Welcome to Mount Justice, Part 3

- - - July 11th - - -

"I have no idea how to talk to her", Mary confessed with a sigh.

Alfred silently beckoned her to continue. As usual after her lessons, they were enjoying a calm cuppa tea in his kitchen. This time he had served a slice of Bakewell tart as a side. After spending two hours learning how to convert her analogue budget calculations into computer spreadsheets, his protégée deserved a treat.

"I know it has only been three days, but we still haven't had a single real conversation. She asked me if I'd ever been a cheerleader. When I told her I did not know what that meant, she looked at me as if I was an – I mean, she was utterly shocked. She asks me what music is 'in' and what fashion girls wear at high school, and I cannot give her an answer. She loves watching TV, but I don't know any of the shows she mentions. I tried asking her about life on Mars, but whenever I pose a question in that direction, she says 'Hello, Megan!' as if she remembered something important and abruptly changes the topic."

She mimicked a well-known gesture, slapping a hand to her forehead.

Alfred raised an eyebrow wordlessly.

"The one time I asked about her family, she literally flew out of the room", Mary continued. "I really don't know how to talk to her."

With another sigh, Mary dug her fork into the almond pastry.

"Do you have any advice?"

"Teenagers are never easy to talk to, especially for old folks such as ourselves", he offered.

The jest was rewarded by a wry smile from his eighteen-year-old protégée.

"Nevertheless, I have found that baked goods are a solution to many problems." He vaguely gestured at the tart in front of her. "If you are looking for a common activity that does not require much talking, teach her how to bake."

Her face lit up at the suggestions. "You think she might like making muffins? Or biscuits maybe?"

"I believe Martian Manhunter is quite taken with cream-filled chocolate biscuits. In your case, however, I would recommend to start with American-style chocolate chips cookies."

If he remembered correctly, that was what the fictional Megan Wheeler had baked for her high school fair.

What would the actress Marie Logan say if she knew her character from 'Hello Megan!' was still being quoted by a teenage Martian thirty years after her TV show had been cancelled on Earth?

He had long given up trying to understand the obscure laws of pop culture revivals...

- - - July 15th - - -

The kitchen had changed. Only one week had passed since Kaldur had last been here, at the inauguration of his new team and their mountainous headquarter. He remembered glancing at the wooden counter and polished-steel appliances, thinking that it was useful that they had a place to store and prepare their food. A practical, functional addition to the cave.

Now it had become… homely. Miss Martian and the young woman that Batman had appointed as their caretaker were apparently baking something. They had not noticed him yet, so he took a moment to take in the scene. The brown-haired woman was laughing at something while cleaning up heaps of white flour that had somehow ended up all over the counter. Miss Martian, wearing a flower-printed apron, was using her telekinesis to float dirty bowls and kitchen utensils into the dishwasher. It smelled like baked goods, but he also noted two steaming mugs of tea on the table. A bowl of fruit and a small vase with wild flowers sat on the counter, and a little radio on the fridge played cheerful instrumental tunes.

It occurred to Kaldur that this was the first time he was visiting a real home on the surface. Sure, he had spent a lot of time in his King's surface accommodations, yet those were nothing but a place to rest and eat and prepare between missions, while their real home lay far below the sea.

Of course, none of the other heroes could have ever invited him to their houses without revealing their secret identities. Not even his best friend Speedy had ever met him anywhere more private than a public bar.

Miss Martian had lifted a tray of cookies from the oven. She was beaming with joy, looking up from her creations – and meeting his eye.

"Aqualad!" She almost dropped the tray in her excitement, then caught it telekinetically. "Do we have a mission?"

"No, I am sorry. I am just here to…"

Why was he here?

To check up on Superboy, to see how their freed new companion adapted to the real world?

To try to actually get to know his new team members before fighting alongside with them?

To pass the time, since his King was busy and he really didn't have anything else to do?

"I'm just visiting", he finished lamely. "Red Tornado told me I would find you down here."

"Well, you arrived just in time! We made chocolate chip cookies, and they actually didn't burn! And I'm pretty sure I didn't mix up sugar and salt this time, and I didn't bake in any egg shells either. Don't they look perfect? Here, try one, what do you think?"

He gingerly accepted one of the steaming-hot cookies. It burnt his mouth, and tasted as bland as most surface food did – he would certainly have preferred the salted version.

"No egg shells", he confirmed with a smile, extracting a happy giggle from the Martian.

"Hello, Megan!", she suddenly exclaimed. "I need to share some of these with Superboy!"

Without a further word she whirled out of the kitchen, flying through the common area and up the spiral stairway. Most of the cookies floated away behind her.

Kaldur blinked, still chewing.

Was that common surface world behaviour?

"Megan does get excited easily", the other young woman explained, shrugging apologetically. She had an open face, with bright eyes the colour of kelp. He was sure Batman had mentioned her name, but it must have slipped his mind.

"I am sure she did not mean to abandon you like this", the young woman continued. "It is very kind of you to visit."

He shook his head dismissively. "Of course, it is only understandable that she thinks first of her – is flatmate the right word in a cave? Of the fellow occupant of these quarters."

He bowed towards her in the Atlantean fashion, one fist on his chest. "I do not think we have been properly introduced yet. My name is Kaldur'ahm, but you may call me Kaldur."

"It's a pleasure to get to know you, Kaldur", she replied, returning his bow surprisingly skillfully. "My name is Mary Baker, but please call me Mary."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"You're too kind." She smiled. It was a pretty smile, warm and welcoming.

Now what?

How did you make small talk on dry land?

Luckily, she broke the silence before it stretched too long. "Would you like something to drink? I made lemonade earlier this morning. We also have milk, or I could make some more tea, or coffee?"

Milk. Even after two years, he still hadn't gotten used to the fact that most surface people regularly drank the maternal secretions of bovine mammals.

"Just a glass of water would be very much appreciated, thank you."

As Mary poured him a glass from a large water pitcher, he could not help but glance back at the kitchen door.

Miss Martian was still not returning.

"Megan probably found Superboy upstairs somewhere", Mary remarked while offering him the drink.

If Superboy was anywhere within the cave, he must have known of Kaldur's arrival since the moment the Zeta station had audibly announced his designation.

"I'm sure they would like you to join them", Mary hinted.

He looked at her uncertainly. "I would not be intruding?"

She shook her head.

He sighed. "I still don't know anything about surface customs."

"Oh no, your manners are flawless! I'm sorry that Megan got so distracted. And Superboy does not know yet that it is polite to greet his guests – he is still getting used to the concept of greetings."

Kaldur looked up at her, surprised. "I almost forgot that they are even newer to this world than I am", he admitted.

Mary gazed at him with a curious expression. "Is Atlantis so different from the surface then? A different world?"

"Wouldn't you think so?", he replied tentatively.

"To be honest, I don't know anything about Atlantis. I would be absolutely thrilled to hear more about your home – I mean, if you don't mind, if I'm not keeping you from talking to your team mates…" She dropped her eyes.

Nobody had asked him about Atlantis in a long time.

Speedy was the only one with whom he had, on rare occasions, talked about his past. About what he missed, whom he had left behind when dropping out of the conservatory at Poseidonis. Kid Flash had also posed some questions when they met for the first time, but mainly just to jokingly compare his home to its depiction in the movie 'the little mermaid'. Robin never asked questions about anybody's background – he just knew.

It occurred to Kaldur that it might have been easier for him to relate to surface worlders if he had not surrounded himself by people wearing masks.

Well, here was his chance.

"I don't mind at all", he replied, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "What would you like to know?"

She hesitated only for a second.

"Do all Atlanteans have gills?"

His blood turned cold.

Even here?

She flinched away from his icy stare, looking utterly confused. "I'm sorry! Was that a bad question?"

Could it be – could she honestly not know?

How would she? It was not as if Atlantean politics were broadcasted on surface TV…

He tried to calm his breath.

"It is a sensitive topic. I should not have assumed... I was convinced that you were mocking my appearance."

Her eyes widened in shock. "No! No, I'm so sorry, I never meant to offend you..."

He waved her apologies aside.

How to explain?

"Many Atlanteans do not have gills, or fins, or webbing. My King does not. Yet there are those among us that share even more characteristics with sea life – the fins of a shark, the head of an octopus, the tail of a fish… There was a deep unrest between those of scales and those of skin, two years ago."

He still remembered Ocean Master's uprising as if it had been yesterday. The fanaticism, the violence. His and Garth's desperate fight against the overpowering opponent, the attempted assassination of his King… Their victory had come at far too high a price.

"My King does his best to reunite our people, and yet the rift is deep and hard to overcome."

To his surprise, she nodded in understanding. "It seems that kind of pointless hatred can be found above and below sea then..."

She reached for one of Megan's cookies absent-mindedly.

He took another sip from his glass.

"I apologize…", he began.

"I'm sorry…", she said at the same instant.

They both broke off.

"What else would you like to know?", he inquired.

This time, she chose her question more carefully. "May I ask about the food?"

Kaldur nodded. That seemed like a safe topic.

"What do you eat in Atlantis? How do you cook? I mean, do you have ovens that work under water?"

"Well, yes, of course. Most people use bubble boilers." According to her confused expression, he would need to explain that. "Bubble boilers are spherical fields of superheated water, which is kept from intermixing with the surrounding sea. Separating water sections is the simplest form of Atlantean magic."

"You use magic to prepare your food?" There was a deep awe in her voice.

"Oh no, you don't have to be skilled in sorcery to operate a bubble boiler. They are technical devices that can store the energy, like to a trainee's tattoos."

She still looked puzzled.

"There are many ways of storing and focussing Atlantean magic, through certain symbols or in specific materials. Bubble boilers contain crystals infused with arcane energies. They just need to be charged up by a magic user every six or seven months. But if you want a real barbecue, you must go to one of the geyser grills... Those are restaurants constructed near natural hot springs where you can cook your food right in the boiling tides." He smiled fondly at the memory of his last barbecue with his friends Garth and Tula.

"That sounds amazing", she commented. "What do you eat?"

"Every town has its own cuisine. The City of Shayeris, where I come from, is famous for its sea weed stew. Poseidonis, our capital, makes the best clam chowder and delicious deep-fried urchins. And almost every meal is eaten with papp, a plankton paste that has a similar consistency as sticky rice."

"What does it taste like?"

"Green." He smiled. "It would taste far too salty to you, but of course we are used to standard ocean salinity in all our meals."

She chuckled. "Even surface food tastes too salty for me, I'm still getting used to modern flavours."

She gestured at the cookies Miss Martian had left behind. "For me, these are a bit too sweet and buttery, even though we followed the recipe closely. How do they taste to you?"

He hesitated. "To be honest, I would prefer to dip them in soy sauce, but my King has warned me against doing so in public… I usually don't eat a lot of surface sweets."

Mary tilted her head. "Have you ever tried..."

Whatever she meant to ask was interrupted by Superboy's appearance in the kitchen's door. Miss Martian was hovering behind him.

"You're our guest?" Superboy asked.

Kaldur nodded, surprised by their sudden arrivals.

"Greetings", Superboy offered.

Kaldur heard Mary chuckle behind him. Apparently, the Kryptonian had heard her earlier remark.

"Greetings", Kaldur replied.

Miss Martian landed softly beside him. "I'm so sorry I just flew out on you like that, what was I thinking? You don't even know the way around yet! Come on, we'll give you a tour of the cave - or would you rather go to the beach first? Do you happen to know how to play beach volley ball? It's this sport that people play on TV, but I think we need a net of some sort, maybe we should ask Red Tornado..."

Kaldur just nodded and let the enthusiastic Martian and the silent Kryptonian escort him out of the kitchen. Looking back, he saw Mary smiling widely, beckoning him to follow his team mates.

He could not help but smile back.

Author's note:

Of course our favourite Atlantean wouldn't have waited ten days to check up on his new team mates!

I'm not going to flag it every time I make up something that goes beyond canon (like seedling tattoos and rechargeable bubble boilers), since that's going to happen a lot. Some of it might be plot-relevant, others might be completely random ideas I liked... Just bear with me, please!

Please review: So far, which scenes or lines made you smile?