taxonomites | [Location: Castle Summers]/[Accidental Visual]

It's safe to say that no one who hasn't made a concerted effort has seen Tara since her rescue from the Master. Tamper and Trick has been closed, and she hasn't been much leaving her room. At first, this was due to physical healing; she'd gotten off lighter than some, but she'd still hurt all over, and hadn't wanted to move for awhile. There'd been a lot of sleep.

Now, the bruises are still present, but fading, and the smaller cuts are almost healed. She could go back to work, but she can't quite seem to find the will to do so. And as for lessons with Piper and DG... that brings up another problem.

Tara looks at herself in the mirror. She's still pale. She could do something to cover up the bruises; she knows how. But she'd rather just stay in. The idea of talking to much of anyone is a little overwhelming. She should check on the others, Rose and Morgana and their fellow captives.

Tara puts her head down on the desk, for just a moment.

There are a lot of things she feels like she should be doing. But she hasn't done any of them. She doesn't feel like she knows how to even move anymore.

Of course, she can't control the fact that her table decided to turn itself on, in the meantime.

[I am also still willing to backtag with her on older, more immediate aftermath threads, so feel free if you prefer more immediate post-rescue.]

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"Yeah," he says, resigned, and he sounds like he's had this argument before, just not with Tara.

All the same, he says, again. "I'm so sorry."

"I know." She wraps her arms around herself. "If I were stronger, I could have done something."

"No, you couldn't," the Doctor says. "He planned this. He's been planning this for a long time. He knew all your weak spots."

"That's how intelligent threats always work. Doing their homework first."

"And that's why you couldn't do anything, Tara. He knew what he was doing, he knew exactly how to target you."

He's trying to make it easier, but he doesn't think he is.

"...right," she says, softly and a little more passively than is her wont. "I'm not - " She was going to say, a little bitter, that she isn't Willow, but then again, he wouldn't allow that Willow had much of a chance either, given his normal reaction to magic. And besides, talking about Willow hurts.

"...it doesn't matter now."

"Yeah, I guess not," he says. He aches with guilt, and part of him thinks that if he did die, the Master wouldn't have gone through with this. Part of him also thinks that if he didn't try to during the swordfight, the Master wouldn't have pushed this far.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asks.

"Take care of yourself," she says, with soft emphasis. "Really, not just the 'I'm always alright' kind."

"Only if you promise to take care of you," he says. "The universe needs you in it, Tara. I need you."

Which is not something he says often, so he clarifies: "To be all right."

She smiles, a little, a flicker of her playful side showing through faintly. "I will if you will."

[Location: Castle Summers]/[Accidental Visual]

Re: [visual | private to Tara and the Doctor]

[visual | private to Tara and the Doctor]

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[visual | private to Tara and the Doctor]

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[visual | private to Tara and the Doctor]

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[visual | private to Tara and the Doctor]

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[visual | private to Tara and the Doctor]