When Dinah woke up, it was to the low light of dawn. She slowly stretched out the kinks she accumulated on her body as she slept, fixed her clothes, saw to Conner; of whom was still off in the land of dreams, and she fixed herself up in her bedroom's bathroom.
Her bedroom was a normal room with a single queen-sized bed. It had one window, and had a connecting door that lead to her own personal bathroom. She had wooden drawers, an empty closet, and a few shelves affixed into the walls with nothing on them. The plain wooden walls, floors, and the ordinary interior made Dinah smile in fondness. The simplicity of it all gave it a very homely vibe. The window to her room showed the view of the front courtyard of her new home. 'This is nice.'
After she finished fixing herself up; as well looking out at her window, she placed some of the extra bras and underwear from her satchel into one of her drawers. However, she decided to keep 2 extras inside, just in case. She still remembers her conversations with both Batwoman, and the other women of the Bat Family about it being crucial for some reason or another. Who was she to ignore advice from anyone from the Bat Family. 'Even though it's an odd piece of advice from way over left field, but let's go with it.'
She picked up the sleeping Conner, put her satchel over her shoulder, and then went downstairs to meet up with Panacea.
She found her in the dining room, sitting in front of the fireplace while drinking some tea. "Morning Panacea, how'd you sleep?", she asked her Goddess, as she joined her by the fireplace.
"I slept like a cat in the rain, thanks for asking.", the black-haired Goddess replied, as she enjoyed her tea. "Want some?", she asked, gesturing to the steaming pot of tea on top of a cork and the cups next to them.
"I'm fine for now, but thanks.", Dinah refused, before taking her bottle of cool and refreshing, never ending water out of her satchel and quenching her thirst. She also took out a sandwich, gestured to it, and asked back, "Do you want some of this?"
"Don't mind if I do.", she answered with a grin.
With that established, Dinah shared a couple of her sandwiches with her Goddess and they basked in the warmth of the fire.
"You're up pretty early. It's not even 5 AM yet.", the Goddess of Cures commented offhandedly.
"I'm used to waking up early. It's an ingrained habit I've had for years now."
"Some would say that's a good habit, I'd say you and Faith are like birds of a feather."
Dinah watched Panacea's expression before she replied with a question of her own. "How about you? You're awake awfully early as well."
"Who do you think Faith got that habit from?", Panacea asked rhetorically, as a grin appeared on her lips.
Dinah grinned back and shook her head at her Goddess' subtle morning exuberance. 'She's even lively this early in the morning. The only ones I've ever met whose just as lively in the early mornings are Kryptonians...'
Dinah shook her head and promptly derailed that train of thought, before she could get lost in her own past and succumb to her own turmoil of emotions. "Hey Panacea, can I perform that magically binding oath now?"
Panacea looked at her with a raised brow, before she put her tea down and nodded her head. Panacea must've seen something in Dinah's face, but whatever it was she saw, she wasn't mentioning it. "Give me Conner.", she gestured towards her sleeping baby bird. "You'll need to be completely focused in order to perform it. And there's a certain requirement needed to start it."
Dinah agreed and handed over her sleeping baby boy to her Goddess who took him and held him against her bosom in a caring and gentle manner. "Now then, take a knee in front of me. Focus on my words, and put your right hand over your heart. You can leave your left hand placed on the ground and make sure to close your eyes."
Dinah followed her instructions to the letter and waited for further orders from her Goddess.
"Think about the words Familia. We're your new family. Think about the safety and security of our Familia. We're each other's treasure, glimmering and untouched. Think of a box, a castle, of medicine, of healing. Think of these separate concepts, of these thoughts, and let them flow through you.", Panacea intoned with authority. Dinah felt a weight settle over her, as well as the invisible warmth of a blanket covering her form.
"Now then, repeat these words verbatim.
--> No curse, no lies, no falsehoods, shall threaten my Familia. Our secrets are our own, woe to those who try to take it from us. Woe to those thieves of knowledge. Woe to those fallen. Lips of mine are sealed. My Falna shall lock mine lips. Information is power. I bind my Familia's secrets with my own and may they stay sealed evermore. This I swear. Blood of my blood. Panacea, my Goddess. This I swear. <--"
When Dinah started reciting and following Panacea's words verbatim, the warmth of the blanket of authority she felt became increasingly scalding. She felt sweat gather on her brow, but she soldiered on. She felt a tightening feeling constrict her heart, and her senses were experiencing synesthesia. But no matter how difficult it got, Dinah pulled on through. When it ended, the sensations vanished and Dinah felt that she could finally breathe again.
Dinah stood up slowly, opened her eyes, and she kept on blinking to get rid of the constant flashes. After a while, she sat back down while she looked at Panacea's worried gaze with a tired expression plastered on her face.
"Are you alright?", Panacea asked softly.
"I think I'll be fine. But, that was intense. Was it like that for everyone else?", Dinah asked back with a saddened and concerned look.
*Sigh* Panacea shook her head before answering Dinah's question with an apologetic look in her eyes and a frown marring her lips. "You were the only one to have ever felt the full brunt of it because you are privy to a lot of sensitive Familia information before you took the oath. Our current financial information, my real reason for descending, Faith's Magic, the location of my office and it's interior, the location and interior of Faith's office, and your own secrets are all the things you know of or learned about since becoming a part of my Familia. Everyone in the Familia has taken the oath the moment they could speak or as early as possible. Thankfully, they didn't know too much before taking the oath, since this oath works based on the weight of the secret. Our secrets and yours must've weighted a lot."
Panacea considered her words for a few more moments, before continuing with, "So now, when something new comes up and needs to be kept in house, then that secret will accumulate into the oath and it'll be part of the clause of things we can't, and won't be able to mention. It's a very handy magically binding oath that I've learned from a good friend. And the cool thing is, as long as someone in the Familia thinks that something should be kept a secret, then it'll always stay a secret."
Dinah nodded and had a thoughtful look grow on her face, before nodding in understanding. "That's very handy."
"Like you won't believe.", Panacea quipped back.
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{A few minutes later...}
Dinah thought about it before she rummaged in her bag and took out the never ending bottle of milk and handed it to Panacea; whom took it with a smile. "I entrust you and Faith with Conner's safety. I know you'll take good care of him. I'll be at the front courtyard. I need to work out some frustrations." After she said that, she tousled Conner's blond locks, looked at Panacea with a grateful smile while her eyes held something else in them.
Panacea smiled back and watched Dinah walk away. When Dinah disappeared through the dining room's doors, her smile morphed into a frown. She looked down at the her Songbird's sleeping son with a saddened smile on her face. "You must really look like your father. Your mom still misses him a lot. I can see it. Don't you worry though, we'll take care of her. We'll take care of both of you."
"Hmmm..., she calls you her baby bird, but I need to think of a nickname for you that only I can use. Hmm... Panacea's Munchkin? No, that's not right. It doesn't sound inspired...", Panacea muttered to herself, while she placed the milk bottle into a leather pouch that she swiftly pocketed, before she continued ruminating on Conner's nickname.
This was the day where it all began. The 1st day of Panacea's quest for the perfect nickname for Conner...
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When Dinah left the dining room, she had a sort of aura of slowly building frustration encompassing her like a shroud. She swiftly went outside and stood in the front courtyard. She left her satchel and leather jacket at the front porch steps, before she stood on the grass and felt the wind.
She closed her eyes and tried to find her inner calm. She listened to the sounds of the slowly awakening city, she felt the grass underneath her black leather combat boots, and she slowly exhaled.
'It's been a long time since I've done some basic moving meditation katas. I need to regain my peace of mind and inner calm. I don't have the luxury to feel pity, to feel sad, to feel frustrated. I lost against Superman... Even with those temporary strength enhancing pills, I still lost. It was such a close thing though... But because of that damned yellow lantern ring... But that's all things from my old world. This is my new world now. It's not just Conner and I. I've got a bigger family now. I need to find my bearings and center myself. I've learned a lot of lessons from my past, and this one is always the hardest to embrace, but it's helped me for as long as I can remember.'
With another yet deeper exhale, Dinah told herself softly, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." These words by Confucius always helped her back then and the lessons in this quote will do so again. She knows it in her very being that she can rise again. It may take time, but Dinah was given this 2nd chance to start anew. 'I won't waste this chance.'
With her resolve hardened, her heart steady, her skin tingling, and her muscles loose, she shifted to the first opening stance before she closed her eyes.
The Black Canary began to dance through her forms and katas, her moves flowing like the wind. She cleared her mind, and she just moved. She closed her sense of sight of her own volition while she opened herself to her sense of balance, hearing, and touch.
The world slowly fell away as the Canary danced.
——————————————————————————————
"Damn paperwork.", Faith muttered to herself while she walked down the stairs; her staff clacking against the floor rhythmically. She's been awake for a couple of hours now and already ate her usual breakfast. She would've enjoyed the first few hours in relaxation, but she had to review a few of the left over paperwork from the Guild.
And now, she finds herself only having an hour and a half before she has to go to the Babel Medical Ward with her entourage for another day of work.
When she reached the first floor, it was to find everyone either outside at the porch, or looking through the windows at something in the front courtyard. She raised her brow and strode forward silently while trying to spot her Goddess.
She found her near one of the windows and looking outside, alongside everyone else. As she approached, she saw her holding Conner; who was currently nibbling on his own hand.
"What's happening?", she asked Panacea softly as she joined her side.
"Our Black Canary is dancing.", her Goddess answered with a smile while she gestured to the window.
As she looked out the window to see what had everyone so captivated, what she saw took her breath away.
Dinah was currently in the front courtyard; lost in her own world, and she was moving as if she was fighting invisible opponents. Every move flowed from one to another with only the briefest of pauses, every strike was precise, every complex movement and the sudden turns were executed with elegance, poise, speed, and grace.
And when her face turned towards their direction for but a moment, she was even more surprised, because Dinah's eyes were closed. 'She's doing all this with her eyes closed... And if I hadn't seen her actual Status sheet last night, then I wouldn't have even believed that she was just a starting Level 1... Wow...'
After watching for a few more minutes, she asked, "How long has she been out there?"
"Almost 2 hours now. She hasn't stopped once.", Panacea replied impressively, but there was also a hint of worry in her tone that anyone else would've glossed over, but Faith wasn't anyone else.
"Are you worried about her?", Faith asked gently.
"Yes, I am. She's trying to act tough, but her past is eating her up from the inside. She's a fighter through and through, and she hasn't stopped fighting for years now. She would've fit in with other exploration, deep floor dungeon diving, and heroically inclined Familia like the Zeus and Hera Familias. But if she had joined them, she probably would've died within 6 months..."
Panacea's words were like needles of ice that just stabbed into her veins, spreading a coldness that made her numb. She looked at her Goddess for further insight, because she wanted and needed to understand. 'What did you mean by those words? What are you seeing?'
As if she read her mind, Panacea answered her without looking away from Dinah's performance. "You know her history from last night. At least, the highlights she gave me that I conveyed to you. You, like I was, was probably in awe, inspired, and giddy at having someone like Dinah in the Familia. I thought about it last night... All of last night. And after my awe dissipated by just a fraction, and my thoughts cleared up, it suddenly hit me. It just came to me like a lightning bolt striking the ground. My thoughts kept on going back to a similar path that I couldn't deny. She was... and still is in her very being, a hero. Now Faith, what do all heroes from all the myths, legends, and some of the recent ones that you've heard about amongst the higher ranked Familia all have in common? I want you to really think about it."
And think Faith did. For almost 5 minutes in fact, but when her thoughts found the pattern, her eyes slowly widened in horrified understanding. She tightened her grip on her gnarled staff before she said, "Their self-sacrificing nature will eventually get them killed. When in a group, they can stay alive longer, but eventually, they get a quest that's too dangerous. However; against all logic, they still try to complete it anyway. Either there's no survivors or there's only one afterwards. And then survivor's guilt sets in..."
Panacea nodded sadly while she tousled Conner's hair again. "That's right. Dr. Fate sent her here for a new start, and it was a good thing that he also sent her son alongside her. The little guy was the only anchor keeping her afloat, until we happened upon her. Now our Familia will help little Conner lift her up. It was lucky that we got to her first."
Panacea turned around and started walking away towards her room. But before she could get 3 steps away, she stopped and looked at Faith with misty eyes and a gentle smile. "Our Canary's wings are broken. It's our job as her family to help her heal. What you said to her last night; even though it was inadvertently, was very well said. You're a very good daughter and you're becoming a great Familia Captain. Always stay true to yourself, and know that I'm very proud of you... Always."
Panacea then continued on her way while saying, "If anyone needs me, tell them I'll be in my room with the adorable baby bird. Stay safe and have a good day."
Faith watched her mother walk away while she wiped away the tears that were accumulating in her eyes before they fell. With a fire in her eyes, and a soul that was slowly hardening with resolve, she thought to herself, 'I promise you, mother, that I'll be the best damn Familia Captain anyone's ever seen. Dinah will be alright. I won't let her sink. I refuse to lose anyone in my family. I'll help our Canary soar again.'
"This I swear.", she said to herself softly. Faith then turned around and made her way through the front entrance with a confident stride. She gave nods and smiles to her brothers and sisters that she passed by, before she stopped in front of Dinah who was currently sitting down on the grass next to Lianne.
'It looks like she's done. And everyone's slowly warming up to her. That's good. Now then, time to be the Familia Captain.', she thought to herself unwaveringly.
"Dinah, Lianne, good morning.", she greeted the two with a nod, before she gestured for them to stand and join the others in front of the porch steps of their home. Just like almost every morning, her siblings gathered at the front steps of their home, awaiting her orders for the day.
Dinah smiled at her while leading Lianne by the hand towards the others. And now that she was in front, she could see everyone's faces. She looked at the faces of all her siblings with pride in her eyes. "Okay everyone. Today's wednesday, the 17th of the month of March. You all know where you need to go. Dinah, our new sister, will be out and about with her own errands to run. I'll be leading the other 7 who are scheduled to work today to Babel and we'll be working at the Medical Ward again. Kim, you're in charge at home. You know what to do. You're free to experiment for an hour with the reagents and ingredients that we have in the potion's workshop. We'll also be staying up a little later after dinner for a family meeting. Also, the coming saturday is a rest day. I just wanted to remind everyone of that. And whenever anyone's free, make sure you get to know our new brother and sister. Mother Panacea's currently in her room with little Conner, so if anyone needs her, then they can find her there. Any questions, comments, or concerns?", she asked as she swept her cool gaze around.
After a minute of silence, she nodded and then shouted, "Panacea Familia, let's get to work!"