1; [video]

[andaway]

[Have a certain alien in a brightly-colored uniform in front of the mirror. Kal seems to be sitting front of the singing statues, the hymns marking the start of the message. It seems like he's been writing the hymns, trying to makes sense of them- they ring a bell, like he's heard them before but he can't quite place it.

Which is a new sensation for him. But considering most of his powers are gone he should get used to it.]

I know we're all settling in, so I will keep this short. I just figured we may as well use this... magic, or technology or whatever this happens to be.

I'd just like to know how long have all of you been here, if we all got here more or less at the same time. And...

[He wonders how to word what comes next. If this is someone's plot, if he's inside someone's... spell, or something by the sort he doesn't want to give them any clues about his weaknesses.]

Have you felt any... different since you woke up here?

Comments

[the_hit_list]

Judging by the clothing and technology of the various people here? Yeah, we all come from different points in time.

[ Like Bart is from awhile back, and Brainiac 5 is obviously from the distant future. Others are less obvious, but some of the party seems to be much more in sync to the era of this temple. They'd be an anachronism in the where-and-when of home. ]

I haven't met anyone who hasn't given a name. I don't think anyone's been too pushy about making sure it's the right name, so long as we have something to call everyone.

I've got a pretty good memory, if someone needs to memorize the roll call. I haven't seen a lot of paper and ink.

[andaway]

[Kal opens his mouth to say that he's got photographic memory but- nope, not anymore. Having no powers is going to take some getting used to.]

I guess that's a good place to start, we might find some sort of pattern. Maybe we could consider the powers or lack thereof when they get here as well? See if there's any reason behind them.

[the_hit_list]

[ Tim knows that Bart has one, or will, but doesn't want to volunteer anyone other than himself. If anyone else wants to duplicate the list in their head, it wouldn't hurt to have two people tracking it. ]

We can try, but I don't know how forthcoming everyone will be about their powers. Not everyone likes the powers they've been given here, and from what I read in the Daily Planet, superheroes like their secrecy.

[ Ahem. ]

[andaway]

Sometimes reporters know what they are talking about. [Haha.]

And you're right, I would be the last one who'd want to share everything about my powers even in the best of circumstances, and these aren't. But maybe some sort of anonymous list would be helpful? But that may just be the leaguer in me, we do like to keep track of everything.

What do you think our next step should be? [He's not really putting the responsibility on Tim's shoulders, but the Bats have always had interesting takes on everything so he's curious.]

[the_hit_list]

Sometimes. The ones behind Page 6 are annoyingly accurate, but you didn't hear that from me.

[ He can't even have lunch with a female without being bothered about it. How has Todd managed to stay so far under the radar? How? Tim refuses to admit Jason's occasionally better than him.

Tim's face twitches, almost as a whole, for a microsecond. He so wants to complain about how the Justice League's "keeping track" causes more problems than its worth, because "keeping track", by their definition, means interfering. True "keeping track" is what Bruce and Tim tend to do, and, surprise, no one outside the family seems to like that very much either.

... it's better to just keep some opinions to himself. ]

I'm not sure I know. I don't think we should stay here though. It's like that scene in a horror movie, where the kids have been chased to a hiding place, and now they think they're safe.

[andaway]

Sometimes. You wouldn’t believe the things press writes about me sometimes.

[It’s hard to just let things be when you can hear literally anything, and it’s something Kal’s always struggled with. He does his best to let people… just be, to be there as a safety net and try to guide them but to never impose his will. So he does absolutely agree with Tim- but sometimes his journalistic curiosity does take over.]

Agreed. So I guess the first step is to find a way home? So, find out how we actually got here first and foremost. I’m still unsure if this is part of a multiverse, or a dream we’ve all been plugged in, or some kind of place created by magic…

[the_hit_list]

[ Tim hasn't forgotten the role he's selected and finds the grace to blush. He sounds sheepish, like a pre-teen admitting they've read every issue of Rolling Stone that mentioned Vance Joy to Vance Joy. ]

I think I would... I read the paper everyday. My friends think I'm a bit of a geek, but my dad thinks it's important to stay current with the news.

[ He reads almost everything that mentions a superhero, except for Booster's fan interviews. ]

I don't know how to tell if this is a shared dream or VR. There's not a safe way to test things that normally wake people up.

[ Tim looks off to the side, watching some of the others. ]

For someone that needs help, the Green is being really obtuse.

[andaway]

[Kal chuckles, shaking his head.] Then maybe it's me that just can't believe it even as I'm reading it.

[He had no doubts Tim had read it, though, Bruce would have probably been very disappointed if he hadn't... and if what he'd head from Kon in the very few occasions where they catch up back home is true Tim can be even more thorough than Bruce if that is even possible.]

I'm still holding on to hope that we'll know more when more people arrive. Perhaps it- whatever it may be- is waiting until 'everyone' has arrived.

[the_hit_list]

I guess it must all be a blur to you. You're in the papers every day, but after a year or two, you probably got used to it and wish everyone would let you go about saving the world in peace.

[ Tim is not used to it, but Robin is supposed to be an urban myth (who does Bruce even think he's fooling with that anymore?). Anyway, he's spent much of his life in tights trying to avoid being written about in the papers - that actually goes double now that he's Red Robin. No, thank you, let's actually not give everyone a second source on what Tim has been getting up to.

... Tim is definitely more of a cyber-stalking, list-maker than Bruce has ever been. He keeps receipts. ]

Oh, who else do you think is coming? The Flash? Wonder Woman? Green Lantern? I hope it's not the one with the vest...

[andaway]

I think I just mentally checked out when the main theory going around was that I ate diamonds for sustenance.

[But that’s what he gets for being public with his Superman persona. He envies Batman, sometimes- not that he could work the way he does, there’s a reason B works in the shadows and S under the spotlight. But being an ‘urban myth’, or as close to one as they can get definitely has its perks.]

And I… honestly don’t know if anyone else from our world is coming, that’s what I was hoping to make some sort of headcount. It’d help us be able to tell if there’s a pattern. Those always help, in situations like these where we have no idea where to start looking.

[the_hit_list]

You mean you don't?

[ Tim's eyes are laughing for him. He hadn't actually heard that one before, and it's amazing. He wants to pull out his cellphone and text Kon or Dick about it... but Dick's not here. And it's not important enough to bring up to Kon right now. ]

I haven't seen a pattern yet. [ He has been looking for one and is getting rather defensive about still being in the dark. ] The longer the random teleportations and arrivals stay random, the less I would trust any "pattern" I thought I found.

[andaway]

You turn one little bit of coal into diamond once...

[Kal huffs, very obviously playing out the 'offended' act when he's actually very amused. He gets the feeling it's not going to be easy to keep this sense of humor going the longer they stay in this place so they may as well latch onto whatever bit they find. But that may be experience in these kind of situations talking, he's honestly waiting for the other shoe to drop.]

I guess everything has a pattern if you wait long enough, but it could always be a coincidence. Or us seeing patterns that aren't really there.

So we either wait to see if there really is something specific they are looking for, or I guess we start exploring our surroundings?

Not that exploring the temple has uncovered much for me.