[color=gray][CENTER][COLOR=dimgray]
[sup]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][URL=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5601349][img]https://i.imgur.com/TvGXpOo.png[/img][/URL][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=silver][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]San Francisco[/I] - [I]California[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=silver][b]Titans Together! #1.02:[/b][/COLOR] [I]A Ballad of Skalds and Shieldmaidens[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=dimgray][SUP][sub]____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][color=silver][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I]Kyle Rayner[/I] - [@Hillan] [/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=2c2c2c][b]Previously:[/b] [I]None[/I][/COLOR][/right][/SUP][/INDENT]
[indent][table][row][indent]Tossing and turning beneath a thin, simple sheet, the raven-haired shieldmaiden rubbed her tired eyes, resigning to lying on her back and staring toward the ceiling. San Francisco was a long way from Paradis, and the climate was entirely different. The heat and humidity were unlike anything she had experienced on the crisp, temperate island. Here, everything was sticky and fabric hung to the skin in a way that made Troia wish to forgo any sense of modesty in the desperate search for some reprieve.

It was hard to believe that Troia had been living in the tower for nearly three months. Five months ago, she has left Paradis in search of her sister. That trail led her to the myth known as the Batman. In the world of man, there was a tome known as a 'tabloid' which believed that Diana and this 'Dark Knight' were courting. Troia was unable to locate the Batman of Gotham, but fate intervened, and her path crossed with that of his protege. It was only then, she was brought into the fray in a battle against the one called 'Cinderblock'.[/indent][sup][h3][color=2e2c2c][b]▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅[right]▅▅▅▅▅▅[/right][/b][/color][/h3][/sup]
[/row][row][cell][sup][h3][color=2e2c2c].....................................................[/color][right][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/FxN7Sgn.png[/img][/sup][/right][/h3][/sup][/cell][cell]The man of stone had proven to be a less than worthy adversary. 

After an encore of a song she had to assume was called "She Keeps Me Up' based on how many times the raspy voiced man had yelled it out, Troia had had enough of her neighbor's music. Over the last couple of weeks, Troia had been introduced to 'popular culture' and all too soon became familiar with what Kyle Rayner referred to as 'Dad Rock'. The likes of Nirvana, the Foo Fighters, Green Day and Creed.

But one hand, this band was played more than any other. His lyrics clawed their way into Troia's head like a wyrm.

Nickelback.

[color=B0C4DE]"[b]Skald[/b]!"[/color][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][/table][table][row][indent]Troia yelled, making a frustrated cry before peeling the sheet back from her head. Her body sighed in relief at the sensation of open air providing reprieve from the humidity trapped within the cover. Sitting up, Troia felt the sheet beneath her stick to the small of her back, beads of sweat adhering to the fine fabric to the curvature of her body before finally letting go. Rapping a set of knuckles firmly against the wall, she was careful not to put her hand through the fragile walls of the Titans' Tower.

Again.

The Skald and Troia had an interesting relationship, to put it succinctly. While Troia respected his experience in combat, powers and artistic talents, it was his single-mindedness, fixations and choice of music that drove a wedge between them. Music on Paradis had been very different from the bubblegum pop, Dad joke and 'white girl' music that Kyle Rayner seemed to so enjoy. Still, Troia couldn't deny that the Skald made for a worthwhile companion and sparring partner. 

There was something incredibly satisfying about making those constructs shatter into tiny green fragments.[/indent][sup][h3][color=2e2c2c][b]▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅[right]▅▅▅▅▅▅[/right][/b][/color][/h3][/sup][/row][row][cell][/cell][cell]Standing with an elongated stretch, Troia felt around in the dim room until her hand discovered a t-shirt. Communal modesty was encouraged in the tower after all, and some of her compatriots were less than accustomed to the casual nudity of Paradis. Despite this, Troia had grown to enjoy the company of her male teammates even if they were incredibly different from her peers at home. Giving the shirt a quick sniff test, she pulled the baggy garment over her head and loose braids before rubbing her eyes again, only to now realize her hands were still taped from a late-night sparring session.

She looked at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing the girl looking back. She had come to the World of Men with a purpose, one she was currently failing at. Though this team needed her, and if she were honest, she too needed them, still her she was assimilating into a culture that Paradis was created to protect her from. In her search for her sister, was Troia too quickly losing herself?

[color=B0C4DE][i]Where are you Diana?[/i][/color]

The thought hung in her head before she turned her head to the side, cracking her neck. Rolling her shoulders, Troia began to loosen her stiff muscles after a restless night of little sleep. She would not be lost to her thoughts, and all of this moping meant that Troia needed to hit something.

[b]Hard.[/b]

The sounding alarm prompted a smile across Troia's face as Jupiter's voice echoed overhead. It looked like fate had once again intervened on her behalf. 

[color=B0C4DE][i]Thank Freya.[/i][/color]

Cracking her knuckles, the Valkyrie shed the t-shirt just as quickly as she had put it on. Her eyes twinkled, looking at her weapons before she donned her armour. The cool Mithril hugged her body, perfectly fitted like a second skin. Picking up the dwarven-made weapons, she inspected her blood, hovering the edge just in front of her face before taking a whiff of the Blodstál. The smell of battles fought was like an aphrodisiac.

Emerging from her quarters armed, Troia entered the briefing room to find Jupiter and Lilith waiting while the others followed suit. She looked around at her teammates, weighing their expressions, carefully hiding her eagerness for combat. [/cell][cell][sup][h3][right][color=2e2c2c].....................................................[/color][/right]
[sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/mJ59hW1.png[/img][color=2e2c2c]...[/color][/sup][/h3][/sup][/cell][/row][/table][table][row][indent]Troia had an [i]itch[/i] to scratch.

[color=B0C4DE]"Hail,"[/color] She greeted the gathered team, [color=B0C4DE]"Ser Jupiter, Lady Clay, where is the battle?"[/color]

[color=FFFFFF]"Cinderblock has escaped custody,"[/color] Jupiter replied. [color=ffffff]"He's in the downtown shouting for the Titans. It appears he wants a rematch."[/color]

[color=B0C4DE]"Then, by Thor's hammer, let us not disappoint."[/color][/indent][sup][h3][color=2e2c2c][b]▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅[right]▅▅▅▅▅▅[/right][/b][/color][/h3][/sup]
[/row][row][cell][sup][h3][color=2e2c2c].....................................................[/color][right][sup][/sup][/right][/h3][/sup][/cell][cell][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][/table][/indent][/color]