*** REIGN / FIRE !

It was rare for the Gondorian Captain to venture beyond Ithilien as her duties required her to remain in the region — but there were special circumstances here and there which would allow her a certain degree of freedom to explore. Despite having first been excited at the prospect of adventure, that excitement soured into bitterness as her company entered the thicket. In truth, there were several things that distressed Idril — the consistent buzzing of bugs, the entropy of the forest, and the overall ambiance of the overgrowth; three things which paved the perfect conditions for an ambush or a raid. Having travelled throughout the day and noticing that night was soon to befall her weary troops, it was best to make camp. 

Had she taken her eyes off the landscape one second sooner and perhaps she might not have seen the small trail of smoke that bellowed from somewhere deeper within the forest. Though it took a certain degree of intelligence and sophistication to harness fire, there was also the potential for such an individual to be hostile towards her troops. Deciding to act before being acted upon, both her and several of her men would dismount from their horses some thirty-yards away and approach the camp with their hands upon their pommels as quietly as their armor would allow them to. 

“In the name of her majesty —” Idril paused, staring at the traveller with playful interest. “Oh.” She mused before continuing.

“What might you be doing so far out in the woods, Marek?” 

CHILLY winds stung across Idril’s face as her horse trotted along the village paths. Though Minas Tirith was perched upon a mountain, the city’s architecture made sure that its inhabitants were neither too cold nor too hot. But on the outskirts of Ithilien where conditions were less closely monitored, there was a certain frigidity that was off-putting to the Captain. 

Under normal circumstances, the Captain would have been accompanied with a handful of soldiers — but this matter in particular was both time-sensitive and rather secretive. There had been claims of a particular informant that roamed the outskirts of Ithilien with information related to the Queen’s endangerment — and for Idril to announce her presence with a company of soldiers, it would end all prospects for hope of transaction. 

The breeze dies a little and that’s when her ears pick up something — a muffled cry and sounds of a struggle coming from an alleyway. Undoubtedly, her curiosity takes hold and with little hesitation, the Gondorian Captain rounds the corner, draws her blade, and rides into the fray. 

POPPY DRAYTON, SHE/HER CIS-FEMALE - May it be an evening star shines on Idril, the thirty/thirty Captain of the White Company. Belonging to the Race of Men, she is both loyal and shrewd yet stubborn and avaricious. I hope they stay safe in such dark times. (kasper, 21, pst, he/him) 

“That could help, at least until the professionals get here.” 

“In this scenario, we are the professionals.” Karen responded in a calmer fashion that she would have liked. The situation that the two now found themselves in was grave indeed, and it would require rapid critical thinking skills and instantaneous execution in order to make sure the building remained upright. 

She scanned the surrounding areas with a quick flick of her head, zeroing in on a pile of steel beams from a construction site nearby. “There!” Karen would shoot lasers from her eyes to designate the direction of her interest. “Steel beams! If you can meld those to support the infrastructure, I can hold this building for a little bit.” She continued. If they remained in this position, then the building would eventually collapse anyway. It was worth the shot. 

“Are you with me?” 

The building was heavy, but maybe the both of them would be able to hold it up.

There is a sound coming from above Karen that alerts her of the explosives, and she would assume a defensive stance. For all of her damned theatrics, she couldn’t notice the one threat that would jeopardize the lives of other citizens around her. But there had been a variation in the equation that she was sure the terrorists had not factored in — she was not alone. 

The detonation was as loud as it was bright, and Karen would reach upwards to intercept the falling infrastructure. But such a sheer amount of power concentrated on one side of the building would not counteract the deteriorating integrity of the mass itself. There needed to be some counterweight on the other side. 

“Yeah I’ve realised that.” Karen grunted, struggling to keep her footing amidst the chaos. “You’ve got to get to the other side. Hurry!” 

“I’m your resident green lady with muscles.” 

While it was certain that it would be in her best interests to observe the other as well, Karen would be spared the trouble. “If we’re going to skip straight to first names Jen, then mine is Karen.” She smiled. “I can see that you’re quite... muscular.” Karen continued, eyes running themselves along the course of the other’s body shamelessly. 

“But you know what I’d be interested in?” She would propose, eyes beaming with a thirst for knowledge. 

“What the limits of your strength are.” 

This was not a time for her pride to get in the way.

The other’s annoyance with her words was quite obvious, and Karen relented from her previous tone. In truth, it had been much easier than Karen had previously expected to get the other to lag behind. There were too many things at stake, and Karen was sure that the other would not agree with Power Girl’s methods. 

“Thank you Supergirl.” She would respond. “I’d tell you where I would be, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find me.” Karen continued, nodding before taking flight towards the last-known location of the bombers. 

It took about a minute for her to reach her destination, cutting off the perpetrators as they were preparing to vacate the premises. “You know, for domestic terrorists such as yourselves, preparation seems to be an issue.” Karen would muse, inhaling to prepare to freeze her targets. Perhaps she had been too absorbed with her theatrics but what she didn’t notice were satchel charges in the building’s infrastructure. It was safe to assume that they would attempt to bring her down along with them. 

Despite her amazing strength, even she would have trouble with supporting a building of that size. So as much as she would have hated to admit it, she needed help. Supergirl’s help. 

“I think shooting Russian douchebags suits me just fine, Space Girl. Although being an Avenger is nice too.” 

“Well at least you know.” Karen chuckled. It was always satisfying for her to listen to others admit their flaws — no one was perfect. “I assume that the reason for joining the Avengers extended beyond petty crime prevention and —” She paused. “Well... that’s not a thing anymore is it?” 

“We should probably catch these guys, and then we can talk.” 

“There are more aspects to investigation than sight.” Karen responded without breaking her focus. “I caught chatter about two klicks from here. It might be our bombers.”  She continued whilst turning to prepare to depart. Perhaps it was a misplaced and premature sense of judgement, but Karen found the other heroine to be less experienced — and if anything, she wasn’t about to become a babysitter. 

“You’re right.” She paused, thinking about how she would phrase her next sentence. “It won’t do us any good to remain here without chasing a lead. So you can either assist the injured here, or come along — I don't really care.” Karen said nonchalantly. 

“Just don’t get in my way.”