It had been two weeks since Shayera and John had moved in together. At first, she just hung around the apartment, not afraid but...anxious about interacting with the other heroes. She had the excuse that she needed to rest, which allowed her to put aside the guilt she felt for not being braver. John happily agreed with her decision not to leave the apartment right away as he was constantly fussing over her and the baby. The other founders, excluding Diana, had seemed to welcome her back with open arms. Clark had already been over half a dozen times for afternoon snacks and even J'onn had come to sit in the evenings and listen to human music with her. Bruce even came in every couple of days to drop off random items he thought would help her - whether they be more comfortable shoes or additional health supplements. Her friends were truly some of the kindest people she had ever known, but who knew how the other League members would react. They hadn't been friends before the invasion. A few, she knew slightly as acquaintances from work they had done together on occasion, but she had never been a particularly welcoming person so she hardly felt like she had made a good impression.
Slowly, she had started to make trips outside of the apartment. It had started a few days after John had moved her things (he had been even more offended than Clark when she tried to move her stuff herself) to their new place. Their first place, Shayera thought with just a hint of pride. She would sometimes go to the library to check out a book or travel back up to the lookout deck to do some thinking, but she had gone out of her way to avoid other Leaguers. However, she had decided that pattern must end. Once she had been settled in, Wally had wanted to come over for a housewarming dinner with Linda. The evening had gone well and he started coming over to the apartment often for lunch or supper, but by the end of the second week, she had realized that despite eating at least one meal with Wally a day, they never left the apartment. She knew that he was trying to keep her from feeling awkward around the others, but if there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was being coddled.
So, finally she had called Wally and asked, "Do you want to have lunch today?"
His response had been quick, "Sure. Can I come over at 1:00?"
"Actually," She said with a smile, "I was thinking that we could just go to the cafeteria. You must be tired of cooking for me."
"I really don't mind cooking, Wings." He laughed.
"Too bad. I want to go to the cafeteria. So we're going to go to the cafeteria." She demanded.
"Um…" He had said slowly, "I'm not sure that's a good idea-"
"Why?" She interrupted.
Rather than argue, Wally had simply given in with a simple, "Okay. See you at 1:00 I guess." And then he hung up. She smiled with pride at her success before becoming suddenly nervous about their excursion. There was really no way to know how she would be welcomed. In fact, there was strong evidence she would not be welcomed at all. Thinking back to what Diana had once mentioned to her - you have to dress the part - she searched through the clothes John and Bruce had bought for her. There were at least twenty maternity dresses, most in shades of pink or yellow, neither of which appealed to her much. However, she managed to find one dress in a soft shade of green with short sleeves, a low cut back to accommodate her wings, and a simple pattern that wasn't too girly so as she wanted to burn it. She wove her hair into a loose braid, and with a quick look in the mirror, had decided she didn't look too threatening. In fact, with sweet dress and small baby bump, she looked almost… cute. The slightly annoyed expression she had been sporting since she had gotten sick again that morning had yet to dissipate, but she tried to change it to something slightly happier. Finally, she decided it simply wasn't going to get any better than how she looked right then.
True to his word, Wally arrived at 1:00, thankful that he hadn't chosen an earlier time as the cafeteria would have been much more crowded. While he hoped that no one would say anything to Shayera, he was more worried about what she would do to them. She was both scary and hormonal, neither of which was good for the others in the League. Especially if they irritated her. He struggled to contain his worry even more with that last thought.
He knocked on the door and tried to tap his foot as quietly as possible so as not to induce any more of her rage. When she opened the door, he was shocked to see that even she seemed to be trying to appear nonthreatening. Trying to cover up his surprise, he quickly asked, "Feeling adventurous today?"
She sighed, "More like I just want to rip the bandage off."
He nodded in understanding, "Well, at least you chose quesadilla day to do it."
She smiled, "It's the little victories, right?" With that, she began the walk down to the cafeteria with Wally at her side. Turned out, things had changed around the Watchtower a little more than she had anticipated. Twice, she started to take a wrong turn and Wally had to slip an arm around her waist to pull her the correct way. They did, however, eventually make it to the cafeteria.
"So, do you want to go to the quesadilla bar first? Or we could check out the breakfast bar or the dinner? I might even be talked into the fruit stand if we have to be nutritious." Wally said with a smile.
"You don't have to accompany me, you know? I am perfectly capable of getting my own food." Shayera insisted with a wave of her hand.
"I'm going to visit all these places in the end, so it couldn't hurt to let you make the first choice, right?" Wally tried to cover.
Shayera, though, wasn't having any of it. With a quick glare, she pushed him forward and said, "Go get your food. I'll get a table for us." He looked at her hesitantly, waiting for her to change her mind and come with him, but after a few seconds, he realized there really was no arguing with Shayera. Instead, he set off at a normal speed to check out the various food options for the day.
Meanwhile, Shayera scanned the cafeteria for an open table. Despite the fact that there really weren't that many people in the space, she couldn't spy a single open table. Everyone had spread out so most people had their own table and were eating by themselves. What's worse, many of those people were staring at her with curious or accusing eyes. A few merciful people were ignoring her and ate in silence, but there was no avoiding the many death glares that Hawkgirl was receiving. Despite that, she stood her ground, refusing to so much as squirm in discomfort.
However, her confidence still didn't solve her table problem. She didn't want to be particularly awkward and wait for anyone to finish eating so she could take their spot, but she didn't know anyone well enough to ask to share their table either. Most of the heroes she didn't even recognize, if she was being honest. Standing nervously at the entrance, she finally decided she would get a snack first and perhaps by the time she returned, there would be someplace available. Just as she moved towards the service area, though, a rough voice called out from somewhere in the distance, "Hawkgirl! Hey, where are you going?"
Her head snapped towards where the voice was coming from, and she turned to see Green Arrow waving at her near the soda dispenser on the other side of the room. His bearded face was covered with a genuine grin, which surprised her as she didn't know him well at all. In fact she didn't think they had ever even met. Still, she remembered John had mentioned he was a good guy, so it couldn't hurt to return the gesture, right? She smiled and waved back slowly, and he called loudly, "Why don't you and Flash come sit with us?"
She nodded gratefully in agreement and was glad to see his kind smile in response. Relief poured over her as she walked past the sparsely filled tables towards where he was seated with a few other heros. She made it about halfway across the room when she suddenly found her path blocked by a tall, formidable figure. A large man in a yellow body suit covered by a red tunic, silver helmet, and matching gauntlets had stood up from his table threateningly and stood directly in front of Shayera. On his chest, which was only a foot or so in front of her face, a black bird of some type was embroidered on the scarlet material, and while the symbol looked familiar, she still couldn't place it. The man was dressed unusually…like...a knight? Shayera was fairly certain this was the term John would have used. His stance caused her to step back with her right foot, but she kept her left slightly forward, lest he think he was actually intimidating her. She just needed a little room so she didn't have to look up too much to meet his eyes.
"Excuse me." She said shortly, hoping he wouldn't engage her any further.
Luck wasn't on her side, though. He responded loudly and clearly so the whole room could hear, "Your presence here is most disruptful. I must insist you leave, my lady."
Her reserved expression morphed into one of anger. She had expected people not to like her being there, but she didn't think that anyone would say something so forthright. Generally, she had found humans were more passive than Thanagarians and prefered to hint their desires rather than outrightly say them. Raising an eyebrow, she tried to remain composed as she answered, "I'm not bothering anyone. All I'm here for is some lunch and company."
"I disagree. If you want company, you should seek it out elsewhere." He said plainly.
"Yeah, well you can take that huge ego of yours and shove it right up your-" She began, but was interrupted when the Arrow suddenly appeared from behind the man in front of her.
His green gloved hand wrapped around the stranger's chest and pushed him aside so she could see her new friend more clearly. He looked pretty annoyed with whoever the oddly dressed man was and asked the man bluntly, "Is there a problem here?"
"This woman-" The warrior began.
The Arrow angrily interrupted him, "Outranks you, wasn't bothering you, and has just as much right to be here as you do. If you have a problem with her presence, take it up with the Founders. Until then, you are supposed to be a gentleman, Sir Justin, not an uncivilized bastard. Making a pregnant woman wait for her food is unacceptable. Especially when the woman in question could easily rip off your own limbs and beat you with them." The archer rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, Hawkgirl. I believe that Dinah saved you a seat."
He motioned for Shayera to walk around the knight, which she did even though what she really wanted to do was to serve a swift kick to the man's stomach. Once she had passed Sir Justin, the Arrow gently placed a hand on Shayera's back to guide her forward. He spoke in a kind voice as he promised, "The Shining Knight does not speak for everyone, let me assure you. You are more than welcome to eat with us anytime you like. I guarantee you, though, that my table is much more hospitable than most. I only sit with the best." He smiled as he pointed out the few people sitting with him. Across from his seat sat a blonde woman in a black body suit and jacket, "This is Black Canary, and I presume you know Kara," He motioned at Clark's niece who sat to the Canary's right, "Plus Red Tornado." The last member of the table appeared to be a robot who was sitting across from the Kryptonian, but the Arrow simply shrugged and said, "He doesn't eat, but enjoys our conversation. I like him."
As he spoke, Wally suddenly sat down next to Black Canary and said, "Hey, Wings. I got you some fruit as promised. Hope everyone's been welcoming thus far."
She rolled her eyes at his ignorance. Oh well, she thought, at least nothing's changed with Wally. With a happy sigh, she said, "Okay, I'm going to grab some pasta. I should be back in a moment. Don't let Wally eat my food." With that, she walked back towards the dining area, happy there were at least five people in the room who didn't want to kill her. It was a start, at least.
