It Makes Me Feel - Like Giving Up

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

Corrine's back. Corrine is back and being Corrine and while Tara is very supportive of superhero weirdness screwing with relationships - after over two years of perfect memory it still makes no damn sense. Someone should be ecstatic! someone should be crying with happiness, dropping to their knees and thanking God that life goes on in this business and life is often GOOD. And wonderful and...

...and she can't sleep. Oh, she doesn't need much. About 4-6 hours a week generates all the chemicals she needs. But at best it's been 2 here and 2 there. You'd think with a Green Lantern space jockey boyfriend ex, she'd be used to waking up with ice cold sheets. she keeps looking for Christie, but she's a rotten detective to be completely honest. She cooked until the Outsider's headquarters smelled like an Italian restaurant in New York. Now with her still fractured arm cooking is more difficult. She can't distract herself with archery either. Much of the chemistry work takes two hands as well.

Soo she sits in the TV room at the base, watching some PBS thing with old blues singers from the '50's and '60's strutting their stuff for public funds at this ungodly hour. Unsurprisingly, a band she's been avoiding comes on. Worse, they're really, really good.

When you complain - and criticize
I feel I'm nothing, in your eyes
It makes me feel - like giving up ...

Oh, oh no!
Don't bring me down,

no no no no

Oh babe! Oh no,
Don't bring me down...

"Where's the damn remote?" she mumbles to herself.

Comments

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"On the top of your seat, behind you." A voice from the back chimes in.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

She looks and dives for it like it's a KOBRA agent, despite her arm in a sling. she shuts the TV off.

"Thanks." She frowns, but edits her Why are you here and NOT with Corrine? comment.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

Sand arches an eyebrow. "Maybe next time I should let you dig for it..."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"To shut off the Animals? I'd dig to China," she grumbles. Which is weird because she normally is listening to blues, R&B, and rock twice her age or older - and she has Animals CDs in her meager collection.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

Sand walks over and sits on the couch. "Vent." He says. He says it NICELY...but it's still intended to be a bit more than an offer.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

Someone is not swift on the uptake. "About..?" She moves the remote control around in her hand as an indication for Sand to keep talking.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"About whatever it is that you're apparently grumpy about." Sand says. "I won't put words in your mouth, but its patently obvious your out of sorts about something. Which means you get me and my insomnia to talk to. Especially since I don't want to roust Corrine from some much-needed sleep by talking to her."

"Now...vent...about...whatever you wish to, honestly." He smiles.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

She looks at him blankly. "Please for the love of St. Matthew..." She flops down on the opposite end of the wrap around couch. "Don't fall into the 'I'll talk to her when she comes to me,' walking on eggshell dance, Sand. Bad enough watching it in Star and Portsmouth."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"She told me to give her space." Sand says plainly. "There's no issue there. She's been through an ordeal and needs sleep, rest and, by her request, space. Trust me, it's not the same situation. And don't change the subject." He pauses. "One of things I cherish about both our friendship and working relationship is and has always been your authenticity. That's because it's what comes naturally to you. Your current evasiveness of a direct question...doesn't."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Had to try to adjust the subject a little - and it's not all that off topic." She sighs and rubs her temples with her right hand. "Look I want something happy for someone around me, okay? No, Sand...actually, at this point I need it. I am tired of the misery, crap explanations, and self-destructive distractions. I want some teeny sign other then memories I don't want to shift through that this business doesn't wreck everything we fight for other people to get."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"Two words...Detective Chimp." Sand counters. "Granted, his road is still long - but he's fighting. And he WON Cuba for us - he doesn't get that shield down, we don't get Fate, Tefe' and Corrine right when we needed them." He thinks. "The business doesn't wreck things half as often as the people in it sometimes do."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Soooo, sobriety, we live to fight another day and Dr. Light is back." She is smiling, but it's mirthless. "I don't care who'd doing the wrecking, just that it's wrecked."

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

"And we saved millions of lives. Millions." Sand said. "Sometimes it gets harder before it gets better."

Sand takes a breath, then pulls something out of his pocket. "I made the decision that after I had come back from my dimensional travels, I wanted to give Corrine this." He opens it...and inside is an EXQUISITE 1.5 carat diamond set in a classic gold design. "It belonged to Aunt Dian."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

Ibn hadn't intended to listen to this conversation, but walking quietly in the shadows has become a habit.

He waits until Sand has left and lets his presence be known.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

And causes Tara to jump two feet in the air. "Jesus!"

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"I'm actually Muslim, Mrs. Strong."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Really? Wow...Learn something everyday."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"I'm hardly a traditionalist."

He shrugs a bit. "I thought you might need company so I waited. Apologies if I frightened you."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Well if you were there would be more issues to add onto the pile." She chuckles a little silently. "Nah, you're just really good at the sneaky thing and I'm distractable. Very bad thing to be."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

Ibn nods. "How goes your mission from God?"

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Not my mission. Corrine's. I'm sort of along for the ride." She shrugs. "She's back and her and Sand are being stupid. They'll deal. Meanwhile, I'm looking for something to do while the latest cocktail I made brews. What about you?"

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

Ibn nods. He's not one to give relationship advice, but he's very good at listening. "I am waiting to hear back from my lawyers. With luck, we'll be in the clear soon."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"For?"

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"The state department has been less than happy about our arrival in Cuba and I do not have a secret identity."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Oh. That." What saved Clan Arrow in Costa Linda, dumbass "Um, Sand also gets to do a lot of 'team leader,' meeting on that. Rumor has it we're not in trouble, but you might have some extra stuff just because they have to clear you and make sure you're no longer 'dead.'"