---

Aleen'a breathed out a sigh of relief she's been holding on to for the longest time. She was really glad the team was so welcoming towards her, especially with everything happening nowadays. Who knew that humans could also be so racist and hateful towards their own kind? She could only imagine how badly everyone will look at her especially when she came in late and so out of fashion, but she was again very glad it all turned out for the best. Koriand'r was right, it looked like she'll have a grand time here on Earth after all.

She also really enjoyed the way they greeted her too. One that stood out, in particular, was a boy named Zachary Zatarah who proclaimed himself as 'the most famous teenaged magician in the world' or something like that. She didn't really get it at first but when he made things appear out of thin air, that's when she understood that he's talented in the mystic arts. Aleen'a remembered her mother saying that their Tamaranean forefathers were used to be adept with magic too so she's really impressed with this particular human.

What she also didn't understand were these strange-looking red objects at the ends of these green sticks. Aleen'a swore she saw these in a human show before but she couldn't quite remember it. Oh dear, was this what the humans call vegetables? They said they're very nutritious and make one very healthy, and her heart was touched that Zachary was kind enough to give her something for her well-being. She graciously chomped down on one of the rosebuds and yanked it off with just her mouth. "Chenk you sho munch! You 'ave a kind heartch!" Aleen'a said as she munched on the rose, her eyes full of sincere gratitude towards the teenaged magician.

Another one that greeted her was another human with a much darker complexion named Felix Fierro. Aleen'a also learned that the human race was quite diverse, making the young Tamaranean very much excited to learn more about them. Her eyes widened when Felix said he came from the future and she gulped down on the chewy flower she was munching on. "You say you are from the future? Oh, that is very exciting! I also cannot wait to fortify a relationship with everyone. I hope we can be all of the bestest of the, uh... What's that word again? Oh, right! Friends!" Aleen'a excitedly said with a giggle before she chomped down on another rosebud.

The others have yet to introduce themselves to her but that was alright. Being a part of a team and living under the same cave roof meant that there'll be plenty of time to get to know each other later on. There was one particular individual from the group that she's feeling something weird from, however. He seemed to be a male specimen with a long tail and skin as white as a dead star. Normally, Aleen'a could tell what kind of, as humans would say, vibes that's coming off from a person but she couldn't get anything from this one. She only felt emptiness, hollowness? That's very weird for a human in her opinion but she decided to wait and familiarize herself with the team before making any judgment whatsoever.

Once introductions were finished, the Leaguers then explained what they will be doing for today. They were split into two groups and Aleen'a was a part of the group under Green Arrow. She felt a little shy realizing she mistook both of their names but she thought to herself to do better next time. She listened to their instructions as Black Canary also gave the others some limitations, including Aleen'a. Back in Tamaran, being ordered to not fly was the same as being ordered not to breathe. She was only a kid but she remembered the tyranny they endured under the Citadel that would've continued up to this day if it weren't for her cousin and the Earth's Justice League defeating them.

She took a deep shaky breath and reminded herself that things were different now and she was only asked not to fly for the sake of their activity. "U-Understood." Aleen'a said with a bit of uncertainty before they were being guided by Green Arrow at the start of the obstacle. While Black Canary was already training her half of the team, her partner lead them to their destination and went straight to the forests, as humans would call them.

"Uhh... Eh?" Aleen'a looked around in confusion. Didn't Green Arrow know he was supposed to teach them? Did he had to do something in private and didn't want to show them? What time does the group have lunch? So many questions unanswered yet all she could do was munch on her roses. She looked back at the obstacle course before them and thought to herself. She had some experiences in obstacle courses before when she was being trained by the Warlords of Okaara and she always found them a bit of a drag. Still, what needed to be done must be done and nothing will happen if they just stood around doing nothing indeed.

After she finished eating on the rosebuds, Aleen'a stretched her body as she turned to her teammates. "I am feeling of the excitement to finally have the chance to work with humans. Let us all hard work in togertheness, team! May the almighty X'hal grant fortune upon us." Aleen'a said cheerfully as she turned back at the 12 feet wall standing before them. She felt up the wall and knocked on it a few times. With the sun shining brightly up in the sky, Aleen'a felt energized and confident enough that she can be a great help to the team.

"Let us go, everyone! If we work together, we can break this wall!" Aleen'a shouted, getting some distance between her and the wall before sprinting at full speed towards it, shouting defiantly as she punched the wall.

Location: Happy Harbour
Interactions: The Team

---

Though he didn't show it, Viktor was pleased with some of the things he heard from the team concerning Green Arrow and Black Canary's demonstration. Zachary's input wasn't received very well by Viktor, and he soon found he was not the only one feeling the same. While Kassandra wasn't so harsh, "Ja" delivered some blunt words towards Zachary. The former's demeanor was expected, the latter's was a bit of a surprise.

He would have pondered this further, but Aleen'a's sudden crash landing took his full attention. His eyes locked on her form, silently studying her as he had done to some of the other members of the team. Interesting.

Next, Black Canary announced what was to occur. First a splitting of the larger group. One would participate in an obstacle course and the rest, his group, would spar with each other. He looked at his options for sparring partners while listening to Black Canary give a note on himself and Alisa limiting their strength while sparring. He glared at the hero before his eyes shifted to Alisa. As Black Canary took Casper for herself, those that were left were meant to choose who they would spar with.

"A… Daph… and you" His eyes stopped on Jack. Sparring with him would be one he would relish. Viktor was sure he would be challenged by his technical prowess. He started at Jack for a moment before finally speaking. "Talon was it? You would give me the most training value, but let us spar another time. A and Daph will learn more by sparring with one of us than each other." Viktor stated with little emotion despite feeling a tinge of excitement in sparring with one of his teammates. "A, I think you would be good for me. We won't have to worry about limiting ourselves."

---

Daphne stood on the sidelines and watched everything unfold quietly. The demonstration of Black Canary and Green Arrow grabbed her attention. She watched Black Canary rush towards the other teacher with a flurry of quick punches. The teen girl flinched and bit her lip watching Green Arrow hit the grass in seconds. She imagined herself in either position and started to feel uncomfortable. It was only a minor display of violence, but it stirred up her anxiety regardless. Daphne let out a nervous breath and wrapped her arms around herself. This aversion to violence was something she wanted to work on during her time with the team. It was important to find a way to deal with this issue. She needed to better at it, so she could be an asset to the team instead of a potential danger. Even though all of her thoughts were perfectly reasonable and made total sense, the way she felt was still the same. She really didn't want to fight.

Some of the team members shared their opinion with Black Canary on how Green Arrow could have handled the fight. Daphne didn't say anything. She knew joking wasn't a great idea, but she doubted he would act that way in the face of serious danger. Besides what kind of insight could she share? She agreed with mostly everything they said. The best thing to do right now was to absorb information and observe.

While she struggled with her nerves someone literally crashed into the training grounds. She was flying full speed towards them. The way she spoke was equally excited and somewhat strange, as if English wasn't her first language. It took Daphne a hot minute to figure out what was going on, until she was nearly face to face with the new girl, floating in front of her. A Tamaranian princess. Daphne stifled a laugh when she mixed up Black Canary and Green Arrow's names. This was amazing, they had alien royalty on their team now! And more importantly one more girl. Even Daphne had to admit the team was getting a bit testosterone heavy, and she was saying that as someone who grew up with only a father and older brother. Gold Rush and Zatara were quick to rush to her side for introductions. Daphne shook her head and smiled, unbelievable...

They were divided into two teams and she was up first to spar with either Talon, Alisa or Rain. She was going to get sick. Daphne felt the familiar paralyzing nerves rush through her body. Her face was set into a pained frown, which she tried to hide by putting up light smile. Though this kind of discomfort was very tough to hide. She really felt like she was willingly submitting herself to torture. It made her feel like she was getting robbed all over again. Powerless and afraid. But she wasn't powerless. Her powers were there to protect her and keep her safe, she just had to learn how to use them to fight back. Not react, but act.

She watched the fight between Black Canary and Hex. The way the physically frail teen defended himself against the skilled martial artist encouraged Daphne. When one hit got through and he was forced down onto the ground Daphne found herself applauding him quietly.
"Great job, defy the odds Casper, you were awesome" She whispered, looking at them with admiration.

Daphne heard Viktor talking and returned her attention to the remaining team members with her. The way he talked always made it sound like he was in a bad mood, or well not a bad mood specifically, but just....
She couldn't tell if he was happy or annoyed. In that way Viktor was similar to Talon. Very to the point and direct. Daphne for one liked to consider someone's feelings when she spoke, but to each their own she guessed. There was something to be said about being unambiguous. You always knew what you were getting into. He proposed Alisa would spar with him. Honestly despite being made completely out of metal Daphne had the feeling Alisa would be the most gentle out of the three of them. That wasn't the point though.

While she waited for Alisa to decide she turned to Talon.
"If we're going to spar you should know I'm not really a great fighter, but uhmm there's no need to hold back, I can hold my own" Daphne trusted in her power, her bark like skin would protect her. She just needed a hand to get it to activate. The teen girl took a moment to focus her power. Slowly the transformation from human to plant spread across her body. Most of it was hidden underneath the baby pink tracksuit she was wearing. The only visible parts to transform were her hands, neck, face and lastly her hair. She breathed quietly, getting accustomed once more to her new anatomy.

The next thing was always kind of tricky and slightly embarrassing, so she turned her back on her team members. She unzipped her jacket and slid out of her pants.
"Okay I'm ready now"
Daphne blushed, which turned her cheeks a darker green. Her hair rustled around her face, the leaves moving to cover her body. She moved towards Talon with light steps on the grass.
"There's one thing you have to do though before we start, you have to hit me..." She realized how odd this sounded, giving away a free hit. She just hadn't reached the level of control yet where she could change her skin from leaf to bark at will.

--------

Talon watched as Black Canary demonstrated the gap between her skills and the skills of her new trainees. The Ghost Boy - Casper - fought with a lack of self-assurance, but despite this was able to make up for it with the unique attributes of his ghost form. The way it moved, with it's black tendrils in flux, reaching out to incapacitate the blonde superhero were frightening. The potential the boy was demonstrating was really impressive. Talon wondered what kind of latent abilities the boy possessed. This world of gods and monsters, it was enough to unbalance Talon, even if only for a moment. When Casper and Black Canary's session ended, Talon nodded at the boy in recognition of his talents. His own abilities were not the same kind of flashy as the rest of his teammates, and he wondered what his ultimate place on the team would be like. Even Rain - someone with a similar background as his own - had to be warned to restrain his own physical strength. But Talon?

He had only himself.

He had only the owls.

He looked down at his gloved hand, felt the history of their violence. He grew up with no agency. He was but a weapon to be aimed at the enemies of The Court of Owls. Now things were different, he had begun to make friends. But here he was among them...prepared for a fight. It's possible this was all he would ever be.

The thought process going through Talon's mind was one he is going to struggle with if he didn't seek out the proper help. It was like he couldn't escape his own mind. He would have continued down this path if he wasn't approached by Viktor.

The boy had a good half a foot of height on him, (probably more) and he carried himself with that knowledge. Talon looked up at him, his eyes hidden by his domino mask. Would this be a challenge? Talon braced himself.

"Talon was it? You would give me the most training value, but let us spar another time. A and Daph will learn more by sparring with one of us than each other." Viktor's voice was rough, gravelly. And although Talon was disappointed he wouldn't get to fight him, he understood the other boy's logic. When he turned to the two remaining members in his training group, and he froze.

They were Nymph and Cybergirl.

Talon was really interested in sparring with Alisa, if purely out of curiosity of her capability. In Bludhaven, Talon had fought alongside Nightwing and Spoiler against an Amazo - a synthetic human capable of mimicking the superpowers of various heroes in the world. And in his own research, he knew the kind of abilities that Red Tornado had. But he was an android. As for Cybergirl, what was she capable of? Was she strong? Fast? Was he staring again? Viktor saved the moment by challenging Alisa himself. Talon found himself somewhat relieved. And annoyed with his own confusing thoughts. That left...

Nymph...

Talon grew serious.

He had heard of this one. He knew the sort of damage someone of The Green was capable of. He read of Poison Ivy's destructive capabilities, of the god of the greens strength. This girl could be truly dangerous. A genuine force.

But she certainly came off as gentle. In fact, she carried herself as one of the friendliest of the other members of his team. During the night before, when Talon was given proper introductions to the others during his tour, Daphne walked with the sort of comfort as if this strange place were the furthest thing from strange. The others immediately gravitated around her orbit - looking to her. She was already leadership material. This was a good opportunity.

"If we're going to spar you should know I'm not really a great fighter, but uhmm there's no need to hold back, I can hold my own"

Talon looked at her, and with the utmost conviction told her the truth.

"Its okay. I don't know how to hold back."

He nodded to her as they stood off in a distance away from the others. There were few things like a fight that would help Talon get out of his own head. He was preparing himself into a fighting stance when Daphne began to transform her body. Talon watched, somewhat transfixed, as her hair began to shape and weave into leaves. As far as transformations go, hers was beautiful. That's what Talon was thinking - right as she turned around and took her pants off. Talon averted his eyes, trying not to turn red. He remained standing ready for their fight to begin. Daphne turned, Her legs were now exposed, showing off her plant form. It was stunning. And then the started to move towards him.

Talon braced himself, already weighing two different options - whether or not to attempt to immediately knock her off balance or-

"There's one thing you have to do though before we start, you have to hit me..."

Talon thought to himself That's usually how a fight works...

He was willing to oblige. She was polite, even in the middle of a fight. Quite the sportsman, this one. What game was she playing at? Was he being made a mockery of? Or? No - that didn't matter, wasn't important. What was important is that there was some sort of trigger for her to begin to fight. And he'd give it to her. He approached her slowly, standing before her plant form as she braced to be hit. He raised a fist and spoke silently to her, but avoided eye contact.

"I don't typically give people what they ask for in a fight. I'm not like the others on the team here. They stand out, even the ones who desperately try not to. But what I can do, is this. And I can take orders from the people that I respect. If you are asking me to hit you, then that is exactly what I'll do."

He crouched lower before lashing out, his fist connecting with Nymph's midsection. He was aiming for the place right below the ribcage. Talon noticed Daphne took half a step back, and Talon pulled back his punch, feeling confident in it's damage.

And then he felt stinging. He looked down at his fist, and saw the black gloves he wore as part of his hero costume were scuffed - when he looked back at Daph, he was surprised to see she seemingly felt no damage - in fact, in the same place where he had hit her, something remarkable happened. A bark tree - not unlike armor, began covering her skin, spreading outward....

"...ah"

---

Eyes shifted towards the others, a team of heroes with far greater physical capabilities than the Wraithborn. A ghostly gaze remained lingering upon his teammates, all of whom had been assigned to one another, an easy deduction, it would appear. From a glance, Casper drew a conclusion, mainly that Viktor and Jack, or rather Talon, were the most skilled combatants on the team. Kila raised the number to three, however, his presence was pointed elsewhere. It would undoubtedly have been interesting to see a battle commencing between Rain and Talon, their martial arts on full display, but as had been stated, little would be achieved by two skilled warriors clashing, while those of less experience were left to their own devices. Bright souls prepared for combat, a fist thrown and soon caught by The Green, Daphne’s abilities having confiscated Casper’s attention.

It was a transformation akin to a fairytale, the young maiden allowing her true self to take hold, shedding the human disguise worn amongst her brothers and sisters, before sight of another entity was beheld. Casper was aware of the concepts, the forces of nature, as some called them. They had been a central part of the boy’s studies, and were often referenced in ancient arcana. As his closest acquaintances may have been able to tell, while Casper was unable to wield magic other than his own, knowledge of what comprised their reality was something he sought with insatiable determination.

The Green, and the Parliament of Trees, The Black and the Parliament of Decay, and finally, The Red and the Parliament of Limbs, three aspects of life all part of the same team. It was an ironic development, to say the least, with Casper standing amidst the very two forces in direct opposition to his own. If Hex recalled, there were ten Parliaments, and those closely acquainted with each force were easy enough to spot due to the color of their souls. Daphne, a brilliant green. Ja, a fearsome red. Kassandra, a harmonic blue. Then, of course, there was Zach, a nearly whimsical combination of glittery purple, an arcane spirit. In a way, these colorful manifestations allowed for Casper to understand his teammates on a deeper level. He himself did not possess a soul, not like the others. His essence was pure Necrotic magic, something that strongly emanated energies reminiscent of The Black, something which likely caused discomfort in those with the ability to sense what was beyond the physical plane.

Lowering himself to the grass, Casper proceeded to gently hug slender knees, the boy’s chin resting against his kneecaps. The tree guarding him from sunlight with pleasant shade acted as bringer of comfort, and allowed for a pleasant spot as he watched the others spar. Black Canary would rather maintain vigilance and supervise the team, than continue a session with Casper, which was understandable. Injuries could very well happen, and not everyone possessed a healing factor. Equally so, Casper was the only undead creature present, which meant that his magic could only heal himself. As for the others, Daphne’s plant biology likely allowed for accelerated regeneration. It brought a thought to mind, in fact. What would those of a more traditional view say, when witnessing such opposing forces fighting alongside each other? Talon was a rehabilitated assassin, and Casper was walking death. Let it never be said that the Justice League wasn’t inclusive.

C̸̮̘̩̓̅͒̚a̸̛̺͓̩̿̂͜s̵͚̙̈́̀͘p̶͚̀̅̀͋̔e̸̖͛̌̂̒r̴̡͓̪̠͑̈́̑.̴̡̲̗̹͊͆.̴̬͛̎͠.̷̢̬̠̤̃͊

In an instant, a headache surged through the Wraithborn’s skull, a flinch escaping him as claws rose to the boy’s forehead. Tensing, Casper struggled to his feet, stumbling forward with a tremble echoing throughout his digits, forcing the boy’s fist closed. “Dude, what’s wrong?” Coal spoke up, but earned little in response.

”I..,” Hex tried. It was the same voice previously calling to him, if with less clarity. The Wraith’s attention desperately turned towards the entrance of their new home, a shivering fear clinging to his spine. ”S-something’s here..,” Casper uttered, his phantasmal gaze searching from right to left.

“Dude!” Coal exclaimed, wings flapping before talons gripped at his friend’s shoulder, “what’s happening? Nothing’s here!”

”I don’t know..,” came a response, a hand rising as Casper caught himself against the tree, falling to his knees. ”Coal.., something is trying to contact me..”

“So? Shit’s always trying to contact you. What’s different this time?” The bird expressed, its head tilting.

”This isn’t a lost soul..,” Hex clenched his teeth. On that, he was correct. ”And it’s not a.., a malevolent spirit..,” he seethed. Again, he was correct.

---

"Its okay. I don't know how to hold back."

Daphne faced Talon, the conviction in his voice sent chills down her spine. He never spoke much, but when he did it was always impactful. At first she thought he was mute. The older teen intimidated her. He was a skilled fighter. The way he carried himself with confidence and a concentrated calmness made her nervous. Her transformation had him momentarily rooted to the spot. If Daphne had a better combat sense she could have used that to her advantage.

As it stood Daphne settled for studying her opponent. His costume was a deep black, full coverage suit. The gold details glimmered in the sun, on his shoulders there were silver feather decorative pieces. The tops of his gauntlets had metal owls on them. It was an impressive look and probably sturdy too. She looked to see if he was carrying any weapons. Almost immediately she searched for knives. The robbery had left emotional scars in her psyche and knives still frightened her. She couldn't see if he was carrying one, or multiple ones. They were probably hidden. When he walked up to her Daphne braced herself, her arms instinctively shielding her upper body. He wanted to oblige and help her activate her power. Daphne felt relieved, It would level the playing field.

His punch was forceful and calculated in it's strength and speed. She stumbled back and gasped slightly, holding her hand over midsection. The pain was dulled, it was something she still had to get used to. Her immediate reaction was still to flinch and turn away. It worked though. She looked down at the spot he hit her, the bruised skin warped into protective bark. It traveled further outwards, but at a slowed pace. Daphne needed it to be faster. She was pretty sure Talon wasn't going to go easy on her from now on. She placed her hand on the patch of bark and willed it to spread, while simultaneously recreating some distance between them.
"How am I going to do this?" She thought, feeling like she was in over her head. Normally she liked to think things through. It was her lack of combat experience which was holding her back now.

She had no idea how to use her body effectively. Did she just rush in and hope for the best?
That kind of careless action wasn't her sensibility at all. Black Canary rushed at both Green Arrow and Hex though, she acted. Maybe she just needed to be fast. Daphne took a deep breath and rushed at Talon, trying to copy what she'd seen her teacher do. Talon knew exactly what she was going to do, like he could read her mind. Rather it was her inexperience which allowed him to grab her arm and push her away, while barely moving from his spot.

Talon suddenly turned and struck her left arm. She stumbled away clumsily, catching herself on the grass and immediately rolling away to avoid a second strike. In the corner of her eyes she saw something else shimmer. She sucked in a breath and her eyes widened.
Knives
Daphne tried to reach for them. Talon blocked her hand, keeping her from his throwing weapons. He pushed her back and Daphne managed to stay standing. Talon rolled back and shot two knives into her direction with deadly accuracy. Daphne instinctively brought up her arms to protect herself. They struck the bark, one pierced through it, sticking out of her arm. The other slid past her leg, leaving a dent. The sight of a knife sticking out of her freaked her out, and she squealed, pulling it out and throwing it on the grass. Her breathing was fast and she shook in place, frazzled. Two more knives came flying, this time aimed at her head, the part of her body not protected by bark.

Before Daphne could react, her leaf like hair rustled wildly, as if possessed by a strong breeze. The leaves fluttered around her face, slowing the momentum of the knives. One still managed to slice her cheek. She flinched, the exposed skin was more sensitive. Green sap leaked from the cut, trailing down her face. Daphne was starting to panic, she wanted to stop. This was too much for her. Up close she couldn't land a hit and from far away she couldn't defend herself either.

"Don't give up, Act..."
An unfamiliar voice whispered into her mind. Daphne furrowed her brows and looked around her. There weren't any plants around, she wasn't touching anything.....or was she? She stirred the grass with her toes.
"Use the ground, slide..."
"Slide...?"

Daphne had a new plan. She rushed back at Talon, forcing him to abandon his throwing knives. Instead of going for a hit she slid over the grass, trying to force him to the ground with the momentum of her move.

Kassandra
Location: Happy Harbour
Interaction: Aleen'a @baraquiel

What a day this was already, and they hadn’t even started actual training yet! The sudden addition of the Tamaranean princess was a surprise, albeit a welcome one. She had been wanting to get more girls on the team to balance out the testosterone factor. Still, there was something in her stomach that twisted. She’d met people like this before. Bright sparks that drew in everyone around them. Already two of the boys were drawn in like guppies to a lanternfish.

Before she could even consider making an introduction, they got their training instructions. It seemed they were to run that strange looking obstacle course. And… without her staff. That was unfortunate, as she could have cleared at least the wall and the pool for everyone with it. Which was… probably why Green Arrow did not want her using it at all. Reluctantly, she leaned it against a tree.

“Sorry Damiek, next time.” She fondly patted the little octopus figure on the top, and joined the others. Already Aleen'a was attacking the wall. It had to be made of stone or concrete. Just watching the princess go at it made her knuckles hurt. She reached for her staff, found empty air, remembered it was several feet away now, and frowned. If only she could fly, wouldn't that make things easier?

"Are you sure we're supposed to break the wall? Couldn't we go over it?"

---

Talon watched as Nymph's skin was covered in the protective armor of tree bark. It almost seemed to spill out of her and across her exposed skin, like the world's most perfect defense. It seemed that it acted almost of it's own when it's host - Nymph - was exposed to danger. Did it have it's own sentience? If that was the case, he was no longer sparring with one person, but two - and he couldn't count on his experience being the only thing giving him the edge, as he didn't know what this plant like armor was truly capable of. Perhaps it would act completely on it's own. A variable he hadn't exactly accounted for.

These thoughts went through Talon's head before he noticed that Nymph was creating distance between the two of them. She shuffled backwards, keeping her eyes locked on her opponent - a good instinct. But he was certain he was faster than she was. He started to take half a step towards her before surprisingly Nymph herself charged directly at him. As she swung her now exponentially more dangerous tree limbed arm outward, Talon sidestepped easily enough, grabbing her by the wrist and using her own momentum against her. He struck her in the left arm with an open palm, not wanting to damage his own knuckles with a closed fist. He could feel his upbringing and muscle memory begin to take over and kick in. Fighting turned his nerves up to 11, and with it, a sense of clarity and focus that brought him the peace of not having to think. His opponent was undeterred however, and ducking low, she reached towards the bladed weapons he had strapped to himself. Her eyes were wide - they gave her move away to him, and he pushed the girl off balance.

This time, he separated the two of them. While Nymph was pushed in one direction, he rolled in the other - unsheathing two blades alongside his forearms. Like second nature, he threw them effortlessly one after the other - with enough force he thought able to penetrate the skin of a tree. As the blades were loosed from his fingertips, Talon had a moment of recognition - this was merely an exercise, and he had just thrown two knives at his teammate who may or may not have combat experience. Luckily, he didn't have to worry long, as the armor she draped herself in was able to protect her - his blade jutting out of her arm. She panicked for half a second to pull it out of her. She threw it onto the ground nearby and Talon made a mental note of it. The distraction was enough - without thinking, Talon whirled two more blades - this time at the girls eyes.

IDIOT he thought to himself, immediately terrified he may have just hurt someone. But again, he had underestimated his opponent and her abilities. Her hair - now made of leaves and foliage, slowed their trajectory, and Nymph was left with only a scratch on her face. Talon was internally grateful about this, and again he was impressed with the kinds of adaptation his new friend was capable of. He could feel his fighting spirit rise. And that was when Nymph started picking up speed. The determined girl took several flashing steps forward right at Talon - head on. Before he could even get a proper grasp of her timing, she shifted her bodyweight, throwing herself down to the ground - gliding along the morning dew of the grass. She was going for a sliding tackle!

Talon threw the blade in his hand directly down into the ground at his heel and thought to jump out of the way, but she was too quick. Her movements were unexpected - and Talon less than gracefully attempted to leap over her prone form. He bent down to lift himself with one hand in an attempt to corkscrew over her, but managed only a half successful dodge before the girls legs kicked out his arm from beneath him. He was thrown prone - and then suddenly she was on him. Talon felt the strength of her legs - no doubt amplified by the strength imbued into them by her tree bark armor. Nymph at first seemed at a loss on what to do, having not thought her moves through. She realized she could take this opportunity to disarm him. Her hands grabbed the first two knives in reach and she pulled them out of the holsters, tossing them away into the distance. Her heart was beating wildly and the sound felt deafening, while adrenaline was rushing through her.

Talon had to give her credit - she was taking the initiative of disarming him while she could. This was a really smart tactic to take, and it was a wonder that she would try something so advanced seemingly on auto-pilot. But what he didn't appreciate was people taking his things without asking. He had underestimated her, but was still giving his all. She was smart for taking away his bladed weapons. But he had more than just knives.

She had left his arms free, and with his left hand he pulled at a round metal disc (not dissimilar from a boomerang) from a holster. He reached up and pressed it against her shoulder where it stuck like a landmine. It instantly began blinking, before three rapid beeps sounded.

Then sudddenly - FLASH - the snapflash went off in Nymph's peripheral vision. One of the tool's given to him by his mentor.

Talon took his chance.

The fingertips of his gloves sheared open - sharp claws emitting from each tip.

He had to immobilize her, get out from underneath her if he could. With what force he could muster, Talon stabbed into her left abdomen, swinging his body in an arch beneath her arm. He was right - the bark on her skin was enough to catch his claws. Now he was the one who caught her by surprise. Though she was on top of him, he was physically stronger - and with his claws imbedded into her side, he pulled her to the ground next to him. Then their positions were reversed - he was straddling her, one clawed hand embedded in her side, the other at her exposed neck.

"Please Submit." He told her.

She was pinned down by his knee, and the two of them were pressed close. There was nothing like a fight. At least not yet. Talon could feel the imminent victory. He could also feel something moving across his hand.

It was her hair.

The leaves began to wrap themselves around his open claws. They were trying to force him to keep his hand open wide, prevent it from harming her. This girl.

Location: Happy Harbor > Obstacle Course
Interactions: Kassy,@Mistress Dizzy Aleena@baraquiel

Zach stood there and watched as Aleena ate the rosebuds he had given her as if they were a snack. He should known something like this would happen. It was probably a Tamaranean thing. At least she liked them. Felix tried to flirt with her, but it seemed to go over her head. Zach chuckled. He obviously lacked the charisma.

Both Felix and Ja (or rather this was that other of his personality of his. Ja was actually fun. This guy not so much.) also had stuff to say. Zach just ignored their comments. Neither of them would understood.

Then they were split up into groups, and Greem Arrow led his group to the obstacle course. There everyone was given an arbitrary limitation, and he was told he could only use 2 spells. How ridiculous, he may as well have asked them to do this blindfolded… Fine, whatever… It was a stupid training exercise anyway. Then Green Arrow left their group to their own devices, and they were standing in front of a large wall.

Aleena tried to give an inspirational speech that her cousin was known for giving, then punched the wall, leaving behind a dent.

Kassy asked if they could just go over it, and Zach rolled his eyes. ”Kassy, honey. Do you see any ropes, or vines, or anything we could grab on to that would allow us to climb this thing? I certainly don’t. I could probably make some, but I’m not wasting precious spells on this. Not when we have another alternative.” He then turned his attention to Aleena. “Aleena, could you punch that wall again? You’re strong, you can make a hole big enough for us to go through it.”

---

---

Just as Alisa noticed a certain boy’s eyes glued on her, someone crashed through the trees. She whipped around, staring curiously at the girl picking herself up. She could fly?! Wow. Jealous! Alisa already liked the Tamaranean. There were way too many guys on their team already, and she seemed nice and peppy. She made a mental note to herself to go talk to her after the training exercise. Luckily for Alisa, her mental notes never went forgotten.

That buoyancy sparked by the arrival of a new potential friend was quickly dashed, however, when it was announced that Alisa would be part of the sparring group. An expectant grin slid into a disappointed frown. At least Daphne (Nymph- she had to remember their code names!) looked as unhappy with the situation as she did. Viktor and Talon looked ambivalent, while Casper… well, she couldn’t really tell what Casper was thinking. Alisa was mentally sizing up her opponents, wondering whose ribs would be hardest to break when Black Canary told her to remember her strength. Alisa’s cheeks turned red. Although having zero combat experience, she was freakishly strong- a benefit of having stainless steel limbs and incredible durability. Maybe since he was also strong, Viktor would be a good choice? But then again, fighting Daphne could be fine. She didn’t look like she would want to fight seriously, while Viktor looked very serious.

She contemplated it for a moment before Viktor seemed to make the choice for her. "A, I think you would be good for me. We won't have to worry about limiting ourselves," he said.

“Alright. If you say so!” Alisa smiled, a nervous, fleeting thing, before backing up and dropping into what she thought resembled a fighting stance. “I’ve never been in or trained for combat before, just so you know. Not even martial arts, so I’m not good at the technical stuff… but I’m stronger than I look. I can take a hit and be fine. But I do have stainless steel limbs, so… if you want to use our full strengths, we can, but I’m really sorry in advance if I break a rib or two!” The last part was said genuinely apologetically- she would feel really bad if she broke Viktor’s bones. He seemed nice, if standoffish.

“Should I, like… count to three or something?” Alisa stood with her fists up and stared unblinkingly at Viktor. She really didn’t know how this worked.

Location: Obstacle Course
Interactions: Kass, Aleen'a, Zach

---

One clone at a time? Felix looked at the course ahead of them. Well it wasn't the worst limitation. Really they wouldn't be of much use except to maybe flip those tires. It wasn't exactly like he could give himself a boost over that wall.

Speaking of that wall, their new alien friend was already at it... trying to break it down. First the roses, now this. She would clearly have some adjusting to do. Somehow even more than Felix himself had needed. "Kass is probably right Al-"

And Zach spoke over him, of course. Damn, this guy was a lot more charming in his videos. "Oh come on Zach. You don't got a fun rope of knotted napkins in that suit somewhere? Isn't that like a magician classic? I mean even that kleezy clown that Booster got for my 14th birthday could make one of those..."

"Well that clown isn't here, so we work with what we got," said a second Felix walking out from behind the other side of the wall. "Aleen'a here could break it down or maybe boost each of us. Parkour yourself over after that or whatever."

Parkour. Huh. He remembered Ravi trying to teach him how to run at and boost himself up a wall. If only he'd paid more attention back then. How had he done it?

The first Felix took a few steps back and adjusted his stance, then ran at the wall. Off to one side, so as to not run into Aleen'a. As he neared the wall, he raised one leg. He would use it to push himself upward and hopefully be able to grab the top and pull himself up. His shoe hit the wall and pushed just fine. But the angle was off and Felix only succeeded in pushing himself backwards. "Well shi-" he grunted as he flew back and landed on his butt.

The second Felix laughed. "You think I wouldn't have done that myself if I thought we could."

The Felix on the ground rolled his eyes. He got up and dusted himself off. Looking up at the wall, he made a mental note. Regardless of how they got past this wall, it'd be good to work on getting over future walls himself. "If you don't get the one big hole made, you can do some handholds."

---

"Break it up you two!!" Black Canary called out in a sharp commanding tone, rushing to their side.
She had been watching Talon and Nymph go at it from a safe distance, but now it was time to intervene. As she'd expected the skilled Court of Owls martial artist easily bested the inexperienced teen girl. Talon helped Nymph get to her feet. Black Canary was pleased to see the boy had proper manners, despite his other shortcomings. She seized up both of her students. Talon didn't appear to be too beat up, but she couldn't be certain. His hero suit covered his entire body. This was his natural habitat, he knew his way around a fight arguably as well as she did.

The same couldn't be said for his sparring partner. Despite having a natural set of armor Nymph decidedly looked worse for wear. Black Canary focused her attention on the girl. She wanted to squeeze her shoulder but the bark made it impossible, instead she settled for a reassuring pat and a comforting smile. Daphne tried to smile back. The adrenaline was dying down and it made it very hard for her to pretend she was okay.
"I'm fine...I'm ff..ine....I'm..." The last words got swallowed up when she choked up. She started to break down into sobs. Her shoulders were shaking and she hid her face in her hands, wanting to go home.

Black Canary had a pained look on her face. She pitied Daphne. Sadly this was only the beginning. There were much tougher fights in the teams future. It was the ugly part of the hero business. Violence couldn't always be avoided. She fought the urge to embrace the girl in a motherly hug. She wiped the tears from her face. Her skin felt exactly like damp leaves. Dinah got out a bandage for Daphne to hold against the cut in her face.
"Take a breather Nymph"

Daphne took the bandage without saying anything, not trusting her voice to be able to speak. She suddenly felt extremely tired, like she ran an entire marathon. With wobbly legs she distanced herself a little from the group, lowering herself on the grass with a deep sigh. Her body was still shaking even while she sat down. Her breathing was uneven and her bottom lip quivered. The bark started to revert back, revealing the more vunerable and softer leaf like texture underneath. She was staring at the treeline. Daphne blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but it looked the trees were moving. Actually everything seemed to sway back and forth. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, feeling nauseous. The bandage rolled out of her hand and she let herself fall on her left side, drawing up her knees to her chest. The smell of the grass helped to settle her nausea.

---

“Do we need to contact ma’, or Zatanna?” Coal spoke, a sense of worry in the crow’s voice. Worry? An onlooker would have been surprised, hearing such from this specific, spiritual avian. That of which had been bothering Casper was growing all the more potent, and it was clearly distressing the boy. However, Hex’s attention was soon confiscated by the training at hand, by his teammates. Talon and Daphne had reached the end of their spar, their battle, and the emotional turmoil within Nymph was obvious. One did not require the ability to read minds or sense another’s heart to draw this conclusion, neither of which Casper was capable of.

”It’s gone now..,” Hex stated, clenching his teeth, before regaining lost equilibrium. Had the situation been different, more time and far more effort would have found itself sunk into the scenario at hand. Whatever it was that had been calling out to him undoubtedly appeared powerful, Casper could assess that much. It was reasonably a dangerous force, one extending its cold, unforgiving hand. It always was. Across the shore, few things sought to offer aid unless called upon. Throughout Hex’s studies, he had come across warnings in regards to Demons, Devils, and those of the Nether Realms. However, something he had learned for himself was that the very same caution would apply to his own people. The undead. ”Look..,” the Wraithborn spoke, his phantasmal gaze fixing its unnatural stare at Daphne.

Though a moment’s passing was required before Coal moved on from what had only recently transpired, the crow turned to their flowery ally in the distance. There were other things to focus on, currently. Something more pressing, and something certainly more present. “You should go and hug her.”

Freezing in his step, Casper paused. A hug from the Wraith? Would that have been an appreciated act of friendship? He had oftentimes embraced Coal, and it was a comforting experience, to be sure. However, it was less so his own reaction to such a decision which halted Hex’s stride, and more so Daphne’s own. He had already scared her away, once, hadn’t he? Or was that Coal simply turning a situation into what it wasn’t with whimsical jokes? Likely. However, if Hex based every decision on the risk of scaring the other party, he could very well shut himself away from anything with a pulse. Narrowing his gaze, the Wraith frowned. They were a team. They were supposed to be there for each other.

’I know it will be hard, Casper, but they are going to be your friends, your family.'
'Yes, they might be frightened by you, but if you let that get in the way..,'
'You’re the one who’s afraid.’

Zatanna’s words acted as encouragement, as if a hand had placed itself on the Wraith’s shoulder. She was right. ”A hug..,” Casper repeated, insecurity present in both voice, and body language. The Black embracing The Green, how ironic. Some may even consider it poetic. ”Okay..,” Hex decided. If it was ironic, then let the joke be told.

With his frame vanishing, dark, Necrotic energies transporting Casper from where he had once been, the boy soon appeared closer to his ally, his teammate. Manifesting like the ghostly entity he was, Hex possessed enough social graces to understand the need for initial distance. He did not want to scare with the unexpected, especially not whilst a vulnerable state was to consider. Rather, Casper remained standing a select few feet away, his spectral eyes landing on Daphne, before soft, echoey words left his lips. ”You did great..,” the Wraith found himself speaking. ”I.., know it’s frightening..,” he continued, slowly approaching the girl before he sat at her side, feeling grass beneath him. ”When I fought Canary, I thought I was going to faint..,” Casper shared, a small, mellow smile bridging itself across his lips to reveal those shark-like teeth beyond. ”But..,” there was a short pause, Casper’s focus remaining on Nymph, ”it’s okay to be scared..”

Landing atop a branch, Coal stood silently watching. Were crows able to smile, there would surely be such an expression present. “Proud of you, kid,” a quiet statement left the spirit’s beak.

”I don’t mean to overstep..,” Casper tried, with yet another pause soon following. He could not let insecurity get in the way. Progress had been made, and he was going to keep making it. Raising his slender arms, the boy gently embraced Daphne, if only for a moment before releasing her. ”I’ll.., haunt you until you feel better..,” the Wraithborn finished, his smile tenderly widening.

Talon felt the vines and leaves throughout Nymph's hair loosen their grip as Black Canary called off the rest of the sparring match. Talon felt a moment of his typical training as a Talon for the Court of Owls - leaving someone alive was not permitted. But then Talon could hear the supportive voice of Dick Grayson, and he felt his hand relax. He got off of his downed opponent, feeling a bruise develop in his thigh from the sliding tackle she used to knock him prone earlier. Doing his best impression of Nightwing's demeanor, Talon reached out to her with his hand. She clasped it and he pulled her upright. He was trying to think of something supportive to say. He was impressed by her resilience, and her willingness to change tactics mid-fight.

Then he saw her face. Behind her eyes he could see that the intense nature of a fight can lead to a serious crash of emotions afterwards. Talon wondered if she had ever been in a real fight before. If not, that would be surprising. He wondered what her backstory was that lead her into joining the team. Surely it was more than just the potential of her abilities. She must have demonstrated their use to someone particularly vital - or maybe some vigilante heroism on the side? Suddenly, she burst into tears.

Talon looked on in shock. He had no idea how to really console at this point. He froze with his hands up as if in defense - took half a step backward. He wasn't used to this kind of interaction at all! What would Dick do in this situation? What about Barbara? Or Tim? He seemed like a nice guy when Talon had met him, brief as it was. Talon started to say something, saw the tears in Daphne's eyes. Black Canary called out to her and told her to take a few moments to herself. She left the immediate area and Talon watched her go. Did he do that to her? Was it his fault she was this upset? Maybe. Probably. He should say something.

The last two in their training group, Cybergirl and Rain, were squaring up together. As interested as he was in seeing both of them fight each other, his attention was still on Nymph. She looked disconsolate. She was sitting on the grass not too far away. Talon felt pulled in her direction. Missed whatever it was that Cybergirl had said to Rain. Seemingly without his blessing, his leg took a step towards Daphne, off on her own. Out of the corner of his vision however, Talon saw the ghost boy - Casper - Hex - walk towards her. Talon stopped.

Perhaps it would be best for her to be consoled by someone other than himself. He was partially responsible after all. Plus, what would he say? He was betting that Hex would be far better to talk to in this sort of situation. Empathy poured off the kid like an open faucet. His social skills weren't up to par to help someone. He could listen, but wouldn't know what to say. He'd close up. He could communicate in things like the mission, but otherwise? Nothing. He felt a cold shiver throughout himself as he turned his attention back to Cybergirl and Rain.

---

A couple of last tears trickled down the side of her face, mixing with the morning dew on the grass. Daphne had calmed down considerably. There was something about laying in the grass, in a fetal position. A light breeze brushing past, it was calming. The soft echoes of Casper's voice made her look up. She spotted him standing a respectful distance away from her. Daphne pushed herself of the ground and sat up straight so she could face him when he sat down next to her. They hadn't talked much after their short exchange yesterday. At first Casper disturbed her, but she soon discovered that underneath his ghostly appearance he was just a teen boy. Someone who was extending incredible kindness to her at the moment. Something she truly could appreciate.

Daphne smiled a small but genuine smile at his confession. It was comforting to know she wasn't the only struggling with combat, fighting and violence. It was nice to hear it was okay to be scared, to have her feelings acknowledged. The teen girl looked down at his smile. His sharp teeth didn't disturb her and she smiled back, feeling a little better. Casper was being extremely careful, even when he hugged her. She was being gentle herself too, holding him like she was holding a butterfly. Daphne pulled him a little closer to her, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her leafy hair stroked his face gently.

There was something peculiar which stirred in the air around Casper and being this close to him she could also experience the sensation on her skin. Their embrace was short. It was difficult to describe what hugging him felt like, it was far from unpleasant. It wasn't cold like she expected, even though she didn't know why she even thought it would be. He was alive, but at the same time he wasn't. A human ghost?

While his nature still raised many questions, he had an unquestionably kind soul.
"Thanks, this was really nice of you" She said, feeling grateful. It had come from an unexpected source, but it was nice to have someone there to console her after something like this.
"I've never had my own private ghost to haunt me" Daphne laughed. Her laugh was light and pleasant, part of her spirit restored.

She brushed her fingers over the grass between them, musing on her thoughts, leaving a moment of silence between them. From the corner of her eye she saw Talon standing in the grass. She lifted her head to look at him better. The way he was pacing back and forth, looking lost, it stirred her compassion. Daphne lifted herself of the grass, holding out her hand to Casper. His clawed fingers intertwined with her verdant ones and she helped him up lightly.
"I'm going to make sure Talon is doing okay, thanks again Casper" She squeezed his hand.

Daphne carefully approached Talon, the echoes of their battle tucked away safely into the back of her mind. She didn't blame Talon for her distress, she would have probably reacted like this with both Rain and Cybergirl too. It wasn't his fault and hopefully that wasn't what he was feeling. She was also pretty sure she'd hurt him too, physically for sure. The cut on her face had stopped leaking sap, but it hadn't healed yet. It would heal fast, given some time and sunlight, a cut like this could be healed in an hour or two. As far as she knew though Talon was human, and any injury he endured would be much more serious.

She turned her warm brown eyes up to his face, searching his features.
"I hope I didn't hurt you, I'm sorry for the way I reacted" Daphne looked away in embarrassment.
"I...I think I hit your leg, are you okay?" She asked, feeling guilty. It was another reason why she didn't like to fight. It wasn't only her who could get hurt, she didn't want to hurt anyone either. Daphne stepped a bit closer to him, waiting for his answer.

---------------------

Talon looked over at the sound of Daphne's light footprints. She was approaching him with a somewhat regretful look in her eyes. Whatever she was coming over to say, Talon wasn't prepared for it. He had attempted to put her out of his mind when he saw that Hex had went to console her. Imagine his shock when it turned out that she was coming to console him and even apologize. Her eyes were a dark brown, and behind the already drying tears was a warmth that Talon was not familiar enough with, not something he'd experienced before. They both felt the same psuedo-embarrassment and turned away from each other at the same time. He was facing down at the ground, unsure what to say. He was conscious of her taking another step closer to him...

He remembered what it was like training with the rest of the Court of Owls. Remembered the wood chamber. Remembered the Head Talon screaming at a young Jack to hammer his elbow repeatedly into the temple of his bunkmate. Over and over, until the thudding sounded wetter, thicker, until the boy stopped making noises at all.

Talon remembered being thrown scraps of meat in a room with the others, expected to fight each other over who got to eat that night. He felt the scar going from pectoral down to his left elbow burn with the memory of being slit open in the night during an exercise with the talon gauntlet's he now wore upon his own person. The same sharp talons that gutted his only friend from head to toe because he had dared leave The Court of Owls. Jack was only 10 then...

"You're armor. It's strong." Was all he could manage.

He wanted to tell her that she fought really well, beyond that - he wanted to tell her that he was grateful for the chance to express himself with her in this way. But he just wasn't there yet. Decided to at least try, he looked just past her and began signing.

"I was the same during my first fights. I was terrified of being hurt anymore than I already had been. But we can use it. You have sharp instincts, and-" He stopped. He could tell by her reaction at watching his hands that she didn't speak American Sign Language. He gave up and his arm fell limply to the side.

Instead, he lifted up his hand and gave an awkward "a-okay" hand gesture. He wanted to let her know that she hadn't hurt him, not in any way that a little rough and tumble wouldn't injure someone. It was the best he could manage given the circumstances. He felt stupid immediately, and angrily turned his attention back to the others in his group.

---

Had Casper made a teammate feel better? Had he brought positivity to a situation? It felt odd, almost unnatural, but comforting all the same. Until now, Hex had labored under the assumption that only the dead found his presence pleasant, when he wasn’t mistaken for the Grim Reaper. Casper assumed that only spirits could be consoled by the Gravewalker, a title he had earned back home, by a peculiar member of their cult. He would, however, claim that this handle was far too dramatic for him to maintain, but as Daphne started towards Talon, the boy was left with his thoughts. As per usual, they wandered and caused scenes to linger. Memories overlapped with expectations, assumptions met by reality. What had Casper thought would happen following this peculiar attempt? Needless to say, it went far better than anticipated. A bringer of death was, in the end, capable of making an agent of The Green smile. The joke had been told, and Hex was satisfied with what had come to pass.

“Look at you!” Coal’s voice was enough to bring Casper back, pulling him from a mind’s endless vortex, “being a good guy.” Talon’s landed on the boy’s shoulder, a wing extending to gently pat the Wraith’s head. “Prouda’ you.”

”I..,” Hex returned, his spectral orbs fixed on Daphne and the rehabilitated assassin. It was something they had in common, in a way. Hex and Talon, they both grew up in cults, they were both assigned to missions involving less than morally grey instances. They had killed, they had destroyed, and they had been villains in their own right. For Casper, it was his mother that put an end to this development. For Talon, it was the Bat Family. Perhaps one day they could bond over this most beshadowed tale. An assassin and a dark sorcerer, now an operative and a supernatural, two heroes with dark pasts. However, Casper had something Talon never did. A loving mother, and it made all the difference. ”I should probably not bother them..”

“The hell are you on about?” The crow returned, “three’s a crowd, or some shit?”

”Is it..?” Hex blinked, raising a claw before tapping his chin.

“No!” Coal laughed, “now you’re just looking for excuses not to be a friendly little ghost,” the avian chuckled. “So tuck your insecurities away, and waltz up there.”

”But they’re talking..,” Casper countered, motioning at his newly acquired friends.

“Join the conversation!” A back and forth which would continue endlessly, unless Casper yielded. Coal was correct. What was the alternative? To remain still and stare at his allies as they further socialized?

”Fine..,” Hex finished, the dark layer of magic coating him beginning to flutter.

“Don’t teleport! Walk! Use your wee feetsies’!” A wing pointed southward. Again, the crow spoke true. Teleporting into a conversation wasn’t normal, and Casper needed to maintain some sense of normality when engaging with the living. It was a different world, entirely separate from spiritual interaction. People were more firm, less fluid. They preferred a stable foundation, not flowing energies.

”Right, yeah..,” Hex agreed, clawed hands slipping into his pockets as he began to slowly pace towards Daphne and Talon. ”Ah, hey..,” Casper stated, halting his stride once he finally reached the previously battling duo. ”Uh.., nice fight..,” he managed, meeting their gaze for a brief moment before those spectral spheres lowered towards the grass.

As Alisa took her fighting stance and spoke, Viktor removed his black short-sleeved shirt. Revealing his lightly scarred and sculpted body was not his intention. The guy just wanted to keep his shirt intact during the sparring session. It was all he removed and tossed into the grass beside him. Fortunately or not, he didn't expect too many blows below the belt, so his grey athletic shorts and black sneakers would remain.

Viktor glanced at Daphne and Talon initiating combat already, but quickly placed his focus back onto Alisa. His eyes measured her as for him, this was an assessment.

"Sure. Count to three and we will begin." Viktor gave her a nod, his expression neutral.

“Okay.” Alisa shifted on her feet, unsure of what she was about to do, but did what Viktor said anyways. “One.” Alisa clenched her fists, bracing herself for a punch. “Two.” She let her eyes focus on Viktor who lowered into a stance of his own, her senses becoming sharper. “Three!”

With little grace and skill but with considerable speed and strength, Alisa launched herself at Viktor, aiming a right hook at his chest. Although she really wasn’t sure about it, she did exactly as Viktor said and didn’t hold back.

Her punch connected, but only to his raised left forearm as he crouched down some. A very low grunt escaped him as he felt how much force was behind her attack. Part of him wanted this. Curious in knowing what kind of power Alisa had. With an open right palm, he struck straight forward at her chest to quickly push Alisa backward.

Alisa quite nearly fell over, but she remembered herself at the last moment and dug her heels in. She wobbled for a moment or two. In reality, she only skidded back a few feet. Viktor certainly seemed strong, too, but with a bit more combat knowledge than her. He blocked it with his forearm! Wasn’t there something characters in movies did to counteract that? A feint? She could try that… Despite her misgivings, Alisa found herself wanting to win. Little did she know, Viktor could still feel the sting of her strike. It wouldn't slow him down, but he was not about to eat her blows like that if he could help it… Alisa was fast.

After Alisa got a chance to right herself, she rushed at Viktor again, this time attempting a feint to the left, making Viktor shift his arm to block once again, followed by a strike to his right side. It was a clumsy move, she knew, but it seemed like something that could work.

Viktor had assumed Alisa was trying the same move again, so the feint did exactly as intended. To not expect a second action though, would be foolish of him. He took a step to the left, before throwing a right uppercut to her chin, followed by a left hook. If he was successful, he would continue to strike while he had the advantage.

Oh. That didn’t work! Alisa’s clumsy feint seemed to have backfired and, as she was startled by her failure, Viktor’s hits landed easily. Pain blossomed in her chin. She knew it wouldn’t do anything- her jaw was much stronger than any human’s- but it still hurt. Again, she punched at Viktor, a quick right uppercut to the jaw. This time, however, she tried to shield her face with her left arm.

Shit. He retaliated with a hard gut punch with his right hand. Alisa's striking power made him feel pain he wasn't used to.

Viktor's next move was meant to put an end to the spar. Exchanging punches would leave these two pummeled or risk the chance of one of them hitting the wrong place with enough unbridled force to cause a serious injury. He swiftly lunged forward and wrapped his right arm around Alisa's neck in a guillotine chokehold.

Alisa didn’t have time to react to the gut-punch (which hurt, but didn’t take her out) before Viktor had her in a low chokehold. His hands had a vice grip on her neck. It seemed that he was trying to choke her into yielding, which might have worked.

If Alisa needed oxygen at all. She was about to wrestle her way out of it when she realized something.

"You throw hard punches, which is… impressive, but this is over, A. Your airway is constricted and the blood flowing to your brain is… It isn't." Viktor could taste the blood in his mouth from that uppercut as he spoke plainly. Tap and you won't pass out, A."

Viktor didn’t know that she didn’t need oxygen. She grinned, wickedly, when she thought of a good plan. After a few moments of exaggerated struggling, Alisa started to gasp for air. It was fake, of course, but she was playing it up. She was gasping, strangled, arms struggling against Viktor, all the while planning. There was no way she was losing this fight!

"A?" Viktor found her stubbornness commendable, yet foolish. She lasted longer than usual, perhaps some sort of perk of her unnatural physiology. "A, give up or you will pass out." His voice almost stressing concern.

“N...no,” Alisa wheezed out, although she was having no trouble breathing. His concern was certainly nice, although misplaced.

A few moments later, Alisa had herself take one last, strangled “breath”, closed her eyes, and slumped down, limp in Viktor’s arms. Now he just needed to drop her, and she’d be golden. And with a sigh of disappointment, he carefully released his grip so she wouldn't just hit the ground like a ragdoll. His eyes met Black Canary's.

"I didn't want it to end this way." Viktor set Alisa down on the grass and laid her on her side before noticing something grave. Alisa was not breathing! He checked her radial pulse… nothing. His eyes widened slightly. He then moved to check her carotid pulse at her neck… NOTHING! Viktor had made such an immense error. The heat of the battle had blinded him and made him ignore his senses. His lips parted slightly as he honestly didn't know what to do. It was clear he had not been trained to treat a casualty. "A! Alisa! Black Canary! She needs med-"

Just then, Alisa’s eyes flew open and, in an instant, she launched herself at Viktor. She wrapped her steel hands around his neck in a vice grip and rolled with him to the ground, now straddling him. She grinned wickedly. “I win!” she crowed triumphantly. She felt sort of bad for tricking him like that- he had sounded so concerned- but it had been necessary to claim this victory. It had honestly been sweet to hear him worry. It had been misplaced- even if dead, she could always come back- but sweet. “Now yield, before I choke you! Sorry I made you worry. I don’t breathe or have blood, so that’s why I didn’t have a pulse. But I won!” She was smiling giddily. She hadn’t expected to win- Viktor was so much more experienced than her. But she had, and the pride on her face was unmistakable.

Viktor frowned beneath Alisa. Trickery… Hmm… He was not a fan of his current position. His right arm reached for her left, only to lightly tap it twice in defeat. "Yes you did, A. You taught me… something." He looked away from her as he realized how much he had worried. Everyone there had seen it too! Welp... he'd live.

Alisa hopped up and offered him a hand. “So sorry for tricking you. Again. But what a good spar! You really had me worried for a sec… you’re so much better than me at this stuff. And you took so many hard hits! You might actually wanna get checked out for that jaw hit… it looks like you’re bleeding a bit.” Alisa stared straight at his mouth, which had blood trickling out of it. “It was really sweet of you that you thought to check on me. Really.” She smiled at him, wide and sincere.

---

"Your armor. It's strong."
Daphne´s face lit up in surprise, feeling an unexpected kind of happiness and even a hint of pride. It didn´t happen often that someone spoke positively of her powers. Her father was the only one who did, from a scientific standpoint, although that didn´t make her feel proud. It made her feel like she was a rare type of animal species, maybe the only one of her kind. It was alienating at times. The study sessions often included extensive testing and there was always the danger of being locked into her plant form. It was something which lurked in the back of her mind. Because of this reason she often didn't share the excitement her dad felt when they made a new discovery. Boundaries were there for a reason and she didn't want to cross them, it was scary.

She made her peace with her powers in the short time she had gotten to understand them. She was glad she could transform at will, it made it easier to live a semi normal life too. It would have been different if her transformation was permanent. To Daphne her powers were there to protect both herself and now also others around her. Talon started to sign something to her and her attention went back to him. She focused on his hands movements, in full concentration. Sadly she couldn't make out what he was saying. Her confusion was clear from her expression. He caught on too and stopped "talking"

Daphne watched his face fall and felt sorry for him. She looked at the ground, like the answers were there. Suddenly she thought of something. Why didn't she think of this before?
Happy she found a way to keep talking to Talon, she held up her hand, signing he had to wait a second.
"I have an idea, don't go anywhere, just wait here." There was a bright smile on her face and she turned to rush to her backpack. The teen girl was worried her sparring partner would turn and leave, so she emptied out the contents of her bag on the grass impatiently. She spotted her phone underneath her notebook and grabbed it. While she made her way back to Talon and Hex who had joined them she was typing up a message.
"I thought this might work better, since I don't speak American sign language. You can say what you wanted to say to me earlier. Just type it so I can read it and we'll be good"....."I'm glad you're not hurt xoxo Daphne"

Daphne joined back up with the two boys, taking Talon's hand and placing her phone into it, nodding at him. Casper complimented them on their sparring match.
"Yes we all did pretty good, the villains better watch their backs" She laughed, only half believing her own words.

A short distance away from them Cybergirl and Rain were getting ready for their sparring match. On one hand Daphne had had enough violence for the morning, but she also recognized the valuable lessons watching others fight might teach them. Besides she was pretty sure Black Canary wouldn't settle for them lounging about in the grass making daisy chains.
"Do you guys want to go watch them?"
Daphne turned to Hex and Talon, her hands folded behind her back.

---

Kila was fully prepared to watch the session between Black Canary and the boy called Casper begin. However, as it seemed, his teachers had designated that his training would not focus on sparring at the moment to some of his disappointment. Still, the young warrior did not protest or bat an eye, walking with the group to the obstacle course location. Studying it briefly, he started formulating something of a strategy that would go along with each team member’s projected strengths. It didn’t take very long, and he was soon to verbalize his plan to the team.

At least he would have, if it weren’t for two things. Firstly, the stipulations, most of which didn’t surprise him until his own alias was called. One animal power for the course...? This was the yet another time that he heard of some lurking power within him related to animals. Looking down at his hands briefly, he opened and closed his fingers. His Amai told him that he had such power when he was young, connection to animals as she did...though, whatever happened when stolen away made it hide within.

Kila didn’t know how or what was required to access this power, but he couldn’t rely on potential. He was trained to work with what he had, and to do so with excellence. Thus, that’s what he would do. With resolve in mind, his mouth opened but a feeling inside silenced him. The feeling felt foreign, yet familiar. It was...a warning? He felt the need to look over his shoulder and back to the other group.

It was something dark that had momentarily happened. Which, made him look more directly at the boy called Casper again. But why? Was this that power that Amai referred to as hidden? It seemed rather random...though perhaps it felt the need to tell him that something was off about the spirit boy? He would think about this later, he supposed.

Looking back at the task he was supposed to be on, it seemed folks decided to go for their own ways to get passed the wall already. The Golden tried to climb, and it seemed he had potential but his technique was off. Meanwhile, the new arrival’s idea was simply to destroy the wall altogether. In most circumstances, the second wasn’t the best plan, but the wall’s tremble asserted that this circumstance wasn’t like most. The princess had remarkable strength to go along with her ability to fly. It made him wonder what else she could do.

When Mirage asked the reasonable question relating to simply going over the wall, the Zatara boy once again showed his simple minded attitude. Had this boy never been without magic? His arrogant attitude made Kila want to throw that punch that the high and mighty magician refused to train against. Right in his sneering smile.

Yet again his words were stolen from him. The strange feelings, he felt them again, tugging at him to move, but Kila kept in place. Instead, his eyes followed the direction and turned his head back over his shoulder. Again back to the group he wasn’t in. However this time, it was pulling his attention to Daphne.

She was sparring with Talon, but the air whispered of something being wrong. It wanted him to do something...to stop Talon. In which case, he found himself just watching it play out. All the while, the impulses seemed to get stronger. Clearly, the Talon boy was more experienced in battle and had the upper hand throughout most of it...Though, perhaps that was the problem? Kila wasn’t sure what he was feeling, it was as though the fury he had regarding Zatara had become something else. Something more primal.

Then Casper came over to comfort the girl in the aftermath and the feeling seemed to get worse...But why? Where was the threat? He blinked, stopping in his tracks as he had unconsciously took a step towards that way. His fists were balled, but he didn’t know when he had done that. Kila took a deep breath, sensing the brief tsunami of feeling pass. These impulses definitely must have had something to do with the power...but how did it relate to animals?

Calming himself down internally, the dark-skinned boy backtracked to his original group. Trying to push this strange episode to the back burner and focus on the task his group was given. Kila tried to remember what he was going to say, but ultimately it became more irrelevant as Aleen’a’s attack on the wall continued.

”The integrity of the wall has become compromised by the display of the Princess. Climbing would be more dangerous than effective now. As much as agreeing with this speech devil is against my nature, he is right. Allowing her to finish the job would be better for this task.” Kila expressed his thoughts to Mirage and Gold Rush.