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[Today, Steph is curled up in her chair in front of her console, dressed in light, silk pajamas, her hair piled up in a loose bun, and her expression a little weary. The observant type might notie she's pale aside from her flushed cheeks, and there's a faint sheen of sweat on her brow; the infection from the llothi claws isn't exactly getting along with her. The most noticable thing on the screen, however, is the giant teddy bear (the one hiding behind the rabbit) in her lap, Steph's arms wrapped loosely around it.]

Hey, everyone, I hope you're all keeping well and enjoying our stop on the mainland. ["enjoying" is probably the wrong word, but she can't think of a better one]

I've made a couple of trips myself, and on one of them I happened to find this. [she looks down at the bear, her smile wry] It didn't really look like it belonged out there, and I'd heard of other people finding things they owned back home, so I thought, well, it might be someone's.

If it's yours, feel free to contact me so you can come get it. I'm trusting you guys not to steal a teddy bear that doesn't belong to you. [which is why she didn't do what Damian did, with asking people to confirm the details of the item. Because she doubts anyone would claim to own a teddy bear that isn't really theirs.]

That's all from me. Have a nice day.

[And then she switches off the feed.

While the primary purpose of the message was to find the bear's owner, she also wanted to make sure her friends know she's okay; she hasn't been very active on the network since returning from her last trip, and she isn't up to contacting people individually when she's spending about 70% of her time asleep. This was easier.]

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[Steph just sticks her tongue out at him, she is the height of maturity]

Shouldn't you save that for someone who needs it. [like someone getting mugged or something.] But yeah, I found a bunker full of supplies that were well past their used by date, but this guy seemed fine.

I can do more than one.

Yeah I found rotten food too, but not much else. Damian found a laptop

The sign of a true hero. [now she's just teasing]

I saw that, I guess he got lucky.

I do my best. [Playful boasting.]

It's just... weird. The Emperor said landfall would make everything clearer. But people have been finding things from back home and probably not just from your world.

[In a gruff voice that makes it clear who she's mocking:] Do better than that. [SORRY BRUCE (she's not sorry)]

Maybe it's not something the Emperor can control. There might be more forces at work than just her.

[Teasingly:] Should I work on that before or after I cure cancer, Batman?

What makes you say that?

[And back to her normal voice, because the Batamn voice makes her throat hurt] You mean you can't do both at the same time?

I dunno, lots of little things I guess. Like - apparently she's bringing us here, that she wants heroes to fight some big bad, but then why would people like Supergirl leave? Doesn't make sense for the Emperor to send her away when she could be a lot more useful than, well, me. [she's not being down on herself, she's just aware of her limits as a squishy human] I just don't think she's as in control as she says she is.

No, I'm sorry. I'm the worst protegee ever!

[But back to seriousness.]

The question is, is someone interfering and, if so, what do they want? And is the Emperor subject to their powers?

Maybe she's calling protectors to protect herself from something and this other force tries to send us away so that we can't help her.

Of course, that's just a wild guess. A really wild guess.

[The apology gets a smile, but like Dick, she focuses more on the serious part of the conversation]

Wild guesses are as good as anything, considering how little knowledge we're working with here. And there might be some merit to it, though that leaves the of who she's scared of.

If that's true-- and there's no evidence it is, yet-- then I think we have way bigger things to worry about than being stuck on a turtle.

[She regards him for a second, head cocked slightly to the side] There's always been bigger things to worry about than that. [her smile is rueful, but she makes the effort anyway]

At least, ever since the Emperor told us we were essentially here to be her champions.

I wonder why she's not telling us what we're fighting against. Or insisting on us training.

Maybe she thinks we wouldn't fight, that we'd try harder to find a way home, if we knew what it was. [Maybe because what's coming is terrifying, though she doesn't want to think about it too hard]

As for training... I don't know. That might be an oversight on her part.

[It occurs to her that the Emperor might want them to fail. She wouldn't be the first ruler to throw people at an enemy to soften them up. The "heroes" she's brought to Tu Vishan might be for that purpose, to fight whatever they're meant to fight, but not to succeed, just to weaken it enough for the Emperor to take it down.

She decides not to voice that thought]

If it's something that's going to wipe everyone out, we'd have to fight it anyway. And I'm pretty sure everyone is trying as hard as they can to figure this place out and get home anyway.

[Thoughtful.] Maybe. But she doesn't seem like the kind of person who overlooks things.

[Oh, don't worry, he's thinking the same thing. If she can just keep summoning people, what's stopping her from making the first wave of foreigners cannon fodder?]

Are they? [It's a genuine question, but said carefully, like she's not sure it's the right thing to say.

Are they trying as hard as they can?

Really?]

[He pauses.]

I don't know.

[Steph's smile is rueful, apologetic, and she does feel a little guilty for making Dick question everyone]

I know Bruce is doing everything he can.

[which doesn't change the fact that other people are getting distracted by other things, or that they're willing to stay to fight whatever challenge the Emperor talks about.

But she has faith that Bruce is doing everything he can and it might reassure Dick to hear it said outloud]

I know. He always is.

And there's nothing wrong with adapting or settling in a little. It's not the same as giving up.

It isn't, but there's more than two extremes.

[Distractions are still distractions, and she knows that she's not free from falling into that trap.

She has a boyfriend, for god's sake.]

What do you mean?

Just because we haven't completely lost sight of trying to get home, doesn't mean we aren't letting ourselves get distracted.

If we focus exclusively on getting out, we might miss something obvious. You know, like how you work a case so long that all you see are the details.

Oh, of course, I don't think we should focus on nothing but trying to get home.

[a pause] I'm not sure exactly what my point is, maybe that we need to find a better balance.

I think your point is that it's easy to get complacent when you're stuck somewhere for a long time. Right?

That too. [she grins, a little wry] Especially when we start getting domestic.

[she means with the suite's and jobs and stuff, but "boyfriends" probably count in that category, too]

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