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Dinah went to Japan with the intention of learning everything she could about Shuri-te, and the expectation of a lot of hard work and dedication. She hadn't expected to feel so much at home, or to develop such a strong sense of love for her sensei. He's not just amazing teacher, but a good, kind and gentle man who from the beginning, never had anything but praise for Dinah's dedication and her willingness to learn, to say nothing of her talent. A bond has formed between them that Dinah had never prepared for.

Except that for the past few weeks, Dinah's begun to feel that she's plateauing – she's not improving as fast as she was, and worries if she's learning anything at all. The other students, when she mentions it, scold her for her own lack of awareness.

“He's pulled every punch he's thrown at you for months.”

“He can't bear to hurt you.”

“You don't fight in the dojo. You dance.”

“He's taught you every lesson love will let him.”

“You need an opponent who will push you.”

“He needs students, not a daughter.”

The conversation, when it finally happens, is short, sweet, and painful. Sensei Otomo agrees; in one short year he's taught her everything he can, and their time together should come to an end for the benefit of them both, so Dinah can continue with her calling.

She walks to the Shinkinsen station alone, and has tears in her eyes when she arrives at Tokyo airport. It's not until Ted meets her at Arrivals that she smiles, throwing her arms around her uncle's neck.

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It's not until they're driving back through Gotham that Dinah realises how much she's missed being out on the street fighting the good fight. She's glad to see her Mom, of course, but no one's surprised when one of the first things she does is to grab her wig and fishnets and head out to see if her new skills have made her a better crimefighter.

It's just bad luck that her first citizen-in-distress isn't a run of the mill mugging, but a woman facing what appears to be a glass statue – except unlike most statues, this one is fully mobile and particularly malicious. As Dinah races to the scene, the creature fires what looks like a strange ray out of its eyes and turns the woman into living glass just like itself – a fate decidedly more eerie by the fact that the woman stops screaming and becomes placid the second it happens. It's also a fate Dinah narrowly avoids when it turns its gaze on her and the Black Canary has to dive out of the way – into a wide road populated by many glass zombies.

The numbness in her foot starts before she's even landed properly, and she turns the dive into a handflip, in order to land on her foot much more lightly. A glance down at the glittering scattered sunlight confirms her fears: her foot, from the midcalf over her boots, is suddenly made of glass.

Dinah allows herself a moment's indulgence of the irony of a martial artist with a glass foot, that makes her smirk, and another second's amusement of the bad luck this creature had by coming up against her.

Just as it gears up for another attack, she winks, and lets go with a scream.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

It's precision, not force she's going for; aiming tightly at the creature so as to avoid bystanders and her own foot, and guessing then experimenting for the frequency that will shatter it into shards.

It doesn't occur to her that this might be a sentient being she's killing. It was a threat that had to be neutralised.

The glass tinkles on to the road, and Dinah can feel the blood returning to her foot. She's just returning her weight to it when a voice behind her clarifies that the people had also been returned to normal. It's a policeman, offering his thanks with that wary gratitude Gotham's finest have about the caped community – even the Black Canary, who's decidedly more sunny than their more famous protector.

“How'd you stop him?”

“He had a glass jaw.”

(When you're set up like that, you have to take it)

The conversation doesn't stay too light, though, as he informs her that reports had been coming in of more of these creatures attacking other parts of the country, and as soon as Dinah gets the nearest location, she's on her bike.