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]

[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.