Just a little something I've been wanting to write for a while now. That's all. I don't know if I'll continue it. Maybe. X3
Hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Young Justice series, its characters or plot. I also do not own the song Aria (Stammi Vicino, Non Te Ne Andare) or its lyrics, which is owned by its creators in Japan as a song from the Yuri on Ice soundtrack.
"M'gann, how do you like Earth so far?"
"Uncle J'onn, I can't contain myself! I love Earth!"
Dressed in what good Earth clothes and a human disguise M'gann M'orzz could choose, the young Mars resident rushed off down a sidewalk to get a closer look at Happy Harbor's large pier sprawled across the ocean side, boats and the sounds of bells tolling ringing in the cooling air that glowed a soft orange from the sunset.
Watching a few feet away, a disguised Martin Manhunter smiled at seeing his niece enjoying herself on her trip to Earth, noticing the sparkle of energy in the teen's eyes as he tried to take in every object that appeared to overtake her vision.
For some it was odd to see a teen so focused on the world around them. Most her age would have their noses stuck in a phone screen or in their own worlds.
But not M'gann M'orzz. She was nothing like the teens on Earth.
Excitable.
Kind.
Courteous.
Martian.
That last part was the most specific of the bunch that described M'gann. After all, being from a different planet, everything on Earth made her want to take notice of every little difference of her own home. If not to learn, but become accustomed.
She'd be staying there for quite some time and would need to get used to things after all.
"There's so much water here. How far does the ocean stretch? Could were take a boat ride?" M'gann asked in rushed questions, staring out at at the sprawling sea as the call of seagulls and the smell of sea salt air made the young martian sigh softly at the calm of it all.
"I can't say how far it stretches, but it goes for miles. And you'll have much time for boat rides and other such activities soon. But we first need to get to the Cave. You need to meet your team after all." Martian Manhunter explained, reaching an arm around M'gann and pulling her away from the pier to walk alongside him towards the large mountain side of Happy Harbor.
"Oh, right! Of course! We'll do that first. I can't wait to meet my team. I wonder what they're all like." M'gann spoke, a slight spring I her step as she imagined what her team would be like.
This was a time of many firsts for her. The first time being to Earth, the first time ever being on another planet in general, and the very first time her uncle J'onn had decided to give her such a huge amount go trust and responsibility.
Joining a team. Of other teens like her about her age. To be a team for the Justice League!?
It was so much to take in at first. A bit hard to believe. But after a while all she could think of was all the fun things she'd would get to see and do. Both on her own exploring and with her new team!
She'd heard about them all in some way or another. All of them having some kind of reputation thanks to the descriptions made by her uncle.
The mini sleuth that was Robin; protege of Batman.
A speedster of chatty proportions known as Kid Flash, who was trained by The Flash.
Aqualad, a calm and collected Atlantean that served beneath the king of Atlantis, Aquaman.
She'd heard of a new addition to the team recently after a mission of their own. Superboy was his name. She didn't know all the details, but he was supposed to be the sidekick to Superman perhaps. Considering how similar their hero names were.
And there was one more. The only girl on the team besides her.
Winter. A girl who used the powers of ice just like her mentor; Ice Maiden.
It sounded like such an interesting power. There wasn't much ice on Mars, so wanting to know more about it sounded like fun to the Martin teen; or at the very least to get to know the only other female on the team.
She wasn't sure how things worked on Earth, but from the many video examples she'd gotten from Earth, she felt like she got some kind of idea from all the countries ways of showing things.
How girls hang out with one another. Became great friends and talked about secrets like family, boys, and their hopes and dreams. Just like in Hello, Megan!
Well, maybe not just like it. She hoped it wouldn't be like the few episodes she;'d see where they'd bully the new girl for some reason or another.
'I just want to be friends'.
"Ah, I see two made it finally," the thick accent of heroine Ice Maiden called from the center of the briefing room of the Cave, watching Martin Manhunter and M'gann M'orzz walk into the large hero base of a mountain. "Were two out seeing sights?"
"Why yes, actually. M'gann wanted to get acquainted with the town she would be staying in." Martain Manhunter spoke, giving a polite nod to his fellow Justice Leaguer colleague as M'gann stared at the large and fully stocked base.
"This place is amazing. I'm actually going to be on a team working here?" The younger martian asked, not sure she was believing what she was seeing.
"If not want, uncle can find better place." Ice Maiden joked with a wink.
Hearing the joke, M'gann hastily shook her head. "No no no! I love it! I just….I've never done anything like this before. I've always wanted to; I just didn't think it would be happening all so quickly."
"There's no need to worry. You have a team beside you that will help along the way. You're all a bit new to all of this. So don't be afraid. You'll work together well just as we do in the Justice League." Martian Manhunter kindly said, resting a hand on M'gann's shoulder. After speaking to clm his niece down, the martian looked around the large cave, noticing the lack of people. "Where are the rest of the protege's?"
Hearing the question, Ice Maiden rubbed the back of her neck. "You sees, young heroes were getting tired. It was late night for some, and they needed to head home. Robin, Kid Flash and little boy of steel have already left for the day to head to families."
M'gann frowned at the news and walked towards Ice Maiden. "So I'm not meeting my new team today?"
Seeing the look of disappointment of M'gann's face, the blue-skinned woman walked closer to the maintain and ruffled the girl's hair. "Big part, yes. But Ice has alternative, if little Martian would have it. Ice Maiden know where Snowflake is tonight. You can come with to say hello."
"Snowflake?" M'gann repeated, not exactly sure who Ice Maiden was talking about. At first she thought it was something Earthlings did, however as soon as she remembered who she was, a few pieces clicked. "Oh, you mean my team mate Winter. Yes, I'd love to go with you. Can I, uncle J'onn?" The teen martian asked, looking to her parental figure.
Humming softly to himself in thought, the older martian looked to Ice Maiden. "But I thought-"
Ice Maiden quickly cut off Martian Manhunter. "Oh, no need to worry. Snowflake will join."
M'gann couldn't help but overhear the exchange. What did Ice Maiden mean by that?
"…You will watch her, correct?" Martian Manhunter spoke, deciding to drop his previous question.
"Of course! Little Mars snowflake will be E-OK in Sigrid's blue hands." Ice Maiden spoke confidently, patting a hearty hand on M'gann's shoulder.
Seeing the energy beaming from both his niece and his fellow co-worker, Martian Manhunter exhaled softly and nodded, giving both girls a smile. "Alright. Just be sure to get her back here at a reasonable hour. I'll be back here around 8:30 to pick you up, M'gann."
"Of course! I'll be back before you know it, uncle J'onn." M'gann promised.
"Yes! We be back soon Uncle Johnny!" Ice Maiden added, the two girls giggling at the butchered nickname as they headed towards the zeta tubes.
"What's an ice rink?" M'gann inquired, staring at the large building both she and Ice Maiden, or Sigrid as the heroine let her call her, were standing outside of.
Stationed in the city known as Star City, the building itself didn't look all that special on the outside. A bit different in architecture, it didn't stand out so much except from the sign itself reading Starry Night Ice Rink.
Being led by the heroine herself, M'gann hadn't figured out any ideas on what to expect following the famous ice hero to find her sidekick. She'd expected to go to their house, or perhaps some kind of location where she would be on some kind of mission if it was already getting dark outside.
After all, wouldn't her family be getting worried that she was out late at night?
'I know my uncle wouldn't be too happy if I was out late like this on Earth.'
"Ice rink is wondrous place! Mars not have it?" Sigrid asked, seemingly serious despite how odd the question was to her party.
"Um…No, not really. We don't have much ice." M'gann said, her mind wandering somewhat to thoughts of home.
No, an ice rink was not the thing that people craved on her home planet. M'gann was sure that her race most likely didn't know what it was just like her. There were more important things that Martians like her wanted.
However wanting it was not the same as having it granted.
Not when such a large majority on the planet advocated against what you wanted.
What you were. Your rights. Your freedom.
"Oh, too bad," Sigrid said softly, watching M'gann who appeared lost in her thoughts. Letting her stay that way for a few moments, Sigrd quickly clapped her hands loudly together, the slap of her skin snapping the martian girl to her senses. "But no matter! Let's go and introduce two snowflakes to one another, hm?"
"R-Right! Sorry." M'gann said, heading inside the building with her adult companion.
Stepping inside what seemed like a waiting room, M'gann could feel the warmth of a heater blasting within the room, keeping it warmer than the chilled air outside as the night darkened.
Lines of chairs lined a small section of the room, while a vending machine filled with snacks and drinks sat by the wall. Along with what seemed like a large rack of odd looking shoes with sharp knives beneath them beside another wall, a counter blocked access from them; an old man standing behind it and reading a magazine that had pictures of people dressed in odd outfits wearing the same sharp shoes.
Were they heroes? They looked at front he way M'gann thought they dressed.
"Phew! My snowflake should be here, but Sigrid first need to use little girl's room. Just go ask man there nicely for girl with last name Freya. He'll point in direction. Be good while gone." With a smile on face, the heroine turned away from M'gann and hustled towards a staircase and walked up, disappearing from the martian's view.
Seeing Sigrid disappear, M'gann turned back to look at the older man sitting behind the counter reading. Slowly but surely making her way towards him, the disguised martian stared at the man silently, until finding her voice to ask her question.
"Excuse me, sir?" M'gann asked softly.
Hearing the meek voice of M'gann, the older owner of the ice rink looked up from his magazine and smiled at seeing the young girl before him. "Hello, miss. I'm sorry, but ice rink hours are over today. If you want to skate, you'll have to come back tomorrow."
"Oh, I'm not here to skate," M'gann said, feeling the conversation work its way little by little as she tried to hold herself. She still wasn't all too used to conversing with humans yet. If she said something wrong, who knew what could happen. "I'm just looking for….a friend. With the name Freya."
"Freya? Ah, you must know Samantha. She's on the ice right now. Go ahead." The old man said calmly, raising a hand up to point towards a pair of sliding doors nearby on the far right.
Seeing the doors in question, M'gann didn't think twice to ask again. "T-Thank you, sir." Heading towards the pair of doors, M'gann watched as they opened up by themselves, letting her into a much larger room than she had been in before.
And much, much colder.
What color had been in the previous room had seemed to disappear, steel grays and blacks and whites coating the walls; added by what appeared to be signs with various written words on them that M'gann couldn't exactly place. Eyes gazing at large stacks of leg metal benches that liners up one after the other, the martian's gaze then shifted towards the large plastic cage that seemed to sprawl across the room. It was not like anything she'd ever seen.
White plastic and metal barricades lifted high off the floor at least three to four feet, acting similarly to walls. From there sections of the walls seemed to have cuts in them, acting as doorways to walk on and off of whatever was inside the plastic ring. Walking further into the large, cold room, M'gann decided to move a little peer in and see what was in the large ring.
What she saw was water.
Or, maybe not water.
It didn't look like any water she'd seen. Not exactly clear in the way that it was see through or reflecting the blue of the sky, the water inside the large ring stood absolutely still and held a gleam of reflection on it that mirrored the beam of the lights that hung in the rafters above.
"Wow, this must be that ice Sigrid was talking about. So…does that make this thing a rink?" M'gann asked herself, trying to understand the entire design as she moved towards the rows of metal seats and took a seat on one of the higher benches to get a better look at how much the rink sprawled across the room.
It seemed to stretch from one side of the wall all the way to the other by at least more than thirty feet. Maybe even more.
"I wonder what this place is for." M'gann remembered the man by the counter talking about skating.
What was skating?
Now that she thought about it, she was supposed to be looking for Sigrid's sidekick; Freya.
Or Samantha.
She couldn't be sure now. Which name was she supposed to use?
The slam of a door shutting startled M'gann's thoughts, making her turn her head towards where the sound came from. Noticing a figure walking out of a hallway far on the other side of the rink, M'gann for a moment wondered if it was Sigrid looking for her, but noticed fairly quickly that the person was far too short to be the Leaguer she'd come with.
Was it Freya? Or Samantha? Whoever she was called?
Unsure of what to do, M'gann quietly, shifted in her seat to scoot closer ever now and then, sitting down on a bench closer and closer to try and get a better look at the person who'd walked in.
Seeing far better, the figure in question looked to be a girl around her age. Dressed in high fitting black athletic pants and a long sleeved matching athletic shirt dashed with blue stitching and black gloves, the girl had long flowing brunette hair that fell down her back towards her hips; and accentuated a well built and well maintained figure from what M'gann could see.
The girl was clearly in shape. Surely doing much physical activity to keep her figure the way it was.
She was quite pretty too. Light caucasian skin like most humans, though her tone was a bit lighter. A heart shaped face that accentuated soft features such as dark brunette eyes and long eyelashes and hair and framed her face.
Was this Sigrid's protege? M'gann had heard from the heroine that her sidekick had white hair and blue eyes. Maybe she was mistaken? But then where was she?
Seemingly unknowing of the hidden audience she had, the brunette girl moved closer to the ice rink and opened the door, M'gann finally taking notice of the odd shoes she'd seen before in the other room on the girl's feet.
So they were used to get on this weird frozen water?
The sound of continuous chips and grinding of metal of ice coming from the girl as she pushed herself onto her ice, M'gann hunted into her seat to try and hide herself, fearful of what the girl would do if she saw her watching her. Keeping quiet, M'gann observed as the brunette began to tie her hair up into a secure hair bun, letting a few short strands fall to brush against her slightly pale cheeks.
"I wonder what she's going to do." The martian wondered quietly, eyes glued to the girl as she headed towards some kind of electronic speakers sitting on the flat rails of the walls.
Hitting the play button on the music player, the girl drifted towards the center of the large rink of frozen water, taking a deep breath as she stood still upon the ice like a statue, turning her head pulling her head downwards to look at the ice and closed her eyes.
M'gann was curious as to what the brunette was doing, but it was only at hearing the soft sound of music playing in the empty ice rink that made the martian quickly stay quiet, eyes and ears glued to what she was secretly witnessing.
The echos of trumpets, violins and harp harmonizing from the music speakers far away, the brunette began to move as if life was blessed to her, and soon enough strange lyrics M'gann had never heard began to stream from the electronic device.
"Sento una voce che piange lontano
Anche tu, sei stato forse abbandonato?"
Staring up at the ceiling of the room as if looking to find something, the young human girl outstretched her hand towards the sky above, only to pull it back towards her as she softly caressed her form, hand gliding along her skin behind her ear and sliding down towards her neck, all while her body strangely enough moved to glide along the ice in time with the music.
"Orsù finisco presto questo calice di vino,"
Gliding along the frozen water beneath her, step by step the girl began to move her feet in some direction or another; whether it be pushing her along to use the space that was hers alone, or to turn her body in lazy, yet calm and collected spins of her body.
M'gann didn't even know you could do something like that on ice. She was so used to simply flying.
"She must have really good balance." The martian muttered softly, her attention seemingly far too focused on the girl she was watching from the stands; the music filling the room only adding to this odd yet beautifully engrossing display of Earth activity.
"e inizio a prepararmi,"
Starting to gain speed as she moved along with the music, the brunette dancer seemed to crouch down somewhat, only to suddenly, at least to M'gann's surprise, leap off the frozen water and spin at an extraordinary rate.
Scared of what was going to happen, M'gann jumped out of her seat, watching as the human girl before her seemed to be moving at a speed she wasn't sure most humans could survive without getting injured.
"No! She's going to-"
"Adesso fa' silenzio"
The clang of metal skates knocking against the ice as the brunette landed gracefully on the ice rink, M'gann felt her worries begin to slowly, but surely simmer down. Her nerves a bit on edge still at what she thought was going to end badly, the martian sighed as the music flowed back into her ears and calmed her senses, making her sit back in her seat and continue to watch.
"She…must know what she's doing," She said thoughtfully, gazing at how the girl was moving her body.
"Con una spada vorrei tagliare quelle gole che cantano d'amore,"
Moving around the ice and taking a few small jumps here and there to get a feel for the ice, the girl outstretched her arms in the air while letting herself glide silently along the ice, eyes sparkling as they gazed forward without any hesitation in what she was doing. Taking a few second to contemplate, the girl swiftly turned and made a few quick steps in her ice skating, twirling her body along with the swell of the instruments playing from the music.
M'gann couldn't help but continue watching. She'd never seen anything like this before on Mars.
"Vorrei serrare nel gelo le mani che scrivono quei versi d'ardente passione"
The smooth sound of skates on ice coinciding with the music, the teenage martian watched quietly as the brunette seemingly stopped in one place, and used her speed like she'd never seen before. Crouching down somewhat to keep her speed going, the girl outstretched not her arms, but one of her own legs as she span in a continuous loop to M'gann's surprise; keeping herself balanced with one hand while the other laid on her outstretched leg to keep it from it and herself from falling.
"Wow. That's amazing." M'gann commented softly, her eyes glued to the display of art that she was watching. Her body strangely feeling a bit fidgety where it was, the martian huffed at the urge to move, but decided qui key to move out of her seat and quietly move closer to the ice rink, staying low behind the barriers as she took a closer look at the skating teen.
She knew she was here for something else. She was supposed to be looking for this Freya or Samantha girl.
Yet try as she might, the martian just couldn't seem to keep her eyes away from the dancing she was witnessing and the girl herself. It appeared as if she was trained; the movements of her arms and the bending of her legs having to be something learned over long periods of time to be able to balance on such an odd surface.
But not at all did that training appear to make her stiff or bend on any odd ways. She knew where she was going each time she moved, and the music and the ice beneath her guided her.
Or…maybe it was the other way around.
The girl, whoever she was, appeared to know what she was doing far too well. Her movements were graceful and each step or twirl held strength and her attention. Feet moved along the ice as she moved to every part of the rink, yet nothing seemed to slip about her. Like the ice was making sure she didn't make a mistake.
It was like the ice was following her. She controlled where she moved and landed.
She used it how she wanted to, moving along it like it was her stage in a performance, her next turn or twirl, and the jumps she made showing how graceful her body could move or how high it could leap in the air. Almost as if she was flying.
No, flying wasn't the right word. M'gann could fly. But even she could never make it look as beautiful as the way that brunette girl was with all her skill since she was young.
'And her eyes…'
They were so focused. Focused on….M'gann couldn't be sure what.
She wasn't staring at anything in the room. Not any of the signs, not at the walls. Not even at the odd device she was using to play this lovely music M'gann was enjoying.
No. The girl looked like she was lost in her own world.
Her eyes burned with a passion and focus M'gann had never seen before. Like she was trying to dance towards something. Get somewhere only the ice could take her. Reach for something only she could see.
It was almost breathtaking.
"e i battiti del cuore,
si fondono tra loro"
Breaking away from her spin and bringing her legs back together, the brunette suddenly skated around the rink, stepping here and there as her skates clacked against the ice beneath her. Spinning in every direction she could and lifting her head up to stare at the ceiling above her, she suddenly reached for the hair tie she had put in her hair and pulled it out, her long brown hair cascading down her back as the music that she'd had played swelled into a crescendo of violins, horns and the voice of the opera singer echoing loudly in the room.
M'gann watched this, a bit curious as to why the girl had suddenly decided to pull her hair from the style she'd worked to put it in. However that curiosity soon enough died down, her focus oddly enough only more intrigued as she continued to watch.
Outstretching her arms out and opening them wide as she skated along the ice, the human moved them gracefully along with her body, turning her body as her arms moved to comb her fingers through her long hair, before roaming back to hug herself.
'She looks sad.' M'gann thought, the sudden thought popping in her mind at seeing the girl she'd watched for quite some time seemingly retreat into herself in her dancing sequence.
Unsure of what to make of it, M'gann heard the music begin to conclude, returning her attention back to the brunette in the ice rink.
Letting out a heavy and icy sigh, the brunette let her arms fall to her sides as a somewhat lazy step sequence of hers commenced along the ice, skates dancing and moving from one to the other along the ice, adding twirls to the dark-haired girl's movements. Falling out of the light spins of her own making, the girl began to pick up the pace, hearing the music star to come to an end as she made her way towards the center of the rink and began to jump and do a few small twirls in place.
"Partiamo insieme
Ora sono pronto"
Small jumps making up most of her activity, the brunette moved her legs closer to herself as her spinning got faster and faster, body moving at a faster rate as the music died down. Moving her arms up as she ordered her feet to help slow down her speed, the girl finally began to slow down and stop her dancing; ending her sequence alongside the sound of the horns and violins of her music taking its final bow, the brunette ceased her movements in a trained, yet artistic pose.
Seeing the pose from where she stood, the girl before her was poised in a stance of beauty and grace. With one arm bent towards herself and a hand covering the place where M'gann guessed where her heart was, the other arm was outstretched in front of her, with her hand reached in offering to….
Her?
An odd sense of warmth built up in the martian's cheeks, making her face far warmer than it had been since stepping into the odd ice rink building. Added by a strange feeling inside her stomach, M'gann felt like any spoken words had left her mouth at the display of art she had been an unlikely audience to.
"That…was beautiful." M'gann telepathically communicated to the human girl, thankful that her telepathy had not been taken over by the strange feeling in her chest.
"What?" The girl spoke aloud, opening her eyes as she was suddenly pulled out of her own world at the sound…or rather the voice that popped inside her head. Brown eyes scanning back and forth around the room to who had spoken to her telepathically, the skater finally spotted M'gann from afar by the barricades, pose dropping as confused riddled her face. "Who…who are you? How did you get in here?" The girl asked, skating to get closer to where M'gann stood.
Her dazzled outlook on the performance she'd seen quickly dashed at her being revealed tot he brunette, M'gann raised her hands up and shook them, shaking her head in an attempt to physically communicate to the ice skater. "No, no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"Is that you? Talking in my head?" The brunette asked, reaching a hand up to hold her aching head from M'gann's intrusive communication.
"Y-Yes, that's me." M'gann answered hesitantly, not sure exactly how one of her first conversations with humans was going. Considering the look on the girl's face, it was not going well.
"Please stop, then. That telepathy of yours, or whatever it is, is really giving me a headache." The girl asked, stopping her skating to stop a few feet away on the ice to stare at M'gann.
Getting the message, M'gann hastily cut off the telepathic communication between them. "Sorry. I…I didn't mean to intrude. I just wanted to tell you how nice your ice skating was." M'gann spoke, eyes darting away from the brunette's own out of embarrassment. "I've never seen anything like it before."
"Oh," The girl spoke, what irritation she had on her own face beginning to simmer down at M'gann's honesty. "Well, thank you. That's kind of you to say. But regardless, you shouldn't be in here. Business hours have been finished for a while. How did you get in here past Bob?"
"You mean that older man behind the counter?" M'gann asked, not sure if that was who the girl was speaking of. "I'm not here to skate or anything. I don't even know how to. I just…I came here with someone looking for a friend. Freya is her name. Or maybe it's Samantha. I'm not really sure. I've been hearing different names being used and its been a bit confusing." M'gann explained, her voice rapidly increasing in speed with each details she was trying to lay out to the brunette.
'What am I doing? I should just go back and find Ice Maiden. I think this girl is mad at me.'
Watching the confused and slowly nervous behavior of the girl before her, the brunette rose a brow at her before sighing and coming a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Don't worry. You don't have the names wrong. Though the name is technically Samantha Freya," The girl said, the latter name sounding somewhat hesitant as the girl's eyes drifted away from M'gann in thought.
"Oh! That's good. But how do you…" M'gann asked.
"That's me. I'm Samantha Freya. But before I answer any other questions, you answer mine." Skating a bit closer to stand behind the same section of wall M'gann stood in front of, Samantha looked at the strange girl with a serious expression; almost as if she was trying to search her for any lies. "How do you know my name? What friend are you with?"
"That would be me, Snowflake!" A heavy accented voice rang through the room.
"Oh no. Her." Samantha muttered annoyed, irritation grabbing her facial features as her lips turned downwards into a frown.
"You mean Sigrid?" M'gann asked, noticing how the girl looked a bit mad at hearing her mentor's voice.
"How do you know her name?" Samantha asked, watching M'gann with an odd look.
"Because she with me, Snwoflake," Sigrid announced, walking through the ice rink's cheering section and heading towards the two teenage girls. "This young girl, M'gann M'orzz. Martian Manhunter's niece. She will be joining Team with Robin, little boy of steel, and rest." Sigrid said, looking over to M'gann before staring at her protege on the ice.
Her frown never leaving her lips, Samantha shook her head. "Good for her. But that doesn't explain why you're both here. Intruding I might add." Samantha said, skating to the panel door and opening it, hopping off the ice and walking onto the civilian walkway.
"Sigrid said it was to introduce me. To my new team mate." M'gann said happily, hoping to brighten up the energy around the three that seemed to be growing dimmer.
Sadly, it appeared her words only made things grow darker. And colder.
Stopping mid-walk, Samantha turned her head over her shoulder to stare back at M'gann for a moment, wondering if she'd heard the martian right. "Team mate?"
"Y-Yeah. One of my new team mates with the rest of the other sidekic-"
"Don't call us sidekicks." Samantha snapped, cutting M'gann off before she could even finish uttering the word.
Somewhat taken aback by the serious tone the ice user gave, M'gann hesitantly nodded. "S-Sorry."
Hearing her nervous tone, Samantha's anger simmered down by a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry at you. You did nothing wrong. Unlike some others." Samantha apologized, heading towards a bench and beginning to untie her ice skates.
M'gann felt something was off at the way Samantha had answered back. The way she'd pressured the word 'others' meant something. Was she talking about the Justice League?
"Snowflake," Sigrid spoke, trying to find the right words to her protege. "I am sorry for what we did. I did not think lie would hurt you so much."
Samantha stopped slipping her skates off and gave Ice Maiden an incredulous look. "Really!? After all this time training together and getting to know one another, you seriously didn't think a lie this important was not going to hurt me!?" Pulling off her skates and throwing them to her side, Samantha got back on her feet and stared at Ice Maiden with a hard look. "You know how important that day was, Ice. How I needed to make it on the Justice League to make my father happy. I dedicated years of my life and balancing this world of heroics with my day to day life to get this chance, and instead it ends up all being a lie!"
"We did not mean for lie to be thought such way, Snowflake. We…League thought you all needed more time to train." Sigrid said, seeing the anger in her protege's eyes. "I…was not sure if you were ready yet."
"Then why didn't you just tell us!? Why keep it such a big secret from us all and tug us along on some string!? We all expected something out of our hard work. But instead we all just got pushed aside like we weren't meant to be there," Samantha responded angrily, shaking her head as she looked down at the ground. "I became a hero so I could get away from the controlling attitude and be treated with some respect. I wanted to use my powers to help people. But in the end nothing changed. I'm still being treated like I need a parent to tell me what to do even by the people I thought were going to be different."
Feeling her anger wanting to go into a boiling point, the brunette sighed and tried to relax her body and nerves. Grabbing her skates and looking at Ice Maiden with a hard look, Samantha spoke harshly.
"I won't join this team. Not after being humiliated like that. I don't need my hopes being brought up needlessly only to be crushed. Again." Samantha said, her gaze shifting over to M'gann who stood a foot away from her mentor and was still being a witness to their very private conversation.
She would have held her tongue, considering how she was raised. Her emotions however and the subject matter were just too much for her to keep in check right now.
"I apologize you have to be witness to this, M'gann, I wish we could have met under better circumstances. I know you came all this way expecting some exciting meet up of friends or something, but I'm not that; and who I am right now, I can't be. Thank you again for your compliment about my ice skating. It…made my day a bit better." Samantha admitted softly, gazing at M'gann with honest thanks.
Engrossed by the simplistic yet htruthful thank you from the ice user, M'gann once more felt her cheeks warm up for some reason; yet again she couldn't place a reason why. All her mind seemed to be focused on was the depressed girl that stood before her.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get home. My father is waiting for me and I don't want to keep him waiting." Samantha finished, turning her back away from her mentor and M'gann and walking away from the two.
"B-But Snowflake…" Ice Maiden spoke, only for her voice to die down as her argument slowed.
Staring at the edivergance between heroine and protege, M'gann couldn't help but feel something inside her chest break. When she came to Earth, she expected to experience many wonderful things. Sights, sounds, friends, and experiences that would always be with her.
But right now, all of those expectations disappeared as all her mind could think about was the brunette ice skater walking away from Ice Maiden and herself. From how the way she danced on the ice, moved on it like she was its master, her confident attitude and poise. For it to contrast with the way she crumbled at her emotions being toyed with, some strange expectation she knew nothing about, and secrets the League or even her own uncle hadn't divulged to her.
What had M'gann missed by not coming to Earth sooner?
How did Ice Maiden lose her protege in such a sad and harsh break up?
And just who was Samantha Freya; the girl who danced on ice so beautifully yet looked for more?
So, here this was. I hope anybody who read this might have enjoyed it. I have no idea if I will continue it, but if I do, I can at very least lay out the details of this story and what it is supposed to represent.
For this story, Different Encounters: A WhiteMartian Tale, this story focuses on the pairing of Samantha Freya/Winter and M'gann M'orzz/Megan Morse/Miss Martian.
Focused now what some could consider an AU of my original story, Winrer's Ballad: Growth & Love, this story shows the scenario of what if Samantha Freya instead opted out of going with the others to Cadmus and giving up her aspirations of being a hero due tot he lies of her mentor and the Justice League. As a result, Samantha never meets Superboy, goes on the Cadmus mission and joins the team, her friendship with Speedy still intact….
And is the first real interaction that M'gann has with another teenager and girl just like her.
As the two have gotten to know one another, if only a small amount in some cases, just what will this short encounter bring about between them? Will a friendship be born from one heroine trying to become friends with the other? Will M'gann be able to convince Samantha to join the Team? By getting closer, will the two learn more about one another far more than they could have ever expected?
These are just some questions that can be pondered, and may only be answered if I decide to continue this. I have enjoyed it, though I don't know if I will write more if nobody really wants to read it. XD
Or maybe I'll just write it cause I like it a lot and their pairing interests me. For now, enjoy the rest of your day/night.