Post by Clara Hart on Mar 23, 2010 19:36:47 GMT -5
It was a middle class apartment in East America that Clara Hart found herself in front of, nineteen years after she had been host to the Source. The tall, slimly muscular girl held out her hand to knock, hesitated, and then sighed.
"I can't do this." She said out loud. "I just can't."
Clara did not have a choice, however, for in the next moment, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a startled woman, in her early thirties, with dead white skin, dead white hair, and eerily glowing green eyes. She wore a black skirt and a white, long-sleeved shirt, and was ushering out of the apartment a little boy with black hair and solid grey eyes, as well as holding a little toddler girl with a silver crescent moon mark under each eye.
"Alright, let's head to the park and..." The woman stopped in her tracks when she saw Clara, a look of surprise and faint distress on her face.
"Oh my God. Clara." For a moment, her eyes were distant, haunted, by the sight of her, even without the Crusader markings that had 'blessed' her nineteen years ago.
"Who's that Mommy?" The little boy asked.
"Hi Tina." Clara said, sheepishly, as if caught in the act of doing something taboo.
"Take your sister inside, sweetie. I have to talk to my..old friend for a bit." Tina said without turning from Clara, handing over her daughter to her son.
"But Mommy..."
"Just go inside, sweetie, and I'll buy you ice cream after the park." Tina insisted, a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Okay Mommy! Come on inside Amanda." The boy led his toddler sister inside, and Tina shut the door behind them.
Clara winced upon hearing that name. This seemed to give her old girlfriend some matter of satisfaction.
"What do you want, Clara?" She asked hesitantly.
"I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you. It's been...what, almost twenty years?" Clara replied.
"So talk." Clara could feel the anger and fear inside her. Someone she had once cared for so deeply.
"How are you? How've you been...getting along?" The purple-eyed mage asked awkwardly.
"I make due. I have a husband who works too much, and I have two kids who don't know the meaning of the words 'nap time'." Tina looked straight at Clara's eyes, and the taller mage could not meet her gaze. "How about you? What's it like to be a hero after so much time playing the villain?"
"I'm not a hero. I'm a pirate." Clara insisted. "And not a very good one at that."
"Oh but you're up there, making a name for yourself against Serpentine and those cousins of yours, aren't you?" The hard edge of bitterness crept into her voice. "Have they all forgiven and forgotten up there?"
"No." Was Clara simple response. "I can't be forgiven. And what I did should never be forgotten."
"But that's what you want, isn't it?" Tina's eyes flashed. "Is that why you came to me and not Antigone? Or Stefan? Or Omega or Sean or Brittney? Or maybe you want me to bring Sieg and Amanda and the others back so they can forgive you. Is that it?" Her expression went cold. "Or maybe so they can see you, the so-called savior of the magi race, now just a criminal."
Clara winced and glanced away. "I didn't come here for your forgiveness or your pity."
"Then why did you come here? To remind me of all the pain you put me through--put our friends through?" Tina sneered. "To remind me of all the friends you took from me...of what you took from the others? Sometimes I think the ones who died got off easy. At least they're not like poor Antigone." She chuckled darkly. "And some...Christ Clara, they died for you, even after all you did to us, and you just treated them like pawns. Like the government used to treat us. You were no better."
The purple eyed girl turned away. "I'm sorry I disturbed you. I should go."
She took a step away, and was surprised to feel Tina's hand on her shoulder.
"Why did you come here, Clara?" Her tone was not entirely unkind, but neither was it sympathetic.
She paused. "And I wanted to make sure you were getting by. Because I did love you, somewhere back there. I'm glad to see you're doing so well, even after all I put you through. Have fun with your kids."
As she left the building, Clara knew Tina was watching her through the window.
"How'd it go?" Came Cassi's voice in the comm.
"It didn't." Clara replied. "But she and her family are making due. It's better than I could have hoped for for her."
The violet-eyed mage could hear her sister wincing on the other end. "Sorry hon. I know how much she meant to you."
"It's fine. I should've realized all my bridges were burnt away long ago." The tall girl replied. "I'm coming back aboard."
"Clara...."
"I said it's fine, Cass, and I meant it."
"Come on, we can do some plundering together. You'll be in a better mood in no time."
The Captain of the Plunder's Heart glanced skyward. Yeah, I will. She thought to herself, thinking back to that one Crusader artifact they had, set aside but not yet discarded. Maybe sooner than you think, sis.
"I can't do this." She said out loud. "I just can't."
Clara did not have a choice, however, for in the next moment, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a startled woman, in her early thirties, with dead white skin, dead white hair, and eerily glowing green eyes. She wore a black skirt and a white, long-sleeved shirt, and was ushering out of the apartment a little boy with black hair and solid grey eyes, as well as holding a little toddler girl with a silver crescent moon mark under each eye.
"Alright, let's head to the park and..." The woman stopped in her tracks when she saw Clara, a look of surprise and faint distress on her face.
"Oh my God. Clara." For a moment, her eyes were distant, haunted, by the sight of her, even without the Crusader markings that had 'blessed' her nineteen years ago.
"Who's that Mommy?" The little boy asked.
"Hi Tina." Clara said, sheepishly, as if caught in the act of doing something taboo.
"Take your sister inside, sweetie. I have to talk to my..old friend for a bit." Tina said without turning from Clara, handing over her daughter to her son.
"But Mommy..."
"Just go inside, sweetie, and I'll buy you ice cream after the park." Tina insisted, a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Okay Mommy! Come on inside Amanda." The boy led his toddler sister inside, and Tina shut the door behind them.
Clara winced upon hearing that name. This seemed to give her old girlfriend some matter of satisfaction.
"What do you want, Clara?" She asked hesitantly.
"I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you. It's been...what, almost twenty years?" Clara replied.
"So talk." Clara could feel the anger and fear inside her. Someone she had once cared for so deeply.
"How are you? How've you been...getting along?" The purple-eyed mage asked awkwardly.
"I make due. I have a husband who works too much, and I have two kids who don't know the meaning of the words 'nap time'." Tina looked straight at Clara's eyes, and the taller mage could not meet her gaze. "How about you? What's it like to be a hero after so much time playing the villain?"
"I'm not a hero. I'm a pirate." Clara insisted. "And not a very good one at that."
"Oh but you're up there, making a name for yourself against Serpentine and those cousins of yours, aren't you?" The hard edge of bitterness crept into her voice. "Have they all forgiven and forgotten up there?"
"No." Was Clara simple response. "I can't be forgiven. And what I did should never be forgotten."
"But that's what you want, isn't it?" Tina's eyes flashed. "Is that why you came to me and not Antigone? Or Stefan? Or Omega or Sean or Brittney? Or maybe you want me to bring Sieg and Amanda and the others back so they can forgive you. Is that it?" Her expression went cold. "Or maybe so they can see you, the so-called savior of the magi race, now just a criminal."
Clara winced and glanced away. "I didn't come here for your forgiveness or your pity."
"Then why did you come here? To remind me of all the pain you put me through--put our friends through?" Tina sneered. "To remind me of all the friends you took from me...of what you took from the others? Sometimes I think the ones who died got off easy. At least they're not like poor Antigone." She chuckled darkly. "And some...Christ Clara, they died for you, even after all you did to us, and you just treated them like pawns. Like the government used to treat us. You were no better."
The purple eyed girl turned away. "I'm sorry I disturbed you. I should go."
She took a step away, and was surprised to feel Tina's hand on her shoulder.
"Why did you come here, Clara?" Her tone was not entirely unkind, but neither was it sympathetic.
She paused. "And I wanted to make sure you were getting by. Because I did love you, somewhere back there. I'm glad to see you're doing so well, even after all I put you through. Have fun with your kids."
As she left the building, Clara knew Tina was watching her through the window.
"How'd it go?" Came Cassi's voice in the comm.
"It didn't." Clara replied. "But she and her family are making due. It's better than I could have hoped for for her."
The violet-eyed mage could hear her sister wincing on the other end. "Sorry hon. I know how much she meant to you."
"It's fine. I should've realized all my bridges were burnt away long ago." The tall girl replied. "I'm coming back aboard."
"Clara...."
"I said it's fine, Cass, and I meant it."
"Come on, we can do some plundering together. You'll be in a better mood in no time."
The Captain of the Plunder's Heart glanced skyward. Yeah, I will. She thought to herself, thinking back to that one Crusader artifact they had, set aside but not yet discarded. Maybe sooner than you think, sis.