Satisfaction

The men, she noticed, were tiptoeing around her. She expected it from Bruce, who'd accepted his cape from her like it was a living thing and vanished. Getting that attitude from everyone else, especially Kal, was getting on her nerves.

She exited the training room with an axe in her hand, after working out some of the tension and frustration on the hard light opponents inside. J'onn was there to meet her and she smiled at him, accepting a towel.

“J'onn.”She greeted. “How was the trip with John Stewart?”

J'onn hesitated, then flashed a rare smile.
“Pleasantly nostalgic, to be honest.” He admitted. Diana laughed.

“I was out of communication range until this morning,”He walked beside her, the embodiment of patience. “But I heard about the unfortunate...incident. I know firsthand the traumatizing affects of that sort of mental control. My people had bitter experience with it in our time.”

She nodded at him thoughtfully, running the towel through her sweat-dampened hair. They entered the main briefing room together. Flash and Green Lantern were there, arguing over something and Superman was talking to someone at Star Labs at a viewer in the corner.

“If you feel the need to talk, or work through some of the feelings that will probably arise around this experience, I am always here for you, Diana.”J'onn said gently, taking his seat. Flash and Kyle had fallen self-consciously silent.

She gave J'onn a small smile, resting her towel on the back of her chair. She glanced over at Batman's, still conspicously empty, and so close to the meeting...
“I'm more worried about Batman.” She said, sitting down and leaning on the table, resting the axe across her lap.”Has he even been up here since it happened?”

“He was here.” Kyle quipped, exchanging a glance with Wally.
She and J'onn both looked at him expectantly

“He's been up here on and off all week. I thought he was looking for her.” Kyle said awkwardly.”That Circe woman.”

Diana frowned sharply. She'd been doing pretty much the same thing, though she would bet her lasso that she was going through different channels than he was. It would have made sense for Batman to come to her. Have them pool their resources, so they didn't keep going back over the same ground that had already been covered. It would have made sense, but she wasn't surprised that he didn't seem to agree.

“It was undoubtably traumatic for him.” J'onn was saying.”I would offer to help him but...” He hesitated.

“He'll never take the help.” Diana sighed. She'd noticed how short her temper had been since it happened. Sometimes it felt far too good to be angry. Surprised and bemused, she felt a sudden sharp swell of pity for anyone committing a crime in Batman's city over the past week.

“What, him?” Kyle blurted, incredulously.

Diana and J'onn both gave him odd looks.

“Yes,” Diana said.

“But I thought you...” Kyle sputtered, distracted by Wally. “I thought he, ah...” He stopped. Diana glared at him. Wally was shaking his head vigorously.

“He what, Kyle? “ She asked.” He was forced, just as I was.” She frowned, irritated. They both looked startled, exchanged a quick glance. Wally finally spoke up, looking rather embarrassed and uncomfortable.

“Look, uh, Diana, its not that...” Wally paused, gestured at her awkwardly, from her red boots to the crown on her head.”I really don't think it was...” Wisely, seeing the look on her face, he stopped.

“Superman, would you come over here for a minute?” Diana said calmly, calmly. Kal looked vaguely guilty as he came over to the table.

“What exactly have you been telling everyone?” She asked him. Kal raised his eyebrows.

“Well,” He glanced at J'onn. “That you and Batman were tricked by Circe into showing up and she had you...ah, do things for her amusement.”

Diana narrowed her eyes, just a little.
“How is what happened to me any different than what happened to him?”She asked, unnerved by the look on Kal's face. Some faint echo of the anger she'd seen him direct at Batman in that first, awful moment of comprehension.

Kal glanced away, then back. He didn't say anything.

“You think a man can't be forced?” She asked, very carefully. J'onn was looking shocked. J'onn was a good man. Martian. Whatever. Kal spoke, too softly for Kyle or Wally to hear.

“Batman asked you to come along. He asked for your help.”

Diana recoiled like she'd been slapped.

“Superman.” J'onn said in stunned disapproval.

She saw it then. She saw the whole ugly shape of it in the quiet, fierce devotion laid bare on Kal's face. Kyle and Wally and even Arthur (more often than he'd like to admit it) took their cue from Superman. And Superman was furious.

“Have you been talking to him like this?” She asked the three men in front of her.”Have you been acting like this is his fault?” As if the man wouldn't blame himself enough...

Kyle and Wally looked at her uncomprehendingly. She took a breath against intense, searing dissapointment.

“Diana...” Superman began, but she didn't want to hear it. She stood in one fluid motion and slammed the flat of the axe down on the table. There was a distressed cracking sound, but the table didn't break. The room, however, had gone deathly silent. She picked up her towel and left.