hope you liked it.
TOO crazy? In my opinion Claire has already done some insane stuff. I have some theories, which I HOPE are wrong because if I am right then Claire may be too far gone (space placed for hiding spoilers):
1. Even though she claims she will, Claire makes no effort to help locate Noel for the MC. In my opinion this is because she actually does NOT wish for the MC to reconnect with Noel. The MC's philosophies are in conflict with Claire's and him having a powerful Dark One will inevitably cause conflict for her down the road.
2. Speaking of conflicting philosphies, Claire needed a way to remove Gabriel from the picture. Using Gab's compassion for the MC and Clara, Claire purposeful had her emotional goodbye with Clara infront of Gab. She knew Gabriel has a Martyr complex and would sacrifice himself for the sake of Clara.
3. By paying for Emma's father medical bills and her sibling's college bills, Claire controls the livelihood of Emma's family. Without any income apart from Claire, Emma can't just 'quit' or risk having her family's means of surviving being taken from them.
4. Speaking of Emma's dependency the way she did that is rather sus. After the emotionally tramatic congress incident (where Asrael was unmade and remade, which Nael has already mentioned is tramatic for both Companions and Dark Ones), she didn't even wait 1 minute to secure a verbal agreement to work with the High Order as their Spearhead. Emma was NOT in the proper mental state to make important decisions, and Claire knew that and took advantage of that.
5. The REASON Asrael made such a good Spearhead for Claire is also worrisome. Claire's philosophy of using Violence as a means of protecting the peace makes Asrael perfect for her. The phrase 'if a hammer is the only tool in your toolbox, then everything looks like a nail' comes to mind. Asrael (and as such, Emma) sees every problem as a nail that needs hammering. Combines with Asraels lack of non-offensive capabilities, Emma and Asrael have no means of perceiving Claire's deceptions. As such, the MC's (Ciarara) influence over Emma will be a HUGE problem for Claira moving forward.
6. Though it hasn't happened (yet), by moving Clara into High Order HQ under the guise of 'protecting' her, she now holds 'hostage' someone that is VERY important to the MC.
7. Speaking of Clara being under Claire's 'protection', let's talk about her dependency in her mother. As I mentioned, she is essentially an insurance policy against the MC. To be an affectice 'hostage', though she needs to be weak and dependent. She has been a companion for ~6 to 12 months at the end of chapter 9. Once she found out she was a companion, did not once encourage her to train and get stronger. Rather she focused on sheltering her to keep her an affective hostage.