Rhea closed her eyes as JC stepped down as leader and Smokey took up the banner to continue leading them in the near future.  Indeed, it was unfathomable how mature their decisions were as of the moment; they were mere teens, they had no obligation to wade through this river of pressure.  Still, as her eyes surveyed the remains of their team, Rhea, from the back, couldn't help but smile at the blessing of it all.  With the trip to the underworld inevitable, this might be the last time she'd see this many familiar faces in a single room-- at least, for this lifetime.  She was about to congratulate Smokey when, suddenly, a voice called out from the hideout's door.  Normally, it would have been a cause for alarm, but the voice that echoed came from someone she knew quite so dearly-- even if it was just for a single night.  Rhea ventured over to the door, softly opening it as Sentinel and Tulip came into view.  These two were one of the most powerful in their team, so, it didn't come as a surprise to see them uninjured or unsullied.  However, one look at Sentinel gave Rhea the idea that, perhaps, his injuries weren't so much physical; he had a lot of incisions and wounds...  in his heart and mind.  The pained look he gave her, which he hastily averted, was a clear sign of such a damage, and while she was no mind reader, it didn't take much to notice that Sentinel was blaming himself more than Luthor.

Nimbly, she approached the penitent guardian.  Rhea stood before the man who towered over her quite so easily, however, instead of feeling intimidated, she felt at ease.  However, as she saw his face, the horrors and terrors of the clashes at the tower resurfaced in her mind:  the twins' death, their tower being bombarded with loaded shells, and many more nightmares that left her mind in shambles.  The heads that she had severed, the children she had killed, and all the blood that she swam through-- she wanted to blame it all on him.  It was human nature to always put the blame on someone; to cleanse oneself from the guilt of having done something terrible.  This sickening nature was teeming inside her heart, threatening Rhea to release her loathing and frustration.  Anger and bitterness boiled within her, but, when she saw him-- his vulnerability and true remorse-- she found it impossible to be angry at someone who just wanted to help.  It wasn't his fault that the world was too fragile for him.  It was nigh on impractical to resent someone who genuinely cared.  In all honesty, the only person that could be blamed for the ones she killed was the one who wielded the sword.  

With a smile, Rhea got on her toes and held her fingers near Sentinel's forehead.  Then, she softly flicked the teen's forehead-- probably not even enough to make him feel what she just did.  They were kindred souls, or so Rhea liked to believe.  They had made thousands upon thousands of mistakes in their lives.  In all probability, Sentinel could have been traumatized with all the people he had killed.  It was sad to watch him bleed inside.  [color=aba000]"Welcome back to the team, Sentinel."[/color]  Rhea chuckled, caressing the lad's face with her right hand.  Instantly, the memory of her seeing him that night resurfaced, reminding Rhea of why she was his friend in the first place.  [color=aba000]"Ya tried so hard today, din't ya, Sentinel?"[/color]  Rhea grinned before patting his shoulder.  [color=aba000]"Thanks fer nev'r givin' up."[/color]  They were both damaged one way or another.  Rhea stepped back, her bloodstained robe fluttering softly.  [color=aba000]"Just 'cus ye stumbled dun mean dat yer lost... right?  I be glad dat ye didn't lose yer way."[/color]  Her eyes went over to Tulip, a look of relief forming on her face.  [color=aba000]"I'm glad to be seein' dat yer both fine and dandy, Tulip."[/color]  she grinned. [color=aba000] "Ye might be gettin' slow, Tulip.  It took ya a while to be reachin' 'ere."[/color]  The healer teasingly added.  It's been a while since she had seen the speedster and though the same anger wanted to blame him for leaving them, again, she couldn't blame those who just wanted to help.  [color=aba000]"I'm happy.  I really am." [/color]

Suddenly, Smokey began to relay the plan to the rest of the group, reminding Rhea that she wasn't long for this team.  True, she was going with Skelly and Teapot 2.0 into the underworld-- Tulip if given.  More or less, the underworld won't be too kind to them.  Sentinel and Tulip didn't know yet where they were going, but by the way that Smokey said it, it was quite obvious that it wouldn't be a walk in the park.  Most probably, she wasn't coming back home.  This was probably the last time she would talk to them; this was probably the last time she would talk to [i]him[/i].  Well, what was she supposed to say?  See you soon?  See you in the future?  Without a word, she took his hands in hers, sighing softly in the process.  [color=aba000]"'till we be meetin' again."[/color]  Rhea beamed.  

[i]I never even got the chance to know your real name.  But, I guess, that's what makes life interesting.  The thrill of when I can know the name of a friend.  I can't wait for the next lifetime![/i]

With that, Rhea took her place beside Teapot 2.0, her sword hoisted slightly on her shoulder.  [color=aba000]"I guess we dun 'ave much of a choice, now do we?  I be believin' dat wid Smokey's leadership, we be redeemin' ourselves from our mistake."[/color]  she spoke with a gentle tone.  [color=aba000][color=aba000]"This is what we trained for.  We'll make this right as rain."[/color][/color]

Good.  Her grammar book helped a lot!