i know this thing's got you all twisted up , but try to forgive yourself
orphan black sentence starters. || @glacierites
FORGIVE HIMSELF ? forgiveness isn't something he feels he deserves, nor expects of anyone else; never mind himself. with jaw clenched and fingers furled into tight fists at his side, clive huffs a sigh from his nose & forces himself to consider her words more delicately. ' find out the truth ... ' the concept is a jarring one, but having been presented with it: the vague possibility that it was someone other than himself who committed that terrible act / who burned and slaughtered and destroyed —— he'd be lying if he said it wasn't an enticing dream to cling to. his tense disposition loosens some, brows furrowing.
" ... forgive me, jill. " clive shakes his head, lifting his gaze but still not quite meeting her own. his heart wrenches with guilt, raw as the moment the truth first loomed over him, but the smallest of flames that had been reignited by his recent ( rather unpleasant, albeit necessary ) conflict flickers amid the ache, willing him to look her in the eye. the concern she exudes is a difficult thing to bear; a reminder of times spent with jill, joshua & torgal as children. perhaps not a perfect time, but back then at least they had themselves. they had each other. now ...
' you aren't the only one fighting something ... '
the thought has the corner of his lips downturn ever so slightly. he thinks of what it means to ' atone ', and of the fleeting possibility perhaps he will never have to. perhaps it wasn't him who tore into joshua, or who burned sir rodney to ashes that night. perhaps he only need atone for the lives taken by his hand the past 13 years, and not those taken by claw and flame. ( perhaps this is wishful thinking. ) he thinks of what they made jill do / of cid's mission to help those who cannot save themselves / of guilt and atonement and finding the truth, and lifts a hand to his chest, both decisive and tentative.
" you needn't worry. until i ... we, find out the truth, i will press on. " offering quite the pitiful attempt at a reassuring smile, clive nods. " i can't tell you how grateful i am that you're here, safe. " how grateful he is that she doesn't think him a monster / doesn't treat him any differently, even knowing that he may very well be the one responsible. not only for failing to protect their home, but ...
he digresses. forgiveness may not yet be something he can will himself to face, but that doesn't give him the right to stop pressing on and let everyone else shoulder the hard work. so long as jill can do so, clive thinks, he has no excuse. everyone here has their own tale to tell of hardship & sorrow, and he would be a fool to think that despite their differences they, too, didn't experience a moment like this: where the ground crumbles beneath their feet, and all feels uncertain.
" just... make sure and not push yourself too hard. " he suggests, knowing too well it's easier said than done. words spoken more-so of concern or sentiment than they were ever meant to be useful. tedious though the words may have become for her to hear, he only hopes she takes them to heart all the same. he can't bear to think what he'd do if he lost her, too. not after only so soon being reunited.
" all that you've been through since then... i can't begin to imagine the half of it. "