The explosion had happened so recently, there was still mass chaos all around the area, with officers still investigating and trying to figure out who orchestrated the attack. They hadn't even begun to clean up the debris yet as the investigation continued, and it was a sad sight. It saddened Kali to think of that day, it had been horrific to be part of, and while Kali knew it was incredibly dangerous of her to participate, she knew that she had to help. Staying in her apartment and doing nothing, Kali would never have forgiven herself if she had done that, and the building of people she had helped saved hadn't made it, all because of her selfish need to keep herself a secret from the world.

Though the explosion had rocked their city, there was a silver lining, and it was the people of the city. Kali had seen the push for the impromptu farmer's market in another part of the commerce area, a way to try and help those business owners and vendors who lost everything, begin to rebuild. Anyone who still had goods to sell could come and try to keep themselves afloat, while others who may not have been involved in the explosion at all gathered as well to sell their items, most of them donating their profits to those who lost so much. It was refreshing to see the city coming back together, and while Kali knew that some of the other guardians wouldn't have been able to attend, due to their notoriety, Kali could come and patronize the effort to rebuild the lives of those who were involved.

Walking to the little area that had been blocked off to prevent car traffic, Kali moved from vendor to vendor, talking to most of them. The stories of the people were much more interesting than the items they were selling, but Kali wouldn't be much of a support if she didn't buy anything. Purchasing a few small things here and there, Kali put them in the fabric bag she had brought with her, laughing to herself as she came to a table with kitchen gadgets. "I'm still learning a lot about cooking, but my friends say I've come very far." Smiling to the person at the table, Kali bought a couple of small painted bowls from the vendor. They were cute, but the one with the painted stars was what caught Kali's attention. She loved the stars and missed being able to watch the stars, along with all the other planets and the moon, during her time at the time gate. Sure, Kali could always look at what was going on, but it was very different than living away from the gate where you could just look up at the night sky and see all the stars. It was what had inspired Kali to make the dress she was wearing, a black dress that ended at her knees, it was had silver glitter on the fabric that reminded Kali of stars twinkling. No longer guarding the time door at a close distance, Kali often returned to her planetary color of black, as though wearing the color was her new uniform.

Taking a business card from the vendor, Kali would have to look at their other stuff to fill her apartment with. Though the time guardian had settled into her apartment years ago, it remained fairly sparse outside of necessities. There were pictures of Sera everywhere, and many family pictures with Charlie and Cordie, but in terms of other objects, it was a bit lacking. Perhaps it was that Kali spent so much time at the palace, she didn't feel the need to fill her apartment more, but Kali just hated being all alone in her apartment. She loved it there when it was filled with family, but when everyone was busy, Kali was happier to be at the palace, working.

Turning away from the table she had bought the bowls from, Kali slipped the black clutch back into her fabric bag, out of sight. Normally, Kali held it, keeping it close, but in such a crowd, Kali wanted it hidden. The money inside the clutch didn't bother the guardian if it went missing, but the strand of ornate silver keys was much more precious to Kali. Never leaving them anywhere, Kali kept the time keys with her always, usually in her clutch, now that she could no longer wear them around her waist without drawing unusual questions.

The last table was the one that Kali had put off to last, having seen what was on it from afar. Approaching it, she reached out a perfectly manicured hand to lightly touch the wooden clock. Hand-carved, it had little painted birds on it. Next to the bird clock, was one of the clocks that showed all the moving pieces and mechanisms, rather than hiding them. A table full of clocks, it made Kali smile that people still appreciated such an art. In such a digital age of technology, time was overlooked and people no longer cared to pay it much attention. "They're beautiful. It's so special to display time so well."

After the explosion, Kelvin had ordered his mother remain at home and that he would go do their shopping as to keep her safe. Normally she would argue but she understood where he was coming from and told him to be careful so she didn’t have to hear about his death on the TV or get a call about it. After a good hour of reassuring the elder female, Kelvin was finally able to go to the market that had been set up after the explosion. Kelvin told his mother if anyone called or anything to take down the information and he’d get back to them or if she wanted to just close the shop until he returned home. So now that he had finally gotten away from the shop in order to go to town, Kelvin felt better that his mother wasn’t the one going in case something ended up happening. She didn’t know about his powers so it was easier for him then it would be for his mother.

Looking around the booths and such that were set up he took in a breath and gave a faint smile. Despite being a part of the Dark Kingdom he had been blackmailed into the organization and so he liked that people bounced back from tragedy as they had. Shaking the thought he continued on before something caught from the corner of his eyes. His gaze turned to a green haired female at a clock covered with beautiful crafted clocks. Tilting his head he was honestly surprised by the clocks as most everything was digital nowadays and that just wasn’t something Kelvin enjoyed. His mother had been surprised by the fact that Kelvin wanted to always have a hand clock in nearly every room.

While he had been in prison he had learned that time was one thing that tended to be against a person. As he stepped toward the table he smiled hearing what she said. ”It’s a shame the digital age has taken away the beauty of a wooden clock. Time shouldn’t stared back at you as a blaring red numbers. It should be beautifully created on a clock face.”he said glancing down at the time pieces. It was hard to explain but time had been one thing that Kelvin had always enjoyed. Time was short and no telling when your clock would suddenly stop.

Exchanging polite conversation with the man who ran the clock booth, Kali reached out and touched one of the clocks, gently running a perfectly manicured finger over the woodwork. It was safe to say that Kali wanted another clock, but she had to restrain herself, her family had told her many times that it was possible to have too many clocks, especially since Kali didn't need a clock. She was a clock, she could feel the shift in time as each minute passed by, and while Kali had somewhat gotten used to the passing of time on Earth where things actually changed, as opposed to the time gate, Kali never let herself get so used to it that she stopped paying it any attention.

Two minutes. She had only been at the booth for two minutes, which was enough time to glance at the clocks and have a small conversation, though if you had asked the man at the booth, he likely would have estimated that it had been five minutes. People never truly realized just how long a minute lasted, so Kali had learned. It would seem that time was not just Kali's hobby when a new voice spoke up beside her. Maroon eyes tore themselves away from the table and to the man talking to her, smiling warmly when she noticed a man with familiar traits. There did seem to be several people who had naturally green hair these days, but not so many of them were dark skinned, probably because it was hard to dominant black hair color.

"I have always said that time is our most precious commodity, it is the only thing that we can truly never get back once it's gone." Other things could be replaced, but time, and the things that came with time such as memories, those were irreplaceable. "It is a shame that others do not see how special it is to spend time with others, or else we would be standing at the market instead of here." Even as Kali spoke, her gaze lowered slightly and her words held a hint of sadness.

Kali had been there, during the real aftermath of the explosion, before the dust had even settled and people were still in danger. Cordie had told them about the child she saved, but the mother she couldn't save, and it had made Kali want to hug Sera a little tighter. They were gifted with so much power, and they still couldn't' save everyone. Even if Kali had tried to bend the rules, to go back in time and prevent this, she knew how the laws of time worked and there would be a different tragedy. Death always took people when their time was up, and as the Guardian of the Underworld, Kali knew that there was no denying death. Only the Guardians seemed to be able to get away with that, because without them, the universal balance would tip, and they couldn't have that.

"I'm Kali." Reaching out towards the man, Kali offered her hand to shake, smiling again as she returned her attention to him and away from the sadness of the previous two days.

Hearing the woman talk about time he nodded in agreement. ”I agree wholeheartedly. Time is so easy to forget about. It passes in the blink of an eye and nobody pays much mind to it. Except the fair few that know that time is precious.”he said glancing to the clocks once more. As she continued on Kelvin blinked and looked up at the wise woman standing before him. ”I see your point. It’s a shame that so few people don’t understand how important time is until you run out of it.”he said raising his gaze to hers as he had heard the hint of sadness in her voice and knew exactly why she had sounded like that. He had seen the damage caused by the explosion that rocked the city.

Although he hadn’t been in the middle of it as he would surely be dead he was in the market on the day and the death count had risen quickly. He thought living through the gang wars in Chicago had been something but seeing the destruction that the explosion had caused was nothing in comparison. As he thought back to that day he had been distracted with trying to get away but when he had gone to the middle of the area he had seen the guardians and knew that more than likely his queen would have wanted him to make a move during a weak time but he had decided against it. He’d been blackmailed into joining to Dark Kingdom and as such tried to avoid causing problems if he could help it.

When the woman reached out towards him he reciprocated and took hers in his hand and shook it. ”Pleasure to meet you, Kali. My name is Kelvin.”he said smiling up at him. It was difficult to forget the sadness of the last few days but meeting this fellow dark skinned green haired female was helping to take his mind away from the troubles that had been going on. ”Do you often find yourself looking at beautifully crafted clocks?”

He hadn't said anything that was foreign or a new concept to Kali, and yet, she found herself looking at him puzzled. "I have never understood that comment, personally. People say that life is so short, and yet, it is the longest thing they will ever experience in their lives. Why they never make the most of their time and spend so much time away from those that are most important, is beyond me." Of course, there were several reasons to not be with family. It was hard when things were busy, and Kali knew busy, she had seen all her friends around her scrambling with their lives, but at the end of the day, they all returned to those that mattered most to them and spent time together. It was Queen Serenity, and then Cynthia, who showed Kali the power of spending time with people you care about and admire.

Hearing someone other than her guardian family agreeing with her about time was new to Kali, and she instantly felt closer to this man. He was a human, what did he know about time? He could watch time pass by on a clock, but did he truly feel it? That was the problem that several people had, they pretended to understand time passing, but they watched clocks as though they were sources of entertainment. Kali enjoyed clocks because they showcased time, but she never wore a watch, nor did she ever need to look at a clock to know what time it was. She could feel the time passing, and it wasn't about the placement of the sun or hands on a clock face, it was about something she felt at her very core.

Shaking his hand, Kali almost felt like he was familiar to her, but it was her love and respect of time that was truly giving her that feeling. "Yes Kelvin, I do find myself drawn to clocks whenever I see them. By now, I think that I may have exhausted my daughter's patience for clocks, but she'll never say that out loud." Each of the guardians had their own passions that the others would never understand, but they could try. Kali was unique in several ways, and being the guardian of the Underworld, she could connect with Sera about her behavior towards death, but that wasn't quite Sera's passion. When it came to Charlie and Cordie, Kali would never understand the physical elements the way that they did, though she was always happy to listen to them talk about it.

"What about yourself? Is this your hobby too, or do you spend your time doing something else?" He was here, at the market, which told Kali that even in a world of such amazing technology, he didn't hide behind that technology to do his shopping. Something had drawn him here, and Kali was curious to know if whatever had drawn him here was as special to him as clocks, and their meanings, were to Kali.

Seeing the puzzled look on the female’s face, Kelvin raised his brow and tilted his head as she explained why. Kelvin smiled and nodded at her words and understood where she was coming from now. ”I see your point. But perhaps it’s more running out of time to spend with others. Say your mother or a grandparent. You say you’ll visit them tomorrow but tomorrow doesn’t come for them. You have no more time to listening to their stories or to how much they love you. Eat grandma’s famous chicken noodle soup and not know the recipe now that she’s gone. But I agree. People should make the most of their time and spend it with the ones they love. So many don’t and they don’t realize it until it’s too late.”he said looking up at the female standing next to him. He was surprised and intrigued by her thoughts of time and how people should spend it. There wasn’t many who believed the same as him. He didn’t even think his own mother believed the same as he did anymore. She did back when he was a part of the gang but that was darker times.
 
When the two shook hands, Kelvin was surprised that it felt so natural and almost jerked his hand away but he didn’t. Hearing the woman talk about her draw to clocks he grinned and at the mention of a daughter he paid no mind but he did feel slight disappointment at the news. Kelvin did his best not to show the feeling though. ”My mother says the same thing. Sadly my mother does say it out loud. Every time I bring a new one into my home my mother is quick to say we don’t need another one. To which I reply you can never have enough clocks.”he said with a slight grin. Looking up at the dark skinned female again he felt all warm and fuzzy. It was weird and he wanted it to stop but he couldn’t help himself.
 
His gaze returned to the clocks on the table next to them before the female asked him a question. Looking up at her he thought for a moment before shaking his head. ”I collect clocks of all kinds but I also enjoy working on cars. I own a mechanic shop just outside town.”he explained jerking his head in that direction but since they weren’t near it he didn’t intend for her to look in that direction. ”Do you have other hobbies?”he inquired of the green haired female.

"I suppose I am more lucky than others, as I am constantly surrounded by my family. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't see one or more of them, though it wasn't always that way. There was a time when my job kept me away from everyone, but that feels as though it was a lifetime ago." It wasn't quite that way, but it was difficult to explain to someone. Kali couldn't explain that she spend a millennia guarding a time door all by herself and had only spent a little more than the last 15 years on Earth with those she considers her family. Instead, it was best to leave things vague, as Kali had learned when she first came to Earth.

The years of peace had made everyone take things for granted, but Kali always felt as though she kept a keen mind on the reality of things. She had seen times of peace and times of war over her years at the time gate, and she knew that it was only a matter of time until war came around again. Such negative thoughts however were not meant to be discussed, and especially not today, on a day where the city was coming together to rebuild from chaos and death.

"It's silly, too, because I don't even need to look at a clock to know what time it is, but I just love the beauty of how clocks display time. It's such a rarity for time to be at the center of anything. Time is just often forgotten, or worse, it is seen as a burden. When people feel rushed and that there isn't time, it's very sad." Time went on forever, it never changed, the only proper reaction to time was to embrace it and cherish it. "But perhaps you just haven't found the right design for your mother to appreciate?" Smiling to Kelvin, Kali appreciated that he spent time with his mother. Her parents had long since disappeared, but that was often the burden of godly parents.

Trying to learn more about the man who seemed to share so much in common with Kali, she immediately understood his interest in cars. Charlie had helped Kali to understand why people loved cars so much, and while Kali still wasn't a huge fan of them, she could appreciate them more. "You own a shop? That's very impressive. One of my family members used to race cars, she introduced me to cars and taught me to drive, but I still don't understand anything she says when she talks about cars."

Charlie's passion was what Kali loved, much like Cordie's passion for music, but Kali also enjoyed listening to Cordie play. Any chance that Kali could get away to attend one of her concerts, Kali was there, both as a support, and as a fan. But it had been the same when Charlie was racing too, Kali had enjoyed cheering on Charlie to support her fellow guardian.

"I very much enjoy sewing and making clothes. I also really enjoy studying physics, I was in school for physics for a little bit." That was before the palace formed and Kali was needed more then than she was at a university.

As the green haired female named Kali talked about being more lucky then others he nodded as there were several that were luckier then others. Heck he was luckier then others. His mother was the only living relative the dark skinned male had and so he was lucky to be able to spend as much time with her as he did though it was easier as she lived with him. "That's good. My mother is the only one I have left and she lives with me so I make a point to spend as much time with her as I can."he said with a slight smile as he thought of the woman that had raised him. Sadly with that thought he was reminded that if he betrayed the dark kingdom his mother's life would be lost and shook himself from the thought before looking at the woman once more.

Hearing Kali talk about not needing a clock to know what time it was caused the space soldier to become confused. How was it possible for someone to just know what time it was? Perhaps she just had an amazing internal clock or was very good at guessing. Pushing the thought away he smiled as he looked to the clocks next to them. "Sadly you're right. So time tends to be a burden to some and the ones that don't have the luxury of enjoying their time while on Earth cant help it. Then there's some that don't appreciate what time does for them."he said sighing softly before raising his gaze at her suggestion. Humming at the thought he had never seen it that way. "Perhaps you could help me find something that she might like then. I am not exactly in tune with a woman's likes or dislikes when it comes to clocks."he mentioned as his gaze rose to meet Kali's.

Kali inquired about his shop and he nodded in response. "It's a small family shop. My grandfather owned it before me and his father before him. My grandfather passed it on to me before he passed on."he explained to the woman. Kelvin listened as she spoke of how one of her family members used to race cars and how she introduced her to the and taught her how to drive but that she still didn't understand anything she said about cars. Chuckling he nodded, "I can understand that. I've had people stare blankly at me so I had to explain it in softer terms so they could understand. Cars can before quite fun to talk about."he said as he looked back up at Kali. Passion was different everyone and he knew that from experience.

As she went on to explained about her passions Kelvin listened closely and nodded impressed. "Well color me impressed. I wanted to study physics but I was never able to. I hope you enjoyed it even if it was just for a little bit."he said curious as to why it was only for a little bit but he didn't want to pry. It wasn't exactly his place to do so. But this woman truly intrigued the space soldier and he wanted to learn more about her.

It was a shame that people who focused on their family seemed to be so few and far between. Everyone was just engrossed in their own lives, but they never took the time to truly realize that their family was part of their life too, even if they were grown and didn't need to rely on family so much anymore. Kali would be nothing without her family, she knew that, she would still be the very confused woman who knew very little about living on Earth. Even now, 15 years was a mere moment in Kali's extended life, but it would become a much larger part the longer she lived here. "What about your father?" It wasn't news to Kali that most people didn't have two parents, several of the guardians had grown up in that situation, as well as Sera's previous life, but for how prevalent it was to not have two parents, it seemed just as likely to be raised with both parents.

"You know your mother, I know nothing about her. However, any mother should be happy as long as you took the time to think about it. Start with the basics, perhaps she would like something nice to decorate the room, but quiet, so it doesn't distract her?" Several clocks made noise, and that was what tended to bother most people, but it wasn't hard to find something quiet either. If that wasn't his mother's problem with clocks, then he would need to think about something else, something that would fit with her likes better.

The more that Kelvin talked about his shop, the more Kali was curious as to what happened to his father and why he wasn't involved in the family business. Perhaps it had been inappropriate to ask, but hearing other people's stories was a huge part of getting to know people. He was so calm and soft spoken about everything, Kali appreciated it over the more boisterous men that seemed to enjoy trying to drown out a crowd with their voice alone. "It sounds like you would get along very well with Charlie, she's always looking for people to talk cars with."

"Studying physics and motion and how things move through space is very interesting. Perhaps it was pendulum clocks that sparked my interest in physics, I can't quite remember exactly what it was, but it was fun to pour myself into while I could. I considered going back to school again, but it's just so much work, I'm not sure about it. And I'm quite happy with my life the way it currently is."

When the woman in front of him asked about his father, Kelvin stood there a moment in thought. ”He died when I was two. I never got to know him and he and my grandfather weren’t always on speaking terms.”he replied deciding on telling the truth or rather as close to the truth as he could. She didn’t need to know how his father had died. Kelvin came from the slums of Chicago and it wasn’t hard to jump to the conclusion to how his old man died. Pulling himself from the thoughts he looked up at her and hummed lightly in agreement. ”I suppose your right but I have always found it hard picking out anything for my mother who tells me she has everything she could possibly need.”he said but finished the thought in his head. ”Well except grandchildren.” But he didn’t feel like someone he met while talking about clocks.
 
Looking down at the clocks he listened to her advice and tapped his leg lightly. ”I will take your advice into consideration.”he said looking back up at the dark skinned beauty. Hearing her talk about this Charlie he wondered who that was but decided not to pry. ”I do enjoy talking cars but I tend to just work on them then talking about them. ”he explained gazing up at her. He really didn’t like talking to a lot of people general because of what he had to put up with as the idiots of the Dark Kingdom but he didn’t want his past catching up with him and hurting the most important person to him, his mother.
 
Listening to the woman speak about something she seemed very passionate made him wonder about it. He felt himself engrossed with her words and wanted to learn more about it. He of course could control space and as such knew how things moved through it and did research of his own inter the matter. ”Well perhaps you could do studies on the side? Though if you are happy with the way your life is currently then that is a different story but you seem passionate about it.”he said with a light grin on his face. He could see the passion as she spoke in her eyes and he quite liked that passion.