(2014-06-21) Cousins, Girlfriends, and Finding Truth
Cousins, Girlfriends, and Finding Truth
Summary: Linda takes Karen and Mary into the woods to tell them about what she has learned of her lost memories.
Date: 2014-06-21
Related: [ memories]
NPCs: NA
Scene Runner: NA
Social/Plot: Social
Players:
supergirl..miss-marvel..power-woman..

Once Mary and Karen arrived, Linda led them for a walk into the woods behind the Xavier estate. She's quiet for a while, not saying anything. Not sharing. Finally, though, once they are deep enough into the forest that she's sure no one will overhear, Linda seems ready to talk.

"I saw a man, my mother's boss… our town preacher… kill his wife because she found out he was sleeping with a high school student." She says as she finds a rock to perch on.

"My mom didn't believe me. Everyone thought she'd just left." Linda lays her cheek against her knees and continues. "I met Buzz after that. He showed me how stupid being good was. After all, the pastor was supposed to be good, right? But he beat his wife to death. My parents were supposed to be good but they ignored me to focus on their jobs."

Linda closes her eyes. "So, you know. Drinking. Parties. Sex. Drugs. It sounds cliche but, yeah. Eventually I got into his cult. Satan worshippers. You know, mostly just people wanting to piss off the world but there was real rituals. Real magic. Then, one day, he tells me I'm ready. We're in the cave and there was the pastor and his mistress and… you know the rest."

Linda opens her eyes, tears in her own. She looks up at you both. "He handed me the knife but I… I couldn't do it. I wanted to SO badly. This was the only justice that poor woman would ever get and it would be revenge for everything done to me but… I couldn't. So, Buzz stabbed me. I remember falling. Bleeding. Then something came. Goo. And it invaded me and… when I woke up I was Supergirl."

Mary Bromfield sighs and nods as she takes up a position next to Linda. If permitted, she reaches and places an arm around her. "I figured it had something to do with your Joining." She says. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Love." She looks to Karen. "There's still a loose end. Why's Buzz bothering you with this now? That mojo was certainly real… High Order No-Good."

Karen walks around behind Linda, so that her cousin doesn't have to look at her while recounting all of this. Instead, she just rests a hand on her shoulder, lightly brushing fingertips through her hair now and then, and listening. Not judging. Not talking. Just listening. When she's done, Karen's first response is simply, "That had to be really hard to push through and experience again. I'm sorry, too, Linda. But you were really brave to face up to it. And I'm glad that you were proven to be the person I believe you to be." Because Linda didn't kill. She didn't hurt anyone. And that matters a lot. "Mary's right, of course. It does beg the question why he's up to this now. And how that site hasn't been discovered before he gave us the coordinates. I should mention I've been to see Ms. Zatara. She's going to see the site later today. I … I was going to go with her." Power Woman was, anyway.

Linda shakes her head. "I don't know what he wants. I realize, now, he was stringing me along. I get that. But I did the things I did, the thefts and the crimes…. I did those things. I have to accept that I did some horrible stuff. My mom? It wasn't just because I accused the pastor. I was lying all the time back then. It was the only way they paid attention to me." She sniffles. "I'm a freaking after school special."

Mary Bromfield shrugs. "You're a teenager, Linda. That's very typical behavior, especially hwen there's neglect in the…" She shakes her head. "Nevermind. I'm not trying to bad-mouth your folks." She looks to Karen and nods. "She should be able to trace the energies, hopefully. That's a good idea. We need to find this "Buzz" and end this game of his."

Karen stays supportive, behind Linda. "Hey. Most of that was little stuff, Linda. You aren't a terrible person. You made some mistakes. We all do. But when it counted, when it was really important, you stepped up. You said no. And you would have paid for it with your life. Instead, now you're an awesome young heroine. And I'm really proud of you for that. As for things with your parents … I think you should work on that. But that has to be your choice, in your own time and in your own way." She agrees with the rest, but doesn't see the need to say anything. Not right now.

Linda sighs, long and hard because she's a teenage girl. "Maybe." She allows that, perhaps, she's not a horrible person. Maybe. Possibly. Though she seems reluctant to give up the DRAMA! She uncurls and then stands up. "I'm sorry I put you guys through all this. I'm going to take care of it. Karen I… I'm sorry. Can you not take… can you drop this? This is my thing. I need to be the one to do this."

Mary Bromfield stands with Linda. "We're here to help. We already have League resources looking into it." She turns to Karen.. "But we can back off and take a more supportive role if needed, right?"

Karen eyes Linda for a few moments, then reaches out her hand to cup her cousin's cheek, looking into her eyes. "None of us wants to take something away from you, Linda. But you can't do it all alone, either. None of us can. Why don't you come with me, and Zatanna. Listen to what she has to say. Learn it on your own, not through Mary or I. Then, you can follow up on whatever she can tell you, on your own. As long as you stay in touch with us, let us help you when and how we can. Not take over. Just help, support. Can you accept that?"

"No. I'm sorry. This has to be me. I'll ask for help when I need it but… you've got to understand. Now that I've decided to face this *I* have to face it." Linda turns to Karen. "And that means I need to take the lead. And if there's going to be a magic consultant it'll be someone I pick and someone I trust. Please. I can't force you ro not do this but I need you to back off."

Mary Bromfield looks to Karen. "She's come this far. She needs to do this. We'll be sure to be there when she needs us…" She says, by way of showing reason to Karen.

Karen sighs. "Linda, all I want to do is help. Please. I only want you to have all the info you can have, to help you do whatever it is you need to do. You know that, right?" Karen asks, trying to make sure her cousin, whom she loves, at least understands what she's trying to do. Recognizes that her only desire here is to help. "I don't want to run this, or run you. I don't want to be in control, if you need to be. I trust you. But why not take whatever information we can give you, to work with? Can you tell me that? So maybe I can worry a little less?"

Linda's nose crinkles as she tries to think of the way to say what she has to say. "I haven't treated you very well." She admits that. "And I know you don't want to be pushed away but this is my mess. This is my problem. This is something I need to do. Something I need to do from the start. Something I need… I need to do for myself. With my resources. My abilities. This was a mess I walked into. I need to walk out of it. Please.'

Karen shakes her head, smiling ruefully. "I trust you to do what needs to be done, Linda. I just wish I could give you more to work with. That's what family does for one another." She shrugs her shoulders. "I won't pretend I understand why you can't accept that help, why it would mess things up. And I /need/ you to keep us in the loop. The League stepped in on this case with the local authorities, because of the magic involved. We at least need to keep tabs on it all until it is solved. Can you do that? Can you accept that much?" They'll also maintain the security perimeter, but that won't pursue the case.

Mary Bromfield looks to Karen and just shrugs, if she were a telepath, there'd be a message with the look, but she isn't. So instead she says, "Karen. She needs this. For herself. She needs this to grow.. If she doesn't, she'll be stuck like this…" Mary can't quite explain what she's thinking. Sometimes it's so much easier to be eloquent as Marvel.

Karen shakes her head, smiling ruefully. "I trust you to do what needs to be done, Linda. I just wish I could give you more to work with. That's what family does for one another." She shrugs her shoulders. "I won't pretend I understand why you can't accept that help, why it would mess things up. And I /need/ you to keep us in the loop. The League stepped in on this case with the local authorities, because of the magic involved. We at least need to keep tabs on it all until it is solved. Can you do that? Can you accept that much?" They'll also maintain the security perimeter, but that won't pursue the case. <re>

"I'll keep you in the loop." Linda promises as she walks over and, will miracles never cease, hugs her cousin. "Besides, I have an expert on magic right here." She says as she indicates Mary. "And what she doesn't know I bet her boss does."

Karen hugs her cousin, and presses a kiss to her cheek. "Alright. Thank you. I appreciate it. And good luck. Try to remember that even the greatest of us accept help. And remember that I have faith in you." That said, she will let go of Linda and smile at Mary. "You take good care of my cousin."

Mary Bromfield blushes and nods to Karen. "Always. I'll see you topside." She points to the sky. She turns to Linda. "I.. I'm proud of you." She says, the weight of those words far heavier than a normal ear could comprehend.

Linda turns to Mary and, for the moment, everything else fades away. She only has eyes for her girl. "I couldn't have done it without you." She whispers, reaching out to pull Mary into a hug. One that doesn't crush her but is about as tight as can be.

"OK, you two. I'll give you some privacy. I'm going to head back towards the mansion. Take care." And as Karen turns and starts walking back, she offers, "I'd really like it if we could take that trip again, at some point. Head into the city to visit the galleries, without all the extra drama." She doesn't say anything about wanting her ice cream, but maybe she does.

Mary Bromfield smiles to Karen. "Yeah, and perhaps make it to the ice cream shop this time." She winks before pulling Linda into a tight hug. "I told you I was here for you."

Northern Forest - Xavier Estate
The forest around you now are full of old growth oaks towering into the skies above. They have been here since before the pilgrims and perhaps will be here long after we are gone. Birds sing to each other and provide a cacophony of sounds each with it's own purpose. Each with it's own soul behind it. And for a moment, as can happen only when one is standing in the deep woods, a stunning idea begins to form in that back of the mind. That behind each of those songs is a heart that beats and a mind that thinks and feels. That underneath each leaf is a root that tunnels ever downward past rocks and beetles and worms and further down past old bones that someone long ago sloughed off having learned they didn't need them anymore.

Bones that supported a heart that pumped blood to a tiny mind that could sing a song only a bird could understand but could touch the soul of any man.

*Obvious Exits:
* [E] - Eastern Forest - Xavier Estate
* [HY] - Horse Yard - Xavier Estate
* [S] - Northern Grounds - Xavier Esta
* [SW] - Western Grounds - Xavier Estat

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License