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[He teleports in not long after Billy does, and a quick scan of the area has Bellamy spotting the kid right away. He walks over, casual in it, but his appearance on the grounds isn't really odd and draws no attention either. He's a common sight.]
Unless you've got another place in mind, we can just find a corner somewhere here, and I can ward against eavesdropping.
Unless you've got another place in mind, we can just find a corner somewhere here, and I can ward against eavesdropping.
[There's a slight frown. He knows it's what people call him now, and he knows he has a lot more sway than he used to - but he still prefers using that outside the court rather than in. When the people in Diasbaile call him the Embattled, at least he knows their names too.] They know I fight and I kill people, but it doesn't mean I'm interested in keeping a seat in the courts with my reputation.
[It's not all he's known for, but he's always been hyperfocused on the more terrible things he does lbr.]
[He stands up, bristling. It's the same road they went down before, and Bellamy's too exhausted to go there again right now, especially when he knows Jason is trying to be a dick.]
I'm not doing this with you again. Feel free to think I'm an idiot or too weak or whatever the hell else you're preparing to judge me for. I'm not avoiding what's coming. But I'm not purposely going to put myself into a 'where can I kill the most people' position.
[It's not all he's known for, but he's always been hyperfocused on the more terrible things he does lbr.]
[He stands up, bristling. It's the same road they went down before, and Bellamy's too exhausted to go there again right now, especially when he knows Jason is trying to be a dick.]
I'm not doing this with you again. Feel free to think I'm an idiot or too weak or whatever the hell else you're preparing to judge me for. I'm not avoiding what's coming. But I'm not purposely going to put myself into a 'where can I kill the most people' position.
[Bellamy remembers people. For all he's gruff and not always outwardly friendly, he's good at reading them and playing to their strengths.]
Natives seem to have more of that whole neutral option. Without shards in their chests, they're more valuable to the courts as cannon fodder. [A beat.] Not to see shardbearers aren't their own kind of fodder either.
Most of them don't like us much at the moment anyway. Stay away from Daonna and the surrounding areas. It's a hotbed of anti-shardbearer activity. The station at least they're tolerant of us. The fairies like our tech. You'd have to talk to individuals, if you wanted to know what side of the war they'd prefer; it's a mix there. [Speaking Seelie vs Unseelie levels to the war, at least.]
Natives seem to have more of that whole neutral option. Without shards in their chests, they're more valuable to the courts as cannon fodder. [A beat.] Not to see shardbearers aren't their own kind of fodder either.
Most of them don't like us much at the moment anyway. Stay away from Daonna and the surrounding areas. It's a hotbed of anti-shardbearer activity. The station at least they're tolerant of us. The fairies like our tech. You'd have to talk to individuals, if you wanted to know what side of the war they'd prefer; it's a mix there. [Speaking Seelie vs Unseelie levels to the war, at least.]
I know you're not telling me to, I'm saying it so you know I'm not going to try and force myself to do it.
( once all her things are collected, Clarke shoulders her bag and steps back. )
I won't forget. I'll see you later.
( with that, she teleports. )
( once all her things are collected, Clarke shoulders her bag and steps back. )
I won't forget. I'll see you later.
( with that, she teleports. )
It's not us doing it again. I'm telling you to come to me with some damn ideas so that I'm not the only one making the hard decisions to save the people that you care about. [The words come out in a rushed snap. The temptation to hurt Bellamy surges up inside of him, mixed with an anger that doesn't suit this situation. The weight of all of this bears down heavily on Jason, and he wishes he had taken his leave sooner.]
But when Clarke and Octavia die ... when Hiro dies and I die and Ariadne dies? You look at yourself. Enjoy not having the blood on your hands. That's gonna be all you have before the Seelie assholes rip the shard out of your chest. [He went too far. He knows he did. But he doesn't give a damn. It's not about being an idiot, or being weak, or anything else. He definitely wanted a fucking plan from Bellamy, and instead, he's come up with nothing.
Just a lot of "I'm not doing that," and "I don't want to be a part of this," or whatever. Whatever he said.]
Enjoy that little image. And don't depend on me to turn to you when I need someone. [His shoulders are tense and drawn back. Leave, leave. He needs to leave. He starts making the motions to get the fuck away before he goes even further.
(Clarke doesn't need this.)]
But when Clarke and Octavia die ... when Hiro dies and I die and Ariadne dies? You look at yourself. Enjoy not having the blood on your hands. That's gonna be all you have before the Seelie assholes rip the shard out of your chest. [He went too far. He knows he did. But he doesn't give a damn. It's not about being an idiot, or being weak, or anything else. He definitely wanted a fucking plan from Bellamy, and instead, he's come up with nothing.
Just a lot of "I'm not doing that," and "I don't want to be a part of this," or whatever. Whatever he said.]
Enjoy that little image. And don't depend on me to turn to you when I need someone. [His shoulders are tense and drawn back. Leave, leave. He needs to leave. He starts making the motions to get the fuck away before he goes even further.
(Clarke doesn't need this.)]
[Sometimes he forgets that other people do it too. He's too used to putting hit up himself by default, so he just nods. And then walks, figuring Billy will follow. Bellamy is terrible at small talk without ulterior motive, so he's quiet until they reach one of those little nooks; it's a mostly empty room in one of the sheds, scattered with a few shields and swords.]
My wards are blood magic. You can go first. [He mostly wants to see what Billy does, because he'll still do his own too.]
My wards are blood magic. You can go first. [He mostly wants to see what Billy does, because he'll still do his own too.]
[He doesn't have an answer to that, either. What if you can't fight it? What then? He's been there - but at the same time he hasn't, because watching Hiro now and thinking about how he's been for the last month or so leaves Bellamy with the realization that it's far more than just basic nightmares.]
[So, he doesn't answer, not right away. Instead he ducks his head, putting himself on a closer level to the kid, and his face is full of both understanding and concern.]
What dreams, Hiro? What's going on? [The question could be taken to mean just right now, in this moment, but Bellamy means it to expand into - everything. The entirety of why he's had a chronic case of insomnia through this moment.]
[So, he doesn't answer, not right away. Instead he ducks his head, putting himself on a closer level to the kid, and his face is full of both understanding and concern.]
What dreams, Hiro? What's going on? [The question could be taken to mean just right now, in this moment, but Bellamy means it to expand into - everything. The entirety of why he's had a chronic case of insomnia through this moment.]
[ Billy can usually read a scene, so he's not bothered by the lack of small talk. He could easily keep up a conversation by himself, but around Bellamy he didn't really feel the need to. At least the room looks private enough, and it's unlikely anyone's going to come looking for stuff in it. ]
Fine, then I'll shield. [ As he speaks, his eyes light up blue and...well, Bellamy's going to have to trust that there's a small shield around the immediate area they're in. If he looks very closely, he might notice a faint blue light in the doorway and close to the walls. Think force-field. ]
Fine, then I'll shield. [ As he speaks, his eyes light up blue and...well, Bellamy's going to have to trust that there's a small shield around the immediate area they're in. If he looks very closely, he might notice a faint blue light in the doorway and close to the walls. Think force-field. ]
[He's really glad he's used to a variety of magic, because the glowing eye thing might've come across as weird once upon a time. As it stands, Bellamy just takes a sharp look around the room, and he does notice the blue light, quiet as it is.]
[It doesn't stop him from using his own magic, too, drawing out a knife and pricking the tip of his finger, using the blood that pools to draw a silence rune on the ground between them.]
Consider it extra guarded. [A beat.] So what'd you find out? Did you track the professor?
[It doesn't stop him from using his own magic, too, drawing out a knife and pricking the tip of his finger, using the blood that pools to draw a silence rune on the ground between them.]
Consider it extra guarded. [A beat.] So what'd you find out? Did you track the professor?
Edited 2015-09-21 07:12 (UTC)
[He doesn't shy away the minute Bellamy draws in closer and instead he finally allows himself to really look into the older guy's face, face pinched a bit and teeth gnashing at his lower lip in thought. There are a lot of things he could tell Bellamy right now, but he knows he needs to take one step at a time.
The important thing should be first.]
...remember how I went with Loki right after you and I got back from Parrais? Loki and I did a little breaking and entering right after that, right into Troichean Beinn. And we were hoping that we'd find some answers about the shards but we found something way worse instead. [He shakes his head.] Bellamy? It's happening. The second vision...it's coming true.
[He knows Bellamy will understand what he means. The second vision, the one of fire and mechanical beasts and everything Bellamy had told him about.] I don't know how long we have, a few weeks maybe? Maybe another month or two, but those things are going to be leaving the mountain soon and coming after us.
The important thing should be first.]
...remember how I went with Loki right after you and I got back from Parrais? Loki and I did a little breaking and entering right after that, right into Troichean Beinn. And we were hoping that we'd find some answers about the shards but we found something way worse instead. [He shakes his head.] Bellamy? It's happening. The second vision...it's coming true.
[He knows Bellamy will understand what he means. The second vision, the one of fire and mechanical beasts and everything Bellamy had told him about.] I don't know how long we have, a few weeks maybe? Maybe another month or two, but those things are going to be leaving the mountain soon and coming after us.
[He seems mostly unfazed by any breaking and entering, even sort of knew Hiro was going to look into the dwarves further, just not to that extent.]
[But when he drops the fact that the vision is real, Bellamy's expression drops too. On some level, he isn't surprised. The Godswar dreams all came true too, hadn't they? It makes sense that the machines would, especially after he'd gotten it for a second time.]
Shit. [To put it mildly. He runs a hand through his hair and wishes he had more of Waver's whiskey.] I kinda suspected it'd be coming, even if I hoped - [Hope is weird. Right now it feels a little useless. He knows he's a realist, and that tends towards cynicism, but sometimes he liked to imagine things wouldn't be - too shitty.]
You saw them? The machines? How many did they have?
[But when he drops the fact that the vision is real, Bellamy's expression drops too. On some level, he isn't surprised. The Godswar dreams all came true too, hadn't they? It makes sense that the machines would, especially after he'd gotten it for a second time.]
Shit. [To put it mildly. He runs a hand through his hair and wishes he had more of Waver's whiskey.] I kinda suspected it'd be coming, even if I hoped - [Hope is weird. Right now it feels a little useless. He knows he's a realist, and that tends towards cynicism, but sometimes he liked to imagine things wouldn't be - too shitty.]
You saw them? The machines? How many did they have?
[Bellamy blanches. It makes him feel sick and angry at once, and there are a million awful things he wants to spit back in Jason's face, because it already has hurt him, even if it's not physically.]
[He slams his fist into the ground instead, hard, and the pain that shoots through his knuckles warns of bruising, but it channels most of his anger there instead of lashing out at a person. He doesn't think his hand is broken this time, at least. Maybe.]
[It doesn't stop his voice from going low, edging on hostile.] You know there's already blood on my hands, Jason. This isn't me avoiding that. Fuck off.
[It'd be so easy to just tell him what he wants right now, that even if he doesn't trust the Red Hand entirely outside of John right now, pushing back the Void to give them all more time - that's something he can get behind. But telling Jason means telling Morla, and he can't afford that.]
I'm sorry I don't have something for your immediate needs. But don't think for a second I'm going to sit around and do fuck all either. I'm working on it.
[He slams his fist into the ground instead, hard, and the pain that shoots through his knuckles warns of bruising, but it channels most of his anger there instead of lashing out at a person. He doesn't think his hand is broken this time, at least. Maybe.]
[It doesn't stop his voice from going low, edging on hostile.] You know there's already blood on my hands, Jason. This isn't me avoiding that. Fuck off.
[It'd be so easy to just tell him what he wants right now, that even if he doesn't trust the Red Hand entirely outside of John right now, pushing back the Void to give them all more time - that's something he can get behind. But telling Jason means telling Morla, and he can't afford that.]
I'm sorry I don't have something for your immediate needs. But don't think for a second I'm going to sit around and do fuck all either. I'm working on it.
[His voice goes quiet.] I know what happened, even if I didn't see it firsthand. [Stories of what happens when someone is floated were circulated as long as Bellamy could remember.]
[But. But then Hiro keeps talking. It isn't hard to figure out where the story goes, to pick up on the fact that the last time Hiro saw his brother, Tadashi was walking into a ticking time bomb. Bellamy has seen plenty of deaths in his life, has caused some of those deaths (shoving bullets into necks, strangling necks, the noose around his own neck). But nothing to that extent. He can't possibly fucking imagine watching Octavia die. He's done a lot of stupid shit to prevent that.]
[He can also imagine himself in Tadashi's shoes, on some level. He's done a lot of stupid shit to keep people alive too, and for a moment, he thinks about trading himself for Jasper.]
It's not your fault. [A beat.] Don't beat yourself up over not being able to save him, okay?
[He hesitates, because - he knows what he wants to say, though it's not like he ever talks about this sort of thing much. But he thinks it might help, for Hiro to hear it, for him to know he's not alone, even if it's not entirely the same.] I dream about death all the time. Things back home, even if I am in the Drabwurld - it's still with me here. Don't push passed it to the point where it makes you numb, or makes living with it worse.
I can't tell you it'll go away. It might not ever. But it doesn't mean suck up and deal is the only option all the time.
[But. But then Hiro keeps talking. It isn't hard to figure out where the story goes, to pick up on the fact that the last time Hiro saw his brother, Tadashi was walking into a ticking time bomb. Bellamy has seen plenty of deaths in his life, has caused some of those deaths (shoving bullets into necks, strangling necks, the noose around his own neck). But nothing to that extent. He can't possibly fucking imagine watching Octavia die. He's done a lot of stupid shit to prevent that.]
[He can also imagine himself in Tadashi's shoes, on some level. He's done a lot of stupid shit to keep people alive too, and for a moment, he thinks about trading himself for Jasper.]
It's not your fault. [A beat.] Don't beat yourself up over not being able to save him, okay?
[He hesitates, because - he knows what he wants to say, though it's not like he ever talks about this sort of thing much. But he thinks it might help, for Hiro to hear it, for him to know he's not alone, even if it's not entirely the same.] I dream about death all the time. Things back home, even if I am in the Drabwurld - it's still with me here. Don't push passed it to the point where it makes you numb, or makes living with it worse.
I can't tell you it'll go away. It might not ever. But it doesn't mean suck up and deal is the only option all the time.
[That definitely puts it mildly. He allows Bellamy to have his small freakout, petting Bellona's ears and staring straight ahead instead of directly at Bellamy. The question draws him back though and he shivers a little as he thinks about it.]
Hundreds? Maybe thousands. They were working on them really fast like they've been doing this for months. [Probably because they have been.] Rings upon rings of 'em just waiting to be brought to life and storm out of the mountain. Loki and I were trying to figure out if we could find a way to stop them but…the magic they're using is ancient. I have no idea what it really is and neither does Loki. We're breaking the news to everyone tomorrow morning.
Is there anything else about the vision that you didn't mention before? Maybe that'll help. [Maybe. But if Bellamy's watching close enough it's obvious that Hiro's already accepting that there might not be anything that can be done. And he hates it.]
Hundreds? Maybe thousands. They were working on them really fast like they've been doing this for months. [Probably because they have been.] Rings upon rings of 'em just waiting to be brought to life and storm out of the mountain. Loki and I were trying to figure out if we could find a way to stop them but…the magic they're using is ancient. I have no idea what it really is and neither does Loki. We're breaking the news to everyone tomorrow morning.
Is there anything else about the vision that you didn't mention before? Maybe that'll help. [Maybe. But if Bellamy's watching close enough it's obvious that Hiro's already accepting that there might not be anything that can be done. And he hates it.]
[Maybe it would have been worse to only know things from second-hand stories. Maybe it's worse to see it first-hand. This isn't a pissing contest and he knows it because at the end of the day both of them had lost people they were so close to and that they would trade the world for. It's why he trusts Bellamy with this story in particular, something he hasn't spoken of much in his time in the Drabwurld.
It's also for that reason that he chooses to continue. He shrinks into his sweater, almost trying to make himself disappear even as he continues to talk.]
He didn't listen to me. [The tone's very quiet, like he still can't believe it after all this time.] I told him not to go in there and he didn't listen to me. ["I begged him not to leave." It's an idle thought, something that's stayed with him for a while. It's not so much beating himself up over not being able to save Tadashi, but it's about not being able to stop him and also slight bitterness that Tadashi did it anyway. It was only after he jumped through the portal to rescue Abigail that he truly understood.
…and speaking of Abigail…one step at a time, Hiro.]
Anyway, I already tried that. Pushing past it? I tried that for a while back home and didn't talk to anybody because everything would have been fine if I just…[Ignored it? Willed the misery away? He's not sure what he was thinking.] I thought it'd work back there and I thought it'd work here, and I know that doesn't make a lot of sense but. [There's a pause…and he settles for sort of burrowing his face into his sweater.] I don't know how else to deal with it. Everybody around here has problems and they handle things just fine. [Better.] I'm trying to get there instead of following the path I did back home. How does everybody else deal with this stuff?
It's also for that reason that he chooses to continue. He shrinks into his sweater, almost trying to make himself disappear even as he continues to talk.]
He didn't listen to me. [The tone's very quiet, like he still can't believe it after all this time.] I told him not to go in there and he didn't listen to me. ["I begged him not to leave." It's an idle thought, something that's stayed with him for a while. It's not so much beating himself up over not being able to save Tadashi, but it's about not being able to stop him and also slight bitterness that Tadashi did it anyway. It was only after he jumped through the portal to rescue Abigail that he truly understood.
…and speaking of Abigail…one step at a time, Hiro.]
Anyway, I already tried that. Pushing past it? I tried that for a while back home and didn't talk to anybody because everything would have been fine if I just…[Ignored it? Willed the misery away? He's not sure what he was thinking.] I thought it'd work back there and I thought it'd work here, and I know that doesn't make a lot of sense but. [There's a pause…and he settles for sort of burrowing his face into his sweater.] I don't know how else to deal with it. Everybody around here has problems and they handle things just fine. [Better.] I'm trying to get there instead of following the path I did back home. How does everybody else deal with this stuff?
Yeah, you know what? I'll believe it when I see it. [The hostility hasn't drained from Jason. It hasn't left, and it won't leave until he's gone. He doesn't believe in Bellamy (and truthfully, Jason wouldn't buy the Red Hand plan anyway). His shoulders are withdrawn and angry, and he knows that this is about to turn into another fight. He knows that Bellamy can use ice magic in a way that can and will hurt him. He knows all of this.
But neither of them want that. Even if shit has hit the speeding around fan, he's not going to throw another bag of shit right up at it. He needs to go.]
See you later, pal.
[As much as he wishes he could teleport—though he resolves to fix that later—he stalks off, turning firmly so that he leaves with his back to Bellamy.
That's a statement, right?]
But neither of them want that. Even if shit has hit the speeding around fan, he's not going to throw another bag of shit right up at it. He needs to go.]
See you later, pal.
[As much as he wishes he could teleport—though he resolves to fix that later—he stalks off, turning firmly so that he leaves with his back to Bellamy.
That's a statement, right?]
She wasn't that hard to find, once I had a good idea of where to look. They're excavating the site of an old city up there. So, apparently the vampires and elves used to live together, before they stopped getting along. This was their last place, before the split.
[ Okay, this has nothing to actually do with shards, but Billy found it interesting. Bellamy better be ready for the archaeology geek-out. ]
[ Okay, this has nothing to actually do with shards, but Billy found it interesting. Bellamy better be ready for the archaeology geek-out. ]
[He makes a face. It might not seemingly have much to do with shards, but it's interesting anyway, especially at the rate they hate each other now combined with his own investigations into the Elves' riots earlier in the month.]
How long ago was that? Did you find out how old the site was? [A beat.] What about the split itself?
How long ago was that? Did you find out how old the site was? [A beat.] What about the split itself?
[The more Hiro explains, the more it sounds like a "fuck" situation rather than a "shit." Bellamy's face grows grim, and he doesn't say anything immediately in response.]
[And he suddenly feels guilty, like maybe he and Clarke should have gone public with this much, much sooner - it just hadn't felt as pressing as most else at the time. Like Finn's death, like getting into the mountain.]
We covered the hulking mechanical monsters part. [A beat.] Did I mention they had shards for eyes? Did you see anything that might be related to that?
They spread fire too. I'm guessing that's gonna be a problem.
[And he suddenly feels guilty, like maybe he and Clarke should have gone public with this much, much sooner - it just hadn't felt as pressing as most else at the time. Like Finn's death, like getting into the mountain.]
We covered the hulking mechanical monsters part. [A beat.] Did I mention they had shards for eyes? Did you see anything that might be related to that?
They spread fire too. I'm guessing that's gonna be a problem.
Yeah. Yeah, I actually saw their eyes. Tons of shards, red and green colored irises and pupils and blood smeared everywhere. The shards were basically drinking in the blood to power themselves. They were breathing smoke and steam when Loki and I saw them.
[There's not much that could have happened if Bellamy and Clarke had come forward sooner. There wasn't enough proof and now...] They know how to target shardbearers. We're trying to figure out how to get out of the way. [His free hand pulls on his bangs.] Loki and I are making an announcement in the morning to see what ideas everybody else has.
[There's not much that could have happened if Bellamy and Clarke had come forward sooner. There wasn't enough proof and now...] They know how to target shardbearers. We're trying to figure out how to get out of the way. [His free hand pulls on his bangs.] Loki and I are making an announcement in the morning to see what ideas everybody else has.
[ Billy pauses for a moment, trying to get the dates straight in his head. ]
Like, a really long time ago. I didn't get an exact date, but that's part of what they're still working on. It was the whole divide between worshiping the Hart and the Shuck that caused the division.
Like, a really long time ago. I didn't get an exact date, but that's part of what they're still working on. It was the whole divide between worshiping the Hart and the Shuck that caused the division.
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