'you remind me of true love when it's nowhere to be found.'
Striding into work the next waking, sun imbued morning- Kara's senses were entangled with the lull of a brusque office building... papers flapping, coffee grounds whirling through a hum of a overworked machine, rotting baked goods, age old faxes, creaking printers and a bustle of sweaty human employees. Stood inside the elevator Kara winced as each ding sent a piercing hum through a sensitive eardrum... she crinkled her nose and held her breath as Jones from three floors up forgot to wear deodorant on a scorching scar inducing- enduringly hot day in a heaving concrete city.
... Not that she could feel the elevated temperature changes- but a shower would always help, even without olfactory nerve endings as pointed as Supergirls she'd undoubtedly pass out.
Reaching her floor, Kara brushed past awkwardly tumbling between her human counterparts as she used a subtle amount of steel and strength just to make it through the two double doors. Finally at the bullpen soothed by the reminder of a place she'd come to love, Kara stood looking around somewhat freely, releasing hold of her four sectioned and thoroughly Alien lungs...
The air cooling as she regained control of that stream of excess carbon dioxide she'd been desperately holding, long enough that she'd stopped counting- exhaling, her eyes widened as she spotted the corner of Miss Grants pink panther statue freeze up... fudge! Grazing a hot palm over she removed icicles swiftly as two blue weary orbs darted around for anyone watching. Too invested in her super dilemma of only that hour to notice Winn walking up behind her. Leaning into her ear "Boo"
Kara jumped like roadrunner swirling around and scowling at a hunched over Winn eyes gleaming with unspent laughter...
Freaking "Winn! WHY ARE YOU SNEAKING UP ON ME!" What Kara hadn't noticed is that the now cracked pink panther was crumbling under Kryptonian hands.
Both sets of eyes jumped in realisation between the triangle of steel, human flesh and hot pink porcelain. One mass of intricately connected and streamlined Kryptonian neurones and that of a small inadequate better than average brain held inside the body of a homosapien calculated their current predicament, accessing the damage. Rao this thing has already been superglued... thrice she doubted it'd be put up with more breakage.
Winn grabbed Kara by the shoulders pushing her into the nearest closet noticing how Jen from finance and Elle from HR were staring... curiously.
Inside the thin walled and weirdly compact room Kara was trying not to focus on the obvious accidental skin to skin contact.
Uncomfortable... Whispering "What are you doing here? You don't even work here anymore? ...If Alex wants my snickerdoodle stash you have to tell her to wait until lunch... I spent too long compiling that amount for her to just hand them off to every DEO guard in sight... I may be selfless but I ain't THAT selfless."
Only half listening Winn rambled as Kara started cringing "Thanks for the nice welcome, y'know it wouldn't kill you to appreciate my visits... and We all know you'll sacrifice yourself for anyone and probably end up giving up your underwear if that only meant helping cover up some poor homeless chap but when it comes to a snickerdoodle you automatically become golum... why is that?"
Face rising and falling at each word, cocking her head she landed on ..."what's a golum"
Rolling his eyes, looking on with offence he waved a fabulous hand dismissively "So not the time... that's not even what I'm here for... Miss Grant called me."
At that Kara stood up straighter, perking up "Wait what for?"
Before she could find out... "KIERAAAAA"
"Speak of the devil... looks like that's our que.."
Tumbling out of the closet all legs limbs and seductive hand placements they fell to the floor Kara jumping when she felt Winns hand on her ass ... "DUDE"
Backing off whipping his hands away from the outer corners of her dress... "I didn't mean it" ..."Sorry"
Clearing her throat she adjusted... eyes lingering on that patch of skin showing, anxious to see if any Alien attributes had been compromised. She looked up to Winn hovering above her holding out a clammy hand in friendship.
Taking it she hustled through the bullpen.. nerves too frayed and feelings awash with insecurities as Winn followed not far behind still blushing and apologising.
Arriving to a clear windowed office full and immaculate, Cat Grant stood out amongst them all... Givenchy blouse contrasting with a graceful tear drop necklace and a few more obtuse bangles that undoubtedly cost more than she'd ever rescued from all of those bank robbers.
Leaning casually ontop of resin and hard wood, Jimmy choos hooked together and falling off Cat bit the edge of her thin framed spectacles glancing up.
"If you two have finished breaking things and hooking up... i'd like to get on with the meeting that was scheduled..." looking to her watch ... "five minutes ago..."
Winn went to speak until she tutted, shutting him up "At least you don't last that long."
Flustered spluttering Kara decided it would be best to not play into her games or assumptions "eh um -Miss Miss Grant ah we-we we're not..." as Kara continued indicating between the two of them, Cat smiled daring her to carry on... slouching drawing backward "Doesn't doesn't matter"
At that Cat turned flaunting around her desktop coming to a stop, she leant forward like the elegant queen she was... looking to Snapper Carr body filled with dominance...
"You will be pursuing that story on the Alien community Kara so eloquently keeps pitching you.."
Gesturing to the air "After Supergirls pursuit into the woes of what I assume is religion, I'd like to know what precisely is going on and I'd also like more of all of that extraterrestrial stuff... because the readers eat it up"
Snappers eyes were bulging "But this is MY newsroom... I'm the head, this is MY decision not yours... Cat!"
Already knowing what was coming Kara held her tongue and stepped back into the throws of coeds as she watched the debacle unfold...
Hazel eyes connecting Snapper gulped, slowly grazing forward... she put one foot in front of the other... back muscles gracefully sliding.. calves strutting taut as she steadied herself standing impossibly tall for someone that small.
Dancing around the subject for fun...
She smirked "Would you like to tell me the name of this building..."
Snappers mouth stayed stapled shut.
Ignoring his lack of comment "From what I can tell... it says... oh I don't know... Catco."
Voice rising in level and pitch "So THIS IS MY BUILDING TO DO AS I WISH."
Reeling herself back in, all blinking eyelashes- right eyebrow arched as she casually tore him down "Now if you don't mind.. keep that arrogant trap shut.. you should be climbing my ass like King Kong to run that story... otherwise you'll be gone from here quicker than Olivia managed to oust that overgrown tangerine from the White House."
Looking to the rest of the employees she glared snapping her hands together "... CHOP CHOP!"
In a frantic bustle Kara was caught in the middle of the crowd clutching at herself nervously as she waited for it to be over... exhaling when everyone else had left the room, all but Cat and Snapper Carr... Winn called out to her "Kar... um she asked us to leave..."
Blue eyes opening Cats claws metaphorically grabbed onto her "Not you... I want you in here... both of you.."
Eyes twinkling as she settled herself down, taking a moment to absorb some of Kara's natural glow she warmed "Kara, I want you to be lead reporter on this ... your connection with Supergirl, the Alien community in general will no doubt prove to be worthwhile, I have good reason to believe that you will exceed all expectations, I know that you'll make me proud..."
Kara's heart soared, hip tingling.. her brows furrowed as she grazed her nails scratching subtly.
Just as Snapper went to open his mouth Cat pressed a finger up in warning looking to Winn "Now Winslow... I called you in from your black ops program because I need your expertise on something so follow me."
Looking between Kara and Snapper... "you two shoo"
At that Kara walked away, forced to listened to Snappers stream of curse words mumbling under his breath on her rookie reporter status...
"Ponytail, f?! k £& : ...
... can't believe b£&)h..."
Letting out a heavy sigh, it was only adding fuel into her already rampant doubts... trying to let the words blow past she used the lingering sentiment of Cats enthusiasm to help quash her internal struggle as she shimmied outside, readying to brace the world of top tier journalism.
It was only after writing an outline, a stray trip to find sources at the Alien bar and a mudslide off the coast of Guatemala did she retire to the sky... fluttering over her adoptive cities coastline, all shiny and romantic... coloured lights dancing, dotting off the water.. skyscrapers covered in decorations bright and sparkling wrapped up in LEDs like tinsel, all happy go lucky... again reminding her of the beauty in this stunning world... that of the human race ontop of what she'd already noticed in Mother Nature.
Finding solace in the deep night... hovering like a bird, wings stretched unburdened, set free...
The seductive qualities of the city sent waves of passionate loneliness crashing down, as longing spiralled throughout her... muscle fibres aligned with that of fire... licking at her will power, at her unquestionable belief in something more, beyond the skies of this earth and onto another.
She was sick of the games, each test of patience... each weakness, trial and tribulation. She just wanted to be desired... to have a person to share her life with was that so much to ask?
Inhaling letting the ice cold night freeze those thoughts... seeped in frost, she'd leave them, allow them to thaw out another day. One where she was content enough to acknowledge and understand they're true meaning.
Downcast, overtook by a crisscross of feelings to go with the glittery mood ambiance she honed in on one heartbeat, that of an old friend... or new if you counted the recent frequency in balcony visits as something fresh.
There was something about the Catco balcony that made her feel invincible... that for all of the bad thoughts and cruel things her life entailed she was okay as long as she had this space to manage herself and work through the ongoing puzzle.
Slowing down the warm pulse of a mentors heart grew louder the elastic of her boots clinching as swooped onto solid ground. Joining the wisest woman she's ever known Cat hummed "It seems you've treated your flawless skin to a mud mask and might I say bath... earlier in the evening... I hope it didn't cause you too much trouble."
Kara laughed chuckling sitting the opposite side of the balcony couch watching with a sort of loving care... "Mhmm y'know me I'm all about the cucumber eyes and massages though I think next time I might try an indoor and less dramatic version."
Cats lips quirked fondly as they sat with nothing but the stars above them. Observing Supergirl... she seemed down... long gone to her own personal mindscape as she mulled inside her inner workings, intermittently looking up to the black sea of constellations like they were personal friends of hers.
Cat liked to think that she could pinpoint her tells, that she knew more information than most- because they'd been trading pieces for weeks... Cat didn't know the important details but she knew enough... even if her gut instinct shouted a unique four letter word belonging to that of a hapless assistant she discreetly adored... dare she say it Kara.
"Now.. do tell me since when did you become religiously inclined? Always moving, pushing onward, I never took you as one to hold onto something so-"
Supergirl raising an eyebrow "so?"
... a challenge Cat held her tongue from commenting something too brash "so old fashioned? Don't misconstrued my wording... I- can see the moral code in religion and its guiding values.. it's just- you've never seemingly expressed anything of the sort before and it's got me wondering what Krypton was like... because I thought your foundation was in science?"
Kara grinned that was such a human question. "I didn't even confirm that my mantra yesterday was religious in nature but now we're on the topic..."
Cat rolled her eyes smirking... "of course it was your hardly chanting Shakespeare."
I wouldn't be so sure..."On Krypton we valued Religion as much as we did Science... they were never two separate entities they worked together as concepts and intertwined, like the fabric of the universe."
Twisting her cape, unbunching it she sighed "It was a sort of Equilibrium... the basis at the core of our religion was science and the basis of our science was religion... our sun was that of a red giant who we worshiped, we called him Rao..." glancing away, biting a lip wincing at the words that followed "our stars.. the constellations we called them Kara... goddess of beauty and lastly Yuda... the Mistress of the Moons. They provided life... so we provided them with our belief. Though of course we had mythology too, the stories that were read to us from the Book of Rao as children but... it was never a cause of such strife and segregation like here on earth. On Krypton we rejoiced together, primarily we had one religion and one alone... there were times in our less advanced age where none of that was the case but we reached a pinnacle of such enlightenment and togetherness.. it's something I've not had the opportunity to watch for decades."
"So you coexisted... there were no wars on Krypton?"
Kara shook her head "Oh no there were definitely wars... my Aunt she was a General in the military guild.. just not over religion. As far as I can tell the high council banished the last dark priestess to the far corner of Argo so there wasn't much left to dispute."
"Ah so exile is your way of dealing with a variance in opinion... perhaps not as enlightened as you may seem to think Supergirl."
Kara shrugged "I've seen enough proof in Rao to know that it's no contest... the dark priesthood, the ones that worshipped Yudicao were a reckless commodity and the dangerous equivalent of a human flat earther... it made no sense."
"Dismissive... a little pessimistic... this is a new colour on you... whatever happened to the girl who valued honour and freedom.. the one to provide hope to even those in exile?"
Kara's mind flashed with images of human culture, it's system and it's courtship rules "Sometimes Freedom isn't as coveted and as perfect as one might seem to think Miss Grant." There was something deep rooted in that statement Cat was struggling to pinpoint... as Kara continued thinking..
The goddamn freedom to choose... That was a reason she couldn't have a soulmate like back on Krypton. Her realm... to take advantage of those ways in which she understood.
Sol provided a new way of doing things... and she didn't like it. Not at all.
Only by the grace of Rao was she still going.