Test scene: Saint-Walker

[lanternslight]

Hal shakes his head.

"Look, I know Ganthet gave me a green ring, and it's just like my old ring... but it's not the same." He looks over at the alien opposite him. "I'm not a member of the Green Lantern Corps anymore. So I fail to see what the point of this is." He points to the green ring on his finger. "I mean, I'm glad to have a ring and all, but..."

Comments

[i-will-hope.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps Ganthet knows you are still needed to wield the Green despite what the other Guardians think." Walker's brow furrows as he tries to think.

"I do not know. I find the laws of your Guardians to be unfair. I am quite happy for your union though, Lantern Jordan. I know all will be well with you and your bond with the Star Sapphire."

[lanternslight.livejournal.com]

"I made the right decision," Hal nods. "And I don't need to justify it to a panel of smurf-judges sitting around half a universe away. But the fact is, I'm not a Green Lantern anymore, and how I'm expected to do anything about a prophecy that's so vague we have no idea what it even means..." He throws up his arms in frustration.

[i-will-hope.livejournal.com]

Walker wants to say it.

He's said it too many times.

He's not going to say-

"All will be well."

He said it.

"Patience, Lantern Jordan. All is shown in time. Besides, you wouldn't be the first Green Lantern to not be a Green Lantern. What of the man on your world I've heard Ganthet speak of, Alan Scott I believe? Was he not a Lantern without a corps? Or Lantern Rayner? Did he not carry on without the Guardians or any brothers in the light?"

[lanternslight.livejournal.com]

"Kyle was the Corps. A Corps of one. That's different. And Alan... the Starheart is something else entirely." Still, he is a Green Lantern -- Hal would never deny that.

[i-will-hope.livejournal.com]

Walker just sighs. He respects Jordan, he truly does. If there was anyone he knew could do the impossible, it was Hal Jordan. By Ganthet, Jordan could go beyond the impossible. Despite the mouth on Lantern Gardner, the ability to do things no other Lantern could was held by only two, and Hal was one of them.

But when you tried to prove something to him, it was like talking to a construct some times!

"You are right, Lantern Jord... Hal. I am not saying this as Brother Walker. I am saying this as Bro'Dee. You have done more than almost anyone else, and whispers of what you have done spread throughout the galaxies. I lived all the way in Sector 1, and I had heard at least one story of you fighting off a giant monster by forcing it into a glacier where it froze. Almost no other Lanterns are known for that. Almost no other people are known like that. You are respected, Hal. You are still a hero. No matter if you are alone, or part of a Corp or a League or some other organization. If nothing else, even if you cannot still say you are 'Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2418,' you can still say you are 'Hal Jordan of Sector 2418, ally of Superman, vanquisher of Sinestro, hero of the stars and more.' At the very least, you can say you are friend of Bro'Dee Walker of Astonia."

[lanternslight.livejournal.com]

Hal gives a subdued sigh. Some of the things Saint-Walker is saying makes some level of sense.

"Alright. But you know that the Oans will figure out I'm flying around with one of their rings eventually."

[i-will-hope.livejournal.com]

"Then I'm certain you'll figure something out. You're the greatest. That doesn't just mean nothing. It means you're the best Green Lantern, Hal. And if you need it, I'll be right there next to you. I'm certain Star Sap- er... Carol will as well." Bro'Dee really was trying to get used to using first names more. It just takes a minute to figure out.

[lanternslight.livejournal.com]

Hal nods. "Thanks, Bro'Dee. But... let's face it. The title of 'best Green Lantern' has been used to describe others, before."

[i-will-hope.livejournal.com]

"Yes, it has. I will give you that. But I still believe you can make it work."

Sure, Walker believes a lot of things, and sometimes the ring bolsters it. But his ring hasn't flashed for a boost in over five minutes. This is all Bro'Dee saying this.

[lanternslight.livejournal.com]

"Just believing isn't enough," Hal replies.

[i-will-hope.livejournal.com]

What was the word he had heard Ganthet use? Sourpuss. That was the word for Lantern Jordan right now.

"That is true. But belief helps." Walker's mind goes back to that mountain. The belief keeping him up, giving him the will to push forward. Not a day goes by he doesn't miss his wife. His father. His children. He knew that Hal had a wife and a son. He wasn't sure about if he still had a father, but Bro'Dee wished Hal never had to miss them.

And Bro'Dee hoped he'd never have to miss his own Corps, looking down at the blue ring on his finger. He could see how it could break his spirit so.

"My ring does nothing but let me fly and keep me from dying in space without a Green ring nearby. Right now, I could restart a sun or redirect a meteor. I could make forests bloom or heal the sick. But without the green will behind it, I cannot even bring in enough energy to move a pebble without kicking it myself. Hope without willpower behind it is meaningless.

"But the opposite is also true. A Green ring alone needs recharging from a battery, something to keep it up. My ring can charge a green past what that battery can, perhaps beyond what was thought possible. Willpower without hope runs out. Hope without willpower runs out. But together, they keep going.

"So, no matter what happens, I am here for you, Hal. I shall keep believing long after anyone else gives up. That is why this ring found me, after all. And knowing you, I know that Carol and I will not be the only ones to stand by your side. You are too likable for that to be true."

[lanternslight.livejournal.com]

Hal chuckles. "Anyone ever tell you that you can talk a lot, Saint-Walker?" He slaps his blue-ringed friend on the shoulder.

[i-will-hope.livejournal.com]

"I apologize. The old habits of a preacher are hard to break. Warth calls it a blessing and a curse."