[Closed to Fate T. Harlaown, backdated to after beginning of clone shenanigans]

[starlightace]

Nanoha had always been able to read Fate like a book. So when the two of them had met up in the hotel (formerly claimed by the Outsiders) for a small meal that Nanoha had cooked herself, it didn't take long for the mage to realize that something was amiss with her best friend. There was something bothering her immensely, radiating off of her so strongly it was almost palpable.

Of course, she waited until they'd retired to their bedroom to say something, since she got the feeling this was something best done in private.

"Fate-chan, what's bugging you?"

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[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

Fate knew it was futile to try and lie to Nanoha. Even if the other girl didn't know her as well as she did, the blonde's distress was quite obvious. So she sighed, laying face down on their bed, burying her face in one of the pillows.

"A lot happened today. Sorry if I've been worrying you." Okay, so she's still kind of avoiding the subject. But it's kind of hard to talk about what she had seen today, so her hesitation is understandable.

[starlightace]

Fate could probably feel the bed shift as Nanoha sat on the edge beside her, her brow furrowing in concern. It'd been a while since she'd seen Fate this upset.

She reached out to rest a gentle hand on the other girl's shoulder, rubbing her back in small, gentle circles. She didn't say anything, but the meaning was probably implied: Do you want to talk about it?

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

Fate shifted a little, turning her head just enough to look at Nanoha. The other girl could probably clearly see the pain in Fate's red eyes, and even if she couldn't, it was obvious in her voice as she spoke.

"I met someone today..." 'Met' wasn't the right word, but what else could she say? That she stalked the girl? "I found out she had a clone of herself on board. One that she uses as an..."

The pain in her voice shifted then, to pure horror and disgust. "An organ donor. She specifically created the clone for just that purpose."

[starlightace]

She could both see and hear the pain, and her stomach gave a little turn - her heart couldn't help but break slightly to see Fate like this. Especially the story she told... Nanoha knew how much her identity was something Fate thought about, and to encounter something like that.

Her hand came up to Fate's forehead, fingers gently trailing through blonde hair. "That's horrible," she murmured.

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

A bit of Fate's tenseness seemed to disappear as she leaned into Nanoha's touch. The comforting gesture also helped calm her when she remembered something else that had happened earlier in the day; that one certain attack Mei-Xing had used. If it had been any other time, Fate probably would have blushed horribly and tried to change the subject to something lighter, but now really wasn't the time.

She wasn't sure she wanted to bring that up. A small, irrational part of her was kind of afraid to.

"I just don't understand..." She said, pulling herself out of her thoughts. "How somebody could treat another person like that."

[starlightace]

She trailed her thumb over Fate's forehead gently and lovingly. "I don't either," she answered. "Maybe some worlds just don't have the morality we do. But it's still a person."

"Does Command know?"

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

Fate nodded. "Kon and I took her to Security after she tried to attack us, and we reported it to Samus." Well, that explains the burn on her cheek, then.

"... I'm afraid, though." She said, voice much quieter than it had been a moment ago. "They haven't reached a decision on what's going to happen with the clone girl yet. If they decide that she's rightfully the... property of the girl she was cloned from..."

Fate couldn't finish that thought aloud. Would the rest of the clones on board be considered the same? She wasn't really worried about herself... there were much more important people to worry about. Her new friend, Kon. Her precious daughter, Vivio, and her son Erio, if he ever awoke from podsleep...

[starlightace]

Ah.

Well, that explained her mood, then. Nanoha shook her head, her voice firm. "Don't say that. They won't - I'll make sure of it, okay?" After all, she was a Department Head, wasn't she? She had some sort of pull. And there was no way that she was going to let people like her beloved and their daughter be ruled property. The though itself was anathema.

Nanoha turned just enough so that she could place her other hand on Fate's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "Anyone who's ever met you knows that idea is just silly."

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

"I hope they won't..." Fate said, sighing and burying her face in her pillow again. She was silent again for another few minutes, and when she spoke up, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"This whole thing is just making me wonder how many people come from worlds where clones aren't considered human."

It was something she hadn't thought about in years. She truly believed that she was human, and did her best to assure the children created by Project F that they were human too... but those feelings, those doubts, never really went away. They were just locked up in the deepest, darkest part of her heart.

[starlightace]

Nanoha felt something twist inside her belly, knowing exactly what Fate was thinking - and what she'd thought in the past. The pain in the other girl's voice was barely restrained, and why should it be?

She sat up from the bed, but she was hardly abandoning her partner. Rather, she moved to the other side of the bed, lying down and rolling over so that she was lying right beside the other girl. Nanoha slipped an arm around Fate's waist, giving her a tight squeeze. "It doesn't matter how many there are," she said softly. "They're wrong, okay?"

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

Fate turned, rolling over just enough so that she could face Nanoha.

"... Yeah, you're right." She smiled for what was probably the first time since this whole mess started and leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Nanoha's shoulder.

"Thank you, Nanoha."

[starlightace]

"If anyone ever thinks that, ever," Nanoha murmured quietly as she pulled Fate in closer to her, then moved to slip her hand into the other girl's, "Then they've never met someone like you."

"Don't worry, okay? I'll make sure it'll be all right."