Timeline: Current.
Eddie: Eddie remained motionless, sitting on the end of his bed and staring down at the silver badge from the police department. His mind recalling all the work he'd put in to end up here, living in Xavier's University, a girlfriend, a job doing something right.
Eddie: Being a hero.
Eddie: He scoffed at his thoughts - what was any of it worth? Really? His choices, his idealisms, his own damnable words had led him here. Had killed some innocent girl. He clenched the badge tightly, casting it aside carelessly. What a waste. What a senseless waste.
Melati: "Doesn't sparkle as nicely as it used to, eh?" Melati asked, nodding towards the discarded badge. She stood in the open doorway, arms crossed in front of her chest, and leaned against the frame. "I'll be honest, I didn't expect to still find you around here."
Eddie: "I still have things to remove.", Eddie looked up at her with empty eyes, "I'm not staying."
Melati: She nodded solemnly. "Well, I'm not here to convince you one way or the other." Melati pushed herself off the frame and stepped into the room. "Your life, your call."
Eddie: "Then why are you here, Melati?", he asked, eyes narrowing on her.
Melati: "I'm always where I'm least wanted, so I guess I found the right place." Melati offered a humourless smirk. "This may the one task a teamleader's gotta do that I really suck at, but I'll be damned if I didn't give it my best shot." She held up two clawed hands. "So, here I am, checking on everyone, and see if they have anything on their heart they want to get rid of."
Eddie: Eddie shook his head, laughing a little to himself, "The only thing I have left in me is a violent hate for those who took her away...", he sighed, "...that and a terrible feeling of hypocrisy and self pity.", straightening up, he sighed, "And the last thing I need is therapy, child..."
Melati: "And the last thing I need is being patronized by a self-loathing prick who believes the whole world revolves around him!" Melati replied, letting herself flop down on the bed. She gestured towards the door. "Don't you think everyone here feels like absolute crap at the moment? Myself included?"
Eddie: Standing, Eddie grabbed at her collar, "I don't care for your analysis, Melati. You have NO idea what I feel, or what I think.", he leaned closer to her, "Get out, or I'll tear your throat out..."
Melati: "You're welcome to try, but shouldn't you be saving all that anger for those who did this?" Melati didn't even fight back, remaining limp in his hold. "And I'm not analyzing, you boneheaded ass, I'm here to be a fucking friend."
Eddie: "Well, you're off to a fan-fucking-tastic start, you stuck-up little tart.", releasing her harshly, he stepped away, looking out of the window, "'Self-loathing prick' am I? Who believes 'the world revolves around him'? You have no fucking clue..."
Eddie: Eddie smirked, looking over his shoulder, "And then, what, you come in here like we're friends? If that's what you call...", he gestured at her, "...whatever the hell the insults were."
Melati: "Fair enough," Melati straightened out her collar. "You're right; I guess calling us friends would be kind of a stretch. Doesn't mean I can't try to act like one." The smirked returned to her lips. "Besides, got you to talk. So that's an improvement."
Eddie: "Oh, I've talked plenty.", Eddie nodded, "Few would call that an improvement."
Melati: "Yeah, I'm more a girl of less words, more action myself," Melati replied, leaning forward to rest her arms on her knees. "Speaking of which, what are you gonna do now?"
Venom: Shrugging, Eddie looked back out of the window, "I'm gonna find Kraven. And then I'm gonna tear his heart out.", he turned around, pointing at her, "And you and the rest of the X-ers are gonna stay outta my way..."
Melati: "Well, if you're looking forward to argue over that, I'll just pretend that I haven't heard anything." Melati reached up to scratch her chin with clawed fingers. "You know I can't condone what you're doing without sounding like a goddamn hypocrite, but I also don't have to stop you, either."
Melati: She huffed, shaking her head. "Fuck sounding like a hypocrite, I'd lie if I said I didn't feel like ending the damn bastard myself."
Venom: "Then you'll step aside.", Eddie smirked, "Good. I need that.", he sighed, shaking his head, "Listen, I....know I gave you a hard time about the X-Force. God knows I really, really believed that we could be heroes...",
Venom: He looked over to the discarded badge, "But there are no heroes. There's just idealism and idiots.", glancing back at Melati, he tightened a fist, "After it's done, you can come after me. I won't hold it against you and I won't fight back. But you have to give me this."
Melati: "Believe me, no one has given me a harder about X-Force than myself." Melati said, looking down at the palms of her hands. "Which is why I can't do this myself, no matter how much the animal inside me screams at me to do it. But I fought too hard to prove myself worthy of our ideals after failing them once, and I won't give this up now."
Melati: "So, I can't say that I'm okay with what you're planning to do, no matter how much I may hate myself for it." She slowly shook her head, before lifting her gaze to look at him. "Maybe I'm stupid, but I still believe we can be hereos. Some of us, anyway. And perhaps others are meant to walk a different path."
Venom: Eddie cringed at her words, "Don't. Don't say that.", he shook his head, "I believed that and I was wrong/ Because that's what it is, Mel, it's wrong.", he looked down at his own hand, "With Great Power comes Greater Responsibility. Because of that, it's up to me to stop him. I have the power, it's my responsibility."
Venom: He looked up at her again, "We're all stupid. We're blind. I was, and I got Cassie killed..."
Melati: "We all did." She returned his gaze, her expression cold. "You talk about power and responsibility, and I guess you have a point. What happened to Cassie... I should have been in her place. I know it's unreasonable to expect to be there for everyone all of the time, but damn, if someone has to take a hit, let it be me."
Venom: "You think the same thing I did.", Eddie affirmed, "I'm cursed with this power to survive anything, and then I have to watch those who can't....", he sucked in a deep breath, "...I told her...I told her I wouldn't watch her die. And...", turning away, he leaned on his dresser.
Venom: "She told me she'd bring you all.", he gritted his teeth, "She... went there to protect ME..."
Melati: "You two cared a lot about each other, didn't you?" Melati folded her hands and gave Eddie a curious look. "Maybe she risked her life not to protect you from Kraven, but from yourself. Hell, everyone knows how much you hated the guy even before all this."
Venom: Slamming a fist into the dresser, Eddie turned around, "Of COURSE I hated him! He tortured my friends, he murdered innocent people! And now he's killed Cassie!", he gave the dresser another few strikes, "How can I NOT!? Damnit, I told her, I TOLD HER this wasn't her fight!"
Venom: He left the question of his care for her completely unanswered. That was still an area he wasn't sure he understood either.
Melati: Melati remained silent for moment, her gaze trained on her own hands. "All I'm saying is, maybe you should sit down for a moment and ask yourself what she would have wanted." She paused, her lips pressed into a thin line. "If that's really the way you want to honour her memory."
Venom: "Kraven will DIE.", he scowled, "Maybe, maybe I'd have let him live....but after this...after all this I will not suffer him to walk this earth."
Melati: Melati took a deep breath, looked to the side, and nodded. "Then I guess there's nothing more to be said." She rose to her feet and turned away. "Just so you know... there's no such thing as 'too far down the road'. There's always a chance to turn back around. First thing you gotta do for that, though, is realize you have to stop."
Venom: Eddie clenched his teeth together tighter. He wanted to argue, he really did. But....there was some truth to what she'd said. Maybe...maybe he was wrong?
Venom: 'Morality....you're letting it stand in our way...this belief got Cassie killed! STOP IT. FIGHT. DO NOT RUN AGAIN. KILL HIM. KILL THEM ALL.'
Venom: "...you're wrong, Mel.", he managed, "Y-you are. You're as wrong as I was."
Melati: "Maybe I am, but you know me." Melati paused to look over her shoulder. "When I believe in something, I stand up for it, especially when others say I'm wrong. What can I say, I'm stubborn like this." She headed for the door, stopping to touch the frame. "Good luck, Eddie. I mean it."
Venom: After she'd left, Eddie sank back, leaning on the dresser before slipping down onto his knees. He looked over at the police shield on the floor, glaring accusingly at it as if it was the thing that had spoken, planting these seeds of doubt in his mind.
Venom: He had no clue what to do. No clue at all.