The Salle, Sunday Morning

[wrongkindofsith]

Normally, Cara trained either in her room or some secluded corner of the preserves, but after the truly wonderful night she'd had last night, this morning she couldn't stand the one and didn't have the patience to find the other

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[redandblueblur]

Sometimes it was like Clark had a sixth sense when it came to finding his friends. Today he certainly wasn't complaining about finding Cara working out in the Salle.

Looking around the room, it reminded him of Lex - minus the fencing mask and training sword, naturally. Clark hung out in the doorway, watching and waiting for her to give a sign that he was welcome.

[redandblueblur]

"I wouldn't ask you to," Clark answered, glad she hadn't swiped her own palm with that blade, no matter what she said about pain. "Do you believe me now?"

[wrongkindofsith]

If she had, it wouldn't have been the first time, there was more than one reason she hadn't hesitated once she decided to go through with it.

"Yes, it looks like it would be hard for you to get yourself killed," Cara conceded. "Doesn't mean I want you to go out and try."

[redandblueblur]

"You sound like my mom," Clark complained, missing any of Cara's issues that might've been showing up in her comment. "I'm never trying to get hurt. I just want to stop other people from getting hurt."

[wrongkindofsith]

Honestly, they were more like subscriptions by this point. "Because that never ends badly." Never mind the number of sharp objects she'd flung herself in front of. That was different.

She was steadfastly ignoring the 'mom' comment, nothing good lay that way for either of them.

[redandblueblur]

Given this started because he'd offered to practice with her, it was amazing they'd gotten this far and were still using words. "It's not about things going badly," he said, trying to get her to understand. "It's about you knowing what I am and what I can do and not worrying that I can't take care of myself." This was a conversation from months ago put on hold and still he knew right where to pick it up.

[wrongkindofsith]

If Cara was the kind of person who was actually able to talk about her emotions when she wasn't in imminent danger of death from oxygen deprivation or being harassed by a Night Wisp, this conversation might actually have been over months ago. "Fine, I know." She gripped the handle of an agiel to steady herself. "Happy now?"

[redandblueblur]

"No," Clark said, watching her carefully. "What's with you?"

[wrongkindofsith]

"Nothing's with me." And if she said it with enough force, maybe she'd be able to convince herself too.

[redandblueblur]

"I mean, I'm used to no one knowing what I'm really capable of," Clark started, looking as confused as he felt. "But I tell you and I show you and you just...you keep up the same point. Shouldn't you be happy to hear this?"

[wrongkindofsith]

"That for once I'm sharing a bed with someone I'm not going to watch die?" The words slipped out before Cara could stop them.

Quite a few of the onions had chosen to talk about that subject.

[redandblueblur]

Okay that was news for Clark. "The others you've slept with died?"

Smooth, Clark.

[wrongkindofsith]

Instead of answering, Cara pursed her lips and gripped the agiel more tightly. It was stupid of her to have said anything, especially since it wasn't like it happened to everyone she'd shared a bed with, or even most of them...just enough of them.

[redandblueblur]

"I mean, I'm not like, afraid I'm gonna die," Clark said, trying to cover and reaching out to touch her shoulder or something. "I just didn't...know. Uh, a lot of people I know have died or gone crazy because of me - or my arrival really. It's not something I talk about, but it's there and I just try not to think about it." At least not all the time.

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara didn't react to being touched, given that any reaction would most likely have involved either flinching or trying to bodily shove him away, this was not in and of itself a bad sign.

"I don't talk about it." Of course it was only one of the very many subjects Cara did not like or want to talk about. "It's how the world works, people die." She was often as not the one killing them.

[redandblueblur]

"It is," Clark agreed. "But, you know, at least I won't?" Since there was no meteor rock in Fandom.