1964-06-01 - The Moon on a stick
Summary: Starfire brings Julie a gift from space.
Related: None
Theme Song: None
julie starfire 


Dizzy Bottero's in the kitchen of that third story apartment she mentioned belongs to some friends, though she's presently alone, stirring a pot of red sauce on the stove with a wooden spoon and sipping at a glass of red wine in one hand, as she half-hums, half-sings hums along with a Dean Martin record that's playing, the kitchen window to the fire escape open to let out the excess heat.

*

A few places in New York may have heard sonic booms today as Starfire makes her way to and from her secret hide-out. The first trip to remind herself where her Earth-friend Dizzy lived. And the second to fetch her piece of moon rock. Nothing too extravagant, just a loose bit the size of a Human torso which is perfect for all your home decorating needs.

Kori hovers near the window and taps gently on the glass with one hand, hefting the big grey chunk in one hand. Once she's tapped a few times she waves in the hope of attracting some attention. With due consideration for Earthlings she hasn't put her disguise on today and is sporting pure alien attire. After all it would be rude to shock anyone by flying in a skirt!

*

Julie seems only half-startled by the rapping on the window, not being the only one to drop by that way from time to time, perhaps, though still a bit surprised that it's Kori. "Oh, hey, there, Kori, I guess why don't you come on in. I was, err, just doing some cooking."

*

"I have brought you the thanking gift," Starfire explains earnestly, holding the rock forward but not letting go. "As promised I have been to the Moon and collected for you one rock. It is very dusty there. So I made sure to wash it properly." She glances at the window and frowns. "I may need to move it inside for you. As it is fairly heavy and I have discovered Humans are quite delicate."

*

Julie laughs a bit, and smiles. "Well, gee whiz, I sure didn't expect moon rocks was so big." She hrms, "How's about I come out and see it there on the fire escape, it ought to be good enough for the weight. I got a friend who'll be real interested to see that." On another thought, she pours out something from a bottle on the counter into a glass like her own, before stepping out the door. She says, "You really got this from the Moon? We ain't even gotten there yet, but we're working on it."

*

"They come in a variety of sizes," Starfire explains, putting the rock down where indicated. "Some would not fit through this window. While others would easily fit inside your pocket." She laughs, looking up at the sky. "A trip to the Moon and back is no trouble at all. I had to fly slowly to remain discreet and it took a while to pick just the right rock. This one has some interesting mineral deposits which make it more visually pleasing than many of the others." Of course to most people it is just a boring looking rock. "It is not a huge shock your people have not visited yet! Everyone is so busy squabbling and talking different languages. Did you know there are more languages on this planet than in my entire home solar system?"

*

Julie smiles, "I guess maybe it could seem like a lot. Speak a couple of em, myself," she says, naming what's in the glass she poured for in Italian, and says, in English, "I figure if you like mustard, you could maybe like trying this. It's a balsamic vinegar." She then peers at the stone, crouching a bit to touch it. "I think they could be wondering where on the Moon it came from, a teacher or two of mine. Think it'll take the truck with the hoist to get it there, though, she smiles.

*

Starfire takes the glass and sniffs. "I thought perhaps it might be wine," she notes. "It really is a lot I can assure you. It also does not help that some languages have several variations! Like these." Kori proceeds to say a few things in both Greek and Ancient Greek. "They are related but dramatically different in places." She takes a sip of the vinegar. "This is quite.. acidic. I think perhaps it might work better on something else. Perhaps some of the green edible leaves?" The rock itself feels just like a normal rock. The surface isn't especially hot or cold, although the edges are all fairly smooth. And it feels fairly solid too. For a moon rock at least. "Have you tried Greek food? It is quite pleasant, there is a place I would recommend but I do not know the address…"

*

Julie smiles. "That's what we really use it for, mostly, on salads, I think they use this stuff in Greece, too. A different kind of vinegar's one of the ingredients in mustard, you see. You care for a real wine? That's what I'd normally give someone."

*

Starfire shrugs. "I do not really need food or drink," she points out. "I am worried perhaps I am going to be putting on 'the weight' if I keep eating every day. I will need to come up with a suitable training routine for this level of gravity. I quite like the heat you get from mustard, which I believe comes from the seeds. I have been studying all manner of things about Earth, from history and culture to your technological development."

*

Julie nods, and smiles. "Well, we got this tradition of hospitality on Earth, especially Italians like mi familia. We'll try and feed ya, generally. They got more gravity where you come from?" I know this lady from Planet Asgards, she could pick up half a Ford and cout really eat without putting it on hher hips or something."

*

"I am not certain but I think the gravity is about the same. Unfortunately I do not have the equipment required to be sure," Starfire wonders, taking another sip of the vinegar. "But I have been to places with stronger gravity and it is much easier to train your body there. Although you are also more likely to injure yourself."

Kori looks in the direction of the road and points. "I could comfortably lift around twenty five to thirty of your Earth automobiles at once. Perhaps more. However it would be tricky to balance so many objects. So they would ideally need crushing together to make it easier to get my arms around."

*

Julie ahs. "Hey, well, maybe we can hook you up with some big ol' hydraulics. My folks are in that business, cars. Could be an old piston from one of the cranes or the crusher around, I dunno, hook that up to some I-beams or something."

*

"May I ask what your family business is?" Starfire asks curiously. "I am unsure if I need special equipment making. I can always find large rocks to lift, fly them to an isolated place and then destroy them. Or I can train under water to increase the amount of resistance."

*

Julie smiles. "Well, mostly we fix those cars, we do towing, so we can get em when they break down, and we got a couple salvage yards here and in Jersey, that's where we strip cars that are too far gone for parts to fix others, or whatnot, then what's no good anymore, sell the scrap on to people that melt the metals down and make new things out of it."

*

Starfire hmmms. "I feel I have not been a very good friend to you so far. For I have not taken the time to ask many things about you!" She shakes her head with dismay. "You must think me quite rude. How did you decide to do this task? Does your family pass on the technical skills from generation to generation? Or do you attend a school for vehicle studies?"

*

Julie smiles. "Yeah, the first one of those, it's like an apprenticeship. But, these days, they don't think it's something girls ought to do. Despite the fact my Mama was a welder during the big war we had around when I was born and all. But then everyone had to do something. My Uncle Sal's one of the best, though, and I was always hanging out with my brothers and cousins." She shrugs, though, stepping in to pour Kori some real wine, and offer a glass. Raising her own with a 'Salud.' "Oh, hey, come on in, I better stir this sauce a bit more. Making a big dinner for later."

*

Starfire accepts the wine and floats in through the window. Far easier than climbing in! "I have not yet reached recent history," she explains. "I thought I would try and learn everything in chronological order. As this seemed to be the most efficient way." She nods solemnly. "I can understand how a war might change a place. My people used to have many smaller ruling families but gradually they died out over the centuries until only my family remained. And now we have finally lost. Although I suppose my family will remain rulers.. of a sort."

*

Julie hrms, there. "Guess things like that can happen. Sure it's real interesting, too, if you ever want to talk about it: we got whole lots of movies and things just imagining what people on other planets could be like, and all. In this nation, like a lot of others, we don't have kings, we're a democracy. Republic, strictly speaking, about most things. Somewhere like England, they kind of have both kings… a Queen right now, and kind of a republic, too."

*

Julie sniffs at what she's cooking, then slightly rumples a little leaf and stirs that in with her spoon. She's wearing an apron at the moment, oddly, this one's got a Pennzoil logo on it and some pockets.

*

"I have been learning about the various systems of Government," Starfire says eagerly, then sipping at her wine. "But I am still not ready to discuss the current history of my home. It still feels too recent. Not even a decade of your Earth years have passed!"

She floats closer to the kitchen. "May I ask what you are making? Human cooking is quite interesting to me. It is quite unlike anything I have experienced. There are far fewer slimes and molds."

*

Julie says, "A family recipe for a marinara sauce, you could put this on some stuffed protobello mushrooms for some fungi kind of thing going on. A lot of fungi in the world are poisonous, but some are good to eat. But some of that kind of stuff, yeast and molds, is how you make cheese and other things.""

*

Starfire laughs. "It is best when they are still moving. That way you know they are still fresh!" she takes another sip of the wine, trying to finish it off. "I should perhaps set off home now. I need to do 'the laundry' for my Earth clothing. Some day your people will invent self washing garments and only then will you know what civilisation truely is." She grins, puts the wine glass down and begins drifting towards the window. "I hope that your cooking goes well friend Julie."

*

Julie laughs, and smiles a bit, "Yeah, me, too. I guess maybe leave us your number some time if you get a phone, I'll see about what we got for hydraulic rams, you could probably exercise with those."

*

"Oh no," Starfire says, shaking her head as she flies through the window. "I could never train with animals, that would be cruel!" And with that final remark she's off into the sky.

*

Julie pauses to wave, then ohs, looking at the very large rock on a third story fire escape. "Mammamia, how am I gonna get this down from here."

*

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