DC Genesis

"Nice," Rose replied, with a small grin. This guy got around, it sounded like. Some people might be put off by that, but she actually found it entertaining. And with that thing between his legs, it was no wonder... would have been a shame for something like that not to get a work out once in a while. When Neal asked her about her sexual encounters, however, she suddenly froze up a little, staring straight forward. She remained quiet for a bit, bowing her head and clearing her throat. "Oh, me, uh... well I was young, too. But it wasn't with anyone I really knew very well... and there were some people after that, and of course I've stepped it up recently. I mean, not like I have a chance to get involved in a relationship with people when I'm always on the move, but there's been plenty."

Neal raised an eyebrow as Rose seemed to be thrown off suddenly by Neal's question. He wasn't sure what was so surprising by it, it was the exact same question that she had asked him except it was directed at her. He wasn't sure what it was about, but he couldn't help but wonder just what was going on. She gave no specifics, only stating that she was young when she started and had several guys ever since than.

"And that's the truth is it?" Neal asked simply. Something just still felt off about how Rose was carrying herself.

"Yes, it's the truth," she said quickly, as if forcing back the question right into his face. "There's just nothing to tell about it, okay? Was a long time ago, with no one important, and that's it." She went quiet after that, focusing on lathering up her hair with the shampoo. She didn't speak again until after she finished rinsing her hair clean and looked back to him with her hand held out. "Soap."

"Okay okay," Neal said as he decided to back off from the question. Apparently it was either a sore point or.....yeah it was definitely a sore point for Rose here, though he had no idea why. He guessed that asking would probably mean that his neck would be snapped right off though. So, for personal reasons he refrained from asking anything further.

He passed the soap easily to Rose once he was done with it before taking the shampoo and going about his hair.

Rose continued the remainder of her shower with Neal in silence. It was a shame, really, that something that had started off so carefree, fun, and friendly, had ended so quiet and cold. When she was done, she stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and headed back out into the main part of the room to dry off and change. She didn't give Neal so much as another glance or word even once they were fully dressed and on their way to check out. It wasn't until they were back in the parking lot on their way to the car that she said, "I saw a gym on the way here yesterday. Drop me off there on your way home, I want to get a work out.'

Neal also stayed in silence, not really knowing what to say. Evidently he had said something very hurtful to Rose, though he wasn't quite sure why. Was she lying and was in fact a virgin or something? Or was one of her sexual partners a very bad experience for a reason that Neal couldn't foresee? He didn't know, but either way he felt like shit. He just got dressed in silence before heading out to the car with her. "Sure thing," he said as he got in to the driver's side.

"Do you want me to come and pick you up when you're done?"

"No need," she replied, looking out the window. "I'll walk back when I'm done. Pretty sure I remember the way... and it'll give me some extra exercise, too." Not to mention it would also give her plenty of time alone. She really just needed to clear her head right now, before she did something she would regret. It was best if no one was around when she got like this, in one of her moods. The problem was, she wasn't even angry at anyone, no really. Not at Neal, or even at herself, just... some things in her past she had never really gotten over.

"Alright, I guess that I'll see you later tonight than," Neal said before eventually driving through the blocks and dropping Rose off so that she could work out. He couldn't help but wonder if she was actually going to come back or not. He knew that she had paid her rent, but she seemed pretty pissed right now. Giving her status as a wanderer, she might just head off again and not bother with coming back. He hoped that this was not the case though.

As Neal got home he had to explain to his father what had happened. Neal did exactly as he had told Rose, he lied by saying that he and Rose were upset with thinking about their mothers. It made Clint more sentimental and thus he backed off as he didn't want to upset Neal more. He did talk to his son though in an effort to remind him that things were okay, but other than that he just asked Neal to let him know so that he wouldn't be worried.

Neal agreed.

By the time that night came around, Neal was reading a few chapters out of Moby Dick, his favorite book of all time. It helped him to clear his head and get more thoughtful about things. For fun, as he read the story he made tiny illusions on the pages to make it look like he was seeing what happened rather than reading a story. This was another small use of his power that he enjoyed having.

Rose arrived back at their house some time later that night. Or rather, she stumbled through the front door and nearly collapsed, barely holding herself up with her hands against the wall. She muttered to herself, groaning and cursing under her breath as she wobbled forward down the hallway. She was, quite simply, completely smashed. And that was saying a lot, because it took a LOT of alcohol to get her even a buzz. But right now, she could barely stand up, let alone walk straight. It was a miracle all on its own that she had managed to find her way back to the right address.

"I'm... bacck," she mumbled, as she tripped into the living room. She very nearly crashed over the end table, but somehow managed to keep her balance before collapsing onto the couch.

Surprisingly enough, it was Clint who was first on the scene. He had been making himself a late meal for the night before seeing Rose stumble through the door. His eyes widened as Rose fell in to the floor on his room. He ran over to her and crouched down at her side before taking her in her arms. He leaned down and could already smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Rose...Rose talk to me," Clint said as he looked down at the girl. "where have you been? I thought Neal said that you were at the gym?"

"Was at... the gym..." she muttered, shaking her head several times while squirming in his arms, as if trying to get away. "Wuz on.... wuz going home... stopped to get... get drinksh, heheheheh." She suddenly broke out into a fit of laughter, throwing her her head back and with a huge grin. "Everything'sh sho... bright. Eheh heh heheh.. heh..." And then, just as suddenly, she shifted into tears, curling herself up in Clint's arms and burying her face against his shoulder, sobbing with nothing holding her back.

Clint just stayed quiet as the girl spoke, at first seeming to be okay. She was even laughing, but Clint could sense what was coming. After his wife died he had also taken a liking to the drink. The only thing that brought him out of it had been him realizing that he had two children to take care of. After that he had never touched the stuff, too many people were counting on him.

As the laughter switched to tears, Clint just held the girl close as she released all of her emotions. He rocked her lightly back and forth. "There there Rose," he said softly as he wasn't sure what else to say. "It's okay, everything is going to be alright. You're safe here."

Rose tried to stop, tried to gather herself together, but her emotions were too far gone and her mind too foggy. So, she kept crying, tears soaking into Clint's shirt. It wasn't often that she cried like this, or cried ever really, but in this kind of state there was little retraining her inner torment. About five minutes later, she started to hiccup uncontrollably, even if her sobbing was beginning to die down. The rocking back and forth was actually starting to feel good, put her at ease.

"I'm.. s-sor-hic-sorry," she uttered, still not looking up at him. "I didn't-hic-mean any... didn't mean any-hic-thing..."

Clint glanced down at Rose as she began to speak again. He wasn't sure what to say, as he didn't even know what kind of hidden pain she was trying to bury from him. It wasn't his place to ask though, she was in enough pain as it was, he was not going to add to her burden. "Shush Rose, it is okay," he said as she tried to apologize for her behavior.

Clint reached his arms beneath Rose and gently picked her up in to his arms and kept holding her close. "You should sleep Rose, I'm guessing that you've had a bad day," he said as he took her back to his room and gently set her down on the bed. "Is there anything at all that I can get for you?"

Rose remained quiet, save for a few stray sobs and hiccups, as Clint carried her off to his room. She didn't really know where he was taking her, or even where she was in general at this point. All she knew was that, for some reason, she felt safer and more relaxed than she had in years, in spite of her current... condition. When he set her down in the bed, she curled up beneath the covers and buried her face into the pillow.

"I... sleep..." she muttered. "Just want to-hic-to... sleep."

"Than you sleep Rose, everything will be okay. Just sleep it off," Clint said as he patted Rose's head once as it would reassure her. Despite the fact that it probably didn't take long Rose to sleep, Clint stayed there a good hour after she fell asleep to make sure that she would stay asleep through the night. It was only after he was certain that she was okay where he moved to the living room. He would sleep on the couch tonight.

Rose wasn't exactly sure when she woke up the next morning, but when she did her skull was pounding like a drum. No, not a drum. More like a fucking jackhammer. "Uuuunnnnggh...." she groaned, gripping her skull tightly with her fingers. She tried to remember what the hell had happened last night, but all she got were brief glimpses and flashes. Most of it was just a big blank, though. Why was she waking up in a big bed? ...whose bed was it? And where the hell was she? Last thing she could recall from the night before, she was wandering into a bar. Obviously, there was quite a big gap she was missing...

It was about fifteen minutes later that Clint opened the door to his room and saw that Rose was coming to, clearly with quite the hangover. He walked over with a glass of water and some tablets. "Drink this," Clint said as he dropped the pills in to the water and they quickly began to fizz up. "It'll help dull the pain," he said as he sat at the edge of his bed and just waited for her to drink it.

"Do you remember what happened last night once you came home Rose?"

Rose looked to the door when it opened, actually quite surprised to see Clint standing there. So she had actually made it back to Neal's house? Wow... how on earth had she managed that when she was so drunk that she couldn't remember anything? She blinked at him a couple of times, eyeing the glass of water and pills before taking them and quickly gulping them down. She choked a little on the water, coughing some of it up onto the sheets.

"Urgh..." she muttered, wiping her lips dry. "Sorry..." She brought a palm up to her eye next, rubbing it furiously. Why the fuck did it itch so much? "Don't remember anything... I was walking home... then I stopped at a bar and... I don't know."

Clint just nodded, listening as Rose spoke about not remembering what happened the night before. With how much alcohol he smelled on her it wasn't like he could say that he was surprised. It was a miracle that she even walked back here. He just placed a hand on her shoulder. "To be honest I'm more curious about you....are you alright Rose?" he asked simply as he stared at her. "I'm sure you didn't mean to say anything, but you were quite upset when you came home. You were crying in to my shoulder after you collapsed on the floor."

"Is there anything that you want to talk to me about?"

"That doesn't sound like me..." she muttered, still holding her head with one hand. At least, not a sober her, anyway. For a while she just sat there, trying to let the pills take effect and lessen the splitting headache ripping through her skull. Eventually, she managed to look back at Clint and say, "You don't want to hear about me... why would you? You don't even know me."

Clint gave a small shrug as Rose offered her question. "I'm not going to make you say anything Rose, I don't have that right. You're right, I don't really know you, but I don't think anyone in this house does," he remarked before standing up. "I don't know how long you and I will know each other, but if I can I'd rather help you in some way. Perhaps I'm going to fail or maybe I can help you....all I know is that I need to try," he said as he kept his gaze fixed upon her. "But if you don't want to talk about what upset you so much last night, I will drop it if that is your wish."

Again, Rose remained silent for a long time, just staring down at the sheets. It was every indication that she didn't want to talk about anything, and as far as Clint was concerned, he'd probably just leave her be. But before he could leave the room, she finally would speak, though her voice was quiet, somber. "It was just any one thing, you know? I just... had a lot on my mind. Some stuff I never really got over, I guess. I'm not exactly... from here."

Reaching behind her, she scratched the back of her head lightly before she elaborated. "I was born in Cambodia. My mother... she wasn't really anyone special, and my father was a bastard I never saw for the first fourteen years of my life. But you see the thing about my mom was... well, I kind of grew up in a... well, a brothel, maybe. In some remote Cambodian village. Practically in the jungle. You can imagine how that was like."

Clint stared at Rose for some time, wondering if she was going to speak or if it would be best to just leave her alone. As she seemed to stay silent Clint slowly stood up to leave. Perhaps if she had a few more hours of sleep she would feel better. However, he didn't get halfway to the door before she spoke up. He froze immediately before turning around to look at Rose. He quietly walked back over before sitting down across the bed from her.

As she told her story, Clint was beginning to peel away at the surfaces that were clouding over Rose's life. She wasn't even from America, she was from Cambodia, at least when she was little that was what happened. Clint listened in silence for a while before speaking. "I see," he said before thinking of what else to say. "How did you get away from there?"

"That's... a longer story," she muttered. Breathing out a long sigh, she sank lower towards the bed as she continued. "My mother loved me, and I loved her, too, but she couldn't afford to give me a great life. Working as a hooker in Cambodia doesn't really pay the bills, you know? But aside from that, the guy who ran the place... he made me start working when I was thirteen. I remember the first man that I was forced to... service. Fat, greasy, ugly as sin. But he liked me... guess he was into the young ones. So he used me... and he kept coming back. And he used me again... and again. My mom begged her boss to stop making me work there, but he wouldn't listen. I was thirteen, and over there... I was worth a lot to paying customers."