[locked to new hires] post-babadon't

[princesspower]

[ Adora fidgets with her communicator, staring at the screen, her brow furrowed as the video feed starts up. She's in a bed in the infirmary, with some bandaging on her head where she's was previously bleeding from the scalp. She looks tired, mostly. ]

Hey everybody. I just - I guess I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let myself get taken out like that. Everyone had to deal with that because of me. I screwed up. I won't let it happen again. Uh - I guess that's about it.

Comments

video;

[bothbarrels]

Listen, I know we don't know each other well, but I was the one who tracked down the monster and I helped fight it off. And I can tell you, nobody blames you for what happened. Least of all those of us who took care of it.

[princesspower]

If I'd been more alert or stronger or faster, then it would never have been able to imitate me in the first place!

[heterochrocatic]

It's not your fault! If anyone says that it is, they're wrong.

[princesspower]

Catra, I could've done something! Instead I was just locked in a file cabinet!

[fromfryingpantofire]

[He doesn't know Adora well, but he knows that look on her face. Seen it a few too many times in the mirror himself.]

Adora, no. You didn't screw up. You were taken before we even knew there was a threat. Had you known to even be on the look out, I'm certain that you wouldn't have been taken.

You also must have fought in order for that chunk of hair to be lost the way it was. And that gave us clue enough for things to get rolling. Just enough to get the jump on the creature, to keep it from attacking anybody else.

I know it doesn't feel like it right now. And maybe it never will. But you're okay. Nobody blames you for what happened. This is on Jorgmund for, once again, hiding information until they had no choice but to tell us.

[princesspower]

I still shouldn't have been an easy target for it.

There should've been something more. I'm better than that! Or... I should be.

[text]

[takenalive]

It happens like this sometimes. Even if you did misjudge or fail, it is not in proportion. You deserve far less of the blame than the creature does.

Be glad that it was caught and dealt with.

text;

[princesspower]

I still have to take responsibility for my own failure.

Video

[prairietroubador]

You got blindsided. It happens to the best of us, no matter how much we try not to let it happen. Don't be so down on yourself about it.

Especially considerin' it was a shapeshifter you had no warnin' about. I can think of a few folks who maybe might've been prepared for somethin' like that? But that's a very, very big maybe. Even with them bein' some of the most paranoid people I ever met.

[princesspower]

I'm just trying to be better. That's it.

video

[credit_not_blame]

Stay there, I'm gonna come smack you upside the head.

[Stacia doesn't sound angry. Maybe irritated if someone were looking for it, but mostly conversational.]

[princesspower]

What? Why?

[text]

[wheyoftheadept]

if you want to do something practical about it i can put you through some exercises for increasing spatial awareness. might be an edge against a future ambush

everyone else has the emotional stuff on lock so thats my two cents

[text]

[runes_brand]

Cosigning this. Don't be sorry, be better.

[That was the advice Brand had gotten when his life had gotten fucked up at fifteen.]

[princesspower]

That might be worthwhile, honestly.

[fuckingaqua]

Pff, please. It's an insult to real fuckups to try to qualify for membership with "getting taken out by a murder xerox that only went down when ten people hit it at once." Application denied.

If anyone's giving you shit about it, you've got a right to beat them up. I'm not a lawyer, but I assume that's the law.

[princesspower]

No one's giving me shit about it. I'm just... taking responsibility.

[hallelujahjunction]

I speak for all of us when I say we're just glad you were found relatively unharmed. You got nothing to apologize for.

Besides, it livened things up for a minute.

[princesspower]

People died.

Video

[alderaani]

[ The woman is calm, cool and collected, somehow bizarrely seeming regal even for injuries and the insanity of recent events, not to mention her wardrobe. ]

Adora, would it be alright if I came to speak with you in person?

[princesspower]

Uh. Sure. I guess?

[ She's a little confused as to why, but hey. ]

[passifloraincarnata]

[Setsuna doesn't respond to this over the network, she just literally walks a few rooms over from where she's only minutes earlier been getting verbally berated by her own small mob of medial professionals for giving the on-call nurse a damned heart attack by going missing during all that and brushes right past the objections of the staff overseeing the section Adora's room is in, expression calm, steps businesslike, and very firmly bonks Adora right above the bandages.]

That's for being an idiot and worrying Catra, you ... idiot.

[princesspower]

[ Oh, hey Setsuna.

Adora winces and rubs at her head. ]

I know, I know... I shouldn't have let myself get caught.

audio

[zerofield]

[ Tio's normally a fan of text, but she's not sure the lack of tone is actually in its favor right now, because then it's still easy to imagine that she's sounding disapproving. So, audio it is.

After everything else up there, she also suspects she isn't getting an answer anytime soon, which is okay, honestly. She's just going to leave this here and hope it helps later.

So, here it is: very calm and quiet, because that's how Tio rolls, and not at all phrased accusingly - but as an honest question. ]

A lot of people who I know you'd trust with your life have already said everything, so I don't want to beat a dead pom. But if you'd trust people like Catra with your life already...

Would it be so bad to trust that they have a point about you being too hard on yourself?

[princesspower]

[ She hears it, but Adora really isn't in a mood to try and argue again. ]

[greyerrant]

Even the strongest warrior loses at times. What did you learn?

[princesspower]

That my friends think I can't take care of myself, apparently.

I don't want to talk.

Audio

[walkingballpit]

It’s not your fault, Adora. There’s no such thing as a perfect hero.

[ Robbie sounds rather muted, but it’s because he’s really making an effort to not sound mean, or cold, and that’s hard when something doesn’t give you a warm fuzzy feeling. ]

You can’t train it, you can’t be born with it. You can’t heap responsibility and guilt on yourself to teach yourself a lesson and make yourself be better. It only makes it worse the next time.

I know you’re probably not going to still be listening at this point, but you can only do your best. It’s okay to get beat - obviously it sucks, and I hope you’re not hurt too bad. But you don’t owe anybody here an apology for “letting” it happen. I bet you didn’t “let” squat. Wouldn’t and couldn’t are two different words.

video

[googledox]

I'm a member of a team that protects the galaxy on a regular basis and am singularly responsible for some of the most vital problem solving that allows us to not fail and die.

...And I have been beaten half to death, held hostage, roboticized, turned into a living supercomputer against my will [He waves a hand vaguely] and so on and so forth.

Most of my teammates - one way or another - have found themselves in similar situations at some point, despite the fact some of them can control black holes, throw whole buildings, and reverse time.

[His voice is still matter of fact, but his expression is very gentle.]

Even the best of us sometimes take a hit to the solar plexus. There is no fault involved, it's just one of the hazards of living a dangerous existence.

That's what having a team is for. So there's someone there to fight when you can't, and there to help you get back up again.

[And due to their circumstances, they are her team.]

There's nothing to apologize for when that help is given freely.

[princesspower]

[ Sorry, Brainy. She's not dealing with people anymore today. ]