week one, friday morning

[jettisons]

[As soon as everyone starts to disperse, Bellamy looks for Raven. When he woke up this morning with that strange subconscious insistence that something was missing, part of him was terrified it would be her. Even now that he knows that isn't true, he's disquieted, made worse by the knowledge that he promised to protect Haru and failed. He can't dwell on that now and he knows it, but that doesn't make the guilt disappear. In fact, in some ways, it makes it that much worse.

He finally spots Raven closer to the huts, and his pace picks up unconsciously. He's fine. This is all fine.]

Raven.

Comments

[hydrazine]

[She's looking for him as well; of course she is. This doesn't sit right with her. Regardless of what she's lived through and what she's had to do without remorse to survive and protect her friends... Whoever it was that killed an innocent girl for a senseless reason like this isn't someone who will be spared her anger.

All that is forgotten when she sees him and hears him speak her name. She moves towards him automatically; she knows him well enough to know he must be taking this hard, even if neither of them knew Haru well.]

...Rough day.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy doesn't slow down when she approaches. He closes the last few feet between them, wrapping his arms around her to hug her tight. Sorry, Raven, he was worried!]

That's a hell of an understatement. You okay?

[hydrazine]

[It's not what she was expecting, and she goes tense for a moment before relaxing and returning the hug, tight and warm.]

Always am. Are you?

[She remembers what he said about Haru just a few days ago, after all - how she was too good for a place like this.]

[jettisons]

[That's a lie and he knows it, so he just tightens his grip, resting his chin on her shoulder, and keeping his voice low.]

I'll get there. You don't need to lie to me, Raven.

[hydrazine]

I've had worse.

[She knows he has, too.]

I didn't really know her. [In fact:] You talked to her more than I did.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy pulls back, but he reaches out to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear as he does.]

She deserved better.

[hydrazine]

[In any other situation, there'd be a tinge of a smile at that gesture; now, it just gets a look of surprise for a few moments, before it shifts into understanding.]

She did. I get the feeling we're going to be saying that about a lot more people by the time this is over if we don't figure out a way to stop it.

[jettisons]

We'll figure it out, Raven. We always do.

[Mostly. Kind of.]

From now on we stick close. Fair?

[hydrazine]

...Of course.

[She looks at him with a bit more attention now, a bit more sincerity in her voice.]

Nothing's going to happen to us.

[jettisons]

[He nods, voice quiet.]

Nothing will. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.

[hydrazine]

[Now it's her turn. She rubs a stray bit of sand off of his shirt with a look that's fond and a bit strained all at once.]

And I'm not going to let anything happen to you, or to myself.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy catches her hand and smiles just a bit, although it's forced.]

I know that.

[He trusts her more than almost anyone, but that goes without saying, doesn't it?]

[hydrazine]

[There's a pause for a moment before she squeezes the hand that caught hers softly.]

For now... We just have to get through tomorrow.

[They move forward and survive, like they always have.]

[jettisons]

[He squeezes back.]

I don't know what to expect from this trial. They like keeping us in the dark.

[hydrazine]

[She laces her fingers between his with a thoughtful expression.]

We'll figure it out once we get there. Whatever we're expected to do, they don't benefit from not telling us.

[jettisons]

We don't know what they're getting out of this. Maybe they just want us to tear each other apart as quickly as possible.

[hydrazine]

Then we find a way to make everyone stay calm.

[He has that in him, she thinks. People listen to him and the leadership he gives. She doesn't doubt he can apply that here, even with a group of strangers.]

[jettisons]

[Bellamy nods as he runs his thumb over hers absentmindedly, not even registering that he's doing it. She's doing a hell of a job of calming him down and keeping him focused.]

You think Akira will be okay?

[hydrazine]

...Maybe eventually.

[But not now, she thinks; he doesn't have to be okay, and she wouldn't put that on him so quickly.]

Did he say anything about how close they were?

[She knows he wanted to protect her, but she doesn't know how deep that desire went.]

[jettisons]

As close as we are. Haru made me promise to watch out for him.

[So... there's that...]

We need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid tomorrow.

[You mean like you just did five minutes ago, Bellamy?]

[hydrazine]

We'll keep an eye on him. It's the least we can do.

[And she'll be speaking to him tonight, too.]

[jettisons]

And we'll figure out who did this for both of them.