John didn't explain right away. He just led Kara through the city until they reached a large entertainment complex built into one of Kahndaq's newer districts. The holographic model before the building was advertising the new movie, and the front screens displayed rotating scenes from different films.
Kara tilted her head as they stepped inside. "So this is… what? A training thing?"
John smirked as he walked toward the ticket counter. "Depends on how brave you are."
She narrowed her eyes. "That sounds like a challenge."
"Good," he said while grabbing two tickets. "You're gonna need that confidence."
A few minutes later, they were seated inside a dark theater. The screen flickered to life, and the opening music crept in low and eerie. Kara leaned back at first, arms crossed, clearly expecting something underwhelming.
Ten minutes in, she leaned forward.
Twenty minutes in, her eyes stayed glued to the screen.
A shadow moved behind a character in the film. The music went silent.
Kara whispered, "Don't turn around."
The character turned around.
The jump scare hit hard.
Kara flinched, grabbed John's arm, and then immediately straightened like nothing happened. "Okay," she said quickly, clearing her throat. "That was… unexpected."
John chuckled under his breath. "You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," she said, not letting go of his arm yet. "This is actually kind of fun."
By the time the movie ended, she looked more energized than shaken. As they stepped out into the hallway, she turned to him with a spark in her eyes.
"Do you have more of those?"
John laughed. "A lot more."
"Good," she said with a grin. "We're watching all of them."
After that, they headed down the street to one of the busiest restaurants in the district. The place buzzed with conversation and clinking plates. As soon as they sat down, Kara grabbed the menu and started scanning it like she was studying a battle plan.
"I don't actually need food," she said while flipping the page. "But I want to try everything."
John leaned back in his chair, already amused. "Everything?"
She looked up at him, completely serious. "Everything."
He raised a hand and called the server over. "You heard her."
The first round came out fast. Kara took a bite of the first dish and paused. Her eyes widened slightly.
"That's… really good."
Then she tried the next one.
And the next.
By the time they were halfway through the menu, she had stopped talking entirely. She just kept eating with full focus, occasionally nodding to herself like she was confirming a theory.
John rested his chin in his hand and watched the process unfold. "How is the food?"
She didn't look up. "This is amazing."
Plates kept coming. Bowls stacked. Drinks vanished. The staff started watching from a distance, whispering among themselves as Kara worked through everything like a one-woman challenge.
Eventually, she leaned back with a satisfied exhale, hands resting on her stomach.
"This is so much better," she said.
"I get it now," she said. "Food is worth it."
John laughed. "Glad you like it."
After leaving the restaurant, they slowed things down with a walk through one of the quieter parts of the city. The streets gave way to a large building lined with tall windows and soft golden lights glowing from inside.
"The library?" Kara asked.
"Yeah," John said. "Figured you could use some basic knowledge about Earth and different cultures, or you can simply just enjoy stories."
She stepped inside and immediately paused.
Rows and rows of books stretched out in every direction. Old texts, new publications, and digital archives all coexisted in organized sections.
Kara walked forward slowly, eyes scanning titles faster than most people could read them.
"This is…" she started, then stopped.
She reached out and pulled a book from the shelf. Flipped through it. Put it back. Grabbed another.
John leaned against a nearby shelf, watching her pick up speed.
Within minutes, she had a growing stack in her arms.
"You planning to read all of those?" he asked.
"Probably."
"Well, as long as you have fun."
By the time they checked out, Kara carried a stack that would have buried a normal person. She balanced it easily while still scanning the next title on top like she couldn't wait to start.
"Next," she said as they stepped back outside.
John raised an eyebrow. "You're not done?"
She looked at him like that was a ridiculous question. "You said there are more horror movies."
He laughed again. "Fair enough."
They stopped by a media store on the way back. Kara picked out every horror film that caught her interest, from classic ghost stories to modern psychological nightmares. By the end of it, they walked out with a bag full of movies and a stack of books.
The sun had dipped lower by the time they reached the palace gates.
Kara adjusted her grip on the books as they stepped through the entrance.
Then she stopped.
John stopped too.
Right in the middle of the courtyard, Harley bounced up and down on a pogo stick, her voice echoing loudly with every jump.
"Boing! Boing! Boing!"
Next to her, Helena (Huntress) jumped on another pogo stick.
For a brief moment, everything froze.
Helena landed one bounce, saw them standing there, and her expression went completely blank.
Time seemed to slow down.
Without saying a single word, she reached for her belt, pulled out her grappler, and fired it toward the nearest wall. The hook latched instantly. She yanked herself forward, landed cleanly, then jumped to the other side and ran away.
Harley kept bouncing.
"Boing! Boing!" she went again, completely unfazed.
Kara blinked once, then looked at John. "Did she just—"
"Yeah," John said, trying not to laugh. "You saw that."
Harley finally stopped mid-bounce and turned toward them, still standing on the pogo stick.
"Oh, hey, you two!" she said cheerfully. "Perfect timing. We were just conductin' very serious balance training."
Kara looked at the pogo stick. Then at Harley. Then back at the empty space where Helena had escaped.
"…Right," Kara said slowly.
John rubbed his face, already losing the fight against his own laughter.
...
[That night after dinner]
Kara's room looked a lot different from earlier. The pile of questionable outfits had been shoved into one corner, mostly out of sight. In their place sat a low table stacked with snacks, drinks, and a dangerously large bowl of popcorn that Kara insisted she did not need but absolutely wanted.
The lights were dim. The screen on the wall flickered as the menu of the first horror movie loaded up.
Kara sat cross-legged at the center of the bed, already holding the remote like she was about to launch a mission.
Maureen leaned back against a pile of pillows.
Harley stood near the door.
She had not moved for the past thirty seconds.
"Why are the lights off?" Harley asked, squinting at the shadows like they personally offended her.
Kara didn't even look up. "Because it's a horror movie."
Harley crossed her arms. "Yeah, I know what a horror movie is. I'm just sayin', we could keep, like, one light on. For safety and ambiance. Mostly safety."
Maureen smirked. "You're scared."
"I ain't scared of no one," Harley shot back instantly. She walked over and dropped onto the bed beside Kara, grabbing a handful of popcorn like she had something to prove. "Ghosts ain't real."
Kara pressed play.
The movie opened with a quiet scene. An old house. Wind blowing through broken windows. Floorboards creaking in slow rhythm.
Harley chewed loudly for a few seconds.
Then she slowed down.
Then she stopped chewing.
"Why's it always a house?" she muttered. "Like, why don't ghosts ever haunt a nice bakery or somethin'? I'd haunt a bakery. Free cupcakes for eternity."
Maureen glanced at her. "Sush."
On the screen, a woman walked down a hallway holding a candle. The flame flickered as a door creaked open by itself.
Kara leaned forward slightly, eyes locked in. "Don't go in there," she whispered.
Harley pointed at the screen. "See, she gets it. Don't go in there. Problem solved. Movie over."
The woman stepped inside anyway.
The door slammed shut behind her.
Harley flinched... Just a little.
"I didn't move," she said quickly, even though nobody accused her.
Maureen's shoulders shook with silent laughter.
The tension built slowly. The camera moved closer to a dark corner of the room. The music dropped to a low hum.
Kara leaned in more.
Maureen watched calmly.
Harley leaned slightly closer to Kara without realizing it.
The shadow shifted.
The ghost appeared suddenly on screen with a loud, sharp sound.
Harley screamed. It was a full, high-pitched, absolutely unfiltered scream. She grabbed Kara and Maureen at the same time and pulled them into a tight grip like she was bracing for impact.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Harley shouted, eyes wide.
Kara blinked, surprised for half a second, then burst into laughter. "That was the ghost," she said between laughs.
Maureen lost it completely. She leaned back, laughing openly now. "You said ghosts aren't real."
Harley slowly released them, trying to recover whatever dignity she had left. "Okay, listen. That was a jump scare. That doesn't count. That's cheap. That's like fightin' dirty."
Kara wiped a tear from her eye. "You literally said you weren't scared."
"I'm not scared," Harley insisted. "I just wasn't emotionally prepared for that level of disrespect."
The movie continued.
Every time something even slightly suspicious happened on screen, Harley reacted.
A door creaked.
She grabbed Kara's sleeve.
A whisper echoed.
She leaned into Maureen.
A reflection moved in a mirror.
She pulled the blanket up to her chin.
At one point, the ghost appeared quietly in the background without any sound.
Kara noticed immediately. "Behind her," she whispered.
Maureen saw it too.
Harley did not.
"Behind who?" Harley asked.
Both of them stayed silent, watching.
Harley turned her head back to the screen and noticed something. She screamed again, pushed Kara aside, and tried to climb over Maureen at the same time. "I HATE THIS MOVIE," she yelled, burying her face into Maureen's shoulder.
Maureen laughed harder, one hand lightly patting Harley's head like she was calming a very loud child. "You dragged us into chaos your whole life, and this is what breaks you."
Kara grinned, clearly enjoying every second of this. "We're watching another one after this."
Harley peeked at the screen with one eye. "No, we ain't. We're watchin' cartoons next. Something safe. Something with colors and zero demons."
Kara grabbed the remote tighter. "Nope. We're doing a marathon."
Harley looked at John's empty spot on the bed like she was silently asking for backup that was not coming.
"This is a setup," she muttered. "Y'all planned this. Didn't ya?"
The ghost on screen let out a low, distorted whisper.
Harley immediately pulled the blanket over her head.
"I can't hear it if I don't see it," she said from under the blanket.
Maureen leaned over and tugged the blanket down just enough for Harley to see the screen again. "Relax. I'll freeze if a ghost appears."
Kara hit play on the next movie before Harley could argue.
"Welcome to movie night," Kara said, clearly pleased.
Harley groaned, then grabbed another handful of popcorn like she was preparing for war.
"Fine," she said. "But if a ghost comes outta that screen, I'm punchin' it."
Maureen laughed again.
Kara just leaned forward, already locked in for round two.
...
[Meanwhile, upstairs in the master bedroom]
John lay on the bed, completely naked, with just a blanket covering his lower body. His eyes were on the walk-in closet.
The door opened and Hippolyta walked in, wearing nothing but transparent red lingerie.
--[Spoilers: Upcoming chs names. Click to read.][1]
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[I have > 14 advance chapters] [No double billing]
[1] Ch: 85 [A night with Hippolyta pt1] Ch: 86 [A night with Hippolyta pt2/2] Ch: 87 [Codex Protocol] Ch: 88 [Faora’s Judgment] Ch: 89 [Kryptonian war has begun] Ch: 90 [World Under Siege] Ch: 91 [Harley Unleashed & Terraforming] Ch: 92 [Magic vs Kryptonian] Ch: 93 [Healing Enchantress]