardest forgiving him would be.

So he simply flew around, the way he used to do back in Metropolis in his 'patrols'. Having his power back was honestly a relief, after so long without them. If he saw any signs of trouble for both Kedan and Foreigners he'd fly down and try to help- even though there were a lot of heroes who could have easily done his job in this place.


[Clark Kent - Work (Radio) / Grocery shopping around the turtle]

Using his fake leg as Clark Kent was the hardest time. Not because it didn't fit, or do his job properly (it was Jor-El's work, of course it did). But the phantom pains where still there, still present and somehow they got worse the more he spent as Clark Kent. As Superman he could simply hover, stop touching the ground with his bad leg- or maybe it was simply a psychological thing? Maybe he reverted back to human weaknesses when he was being human, as he'd done when he'd had electrical powers.

Still, he had to get back to work. Lois had been overworked for long enough as it was, and even though his father's bots had done a great job acting like he did (again, Jor-El's work) he couldn't stay away from being Clark Kent. It was as much of a part of him as Superman was, and after a week he decided it had been enough waiting to cast away any suspicions about Superman and Clark.

So he could be found in the Radio's office, doing his job... or simply at the markets, getting what looked like enough food to feed a legion. After the time in the bottle and the time in prison, he wanted to make sure Lois was finally eating right.

Comments

[andaway]

"What, me finally venturing to the world outside isn't good enough for a celebration?" He said with a gentle laugh, stepping inside. For all he theorized about an actual, honest to Rao allergy to magic when he crossed through the window he did indeed not feel the slightest trace of it. One day he would accept it just happened to affect him the same way it did everyone.

"I did, today. I thought you'd like getting the news in person, along with a nice slice of pie or two."

[backwordscompatible]

"Good point."

Already, she was leading him across the room and to the stairs. The kitchen, where she wondered if she had any vanilla ice cream or something to go with the pie.

"Congratulations. That's probably the best news I've heard all month."

It wasn't an exaggeration.

[andaway]

Superman followed her to the kitchen, already familiar with the suite from the times he'd visited his favorite magician in the turtle.

"Really? I was hoping something news-worthy had happened since your last visit in prison." He set the pie on the table, waiting for Zatanna to bring him something to slice the pie with. "I'm sorry it took so long, for me to get out I mean. I feel like I just made the matter worse, but I was so sure I was doing the right thing at the moment."

[backwordscompatible]

"Sorry to disappoint. I guess you're not the only person who's still recovering from what happened inside the bottle."

It was meant to be a passing comment, but even as she said it, Zatanna realized how much of it was true. That was how she and most of the people close to her had been spending their time.

"You shouldn't have to apologize. You did what you had to do. If that meant locking yourself away for some Super Alone Time...I already told you. I get it."

[andaway]

He nodded at the girl, the teasing smile shifting into something more serious for a moment. They knew whatever was happening inside that bottle would be bigger than they are and yet they went in... and faced the consequences, whichever they were.

Also, 'super alone time', really? She was lucky she was talking to Super clean mind who wouldn't come up with that kind of thought if his life depended on it.

"And I appreciate that, which is why I brought you this." He motions at the pie. "Well... that, and the last time I brought some it kind of quickly disappeared so I guessed you liked it." And there was the fact that he had also missed the peace in the kitchen, if he was honest.

[backwordscompatible]

She would be sorry about that, Superman, except she wasn't sorry at all. (It was really good, okay?)

"I'm guessing that means I have to share this time, huh?" She got out matching plates, and absently threw a pot on the stove for tea for them both. Two sets of utensils and a carving knife later, and she was at the table, cutting them each a slice. "That's what you get for making really good apple pie."

[andaway]

"You only have to share if you want to." Which was a 'Yes, yes you have to share' in KansasSuper-speech. He let his elbow on the table, resting his face on his hand as he as he waited for her to cut a slice.

"You might be shocked, but sharing pie was not the only reason I paid a visit."

[backwordscompatible]

Sharing it was, then. She passed over the second slice, sliding the plate across the table to him.

"Somehow, I had a feeling that was the case. Do I get a hint, or do I have to guess blindly?"

[andaway]

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I could say it in riddles if you'd rather. But no, I simply... " He sighed, reaching for the second slice and a fork. He refrained from playing around with it, the voice of his mother clear in the back of his head as it told him not to play with food.

"The times we talked, you seemed worried about what you had done. You seemed to take my stay in prison as a way of claiming we were all guilty. I wanted to know if you were... doing better? For lack of a better word."

[backwordscompatible]

In her defense, the last time they had spoken, everything had still been so fresh. Superman was sitting in prison. She was avoiding half the people close to her--including the person closest to her, and the main source of her woes.

But all that had changed, Which is why she took just long enough for a bite of apple pie--soooo good--before nodding.

"Pretty sure I couldn't've gotten much worse at the time," (Actually, she could've, but that was her way of saying that, yes, things were better.) "Jack and I talked. He doesn't blame me for what happened. It wasn't our fault."

[andaway]

He hadn't been talking about Jack specifically, but he should have seen that coming. The girl had seemed pretty scared of what she had done to the spirit when she had visited, just like Kal had been scared of what he had done himself. Kal had even hesitated when he'd added her name to the list he'd given to Jack, but he had hoped they would be able to fix thing between them like adults, stay as friends.

He'd apparently been right.

"I wasn't. And I'm glad he doesn't blame you." Favor or not, Kal would still have had words with him if he hadn't. "But Zatanna, I... what we talked about inside the bottle? What we shared..."

He frowned, unsure for a moment on how to put it into words when it was so clear in his mind. "I know I didn't hurt you. You are the only metahuman I came across I didn't try to kill, actually. I even hurt my own son.

But I tried to manipulate you. I tried to use you. And I feel like I have to apologize for that. It wasn't me, it really wasn't- and I want to make sure you know I would never do that to you."

[backwordscompatible]

"You and me both."

It hadn't been the entirety of her worries, but Zatanna would be the first to admit it had been a huge part. She hadn't really done that much once she'd been affected after the fact. There was the battle with Sabriel, sure, but she hadn't necessarily instigated that one. And she barely knew the other magic user. It had been a fair fight, one she'd lost (thankfully), and really her only other major 'crime'.

But the incident with Jack...

She straightened a little in her seat, swallowing her bite of pie as she shook her head. "No, you didn't manipulate me. Not the way you're probably thinking." It was actually...touching, in a way, to know that she was the only one he hadn't tried to kill. Like there had still been some part of them deep down that remembered their bond. "Everything I...she did...it was all voluntarily. She wanted to. That much, I can say for certain."

wow 'clone' not 'son' up there, wish fulfillment much self?

[andaway]

Superman wished he didn't understand what she meant by that, what she menat by being certain. The memory of everything the 'other' him had done wasn't the only thing incredibly clear in his memory: every need, every emotion, every thought that had gone through his head was still there, in his memory.

"Just like everything he did was what he wanted to do. I'd say it's 'good', but if the situation had been any good at all we would't be having this conversation." He took a bite of the pie. To this day he thought there was no problem pie couldn't solve, and if pie did not solve it then there was no trouble at all.

"Is everything alright between us, then?"

[backwordscompatible]

"I'd like to think it's never been anything else."

She, too, took another bite. The warmth of the apple filling flooding her mouth, soothing her as if it contained some unidentified magic of its own.