rp for girl_ofsecrets: can you teach me how to fight?

[heroslayer]

Twenty years ago, the Chelsea Piers had been a disaster area of collapsing sea walls, half-destroyed warehouses, and rickety boardwalks. Ten years ago, the city of New York had restored the place to its former glory, in the wake of its failed demolition. And now? Well, it's not the best neighborhood in the world, bordered by the Meat Packing District, but for the purposes of this exercise, Sylar figures it suits. It gives him free reign to kill anyone who bothers them, without fear of guilt, after all, and well. There probably won't be anyone around in the first place; most people still avoid this section of town.

The corners of his mouth tugging upwards into a pleased, wicked smile, he meanders down the boardwalk, heading for a warehouse he knows to be abandoned. It looks relatively rickety, like it's going to fall into the bay at any given moment, but he knows better--it's held up to super powered spars before. Still, that doesn't stop him from pausing outside of it, once he reaches it, to give it a once over. Nor does it stop him from taking a look inside, just to make sure there aren't squatters hanging around.

Then, once he's satisfied, he moves to the center of the room, leaning against a crate, listening for his niece. And to his credit, he manages to stand still for all of a minute and a half before he gets restless enough to start considering very literally climbing the walls. Hopefully, Claire will show up soon.

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[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

She glances down again, watching his skin stitch back together and the cut disappear. Then he points out the flash that she had felt, not really surprising her because she was used to Peter and him picking up her emotions as well. Sometimes he could tell her how she was feeling even before she could.

"A little." She nods her head in confirmation, "You can choose, you have a choice." She looks down at herself, lifting her one hand to press her nails to her arm and then does so hard enough that she breaks the skin. Lifting her hand, the crescent marks quickly disappear, even sucking back in the tiny bit of blood that started to seep out.

"I don't."

[heroslayer]

"With your ability, yes," he agrees, trying not to be too enthralled by the sight of her hand healing. "With mine ... I tried to turn it off once, so that Mohinder could drug me long enough to take a sample of my spinal fluid, for his formula, so he could have an ability. It nearly killed me. Even with Adam's ability. I guess my brain doesn't like having parts of itself shut down."

He offers her a rueful smile, shifting a little so he can drape his arms over his knees. "One day, Peter will be able to control my ability. I never will."

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

She caught the slight enthrallment at her healing and she smiles a little bit as she looks down to the spot where she had marked but now it was perfectly smooth. Then she nods, "So even if you can control it, you'll still be immortal as well, right?" She tilts her head, knowing it's a touchy subject because it is for her too.

"So we can't control our original abilities, well most of us." She nods because she knows there are some who can, like Hiro. He could control where and when he wanted to go, most of the time.

[heroslayer]

"I will be." He makes a face, eyes drifting down to his own hands, curling them into fists for a moment, before letting them go. "I didn't think about it, before I asked Adam for his power. He tried to warn me, but ... "

He doesn't want to think about what will happen when Mohinder dies. He's already almost positive he'll never love again, and the few times he has thought about it, he's entertained notions of breaking into the Empire State Building and throwing himself off of it. Repeatedly.

"Does it bother you? Knowing you won't be able to keep him forever?"

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

She nods her head, feeling a bit bad for him because he hadn't understood fully what he was getting into when he took Adam's power. Just like she didn't understand it, nor did Peter when he took hers through absorption just by being around her. Saving her life.

Then came the question that she dreaded and it was the first time that anyone else had asked her it. She had asked herself the question plenty of times. Staring at Sylar, her eyes show the sorrow that she already feels for the day that she hopes is far, far away in the future.

"Every day." She murmurs.

[heroslayer]

He doesn't look at her. Having to feel that is bad enough; he doesn't want to have to see her face, while they're talking about it. "I try not to think about it," he mumbles, fingers tightening into fists again. "It helps. Mostly."

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

"I try not to either but I still have the moments where it's there, haunting me a little." She blows out a small breath, "But I tell myself that I have to focus on the time that we have. I'm not looking forward to the days where he isn't there anymore but I want to have as many good memories as I can for those days in particular."

[heroslayer]

Sylar makes a little accepting noise, not sure if that's going to help in his case. He has perfect memory, yes, and as such, he'll be able to remember everything he and Mohinder have done together, but he's not sure if that's a good thing or not. The good memories might hurt more than the bad ones do, after all.

"You think you'll love again, after him?" As much as this topic pains him, he can't seem to let it go. Masochism, he guesses.

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

For a long time she looks at him as she isn't really sure how to answer or what her answer is. She draws in a slow breath and then lets it slip out, nibbling on the inside of her lip as she tries to think of whether she could love someone else.

"I don't know." She admits after awhile, "Maybe? If I did, it would be a very long time after and well, not the same way as I love him."

[heroslayer]

"He means that much to you," he manages, half-question and half-statement, finally raising his eyes to look at her.

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

"Yes, he does." She nods her head slowly, "I don't know how to explain it besides that he saves me every day. I think if I didn't have him in my life, I'd be a little bit darker. He makes me happy and I haven't had a lot of that in the last couple years."

[heroslayer]

"Neither've I." Possibly an odd admission, since he's been the bad guy for the last two years, but it's the truth, nevertheless. "Without Mohinder ... well. A lot more people would probably be dead, because of me."

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

She nods her head, "I think I would have pushed to go after Primatech a lot sooner. Probably would have...just not done a lot of the things I've done. Like go for my test or...just be happy." A soft little sigh, "It's not going to be easy when it comes time...." She falls silent, lowering her eyes.

"But well, at least I know I'm not going to be the only immortal. Not that it makes it all better, I hate that Peter and you will have to deal with this too but a selfish part of me is glad I won't be alone. We have Adam too, he's done this all."

[heroslayer]

"Is it wrong that I'm jealous of him?" Sylar asks, before clarifying, "Adam, I mean." He pauses, making a small, sour face, realizing how ridiculous that sounds, but he can't help but try and justify himself with, "He'll have Peter forever."

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

"No, I think it's natural." She admits with a little chuckle, shaking her head as she pushes her fingers through her hair to bring it back away from her features. "I have my moments where I'm jealous too. All the immortals I know? I'm related to."

[heroslayer]

"Lucky you." He offers her a small, bittersweet smile, before, "I might as well be. Adam's ... " His best friend, but he's not sure he's ready to admit that one out loud, just yet.

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

"Hey, you're related to two out of three." And she knows that he's close to Adam, that they're very good friends. Stretching out her legs a little, she crosses them at the ankles as gives a chuckle. "So you're just as...lucky?"

[heroslayer]

"Guess so." He shrugs, sitting up straighter for a moment, stretching, and then settles back down. "So. What now?"

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

"Well..." She sits there for a moment, "What about ice cream?" She offers with a smile, "I could use something good at having splinters all over." Then she rubs a hand over her side, "I think there is some still left in."

[heroslayer]

Sylar cocks his head to one side, something in his expression hardening as if he's suddenly considering a piece of complex machinery rather than his niece. He stares at her for a moment, from under his eyebrows, and then, without raising his head, he looks up at her. "I can get them out. The splinters."

It's not going to feel all that great, but he can tell where they are.

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

Claire looked at him for a moment as his features harden and then she nods her head as he tells her that he can get them out. She knows that it's not exactly going to feel good but it would be better than leaving them in. Curling her hands around her knees, she braces herself a little bit as she tries to draw in a slight breath to get ready.

"Okay, go." She watches him.

[heroslayer]

He doesn't hesitate, raising a hand, fingers drawing together as if curling around an invisible thread--or, in this case, an invisible splinter. Then, he snaps his hand back, pulling on the little pieces of wood still in her, drawing them out, telekinetically. They hesitate in the air for a moment, no more than a handful of needle-thin slivers, and then he drops his hand back to his lap, shards falling to the ground between them.

And all that said and done, he resumes watching her, eyes still hard. "That's all of them." It's more a question than it should be, but he's fairly certain.

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

If they hurt going in, they sure as hell hurt when they were being pulled back out, ripping through the skin that had been trying to heal all around them. Her breath hitches as she bends forward a bit, the flash of breathless pain catching her before it faded away and she found the numbness was back. Wetting her lips, she peeked at him through her long lashes and a couple strands of hair as she could see the slivers hesitating before they fell to the ground.

Then she nods her head slowly, "Yes, thank you." She straightens, looking at the bloody little pieces before she pushes to her feet. "Good thing I brought a jacket." Considering her side and back was bloody, or well the shirt was stained.

[heroslayer]

"Should've warned you to bring a change of clothes," he murmurs, catching a taste of that pain. "I'm sorry."

[its-notluck.livejournal.com]

"It's okay." She gives a little half smile, "I'll remember from now on, okay?" She moves to get her jacket, tugging it on and then pulling her hair out from under her collar.