[COLOR=GRAY][CENTER][COLOR=8A9A5B][sup]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][url=https://open.spotify.com/track/2NELtMgQ8HSdrGrYQPLnC3?si=a4fc9712706a42ce][img]https://i.imgur.com/hiNfTeT.jpeg[/img][/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=8A9A5B][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR][I]Ursus House[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Campus[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=8A9A5B][b]Take On Me #3.014:[/b][/COLOR][I] Beneath the Surface[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=8A9A5B][SUP][sub]_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][indent][sub][color=8A9A5B][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR][I] Calliope-[@PatientBean][/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=8A9A5B][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR][COLOR=GRAY][I] No Expectations, No Pretenses[/I][/color][/right][/SUP][/indent]

[indent][b][color=#8a9a5b]She[/color][/b][color=#8a9a5b][b] hated it[/b][/color]

That was the selfish and vain thought that came unbidden to her mind, a sharp pang of regret that cut through her like a knife. She immediately felt a wave of guilt for thinking it, knowing how much effort Calliope had put into helping her. The blonde had been so careful, so considerate, each snip of the scissors made with a precision that spoke of her desire to do right by Harper.

And yet, despite all of Calliope’s care and kindness, Harper couldn’t shake the feeling of loss that settled heavily in her chest. Her hair had been more than just a part of her appearance; it had been a part of her identity. It was a shield, a comfort, a constant in a life that often felt anything but. Especially since she’d lost…

And now [i]it[/i] and [i]they[/i] were gone. And she was left exposed to this loss, to bear it all with lowered defences. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“It looks great, Calliope. Thank you,”[/color] she said, lying through her teeth. The words felt heavy and insincere, but she couldn’t bear to let Calliope know how she truly felt. She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the now even lengths for herself, and feigned a smile.[color=#8a9a5b] “I think it’s perfect.” [/color]The words tasted bitter, but she forced them out, not wanting to hurt the other’s feelings. 

She tried to find something positive, something to hold onto as she continued to stare. Maybe it would grow on her, she thought. Maybe, in time, she would come to see this new look as a symbol of her resilience, her ability to adapt and survive. 

But for now, it was just another change Harper wasn’t ready for. That had been forced upon her whether she wanted it or not. 

There was more that needed to be said, surely. [color=#f796a9]“Harper, what’s the real reason you came to see me? Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful you trusted me enough, but there’s more going on isn’t there? I’m not one to talk. I have my own shit. And it doesn’t even have to be now. But if I learned anything from therapy it’s that bottling it all in will only cause more harm. It’s funny…seems my family taught me something. Outward appearances are important, but they hide a lot.”[/color]

Harper felt a lump form in her throat, the words Calliope spoke resonating deeply within her. She had always been good at hiding her true feelings, at putting on a brave face for the world. But here, in this quiet room with Calliope, the facade felt fragile, ready to crumble at any moment.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. [color=#8a9a5b]“What do you mean?”[/color] she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She hoped the question would deflect some of the attention away from her, and give her a moment to gather her thoughts.

[color=#f796a9]“Harper, we all just went through an ordeal that no average person deals with. I can only speak for myself but what I saw in there rattled me so badly I am still reeling. Hell, I am currently not in class because I needed time away.”[/color] She glanced at her phone again. She was close to sending that text.

[color=#f796a9]“So what I mean is why are you talking to me specifically? If it is truly about your hair, fine, but there are plenty of others, more talented whose job it is to cut hair, that could have done it. You came here to me. I would like to know why. But I also don’t want to push you before you’re ready. If it helps, I might be willing to get something off my chest in return. Friends do that.”[/color]

Harper felt a rush of conflicting emotions. She had hoped to avoid this kind of direct confrontation, but Calliope’s words were gentle, filled with genuine concern, for her.  Someone who was a teammate, but might as well be a stranger. A mere acquaintance. 

She looked down at her hands, fingers playing with the hem of her hoodie again, and took another breath. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“I…guess I didn’t really think it through,”[/color] Harper began, her voice trembling slightly, each word a struggle to get out. [color=#8a9a5b]“I just needed to do [/color][i][color=#8a9a5b]something. [/color][/i][color=#8a9a5b]Anything to feel like I still had some…control of things. And you…you’ve always seemed so put together. I just figured that…” [/color]
That she could borrow some of that strength for herself. She had come to Calliope not just for a haircut, but for a lifeline, a way to feel grounded when everything else felt like it was slipping away. 

How selfish could she be? 

Very. 

Calli took a deep breath and thought about how to go about this. Harper was clearly going through a lot and she had opened herself up briefly. Enough for Calli to safely see inside. She didn’t want to make it any more painful.

[color=#f796a9]“My father abused me.” [/color]Calli let the words sink in. It isn’t every day you admit to being tormented. [color=#f796a9]“Growing up he had this image of what perfection looked like. He grew up poor and needed to fight for what he got. He was a first-generation Hispanic after his parents came here so he had a tough road. So when it became clear he would be a politician he…shifted. Or perhaps he was always like this but some small part of me hopes that there was a kind-hearted man back then.”[/color]

[color=#f796a9]“But even still he would expect perfection everywhere. Perfect grades. Perfect posture. Perfect clothes. Perfect hair. Everything had to look perfect or else we would lose it all. And that scared him. Scared him so much that he terrorized me and my brother. It started with little comments here and there and grew. Soon my weight would be critiqued. Or my style choice. Eventually, he moved into…..physical territory. Did it in areas people wouldn’t see and scared me into never telling a soul. And anytime someone did notice something they were dealt with. When my Hyperhuman abilities manifested I was under a lot of pressure. He hates Hyperhumans. Believes them to be a scourge that needs to be eradicated. So he hid me away. Told me to never use my abilities.”[/color]

[color=#f796a9]“So if I seem put together it is because I have to be. Despite me being thousands of miles away from him, I can still hear him. Worse, I can hear myself hurl insult after insult. Any semblance of control I have I use because otherwise…what’s the point?”[/color]

Harper felt another lump form in her throat, the raw honesty of Calli’s words hitting her hard. She had never imagined that Calli, who always seemed so composed, had endured such torment. The revelation was like a punch to the gut, leaving her momentarily breathless and unable to say anything at first. She had always seen Calli as the epitome of strength and grace, much like her known moniker, someone who navigated life with an ease that Harper envied. To learn that beneath that composed exterior lay a history of pain and abuse was both shocking…and immensely humbling. 

Harper’s mind raced, trying to process the full weight of Calli’s confession. She thought about her own father, strict and demanding, but always loving when he needed to be less soldier and more papa. He had pushed her to be her best, but never in a way that made her feel unloved or unworthy. The contrast between their experiences was clear, and it made Harper’s heart ache for the blonde. 

Everyone had their battles, she supposed then. And sometimes the strongest-looking people were the ones fighting the hardest. 

The room seemed to close in around her, the silence heavy. Too heavy. Harper felt her eyes filling with tears, and she blinked rapidly, trying to keep them at bay. The last thing that she wanted was for Calliope to believe she pitied her. Or found her weak. Not again. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“Calli, I’m so sorry,” [/color]Harper finally whispered, her voice thick with emotion. [color=#8a9a5b]“I had no idea.”[/color] The words felt inadequate, but they were all she could manage in the face of such a profound revelation. She reached out, her hand trembling slightly, and placed it gently on Calli’s arm. The gesture was small, but she hoped it conveyed all the support she could muster. To give freely as she did with the few friends she had. 

As the seconds ticked by, Harper found herself reflecting on her own struggles. She should share one of those now, right? It would be fair. And perhaps that’s what the other woman truly wanted. The thought of opening up about her own pain was daunting, but she knew it was the right thing to do. It was a way to bridge the gap between them, to show that she trusted Calli just as much as Calli had trusted her.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again, her mind urging her all the while to just say [i]something. [/i]The words felt trapped in her throat, a jumble of emotions that she couldn’t quite untangle. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and finally spoke.

[color=#8a9a5b]“Lately I feel like…I’m just drowning,” [/color]Harper began.  [color=#8a9a5b]“And weirdly enough…I don’t come up for air.”[/color] She paused, her eyes distant as she tried to find the right words to convey the depth of her feelings. Her fear. Her yearning. [color=#8a9a5b]“Because [i]they [/i]would be there. Waiting for me to surface. I can’t see them, and perhaps that’s a bit of a blessing. But I can hear them. Calling out to me to join them.”[/color]

She took a shaky breath, her chest tightening as if she wasn’t here, but back in the nightmare.[color=#8a9a5b] “I feel like…I’m constantly fighting to stay afloat. Ever since I lost them…my parents.” [/color]She paused again, closing her eyes against the painful memories. Of seeing them in her head. Of being able to give the goodbye she never got to. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“And sometimes…sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to just…let go.” [/color]To join them. The same scenario that the simulation had tempted her with. The thought of being reunited with her parents, of escaping the pain and loneliness, was a seductive one. It whispered to her in her darkest moments, promising peace and sweet relief. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“But that would mean leaving her behind. My sister. And I can’t do that to her again.”  [/color]

Calli could very well understand where Harper was coming from. Despite how awful her parents were, it seems Harper’s had cared a great deal for her. [color=#f796a9]“I am sorry for your loss Harper. I can relate to hoping to let go and let the overwhelming feelings take over. It’s exhausting trying to pretend you are okay when you aren’t.”[/color]

[color=#f796a9]“My brother was a light in that dark time, but even he struggled. He took a lot of the impact that was meant for me and when he came out as Trans that shattered any amount of perfection our father wanted. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”[/color] And that made Calli feel immense guilt. 

Harper’s heart ached for Calli, understanding the pain of family rifts all too well. [color=#8a9a5b]“I’m sorry to hear that,”[/color] she said softly, her voice filled with genuine empathy. [color=#8a9a5b]“It’s hard, isn’t it? Carrying all of this… weight.”[/color] She paused, her mind drifting back to her own sister, Sierra. Their memories were pretty….bittersweet. The fights, the laughter, the unspoken bond that had always been there, even in the toughest times.

[color=#8a9a5b]“My sister and I…we actually fought a lot growing up,” [/color]Harper continued, her voice growing softer as she spoke. [color=#8a9a5b]“But…funnily enough, there was always this unspoken understanding that always remained between us.”[/color] She reached up to twiddle with one of her hair strands, her eyes going distant as she lost herself in the memories. The familiar motion was a small comfort, a way to ground herself in the present while she navigated the past.

[color=#8a9a5b]“She’s always been my rock,” [/color]Harper said. [color=#8a9a5b]“The only family I have left. And if it weren’t for her, I don’t know where I’d be. She keeps me grounded, gives me a reason to keep fighting.”[/color]

Harper’s eyes met Calli’s, and she saw what she thought was a flicker of understanding there.
[color=#8a9a5b]“Family can be so…complicated,” [/color]Harper added, her voice tinged with wistfulness. [color=#8a9a5b]“Which is why it’s so nice that you can [/color][i][color=#8a9a5b]choose [/color][/i][color=#8a9a5b]your own, as well.” [/color]The meaning of her words was not directly said, but she sincerely hoped Calliope understood them. She wanted Calli to know that Blackjack could be her family, as well.  A very, very weird one, but a good one no less. 

Calli had thought a lot about family. Family wasn’t always blood. It’s why she considered Banjo part of her family. And Katja. And Rory. Hell, Blackjack could be her family as she assumed that was Harper’s point. It’s part of what made her feel so guilty over what they had all been through.

[color=#f796a9]“Yeah, family is complicated. Sounds like you and your sister are super close. I really should reach out to my brother. I haven’t seen my niece in years.”[/color] Calliope let out a sigh. [color=#f796a9]“That’s why I am glad to have some people in my life I care about who care about me too. Banjo’s the obvious one. Did I ever tell you we originally only got together during the first night because I wanted to stick it to my father and Banjo seemed like the right person my dad would hate? Turns out he’s actually super considerate and sweet and cares about me without expecting me to be perfect.”[/color] Calli glanced at the phone again. She was glad she didn’t send that text.

Harper listened, her feelings about Banjo swirling in her mind. She had always found him a bit too carefree, his laid-back attitude often clashing with her more serious nature. It frustrated her how he seemed to breeze through life, not taking things seriously enough for her liking. Yet, she couldn’t deny that he had his moments of charm and surprising depth. There were one or two times already this week where he’d revealed a side of him she hadn’t expected, a side that was patient...and smart. She could see somewhat why Calliope cared for him so deeply. 

So, what she thought about the guy overall was… complicated, to say the least.

[color=#8a9a5b]“You should definitely reach out to your brother,” [/color]Harper said, her voice gentle but firm.[color=#8a9a5b] “It sounds like you miss him a lot. And…I’m sure he misses you too.” [/color]She paused, letting the words sink in. [color=#8a9a5b]“Family bonds can be incredibly strong, even when they’ve been strained. Sometimes, all it takes is a small step to start mending those connections.” [/color]Like with her and Sierra. The redhead had messaged her this morning complaining about the early morning call, and Harper had responded with a small apology. Her message, however, was still left on read when last she’d checked. 

Calliope nodded in agreement. She would speak to her brother. Perhaps he could visit with his family. [color=#f796a9]“What started as a haircut turned into a small therapy session. Unintentional, I assure you, but still thank you, Harper. This was…much needed.”[/color] She went to her bed and picked up her phone. [color=#f796a9]“You are going to rock that hair by the way. Perhaps I missed my calling? Think PRCU will let me switch to cosmetology?”[/color]

Harper laughed, the sound genuine and warm, a rare moment of lightness breaking the heavy emotions of the day.  She did feel a little guilty that she couldn’t see her new style that way, but she appreciated Calliope’s effort and kindness. And, in all fairness to the blonde, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had hair [i]this[/i] short, and only to her chin. It was a significant change, one that would take some getting used to. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“You never know! Maybe you’ve got a hidden talent there,”[/color] Harper said, her tone playful. She nibbled on her lip, a small smile working its way across her mouth. [color=#8a9a5b]“But seriously, thank you Calli. For everything. I mean it…You didn’t have to do this, but you did. And it means a lot to me. More than I can really put into words.” [/color]

[color=#f796a9]“We're a team, Harper. Hell, after everything we’ve been through already, I’d say we are family.”[/color] Calli allowed herself to finally relax. She would have to make up the classes she missed, but even that was a little bit of freedom she allowed herself. Her father would be mortified. But, quite frankly, fuck that guy.

[color=#f796a9]“Before I forget, since Gil is out of commission for a bit I am going to need help with the dance. We have the bare bones set up already such as the theme, but I’ll need help coordinating it all and getting the rest of the stuff together. Would you want to help me out?”[/color]

Harper hesitated for a moment, struggling to keep the smile on her face, the image of Gil in his hospital bed flashing through her mind. The memory was vivid and painful: the sterile white sheets, the cast encasing his lower leg, and the pallor of his skin that made him look so [i]fragile[/i]. She had been by to see him as soon as she’d been cleared, but she just hadn’t been able to bring herself to actually enter the room. The sight of him like that had been too much to bear. The beeping of the monitors, the antiseptic smell of the ward, and the quiet hum of activity outside his room had all felt…way too overwhelming. 

Way too [i]familiar. [/i]

Her hand went to her cheek, rubbing at the scarring there, a subconscious gesture as she fought against the memories of raining crimson and animalistic instincts. The vivid recollections of blood, the metallic scent of both of theirs filling the air. The primal urge to survive, to live. Each touch of her fingers against the rough texture of her scars brought it all back in flashes.

But she won.

With a deep steadying breath, Harper pushed the memories back into the recesses of her mind, locking them away again where they couldn’t hurt her. Her hand fell away from her cheek as she offered Calliope a small, reassuring smile, hoping to convey that she was okay. That whatever she may or may not have seen a moment ago was still in her control. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“Yeah, I’d love to help with the dance. Sounds like fun.” [/color][hr]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/defFT2x.jpeg[/img][/indent][/color]