It was unfortunate that her answer had been such, but it was the way that she was. She was ashamed of what she had said aloud. She had been ashamed that she had even managed to utter those words to Claire. Claire had been someone that had been able to take on many things. Over the course of their relationship as well as her relationship with the group as a whole, she found herself realizing that she was the only one with any kind of stipulation. She would do the work as long as she didnâ€™t have to get her hands dirty. She would bear the responsibility of â€˜holding fortâ€™ while knowing that there was no likelihood of her engaging into any type of danger. By knowing all of this there was only one person she allowed herself to compare to and that was Claire.<br/><br/>But dammit the fact was she wasnâ€™t Claire. She was never going to be Claire. She was never going to wake up one morning and be the embodiment of Claire. Claire would never walk in her shoes and she would never walk in Claireâ€™s. It was just that simple. And it was probably why she had such an outburst. But she had no right. She had no right to complain because all along, deep down inside, she knew that Claire knew. Of everyone in the group, she knew that Claire knew and let it pass all this time.<br/><br/>But now it had seemed Claire had boiled over. She was done with her faÃ§ade. She wasnâ€™t going to bear anymore of Adiraâ€™s requests. She settled back into herself and heaved a sigh, knowing this and accepting it. Adira allowed Claire to speak her truths and then watched her as she wondered outside. Sheâ€™d definitely done it this time with her. Adira tried to think of some things that she could possibly say to her in retort. Perhaps she had another shield for her esteem or had a better way to express her feelings, but she hadnâ€™t. There was definitely no way around it.<br/><br/>Claire had been clear with her words and Adira understood. She had to start fending for herself. She had to start taking action with the rest of the team. She heaved a sigh before hearing the stairs creak. Turning her body, she looked to see Tina standing there with her arms crossed in front her chest. She smiled a bit and sauntered her way towards Adira before petting her head. She stepped back to get a better look at the girl.<br/><br/>â€œYâ€™knowâ€¦Claireâ€™s right. It is about time. Itâ€™s been a year yâ€™know?â€ Tina raised her brow. Her voice was smooth, like velvet and deep but womanly. She definitely had the more the elderly black woman aura to her, but at the same time she reminded Adira of a mother. Adira forced a smile and then turned away from her.<br/><br/>â€œI know. I guess Iâ€™ve been so comfortable with hiding behind you guysâ€¦.I didnâ€™t want to know what it was like to be out there fighting with you. I didnâ€™t want to be like those two guys and I donâ€™t want to see any of you hurt, I guess.â€ She explained before grabbing her elbow and pulling her arm towards her chest.<br/><br/>â€œWeâ€™re all scared out there. We all got somethinâ€™ we fear and we all have each otherâ€™s backs. Weâ€™re all we got left. In this world that weâ€™ve been living in, itâ€™s been nothing but fear. But we somehow survive. We somehow manage to make it out alive. Itâ€™s a reason weâ€™re all here together today. And who knows what tomorrow will bring, but none of us are going to sit here dwelling on it. Do you really think Claire is made of steel? Do you believe that she is incapable of feelings? Absolutely not. Sheâ€™s human just like the rest of us. And as typical as most humans are, we worry about a lot of things. And Claire is worried about you. She wants you to be able to fend for yourself when none of us can. Do you know how valuable you are to this group? I donâ€™t think you really doâ€¦.â€ Tina moved to Adiraâ€™s side and tilted her head just a bit so that she could see her profile. In truth, Claire had said something that Tina had been wanting to say all along. But again, it was something that was brought onto her as everything always had been and brought to Adiraâ€™s attention. Hearing her feelings aloud made all the difference and having Tina to clarify made things even better for her. To be the age that she was, she sure did act like a child sometimes.<br/><br/>â€œThanks Tina. I mean it. Iâ€¦I never realized the things that I was doing. Here I was not wanting to hold you guys back, but instead I have been all along.â€ Adira nodded to herself as if she were confirming something mentally and then hurried out to where Claire was. She reached for her at first, but then quickly withdrew before clearing her throat. â€œIâ€™m sorry about what I said earlier Claire. Youâ€™reâ€¦Youâ€™re such a great person and your opinion matters the most to me. I want to make things better and I donâ€™t want anyone to worry so Iâ€™ll do the best I can in order to help everyone move forward. Youâ€™re right about it being my idea so I should take leadership right? Iâ€™ve just been afraid and blind to the idea of everyone else thatâ€™s fightingâ€™s fears. I see that now. And I know that briefly, just a moment ago I was saying something different, but you only have to tell me once. I swear to you I will do everything I can, no questions asked.â€ Adira truly did have the best intentions.<br/><br/>When she thought about it, she did everything for the team and herself. No matter how selfish her other self made her feel, she knew that deep down inside she had the best intentions. Right? Right. Without any of them, she wouldnâ€™t be standing there and it was about time that she gave back to them.<br/><br/>And to Claire. It was strange how her mind worked. If anyone else had said anything else to her about her habits or her feelings she probably wouldnâ€™t have thought anything of it. But it was instead someone that she looked up to and inspired to be more like. She knew that everyone was only human, which was why she quickly made the decision sheâ€™d made.<br/><br/>She never wanted to disappoint her again.