[Kale doesn't mind hearing about it. Whether that's because she's just a very accommodating person, or because she doesn't see Cheryl around that much, is anyone's guess. It's probably a bit of both.]
That does sound really pretty. Did you all eat the sugar cookies right after you decorated them, or did you save them for later?
[Because she knows she'd probably eat them all in short order, but humans seem to have more restrained appetites.]
Um...well...we didn't really have many? We had special feasts to celebrate battle victories, and I think the Sadala Defense Forces celebrate when someone graduates from training.
[Kale trusts that Giovanni knows what he's doing. He seems to know what to do in these sorts of situations more than she does, and she has yet to discover that he's just adapting his skills accordingly like she is. So she lets him take the lead without hesitation. Allowing others to take the lead is what's most natural to her, except in select situations where her abilities make her more suited.]
I've been training with her in my free time to be an Amazon.
[And Diana's gift to her reflected that. She'd received an Amazon's headbrace - probably the most suitable piece of Amazon armour that she could be given, in light of the increase in muscle mass when she transforms.]
[Not something he'd known, that. Though the question comes as light and remote as everything else he says, as though his interest is a distant thing, oddly muted. And he does lead them through this dance, never mind that - despite appearances - he's not so different from she when it comes to allowing others to take control. Abdication of agency is something hammered down so deep into his bones that it's doubtful he'll ever truly shake free of it. Doesn't want to, besides.
But he does a good enough job of looking like someone who's cool and in control, laughs soft and low when her question comes. His answer, though, may give some hint of his true leanings.]
I suppose you could say I'm still working that out. Spare time was somewhat hard to come by, you see, until recently.
[It's why he takes on more shifts with the Guard than is strictly necessary. Why he needs to be told to take time off, rather than longing for it, as most do.]
[Although Diana seemed to appreciate warriors of all sorts, she in particular embraced female warriors. It seems like a way for her to stay connected with her culture, if anything.
She listens to his explanation, and although she doesn't have any idea of the extent that Giovanni was deprived of free time, it's enough to at least make her think of a soldier. Someone who was nearly always on duty.]
Do you cook? That's a good life skill and it can be rewarding when you make something delicious.
[Oh, that's kind of him. Kale nods in agreement with his second question.]
You're right. It's best for refugees to support one another as much as possible.
[She recognizes that it's not always possible - due to old conflicts, or simply having very different goals. But when it can happen, they already have enough to contend with that it's best to cooperate with one another as much as can reasonably be managed.]
I can let you know the days that I'm going to fight. I don't know what your schedule with the Guard is like.
[Slowly but surely, she's beginning to gain a little more confidence. Having some encouragement from others definitely helps. So does her string of victories in the fighting rings.]
I guess if you use some of the...um...special transportation that our rescuers have, it's not too hard to get from one place to another.
[She's mindful of the rules regarding not mentioning the Natha or Thesa station, but she has to acknowledge that teleportation is very useful. Even faster than flying.]
[The fighting ring owners have been quite welcoming to her, especially once she proved herself, but they have been encouraging her to go for more dramatic fights. Getting hit because she was distracted waving to a friend would make for some drama, wouldn't it? That's not really something Kale's well versed in. A fight was a fight.]
[Oh dear. This is something Kale has a lot more personal experience with than she cares to admit, and it shows in the way she shrinks back, drawing into herself. Her hands up and she's fidgeting a bit. Her previously cheerful demeanour fades. She looks down.]
Mmhmm. More or less. A Saiyan that's weak or timid is looked down on and is considered shameful and pathetic.
[Kale is quiet as Clark explains himself. Coming from a society where strength is prized, it's hard to understand why he'd hide his true strength. Here, she's had the experience of being stronger than most, but training with Diana has kept her from feeling isolated and freakish, and the people she's befriended have accepted her strength as being a part of her.
However, what she does understand is what it's like to be different. So after a moment, she has to ask.]
Um...what would have happened if people found out you weren't human back home?
[She's not angry at him for keeping his abilities a secret - they're his business, after all, but she does want to understand why he'd hide his strength even here, when there are plenty of people with abilities.]
[ He wishes he didn't have an answer for her. He wishes he could say 'I don't know'. ]
People might have hurt my parents, the ones who raised me. People would have treated me different, tried to hurt me or kill me just because of it. I would have had to either fight or hide, every day of my life.
This way, I only have to hide a part of me. Not the whole thing. At least, most of the time.
[Kale listens as he explains. Well, that's a good reason for keeping such things to himself, at least. She pauses before speaking up.]
I...I think you could use some of them here without anyone trying to do anything bad to you here. I've used mine openly and maybe a few people stared, but powers seem like they're uncommon rather than unheard of here?
[There's another pause before she adds,]
And if anyone tries to hurt you for your powers, I'll protect you. Diana's been training with me.
[Kale doesn't mind light physical contact from people she knows and who are kind to her. She's a little apprehensive and anxious around new people, but the extent of that greatly depends on how people treat her.]
They do have magic here, so that might be part of why they don't get too bothered by powers.
[That is not an expression Kale has ever heard of, and she has no idea why Clark would put a cat in a bag, but she doesn't think he'd ever do it to hurt a cat.]
Maybe we could spar sometime? Um...if you spar, that is. You don't have to hide your powers from me.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ninetydegrees
For <user name="sweetwater">
on 2018-01-07 08:59 pm (UTC)[Kale doesn't mind hearing about it. Whether that's because she's just a very accommodating person, or because she doesn't see Cheryl around that much, is anyone's guess. It's probably a bit of both.]
That does sound really pretty. Did you all eat the sugar cookies right after you decorated them, or did you save them for later?
[Because she knows she'd probably eat them all in short order, but humans seem to have more restrained appetites.]
Um...well...we didn't really have many? We had special feasts to celebrate battle victories, and I think the Sadala Defense Forces celebrate when someone graduates from training.
For <user name="ofobedience">
on 2018-01-07 09:15 pm (UTC)[Kale trusts that Giovanni knows what he's doing. He seems to know what to do in these sorts of situations more than she does, and she has yet to discover that he's just adapting his skills accordingly like she is. So she lets him take the lead without hesitation. Allowing others to take the lead is what's most natural to her, except in select situations where her abilities make her more suited.]
I've been training with her in my free time to be an Amazon.
[And Diana's gift to her reflected that. She'd received an Amazon's headbrace - probably the most suitable piece of Amazon armour that she could be given, in light of the increase in muscle mass when she transforms.]
What do you like doing in your spare time?
no subject
on 2018-01-11 06:07 pm (UTC)[Not something he'd known, that. Though the question comes as light and remote as everything else he says, as though his interest is a distant thing, oddly muted. And he does lead them through this dance, never mind that - despite appearances - he's not so different from she when it comes to allowing others to take control. Abdication of agency is something hammered down so deep into his bones that it's doubtful he'll ever truly shake free of it. Doesn't want to, besides.
But he does a good enough job of looking like someone who's cool and in control, laughs soft and low when her question comes. His answer, though, may give some hint of his true leanings.]
I suppose you could say I'm still working that out. Spare time was somewhat hard to come by, you see, until recently.
[It's why he takes on more shifts with the Guard than is strictly necessary. Why he needs to be told to take time off, rather than longing for it, as most do.]
no subject
on 2018-01-23 03:49 am (UTC)[Although Diana seemed to appreciate warriors of all sorts, she in particular embraced female warriors. It seems like a way for her to stay connected with her culture, if anything.
She listens to his explanation, and although she doesn't have any idea of the extent that Giovanni was deprived of free time, it's enough to at least make her think of a soldier. Someone who was nearly always on duty.]
Do you cook? That's a good life skill and it can be rewarding when you make something delicious.
For <user name="daemonized">
on 2018-01-07 09:34 pm (UTC)[Oh, that's kind of him. Kale nods in agreement with his second question.]
You're right. It's best for refugees to support one another as much as possible.
[She recognizes that it's not always possible - due to old conflicts, or simply having very different goals. But when it can happen, they already have enough to contend with that it's best to cooperate with one another as much as can reasonably be managed.]
I can let you know the days that I'm going to fight. I don't know what your schedule with the Guard is like.
no subject
on 2018-01-08 04:29 pm (UTC)Let me know the days, and I can work around it. My schedule is not always as inflexible as one might imagine.
no subject
on 2018-01-10 04:22 am (UTC)I guess if you use some of the...um...special transportation that our rescuers have, it's not too hard to get from one place to another.
[She's mindful of the rules regarding not mentioning the Natha or Thesa station, but she has to acknowledge that teleportation is very useful. Even faster than flying.]
no subject
on 2018-01-17 09:57 pm (UTC)[Much faster than flying, for certain.]
Especially to see you achieve yet another victory.
no subject
on 2018-01-21 09:43 pm (UTC)[The fighting ring owners have been quite welcoming to her, especially once she proved herself, but they have been encouraging her to go for more dramatic fights. Getting hit because she was distracted waving to a friend would make for some drama, wouldn't it? That's not really something Kale's well versed in. A fight was a fight.]
For <user name="ayes">
on 2018-01-07 09:43 pm (UTC)[Oh dear. This is something Kale has a lot more personal experience with than she cares to admit, and it shows in the way she shrinks back, drawing into herself. Her hands up and she's fidgeting a bit. Her previously cheerful demeanour fades. She looks down.]
Mmhmm. More or less. A Saiyan that's weak or timid is looked down on and is considered shameful and pathetic.
For <user name="apricitous">
on 2018-01-10 03:59 am (UTC)[Kale is quiet as Clark explains himself. Coming from a society where strength is prized, it's hard to understand why he'd hide his true strength. Here, she's had the experience of being stronger than most, but training with Diana has kept her from feeling isolated and freakish, and the people she's befriended have accepted her strength as being a part of her.
However, what she does understand is what it's like to be different. So after a moment, she has to ask.]
Um...what would have happened if people found out you weren't human back home?
[She's not angry at him for keeping his abilities a secret - they're his business, after all, but she does want to understand why he'd hide his strength even here, when there are plenty of people with abilities.]
no subject
on 2018-01-10 09:42 pm (UTC)People might have hurt my parents, the ones who raised me. People would have treated me different, tried to hurt me or kill me just because of it. I would have had to either fight or hide, every day of my life.
This way, I only have to hide a part of me. Not the whole thing. At least, most of the time.
no subject
on 2018-01-16 11:29 am (UTC)I...I think you could use some of them here without anyone trying to do anything bad to you here. I've used mine openly and maybe a few people stared, but powers seem like they're uncommon rather than unheard of here?
[There's another pause before she adds,]
And if anyone tries to hurt you for your powers, I'll protect you. Diana's been training with me.
no subject
on 2018-01-20 01:09 am (UTC)I appreciate that, I really do. I don't think it should be necessary, but I do appreciate it.
And I'm... still in the midst of figuring out what I want to do, honestly. I've noticed the same.
But you can't put the cat back in the bag, as they say.
no subject
on 2018-01-21 09:40 pm (UTC)They do have magic here, so that might be part of why they don't get too bothered by powers.
[That is not an expression Kale has ever heard of, and she has no idea why Clark would put a cat in a bag, but she doesn't think he'd ever do it to hurt a cat.]
Maybe we could spar sometime? Um...if you spar, that is. You don't have to hide your powers from me.
no subject
on 2018-01-25 04:00 am (UTC)I'd like that.
I'm only just now learning how to fight, but if you don't mind being patient with me...
no subject
on 2018-01-29 04:51 pm (UTC)I don't mind at all. I could maybe show you some things if you're a beginner? Saiyans are warriors and Sis was -- is a great teacher. So is Diana.
[Diana's patience and faith in her has done wonders for improving her self-esteem.]
But I want you to promise not to hold back.
no subject
on 2018-02-01 03:14 am (UTC)[ But he can't help the lopsided grin to that.]
Though I'm also learning from Diana and another friend. Is that a problem?