Application for Claire Bennet (Heroes)
Sep. 1st, 2007 07:34 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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hh_mirror((Done with permission from the Heroes-muns. Spoilers for the whole first season.))
The door to the Sorting Room opened slowly, and a pretty blonde girl, about sixteen, poked her head around it. "Hello?"
Hitching her bag over her shoulder, Claire Bennet made her way inside, eyes wide as she took in the stone walls and suits of armor. "Wow. This is so just like the set to a movie." A kind of half-smile was on her face as she headed towards the table in the middle of the room. Setting her bag down, she sat, crossing her legs and glancing down at the application.
She'd come all the way to Scotland for a purpose. After the explosion, after Nathan (her bio dad, which was a concept she still couldn't wrap her brain around completely) and Peter (Uncle Peter? That just sounded weird) had disappeared - had died, probably - all Claire could think of was that she had to do something with the power she'd been given. Peter had saved her, then had died saving the world. He'd lived so brightly, so completely focused on his destiny, on what he'd been meant to do, and Claire wanted his death to mean something. She wanted her dad - her real dad, the man who had raised her - to not have taken a bullet for her for nothing. She wanted to help people.
Hey, even Nathan had come around in the end. The future wasn't set in stone. There was always hope.
Unfortunately, being a cheerleader in Odessa, TX, wasn't exactly the best background for a super hero. Unless saving people required a handstand or a human pyramid, she was going to need some help. Hopefully, she'd be able to get it here. Claire just had to remember that she was posing as a totally normal girl. Hey, she could keep cover. Not like she didn't have any experience in that.
"Um, hi," she said, not really sure what else to do. "I'm Claire Bennet. I'd like to apply for your school? Please?"
The quill jumped to life and Claire started back. At first she looked wildly around the room, heart pounding. She hadn't exactly had the best experiences with objects moving seemingly on their own. But when she didn't see anyone, Claire relaxed, looking down at the quill with a smile.
"Cool."
1. What is your favorite cheese? Why is it your favorite?
Wrinkling her nose at the question, Claire looked around the room. "This is kind of an...unusual question, don't you think? I mean, for a school application. Sounds like a question that would be on some internet quiz or something." She flashed a tiny smile, then shrugged and laughed a little. "Um, I feel like I should say brie or something, so I sound mature and sophisticated." Again she laughed, looking ruefully at the application. "But I guess the truth would be the nachos that they have at football games at my school? Even though I so shouldn't eat them. Or toasted cheese sandwiches with a glass of orange juice. I don't know, I guess I'm kinda simple."
2. Who would you kill first, Barney or Carrottop?
The smile on Claire's face faded slightly, and she looked up quickly. What kind of application was this? "Well, Barney has that annoying song," she forced a laugh, one shoulder rising and falling in a slight shrug.
But behind the friendly, if slightly bland, expression, Claire's mind was racing. Could they know? Or were they just trying to make her slip up? Or maybe this was just one of those personality things, like 'If you could only save one person from a burning building, who would it be?'. (Of course, Claire's answer to that would, in reality, be a lot different than most people's. Having the ability to heal yourself would do that.) In any case, Claire suddenly was a lot more wary of the application, and she proceeded with caution, smile frozen on her face, eyes darting around the room from time to time.
She had to be careful.
3. What time is it where you are?
Compared to the last question, this one was refreshingly normal. Taking a look at her watch, Claire said, "Well, I'm still set to Texas time. And..." she laughed. "God, I'm so bad at math. My watch says six oh-five. So whatever it would be to get it onto Scottish time."
4. If you were Albus Dumbledore returned from the dead, which member of the Order of the Phoenix would you sexually harass? How would you harass them? If you are Albus Dumbledore, please answer as if you were Sirius Black.
A look of repulsion crossed her face. "You can't force yourself on people. That's just wrong, no matter who you are. And you shouldn't encourage it, either. People who think they're above all that, they need to be stopped. You should be able to feel safe around people, especially people you think you could care about. Harassing them, forcing yourself on them, that's disgusting."
5. If you are pushing to be in:
A. Slytherin - please state the clever, witty name of the bar in which you bartend, in the dark.
"Um..." She paused, thinking. Then one corner of her mouth lifted in a sad little smile. "'Between a Rock and a Sponge'. It's...a play on the name of...of this guy I knew. He...he was a hero." Her smile was forced larger and Claire stuck out her chin, definitely not crying. "And hey, heroes get things named after them, right? I mean, a fictional bar isn't exactly a statue, but I think he'd laugh."
B. Gryffindor – Debate whether Harry should ultimately end up married to Fred or George. Use examples from a variety of world mythologies to bolster your argument.
Holding up both of her hands, Claire laughed and shook her head, eyes going wide. "Oh, no. I kinda think I'm the last person you should ask about all that. I've got, like, no experience, and the little I do have kind of...ended bad." But she considered the question for a minute, a smile playing out on her mouth. "But I guess, if I had to, I'd just say it should be whoever he loved. I mean, really loved. Like, the person he trusted and wanted to spend time with and made him feel safe. And butterflies and all that. If you're going to do the whole 'til death do you part' thing, it should be with your best friend, right?"
C. Ravenclaw – You guys are supposed to be smart. Explain why my desk is inundated with paperwork at all times, even though I’m constantly disposing of it.
"Um, I'm not exactly smart." Claire gave a self-deprecating laugh, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I totally barely passed Bio. But maybe you should just get a secretary or something? Or switch jobs? I guess I don't see paper as a huge problem. That's kind of what my dad does for a living." Claire paused, biting her lower lip, then smiled again. "He's the manager of a paper company." So far as anyone else in the world needed to know, that is.
D. Hufflepuff – Prove you are not useless.
"Me? I'm...just a cheerleader. I mean, I don't think anyone is worthless, but I'm not exactly anything special." Sticking her hands in her pockets, Claire stared down at the paper for a minute, not really seeing anything. Or, rather, seeing something very different than a rough, wooden desk and a large piece of parchment. "I've known some really extraordinary people, though," she continued quietly. "I mean, really, really amazing. There was this one guy, he saved my life. Even though he didn't even know me. He died saving the world. And there were other people, they gave up everything... I think that's special." Raising her head again, Claire blinked, then smiled softly. "I'm just a girl."
6. Offer a bribe to the members of this community so that they will not squib you. Items used in bribery do not necessarily have to belong to the person offering the bribe. Do not threaten us rather than offering a bribe. A threat indicates you either don't really want to be here, or don't have enough sense to answer the question properly. The hat will automatically squib you, regardless of other votes, if you do.
Oh. Um. Digging in her bag, Claire brought out a bag of gummy worms, a few pens (pink, glittery ones), a disposable camera, and a few paperbacks she'd bought at the airport. "Sorry, that's pretty much all I have." Glancing around, she tucked a strand of hair behind her hear, eyes questioning. "So - did I pass?"
The door to the Sorting Room opened slowly, and a pretty blonde girl, about sixteen, poked her head around it. "Hello?"
Hitching her bag over her shoulder, Claire Bennet made her way inside, eyes wide as she took in the stone walls and suits of armor. "Wow. This is so just like the set to a movie." A kind of half-smile was on her face as she headed towards the table in the middle of the room. Setting her bag down, she sat, crossing her legs and glancing down at the application.
She'd come all the way to Scotland for a purpose. After the explosion, after Nathan (her bio dad, which was a concept she still couldn't wrap her brain around completely) and Peter (Uncle Peter? That just sounded weird) had disappeared - had died, probably - all Claire could think of was that she had to do something with the power she'd been given. Peter had saved her, then had died saving the world. He'd lived so brightly, so completely focused on his destiny, on what he'd been meant to do, and Claire wanted his death to mean something. She wanted her dad - her real dad, the man who had raised her - to not have taken a bullet for her for nothing. She wanted to help people.
Hey, even Nathan had come around in the end. The future wasn't set in stone. There was always hope.
Unfortunately, being a cheerleader in Odessa, TX, wasn't exactly the best background for a super hero. Unless saving people required a handstand or a human pyramid, she was going to need some help. Hopefully, she'd be able to get it here. Claire just had to remember that she was posing as a totally normal girl. Hey, she could keep cover. Not like she didn't have any experience in that.
"Um, hi," she said, not really sure what else to do. "I'm Claire Bennet. I'd like to apply for your school? Please?"
The quill jumped to life and Claire started back. At first she looked wildly around the room, heart pounding. She hadn't exactly had the best experiences with objects moving seemingly on their own. But when she didn't see anyone, Claire relaxed, looking down at the quill with a smile.
"Cool."
1. What is your favorite cheese? Why is it your favorite?
Wrinkling her nose at the question, Claire looked around the room. "This is kind of an...unusual question, don't you think? I mean, for a school application. Sounds like a question that would be on some internet quiz or something." She flashed a tiny smile, then shrugged and laughed a little. "Um, I feel like I should say brie or something, so I sound mature and sophisticated." Again she laughed, looking ruefully at the application. "But I guess the truth would be the nachos that they have at football games at my school? Even though I so shouldn't eat them. Or toasted cheese sandwiches with a glass of orange juice. I don't know, I guess I'm kinda simple."
2. Who would you kill first, Barney or Carrottop?
The smile on Claire's face faded slightly, and she looked up quickly. What kind of application was this? "Well, Barney has that annoying song," she forced a laugh, one shoulder rising and falling in a slight shrug.
But behind the friendly, if slightly bland, expression, Claire's mind was racing. Could they know? Or were they just trying to make her slip up? Or maybe this was just one of those personality things, like 'If you could only save one person from a burning building, who would it be?'. (Of course, Claire's answer to that would, in reality, be a lot different than most people's. Having the ability to heal yourself would do that.) In any case, Claire suddenly was a lot more wary of the application, and she proceeded with caution, smile frozen on her face, eyes darting around the room from time to time.
She had to be careful.
3. What time is it where you are?
Compared to the last question, this one was refreshingly normal. Taking a look at her watch, Claire said, "Well, I'm still set to Texas time. And..." she laughed. "God, I'm so bad at math. My watch says six oh-five. So whatever it would be to get it onto Scottish time."
4. If you were Albus Dumbledore returned from the dead, which member of the Order of the Phoenix would you sexually harass? How would you harass them? If you are Albus Dumbledore, please answer as if you were Sirius Black.
A look of repulsion crossed her face. "You can't force yourself on people. That's just wrong, no matter who you are. And you shouldn't encourage it, either. People who think they're above all that, they need to be stopped. You should be able to feel safe around people, especially people you think you could care about. Harassing them, forcing yourself on them, that's disgusting."
5. If you are pushing to be in:
A. Slytherin - please state the clever, witty name of the bar in which you bartend, in the dark.
"Um..." She paused, thinking. Then one corner of her mouth lifted in a sad little smile. "'Between a Rock and a Sponge'. It's...a play on the name of...of this guy I knew. He...he was a hero." Her smile was forced larger and Claire stuck out her chin, definitely not crying. "And hey, heroes get things named after them, right? I mean, a fictional bar isn't exactly a statue, but I think he'd laugh."
B. Gryffindor – Debate whether Harry should ultimately end up married to Fred or George. Use examples from a variety of world mythologies to bolster your argument.
Holding up both of her hands, Claire laughed and shook her head, eyes going wide. "Oh, no. I kinda think I'm the last person you should ask about all that. I've got, like, no experience, and the little I do have kind of...ended bad." But she considered the question for a minute, a smile playing out on her mouth. "But I guess, if I had to, I'd just say it should be whoever he loved. I mean, really loved. Like, the person he trusted and wanted to spend time with and made him feel safe. And butterflies and all that. If you're going to do the whole 'til death do you part' thing, it should be with your best friend, right?"
C. Ravenclaw – You guys are supposed to be smart. Explain why my desk is inundated with paperwork at all times, even though I’m constantly disposing of it.
"Um, I'm not exactly smart." Claire gave a self-deprecating laugh, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I totally barely passed Bio. But maybe you should just get a secretary or something? Or switch jobs? I guess I don't see paper as a huge problem. That's kind of what my dad does for a living." Claire paused, biting her lower lip, then smiled again. "He's the manager of a paper company." So far as anyone else in the world needed to know, that is.
D. Hufflepuff – Prove you are not useless.
"Me? I'm...just a cheerleader. I mean, I don't think anyone is worthless, but I'm not exactly anything special." Sticking her hands in her pockets, Claire stared down at the paper for a minute, not really seeing anything. Or, rather, seeing something very different than a rough, wooden desk and a large piece of parchment. "I've known some really extraordinary people, though," she continued quietly. "I mean, really, really amazing. There was this one guy, he saved my life. Even though he didn't even know me. He died saving the world. And there were other people, they gave up everything... I think that's special." Raising her head again, Claire blinked, then smiled softly. "I'm just a girl."
6. Offer a bribe to the members of this community so that they will not squib you. Items used in bribery do not necessarily have to belong to the person offering the bribe. Do not threaten us rather than offering a bribe. A threat indicates you either don't really want to be here, or don't have enough sense to answer the question properly. The hat will automatically squib you, regardless of other votes, if you do.
Oh. Um. Digging in her bag, Claire brought out a bag of gummy worms, a few pens (pink, glittery ones), a disposable camera, and a few paperbacks she'd bought at the airport. "Sorry, that's pretty much all I have." Glancing around, she tucked a strand of hair behind her hear, eyes questioning. "So - did I pass?"
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-02 05:09 pm (UTC)"He is a hero, Claire," Peter followed up, tucking his hands in his pockets and smiling at them both. Oh, he knew that Nathan had been prepared to let him explode and let half of New York get killed, but Nathan had also changed his mind and done the right thing, in the end. That was all that mattered to Peter. "He saved New York, when I couldn't do anything. Nathan risked his own life to save millions of people."
Okay, maybe he didn't need to give Nathan a Talking To.
"Claire, Nathan only did what he did out of love. He wanted to protect you," Peter said softly, willing Claire to understand. "He's a better man than I am." Nathan had tried to protect Claire while Peter had tried to make her shoot him in the head; in Peter's view, Nathan was much more of a hero than he would ever be.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-02 05:40 pm (UTC)"This is about New York," she hissed, gesturing to emphasize her points. "This is about you being willing to sacrifice all those people. You weren't protecting anyone but yourself."
She rounded on Peter. "He is not a good guy, Peter! He lied to you! He lied to me. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. And if he had done something sooner, then maybe things would have been better." She pointed at him. "He didn't save New York. You fought Sylar, you're the reason Hiro could kill him. I saw it, Peter. He just showed up because he can't even commit to being a murderer. He got cold feet, that's all. He couldn't live with himself. That's not a hero." She was all but crying, now, out of frustration and anger.
"You don't love me," she shot at Nathan. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have treated me like some pawn or something to be shoved in a closet and trotted out at the right time. You don't love anyone but yourself."
Then she glared at Peter. "And you're a hundred times better than he could ever be." Claire's eyes slid to Nathan. "And he knows it."
Vote: Gryffindor
Date: 2007-09-03 07:46 pm (UTC)Because, truth was, he did try. With Claire? God, he wasn't making up all that he'd told her, about wanting to be a good father for her, about wanting to... do better. Claire hadn't been around Nathan long enough to know just how rarely he tended to be genuine around the people around him, if the politician smile flashing all six hundred and eight seven of his teeth wasn't enough indication. And here he was, and what he'd told her was... severely not lying, but how did you make that up to somebody you'd fucked over so very royally?
Nathan automatically held up a finger of warning, towards Peter, and he could practically smell the kid coming up with various excuses right now, for why Nathan was such an ass. "Nah, she's right," he automatically commented, lightly, in a low sort of voice. He slid his hands back into his slacks, gritting his teeth together and fixing Claire with a long, knowing sort of look. "I did lie." Screw the purpose behind it. That he was trying to protect everyone around him.
"I lied, and I brushed you out of the way until it was convenient for me, and," he continued, frown tugging down the corners of his mouth, "yeah, I know Peter's a better man than me." Looking decidedly very much not at Peter when he was saying this, naturally. Because Peter was not a complete asshole. A brat at times, yet a much better man than Nathan, yes. But a better man couldn't have done what Nathan nearly did. There was a reason they picked the cold, distancing brother for all of this, rather than the hospice nurse.
What do you say to something like that? Especially words coming out of the one person in the world who can absolute terrify you - your own kids. So... he left it. Forcing another blunt sort of smile, another one of those politician ones that didn't quite reach his eyes, Nathan just took a few steps back, nodding once. "Nice seeing you again, Claire. Good luck with your sorting."
Re: Vote: Gryffindor
Date: 2007-09-03 08:03 pm (UTC)And now he was walking away. Again.
"I threw a stone at your car," she said, loudly, standing with feet braced, with hand curled into fists. "I was outside of Meredith's window and I heard you. You could have seen me. You could have met me! Why didn't you?" Her voice cracked, then, and she scrubbed angrily at the tears falling down her cheeks. "Why didn't you want me? Why did you walk away?"
Then, choking back a sob, she drew back. "Never mind," she hissed, glaring. "I don't care. I don't need you. And you made it pretty obvious you don't need me. But you're not going to leave me again, okay? This time, I'm walking away from you."
Turning, Claire did just that, heading off into the crowd of the Sorting Room, trying to stop herself from crying.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Re: Vote: Gryffindor
Date: 2007-09-03 08:13 pm (UTC)Not that Peter didn't know about the various bad qualities of Nathan. He knew them just as well as he knew Nathan's good qualities, but he was willing to overlook them. For all that Nathan lied to him, manipulated him and hurt him, it was okay, because Peter had faith that Nathan still loved him. That all of that was, if not for Peter's protection, then for the greater good. And if was for selfish reasons, then that was okay too, because it was Nathan, and Peter understood.
Claire was still fighting against that, and Peter hadn't really expected her to change her view of Nathan, anyway. She was upset, he got that, and that wasn't going to change without action on Nathan's part. Peter dithered on the spot, looking between Claire and Nathan, torn between who to stay with. Claire's crying broke his heart, and all he wanted to do was hug her and tell her it was okay, that Nathan was trying - but she was already leaving, and he didn't know if another Petrelli brother was really what Claire wanted to see right now.
And if he followed after Nathan to have serious words, Peter knew that nothing productive would get talked about until Nathan had had a chance to wrap his head around Claire's appearance. So that would wait until later.
For now, Peter was going stay here and watch over Claire to make sure that she was safe, and okay. Going invisible with a thought, he retreated to the back of the room and lurked, already going over what he was going to say to Nathan later. Peter had faith that they could be family if they tried.