(Network & Log) somebody to lean on - forward-dated

[thesepreciousthings]

[the video feed cuts in to show Clarice, freshly showered, wet hair pulled back, dressed in the silk pajamas she arrived in - because she needed a little comfort, a little piece of home. she's got a cup of tea cradled in her hands, and while she still looks a little tired, her eyes are clear and present]

Hey, everybody. I think I've met most of you by now, if only by seein' you at the community meeting a month or so ago, but if you don't recall, my name's Clarice Starling. I know we've all been through a lot the last few weeks, and this isn't a place to point fingers or blow off steam... I just want to let you all know that I used to work with victims of violent crime, so I now a thing or two about lending an ear after people've been through trauma. If you feel comfortable with coming to talk, my door's open. I'm two floors down from the Deep End, the one with the metal star hangin' on the door. I'll be happy to take the time.

☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆

WHO: Clarice Starling & You
WHERE: Clarice's room (or anywhere else you might want to meet up)
WHAT: Talking out the aftermath of Bill-E-tropolis
WHEN: The week after they all return to Temba
WARNINGS: Discussion of trauma, flavors vary! Please label your top levels for folks.

A: Clarice's Room
The metal star on the door Clarice mentioned is a decoration she picked up on Coruscant - made of some sort of light, fine alloy that shines green like light underwater at the right angle. She hasn't done much else to make the little run-down hotel room hers yet, save for set up a bundle of blankets and pillows in one corner to sleep on, and put in hooks to hang her clothing on the wall. A few pads of paper sit next to the bundle, and there are a few extra pillows for company to sit on. She's already sketched a few things: vistas from Coruscant, a few rough portraits of familiar faces from home, before they're too lost to memory. She's no Da Vinci, but they're passable enough.

When the door opens, she's sitting on her makeshift bed, one of the pads in her lap, making herself a list of the tasks she wants to catch up on. At the sight of a familiar face, she smiles.

"Hey, come on in."

B: Dealer's Choice
(Start your own TL if you want, she's flexible.)

Comments

[kree_soldieress]

Of course she understands that. Lauri-Ell stares for a long moment. She doesn't know what to do about this strange statement.

"You presume this was a storm?"

That didn't make sense,but she supposed she could think about it.

"I do not blame myself."

[thesepreciousthings]

She was glad Lauri-Ell didn't blame herself: given the time they'd spent together before the false city, the Kree woman didn't seem the sort to lie about something like that. She had been honest almost to a fault, after all. Her question, however, brought Clarice up short.

"I ... well ... I guess I'm not sure what else it could've even been. The Agri said they were trying to help, in the message they sent, right?"

[kree_soldieress]

Honesty was justice, and Lauri-Ell was about justice.

"Was it not brought up, in the town meeting, that there might be other people at play? Other races who might be manipulating the Agrii? These, what, Atroma? What if it was them?"

[thesepreciousthings]

She frowned, realizing she hadn't been clear. "Yes, but given what was shared at the meeting, Atroma technology emits a light similar to that seen before storms. So it stands to reason the Atroma cause those storms. Saying it was a storm and saying it was the Atroma ... they shake down to about the same thing if you look at it the right way, don't you think?"

[kree_soldieress]

This is all interesting to hear, and worrying.

"I suppose they do, but it is important to remember that there is more to this situation than that. There is my Prince," she noted, her voice firm and sad.

He had been hurt, manipulated. She would not allow this to continue.

"When we find these people, I will bring justice upon them."

[thesepreciousthings]

"And I'll be right there with you, trust me. None of us should have gone through that, but Billy got the worst, and I feel so bad for him, Lauri-Ell."

She sighed. "First he loses his boyfriend, and then this? Be enough to wreck a grown man, let alone a growin' one. ... Have you seen him? I'd like to talk to him if he'd let me."

[kree_soldieress]

"He lost that which he loves the most," Lauri-Ell said, "and was hurt by that, for that. And I don't know what to do to help him."

She wants to help, and it's not nearly something she knows how to handle.

"IT is inaccurate to call them merely boyfriends. They are fated to be more. Husbands, rulers, ones who bring change to my people. I believe Billy even helps keep the sun from being blown up."

But she doesn't think Billy is going to talk, not yet.

[thesepreciousthings]

"It's hard to help people who are in this kind of pain. You don't just put a bandage on it and keep it clean, I know." She sighs slowly. The worst wounds aren't always the ones with visible scars.

"But you can help him just by being with him. Being there. Making sure he has food, that he drinks, that he rests. Get him out in the fresh air."

[kree_soldieress]

Yes, that sounds correct. Wounds that could not be touched.

"I spend time, when I can, watching his home. His brother does not let me in."

Which Lauir-Ell took offense with.

[thesepreciousthings]

"Wait, Tommy isn't letting you in?" Her face creased in displeasure. "Pardon my language, but what the everlovin' fuck. ... I think I may need to have a word with him about that. Billy needs all his close friends, not just his damn brother. Isolating him is not a good idea right now, as much as he must wanna keep him safe."

[kree_soldieress]

"He is not awake," Lauri-Ell counters, tilting her head to regard Clarice. "When he awakens, I will ensure he has visitors. Until then, we protect him, until he can protect himself."

And her tone goes low and a touch colder. More dangerous. If Lauri-Ell was one thing, it was insanely protective.

"This is my time to walk and clear my head. I will also fetch food and water. Then I will watch. I watch from outside. It is inappropriate for a guard to enter the chambers of her prince."

Add in that she hadn't been able to save him, and she wasn't feeling like she belonged at his side when he awoke, if he awoke without his twin.

[thesepreciousthings]

Clarice held her hands up a touch instinctively at the dip in Lauri-Ell's tone. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I see what you mean, now."

She paused for a moment, giving the air around them a chance to settle and reset. "Tommy's probably got food covered, but ... I'll cover the diner as much as I can so he can be with Billy when he wakes up. Is there anything you need? I know you're concerned for Billy, but ... you need to take care of yourself, too."

[kree_soldieress]

"I have been having protein past," Lauri-Ell answered, so clearly that is taking care of herself. But she looked concerned.

"I tried. To get the spell to break earlier. I went to find him, and tried to stop him. He wouldn't listen."

[thesepreciousthings]

Clarice gave Lauri-Ell a look that she learned well from years of living with her roommate Ardelia, her head craning back a bit, her eyebrows lifted slightly. The only thing missing was a deep, disapproving "Mmmmmmhmm, sure, honey" which she had always felt crossed the line into cultural appropriation or mockery. Protein was not exactly what she was talking about, and they'd circle back around to it sooner or later.

"It's funny, the whole time I had these little flashes of who I really was - not quite memories, just ... sensations, lines like clips from some movie. They were strongest when I wasn't around people that fit into my role there: when I was around people who weren't also part of SHIELD. Dr. Riley, in particular... but I kept waving it off as some superpower effect. For a while I thought it was Jon. Maybe those moments were him fighting it on some level. Or the times anyone tried to talk to him."

[kree_soldieress]

Riley. Lauri-Ell can't help her sneer. She did not like that little man. Then Clarice plowed on to mention Jon, and Lauri-Ell shuddered.

Two people on this planet she was not fond of, it and it seemed Clarice brought them both up in a single breath more or less.

"I prefer not to remember what Jon did. It was... uncomfortable."

[thesepreciousthings]

She noticed the sneer: she was well aware that Drake Riley was a very acquired taste. The Clarice Starling of even a year ago would not have tolerated him, and had she been at home, well ... there were certain things that happened to those who overstepped the boundaries of proper manners. But when she'd corrected his tone on Coruscant, he'd tried to redress himself, and that counted for something. He was an insecure little man full of faults, but as far as she could tell, not quite a mean one.

"I'm sorry, Lauri-Ell, I may not've been clear. I meant that those moments could have been Billy, not Jon. God only knows what was going on in that man's head."

She's trying to help him through the aftermath, too, and she knows he'd gone through his share of horrors even before the illusion ensnared them all... but it's not hers to share. Jon will make his amends in his own way; she's just there to support.

[kree_soldieress]

If he was an acquired taste, then Lauri-Ell had an allergy. Chances were if he worked her up again, she would have a very 'allergic' reaction to him.

"I will forgive him, but I do not wish to be near him at this time."

TO have her fears turned against her, her powers turned against her, had been terrifying.

[thesepreciousthings]

"And that's totally valid. I'm sorry if I implied in any way that it wasn't." She gave Lauri-Ell a soft, reassuring smile. "Do you need to talk about what happened with him, or would you rather just leave it behind?"

[kree_soldieress]

"I do not," Lauri-Ell answered, voice sharp again. "I thank you for the kindness of the offer, but I am Kree. We put these things behind us."

For there is no time on the battlefield to face the traumas it brings.

[thesepreciousthings]

She nodded, stepping back from the issue. Even as she did, she wondered if Lauri-Ell was able to let all of that go in a healthy way, or if she was simply shoving it all to the back of her mind to fester. She hoped for the former.

"Have you been out to the training course since we got back?"

[kree_soldieress]

"No," Lauri-Ell said. "I have been monitoring Prince William's status."

That said, she had been very proud of what the thing had been before she had help from Clarice. But it had been limited, so short, because she had not known how to make one suitable for human sizes.

[thesepreciousthings]

"I can go check on everything for you, make sure it's all still secure and safe," she offered. "Is there anything else you'd need me to lay eyes on while you're watching him?"

[kree_soldieress]

"I would appreciate that," Lauri-Ell answered, looking quite thankful. "If you can just review the gym area, it would give me great comfort. I fear I am neglecting my self-imposed duties in favor of those closer to my heart."

[thesepreciousthings]

"Honestly, they're like your family, and that takes precedence." She lays a hand on Lauri-Ell's shoulder with a soft smile. "I'm happy to check the gym every mornin' for you."

[kree_soldieress]

Like family? Oh no, they are not like that. If it was Carol, then Lauri-Ell would be certain they could take care of themselves.

"Thank you very much, Clarice. You are a very good friend."