7271/After the Broadcast

After the Broadcast
Date of Scene:	08 August 2021
Location:	The Gardens
Synopsis:	Rahne comforts Lydia and Clarice, and declares her slightly-werewolfy form to be her real self. And Clarice utterly fails to understand religion at all.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Rahne Sinclair, Lydia Dietrich

---

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice waits until the room is quiet, with just the news crew packing up their things, still crouched by Rahne's wheelchair with her hands holding to the other woman's hands. Tears streak ignored down her cheeks as she forces a smile that fools absolutely no one. "Let's, umm... Head up to the garden, shall we?" she asks, rising to her feet so she can move behind the wheel chair, and push it towards the lift.
    She wants to run after Mystique, though she's not sure herself if it's to hug her, or try to free the woman against her express wishes. This doesn't feel right. But what about what Donna had said? Would Mystique be home soon? But how long would it take - weeks? Days? Months? Years? And in the meantime - oh God. She's in charge, isn't she?
    She's lost in her thoughts as they make their way towards the garden - and towards the tree she, and Lydia, and Talia, and Mystique had all been gathered under not all that long before.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne is wheeled about, her fingers gripping the chair's handles like spikes. She is tense like steel, worried like a thousand, and about to have a mental breakdown.

She's holding it together for Clary and Lydia. She's got to hold it together for them. Because at this point, all they have is each other. And each other might not be enough.

Mystique is gone.

"Lydia," she tries. What do you say? She hasn't gotten her eyes to change back; they're still glowing a soft gold. Her teeth are sharper. Her legs need a shave.

She's still her. "Oh, Lydia."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia disappeared as soon as Mystique left, not being able to hold in her emotions anymore. She ran right to the only spot that she could think of that would bring her close to Raven now that she's gone: The koi pond. She's there, sitting in the grass, with her head in her hands, sobbing.

She looks up as her name is called, her eyes puffy and red, and her cheeks stained with tears. "I knew one day this was going to happen," she says, hiccoughing a little as she tries to get her emotions in check. "I thought I was prepared for it. I know I should trust Wonder Woman but.... with so many people that she hurt that want her blood how do I know that even /she/ can manage it?" She lets out a strangled sob, "I just got her and now I lost her."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Well - Clarice'd meant to stop at the tree, because honestly going over to the pond was too painful a thought. Her steps slow, stop - and then resume again, so they can join Lydia by the water, that small, forced smile no one will believe locked into place. "We'll manage. And- I mean, if Wonder Woman and her sister both say that- that this will work out, and she'll find her redemption and be home with us..." They have to believe it - don't they? What other choice do they have?

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne puts a hand onto Clarice's fingers. "Go tae her," she says. She's okay, she's in her chair. She really wants Lydia to not be alone.

She's fairly certain that if she stands up, she'll shift forms. The question she has to ask herself is, would that be so bad?

"Clary, she needs ye. G'wan."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I hope so," is Lydia response, though she doesn't sound like she believes it. "I just..." she sniffles, "I just need time. There are just too many people like that Remy person who doesn't /want/ to give her a second chance, who doesn't think she deserves it." She adjusts her position so she's sitting on the grass proper and brings her knees to her chest. "Did you see the way he looked at her? He /hated/ her with a burning passion."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice's squeezes Rahne's fingers, and leans down to her head momentarily rests against the slighter's woman's head. With Rahne's wheelchair positioned by the edge of the bond as well, she moves the step or so she needs to join Lydia, and sits on the grass beside her, looking down at the fish.
    "He's Rogue's boyfriend," she offers by way of explination. "He's had to help Rogue with all the pain that- that Mystique's mistakes caused her. Of course he would resent her for hurting someone he loves."
    She's silent a moment before adding, "But God I want to punch him right in the gob. You know?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Don't change. Not the time. Don't change. "Don't change," she tells herself. Her hands are already claws, her arms are fuzzy. Her teeth are sharp. SOmeone sould really tell her that she already did, but that's not what matters just now. What matters is...

She slips from the chair, crawling to them. She moves softly, silently. LIke a cat, like an animal. Hunting prey. Hunting...

She hugs them both, fiercely. "Oh, shut up, both of ye," she says, her accent impinging but not stopping it. Doesn't seem like being a werewolf is that big of a hindrance.

"Or...don't," she murmurs, needing to hug them both so much. "'m not y' mums."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia leans against Clarice for support, still trying to get her emotions in check. The mere fact that she and Rahne are there are helping a bit, and her tears have finally stopped falling, but she's still a little sniffly. "That would explain it," she says. "Her children.... she doesn't talk about them to me, but it's plain to see that she regrets so much of what she's-urk!" Her sentence is cut off by surprise hug by Rahne. She shifts to lean into the hug, and just begins crying again.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice lets out a startled sound as she's hugged from behind - followed by a laugh that's almost as much a sob as it is a laugh. The word 'mum' earns a wince - but no comment from the young teleporter.
    "It's too painful for her," Clarice supplies quietly. "She hardly mentions them to me, either. I hope- I only hope this helps her set things right with Rogue. I really do."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Without anything useful to say, Rahne assumes that crying is a good sign. She sighs, she hugs. She tries not to notice how the both of them smell. Smell. Whut?

"Um, am a wolf. Sorry." She says it with honest contrition, but she really doesn't want to totally sideline the conversation. "Rogue be a good ...lady," she says. "Tha at least be true. Maybe she can help?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gets herself under control enough to ask, "What?" when Rahne announces her wolfishness. This is when she first notices that the arm embracing her is a bit fuzzier than it should be. "Oh." She knew Rahne was another mutant, but never pried as to what her mutation might be. "It's okay," she says, rubbing a hand through the fur. "It doesn't bother me."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Why should you apologize?" Clarice answers. "Be a wolf. It's fine." She leans back against Rahne as she talks - tears still streaking slowly down her cheeks. She continues to determined ignore them.
    "Rogue's a good person. Don't know that she'll help with any of this, though. There's too much history, and too much pain."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
The thing is, earlier Rahne touched the lasso of truth. And she immediately failed to lie to herself about the one thing she tells herself, all the time, every day. She told herself the truth, of who she really is. And who she is, is this.

"Be thaur anything...can I help?" She asks, around fangs in her mouth. Up close she doesn't look scary. She looks like Rahne with fuzz, with pointy ears. With golden eyes. "I want tae help." She lets go the deathgrip hug, to try to touch their hands instead, or shoulders. Some kind of contact. She knows how much it's needed. Especially now.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia takes a few, deep calming breaths, and wipes at her eyes with the back of her hands. "You're doing it now, Rahne," she says. "Just being here helps. Both of you." She looks up at the girl and smiles, "Don't underestimate how much being a comforting presence helps." She turns back to stare at the pond for the moment and muses, "I wonder when was the last time she fed the fish."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You are helping," Clarice agrees. She takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly before adding in a quiet voice, "This means I'm in charge of the Brotherhood... For now." Will they follow her? Will they listen to her? What if they don't? "Do you think she knew this might happen?" she asks quietly.
    Well. She supposes if she gets back to her computer and there's a message with the information she needs to log into Mystique's files... Then that would answer that.
    "I don't know if I can do this. I'm not ready."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne knows that feeling. Not being ready. It's how she lives. "Es true, ye aren't," she says, wincing inside at how that probably sounds. She looks at Lydia, nodding, then back to Clarice. The fish can wait a bit longer. "Nobody ever kens they be ready, Clary. Tha' be why ye ask for help." Well, it made sense to her...

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I think so," Lydia tells Clarice. "She didn't say anything to me though. Probably to keep me from worrying. Not that that stopped me." She sighs and gives Clarice a tired smile. "You'll do fine. It's only temporary. I've got your back." Even though she knows that she has zero authority here beyond that of 'the bosses girlfriend.'

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Gee - thanks for the support, Rahne," Clarice answers the other woman in a dry tone - but there's amusement in it. And a hint of a warmth, despite the circumstances. She does hear what she's trying to say.
    "I hope so, Lydia," she answers. "But I will need help. A lot of it. I don't know how I'll keep up with the reports, and- There's going to be so much reading." And it's such a struggle for her.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne's hands squeeze gently on Lydia's shoulder. Then on Clarice's, in time. But she doesn't say anything then, she simply stands up, looking about. Her balance is so much better in this form, she's not stumbling at all. She seems stable.

Then she hunches down, and begins...to feed the fishies. It's like, she needs to be helping. No matter what else is going on, she needs to help someone. Even if it's a fish. Even if it won't save the world, or change lives.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods, her sniffles finally coming to an end. "I can help with that," she says, and then laughs. "We'll consider this your homework for the week." She unwraps her arms around her legs and lets them settle into the grass. "You'll do fine," Lydia repeats. "If anybody gives you any trouble I'll give them a firm talking to."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well. Hopefully no one gives me any //trouble//. I can be pretty scary, honestly." Really - it's a bad idea to anger a teleporter. Clarice smiles at Lydia, and wipes her cheeks dry, before turning to watch Rahne tending to the fish. "That one there," she says, "That one's Lord Scaly-Bottom. And that's Miss Bubbles. You could name one, if you like, and we'll tell Mystique when she gets back."
    Yup. This is how she takes her revenge for this emotional turmoil. Getting more people to give the fish ridiculous names.
    "And you know, Rahne, you could be like this all you like here on Asteroid. No one will give it a second glance. You can be whichever version of yourself you want to be."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"No. I can't," Rahne says, staring at the fish as she tosses little bits of food. She turns her head, looking back, and smiles. "Am like this forever," she says. Then she leans down to try to touch a fish.

Needless to say, they do not like predator bad touch. Bad touch.

"Tha' one be Herald Luke," she says firmly.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shrugs. "Fuzzy Rahne doesn't bother me at all," she says. "I mean... look at me. I glow green all the time, who am I to judge?" And then Rahne names her fish, and that elicits the first smile she's had since Raven left. She has one question though, "Why Herald Luke?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I mean - I'm purple. Hank's fuzzy and blue." So who really minds if Rahne is fuzzy? It's honestly... a little comforting, somehow, she has to admit. "Dyani would like it," she adds quietly. "Man, she was upset with me for taking so long to answer her messages, and get her those hives..." she adds in a wry, tone. "She was so worried..." And who can really blame her?
    She pulls at a few blades of grass - and tosses them idly into the pond to float above the fish as they swim placidly below, without a care in the world.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne breathes. She smiles at Clarice, but speaks to Lydia first. "I touched th' lasso."

She closes her eyes, listening to the fish, then says softly, "King James bible, Luke, 8:43. An' th' woman was there, who had been bleedin' fair twelve years. She came behind Jesus in th' crowd an touched th' hem o' his garment an' was freed."

"He asks, who touched my clothes. Everyone touched him, but he asked again, an' again. Until she admitted, and told true. An' th' truth healed her, to go in peace."

She breathes, feeling the air in her nose, her mouth, her tongue. "Thes be who ah am. Ah cannae lie naemore."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Then welcome to the world, Fuzzy Rahne," Lydia says with a broad smile. "Some people go throughout their lives not being able to figure out who they are. It took me a while to figure out I was gay. At least it felt like a while." She shakes her head. "Point being, that now you know and you can live in peace with that knowledge."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"Wait, ye be gay?" Rahne asks Lydia, actually and honestly and true. She blinks a little, turning to Clarice for clarification. Then she frowns. "And what d'ye mean, ye be purple? Nobody cares 'bout thae, ye be a good person damnit!" She pauses, having bitten her lip with those fangs that seem to have sprung up in her mouth, and takes a moment to poke at them. Honestly she looks a little bit like a vampire. If not for the fur.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Rahne's question to Lydia gets her an amused look but- well, Rahne's mostly been in the Med Bay. She must not have seen how Mystique and Lydia can be together. "She and Mystique are dating," she informs the other woman simply.
    But as for the rest of what Rahne says - she looks down to the grass, plucking at it idly. "My skin color has nothing to do with- with whether I'm a good person or not, Rahne. But there's many people who'd say that I'm not. I'm a killer."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia blinks at Rahne. Surely the girl has seen her and Mystique together, right? "Um. Yes. I'm dating Mystique," she confirms. "And some people care about her being purple and me glowing green. They see us as 'others' or 'lesser' because of it." As for whether or not Clarice is a good person, she'll let her handle that.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne isnt sure how to answer. So she tries, even if it sucks. "I ...I know that," she says softly. "Lookit me. Ah be th' werewolf girl. M' own dad shot me, when ah changed. Ah KNOW thae some people see what they want tae see. Like, ah was taught thae bein gay was a sin." She frowns. She lowers her eyes. "Ah try tae forget things. Sometimes et be th' only way tae get by. An..."

She stops. She's visibly fighting with herself, trying to say something hard. Then blurts, "Ah think different in this form! Et's not th' same, am less...human. Th' wolf be stronger."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'm the wrong person to talk religion stuff about. I mean - when I was little, my parents took me to church sometimes. We- we celebrated Christmas, and Easter, and all that. But on our best dresses, and gathered on the green for picnics, and songs, and music. But that's all I remember about it," Clarice remarks. "Lydia knows more about that sorta stuff, I think." Even if the religions aren't the same.
    "But if she and Mystique are happy, that's all I really care about, to be honest. If you're happy, that's all I care about. You know, as long as you're not hurting others doing it then- then it's fine."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I didn't know," Lydia says quietly. "I come from a place of privilege where the worst that's happened to me was my mother being an overbearing bitch who tried to live her life vicariously through me." No, she still hasn't forgiven her mother for that dinner with Raven. She turns to Clarice, "I'm Jewish sooo... there's not much similarity there though."

She purses her lips when Rahne admits that her mind shifts when she does. "Is that why you don't like shifting?" she asks.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Honestly, Rahne agrees with Clarice. If they're happy, don't hate on them. The bible tells her a lot, but the bible also told her father to murder her apparently. It's a bit of a telling moment in her life. "Gay isnae bad. Am nae one o' those types," she says, almost apologetically. Someone should apologize, but she's not the one who finds darkness in simple love.

Then she nods. "When am th' wolf, ah do things thae ah know are wrong. An I love doin' them. Sin doesnae exist, and ah remember it all. Too well." She sighs, she shakes a little. She shrugs. "Is hard, knowin thae she has so much control. An truth tells me tha et be me, at th' core. Ah want tae sin. Ah want tae do...everything."

I want it all. Catholic school girl turns wolf, kills something and eats til she's sick...gets laid, fights, drinks...

She wants it all, so badly. And it's so close to reality, now.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "The wolf wants to do what sorts of things that you know are bad?" Clarice asks, looking up from tearing more of the grass to study Rahne's features. There's curiosity and puzzlement there - she really does want to understand.
    Besides - she'd much rather focus on this right now - rather than focusing on her reality. Sometimes, reality is much too painful to be borne.
    And then she's adds, "I thought Jewish and Christian was the same thing, only Christian's believe in Jesus, and Jews don't."
    Oh dear.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shakes her head. "I didn't figure you to be one," she says. When Rahne explains the relationship between herself and her wolf she nods, "I see." Clarice asks the question that was on her mind, too, and waits to see what Rahne has to say, but gets distracted when Clarice admits her ignorance about Jews and Christians.

"Not really. There's an entirely different school of thought about faith," Lydia explains, "and ones relationship with God, and /how/ one performs that worship." She shakes her head, "It's the difference between night and day."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
This is hard for Rahne to say. It goes against every lesson, every bible reading. But she forces it out. "Not...bad," she says. "Hoo, thae's hard tae say. Animals cannee sin, so ..."

Then it becomes a different type of conversation, and she's frowning. Because she doesn't know Judaism nearly well enough. Go figure, her training was fairly singleminded. But she knows Kitty.

"M' faith says thae if ye are ne'er baptised, ye be forever destined for hell. An' mortal sin es on your soul as well. Ye can be forgiven near anythin', if ye admit it before god. Es jus' thae ah was born wi' one o' th' sins that cannae."

She pauses, hunchng down again, and sighs. "One day ah need tae sit m' father down an punch him in th' face. Like, twice maybe."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice is having trouble following all of this. She studies Rahne in puzzlement, then looks back towards Lydia to see if she understands it any better, then back to Rahne again. "Well. I wouldn't mind helping you punch him in the face," she offers. "I guess I just don't much understand the rest of it. Maybe I'm like Dyani today, yeah? You got to talk real plain and direct," she suggests in a wry tone.
    "But I do wish I understood better what going on in your mind - so I could help you more. I do want to help you."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
She shakes her head, not really wanting to get into a theological discussion. "That's just one of many, many differences between our faiths," she says, and leaves it simply at that.

She laughs lightly, "Can we punch my mother while we're at it?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne seems to think that punching parents is rather a good plan. It makes her giggle, and she knows that she's going to regret that little laugh later on. When she's alone, on her knees before God. But right now she needs it. So bad.

"Clary? Ah dinnae know what ah believe, today. Simple enough for ye? An we gonnae keep talkin sad things?" She stands up, then stumbles. Stumbles, trips, and falls towards the two others.

Subtle reminder. She really should not be standing yet. Brain injury. Remember?

Oh yeah, that happened!

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'll help with punching her, too," Clarice agrees with Lydia. "Just punching." See? So restrained. She climbs to her feet, brushing herself off - and as Rahne stumbles, she starts to reach for her - though Lydia steadies the other woman before Clarice can even reach her.
    Moving in closer to Rahne, she supports the other woman with her arm. "You're getting better - but you're not quite there yet, Rahne. You still need to be careful. I'll be very upset if you get hurt again - hrm?" she remarks, with one arm wrapps around her.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's reaction is immediate. She throws out a hand and her field of ectoplasm expands and encapsulates Rahne, cushioning her fall. "Easy there," she says, letting her ectoplasm pick up the wolf girl and settles her into her wheelchair. "Claire, why don't you get her to her room. I need to go find my journals and write. It's the only way I'm going to get these thoughts from churning over and over again. I'll see you two tomorrow."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Suported all over the place, Rahne finds herself in the chair again. She'd been feeling dizzy for a while, but she figured...gotta push through it to get better, right? Wrong, if you are ever injured give yourself the chance to heal. Don't be like Rahne, readers.

"I could rest," she admits. "I dinnae want ta hurt anymore. It did nae feel good th' first time."

Then she smiles to Lydia, leans her head against Clarice...and proceeds to lose focus. Emily would be sad by how much she's exercised. So sad. And upset. Take her to bed.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice leans into that contact with Rahne, resting her own head against her in return - and wrapping her arms around her. She still needs this... so badly. But she also has things to do, and she knows.
    "I should get to work," she admits quietly. Somewhat reluctantly, she releases Rahne and moves towards Lydia to give her a hug. "We're going to get her back." One way or another. But they'll give Wonder Woman's plan a chance to work.
    After letting Lydia go, she returns to Rahne's wheel chair - starting to push her towards the life. "Let's get you back to bed. Goodbye, Herald Luke, Lord Scaley-Bottom, and Miss Bubbles!"