What Fools These Mortals Be

Chapter 3 - The Mentee is the Mentor

"Nia, psst, Nia."

She turns at the sound of her name to behold a Cupid in full regalia. His robe is purple and dark blue, tied closed with a golden belt. From the back, his light-green wings rise high above his head and shimmer slightly in the artificial lighting.

"I have succeeded in securing a position working alongside my target," he says in hushed, conspiratorial tones. "How have you fared with yours?"

"You don't have to whisper. Mortals can't sense us in our natural form." Nia casts her gaze about. Though Querl might be invisible and inaudible, she is neither at the moment. "I start today as a cub reporter working alongside Kara Danvers. So long as I don't spill coffee on her... or someone thinks I'm crazy, I'll be fine. The new girl who talks to herself is not the best first impression. So get out of here."

"Fine, but we have no room for errors. If you get into trouble—"

"I won't. I'm a professional who never had a problem until you came along. The only thing I need from you is your absence. I can handle my target."

"She's right behind you."

"What?"

"Nia Nal?"

Even as Querl teleports away, Nia spins to find the curious face of Kara Danvers, quickly rising star reporter of CatCo, watching her intently.

"You are Nia Nal, aren't you? Someone pointed over this way, but if you're not her, or if you're busy—"

"No, I am! I'm not!" Nia takes a deep breath, counts to three, and holds out her hand, "Let's try this one more time. Hello, Miss Danvers, I'm Nia Nal, and I'm thrilled to be working with you."

Kara smiles brightly and shakes Nia's hand with great enthusiasm. "Same. Well, not that I'm Nia, obviously. I mean, duh. You know that. It's great to meet you. I've read some of your articles from Dreamer Magazine. You're very good. I'm surprised I've never heard of you or the magazine before."

"We were a small publication, e-print only. We had a loyal following, but we weren't well read. We did some good work though."

"Good enough to get Miss Grant's attention, and that doesn't come easily. Come on, I'll show you to your desk." As Nia grabs her box of various reporter-like objects (notebooks, pens, stapler, paperclips, recorder, coffee mug with pithy saying, motivational desk calendar, dictionary, and a dog-eared fourth edition of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White), Kara leads the way through the bullpen. "We have a meeting at eight sharp every morning, so get here by 7:30 if you want the good doughnuts. New hires get the oldest tech. When your system acts up, and it will, call IT support and ask for Winn. Laugh when he talks like Yoda, and if you know any geek references, make them, and he'll take care of you. Snapper is the Chief Editor. He hates everybody and everything, so don't take it personally. One time he told me my article didn't suck too badly." Kara stops by a set of desks pushed facing each other. "I got light-headed at the compliment. This is your desk right across from mine. We're desk buddies. Any questions?"

Nia places her box on the desk and takes a look at Kara's area. It's organized but also bright, a lot of yellows and pink. It looks like the woman herself. There's a jar of flowers (purple hydrangea, lavender roses, lavender spray orchids, and a selection of greenery) that are just starting to wilt, but they look expensive and sit on a bit of prime desk real estate. In one corner is what looks like a little award, a black with a tinge of green plume pen in a faux ink jar with a plaque that reads 'Calamus Gladio Fortior', Latin for 'The Pen is Mightier than the Sword', underneath. Three pictures take up much of the rest of the ornamental space on the desk. One is Kara, obviously several years younger, with a redhead around the same age as Kara is now and a blonde that looks like her mom. The second picture is more recent, and it's just Kara and the redhead, sprawled out on the couch under blankets with ice cream. They look very comfortable in a familial way. The third picture is Kara and Lena Luthor. Lena's looking at the camera, but Kara is caught in mid-glance at Lena, and her smile tells it all. It's a clear reminder of why Nia is here.

"Who's this?" Nia plucks the picture of Kara and Lena from the desk. "Is this your girlfriend? You two look very happy together. Congrats."

"Whaaaaat?" Kara blushes from the nape of her neck to the tip of her ears and grabs the photo, holding it tightly against her chest. "No, that's Lena. She's a girl, and she's my friend, but she's not my... I'm not even... Why would you ask me...?" After a series of verbal stumbles, Kara puts the picture back on the desk, facing away from Nia, and starts again. "That's my best friend, Lena. I don't know why you would say that. It's so embarrassing when people assume that about us."

"Because people think you're gay? You think that's a problem?"

"What, no? Why all the questions? Golly, are you writing an article on me?" Kara picks up the picture of her and the redhead eating ice cream and holds it out for inspection. "This is my sister Alex. She came out a few years ago. We're all really happy for her. I'll introduce you to her and her girlfriend at some point if you lay off on the third degree."

"Okay, sorry." Nia chuckles, but her gaze strays back to the picture which has been turned away from her prying eyes. "So I'm not the only one that's made that mistake about you and Lena, huh?"

"People just like to make assumptions. They see two women walking down the street together, maybe holding hands, and they just assume they're a couple. Just because neither of us has a boyfriend, does that really mean anything? So what if we go to lunch and dinner together regularly, go to Lena's fancy galas together, go to my family holiday parties together, share clothes, like to sleep at each other's apartments maybe even in the same bed—"

"Eye fuck each other," Nia mumbles.

"What?"

"What? Ummm... So, what's our first assignment?"

"Oh, you'll like this. It's right up your alley." Kara lifts a hefty folder covered in scribbles and with bits of paper sticking out from it at odd angles. "Undocumented immigrants have been disappearing. Their families won't go to the authorities in most cases. They're terrified of ICE even in a sanctuary city. This goes back years, Nia, and I'm seeing a pattern."

"And patterns are important. We reporters need to follow our instincts, and when we see a clear pattern develop, we shouldn't ignore what's right in front of our eyes, right?" Nia reaches out and turns the picture back so both she and Kara can see the way Kara is looking at Lena in the picture, looking at her as if Lena hung the moon and all of the stars in the sky.

"Right." Kara glances from Nia to the photo then back again, unblinking. "So, ready to get going? We've got our work cut out for us on this one."

"We sure do," Nia says with a sigh as she settles into her chair, only half listening as Kara talks about the missing people and connections. Her mind is on other people and other connections that need to be made and how much easier this would be with a love arrow.