Justice League Worldcrossed

18: A Place

[OP: "In My Place" Coldplay. This song is about trying to change things and finding often that you can't as quickly as you wish, and needing other's help.]

Superman was very nice about taking the time to talk to them.

Diana and Batman joined them.

"You're back," Batman said unceremoniously.

Shine knew Batman often spoke this way without any real malice intended, so it didn't bother her.

Honestly, she was too much of a secret fan to care, but not the kind who'd give that away in her manner.

"I am," she said. "I can see you're happy about it. Nice to see you again, Batman."

Batman didn't respond, as usual.

"She has nowhere to live," Shayera explained to them all briefly. "Aren't out of dimension visitors our territory?"

"Yes..." Superman was thoughtful. "I don't believe we've really had a chance to talk, Miss... Likstar?"

"Shine was fine," Shine said. "Should I call you Superman, Clark, or Kal-el?"

Superman did a double take. "I see I heard right that you know all about us."

"Well...not everything. I have no idea what your favorite food is," Shine replied.

No one found that amusing.

"So..." Diana spoke. "Should we let her stay here?"

"It's the best place to keep an eye on her," Batman meant that two ways, and Shine knew it.

"You still don't trust me?" she asked. "Why? What have I done?"

"It's not personal, Ma'am," Superman said. "I'm sure you have good intentions, it's just that we've never heard of what you are, and we're a little worried you could bring harm to our planet by accident. You claim you know what you're doing, but we have no way to test that."

"Suppose I was to ask you to prove you know what you're doing?" Shine asked. "What would you say?"

Superman wasn't sure if she was questioning his authority or character, like with GL, or just trying to be clever.

"I would say to look at the results," he said firmly. "How many times have I, and my friends, saved the world."

"Then I would say based on what your friends know of me so far, that's my answer," Shine said. "I didn't fail. It was close, but...and I had help, but who doesn't have that?"

"The problem is," Batman said. "It takes only one wrong decision on that scale to end the entire world."

"And how many worlds have you ended, Bruce?" Shine asked.

"Batman," he corrected, narrowing his eyes.

"How many?" Shine pressed.

"None, of course," Diana said. "But what is your point?"

"If you could survive everything to this point that was unwarranted dimensional travel and people turning evil or alien invasions," Shine held up her hand and counted on her fingers. "Then surely, one person cannot be worse. Or if you consider that a logical fallacy, as I do, then perhaps we're in the same boat. I have no more guarantee than you do, but I take it on good faith that you're smarter than that. Please do me the same favor, or at least, do not try to hedge me in. I have no intention of staying here if I can't act freely. I can escape any time and you can't hold me here. So how are we going to do this? Are you offering me a place to stay out of kindness? Or is it a holding cell?"