X'ara the exile

“Geez, what a shithole,” MJ observed as she and Kori walked down the hallway of X’ara’s apartment building. “I’d bet that it’s been at least 50 years since someone cleaned this place. And that apartment with the open door we looked into? Gotta be a crack den.”

“And this is where X’ara lives? The poor girl,” Kori empathized. “It makes me wonder what might have happened to me if the Titans hadn’t taken me in...”

“I don’t know... but after what you told me you went through in Vega before coming to Earth, something tells me you’d have been fine. You’re tough as hell, Kori... I’m glad you’re on my side.”

Kori smiled at her girlfriend’s comment – clearly MJ thought very highly of her, which meant so much to her. “Thank you, MJ. I would like to think so.”

“At any rate, I’d like to get X’ara out of this place immediately... Emily says she’ll listen to you, so it looks like you’re up, babe,” MJ told Kori as they knocked on her apartment door.

A tall, beautiful woman with golden skin and green hair answered the door, her jaw dropping upon seeing Kori. “It can’t be. Y-you’re...”

“Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran,” Kori said with a gentle smile. “And you must be X’ara. A pleasure to meet you. And this is my girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. May we come in?”

“S-sure,” X’ara stammered, still in disbelief that another Tamaranean had found her, and it was a princess, no less. “How... how did you escape the Citadel? I knew you had made it to Earth, but what happened after you had been sold into slavery?”

Kori explained her escape, the circumstances that had led her to Earth, joining the Titans, and meeting MJ. “It was a harrowing ordeal, but when I look at where I am now, I would do it all again,” she said, grabbing MJ’s hand and looking at her fondly. MJ couldn’t help but blush and grin at the comment – since meeting Kori, she’d fallen hard for her.

“And what about you?” Kori asked. “How did you end up on Earth?”

X’ara’s eyes welled with tears as she summoned the courage to tell her story “My family... they discovered proof of your sister’s deceit. What she had done to you. Queen Komand’r discovered our intentions to expose her and sent the royal guard after us. I lost everyone I cared about that day,” X’ara whimpered as she recalled the painful memory. “I... I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize... take as much time as you need,” Kori said sympathetically.

“My parents had a personal spacecraft they had hidden for such an occasion. I... I was the only one able to get to it. Every night, I dream about that day... Father telling me to run. Mother being struck down from behind. My betrothed pushing me out of the way of a lethal energy blast... I... I...”

Remembering everything became too much for X’ara and she broke down crying. MJ, moved by the young woman’s plight, walked over to her and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. X’ara, moved by the first human to show her any kind of compassion in months, pulled MJ in and hugged her, sobbing into the redhead’s shoulder. MJ, fighting tears of her own after hearing X’ara’s story, hugged her back and let X’ara sob in her arms. A sad smile crossed Kori’s face as she watched the display, heartbroken for her fellow Tamaranean, but moved by her girlfriend’s kindness.

After she had finished crying, X’ara gave MJ a small, melancholy smile. “Thank you... you are the first human to show me sympathy in a long time. I was beginning to think your kind were not capable of it...”

“I understand,” MJ said warmly. “Certain humans can be... ruthless.”

“I’ve learned that all too well,” X’ara said, returning to her story. “After escaping the Vega system, I made for the hiding place Father had discussed with me, which ended up being Earth. With no money, no family and no earthly identity, I could only find work in prostitution and adult films...”

“Oh, man... I’m so sorry,” MJ said, feeling sadder for the young woman by the minute.

“Thank you. I actually enjoyed some of my work in adult films – I was able to work with some beautiful women. And the money wasn’t bad. But I knew I wanted to get out of it. I saw your modeling photos, and I thought maybe if I got into the industry, I’d be able to meet you somehow.”

“Why didn’t you just come to Titans Tower?” Kori asked. “My teammates and I would have gladly granted you asylum.”

“It... didn’t seem right, just approaching my princess like that. I guess I was afraid you would see me as beneath you, just coming up to you and asking for help.”

“Kori is the kindest, most compassionate person I’ve ever met, X’ara. There’s no way she wouldn’t have helped you,” MJ spoke up. “In any case, we’re here now, and we want to help.” Kori added an agreeing nod.

“Thank you... thank you both. As I was saying, I hoped to get into the modeling industry, and so I met with a number of agencies and did some freelance work. I ended up losing most of my money to men claiming to be talent agents... Many of my employers asked me to do things that made me very... uncomfortable.”

“Scumbags.” MJ muttered under her breath. She’d been all too aware of the sleaze in the fashion industry, and it had made her very careful over the years. The fact that people would try to exploit this sweet, trusting young woman... it made her blood boil.

“Recently, I’d received a call from the Kingsley company, requesting that join them full time. Kingsley is a big company, so I thought I might have finally ‘caught a break’, as you humans say... so I accepted their offer. I soon found out that their management was as ruthless and vile as anybody I’ve met. I’ve since tried to quit, to leave on numerous occasions... and that’s when the intimidation began. I’ve had all manner of thugs show up at my door... I’m not like you, Koriand’r. I’m no fighter. Most recently, I had a terrifying monster show up at my door, a hooded figure that called himself the Hobgoblin. The twisted smile on his face... it chilled me to my core. I’m scared, Koriand’r.”

Kori walked up to X’ara and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that... alone, no less. But you’re not alone anymore. You have friends now, and we will protect you – and we have friends who wish to protect you, too. Would you be willing to speak with Emily Briggs, the manager at our modeling agency? She can help protect you from Kingsley and this... Hobgoblin.”

“Y-yes. Thank you,” X’ara cried in relief, hugging Kori gratefully.

“First thing we should do is get you out of this dump,” MJ pointed out. “You can stay at my place for the next few days while we get things set up at the agency – my couch folds out.”

“That’s very generous of you,” X’ara smiled in gratitude. “Just let me get a few things from the bedroom.”

As X’ara left to gather her belongings, MJ turned to Kori. “So that confirms it – Kingsley’s been intimidating models. And I’m pretty sure he’s that Hobgoblin, too – the Oscorp shares. The Goblin serum. It’s gotta be him.”

“You are probably right,” Kori agreed. “After we set up X’ara at your place, we should inform Miss Briggs.”

“Yeah. And I need to text Gwen about this – She’s going to want to hear it. We’ve got something of a history with Goblins...”