text | anonymous

[fuchsiative]

[ if someone told clarice she'd be reaching out to the rest of her cohort almost the instant she finds her footing on the station, she'd have laughed in their face. frankly, she would have preferred to keep her head down, stay out of the way until she was needed.

but some things were necessary, and dealing with a whole set of people whose backgrounds and experiences she had no clue about necessitated some information-gathering.

reaching out anonymously seemed like a good compromise. ]

mutant

[ she's here for one reason, and one reason only. making a list of those she had to steer clear from is only going to help her achieve her goal in the long run. ]

what does that word mean to you?

Comments

[fuchsiative]

it's followed me around my whole life
it's a death sentence

[ it's a little alarming, though, to read what's been said to her just now. she isn't completely unsure she isn't talking to a version of herself here. ]

it's a work in progress for me too


i'm a work in progress

except there's not much progress being made

[farr]

Sometimes we just have to work with what we have, don't we?
Even if it threatens to be the death of us.

[ whatever kind of mutant this mystery person is supposed to be, rita knows what it is to be labeled as such, to be followed by a status that would land her in ruin.

to where she's felt no other choice but to hide. ]

But we're both here. In this place that gives chances.
So I'd say that's a little progress for both of us, right?

[fuchsiative]

do you think it's going to be any different here?

[ it's not meant to be derisive; it's a genuine question, maybe even one posed hopefully. ]

i forgot what it's like to think positively

[farr]

For a really long time, I forgot too.

[ she'd almost forgotten how she used to be, all those years since the accident, decade after decade, hiding in that manor with larry, with jane, with cliff, with the chief — always feeling sorry for herself. "thinking positive" is still too new of a concept, even for her. ]

I think the difference is that the chance for change has been handed to us on a platter.
Which, I know, might make it that much harder to believe.
Trust me. Even I have my doubts.

But I think that what it does do is it becomes a harder knock to the head to make us try.
Whether it'll be different or not, we're at least given a choice that we can make for ourselves.

[fuchsiative]

a choice
that's true
this time we have the choice
and a chance

[ both things she was robbed of, just because of what she was. sounds like it was the same for whoever it was on the other end too... ]

my name's clarice, by the way

[ no reason to hide now. she knew she wouldn't be able to for lon anyway. ]

you don't have to tell me who you are
but if you ever want to talk... you know there's at least one person here who maybe gets it

[farr]

[ maybe it'd be easier to not use her name, or even slip out a false one, since she carries so many from years of roles she's had to spin herself into.

but the feeling of resonating with someone is a nice one. it'd be a waste to lie. ]

I'm Rita.

And I would love nothing more than to chat sometime.