regenerated | and then she'd say, 'it's okay, i got lost on the way, but i'm a supergirl and supergirls don't cry'

Up until now, everything's been easy. As strange as it might be for most people to imagine, Claire Bennet's leap off the Compound has been the best thing that's happened to her yet on Tabula Rasa. Maybe it isn't the healthiest— after all, where the leap from the Compound was supposed to help her shed that mask, come face to face with all that fate's laid on her, now it's only granted a wish that she's held tightly to for months. All of a sudden, it's the lies that have become truth. She no longer has to think about the ideas her mind's brushed over in past months, wondering if invincibility comes with everlasting life, if wrinkles will never make it to her face, caused by smiles or frowns. The prospect itself is still one that chills her to the bone, lingering in the shadows of her thought, Claire realizing better than anyone else that there will come a day when she returns to the United States, when being a cheerleader is no longer an option, when her dad will come and take her into his arms, family man that he is. She'll have to search for Peter, for Nathan, for anything remaining of the two of them. But for now, one choice has been switched for another, and it feels pretty good.

She's probably driven the people at the clinic mad. Claire keeps on trying to pull off her bandages, keeps on running gentle hands over her injuries, relishing the way that the pain is different each time. This process is healing. Not reversing, not erasing all trace of what's happened, but instead an imperfect process that leaves her slightly fractured, slightly weak, all of the things that a girl her age is supposed to be. The bruises that she sees all over her skin might be about the most beautiful thing she's seen and felt in a long time, her eyes wide with amazement at the human body, that imperfect state of being and how it adapts. It's almost hard to keep the lie in place, with the way her lips spread into a smile at the slightest provocation, how laughs catch in her throat now because her lung hasn't healed enough to be used at full force.

But she can't hide on her own forever. Can't use fatigue as an excuse when all the doctors can see that her eyes are practically dancing. It's time for visiting hours. This is what she's been dreading.

Because somehow, she doesn't think that most people will believe her if she tells them this is the happiest she's been in almost a year. And honestly, she's not even sure if she should.

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"I doubt they'd let him in here," Eden agrees, letting out a soft laugh at the idea. The clinic's too neat, too sterile, for Mr. Muggles' presence; tiny though he is, he'd make quick work of at least smelling everything in the place, and she doubts the doctors would be keen on that. She'll have to ask someone to check in on him and Origami later, though.

For now, she nods along, musing on Claire's suggestions. "I don't see why we can't do both those things anyway. I know the patients drag that projector in here all the time. Any time there are patients anyway. I go later and see if there's anything good to watch." As for the talking, it's not a bad idea at all. Girl talk tends to entail some fairly light topics, but they can be important, too, and the more she knows about what Claire's going through, whatever it is she wants to share, the better.

"Especially since he'd probably go around humping everything," Claire points out with a soft laugh, even if the statement makes her think of Lyle, the only one to really be bothered by the Pomeranian bouncing all over the place. As little as the two of them had talked in recent years, there was still something pretty constant about Lyle's presence, and not only because he spent most of his afternoons with his rear parked on the couch. She rubs at her collarbone, where something seems to itch under her skin, index finger brushing over the groove over and over in an attempt to rid herself of it. Supposedly, this is what healing feels like.

Pressing her lips together, Claire tilts her head. "Bonus points for Audrey Hepburn, I think," Claire says with a thoughtful furrow of the brow. "I'm just in the mood for something old, romantic, perfect."

"I know just the film," Eden says, smiling. "Have you seen Sabrina yet? It's one of my favorites." She's kept the reel since she first found it, years ago, something she watched with Penny during a long evening of goofing off and chatting, back even before Penny married Gideon. It seems like such a long time ago now, a lifetime ago, as if she's lived so many times over in her short time, starting again and again and again. She's glad, though, she picked up early on how difficult things would be to replace if she set them back on the shelf; she's built up a nice little collection over the years, and that should come in handy now.

"No, I haven't," Claire replies in turn, sitting up until she winces again, reminding herself for what seems like the hundredth time not to push herself too much. Still glad for the chance to experience the healing process to the same capacity as everyone else, Claire certainly doesn't want much permanent damage to be done. There's too much yet to experience to be hindered by a stupid mistake. Gingerly, she shifts on the bed again, her lips pressed together, almost as though still in apology for pushing herself too quickly. "I've seen Breakfast at Tiffany's and Roman Holiday, but that's it. Sabrina was the next on my list, but then I got... a little distracted, you know, and Zach wasn't half as interested in Hepburn as Jackie tried to be."

"Zach's loss," Eden answers. "I happen to have a copy of it up at the house. I'll bring it by later, along with the projector." She's reasonably certain Claire will enjoy it, and even if she doesn't like the movie itself, it'll be worthwhile for the quality time. She can't keep the girl under lock and key and she knows all too well how it feels to be so trapped; she wouldn't do that to someone else. Keeping a close eye on her, though, is an entirely different story.

"You kept a copy? I've been considering doing that, too, keeping some of my favorites around so that I can pull them out and watch whenever I have downtime. Which until now wasn't often, between classes and the desk job for the IPD, but..." Claire presses her lips together with a soft sigh, shaking her head and shrugging as best she can. Maybe there's no way for the levity to pull completely across, but getting a breather from everything, not having to act like she has to watch her every last movement, some of that is necessary too. "Suddenly, looks like my schedule's clearing up for a lot more sleep than I've gotten in years. And that means plenty of movie time on top."

Eden makes a mental note to drop by the IPD later, too. They'll know, of course, not in any official capacity but because news spreads fast around here, but it still feels like she ought to mention to them Claire won't be in for a while. Even after she gets out of here, she'll need the rest, although Eden supposes the IPD desk job isn't, at least, strenuous enough to avoid. "I have a ton of movies," she says, nodding, smiling. "A bunch Gideon left, too. You can have your pick." She doesn't like all his favorites, but there are some good ones in there and she can't bring herself to clear out the rest yet.

The mention of Gideon, of his name in specific, brushes the smile off Claire's face, her expression more distant. In the end, maybe it wouldn't have mattered if she could heal from injuries or not, the fact simply being that the entirety of the island is so transient, that nothing's permanent there. She looks up with an uneasy expression, tilting her head. "Well, can't say I'll mind digging into that collection, since I'm sure there are a lot of gems in there," she grins, before swallowing thickly. "I'm sorry he left, though."

"Oh, he would've let us have our pick anyway," Eden says, just a little too light as she waves that off (maybe it's her own fault no one can help her; she never lets them. Just knowing that, though, isn't enough for her to change. She's admitted she needs help in one way and that's enough). "As long as we brought everything back and didn't ruin it. When you're well enough to come home, you can have a look." It's only her temporary home, but that doesn't bear dwelling on either. They both know Claire will get to leave sooner or later, that it will be a relief for her. She can only hope it's sooner rather than later, so Claire can get her way, so at least the loss doesn't come as a surprise, is just one of a whole slew of vanishing acts.

and then she'd say, 'it's okay, i got lost on the way, but i'm a supergirl and supergirls don't cry'

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