week three, sunday night

[jettisons]

[After the execution, after Bellamy has had time to calm down as much as he's capable, Raven and Lucina are the only people he specifically seeks out. He's exhausted, his grief and anger having burned down to something heavier and darker that he can't describe.

He finds her at the hot springs, and he hesitates before approaching. Nino's blood is still staining his shirt, dried and stiff.]

Lucina?

Comments

[rightfully]

[ In all the excitement of their embrace, her stupid sleeve came loose again. Lucina, once again, fumbles to fix it. She's getting a little better. Not much! ... Not at all. ]

No, I suppose not.

[ One survivor tends to recognise another. ]

... Would you like to talk about home?

[jettisons]

[He slips the sleeve back on, the motion automatic as he nods at her question. She shared, so it's only fair that he does.]

I was born in space, on a station called the Ark. As far as we knew, Earth was uninhabitable and would be for decades. The Ark wasn't meant to keep thousands of people alive indefinitely, so we had to make things... stretch. Food, oxygen, water, all of it was rationed, and usually not fairly. We were all just trying to buy time until we could get back to the ground. About a year ago, someone found out that the life support systems were failing, so they dumped a hundred of us on Earth.

[He's not going to get into detail there. It's convoluted and not really the point.]

They didn't actually expect us to survive. They were just trying to cull some of the population to save oxygen for the rest.

[rightfully]

[ As he knots her sleeve back up, she watches his effort with careful observation. He's using two hands, so there isn't much she can learn.

Stupid sleeve. Stupid arm. Stupid island!

Oh, and yeah -- ]

I'm sorry, I am having some trouble following.

[ Wait for it... ]

What is Earth?

[jettisons]

Sorry.

[He was trying to simply the radiation parts for her and he didn't even consider the whole Earth thing.]

It's our planet. Our world.

[rightfully]

[ He doesn't need to work hard to translate radiation into terms she can understand! Lucina's seen a world die first hand. ]

And, your leaders abandoned you to die.

[ SHE IS VERY AGAINST THAT

Seriously, this is a somewhat more savage Lucina here. ]

... why didn't they elect to go with you?

[ Likely, for the same reason she couldn't die with her people, despite wanting to. It's a naive question. ]

[jettisons]

We were criminals, so they figured they could use the culling as a way to test Earth's survivability. If we died, it was collateral damage. I snuck on the dropship to be with my sister.

[He shrugs, sighs.]

There were still people living on the ground, though, and they weren't exactly happy to see us. Before the rest of the Ark came down to join us, we lost 52 people. More after that.

[rightfully]

[ If they had options that didn't involve them praying, on their hands and knees, to a god that may or may not answer, spine bent to a wilt...

Well, Lucina can't really imagine what that's like. ]

I'm sorry, Bellamy. I know what it's like to lose your comrades.

[jettisons]

[He nods a bit.]

I know. I'm not telling you this so that you feel bad for me. I'm telling you so that you understand I get it. You're not alone in any of this.

[rightfully]

[ He tells her she's not alone. Her expression softens, easing in a way that it hasn't done since before Wednesday. ]

Thank you.

[ A smile. ]

You're very kind. I know this day wasn't easy on you, either.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy nods again, fingers tracing the rock below them. Everyone keeps telling him how kind he is, how much he's helping, and it's been beginning to feel more and more like cheating. Like lying, at least to people like Lucina and Akira.]

I haven't always made the best decisions, Lucina.

[rightfully]

And?

[ Mildly, she looks unimpressed with how gravely he makes his claim. ]

Do you think any of us here are blessed to know the right way to act in all situations? There's no "best".

You made a decision.

[ He took a step. Some people never do. He acts when is necessary, thinks about it later - but there isn't always only fault to be found in that. Whatever he did, it's the formative experiences of the young man in front of her -- someone who has repeatedly demonstrated kindness, despite his insistences otherwise. She's seen him with Nino, afteer all.

... Well. She saw him with Nino. Before. ]

You shouldn't feel like that, in itself, is unremarkable.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy smiles wryly. Sometimes she really does sound like Clarke.]

I know it isn't remarkable. I don't deserve to have you think I'm infallible.

[He sighs.]

I know how people can get when they're scared and desperate. I don't want that happening here.

[rightfully]

No one is infallible, Bellamy. Would you like to know how I know?

[ With her one remaining hand, she finds his back -- and shoves him bodily into the spring.

When he emerges, he'll only see her smile. ]

That's how.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy's guard is down, because this is the last thing he'd expect from Lucina, so in he goes. As soon as he surfaces, she's getting splashed.]

[rightfully]

[ Somewhat in vain, she raises one arm to shield her eyes. ]

That was hardly very gentlemanly.

[ That said, she ends up splashing back, one hand just skimming the surface to toss a handful of water into his face. Through it all, her too-innocent smile never quite wavers, which is probably how you know she's down to cause trouble. ]

[jettisons]

[It's good to see her smile, so getting dunked is probably worth it. He rakes his hair out of his face.]

Good thing I'm not a gentleman.