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(no subject)

Characters: Hayley Stark + Bruce Banner, Tony Stark (MCU), Jor-El, others [CLOSED]
Date: Post-Superman attack (Dec 8→)
Location: All over
Situation Hayley attacked Superman and some people are not entirely thrilled about it + she has some explaining to do.
Warnings/Ratings: PG-13 for violence, language, possible references to homicide, suicide, pedophilia, etc. idk it's Hayley.

[ooc: Log for Kryptonite plot stuff. Please request a thread if you want one.]

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"Promise," she reiterates. Promises don't mean all that much to her, when she's giving them, but she trusts a man like Jor-El to want to keep his.

To the latter, she frowns a little. Hayley takes her distress to her coffee, taking one long sip and then another as she thinks. Suddenly she wonders if a radioactive substance would have an effect on a radioactive being. It's not exactly something she can ask about though, not without hinting at where the rock is. "What do you mean, 'sufficiently shielded?'"

"I give you my word. I have no interest in making you feel unsafe." While her comments made it evident that she already felt that way, he had no interest in adding to it.

"By 'sufficiently shielded' I mean some kind of radiation absorbent container. Lead, for example, will block much of its radiation and require less total mass for it to be safe." Kal-El's knowledge of Kryptonite had meshed with what he knew of radioactive materials and what precautions should be taken.

She gives him a pointed look at his word, the closest thing she can give to gratitude right now. Then Hayley is sipping at her coffee again to hide her self-satisfaction at knowing the Kryptonite is safely encased in lead, where it can't harm anyone. For all her fuck ups, at least she managed to do something right.

"Oh," she says finally, setting her mug on the table as before. Any expression of contentedness has been wiped from her expression when she turns to look at him. "I'll make sure it doesn't accidentally hurt anyone."

"It will suffice," he says, meeting her eyes.

He doesn't thank her; it is a precaution that should be taken regardless, and her particular phrasing doesn't escape him, nor the fact that it was only him giving his word.

"Feel better?" For as much as she appreciates Jor-El, she remains angry about the entire situation. His presence right now, his willingness to listen and to give his word, means a great deal in terms of their friendship. It's something she won't fully appreciate until much later. In this moment, the hurt and bitterness supersedes most other potential reactions.

If she was hoping for her question's tone to visibly irritate him, she was going to be disappointed. "Now that I am assured your long term health will not be put at risk for no reason, yes."

"I still don't understand why you're being so nice to me," she sighs. Hayley continues to watch him. It's hard to maintain her anger when he insists on being continually caring, although that itself provokes frustration of a different kind. The anger isn't entirely gone, but Jor-El continues to stand before her and talk to her after all the outs she's given him and all of her admittedly mediocre efforts to push him away.

In spite of attacking his son and yelling at him and maintaining her ownership of the only thing that can really hurt him, he's still here.

"I already explained why." While he doesn't fully understand some of the implications of the comments earlier that he found particularly concerning, it doesn't change the fact that he cares.

"Not everything is immediately easy to understand, Hayley." Most things. But not everything.

Hayley shakes her head. "Nothing is immediately easy to understand. Except maybe those 'Made for Dummies' books."

The fact that she's making the strange reference is a sign of her mind moving on, her anger subsiding in this moment. Or maybe just waiting for a better time. Whatever the case, she stands and moves towards him and pointedly, dramatically, offers her hand for him to shake. Even if he's not human, she figures he'll still get the concept.

"We can talk more some other time." It's about the closest thing to a promise she'll give right now.

He rises at the same time she does, and accepts her hand gently, already aware of the gesture. He is still cautious with her, letting her apply what pressure she will, rather than doing so himself. Even now, he occasionally exerts too much pressure on inanimate objects, and has no interest in injuring someone accidentally.

The reference is self-explanatory enough, though somewhat inexplicable, and he allows it to pass.

"Yes, we can." The fact that she's signaled that this will not be the last discussion they will have is success enough.

Hayley gives him a handshake that's not all that firm, more in it for the gesture than the physicality. It doesn't occur to her that he might not have complete control of his abilities. Instead, she simply looks at him with the same deep-seeded confusion as through half their conversation, as if still not quite understanding him, before releasing his hand and allowing him the opportunity to leave.

This time he understands the source of he confusion, but he cannot give an explanation; not without giving her another source of fear to fuel further ill-reasoned actions before she has had time to lay them to rest.

When his hand is released, his arm returns to his side, and he walks to the door, before turning.

"Until next time."

He will leave it to Hayley to decide when that next time will be. He cannot fix everything, and trying at this juncture would only cause damage.

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