concoursec | Tell Me These Words Are A Lie

Entry tags:

Tell Me These Words Are A Lie

Characters: Starfire and Dolphin, anyone else
Location: Dreamland
Rating: PG-13 for forced servitude, implied violence and abuse
Open/Closed/Finished: Open
Description: Starfire has a nightmare about her youth - don't worry; it'll have a happy ending

The dream begins in a very dark place. While it may not be physically dark, there is a pressing weight on the area as though something is there that shouldn't be. In the courtyard are a few girls of different alien races, all wearing tattered clothes, doing menial tasks.

One girl is a familiar red-headed girl. She's only about 14 or 15 years and her hair is shorter than it would be later, but still very long. She's one of the girls working.

Suddenly the door into the courtyard slams open and all of the girls flinch almost as in unison. One of the men of yet another alien race who steps out and immediately goes over to Koriand'r, grabbing her arm.

"Come, Princess." He says "princess" as though he is making fun of her. "It's your turn again."

"Please," she whimpers. "I don't want to go!"

"And you think you can talk back to us, slave?!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dolphin doesn't know what's going on, but she sees a disgusting creature leering at a young, frightened girl, and she loses composure and attacks.

"Get away from that girl, you disgusting oaf!"

Edited 2012-10-21 02:29 (UTC)

Koriand'r and her captor both turn look at Dolphin when she speaks up, the Tamaranean's eyes locking Dolphin's. Someone was actually defending her? It had been years since someone had said anything in an attempt to protect her.

"And who are you to tell me what to do with my own slave?" her captor practically growls.

The other girls have gone back to work, ignoring the exchange.

"I am a better being than you! That's who I am!" She's really mad.

She knows exactly what that creep wants with the little girl.

"Let go of the girl or I will be forced to hurt you!"

Something the Titans always stressed, is that if a conflict could be solved without violence, then that would be the chosen path. Dolphin really wants to clobber the enemy, but she's representing the Titans no matter what. She has to do this by Titan code.

"And you, a woman, will do something about it? Why do you even care about this slave? She has to be here."

He grabs her chin and forces her head up. She whimpers, then says quietly as though her words would make the woman speaking up for her change her mind on doing that, "I have to. I'm a slave of the Citadel."

Then as if that would answer everything, he releases her head and jerks Koriand'r as though he's going to take her away.

Obviously non-violent measures will not work, so Dolphin takes the A-OKAY to attack. She may look small and...un-powered, but she's actually quite strong and her hits have even made Superman wince!

Straight to the gut. While the enemy suffers, Dolphin grabs the girl and pushes the girl behind her so that she's out of the way when the enemy recovers and retaliates.

"Do you know how much I hate sexism? A whole lot!!"

For all of how intimidating he looked, he really wasn't that strong so when Dolphin hits him, he makes a pained sound. His hand released Koriand'r as he doubles over.

Koriand'r, in a state of absolute shock, stumbles when Dolphin grabs her and pulls her out of the way, gratefully hiding behind her. She wants so much to feel safe again.

Her captor, for obvious reason, is not happy about some woman corrupting his slave girl. Also the Citadel will kill him if he loses her. He gets back to his feet and charges at her, aiming to hit her so he can get her back.

Dolphin is prepared, with a punch to the captor's throat. It hurts her knuckles but she pushes on, to make sure that whatever alien equivalent of trachea inside the captor's throat, is damaged. Dolphin needs the captor to be distracted so that Dol can figure out another attack.

"You look a little tired. Maybe you should take a dirt nap!"

Pow! One more hit to knock the fool onto his back.

"Roy would be proud!"

Edited 2012-10-21 06:17 (UTC)

That definitely does it. Between the punch to the throat and getting kicked, he falls over to backwards gasping for air. The other slaves in the courtyard are, to say the least, also surprised.

Then Koriand'r realizes something. She takes a hold of Dolphin's arm. "Please..." she begs. "If the Citadel finds out, they'll hurt my parents!"

Dolphin turns to look back at the girl, nodding in understanding. She surveys the yard, looking for other enemies like the one she laid out, but seeing none, she turns to the other girls. "Everyone! Drop what you are doing, brandish a rock, and follow me! We're going home!"

She crouches down and beckons to the littlest girl. "You're small enough to fit on my back. C'mon."

The girls look up and exchange looks with each other, but no one moves. Koriand'r doesn't move either. She wants to leave, she wants so much to, but what would happen to her, to her family if she did.

"We don't have anywhere else to go," she said. "The Citadel would know if we are gone. If I come home, they will destroy my planet. I have to do it for my people."

"Are all of you in similar situations?" She looks over the girls.

Some of the girls nod, but don't answer out loud. It wasn't often that someone talked to them as other than slaves.

Koriand'r glances over at her captor. He's still out cold for the moment, but who knows that long will last.

Dolphin thinks for a few moments, making sure to put another kick to the side of the downed enemy's head to keep him unconscious. She clasps her hands together after getting an idea and turns to the red-haired girl.

"So you're all related to higher power. Okay. We can work with that. We're all going home and telling your families to band together to fight the Citadel. There's only one of the Citadel, and at least..."

She drifts off in thought, then comes back, frowning.

"Exactly how many more slaves are there?"

"We are the only ones here. There are a lot more slaves on other worlds. But the Citadel doesn't care," Koriand'r said. "The Citadel owns the universe. They destroyed Tamaran's forces before they requested me. They destroy planets for fun."

Honestly, Koriand'r did want to go home, but after so long and still being a child, it was difficult to think that she could get away from them. She doesn't want them to go after her baby brother or parents because of her.

"Then don't you think it's time to stand up against the Citadel? If you don't now, then there are going to be other people like you being enslaved. Wouldn't you like to save them from that fate?"

She has to give them motive.

That got to her. It may not have gotten the other girls, but it got Koriand'r.

"I don't want to let anyone else get hurt. I really don't."

Dolphin beams, taking the young girl's hands into hers. "Then we're all going to go home and tell everyone what needs to be done. No more slaves and no more destroying planets!"

She lets the girl's hands go and then turns on the other slaves. "Listen up! We're all going to get out of here. Drop what you're doing, pick up something sharp or something heavy you can throw, and follow me."

A pause.

"This isn't a choice. It's an order. C'mon! Everyone! Get moving!"

Koriand'r smiles, holding onto Dolphin's hand. The girls look up in surprise and start to rise from what they are doing, following what Dolphin told them.

Then Koriand'r's hand falls away from hers. It's almost as if everything is moving very fast, as though someone pressed fast forward on a vcr. Probably the one thing Dolphin will be able to see is that girl she had been talking to is growing up and if she hadn't realized it was Starfire yet, it will become more obvious.

The next thing she will be able to see clearly - even though it is brief - is the Titans as teenagers: Wonder Girl carrying both Robin and Starfire towards the ground, Kid Flash using his powers to lower himself, a green bird of some kind flying to the ground, and Cyborg jumping down as a green spaceship flies away. Once all one the ground, Wonder Girl laying Starfire on the ground as she regains consciousness and the bird turning in to the Changling, they all looked back up at it.

"What the heck is that wire I rigged up supposed to do?" the Changling asked.

"Keep yer trap shut, Shorty, an you'll find out!" Cyborg replied. "Five... Four... Three... Two..."

And that's when green space ship exploded with Cyborg saying "Impressed, Shorty?" and the Changling responding, "Nah, I've seen better."

The scene shifts one last time to show them in a different location. This time Starfire is kissing Robin as he is laying on the ground practically flailing.

"Robin--?" Kid Flash was saying. "Robin?!?"

A green moth flying by said "Buzz off, Flasher... Let Robbie have his fun. Though why he deserves it and not me, I'll never know." The moth turned into the Changling. "Goldie can smother me like that anytime!"

"Oh, knock it off, Gar," Wonder Girl remarked.

Then Starfire pulled back from the kiss and spoke. "Hi, Robin. You know, you're really cute?"

"Huh? She talks?" Kid Flash said. "But -- how--?"

"Physical contact, Kid Flash - I simply absorbed your language."

"Y-you had to kiss me to do that?" Robin asked.

"Not really. But it was certainly more enjoyable this way."

Dolphin is taken aback by the sudden shift in scenery, and she turns to the little girl for explanation, but right before her eyes...

"...Starfire?"

She watches the scene unfold, awed by the appearance of Titans she's come to know, and amused by the happenstance of Dick and Starfire's relationship.

"You always did have wit."

Starfire looks up at hearing Dolphin, recognizing the voice. Suddenly she realizes it was a dream, that she was seeing something that had already happened. As she gets up, its like the scene keeps going without her. It was a rather eerie, she had to admit.

She walks closer to where Dolphin is standing. "This... this was the first I spoke to the Titans."

Dolphin looks over the group of kids. "More like first kiss to the Titans." She winks in Robin's direction.

Starfire chuckles. "Well, I could have just done it through contact, but it is more fun to do it that way." She smiles. "He is cute though."

Dolphin clasps her hands together and sings: "I think he liiiiiiiiikes you!"

She looks over at Dick, smiling fondly. "I hope so. He always tells me he's not sure if he can return my feelings so... I don't know."

Now might be a better time to tell her of her future.

"Are you kidding?!" Dolphin throws up her hands in the air and practically squeaks in excitement. "He's crazy about you!"

She's definitely surprised by that, looking Dolphin again. "He is? Robin always tells me he's not sure." But after a moment, she does grin broadly.

Dolphin puts her hands on her hips and smiles wryly. "He's a boy! Garth was the same when he and I first went out. Dick is crazy about you, Starfire! It'll take a bit of time for him to figure out that he is absolutely in love with you -- and for him to stop listening to Roy's anti-romance garble -- but he is in love with you."

She suddenly feels so much happier hearing that. She had never been expecting to hear that with how little he was able to open up to her. "Thank you... I feel so much better hearing that. I really do like him."

Dolphin puts out a hand. "Want to jump into the present?"

Koriand'r looks out her hand. "I... okay." Then she takes Dolphin's hand.

Things start to shift. "My turn to show you the world?"

She watches in surprise as everything shifts around her, having not really noticed it before. She looks at Dolphin and nods. "I want to see it."

The scene takes place. Titans Tower, San Francisco. Fellow Titans move about the common room, with a blue and black dressed Dick Grayson grumbling over bills at one of the counters. Dolphin of Dreamland is busy fixing breakfast (albeit, an odd, green looking breakfast), and Cerdian is seated at the counter in his highchair.

Dream Dolphin looks up from her spatula and frying pan. "Dick, if you'd like some help..."

Dick shakes his head. "No, no. It's fine. Just keep..." He looks up, his nose wrinkling. "...what are you cooking?"

Dream Dolphin beams. "Seaweed and eggs!"

"...looks good."

Starfire watches. Its such a simple scene, but it makes her excited to see it. The future of the Titans, her future. She looks over at the Dolphin she is standing with.

"That is Dick? As Nightwing?" Thank you Damian for giving her way too much information on the first day... "And is that your baby?"

Dolphin nods, smiling whimsically at the scene. "That's him, all right. I think this was one of those mornings where half the team went out to stop a crime spree or something while the other half stayed to do paperwork." She glances around. Lilith is reading a book at the main table that is used for having meals on. A few children sit in front of the television watching cartoons. Argent is seated next to a blonde-haired man who is trying to politely fend from the blue girl's advances.

Dolphin turns to where Cerdian is seated in his highchair, playing with squeaky rattle. A warm smile covers Dolphin's face and she hugs her arms about her body. "Yes...that's my Cerdian." Cerdian squeals with delight, shaking his rattle very close to Dick's ear. Dream Dolphin gives her baby a warm smile, chuckling.

"Are you giving Dick some bill-paying music?"

"Ahh!"

"He got his musical talent from Garth. I can tell."

"Be good, Dick, or you won't have any seaweed and eggs."

"Uh, I'm okay."

She chuckled. "Dick stayed behind to do paper work?" She could see it, but it was not something she thought about. She looks at the other Titans having seen none of them before. She was curious who they were, but she shouldn't spoil everything should she?

"Cerdian... he's so adorable. Such a cutie." How could she not think the baby was adorable. And playing such music for Dick.

"He works really hard." Dolphin speaks to Starfire, but she's still facing and watching Cerdian. Though only a dream, her chest pangs with the ache of homesickness. Home where her son and her husband await her return.

"He has Garth's cheeky grin. See." She points out the dimples upon Cerdian's little chin.

Starfire can see that she's looking at the baby. She must really miss her child, being here alone without him. She's never even thought about what it would be like to be a parent, but she'd imagine it would be hard to be without them.

She looped her arm around her, hugging her. "I'm sure you'll see him again."

Dolphin isn't surprised by the hug and leans into Starfire's arms. "I know. I just really miss him." She's still considered a new-time mother, with Cerdian having been born only a few months ago.

Starfire smiles, looking back over at the baby, still giving Dolphin a hug. "I know you do, but you'll see him again. He really is adorable."

Dolphin nods. She agrees with Starfire that Dol will return home someday and see her child once more, but it's the far-off fact that it's going to be awhile before that happens that makes Dolphin a little sad.

"His first birthday is approaching soon. He'll be one year old."

"Oh... I'm sorry. It must be hard to be away from him like that."

She really wished it wasn't that way. No mother should be away from her child. Then she wondered... maybe it was similar for her mother, not being able to be with her or know if she was alright.

"It is."

Dolphin shakes her head lightly, and turns to Starfire. "Ready to wake up? Or do you want to see more?"

She kind of wanted to see more, but since it is upsetting to Dolphin to remember she can't see her baby, she decided it wasn't worth it.

"We can wake up now."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tell Me These Words Are A Lie

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Sorry, long post

it's chill!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject