bodilesswarrior | 14

Entry tags:

your love it burns away my darkness

14 - Text

[Her first thought, when she wakes up, is that she feels like one of her old dolls; torn to hell and stitched up by small, awkward fingers.

Then she remembers to breathe, sucking down air in ragged, painful breathes. She counts the cracks on the ceiling, and tries not to lose herself.

She remembers, of course. She remembers it as clearly as the Joker's smile. It's not so different, really; again, she was brutalised to hurt someone else.

Except this time it's worse, because she saw the Emperor crumple and fall.

She refuses to close her eyes, because she knows what she'll find in the darkness. She focuses on the warmth of the sheets, the glare of the lights, the beating of her heart.

When she's able to lift an arm with convulsions of pain, she grabs her comm.]

Check in if you can.

[Private to Iris]

Are you okay?

[Private to the Emperor]

I'm sorry.

[Private to Creed]

You owe me glasses.

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[She'd shrug, but she'd rather not risk it.]

It's a flaw.

I'm - glad you're okay now, at least. [A beat.] How are you okay, exactly?

We're more or less immortal. We wanted to tell you, but -

[With Creed already there, it seemed unwise to mention it.]

With inmate powers unrestricted, we healed after he left.

Huh. Well, that's handy. [But she's sure it comes with a price.

She remembers Dinah after she pulled her from the Lazarus Pit, crazed and screaming.]

Are you - do you need anything? [She can't do much herself, but she can ask someone.]

[There's always a price. It's the opposite for him, arid apathy instead of madness; she'll see it when she investigates back through the comm footage. He thinks: we need synesthesia back. But he needs a warden of his own for that. Abruptly:]

Do you like cats?

[Not a question she was expecting, but one she'll happily answer.]

I do. I have one, actually; Iris is taking care of her.

Ours is young, and he's still a bit - distressed, after three days shut up alone. We can't have him underfoot while we're working, but he's lazy and friendly. If you wouldn't mind letting him curl up with you during our infirmary shift...?

[There are other people he could ask to watch Mel, easily. But he thinks it will do Barbara some small amount of good, both to have a concrete favor to do him, and to have something warm and alive and innocent beside her. And it would be be nice to have him close.]

[She knows what you're doing here, Emperor, but she appreciates it.]

I'd love to. Melchior, right?

[As long as it works.]

The very same.

[A faint, fond smile.] Sweet little guy.

How is he with other cats?

He's...a little boisterous, but friendly.

Jonesy is pretty chill. She can get mischievous, though.

We should imagine they'd be very amusing friends.

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14 - Text

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[private] oh this was my tag oops

[private] my rp life

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