When you're gone, the pieces of my heart are missing you | OPEN

[zor_el]

ACTION

Kara Danvers knows loss. Of course she does. Her planet died; her family with it, with the exception of Kal. Most people would know him by his human name: Clark Kent.

But this...this is so much different. This feels like a heavy ache that refuses to do anything other than persist. It doesn't want to fade. It doesn't want to go away. It hurts to have been so much in love and to know that the sentiment was shared and still to be torn apart so cruelly. It's almost worse that he'd been so brave about it.

She'd needed some time alone. She'd needed to get away from everyone asking her if she was okay; she's not okay. She's not going to be okay with this probably ever. Even when she heals from what feels like a gaping wound in her heart, she's still never going to be okay with losing her first love the way she did. But maybe she can move on a little faster if she doesn't have an older sister and several friends hovering to try to make sure that she's all right. So Kara walked through the door.

...and when she immediately regretted her decision and thought better of it to head back, the door opened to nothing more than a wall. There had been punching of said wall. There had been feral screams of pent up depression and anger and raw emotion. There had been tears.

And then she'd walked away. Now she's roaming the streets of this new place, trying to decide whether it's the Universe's way of telling her she really does need this break from life or whether this is something more sinister. Tear tracks are mostly gone by the time she starts to see othe people walking the same street she is and she assumes she's further into town at that point. Seeing what's clearly a bar — Houndstooth, huh? — nearly sets her off in tears again because Mon-El worked in the alien bar and she has a ton of great memories with him in bars, but instead, she lifts her chin and pushes the door open, marching in with purpose. She can't drink her sorrow away but maybe she can knock back a drink or twenty and reminisce for a minute while she tries to figure out what the heck she's supposed to do with herself.

Well. That and bartenders and regulars tend to know a lot more than most people think they do, in Kara's experience. Maybe someone can offer her some insight. Worst case scenario, she can blow off a little steam. The alcohol hardly touches her, but she does get that little warm sensation in her cheeks and there's something weirdly comforting about that. In a pinch, maybe that'll do.

TEXT

What is this? Does this connect to a special app or something or am I just calling out into the ether?

Hello? Can anybody see this?

Comments

Action

[mightbeconcussed]

Lucy isn't behind the bar mostly because Lucy rarely actually works, but Jill is behind the bar, which means that Lucy is there keeping her (and everyone else in the bar) company. She sidles up to the very sad, very pretty blonde, a mint julep in hand.

"You really ought to try something creative. Jill is a great bartender," Lucy says. "Hi. I'm Lucy. You look new here. Totally not a stalker, by the way. It's a small town. We notice the new people."

[zor_el]

The perky blonde at the bar who speaks up as she moves to sit beside Kara has Kara looking up with a polite smile she doesn't feel just now. She'll be back to her perky self sooner than later, she's sure. Kara's suffered a lot of losses in her life and nothing ever keeps her down for long, but right now she's in the eye of the storm. It probably shows in her expression.

"I usually just have club soda," she admits, "but I could be in the market for a new staple. Did you have a suggestion?" she asks and this time, when she smiles, it's a little more genuine, if only because the other woman is amusing. Kara holds her hand out to shake. "Hi Lucy, I'm Kara. And yeah, I just got here, like...an hour ago. I tried to go back but there was a wall behind my door instead of National City, so I guess I'm here for a while, whether I like it or not," she explains, looking slightly apologetic for the part of her comment that could have been considered offensive to someone who's from here, which she assumes Lucy is.

Kara's not used to being from a small town, so she's not sure how that works, but the way that Lucy explains it makes enough sense to Kara. She shrugs and her face moves with it as she gives a little nod. "I bet that's kind of nice," she says thoughtfully. "Knowing the people in town enough to notice if there's someone new."

[mightbeconcussed]

Eh, that's what the booze is for. Of course, Lucy isn't aware that the booze doesn't affect Kara much.

"Do you like fruity or are you more of a savory type person?" Lucy asks. There's a wide variety of drinks and it's important to get an idea of what a person likes before just throwing drinks at them. Lucy nods sympathetically as Kara tells her her story then shakes her hand as she puts it out."Welcome to Itinere. I know it's rough when you first arrive. It's not a bad place though," she assures her. There are some locals that live here and have always lived here, Lucy knows that, but the majority of the people seem to be transplants, just like Kara, just like herself.

"It is. You get a real sense of community and that's nice."

[zor_el]

For a moment, Kara just looks back at the other woman with a semi-confused expression. She knows that there's nearly an endless array of possibilities in a bar, but she supposes she never really thought about it. Savory isn't really a word she tends to associate with drinks in general.

"Oh gosh, I don't know..." she admits sheepishly. "What kind of drinks are savory drinks...?"

A small smile pulls at the corners of her mouth in spite of the way she's feeling, generally speaking. "I've never lived in a small town before. That sounds kind of nice. How long have you been here?"

[mightbeconcussed]

"There's a Pickled Surfer, a Rosemary Salty Dog, Bloody Marys, of course. Even a porn star dirty martini counts as savory," Lucy rattles off a few drinks. "Personally, I'd go with the Bloody Mary. I think it's one of Jill's better drinks, but if you want fruity, it's not going to hit the spot."

Maybe this place will give her a chance to heal and feel better. She knows it's done that for many of the people here, including her and Jill. "Three years. It's practically home now. I'm from Birmingham, Alabama though."

[zor_el]

The more Lucy lists off, the wider Kara's eyes get. Who knew there were such weird names for Earth drinks.

Mon-El. Mon-El knew. Alex. Winn. Maggie. Literally everyone you left behind probably knew, she finds herself thinking and her brow creases with frustration at herself, because right now is really, really not the time to get lost in her own head. It's rude to do that when someone is trying to talk to you. "What's in that? A Bloody Mary, I mean?" she asks. "I don't really know what I want. Like I said, I mostly drink club soda..."

Three years, she thinks, is kind of a long time. She supposes it makes sense that it would feel like home to her by now. "Did you get stuck or haven't you wanted to go home?" she wonders aloud. The tone is curious rather than accusing or suspicious. Kara genuinely wants to know; everyone is different. Lucy might have a better life here than she had at home, Kara has no idea.

[mightbeconcussed]

To be fair, Lucy has been helping Jill bartend here for three years. She was also an avid drinker before then and raised by a mother who was an avid cocktail drinker. She probably knows a good deal more cocktails than most people.

It would be understandable though, particularly as Kara hasn't been here long. "Tomato Juice, vodka, a little Worcestershire, a splash of tabasco and some pepper. It's good stuff."

Three years is kind of a long time. Lucy had spent a couple of years before that in another snowglobe style city so she's become accustomed to being away from home. "At first, I didn't want to check into going home," Lucy admits. "I'd just lost my dad and I didn't want to deal with any of that." Her tone is quiet and somber. "Now...I was curious and my door is just closed. It only opens to the stone wall it's set into." She smiles at Kara. "It's okay though. I've got Jill and I've got friends here. This place is like a permanent vacation with occasional crisis-es."

Text

[alwaysaudrey]

There's quite a few of us out here. As far as I can tell, it's a little like an intranet.We can talk to each other, but not to the outside world. I'm Audrey Parker. I work at the sheriff's department here.

[zor_el]

...do you think that's on purpose? Or is this just a subspace in an Internet that does reach the outside world?

Hi Audrey, I'm Kara. Are you an officer? My sister's girlfriend is a cop, I love cops.

[ She didn't always, but things have changed since Maggie became a part of the lives of the Danvers sisters. ]

You guys always work so hard for so little appreciation.

[ A bit like Supergirl, really. ]

[alwaysaudrey]

I haven't found a way to reach the outside.
Whether it's by design or circumstance, I don't know, but it certainly keeps the outside world from panicking if we can't contact them and let them know we're here.

[ That's probably not helping. ]
Thanks. I love my job though. I can't imagine doing anything else. I used to be an FBI agent before I made the move to small town cop.
What do you do back home?

[zor_el]

And you're certain it works that way? Because people will absolutely notice if I'm gone... People will worry. A lot.

[ Notice, worry, and probably die. She doesn't want to say, but she's kind of a big deal. ]

That's really cool, I can absolutely respect that. I... I'm a reporter. Ish. I think I'm on probation, but...technically, a reporter.

[alwaysaudrey]

As sure as I can be without having gone home. I know a friend from home showed up here for a little while. I'd been here for weeks and he hadn't missed me. He would have if I'd been gone. We work together everyday.

Well, we don't have a paper here but I'm sure you could publish one if you wanted.

[zor_el]

That's...weirdly reassuring, actually, thank you for sharing that.

[ If that's true, at least maybe National City won't fall to pieces in her absence while she figures out how to get back. ]

...there's no paper here? Like at all? No newspaper here? How do people get their news, though?

[ They must get the news in some fashion, right? Maybe they just have news broadcasts on television or something. That's a thing in National City, too, of course; it's just not a thing Kara ever has a hand in. She supposes she could just...be Supergirl, but that's complicated and she wouldn't want to abandon this place and leave them Supergirl-less if they got used to having her around to protect them. ]

Text

[dudeimbatman]

While calling out to the ether would be a lot cooler, yeah I can see this. Pretty sure everyone else can too.

[zor_el]

I don't know about that, I'd find it really sad and frustrating. This is better. Hello.
I'm Kara.

[dudeimbatman]

I'm Dean. I haven't been here that long, but you sound like you're brand new.

[zor_el]

Got here like an hour ago, so yes, pretty brand new. Nice to meet you, Dean.

[dudeimbatman]

I haven't been here long enough to be an expert, but so far it seems like an okay place to land.

[zor_el]

Am I the only one who tried to get home and couldn't, do you know? Maybe I just did it wrong or something...

text;

[adamparrish]

The ether?

[ What does she know about the ether? Maybe it's just a coincidence. Adam has heard so very few use that specific word though and those who have usually speak it with intent and purpose. ]

[zor_el]

Is that not the right word on this Earth? I used to hear that saying "shouting into space/calling out into the ether" back home, but is that not right here? Basically, can nobody else hear it? Which, I mean,
obviously someone can. Several someones. You can, for one. I mean, you know. You know that, because you answered.

[ Apparently even in her grief, she isn't immune to sounding like a rambling idiot when she's nervous. ]

...never mind.

[adamparrish]

Oh. No, that's right.

[ Okay now he sees what she's saying. She's using the word in a general sense. Not as in the actual Ether that Adam knows of and sometimes traverses. Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to respond. ]

No, it's fine. And yes, I'm here. Adam. I'm Adam. And you're not alone. Obviously.

[zor_el]

[ Now she's wondering what he was thinking, originally. It takes a little effort to focus on the task at hand and not to ask. ]

Nice to meet you, Adam, although I wish it were under different circumstances. Not that this is wholly bad, but I mean, it isn't ideal. I'm sure this place is nice, though.

[ Focus, Kara. Introduce yourself, pay attention, stop rambling like an idiot. ]

I'm Kara.

[adamparrish]

Nice to meet you, Kara.

[ Adam is glad to move on from initial awkwardness. It seems that every interaction he has starts out awkward... usually from his own doing, intentional or not. ]

Most days it's nice. Every once in awhile it turns into a horror movie. But other than that... And there's magic here, wish magic. [ Among other kinds of magic, but that's besides the point. ]

[zor_el]

A horror movie? In what way, exactly? Back home, I'm a reporter...call me curious.

[ Reporter. Superhero. Whatever; either way, she wants to be prepared so that she can protect the city while she's here. She might as well make herself useful, after all, if she's trapped anyway. ]

Magic is dangerous in the wrong hands... What do you mean, "wish" magic?