It was as if she was a hermit that only left her mountains (if mountains meant junkyard) for some of that good home cooking. She’d seen an unrelenting side of her brother as they honed her skills, and yet she still felt so very far behind him after coming so far. After the first couple weeks with someone who could understand her abilities far better than she (or animal man could), she stopped fainting with over exertion. With Virgil, she was able to learn how to hold an extra reserve of strength, and push herself when she was on the brink. She could even hold off Static’s electricity blasts for a good five minutes. She’d accomplished so much in a span of a couple months…
 
And yet, she couldn’t help being so very far behind. Sometimes she’d find herself thinking that she was the less apt Static. A knock off of the real thing, but she’d quickly shake her head and try to put out those kind of thoughts. Behind those brown eyes was a tinge of envy, and resignation, but she owed it to the world to better herself. She owed it to herself because she’d given up on cooking for this.
 
Often, she’d wonder about Ditto… or Ditto #2 to be precise. It was another thing she tried not to dwell on but found herself slipping into the thoughts during dinner, or a hidden place of strength when she tried to balance three tractors. Though she’d take it to her grave, she’d pull a smile when she remembered the first time he tried to ride on her pole. Especially the first time Virgil randomly drenched her in water while she was meditating, and she fell face first in the dirt. Virgil expected some cussing and harsh words but was surprised when he just heard laughter. She smiled widely at it for about 2 minutes then fixed her face and promptly went back to meditation. Unfortunately, things weren’t like how they used to be. Things were really complicated.
 
Dakota City had it’s hero here and as a lesser static clone, Shock was happy when her training with her older brother was finished and she could get back to the team. A lot of stuff went down though, teammates who were there one day and gone the next. Even the League had it's share of deaths, and Veronica could see the added weight and pain in her bros eyes. Sometimes she wondered if he could see hers. Mortality is a scary thing for most but Veronica had forced herself to see it as nothing but a new adventure. 
 
Today, Veronica finally reached Star City and assumed her favorite spot – On top of a tree in the forest. Leaning against the trunk, legs outstretched on the wood, she wondered about how the team would take her return…Virgil told her there would be new members. Her only response was a sigh. More personalities and what if they were as bossy as a couple teammates used to be? She ran her hand through her hair, recollecting. [i]Might as well not put it off anymore [/i], she thought. She reached for her pole in her jacket and pushed a button as it stretched. The wind blew as she took her witch-like position onto her pole and took off towards the YJ HQ.

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Of course, when she entered the first person she noticed among the sea of new faces was the Carggite. In the brief moment her eyes flickered, she could tell he seemed...different. She pretended not to (such a high school move for the young lady), and walked on, straight into the lounge. She wasn't in the mood to meet anyone after that but yet she plopped onto the couch and stretched out like a cat. "What's good?", she said to no one in particular, just to make sure nobody accused her of being unsociable. She turned her head to face the back of the couch and yawned. At this moment, she found the trees outside way more comfortable than the couch.