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"History be bloody damned."
And with that, Charlie went with John's plan, she's been itching to get her powers back and if history is the price then so be it.
Charlie sneakily entered John Constantine's room.
"Alright, better get to it then before Z notices something" Charlie shook her limbs and with a quick sigh and a lot more effort than usual, she managed to change into John Constantine
"Heh, still got it"
Charlie was busy examining herself when she heard footsteps getting closer. Grabbing the nearest book she could find, she sat on the coffee table and posed with the most John Constantine-y look she could do.
And like Charlie anticipated, Zari arrived. Probably to scold Constantine and be a damn pain in the ass. She's already betting Zari's gonna go to her next after this.
“Hey…”
Zari calmly spoke as she entered John’s room, clasping her hands together. John was doing his own thing, sat on the coffee table with a book in his hands.
“Any luck” Charlie spoke, trying to copy Constantine's usual Irish accent, but keeping her eyes fixated on the book.
Zari sighed, “I’m sorry John” she said, “Sometimes with history, if you change one thing, it creates a whole domino effect”
Charlie twitched as her grasped on the book got firmer, “it’s all right”
A moment Zari didn’t seem to notice as she was focused on finding a nice way to explain to her friend how this whole being a time-traveller works on their personal lives.
“Listen, I…” Zari trailed off a bit, “I get being tempted to save someone you love. The anger and frustration. It’s…”
Zari stopped. Clearly deep in thought, searching for the right word to say
“It’s what?” Charlie can’t help but ask when she noticed the long silence which is unusual for Zari given that she most certainly always have an opinion on things. Although on most times, its sprinkled with sarcasm.
Zari met Constantine's eyes, still unbeknownst to her that it wasn't the warlock she was talking too but the shapeshifter she so despised.
So imagine Charlie's surprise to see Zari's brown eyes looking at her with such softness but with weariness, a sight so very different from the way she normally looks at her when they clash during missions.
but then again, Zari isn't talking to her, she's talking to Constantine. Charlie's gonna have to keep that in mind during this conversation and she's gonna remember to keep it together and give Constantine some time to save Des.
Charlie carefully put the book down and waited for Zari to answer.
“It’s…maddening”
Zari slowly paced around the room while Charlie remained firmly seated on her place, with her eyes following her.
“Imagine being this close to saving them. Just a push of a button, just a ride on this ship, just one moment. It’s all too simple but still, its a whole lot more complicated than that and its almost drove me insane when i think about how this whole things works”
Charlie stared at Zari with curiosity. She has literally all the time in the world and the way to view all the possible outcomes of her actions so why is she holding back on saving the people she loves and making herself happy?
“You’re right love, it’s all too simple. So why not just do it? Go save them. All these other people can fuck right off. It’s not their lives, it’s yours. Make yourself happy!”
“I don’t think my conscience can take it” she said as she sat at the empty seat next to Charlie, “It could change, even destroy innocent lives. Hell, it might even affect the lives of the people on this ship and they already went through so much”
Zari sighed heavily as she played with her fingers, “and truthfully speaking, I’m afraid…”
“Afraid? You? That’s bollocks!” Charlie reacted, disbelief and annoyance laced her words “You almost sent an innocent fugitive to hell, what could you possibly be afraid of?”
Slight confusion took over Zari for a split second after hearing Constantine’s comment but ultimately decided that it’s just him finally showing emotion about not being able to save his lover but still, it rubbed her the wrong way.
“I don’t know if you know this yet but my family and I were persecuted and my brother was killed in the midst of all that” Zari explained in a more stern voice this time
And with that Charlie’s expression suddenly softened, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” she looked away and bit her tongue to stop her from saying other non Constantine-y things.
Zari could sense Constantine starting to ignore her so she took a deep breath and calmed herself. She knows getting angry is not the way to deliver her point so understanding the warlock's situation and relating to him is the best way she could think of doing. She just hopes that whatever she’ll say next will get through to him.
“Look, you asked me what I’m afraid of right? So here it is, I’m afraid that if I changed my timeline and save my family, I'd end up endangering them more the second time around or worse, that them dying the way that they did was supposed to happen. That it’s an inescapable destiny for them and for me and honestly I don’t think I can bear knowing that…”
The room grew silent. Charlie turned to Zari who was now looking away from her but still, she could see her pain and loneliness.
“I...don’t know what to say Zari. I’m-”
“No, no, it’s alright. I get that you're normally not the sappy kind” Zari interrupted, chuckling a bit. She reached out and took the warlock's hand in hers, “I just want you to know that you’re not alone in this. Everyone in this ship lost a loved one at one point in their lives. Losing people you love dearly will always be painful but sometimes we just have to accept that and do the right thing for the greater good, even if it hurts like hell”
The feeling of Zari's hand holding hers, it's warm and comforting and somehow everything felt right.
Zari could see that something changed by the way Constantine looked at her, maybe she got through his stubborn head after all.
Charlie quickly remembered their plan and pulled back her hand to avoid possibly exposing herself, “Thank you Zari” and gave Zari a smile
Zari nodded slightly & smiled back then made her way towards the door.
When it was clear that Zari was gone, Charlie let go of her hold and quickly morphed back to being Amaya, her now default form. Evidently, she was tired from forcefully holding up Constantine’s form for a longer time than expected.
Charlie looked back at the closed entry way. Now she gets it. Beneath that tough, annoying exterior, the woman has a heart. A bit broken but still cares for others deeply. A newfound trait Charlie seemed to really like about the air totem wielder.
“Zari Tomaz, you are one hell of an admirable woman” she smiled