Day 33: Sun Room (4th shift)

[hajike_tobiume]

Momo was planning on heading to the red field, but her instructions from Hitsugaya about her needing to see to Mustang had her going to the Sun Room. The shinigami stood by the door, leaning back against the wall, as she waited for the colonel to appear.

[poised to Roy-nap for a quickie^^]

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[miracle_grow]

Peter had given her a lot to think about, Claire realized as she rubbed absently at her still-healing shoulder and stepped into the Sunroom. She'd opted out of the recreational field for the moment, preferring someplace quiet to sit and think. Her shoulder didn't hurt so much anymore, and she was fairly certain it was nearly healed. Even if it had taken far longer than normal to do so. Still, she wouldn't be bandaged up and in pain for the next week like a normal human would have been. It comforted her to know that her powers were still working a little.

Finding an empty seat, she curled up on the end of one of the couches, tucking a pillow against her stomach as she got comfortable, a slight frown on her face as she prodded at the memories she knew weren't likely to return. So many things she'd forgotten. What else had been lost, she wondered?

[Unknowingly waiting for Clark, I think?]

[son_ofkrypton]

Clark was still shaking his head over Logan thinking Claire was his girlfriend.

Not that she wasn't nice, but Clark liked her as a friend. He smiled in sheer relief as he entered the Sun Room - he'd been torn between the greenhouse and the Sun Room until he finally decided he could use some sun - and his eyes fell on Claire. She looked alright, although he frowned when he noticed the bandages. The blonde cheerleader was sitting curled on one of the couches, trying to relax. Clark headed right for her and sat down next to her.

"Hey," he said with a warm smile.

[miracle_grow]

Claire looked up when someone sat down beside her, and her expression brightened considerably when she recognized him.

"Clark!" she exclaimed, uncurling from around the pillow. "You're really alright! I mean, aren't you? I was really worried."

[son_ofkrypton]

Clark nodded. "I'm okay," he said. He was still shaken by what he did remember, but he got the feeling that wasn't exactly the sorta thing Claire needed to hear right now. "I don't know what happened, but I'm 100%."

He frowned a little in worry at her. "What about you? I...I didn't exactly see what happened last night..." He remembered her definitely getting clawed by that thing last night, but he also knew something else had happened right before the Chapel. There was also talking about the Haitian and his personal little self-appointed mission, but that'd just have to take a backseat to figuring out if there was anything he could do for her injuries.

[miracle_grow]

"Oh," she replied a little awkwardly, fingers fidgeting in her lap. "Well, there was sort of this guy waiting above the Sunroom. He attacked Alkaid, and that's when Badou ran off with you to the Chapel to get you healed. I managed to get whoever it was off of Alkaid, but, well that's when he bit me. I'm not sure who or what he was, but I think it was the scent of blood that made him do it. We were both kinda covered in it."

[son_ofkrypton]

"Oh jeez," Clark said, sounding subdued. "So that was who was talking on the bulletin board then."

He tried to keep his anger in check. Clark couldn't afford to be too angry, not with his powers and not with those very same powers not under his control. Besides, he tried to reason with himself, while it was wrong to go about attacking people and biting them, it sounded like Landels had done this to the patient: if anything, he should be holding Martin Landel and whoever did these experiments (brainwashing? The Haitian?) responsible. He still wasn't sure if maybe it was Kyon and his "condition", but he hadn't replied to his message on the bulletin. Either he hadn't seen it, had and didn't want to talk, or this was someone else entirely.

"But you and Alkaid are okay now?" Clark asked.

[miracle_grow]

Claire hesitantly glanced up and met his gaze, her own expression slightly sheepish. "Well, I haven't seen or talked to Alkaid, so I'm not really sure, but..."

She trailed off, clearly struggling with something, but she finally took a deep breath, gathered her courage and met his gaze evenly. "Clark, I... I need to tell you something. And I'm not sure if I really should or not, but I think I need to anyway."

[son_ofkrypton]

He'd have to try again finding Alkaid. Sadly, the only thing he really remembered about her was her voice and a flash of her taking off her shirt right above him...not exactly a whole lot to find someone by.

But all that was put to the side as Claire went on and said she had something to tell you. From the sound of her voice, it seemed like it was pretty serious and Clark was sure to give her his full attention as he leaned in a little, keeping his voice low, as if somehow sensing that maybe whatever it was she going to tell him, it was better to keep it on the down low.

"What is it?" Clark asked. Did she remember something about the Haitian? Was it something else?

[miracle_grow]

Peter had said it was alright, Claire reminded herself as she chewed on her lower lip worriedly. And she didn't want Clark to get hurt again while trying to protect her, when she didn't need it as much as others - or even himself. Still, uncertainty flickered in her hazel eyes as she tried to find the best words to explain about her... differences

[son_ofkrypton]

Clark didn't know what to say at first.

It wasn't that he didn't believe about people with powers. But having Claire, someone he'd only known for a week - okay, only a day to her, if you wanted to be all technical about it - spilling out what had to be her biggest secret to him definitely threw him back a step. The next thought was wondering how she'd got them; kryponite? The stuff seemed to tack on powers somehow to humans, but so far he hadn't suspected Claire of being kryptonite-influenced...at least not until she went out and told him to his face

[miracle_grow]

"I accidentally put my hand through a pane of glass and had to get rushed to the ER for several stitches. I had some pretty serious cuts, but when we checked the wounds a day or so later, they were completely healed," Claire admitted quietly, glancing down at her hands once more. I thought it was weird, so I started paying a bit more attention. Little things I did - papercuts, a scraped knee - they'd heal almost right away, and they wouldn't even leave a mark. I started testing it with bigger things, more dangerous things. I jumped off an old abandoned tower, I walked straight into this huge fire. I would get injured, or hurt, but it didn't affect me like it did other people and I'd be fine again almost right away

[son_ofkrypton]

Clark couldn't help wincing as Claire began rattling off a list of increasingly dangerous stunts. According to her, it wouldn't hurt - or it would, but she'd heal instantly. It was almost like his invulnerability, only she actually did get hurt; she just healed so fast that she might as well be invulnerable, if what she was saying was right. And she was spilling all this about her "spontanous regeneration" to a guy she'd just met. It surprised Clark how much she was able to trust and care for people and, in fact, her honesty shamed him as well

[miracle_grow]

"It's a little sore," she admitted, then reached up to her bandages and peeled one corner back to peek beneath. "But the wounds are closed," she added after checking.

"Peter... He's my uncle. Sort of. He said powers were limited or gone here. Mine still work, just... slower, I guess."

Claire bit her lip and offered him a weak smile. "He also said, since we weren't the only ones here who could do strange things, it wouldn't be such a huge secret to keep, but I don't think I want a lot of people to know. But at the same time... I don't want you to get hurt again if we end up going out after dark together, because you think you need to protect me. I may not know how to fight as well as some people here, but I'm not in as much danger as them either."

[son_ofkrypton]

"But you can still get hurt," Clark protested, thinking that this really needed to be pointed out. True, she healed, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt or that she could still be injured at least for hours, if not days. He felt that while he really appreciated her concern (really, he did!), he also had to say something here. "I guess I can see your point...but I don't want you to get hurt either. Even if you can heal really fast," Clark added, a bit shyly.

There was a difference between healing so fast you might as well be invulnerable and actually being invulnerable. It sounded like she could still feel pain from her description.

[miracle_grow]

"Well, yeah, I guess, but at the same time, if I'm lying on the floor bleeding... well, it won't be as dire in the end," she replied, cheeks flushing as she laughed sheepishly, ducking her head. She hadn't expected him to point that part out.

"Maybe we should just avoid getting hurt altogether?" she suggested, peeking up at him with a grin, a dimple scoring one chiek.

[son_ofkrypton]

Clark smiled back. "Sounds like a plan to me."

And speaking of plans...he still had to come straight with Claire about his search for the Haitian. She hadn't outright asked him to try to restore his memory - he'd sorta just taken it upon himself. He was still trying to get the courage to come out to her about his own powers, although he had to keep telling himself that he'd only known her a day, not the week plus that he kept thinking; it was almost like knowing two different people. The smile faded a little, turning sheepish and embarrassed as he looked down.

"Um, Claire, I have to tell you something," he said, feeling like he overstepped some line or something. "I...I've been trying to look for that Haitian of yours."