Time for Reflection

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

After having her injuries--as superficial as they were--treated in the medbay, Lyta had gone immediately to get some much needed sleep. Her encounter with the inquisitor in the sensorium had been grueling, nerve-wracking and painful. She'd suffered a multitude of bruises, several lacerations and one of her ribs had been cracked. However, she had thankfully survived. She had gone through what the Vorlons liked to call "the crucible" and she had come out the other side. She had, like all that had before her, come out changed. She had more doubts, more questions, more uncertainties than she had when she had gone in. But instead of doubts concerning her safety, questions of the superheroes humility, and uncertainty over whether she could trust them, all the new ones were about her.

This was why, when she finally woke back up from her rest, Lyta made her way down to the city and headed directly for one of the few places she had discovered that was peaceful here: the Garibah Tree. The tree under which she had first met Ax, the one that reflected a person's feelings back to them. And that was just what Lyta needed, for her emotions to be shown to her in the hope that, perhaps, she may gain some sort of perspective.

Comments

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps," she replied, conceding only that for the moment. "Or maybe the rest of the crew just knows that I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

She paused as she folded her arms across her chest defensively. "Then again, I could say the same about you. Like you said, the crew is scared. They all have a 'pack mentality.' All except, it would seem, you and me. But the crew knows I'm here. They know what I can do. They know who I am. But not you. I've never seen you in any of the meetings. Never heard anyone talk or even think about you.

"But then, here you are. You show up out of nowhere, lie to me and give me a fake name, and then tell me that you can't tell me who you are. And, on top of it, you're actively trying to keep me from scanning you and finding out for myself. I think a better question, Mr. Matches, is what or who are you afraid of. What, and why, are you hiding?"

[crusades]

"I'm afraid," he replies, any trace of humour leaving his face, "That if I give you or anybody that information, I won't be able to get all of these people off this ship alive."

And any chess that he might be playing stops, albeit briefly, so she might know that, crazy as he may very well be, he is entirely serious.

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

She is quiet for several lingering moments, the corner of her mouth turned up as she debates what to do. She senses that he's telling the truth, or at least believes he is, during the few moments that his chess game halts.

Finally, she nods. "All right, I won't tell them that you're here...for now," she offers.

[crusades]

"I appreciate it," he replies, nodding his thanks, "I have one more question-- who do you trust?"

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

She thought long and hard about his question. After her experience with Sebastian, she'd begun to question her distrust of many of the crew members. But, until she could reconsider each one again, she was left with the same four she had trusted before.

She sighed. "Nathan...Ax...Cybil...the Chief," she said but paused before adding: "...and, as of about twenty-four hours ago, Superman."

[crusades]

Bruce makes a mental note of the names. Some of the names were possibly already familiar to him, those who hadn't been dispatched planetside. He considers commenting on her namedropping of Superman, but decides otherwise.

"Thank you," he says finally, "Perhaps next time I will be able to give you some answers in return. I'll leave you in peace."

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"Wait," Lyta calls out before he can get too far.

[crusades]

There's an empty space where he was standing a second ago.

Yeah, he does that a lot.