A Future Sooner than Tomorrow

Tomorrow's Rules

The Justice League look at the shut door. A quick glance around tells them that none of them are entirely comfortable with the situation. Red Hood, while clearly not intending to hurt Kal, seems like a brash individual. More of a man of action rather than words.

Kal has been emotionally conflicted as of late, to say the least. They have very little faith in whatever conversation Hood and Kal will have being helpful to the situation.

"Sister Artemis-" Diana begins, the familiar title rolling off her tongue with ease. It's second nature around fellow amazons. 

Artemis presses a finger to her lips. She walks over to the door with the easy gait of someone without a gun shoved into the band of her tights. Decisively, she jabs at the control panel without the same habitual swiftness of Hood. Instead, her eyes pause on every sigular button as though counting along to instrustions only she can hear.

The moment the grates and red lights return, she spins around and, sounding almost offended, says, "don't call me sister." She waves a hand infront of herself. "Do I look like your sister?"

Diana ignores the recoil of her team behind her. She isn't one to let briskness throw her off, even though it stings to have the address rejected so firmly.

"You are an amazon. Are we not all sisters?" Diana asks diplomatically.

"I'm not," Artemis replies sharply. "I opted out of that sisterhood a while ago."

"Why would you ever-"

"Do I need a reason? Sure, staying is the default,"  Artemis rolls her eyes. "But most amazons don't get to leave in the first place. They don't get to see the world outside, how could they ever chose to leave? They don't know all their options."

Diana looks over Artemis again. She's in clothes unlike those from home, ones with elasticated bands and modern cuts. Originally, Diana could have assumed it was neccessity, for lack of clothes similar to what they would all usually wear. Yet paired with Artemis' manner of speaking and the way she fits so naturally among her team... With dawning realisation, Diana whispers, "you prefer man's world..."

"Don't you? If you don't, then why wouldn't have gone back?" Artemis runs a hand through her ponytail. She splits it in two and tugs, tightening it until the  band sits flush with her head. She speaks candidly as though what she's saying isn't an insult to everything their home has stood for.

"My help is needed here," Diana snaps defensively. The idea she would ever abandon Themyscira...

"So, the moment it's not, you'll leave? You won't miss the friends you've made here?"

"I could still speak with them."

"Could you? Even the men?"

Diana freezes. Themyscira has always accepted warriors, those who fight for good. She has no doubt that everyone back home would love to meet Shayera, would probably befriend her themselves. She had forgotten for a moment how her friendship with the rest of the Justice League would be seen, how unaccaptable it would be.

Superman, Kal, is kinder than most with a drive for good that rivals anyone she's ever met. The kind of person who would carry his fellow warrior out of a live battlefield, even at risk to himself.

Batman, beneath his deceptively cold exterior, has a soft heart.  The billow of his cape may scare criminals but she's seen enough to know it functions as a shock blanket just as much.

Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Flash... all good, upstanding people.

Ironically, 'men' had become the least important of their descriptors despite half of them having 'man' in their aliases. She had forgotten just how unwelcome their mention would be, let alone their overwhelming presence in Diana's life.