driftfleet | may mingle (blameless!)

Entry tags:

may mingle (blameless!)

Who: Blameless crew + visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Aboard the Blameless
When: May

[time to get your mingle on, people lacking blame and friends!]

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Ex-mentor. Now-partner. Err, sorta. We broke up. [ ... ] As friends.

That sounds complicated... Did it happen here?

Back home. [ she raises her glass. ] And it's only happened for me -- not him. Not yet. So I guess we're partners again, for the time being.

[ it's easier that way. ]

That way lies trouble, Kate.

Edited 2016-05-17 22:18 (UTC)

Oh, no doubt. [ a rueful smile. ] But he still means a lot to me, I guess. And technically, he hasn't done the thing that precipitates the split. It's not even a sliver of a thought in his head. It couldn't be.

What happened?

[ kate shakes her head. it's not that the details are too personal -- it's that she doesn't dare risk clint's standing within the fleet. she couldn't stomach anyone thinking less of him. perhaps kate hadn't quite been able to forgive him, but that's back in a world where his value and his heroism had been well-proven. time and time again.

here, she feels...protective. ]

We made a call. Together. And then he went back on it -- he failed to live up to his own code. The code he as good as taught me. The details aren't important.

[ she seems to recognize this impulse, and chooses not to push it ]

That can be hard to recover from. Just... be careful, knowing more than he does. Apparently, there are things you're not supposed to talk about.

[ -- she knows winn and kara are out-of-step. at least, they were when she and winn had discussed it. but that' not her business, so she doesn't tread near that topic.

instead: ] It is important to me, though. To share things with him. Not the stuff he doesn't need to know -- or the stuff that he'll learn soon enough. But...other things.

[ speaking of... ] Would you mind if I told him about Supergirl? I know it might be tough to believe after what I just said but honestly, he's good people. Best people.

Tell him about Supergirl, or tell him I'm Supergirl?

Tell him Supergirl is here. You're not just a friend, Kara. You're an ally. If shit went down... [ kate half-shrugs. ] I want him to know who to feel confident calling.

Right, I mean, I get that. But I'm trying to clear up whether you're just going to go into "that blonde girl, Kara? She's Supergirl". I'm not saying no, but I'd like to keep track, especially since we haven't actually met.

[ softly, with a smile. ] You can say no. Cross my heart. I'm all about respecting the identity, I promise. But I wouldn't mind giving him your frequency -- just in case. And I suppose that does involve him knowing who you are.

[ ... ] Do you want me to introduce the two of you first? Then you can decide?

That might be for the best, yeah. Sorry. It seems really silly to suddenly care, but I'm having a hard time balancing what I'm comfortable with versus uncomfortable. I trust you and the people you associate with—don't think I don't. But I spent a really long time getting the whole secret identity thing drilled into my head, I kind of don't know what to do when it's not as big of a deal.

[ gently -- affectionately, she nudges a loosely formed fist against kara's shoulder. ]

It's all cool. You don't have to justify it; I don't wanna ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with. And even above and beyond the Supergirl thing, I wouldn't mind introducing him to a new friend. Keep him on his toes.

Thanks, Kate. And I wouldn't mind meeting him, especially since he plays such a big role for you.

Okay, this next question is going to come out of leftish field but bear with me -- you don't happen to know ASL, do you?

[ she raps her knuckles on the counter. ]

Um, no, actually. But I'd love to learn?

It's no dealbreaker. Clint can read lips -- just, sometimes the signing is easier if someone happens to know ASL. He's deaf. And his hearing aids have been on the fritz ever since he arrived. Winn's actually helping me arrange a replacement for them.

Well, Winn may be one of your best bets for that. Anything in particular I should know going in?

If only telepathy were in my skillset.

[ kate weighs her answer. it's not like what she's about to tell kara is a secret, exactly. but it does sound a little weird to speak it aloud to someone who's probably had to do a marathon version of this her whole life: ]

It's entirely possible he'll make a bad first impression. I think he almost does it on purpose. Like, he likes people underestimating him.

Luckily, I'm all about second chances.

...And I'm sure Hank's gonna be grateful for that, too.

[ Kate we were doing so good. Kara inspects the bottom of her empty glass before smiling (weakly) at Kate ]

I just need to get over myself, that's all. He doesn't have anything to worry about.

He should do. You can feel as penitent as you want, Kara -- but you can't be faulted for putting yourself out there.

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takingkarabusiness - 2016-05-17 23:30 (UTC) - Expand

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ladybro - 2016-05-17 23:32 (UTC) - Expand

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