milliways_bar | (no subject)

Once Kara got out of the cells and only kind of bolted for the Door, she couldn't get back to the Bar for a few days. She was sort of surprised she missed it, but hey, here it is. Coolness.

First things first - she leaves a long overdue note with Bar.

I turned myself in and did cell time for the fight in the woods. You don't have to, because I worked that out with the girl who took me in, so I'm hoping that you're satisfied with that.

I know it probably won't matter to you, but I am sorry. I hope you're doing okay.

- Supergirl

After that, Kara heads outside to study for Claire's math quiz. One small, blonde, cross-legged levitating girl in an entirely seasonable crop top and shorts is hanging out by the lake as she pours over her mostly borrowed notes.

This, she reflects, would probably be easier if she'd ever taken a test she could remember before that didn't involve hitting things with cars or identifying the silhouettes of weaponry.

Distractions will bring her grade down, but she'll be grateful anyway.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Okay, so...look, I'm lost. What are you trying to do here?" Kara asks, still leaving most to all inflection out of her voice.

"Do you want me to enable you or something? Go all 'sure, Mia, it's okay to like Pompomous Moron McTorturer'? Because, um...I won't do that, no matter how much his daddy didn't love him. Or is there something else you want out of me?"

"I only thought you should know," she says quietly. "I don't want anything from you. I just didn't think it was right to leave you in the dark."

It's just like being at home again.

In a bad way.

"I'm sorry if you would have rather not known, but then there would have been no chance of us getting along at all. There would have been dishonesty between us."

Okay, Mia has established herself as a moron.

But Mia is still nice. Mia is still the girl who let Kara paint her nails. So maybe Kara softens a little.

"Well, um, yeah. Well...good of you to tell me. I'd probably have been ticked if you hadn't," she admits, rubbing her wrist.

Moron?

Not really, just someone who has seen enough to know that honesty and kindness are better, even when they hurt.

There's a short time when Mia does nothing but softly cry. Because let's face it: when someone reminds you that your sweetie's gotten death threats, it hurts.

"I don't know why I do this," she finally says. "Why I don't agree with everyone who says Nash and Draco would be better off dead. I have plenty of reason to wish it myself, but just thinking about it hurts."

Mia cries, and Kara's face falls like that.

"Hey," she says, gliding down to sit on the ground in front of Mia, "Um, it's...don't cry, please?"

"I'm just tired of hearing that they should die. When was the desire to take another's life ever a good thing?"

Her tears are slowing a little, though.

"I don't think he should die," Kara says, wrinkling her nose, "What, did he say I said that or something? Mia, I'm a superhero. I'm not even actually allowed to want people to die."

"No, Draco didn't say that you want him to die. He gets the threats at home. They want to imprison him in a place where the guards rob you of everything but your misery, where they can actually take your soul. I know what it's like to feel nothing but pain and torment. In fact, if Will had not helped me, I might still be sick with it."

Kara never did hear about Mia's curse, did she?

Vaguely. And the misery thing -

- she's not allowed to want him to die. That doesn't mean she can't kind of secretly want anyone who actually uses the poor upbringing excuse to torture people to hurt. Maybe not that much, but she can't summon up any actual sympathy for him, either.

"Well...I just..." Kara runs a hand over her hair, because she does kind of feel sorry for Mia, still. "I'm sorry?"

Mia just sort of nods.

"I don't really expect you to feel anything for Draco. Perhaps I'm just in such a mess about him because he's been able to find the words to make me feel like I'm worth something. Even when I was mad at him, when I slapped him and he was crying on the floor, he actually told me that I'm perfect. He had every reason to hate me, but he said I was perfect."

Oh, so he's a manipulative bastard, too.

Kara was honestly starting to regain neutral feelings about Draco, but now she's heading right back to wanting to punch his stupid little face in.

"Mia," she says, "Okay, look, Draco? Is a douchebag. Just because he says nice things to you for whatever twisted little self-centered reason he has doesn't mean he's secretly nice or even actually thinks that. I'm pretty sure he has the capacity to lie."

"I understand that he has every reason to lie to me. Why wouldn't he? He told me himself that he originally was interested in me because of my money, position, and his need to continue his family name. Vane is being repaired, so there won't really be much money for a long time. I'm living off of the money my friends were kind enough to give me for my birthday while I'm here. Position he doesn't have a chance for unless he becomes a citizen of Vane and even then he could never have as much power as me. And while I'm sure I would be the perfect wife to provide the Malfoy family another heir, there's a problem: I have to carry on my family name too. And unlike Draco's society, I'm expected to keep my last name and any child of mine will have it as well. He has no reason to want me."

Kara gives Mia a dismayed look after all that because - overshare, much?

"Well, um," she says, pushing her hair back again as she eyes Mia, "I, um, don't you think you should talk to, uh, one of your friends about this? Because I, um, have no no idea what you're trying to accomplish here? Like, seriously, I just - what? I'm not, uh, Family Planning Girl or Romantic Issues Girl, so...I really have no feedback for you. Except, you know, that if I were you? I'd turf the slimy little weasel boy and stop worrying about the opinion of some guy who was so not in my league. Mia, trust me, you do not need that guy to think highly of you. You are way, way too good for him and should just - forget it, you know? Go find some not-evil guy and, um, have your magic babies with him or something, I don't know."

She gets the distinct feeling that she's said more than Kara wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry about all that. Like I said before, all I meant to do is tell you I'm friends with Draco. You don't have to worry about trying to give me advice or anything like that. I know I'm the one who has to make this decision. Perhaps I'm just working too hard to convince myself that Draco wouldn't lie to me and you end up hearing all the mess because I'm thinking out loud."

"Right," Kara says, and oh God is this awkward. She just came out here to study - she didn't expect weird little magic girls she's met a grand total of twice to come out of nowhere and accost her with their weird little magic girl problems.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go now?" She says, leaning to the side to pick up her bookbag and slide her binder inside it. "Because, um, you told me what you needed to tell me and you rpobably just want to think right now or whatever? So, um, yeah, I'm gonna go and you just try to work this out, and um, if you need someone to punch him you're gonna have to ask someone else because I'm not going to the cells again."

"Will's already made that offer, thank you, not that I intend to take advantage of it. And I didn't mean to kick you out of your spot. Here, I can go."

She stands up.

"Again, I'm sorry for making you feel put upon. I'll find a way to deal with it."

And she walks away.