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brown_betty, DCU toonverse, spoilers for Starcrossed.
"It is tradition." Kragger's grin invites Sheyera to smash it.
"A tradition we haven't maintained in decades," she says, crossing her arms. For humans, this would be an aggressive gesture. For her people, it's one of contempt. You're nothing I need to worry about.
She doesn't know what she means by it.
Kragger ignores it. His persistence is a deliberate provocation. "Because we've been fighting the Gordanians. It's been a long time since we were able to reap the rewards of a battle. Surely, after so long away, you don't want to turn your back on our traditions."
"He has a point, my love. Recent necessities have forced us to break our traditions, but still..." He shrugs. "If it wasn't for the Gordanians, I think I would have liked to win you in battle."
"Unless I won you first," Sheyera says. "Or I could have taken your brother instead." She smiles at him, challenging. Flirting. It's so easy to talk to him, to someone that can understand. Thanagarians are soldiers, and before that, were warriors, and before that, just fighters. None of the Justice League would understand how she could talk like this, could joke about winning Hro or his younger brother, taking them for hers as victory spoils, or being taken by them. They could never understand how natural it seems, how right and balanced.
To the victor goes the spoils, and when you battle, you place yourself as the stake, willingly. It's better to be the strongest, the best fighter, but if you can't be the strongest, then it's also good to be with them. To tie their strength to your own, to your children's. She can see the sense in it so clearly.
But it's not their way and she's not sure she can do it to the Justice League. Not sure she can do it to them, when they wouldn't understand.
"I want to see you take your just reward for your actions," Hro says. His face is open, smiling, even though it is as properly covered as it should be in public. She can't tell if he means that to hurt her as it does.
"I need no reward for doing my duty." It's easy to say because it's true and she believes it.
"Still. You have been away from our home, our culture, our traditions." He flirts with the top of her wing, grooming it. "No winter races, no one to help preen."
"Superman and Dia--" She shuts her mouth. "They did their best," she says. It's the best recovery she can make, the appropriate dismissal. It doesn't say anything about Kal and Diana flying with her, playing chase-the-dawn. It says nothing, less than nothing, about John listening carefully to her instructions, sitting behind her with her wings in his hand.
"I'm sure they did." Hro's voice has all the arrogant amusement, lightened with genuine sympathy for the wingless, that a real Thangarian commander should have. "But you, you deserve something for your hardship. Take your pick. The Kryptonian, unless you'd like something more representative of this world. Why do you hesitate, my love?"
"They won't go along with it willingly," she says. "Humans don't work like that."
He shrugs. "Then they will learn." He moves his hands, stroking up to her neck so he can just brush his thumbs under her helmet. "It will be good for our people to see," he says. "A glimpse of life as it should be."
Sheyera reaches up to stroke, just where the line of his helmet begins. "Fine. But I get to choose."
She can't risk taking Batman or Superman. John is... no. The thought of issuing the command, of having him brought to her...
No.
Sheyera gestures at Flash.
"Have this one washed and brought to my chambers."
She doesn't look at any of them as she leaves.
Her orders are obeyed. Sheyera's missed being in command, missed the feeling of responsibility, of connection to her subordinates. The Justice League are -were- her comrades, her friends, but they were all too used to working on their own for that. She couldn't care for them, take care of them, as a commander should for her squad, couldn't be cared for in that way either.
Her quarters are less comfortable than her old ones on the tower, but warmer. Batman's carefully designed furniture beats the standard military issue, even for people of Hro's stature, but he didn't know the traditional colour combinations, the blend of textures and the familiar decorations of a Thanagarian home.
Even when the soldiers bring in the Flash, bare except for his mask, then look politely away as they take off his cowl, it still looks like home.
She'd always assumed he was young, but the fact of it... It makes the oils and pretty, ornate control collar look obscene in a way that, she knows, is deliberate. On her people, that outfit would be a challenge, a statement that they weren't allies yet. Prove that you deserve to have won this.
She hasn't, and as attractive as he looks...
He could be a subordinate in her squad, a Little Brother.
"Does GL know how kinky you are?" Flash says, breathing heavily. The control collar exerts a personal gravity field over him that is designed to surpress him, not cause him pain.
"I know it's hard for you to accept, but some women have no interest in taking you to bed," she says, reaching up to run one finger under her helmet, where it presses too hard against her cheek.
"Yeah, that's what they all say when they've had me stripped naked, oiled up and brought to their bedroo-- Hey, where's Big and Ugly? Doesn't he mind you bringing back strange men?"
"It's not like that." It's pointless to try and explain, but she can't stop herself from trying. "You're not--" She tries to find the right words, the way to say that Hro wouldn't be jealous because Flash wouldn't be a threat, wouldn't be a rival. Is a prize. And can't, because even if the words are there in English, the meaning would be wrong.
"Are you going to do this to everyone? You just don't want to pay union rates any more, so you..." He runs out of breath before he can finish.
"Of course not," she says. "They are not fighters, they can't be won. Once we've built the device, they will all be freed. We're not monsters, we don't--" She shuts her mouth with a snap. There's no point talking to him. He won't -can't- understand.
The look in his eyes makes something in her whimper. Anger and betrayal and worse than that, underneath--
It's not too late.
The possibility of forgiveness.
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Also, you get bonus points for using a "Last Unicorn" icon.
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Also, this makes me want Shayera/Wally, but that could be me.
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(Of course, I've been wanting Shayera/Wally and Shayera/Wally/John forever, so maybe I'm biased.)
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And two alien value systems at that, neither of which are completely wrong. You can really see in the episodes that even though she hates what she has to do, she doesn't feel that it's wrong, just bad.
Also, this makes me want Shayera/Wally, but that could be me.
Tch. Pervert.
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Jiminy. You expanded what we know of Thanagarians brilliantly, and wrenchingly. Oh, poor Wally. Oh, poor SHAYERA.
You know he figured out how to tease her about it, though. Eventually.
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