[week 18, day 2] arrival -- video

[regeneracy]

[She should be more concerned about the fact she went from being in New York to being here, but Claire can't really be bothered but to do anything but stare at the beautiful scene surrounding her. She's holding a phone in one hand and knows that she's recording, but doesn't really make any hurry to do anything interesting. She's standing in the

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[Video]

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[ She had blonde hair and green eyes and this sad little smile that Peter can't forget. He remembers seeing it, a flash in his mind like the flash of a camera -- one moment there and the next he's seeing spots, seeing white, or rather, not seeing at all. She was there one moment and gone the next, and he's not sure what comes after the smile, or what happens before she did it. There were canvases splattered with red and it was on his shoes, and Isaac was saying something and then a man with dark eyes and a darker disposition moves through a frozen, unmoving world

[Video]

[regeneracy]

[Thanks to Isaac getting to her first, Claire knows that she shouldn't look surprised to see Peter's face or hear his voice. But after everything that has just happened at Kirby Plaza, she isn't able to fully mask all of her shock. Her eyes widen and recognition flickers across her features.

She opens her mouth to speak, and remembers that she needs to be careful, and then clamps her jaw shut tight. She forces herself to not look hurt that she's only "The Cheerleader" to Peter, and just nods.]

That would be -

[She feels too guilty when he's looking at her like that, like he's searching for something that only she can give him. She bites at her lip and eventually lets out a sigh, and her resolve crumples.

So she gives him a lopsided little hint of a smile and nods a little more eagerly this time around.]

I know you, too. You're my hero.

[Video]

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[ Her hero. That means he saved her, like he was supposed to. Save the cheerleader, save the world, right? He doesn't remember anything about it other than her smile, but at least it's something to hold onto. ]

I saved you?

[ Peter's lips turn up in a small smile. ]

By saving you, did I save the world?

[Video]

[regeneracy]

[She doesn't mean to, but she laughs. It's soft and she's able to duck her head enough to hide it a little, but she has to laugh in order to keep from crying. She can't let herself look sad, that's the perfect way to ruin everything she was warned about.]

Save the cheerleader, save the world. Right?

[She lifts her head and looks back at him now, eyes wet with the threat of tears. She swallows with a gulp, and tries to not look as sad or as empty as she currently is feeling.

She gets to be reunited with Peter, and she's not alone in this strange place, but he can't remember a thing about her. She wonders if maybe she's being punished for something.

She loves Peter, and he's her family, and he's supposed to remember who in the heck she is!! It isn't any fair, and with that thought in her mind, the tears begin rapidly building. She knows that she needs to speak again, to keep this conversation moving. When she does, her voice barely comes out a murmur.]

I don't think anything is ever that simple though, Peter.

[Video]

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[ Oh shit.

Those are tears in her eyes. Tears. Did he say something wrong? Good job, Peter. Great job. Peter's not even anywhere near her so it's not like he can give her a hug, and why is she crying, she shouldn't be crying, maybe she's scared, of course she's scared, she's in a totally new world and she's only a teenager, crying is normal -- she needs to stop crying, Peter doesn't know how to make her stop, maybe he can help her feel better, or is she crying about something else? Did he not save the world? She said it wasn't that simple, and saving the world obviously can't be, but still--

He furrows up his brow, concern washing over his features. ]

Hey, it's gonna be okay...

[ Tries to sound soothing. What the hell does he say now? ]

We'll figure this out. Find a way back home.

[ ...at least he hopes that's what she's crying about. ]

[Video]

[regeneracy]

[His attempts to reassure her only make the tears actually spill over, and she completely turns her head so he won't see. It takes her a few moments to collect herself enough to try speaking, and when she manages to get out some words they are clipped and the fact that she's crying is very evident.]

As much as I want to get back home, that's not what I'm upset about. I just wish that you -

[No, she can't ruin things for Peter. Forcing him to try and remember things could end up hurting him, and she didn't want that to happen. No matter how desperately she wanted to run to him and have him hug her, she couldn't do that.]

But I guess it wouldn't hurt to figure out where I am, and how to get back home. It gives me something to focus on.

[Video]

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[ What Peter focuses on isn't what Claire says would give her something to focus on, but on the fact that she wishes he -- wishes he what? Would remember her, probably, because clearly, she remembers him and knows who he is, and he can only imagine how scared and alone she feels right now in this new world, and here is Peter, her hero, who doesn't remember her, who probably should remember but can't. It's not that hard to connect the dots. ]

You wish I could remember you, huh?

[ Peter's going to just ignore that other stuff for now -- that can wait. His voice is a bit soft. ]

I wish I could, too.

[Video]

[regeneracy]

[Her body trembles as she chokes down a sob, and she rapidly nods her head, sending blonde curls bouncing. Some fall in her face, and she's grateful for that.

So, he wishes he could. Wishes. She has learned a lot over the past year of her life, mainly that wishes weren't for people like them. She didn't have time for wishes, not when everyone around her is dying while she remains untouched.

She doesn't care what Peter wishes. She wants him to force himself to remember. The bitterness that's settling in the bottom of her stomach surprises her, and makes her glance back up at the camera.

Tears are streaming down her face, and she doesn't bother to wipe them away.]

Wishes aren't going to get us anywhere. There has to be something I can do to fix you

[ Action ]

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[ Peter wishes he could reach out through the Hitomi and touch her. As though his touch would make it somehow a little better, make him a little more real, a little less tabula rasa, blank slate, a human body wrapped around a soul of nothing. He hates that she's crying and hurting and he's the reason for it and there's nothing he can do to fix this. What he can do is find her, go to her somehow. He knows exactly where she is, and it doesn't take very much for him to close his eyes and concentrate, focus on that tree, on where he arrived --

-- and almost immediately, the world shifts, time slides, and Peter materializes in a patch of knee-high grass behind Claire. He takes a step, and then another, and the next thing he knows, he's falling and there's a huge splash as he suddenly finds himself chest-high in a pond. ]

Shit!

[ Sputters in surprise, wiping water from his eyes.

Yeah, that wasn't smooth at all.

Great landing, Peter. Great landing. ]

[ Action ]

[regeneracy]

[She's not expecting him to show up in person, so when he does, she's entirely taken by surprise. Thankfully, the fact that he falls right into water helps ease her shock and manages to put a lopsided grin on her face.]

Peter!

[She laughs as she calls out his name, and traipses over to him. She doesn't care that she's standing in water, or that Peter looks like a mess, and that he doesn't remember who she is.

She promptly crashes into him and wraps her arms around him, squeezing him as tight as she can. She doesn't think that he'll mind, even if he doesn't know who she really is.]

You're terrible at making good landings, you know that?

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[ Peter just sort of half-laughs and then he finds his body moving on its own, arms going around Claire in a tight hug. This is just fantastic. Just wonderful. They're standing in the middle of a pond (which is warm at least, thank God -- it would've been way worse if this pond was freezing), hugging. Kind of surreal, really, but, whatever, at least she's not crying anymore. ]

Yeaaaah, that really didn't go as planned.

[ He can't help but laugh, as his hand kind of awkwardly strokes wet blonde strands. Pulling back, he lets his hands curl around Claire's shoulders, then glances up to the bank of the pond. ]

But uh, we probably shouldn't just keep standing here. I mean, the water's nice and all, but...

[ And then he offers her a bit of a smile. Maybe a little apologetic. ]

[regeneracy]

[She laughs and shakes her head, glad that there's so many other things going on right now to distract from the fact that she's about to burst out crying with happy tears. Peter was here, and he was tangible, and he was safe. He didn't remember her, but she would work on that.]

Yeah, you're probably right. Come on.

[She grabs hold of his hand and leads the way out of the water, just glad to have some kind of contact. She's secretly hoping maybe the touch will spark some kind of memory, some kind of something.]

I wasn't expecting you to pop in like that, although I probably should have. Even if you don't remember, you'll still get here when I need you.

[She supposes that's just a general heroic Peter thing, and maybe not just a special thing because she's her.]

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[ But instead of moving through water towards land, Peter's standing stock-still. Something about the way Claire's hand fits in his own sends a spark through him like electricity through his palm, up his arm and right into his chest. Right into a space that is large and vast with only the darkness of shadows to fill up the expanse of a desert under a starless night, the horizon stretching on for an eternity. He sees then red, red like the color of the cheerleading uniform in Isaac's paintings, like red roses after they'd dried up, the freshness of life bled right out of petals turned dark; the color as bright as rain playing staccato against a red umbrella at night, as loud as a scream that cuts through darkened halls where feet pound like his heart had pounded when he shouted run, when he looked at her clear green eyes and halo of gold around her face (like an angel in cheerleader's skin, and the rhythm of save the cheerleader, save the world playing in his head) and told her to just go

[regeneracy]

[She sees the recognition on his face before he reveals that he's remembering something, and for a brief moment her breath catches in her throat and she finds words hard to form. She's praying that he just remembers everything, all of her, and who she is to him. Why she's important other than just being "the" cheerleader. She doesn't want to be the cheerleader that's meant to be saved in order to save the world, she wants to be his Claire that's important because she's Nathan's daughter

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I'll try my best not to.

[ Peter says as he follows Claire out of the water, still overwhelmed from the onslaught of memory that sizzles through him. The feeling a little like the tingle after being shocked. The images continue to play through the theater of his mind, slower this time, as they make their way onto a grassy embankment. ]

It's not like I have to save the world here, right?

[ He adds on, a smile curving his features.

There's another world he has to save instead, after all. Hopefully, this one isn't on the schedule. ]