Chit Chat Time [Tag Astra]

[Superboy]

He was unsure as to why, but it seemed that the Titan’s fearless leader wanted to have a meeting with the time travelling Kryptonian from the future. He wasn’t really worried about it as he hadn’t done anything wrong, but was actually kind of glad she wanted to see him as he wished to talk to her as well.

Since he had just returned from helping stop a giant block fire in Dallas, he hadn’t had time to change, and thus was still in his uniform. Well okay, he did have time to change, but decided not to. Stopping just outside the War Room, he wiped away some black smoke from his cheek, and strolled inside.

“Hello Astra,”[/b] he said to the Titan leader who was on the other side of the room. “You wanted to talk?”[/b]

Stopping at the large table where the team sat and held their conferences, he placed his hands on his hips, and smiled at his team leader.

[Astra]

Astra sat silently in the war room, having sent Superboy a telepathic message requesting his presence. She closed her eyes as she waited, rubbing her temple as a headache began to brew. She hadn't known where he was, so she'd had to search most of the country to find him. It was only after she'd done that when she'd remembered the tracking devices in the tower. She sighed and sat down, swallowing some pain medication. As he arrived, she looked up at him and smiled a bit to him. She gestured to one of the chairs close to her and looked up at him.

"I need to talk to you about Elysia. We had an argument a couple days ago and she left the tower. She hasn't been back in a couple days, though. And I know if I go to speak to her, she'll refuse to even talk. I need you to talk to her on my behalf. She thinks I don't trust her because of her family. But I don't trust her because she doesn't seem to take our security seriously. A man broke into the tower the other day. Luckily, he was harmless, but she didn't even stop to ask him who he was. I tried to explain that to her, but she stormed out without listening to my explanation. I know you two trust each other, so that's why I need you to talk to her. Do you understand?"

She rubbed her temple a little as the headache started to subside, sighing a bit as her mind cleared. She looked over at him as she waited for him to answer, hoping he would agree.

[Superboy]

So that was why she had wanted to talk to him. Not that he was really surprised. It wasn’t a big secret that in the short time that he had been a member of the Titans that he and Elysia had bonded and liked to flirt with one another. Next to Peter, Daniel was the only other person around the Tower that Elysia liked to hang out with. Or so that was the impression that he got from spending time with her.

“I know about the whole situation Asta,”[/b][/I] he said as he remained standing where he was. “I’ve already talked to Elysia about it and I’ve already checked the security footage as well about the intruder.”[/b][/I]

His smile that was once bright and vibrant was gone. It was replaced with a look of seriousness and disappointment. Up until he had spoken to Elysia, Daniel had a lot of respect for the woman. That was all different now after seeing the security footage of what happened. He would still follow her orders of course, she was still the team leader, but it would take a lot for her to gain back his respect.

“Astra, do you mind if I speak freely?”[/b][/I]

[Astra]

She looked up at him as she sensed his distrust of her and frowned. What had she done that was so wrong? All she asked was that her people be on guard, no matter the situation. And now they were treating her like a tyrant. She was well within her rights to be angry with Elysia, and now she was starting to feel rather upset with Superboy. She set the bottle of painkillers down and looked up at him as he asked if he could speak freely. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him as she considered for a moment. She was tempted to say no and explain to him how leadership worked, but she was curious about why he was so disappointed in her, so she gave a single nod to indicate she was listening.

[Superboy]

“You messed up. While Deadpool was an unauthorized person inside the Tower, no alarms went off. He could have been invited in by anyone. Me. Peter. Mel. Karrl. She had no way of knowing and you acted out of line. You jumped down her throat and treated her like a child,”[/b][/I] he said as he folded his arms across his chest. “You grabbed her ear and then made it bleed. You crossed the line. A true leader, a real leader, doesn’t do that to their team. A leader doesn’t look down at those who are suppose to be their allies and treat them the way you treated her. A leader is suppose to build trust among their team and promote teamwork, not dissidence. Now I’m sorry if I’m stepping over the line, but honestly Astra you made a mistake. And until you can admit that, Elysia won’t be coming back.”[/b][/I]

He was sure that he had just probably sealed his fate and got himself kicked off the team, but part of him didn’t care. While he did believe that the Titans were a force for good and justice, he began to question if the organization could live up to it’s legacy. There was too much infighting and too much inexperience in the group. The Titans needed someone with experience to lead them, like how Dick Grayson had done years ago. He had trained under Batman and was the Dark Knight’s sidekick for years before becoming a founding member of the original Titans. These Titans needed that if they were going to survive. Or at the very least Astra needed to change the way she ran the show.

[Astra]

Her narrowed eyes deepened into a glare as he began to lecture her on leadership. What did he know of leadership? He hadn't been taught by monarchs ruling galactic empires. When he finished, she followed his train of thought for a moment, listening to his thoughts about the original leader of the Titans. When he thought she should change her ways, she balled her hands into fists to keep from hitting something.

"Don't presume you know everything just because you watched a tape, Daniel. Do you think me so incompetent that I wouldn't set alarms even in the air ducts? I have Telepathic Alarms. They link directly to my mind. I was on my way to investigate a new presence in the tower and find out just what they thought they were doing breaking into this place."

She stood, her hands resting on the table, though her claws dug into the wood angrily.

"And when I arrived, I saw one of my team talking to an intruder as though they knew each other. I didn't need to scan them to know they were complete strangers to each other. Elysia showed absolutely no regard for the safety of this team and this building, and that is something I will not tolerate from anybody. I treated her like a child because that is exactly what she acts like. She acts like a spoiled child who thinks she's above everything and everyone. If she is to be a part of this team, she has to learn how to behave like it."

She straightened up and walked over to him, her telepathic power burning behind her eyes, so that if he looked into them, they would almost seem to glow with power. His powers only extended so far. His invulnerability was physical. With hardly any effort, she could leave him comatose in a hospital for the rest of his life, and all because he made her angry. She stared him down, furious at his behavior.

"And as for you two as a pair, I don't care if you become romantically involved. I don't care if you two marry and start a family. But I do care if your feelings for each other effect the way you approach a situation. Like it or not, Daniel, Elysia was in the wrong. She wants my trust? Well I can't very well trust her when she approaches a complete stranger in the building without even an ounce of caution."

She turned from him, facing the wall as she closed her eyes, taking meditative breaths to calm herself. She walked to the window and opened her eyes, staring out for a few moments before speaking again.

"Teamwork can only be achieved when every member wishes to act as a team. I want us to be a team, Daniel."

She turned to face him, wings folded neatly over her chest.

"And if Elysia is to remain a member of this team, she has to prove to me that she wants the same thing. If she can prove this to me, then I can begin to trust her. Otherwise, I'll continue to treat her like the child she acts like. Am I clear?"

[Superboy]

“You don’t get it Astra. I didn’t watch tapes, which mind you don’t exist in the future, but I lived it. I was trained by the greatest hero the world has ever known as well as trained by the greatest team of superheroes from across the galaxy. You may have been groomed to lead a kingdom that is used to having a monarch or absolute ruler, but this isn’t your empire Astra. This is a team of heroes who are suppose to work together for the common good. There is a difference between being a ruler and being a leader and I don’t know if you know the difference between them. You don’t trust the team at all to even inform that you have telepathic alarms or to inform them of when there is a possible threat to the tower. You are too wrapped in running everything your way that you don’t see how destructive or broken a system it is don’t you?”[/b][/I] He asked in a calm manner.

The entire time that Daniel spoke, he was sure to keep his eyes on Astra’s, even when they burned with her telepathic power. Sure she was a powerful telepath, but it seemed that even she had issues with controlling it. More and more as she spoke he couldn’t help but wonder who had left Astra in charge. While he didn’t doubt that her heart was in the right place, he began to wonder if her ego was getting the better of her over the whole situation.

“What becomes of Elysia and I has no baring on this conversation Astra. I’m speaking to you objectively and as a teammate. And as a teammate I’m telling you that you are just as much to blame as Elysia. While she needed to be on guard more, you overreacted to the situation and acted in a manner unbecoming of a leader. You need to learn to not let your ego and your anger cloud your judgement if you want this whole team to work together, because if you can’t you be responsible for the destruction of one of the greatest teams of heroes that have existed. And I won’t let this team be destroyed and if that means that we have you removed as the leader of the Titans than so be it. If you want us all to be a team, then try showing some real leadership and stop treating everyone as if we were one of your subjects. If you can’t do this then I will ensure you are removed as the head of this team Astra.,”[/b][/I] he stated.

Again his voice was calm, but it was also a tone that showed that he was dead serious. Daniel believed in the Titans and believed that the world needed them, but he would not let someone destroy the team that he had began to feel as though they were his extended family. And nobody messed with Daniel’s family.

[Astra]

She stood angrily, her hands wrapping angrily around the hilts of her hidden blades. She didn't respond well to allies threatening her. Especially when that ally was a suboordinate. When he threatened to depose her, her eyes burned with anger. She wouldn't take that kind of attitude from him. In a flash, she'd drawn her blade and slammed it into the wall with an angry yell. It stuck out of the wall, buried in several inches.

"You know nothing of how things work, Daniel. And I don't take threats lightly."

She pulled the blade from the wall and held it up, the tip pointed at his head.

"I lead this team whether you like it or not, and I will not be removed because two of my members have fallen to puppy love. If you try, you'll find out just what Shi'ar punishment is like."

She sheathed the blade and turned from him, walking out the door, grabbing the bottle of pain killers on the way. Her headache hadn't subsided in the least, and this encounter with Superboy had made things that much worse.