Summary:Kori tells Peter some of her backstory and asks him for advice about Batman's proposition. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Kori's not a habitually tardy person. Dinner was set for six, an invitation to come by around five-thirty. With the longer spring days it's still late afternoon as the appointed hour rolls around, and she hasn't knocked on the door.
It's the creaking from the front porch that might tip Peter off to check the patio. The porch swing rocks back and forth with old, wheezy groans of protesting wood. Kori's sitting in it quite primly, back straight, hands in her lap. A white t-shirt's tucked into old black denim jeans, cutoff into shorts above midthigh; black suspenders do a notional job of keeping the shorts up. Ratty chucks swing back and forth in the air, and her thick hair's worn naturally loose and tumbling down her back.
Perhaps a little eerily, she's not actually pushing on the ground at any point, but the swing's maintaining a steady pace.
At the sound of the door opening, she turns and flashes a smile at Peter. Friendly, and happy to see him, but a little wan. "Hello, friend Peter. I hope you do not mind me waiting here for the appointed time of the dinner"?"
Peter was a little concerned for her. It was odd…she looked like she could handle anything that came her way,
The teasing had finally stopped about Peter getting "dumped," and soon the hearts and minds were drawn towards the freedom of summer. Peter would continue on, as he always did. But seeing Kori like this, somewhat reserved and drained of her ebullience, bother him in a way he could not describe.
Peter stepped out on the porch, and said, "Aunt May is fixing that rouladen dish you like. Uhm…would you like to sit out here for a bit first, or would you like to come in?"
"I would like to sit first, and talk about things," Kori agrees. Her normally whimsical, curious voice is a bit more subdued. More serious by a long measure.
Once Peter joins her, she continues to sit and rock for a few seconds. Working up her words and geting them in order. "I am sorry I was deceptive, friend Peter," she says, finally. "I try to be forthright in all things," she reassures him. "You've shown faith as a friend and courage during our ordeal. It shames me that I have concealed some things— that I must continue to conceal things," she admits. "I hope you can forgive me." Deep breath.
"I am not from Malta," she tells Peter. Dun dun dun.
Peter settled in next to Kori. He looks out at the setting sun and the wide swatch of city before him. Uncountable days of him and Uncle Ben and Aunt May, gazing at the street, gloriously wasting time.
Kori's epic reveal is…not that epic, at least to Peter. He looked over to her, then back to the setting sun.
"Yeah…I figured it was something like that. A lot of evidence was there…whatever culture you came from it was nowhere near Malta."
Kori smiles. Just a little. "You are very smart, friend Peter," she says, looking down at her hands on her thighs. They turn up and she examines her palms, the skin strangely flawless despite her visible physical strength. Deep breath. Plunge on.
"I can tell you that I am from the planet Kuraq, in the Vega star system. It is several thousand light years from Earth," she tells Peter. "But we are a very old culture. My people's homeworld was a planet called Tamaran."
"There was a war, and Tamaran was conquered. All our colonies were subjugated as well. Many were imprisoned or forced into slave labor. I chose to flee."
"After a long time, I came to Earth. This was intended to be a short stay while I rested and decided where to go next. I thought a primitive world on the edge of galactic civilization would be safe and … boring."
Peter is a little startled. But after having his face nearly blown off and meeting an insectoid transmat lifeform tends to recalibrate the worldview.
However, her last sentence produces a restrained smirk. "And have you been bored since you got here, Kori…?" he asked wryly.
"Yes." Kori nods at Peter. "And I wished to be. I wanted to be bored. I wished to learn about a new culture and discover new things. My people…" She presses her lips together. "We are trained as warriors from a very young age. Violence has been the basis for much of our historical rule over the Vega system. After seeing how war destroyed the region, I decided I had perhaps seen too much— or not enough— of war. In either case, I believed I was done with that life."
"I suppose I wanted to enjoy… something that was not exceptional. I am beginning to understand how exceptional that normalcy is."
She looks sidelong at Peter. "Do you have any questions before I continue?"
Peter looks thoughtful for a moment before resting a hand on Kori's shoulder. "Just an observation. I figured you were different. I just didn't know HOW different. And…I'm not offended by the deception. I figured you would tell me the truth eventually. When you were ready. And, in retrospect, an odd lie would have been better that an outrageous and dangerous truth."
Kori nods gratefully at Peter. "Please believe this, if you will: I only lied to protect you."
She exhales deeply, shoulders rising and falling. The sun falls across her face, but her eyes don't so much as twitch in response. "Then the Klenmach abducted us and I found myself fighting again. Passionately. It was … fun," she admits, evenly. "I missed it. I missed the chance to fight, to battle for justice and seek victory."
"Which… leads to a complicated question, and I need some objective advise," she says, looking troubled. "I was approached by the Man-Bat and one of his soldiers. He apparently witnessed our struggle and said that he felt my— our— talents were not being put to good use, wherever we were. And offered to help me organize a … team, for lack of better word. Like the Avengers."
She looks to Peter for his thoughts.
Peter looked to her and smiled wryly. "I think any group like that would be lucky to have you, Kori. You are an epic person, well-trained, and you should find a positive outlet to use those skills. Maybe you need to get back in the fight, as long as the cause is just."
"I was hoping you might consider joining me," Kori says, turning it back on Peter. "I do not know much about leading humans. Your customs and culture is still … foreign and confusing. You're courageous and very capable. I wanted to know if you thought this team would be a good use of my time, but I am hoping you would agree to … help me, I suppose. If not lead it yourself?"
Peter is trying to stifle his amusement. "Look…Kori…I can help you with stuff, but are you going to actually *need* me? I nearly got my face blasted off up on that spaceship, and just spent most of my time trying to keep from getting shot. They are *not* going to listen to me. And you're better-equipped to lead than I am, Kori. They're not going to follow me. They follow people like you, Kori. People who can keep their head in a crisis, people who can inspire others. Nothing in that entire donnybrook in the spaceship suggests I can inspire anyone to do anything when the laser blasts start firing."
He shrugs helplessly. "Besides…I should probably stick closer to the ground. I don't belong in a team like the Avengers…saving the world and all that."
Kori returns the shrug with an over-emphasized one of her own. "I think I have come to realize that Peter Parker and the Sp—" she pauses, looking over at Peter. "the person you really are, are sometimes not the same. I saw you act very courageously. You acted strategically, and analytically. Many warriors panick and resort to crude violence or impulsive action when frightened or threatened. You are a rare combination of being *prepared* for violence, but not seeking it out. It is a word, it is…" She furrows her brow, then grabs Peter's hand and holds it for a few seconds. There's a tingling sensation in Peter's head. "Asymmetrical! That is an interesting word. Asymmetrical," she repeats, drawing it out. Trying to hammer it home.
"A-symm-metrical. Metrics of asymmetry. Symmetry-a metrical. Metricalsymmatrya. Asymmetry asymmetry asymmetry asymmetry aaaaaaaaaaasymetrical." She beams and bounces, going on until prompted to stop.
Peter held up a hand. "I got it, I got it." He looks down. "Look, Kori, I saw who you were up against. And the others…"
It's been a long day, and he's been quiet about this ever since he found himself back in his bed and having to try and explain about how he got a sunburn overnight. So his composure slips and he says EXACTLY what he feels.
"…They don't NEED me. Why does a team need a scientist when you have someone like that girl who can just keep punching things to fix the problem faster? With all the powerful people up there, you included with your knowledge of fighting and tactics, and here *I* am, going into every fight with nothing but improvisation and the fervent hope that I get out alive."
"The girl who overloaded several breakers? Who almost destroyed the hull? Who punched herself into unconsciousness?" Kori asks, a voice of idle and rhetorical reprimand. "There are not so many problems that can be solved simply by punching them. Our escape was largely predicated on having enough brute force at our disposal to absorb casualties of our mistakes. In a real fight against a moderately prepared adversary, I am sure we would have been eliminated."
She frowns. "I'm still unsure of how we were returned here, too," she admits. "And relying on luck is not a sound strategy. Without someone who understands science, where would we be? Still trapped in prison?" she presses.
Peter looks a little deflated. He puts both hands in his lap, saying nothing for a few long moments.
"I don't know anything about leading anyone, Kori. You ask me questions, I'll give you answers. You ask me to look at something, I'll tell you what it is. But I'm no leader, Kori. I'll help…I'll even join, if you REALLY need me there. But I am not leader material. YOU are, but I'm not. Besides…once they see you in your underwear, they'll never take you seriously again."
"I am grateful for the advice, friend Peter, and the support." She reaches over and gathers Peter up in a firm, bone-cracking hug for a solid five-count, beaming happily. "I will consider your words a cautious 'yes', then. And if you think such a team is a good idea, I will inform the Man-Bat that I accept his offer and will start considering ways to bring us together as a team." She leans back, still close to Peter, and pats his cheek affectionately. "You are a good friend and I appreciate your advice a great deal. I hope I can continue to be worthy of it."
Kori glances in the window at Aunt May's sappy smile and vague hand-waving invitation to join dinner at the table. The redhead nods once.
Kori gets to her feet still holding Peter's hand with a familiar affection. She drifts towards the door, opening it so they can walk inside.
"I do not understand *why* it's bad to be seen in the underwear," she adds a beat later, "but if you think it is a problem, I won't start wearing any," Kori assures him.
Cue a dropped bowl in the kitchen and violent coughing!
Peter's eyes widen. "UHM…"
Then, from inside, "PETER BENJAMIN PARKER, what HAVE you been telling her??"
"Uhm…Aunt May, I can EXPLAIN…"