Meet N' Greet

[cityship]

Part of the crew might be gone, but life on the ship goes on. In fact, new people have woken up and, eventually, they've been spat out into the mess hall.

Maybe it's better to introduce them to some of the worst aspects of ship life first, right?

Anyway, the word is out that there's new people, and someone should probably go say hello. Before the n00bs mistake the glop for crew.


[ooc: read before tagging, plz]

Comments

[supertshirt.livejournal.com]

Hey look over there, Lois--is that Clark? Hard to tell without the flannel and all, but it may very well be. A mop of black hair, baby blues...

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

Lois pauses, and squints for a second.

Plantsuit aside, it does look like... wow, clearly she hasn't seen him in minimal clothing in a while. Do dress shirts really hide that much muscle?

Forget being angry with him last time she saw him; she heads his way, just happy to see a familiar face in the crowd. She'd know him anywhere.

"Hey! Clark!"

[supertshirt.livejournal.com]

He doesn't answer--is he ignoring her? Maybe he didn't hear her.

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

That's annoying. She pushes past a few people and gives him a shove when she gets close enough.

"SMALLVILLE. What, do you have a hearing problem now?"

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

Even with his invulnerability limited, it's like shoving a boulder.

Someone had said "Clark" but he assumed they were calling to, y'know, Clark, and he was gonna turn and look to see if he knew who it was in a second, since if they knew Clark, he probably knew them, but he's got his own friends he's--

But then she's yelling in his ear.

"Ow, you scream in my ear like that again, I'm gonna have a hearing problem--"

As he turns, he freezes when he sees who it is.

He squints at her.

"Ms. Lane?"

Hey, she's not all, y'know, older. More timeline-crazy?

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

Lois knows what it's like to push around Clark Kent, and after that time she playfully punched his arm and spent the next day shaking the sting out of her knuckles, she expects a bit of resistance.

"What? Yeah, Ms. Lane, Lois, whatever! Why didn't you answer?"

She frowns and jabs him in the chest with a finger.

"And DON'T give me attitude! I'm being pushed to my limits here!"

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

"'Cause you weren't calling me? I'm not Clark. Annnnd if you don't recognize me, and you're as young as you look, I'm thinking we have more timeline-related crazy going on," Kon explains, gently pulling that hand away from his chest, and looking slightly freaked.

"Lois, how old are you?"

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

Lois stares at him for a second, baffled. She takes a step back and takes her hand back and just... tries to form words before she gives him a definite, "What?"

And once she's processed this, she replies, with varying degrees of skepticism, "Who are you, then, his twin brother? Clone? A hallucination? Because I'm betting on the latter, this is too weird for reality."

Yeah, she just blazed right past that age question. She wants answers, dammit!

[supertshirt.livejournal.com]

Is she too young? Has she found out the truth yet? Why'd she think he was Clark despite his not wearing his nerd glasses? It's not his right to just blow it all out of the water, especially if they have to go back to their own times.

This is why he's frantically scanning the room for sign of Kal.

"Ha. A clone. Ha. Uh. I'm his...cousin. Conner. Hi."

He holds out a hand.

Upon closer glance, he's not quite identical to Clark at that age. Sure, he's got the brick chin, but some other features are a tetch different (yet just a little familiar).

Regardless, there is no way in hell a cousin could look that similar. A twin, even a fraternal twin or sibling, but not a cousin.

"I'm also probably from your future. I know who you are, Lois, but you're a little older when I'm from. This ship pulls people from different times just like it pulls them from different worlds. Judging from how old you look at least, you're not gonna see me around for a few years."

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

Um, woah. Lois steps back again. She scrutinizes him, and the differences start to stand out. Mostly identical, and now that she thinks about it, maybe a touch younger cousin? Wow, that isn't sketchy at all.

"So, uh, that would explain the muscles," she says. "Cousin. Right. Okay. Nice to meet you, I guess."

She takes his hand and shakes his. This just took a turn for the awkward. Did she seriously just get stuck on a stupid ship with Clark's cousin from the future?

"So I'm just time traveling right now. I'll have to thank Clark for that one. And I'm talking like this makes any sense! I have to be hallucinating, or stuck in a very, very big budget movie."

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

Well, and Clark, but...

Well.

"Wait wait, time traveling. You...uh, you know Clark gets involved in stuff like that?"

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

All of a sudden, a green-skinned, blonde-haired alien floats--yes, floats--over to them, with his little hand-held computer scanning away.

"I'm detecting two Legion flight rings in this vicinity, Superboy. One of them is yours, but the other--"

Wait, who in the world is this?

Without asking for permission, he spots a ring on her and grabs Lois's hand to get a closer look.

"Standard-issue, slightly modified design--sweet muses, is this a time travel function?"

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

She starts to lift a hand, showing off a Legion ring, and is about to explain it to Conner when this green-skinned guy comes over. She pauses, frowns at the talk, and then he grabs her. Lois reacts badly; people touching her on an alien ship is not cool.

"Hey, NO touching!"

She uses her free hand to punch.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

Punches are what small, localized forcefields are for.

"Who are you and where did you obtain this ring?"

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

"Ow!"

Holy crap, she did not expect that. She steps back, cringing and shaking off the impact. Ow, ow, ow. Bruised knuckles tomorrow? Probably.

"What was THAT? Ow, that stings... jeez, warn a girl before you let her punch invisible walls, ugh..."

She breathes, clutches the ring tight in her palm, and holds it behind her back.

"Me? I'm Lois Lane. I picked this thing up off my co-worker's desk –– not that I was snooping or anything, it FELL –– and there was this big light and I felt like I was being ripped away from where I was, and bam. I'm sliding out of a pod. I don't know what it is but I'm guessing it's my key back home and I'm not handing it over!"

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

Brainy holds out his hand, which, she might note, has a nearly identical ring on it. Give it over. Now.

"Firstly, Legion flight rings are to only be issued to Legionnaires in good-standing--if you stole it from someone's desk, you're certainly not one. Secondly, it's likely you were abducted in transit, but considering the ring's capabilities, it may indeed be a "key" to getting back to our homes. However, it certainly won't be such a key in your hands. It must be properly analyzed by the engineering team. For both reasons, you are to relinquish it immediately."

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

"Geez, Brainiac, chill out a little, will ya'? You're gonna freak her out."

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

Oh no way. No freaking way. She steps back.

"Firstly, I don't know what the Legion is. Secondly, I don't have to buy anything you say, whether you have one or not. Thirdly, I'm holding onto it for Clark Kent and if I give it over to anyone, it'll be HIM. So back off."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

There's a slight eyeroll.

"If you insist on being that uncooperative, when last I saw him, he was in the vicinity of the main doors."

Yes, Brainy knows Clark Kent is Superman. His identity is public knowledge by his time. Smallville, Kansas is a national monument, complete with actors in period clothing. The name "Lois Lane" isn't ringing any bells, though.

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

"Do you seriously think I know where that is? You want your hunk of metal, you take me to Clark," she demands. "Until then, don't even think about it."

Lois has no reason to trust a guy with green skin, because he's obviously an alien.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"As far as I can determine, you don't appear to lack eyes or feet."

Translation: Go find him yourself so he can get your ring, shrill human female.

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

"Well, see if I track YOU down again," she replies, coolly, and turns to march off, shooting a pointed look at Conner.

Way to back her up, Smallville Junior.

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

"Don't give me the reporter glare--if that ring can time travel, the tech inside could help the techie guys here get us all home. He is right about that part. Brainy just doesn't now how to ask people stuff nicely."

Kon turns and...tries something, briefly holding a hand to the side of his face to hide the brief eyeglow.

Smirking, he says, "He is over that way if you wanna talk to him--and, uh, you probably should."

Not that he's visible through the crowd, so how did Kon spot him at all? Unless he can see through things. Ha.

[morewildcherry.livejournal.com]

"Still not handing it over to the first guy who asks," Lois replies, pointedly. "And I'm not chucking this ring at an alien. And Clark has got EXPLAINING to do; what does a dorky farmboy have this for? No offense. I swear, every time that guy––"

Don't mind her, she's rambling. She cuts off when Kon smirks, though, and she rises up on her toes to try and see above and around the crowd, one hand on Kon's shoulder so she can stay up and not tip over.

"I don't see him. You guys and your height, ugh."

It's just easier to yell. "SMALLVILLE?"

[supertshirt.livejournal.com]

"What is with you and the yelling in ears? Aaagh!"