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

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"I learned many things from Mar'i, but that wasn't one of them. As to my skills with a sword, I had many instructors. The finest that the League of Assassins could provide..."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

Finger goes up. "Waaaaaait a sec. League of Assassins? Ras al Guhl's group with the Lazarus pits that make people crazy and bring them to life?" Not like she hasn't thought about analyzing one of those for Mia. "Why would they train you?"

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"The League of Assassins serves the will of Ra's al Ghul. The Demon's Head. I was trained because my grandfather wished for an heir, wished for someone to take his place..."

This is the moment that Ibn normally dreads. "And for a time after his dead, I served as the Demon's Head until I dismantled a good portion of the empire."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

::blink, blink::

"You're..." Her palm hits her face. "I thought the part-incubus was -" She cuts herself off. "No. Whatever. You know what? No one here is subject to their very screwed up families."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"That is very much an understatement. And that tension is what lead to the death of my relationship with Mar'i."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

She thinks about the passionate, friendly, and apparently well connected Nightstar she met.

"Man, you dealing with your ex is going to make me dealing with mine look like a cake walk."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"It was over a long time ago."

It certain looks like Ibn believes what he is saying. Or desperately wants to believe it. There's still something in his eyes when he speaks of her. "I have a new life now."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Because you died or because you actually broke it off?" She waves a hand. "Nevermind. If she ever whips out the purple bolt things I can block one of those hits. Least I can do."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

That earns a smile. "Thank you. I suspect that her temper has not changed much. It might be required one day. I just hope that it doesn't cause one of those legendary battles between teams."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

She rolls her eyes. "Speedy would kill me if I were that stupid. Seriously she's..." Tara bites her lip. "I suck at friends and family. The teams I work with -" she has to bite back from calling them "family." They aren't - or at least they shouldn't be. Crystal should be. "They're what I have right now."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"In this life, sometimes that is all we have. I've only recently come to know my father. He isn't what I expected...."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"What? The team? I keep coming back to the 'family,' thing they refer to and it's not me."

"Oh? What's with your Dad?"

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"In many ways, he is more and less than I expected. I am not displeased but this, but it is unsettling to have old perceptions wash away."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"I've heard growing up does that - but the hell if I know. My dad...I know he used to at least think I was going to be able to do more - see more - then he ever would and that made him proud. But in my mind he's still a lion somehow. The one guy who can fix anything." Even if he's not speaking to me.

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"It is said that all parents are as gods until you grow up. And then they had to mortal status."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"I thought that was the short definition of 'teenager.' That process in which you learn how painfully human family members are. After that Plague we worked on though, it's hard for me to think of Ras Al Guhl as mortal or anyone in his organization." She winces. "Sorry. I say the stupidest, most tactless thing at just the right moment. It's a gift."

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"Quite alright. Of course, I never said 'Ras Al Guhl' was my father." He smiles a bit. "It is a long story and in theory a secret. Although I can never keep track. It's best to leave it vague for now."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"No, it sounded like maybe like grandparent of some degree from the earlier comment." She shrugs. "However it works - congratulation, you found your people. Tefe, Sand, Corrine, Hank, even Caleb to a degree I don't get - all legacy cases with seriously checkered records." Her eyes grow wide with amusement. "And lots of old crazy secrets everywhere. See, that's how I could see you in the park." She chuckled. "All the weird has finally rubbed off on me."