[It's so strange to keep telling Hiro all this like it's new, when it was just something he was part of before. Instead, he just runs a hand through his hair.] No, Grell's in the same boat. Apparently another version of her was here before too.
[But Tadashi. That's a piece of information he'll have to come back to too. The real Tadashi is here - god, that must be so good for Hiro, right? He wants to ask so much, but he can't.]
The Earth back home is shitty, not weird. But that's what happens when it blows up nuclear style. At least the air is fresh and not in danger of running out.
[He shouldn't, he probably shouldn't but he'll just - you know. Hold up a free hand and set alight his fingers in fire, face edging on an amused look.] Like this?
Yeah. I never met her the first time she was here, but I saw her on the network and stuff. She was around before I even got here. [Which is strange to think about, but it's not the first case.] Ruby's like that, too. She was here once, disappeared, and came back without remembering anything.
[This is starting to become a dangerous game, isn't it?]
...so wait what are you saying? You guys had a nuclear war and you all ended up in space instead until you could come back down? That sounds...yeah. [Shitty as fuck. He's about to comment further but. You know. Bellamy's Bellamy and lights his own hand on fire and Hiro jumps in surprise.]
--man, you too? How unfair is that? [Is that a slight whine? Sure is.]
I only know my Grell, so I don't care that much about the one here before. [Bellamy that's probably rude. Whatever he will take another bite of the burger, because that will make it easier to avoid the whole SURPRISE I REMEMBER YOU HIRO thing.] Ruby a friend of yours?
[He raises an eyebrow.] It sounds shitty. Go on, you can say it. I wasn't alive for the apocalypse, just got to live through the space situation, which was it's own kind of fucked up.
[Bellamy laughs, albeit silently, playing around with the fire and keeping it lit despite Hiro's surprise.] I lived there for two years. Two years is plenty of time to pick up a thing or two about magics. Fire's not even my best.
If she wasn't your friend, then why should you? [A shrug. It's just as rude of an answer, but it's enough for him not to look at Bellamy as he scratches the back of his head.] But yeah. You could say that we're friends.
[He's blowing right past that subject because he's not sure it's appropriate to talk about his girlfriend at this very moment.] I won't even ask about the apocalypse and just why the space situation was so messed up--[Yet.]--if you tell me what your best magic actually is.
[The answer is not entirely an answer and it's on the tip of his tongue to ask for more - but haha. Back at it again with the trying to figure out where the line is here. It might be easier if he just told Hiro what was going on, but he just keeps thinking about Grell and not wanting to put that on Hiro.] Vague. Like the whole conversation.
No, you're definitely still going to ask. [How do you know that, Bellamy???] But if we're talking the more elemental magic, it's ice. Water? Most of what I use is frozen.
[If it were anyone but Hiro, Bellamy knows he would not be this open about what his magic is like. But you know. Hiro. It's still easy to talk about.]
It's not vague. [Yes it is.] We're definitely friends.
[But still, this isn't about Ruby and he waves his hands. He can't help but lift an eyebrow, but he doesn't argue that point. He's definitely, definitely going to ask. He can't say it's unusual for Bellamy to deduce that about him.]
So...Grell works with fire, you work with ice. Does that mean there's somebody else who works with wind and earth? [He's joking mostly, but he's all ears suddenly.] And what can you do with ice besides freeze people in place anyway?
[Hiro gets A Look, but he doesn't press any further. Not now.]
[Bellamy rolls his eyes a little, and the flames disappear so he can eat without worrying about his burger catching fire.]
It's not a one-type that's all. That's not even all of them. [He considers for a second, trying to figure out if it calls for another demonstration, or if Hiro will just take him at face value. He knows the kid trusts in science - so he just finishes up chewing, then creates a small sword made of ice.] They're not meant to be long lasting, but it works in a pinch, especially if I have time to reinforce it. [A beat.] And ice storms. Don't knock how useful freezing people is though.
[Ok, maybe just maybe there is a part of him that likes to show off, even if he hasn't even done much with it.]
[Bellamy gets a look right back. But all of that disappears when the ice-sword shows up. He doesn't speak, putting his burger down to the side to slide off of the workbench and approach. He allows a hand to come up, fingers ghosting over the blade of the small sword and finding it's very much real and very much cold.]
Heh. Too bad Jack's not here. Bet he'd be jealous this isn't just his thing anymore. [He grins lightly and backs off again.] Grell said she knows other magic, too, but the fire was what she showed me. Is it common for people to learn magic where you guys came from or what?
[Bellamy holds it out, offering the dagger over for Hiro to take in his own hands, if he wants to. It's not like his transfiguration; the ice weapons stay solid until they melt rather than leave his touch.]
Not where I'm from personally, it didn't exist. But anyone could learn magic once they were yanked in. Most people probably picked up at least a little bit of something, but we all get our preferences.
That's it? No special requirements? [He'll take that dagger, giving it a test swing through the air even if it's cold and slick in his hand.] So if I were to get dragged there too I could learn something? Remind me to find a way to visit that other world.
[Ha ha ha ha could Hiro learn something. Bellamy frowns, tries not to think about the magic Hiro knew, and fails because now that's all he's thinking about.]
[This conversation is so weird, and he know she's trying not to be weird about it, but that's failing too. He's just glad Hiro has not really commented on how weird he is being right now.]
Did she tell you about shards? Everyone who got pulled in had a shard in their chest. I think that - opened us up for learning, you could say.
[He's still sold on the idea that Bellamy's paranoid. He'd probably be paranoid if he got jerked around to varying worlds, too.]
A shard like...of what? Glass? Something else? [The answer is no, Grell didn't mention that.] That explains how people got there at least. Maybe there's something similar here, too, and that's why all of our code in particular's been retrieved.
A gem. A magic gem. Which probably sounds like bullshit to you - it did to me, too. Each shard was connected to our home worlds - it's how we were pulled in, yeah.
[A pause.] Do you know how weird it is going from medieval magic to a world with technology again? It's whiplash, like code is the new magic.
[It sure does. The look on his face says it sounds like a bunch of crap to him but he's still listening. A shard in each person that connected them to their home world? How big was this stupid gem anyway?
He doesn't get to ask though before he snorts.] If you ask around enough you'll find a couple of other people who're more well-versed with magic than other stuff. I've never had to explain tech to so many people before. Nothing in this colony surprises you?
[Bellamy actually looks a little amused by Hiro's reaction. Standard, really.]
I lived in space, remember? For twenty-three years. I wouldn't say nothing is surprising here, but it's not all that hard to figure out technology-wise, even if I haven't touched a computer in a while.
I'm still not totally clear on how you actually survived in space for twenty-three years besides being on that ship thing you were talking about. I'd love to see the tech on that thing.
On a space station called the Ark. [It is not lost on him that this is the second time he's had to explain it to Hiro.] It was made up of a bunch of other stations, once the Earth blew itself up about a hundred years ago.
[He raises an eyebrow.] How old did you think I was?
So a little like this place but in the sky. How'd you get enough supplies and stuff to sustain the population and everything? It kinda sounds like a pain.
[And he shrugs.] And I dunno. Closer to Tadashi's age maybe? He's only 21. [And he's going to be only 21 for the rest of his life :')]
It was a lot smaller than this place, both in size and population. [He frowns.] That was part of the problem. The station was running out of air. All the other supplies were grown or re-purposed from whatever the original space stations had before they all joined.
[Welp he knows about Tadashi too, which gets another frown out of him.] I'm 25. It's not that much older than 21.
[What do you mean it's weird that he doesn't ask who Tadashi is???]
It sounds pretty complicated since you can't just get clean air without a lot of work. [And the earth was, apparently, destroyed and unsafe to live on.] I'm not even entirely sure how Cerealia runs since everything outside of the colony makes it impossible to breathe after a while. Some of us can last longer than others but not by much.
[He blinks again because 25 is even older than 23, and it's a whole decade on him.] You'd be surprised. Reaching 25 can be a big deal for some people. [There's a casual shrug but he sure is avoiding eye contact suddenly. It's not too weird. He assumes maybe Bellamy met Tadashi here already. A lot of people knew his brother even before he arrived.] You're still old.
Yeah, that was the problem. The system was malfunctioning and the Ark was dying, so they decided to send a bunch of teenagers to the ground to see if we could go back. It was a shitty system, and I'm glad we'll never go back. [He squints.] But you picked up on some stuff I assume about how this place works, yeah?
[Even with the casual shrug, Bellamy knows right away what Hiro means and that he's thinking of Tadashi - but he also knows from home that even 20 was impossible for his people buried in the ground. So, yeah, he gets it, and that comes out in his voice.] No, I wouldn't be surprised. 25 can be pretty old. I'm lucky.
[bELLAMY DON'T BE DOOM AND GLOOM. He tries to offset this by taking another burger bite.] Fine, I'm old too.
[He takes a breath because...who the hell sends kids down to a poisonous planet?] At least the earth was apparently okay enough, but that sounds more like an excuse than an experiment. [It's bullshit is what it is.]
[There's an awkward little smile then. At least Bellamy's playing along] It's okay, old-timer. I'll catch you up to speed. I've been here for about five months now and...I guess I wanted to understand everything about this place. We've had a lot of people come to us in the last couple of months and tell us how things on Tellus should be and used to be. I've learned a lot.
[He snorts.] Not radioactive enough to kill us, but I wouldn't call it great. Barely even 'okay.' It was probably both an excuse and an experiment with those deemed expendable, honestly.
[He tries very hard not to look Fond at the use of Old Timer.] It doesn't have to be right now, but - I'd definitely be interested in what sort of things you've found. Didn't even have to be here a week before I realized how little I trusted just about anything.
Then why didn't they send adults who were more "expendable" or whatever? Man whatever, it's still wrong no matter how you look at it.
[While he's busy grumbling he doesn't notice Bellamy's expression.] I think that's how you're supposed to feel here after a while. Nobody makes sense and it starts to get more complicated the more people talk to us and give us information. I'll do my best to help.
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[But Tadashi. That's a piece of information he'll have to come back to too. The real Tadashi is here - god, that must be so good for Hiro, right? He wants to ask so much, but he can't.]
The Earth back home is shitty, not weird. But that's what happens when it blows up nuclear style. At least the air is fresh and not in danger of running out.
[He shouldn't, he probably shouldn't but he'll just - you know. Hold up a free hand and set alight his fingers in fire, face edging on an amused look.] Like this?
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[This is starting to become a dangerous game, isn't it?]
...so wait what are you saying? You guys had a nuclear war and you all ended up in space instead until you could come back down? That sounds...yeah. [Shitty as fuck. He's about to comment further but. You know. Bellamy's Bellamy and lights his own hand on fire and Hiro jumps in surprise.]
--man, you too? How unfair is that? [Is that a slight whine? Sure is.]
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[He raises an eyebrow.] It sounds shitty. Go on, you can say it. I wasn't alive for the apocalypse, just got to live through the space situation, which was it's own kind of fucked up.
[Bellamy laughs, albeit silently, playing around with the fire and keeping it lit despite Hiro's surprise.] I lived there for two years. Two years is plenty of time to pick up a thing or two about magics. Fire's not even my best.
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[He's blowing right past that subject because he's not sure it's appropriate to talk about his girlfriend at this very moment.] I won't even ask about the apocalypse and just why the space situation was so messed up--[Yet.]--if you tell me what your best magic actually is.
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No, you're definitely still going to ask. [How do you know that, Bellamy???] But if we're talking the more elemental magic, it's ice. Water? Most of what I use is frozen.
[If it were anyone but Hiro, Bellamy knows he would not be this open about what his magic is like. But you know. Hiro. It's still easy to talk about.]
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[But still, this isn't about Ruby and he waves his hands. He can't help but lift an eyebrow, but he doesn't argue that point. He's definitely, definitely going to ask. He can't say it's unusual for Bellamy to deduce that about him.]
So...Grell works with fire, you work with ice. Does that mean there's somebody else who works with wind and earth? [He's joking mostly, but he's all ears suddenly.] And what can you do with ice besides freeze people in place anyway?
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[Bellamy rolls his eyes a little, and the flames disappear so he can eat without worrying about his burger catching fire.]
It's not a one-type that's all. That's not even all of them. [He considers for a second, trying to figure out if it calls for another demonstration, or if Hiro will just take him at face value. He knows the kid trusts in science - so he just finishes up chewing, then creates a small sword made of ice.] They're not meant to be long lasting, but it works in a pinch, especially if I have time to reinforce it. [A beat.] And ice storms. Don't knock how useful freezing people is though.
[Ok, maybe just maybe there is a part of him that likes to show off, even if he hasn't even done much with it.]
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Heh. Too bad Jack's not here. Bet he'd be jealous this isn't just his thing anymore. [He grins lightly and backs off again.] Grell said she knows other magic, too, but the fire was what she showed me. Is it common for people to learn magic where you guys came from or what?
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Not where I'm from personally, it didn't exist. But anyone could learn magic once they were yanked in. Most people probably picked up at least a little bit of something, but we all get our preferences.
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[This conversation is so weird, and he know she's trying not to be weird about it, but that's failing too. He's just glad Hiro has not really commented on how weird he is being right now.]
Did she tell you about shards? Everyone who got pulled in had a shard in their chest. I think that - opened us up for learning, you could say.
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A shard like...of what? Glass? Something else? [The answer is no, Grell didn't mention that.] That explains how people got there at least. Maybe there's something similar here, too, and that's why all of our code in particular's been retrieved.
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[A pause.] Do you know how weird it is going from medieval magic to a world with technology again? It's whiplash, like code is the new magic.
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He doesn't get to ask though before he snorts.] If you ask around enough you'll find a couple of other people who're more well-versed with magic than other stuff. I've never had to explain tech to so many people before. Nothing in this colony surprises you?
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I lived in space, remember? For twenty-three years. I wouldn't say nothing is surprising here, but it's not all that hard to figure out technology-wise, even if I haven't touched a computer in a while.
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[...but.] I didn't know you were that old.
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[He raises an eyebrow.] How old did you think I was?
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[And he shrugs.] And I dunno. Closer to Tadashi's age maybe? He's only 21. [And he's going to be only 21 for the rest of his life :')]
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[Welp he knows about Tadashi too, which gets another frown out of him.] I'm 25. It's not that much older than 21.
[What do you mean it's weird that he doesn't ask who Tadashi is???]
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[He blinks again because 25 is even older than 23, and it's a whole decade on him.] You'd be surprised. Reaching 25 can be a big deal for some people. [There's a casual shrug but he sure is avoiding eye contact suddenly. It's not too weird. He assumes maybe Bellamy met Tadashi here already. A lot of people knew his brother even before he arrived.] You're still old.
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[Even with the casual shrug, Bellamy knows right away what Hiro means and that he's thinking of Tadashi - but he also knows from home that even 20 was impossible for his people buried in the ground. So, yeah, he gets it, and that comes out in his voice.] No, I wouldn't be surprised. 25 can be pretty old. I'm lucky.
[bELLAMY DON'T BE DOOM AND GLOOM. He tries to offset this by taking another burger bite.] Fine, I'm old too.
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[There's an awkward little smile then. At least Bellamy's playing along] It's okay, old-timer. I'll catch you up to speed. I've been here for about five months now and...I guess I wanted to understand everything about this place. We've had a lot of people come to us in the last couple of months and tell us how things on Tellus should be and used to be. I've learned a lot.
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[He tries very hard not to look Fond at the use of Old Timer.] It doesn't have to be right now, but - I'd definitely be interested in what sort of things you've found. Didn't even have to be here a week before I realized how little I trusted just about anything.
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[While he's busy grumbling he doesn't notice Bellamy's expression.] I think that's how you're supposed to feel here after a while. Nobody makes sense and it starts to get more complicated the more people talk to us and give us information. I'll do my best to help.