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It's been a while since Diana returned to Man's World, and she has learned about this area called Mutant Town, where people are prejudiced against for looking different, and feared for having different abilities. It reminds her in a way of the Gorgons, and how Delphyne changed her perception of them. She decided to go have a look for herself, once more, wrapped in that out of time cloak and hood, making her look like an actress on a break from a movie shoot. She walks about slowly, crystal blue eyes studying the people about. It's easy to tell with but a glance that this is certainly a poorer area of the city.
While Starfire is not technically a mutant there are few places as accepting of an incognito alien as Mutant Town. So when she needs a place for relaxing study within the city it's almost a no-brainer where she'll go. A little bench near a coffee stand makes the perfect spot to flick through the pages of a history book, covering the French Revolution, and occasionally sip at a bright yellow plastic bottle of mustard.
As it happens, Starfire happens to be the most distinct, when it comes to looks, at the moment, so Diana naturally moves closer to her, eyes shifting towards the condiment bottle. She knows by now that this is no food, so much as additive for taste, so looks quizzically at the alien, before asking, "is that thing agreeable with your taste buds?"
Starfire pauses to glance at the image in her history book, over to her mustard and then up at Diana. "The guillotine? It seems quite barbaric to.. oh wait do you mean my snack? The mustard is most delicious. You may have some if you wish?" The bottle is offerred up.
"I didn't expect you to taste a guillotine," Diana remarks with a chuckle, amused at the straight up confusion. "No thank you, I shall pass," she gestures dismissively with her hand, "you like history?" She asks, inclining her head to the book featuring the guillotine.
"It would not be the strangest question I have been asked," Starfire admits with a beaming smile. "I thought perhaps you were using some sort of idiom or saying at first. English is not my native language and I sometimes struggle with sayings. History is… both interesting and depressing. So many terrible things have happened. But it gives me hope that people have been able to overcome them and by learning about the world I hope to better find my place in it… I guess that must sound silly.."
"I'm glad to hear it," Diana notes, smiling warmly at Starfire. "You speak it very well, for a non-native speaker." When Kori shares her opinion of history, Diana grins, "I agree, that's the way of the world. We take the good with the bad." Shaking her head, Diana stops Starfire before she completes that thought, "not at all, you have it perfectly put. Learning is what moves the world forward. What makes us better."
"Oh I am able to learn almost any language instantly," Starfire explains, tucking a bookmark in place and closing the history book. "But my gift does not extend to cultural uses of language. So I find I struggle with sayings with a dual meaning. Still it makes it very easy to travel as I can understand the basics in a very short space of time."
Diana smiles, "that's surprising," she hasn't met too many mortals with that ability, so no doubt she is impressed. "That would be a difficulty when picking up a new language, any language, language and culture are not necessarily the same thing. Though one carry aspects of the other."
"Exactly!" Kori agrees with a laugh. "People often forget what they consider culturally normal might not be acceptable or usual elsewhere. It is another reason I like to read history books, it allows me to understand the context of the places I visit." She shrugs. "Oh! You must forgive my rudeness. I have not carried out a formal introduction or the traditional shaking of the hands. My name of Koriand'r but you may call me Kori or Starfire if you wish." Her hand is offered with enthusiasm.
"Precisely," Diana smiles, "you're a smart woman, aren't you? Are you a scholar?" She muses, as she reaches to shake hands with the alien, "which do you prefer, Kori or Starfire? I persume one is a name and one is a title? You may call me, simply, Diana."
"Hmmm. I would not call myself a scholar but I did receive the best education my family could afford," Starfire replies wistfully. "Kori is a shorting of Koriand'r while Starfire is a roughly translation of my name in English. I do not mind either name really. It is a pleasure to meet you Diana." She glances up at the sky for a moment, then adds. "I did have a title once, but it is a long story and people often find it hard to believe."
And along comes a little '50 Studebaker pickup truck, sitting on shiny wheels and rumbling through twin exhausts, the sound slowing to an idle as she spots some familiar, distinctive hair, and waves out the window, slowing the rolling-by. "Ay, Kori!" she greets, cheerfully, "Howyadoin!"
"Education is important, your family did good affording you such," Diana seems to approve, "I shall call you Kori then, if you do not mind." Diana cocks her head slightly towards her left shoulder when Kori suggests a hard to believe story, and so prompt her, "try me, I should like to hear it." She turns to look at the newcomer but stays quiet, waiting to see Kori's response.
Starfire waves at the car. "Good day friend Julie," she greets. "Oh I was born as Princess Koriand'r of the planet Tamaran and am living here in exile of sorts. Although it is through no fault of my own." She smiles earnestly. "People often find the notion of other planets shocking or upsetting. Or they assume I am making a joke."
Julie decides to park nearby, just rolling into a spot before getting out of the little truck and making her way back toward the pair.
"It is a pleasure to meet an alien royalty," Diana notes, inclining her head at Starfire, suggesting a greeting of equals, rather than commoner to nobility. Than again, customs change across countries, so certainly could change across planets. "I hope you are not suffering the result of a revolution against you," Diana is at first sympathetic, not quick to jump to conclusion and dub Starfire a fallen tyrant.
"Well met, Julie," Diana offers at the newcomer, "I am Diana, I understand you are a friend of Kori? Are you with her royal entourage?"
"It is very… complicated," Starfire says with a long sigh. "My people were invaded after my sister betrayed our people to our enemies. I.. would rather not discuss the matter further, for it is very upsetting to me."
Kori can't help but crack a smile as Diana asks Julie if she is part of her entourage. "I have neither a retinue or entourage, but I am fortunate enough to have made many friends on this planet."
Julie smiles, joking, "Well, she never asked, I guess. Good evening, Diana. We kinda met before, once, I was with a crowd of folks that night."
"Why would your sister do that…?" Diana seems aghast at the very thought, to Amazons, after all, such breach of felial trust is beyond comprehension. She nods at Kori's explanation of the lack of retinue, and smiles at Julie, "sorry about the confusion. Oh?" Diana furrows her brow, trying to recall, "I'm sorry if I don't remember, my apologies, Julie."
"For the same reasons many people have done terrible things in Human history," Starfire admits sullenly. "For personal power. I simply hope that her hatred is purely directed against me and not against my people as a whole. So long as the people are safe that is the most important thing."
Julie smiles to Diana, a bit, just nodding to Starfire. "No worries, Diana, like I said, I was with a buncha people and I wasn't the one making big impressions that night," she winks. And looks over to Kori, "Well, I kinda hope that turns out all right. Maybe that's all's we can do, I mean, if everyone there's like you, ain't like we could exactly send in the Marines or something."
"I hope you will be able to regain your rightful position," Diana offers at Starfire, nodding solemnly. It is not an easy thing, and she can't really offer to get involved in this one.
When Julie offers more about that night, Diana seems to have a twinkling of recognition, "you mean that night with the errant angel showing off his power on a poor mortal? Despicable."
"It is not my people they would be fighting friend Julie," Starfire points out with a shrug. "But the marines of which you speak would still be vastly outclassed. Also given the spaceflight technology available even I would be dead from old age long before the people of Earth could reach my homeworld."
Julie nods to Diana. "Boys. What can ya do," she says. Then adds a bit proudly, perhaps about her planet. "And hey, we'll get there, Kori. Fifty years before that little Studey was built, they said something like I just drove up in couldn't be done. Now we're going for the Moon." She smirks. "Even if some got other ways to get there."
"I'm afraid I can't offer any assistance when it comes to alien worlds," Diana notes, the aforementioned space travel being one of the issues.
"Do either of you know about the status of the people who inhabit Mutant Town? Is it true they are being prejudiced against?"
Starfire nods. "Many people seem to mistreat mutants," she says sadly. "I have seen gang violence here on a few occasions too. People see the conditions and think that makes the residents a good target for the sale of illegal goods and services. People often mistake me for a mutant and use it as an excuse to start trouble."
Julie nods to Diana. "Yeah, ain't easy being different. Real hard for those that really look it, too, but, well, a lotta hiding goes on, for a free country. I mean, a lot of regular folks are afraid of what some mutants can do, sometimes with reason, but sometimes, well, that only makes a few think they may as well go bad." She glances around. "Ain't the first new group in New York had to go through something like this, probably won't be the last, but this city's got a way of getting used to folks and then can't imagine life without em around. Italians included, really." She shrugs. "Well, we're still working on that a bit but it ain't like it was not so long ago."
"That is a problem quite rampant in Man's World…" Diana murmurs, shaking her head in bitterness, "there must be a way to open people's hearts. Difference shouldn't be a reason to hate anyone. Prejudice never yielded anything good."
Starfire tilts her head. "There is another world in this solar system owned by Earth Females?" she wonders. "That is strange.. I have not seen it anywhere."
Dizzy hrms. "Kind of a figure of speech around here. Means the boys mostly run the show. Hard for a gal to get far in the trades and stuff, all that. Couldn't have my own bank account till just lately, even."
"That is not what I inte…" Diana starts, before Julie answers for her, and she nods at Julie's words, "precisely, men tend to dominate all manner of things, women are popularly considered lesser than men, in an unfortunate skewed point of view." Diana sighs at the very contemplation of this state of things, "thank you for the discussion friends, but I fear I must be on my way, I shall see you another time," she nods and continues down the street, making sure her cloak is tightly wrapped.
"What a farcical notion…" Starfire replies, shaking her head in dismay. "It was a pleasure meeting you friend Diana. I wish you well with your day. It was nice speaking with you again friend Julie, I hope you will not be upset that I also have to fly. I have to return some of my library books or face a most severe penalty."
Julie nods, "Well, it's good to see you, Diana. In company like this, I don't think anyone's gonna say 'lesser' too seriously," she winks. Cause, well, Diana and Kori both make impressions in their own ways. She ahs, and peers at an elaborate-looking watch. "Hey, right, I gotta get this stuff where it's going." SHe jerks a thumb toward the truck.