nysalogs | ( CLOSED )

[ thanks for being such an attentive student, bellamy. ]

It's a research facility run by some guy named Evras. [ that phrasing alone should make it apparent she hasn't spoken to him all. she can vouch for ashti, but lyra and evras are different matters altogether. ] It's where I get stuck on patrols most of the time. As far as I know, it's meant to be pretty prestigious, but I've never run into him.

[ being in the middle of the nobles' district might have something to do with that conclusion. ]

The laboratories are off-limits to the public, so I hope you know how to be inconspicuous.

I can handle it.

[He says it dryly, shooting her a look. Oh ye of little faith, Clary.]

Let's go. You lead the way.

[Since she actually knows the way. He's not trying to order her around, but he sort of is. Oops.]

[ listen, it's a necessary question when neither of them have a presence or approach that qualifies as inconspicuous. she doesn't question the veracity of his answer, at least, only gives a satisfied nod of her head. ]

Come on.

[ it might just be possible to boss around someone that's ordering you around, however subtle. the only advantage to her fear of her own contagiousness — for bellamy, specifically — is that she isn't dragging him along physically like she would have otherwise. she has to trust he's following her when she darts off, instead, though it shouldn't be much of a chase when it takes only a handful of minutes to reach their destination. ]

You trust me, right? [ potentially a dramatic question for what she intends when she stops just outside the institute and pivots on her heel to face him, but it's a lead up to her request when she extends her hand toward him, borderline expectant. ] Give me your hand.

[There's no hesitation when Bellamy places his hand in hers. That's a clear yes, apparently, and he's not too concerned about getting sick. He can handle it.]

I trust you. Do those runes work on me?

[Is he finally getting the terminology right?]

Not unless there's something you're not telling me about how human you are or aren't.

[ her tone suggests how incredibly doubtful she finds that idea, no matter how peppered it is with her (suppressed) laughter. her lips twitch with the effort it takes to keep that smile at bay — because yes, he actually did get it right, even if there's so much he doesn't know — as she clears her throat. ]

As you are now? The pain of having a rune applied would just make you go insane. I've seen it happen before. [ unfortunately. it isn't a risk she's willing to take, but she can give him something else entirely. her efforts to unhook her necklace are clumsy at best with only one hand free, but she manages after a few embarrassing attempts, flipping his hand over in hers to expose his palm. ] But I do have this.

[ it likely doesn't look like much at first glance, and it likely doesn't look like much even after she's settled it into his palm and closed his fingers around it. she hadn't had much use for it when it had spontaneously appeared on her bedside in september, but she's glad to have it now. ]

Active that and you'll have a few minutes to get in unseen.

[Bellamy holds the necklace up, letting the light catch it as it twists on its chain.]

This is nice to have.

[And once again, he's thinking about all the ways something like this could have helped him back home. Jealous? Only a little.]

Can I use it more than once?

Cooldown is about an hour. I tested it a few times, just to make sure.

[ just in case a situation where it was ever needed arrived — like it has now. it is nice to have, he's right in that regard, if only because it lessens her worry for the people around her. she pauses, watching his observations, before she comes to what feels like a very obvious decision — and one without hesitation or reluctance coloring it, at that. ]

You can keep it after we're done here. I think we both know I don't really need it.

[He pulls his eyes away from the necklace to focus on her again, frowning slightly.]

You sure? You do more sneaking around than I do.

[Definitely teasing her.]

I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure.

[ and, as usual, she fully intends to debate it if he refuses out of some misguided concern. fortunately, teasing her is the safer route, if the smile that pulls at her mouth proves anything. ]

I have plenty of runes for sneaking around, Bellamy. [ she conveniently isn't mentioning that those abilities tend to be draining, that they require more focus than activating a gem dangling on a chain, for obvious reasons. ] You'll get more use out of it.

Alright, alright. I'll keep it.

[He's already discovered that he needs to pick his battles with her, and this isn't one worth fighting.]

How do I activate it?

Smart man.

[ praise embellished with laughter minimizes it as praise, but she can't quite control it. at the very least, she seems satisfied with his concession. ]

You need to wear it, first of all, [ said with the usual amount of light teasing. ] and then concentrate on what you're trying to accomplish. That's all it takes.

[Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Clary. He slips the necklace on as she asks.]

Done. I want you to make a deal with me.

[ a deal. she arches an eyebrow for only a moment, more curious than anything else, as her lips thin out. it isn't the time for teasing or jokes, even clary recognizes that. she fiddles with straightening the pendant hooked onto the chain he's placed around his neck, using it as a momentary distraction as she considers what he's said. ]

I need to know what you want from me first. I'm not going to make a promise to you that I can't keep.

[So much for worrying about making him sick. Bellamy watches her adjust the necklace quietly, but he doesn't seem to mind.]

I'm not going to drag you back to the Sanctuary or nag you, but if you start feeling worse, I want you to tell me.

[ look, that went out the window the moment he wore a necklace belonging to her without cleaning it first. ]

No offense, but there's not much you can do if I get start getting worse. [ that thought of worse churns her stomach, fingers stilling in their task, for more reasons than any latent nausea. ] But I'll let you know.

I can get you the hell out of the Institute.

[He has a feeling she might not take well to that, so he reaches up to wrap his fingers around her hand, squeezing softly.]

No running yourself into the ground.

I thought you were supposed to be the princess in this equation.

[ scratch that, she still has the audacity to make jokes, even if its landing is less amused and more fond. promising to haul her out of the institute won't do him many favors, but his clear concern — compassion, even — makes up for it.

even if she's tempted to rear back at the touch to her hand, bellamy evidently isn't as worried over the prospect of making contact with an infected person. he's already exposed himself to any contagions, regardless, so she lets her fingers of her hand curl in some attempt to brush against his in reassurance. ]

You're worrying for no reason. I've been through worse than this.

That doesn't mean you should go through it again.

[She's being dismissive, but not particularly argumentative, which urges him to press her a little.]

I'm here to help, so let me help. Deal?

[ there's a granule of truth to that, but one she doesn't currently have the emotional resolve to grapple with. she offers him a pointed look instead, a little exasperated around its edges. ]

Okay. [ it's as simple as that. a promise is a promise, and she's never made them lightly. that hasn't changed in the here and now, as tempted as she is to question why he's so adamant to begin with. ] But only if you take your own advice.

[ turnaround is fair play, and if bellamy's going to be stubborn about this, she can only imagine what else he's going to be stubborn about in the aftermath of the attack on olympia. ]

[Bellamy nods, giving her hand a squeeze before pulling it away.]

I will.

[Hopefully. He turned down that same advice from Aranea, but that doesn't mean anything, right?]

Let's go.

[ the look she directs at him, questioning and disbelieving, speaks for itself. she doesn't make any objections, despite that; if he says he'll keep to his word, she'll trust him on the matter. ]

We won't be able to find each other if we can't see each other.

[ she doesn't make any effort to conceal her blatant amusement from him now. letting go of her is hilariously counterproductive, but rather than latching on his hand, she makes a grab for his forearm while her other rummages around the pocket of her jacket for her stele. a flick of her wrist and she highlights the rune on her forearm smoothly, vanishing from sight without much additional warning. even if he can't see her, the tug on his arm should still be felt. ]

[He smiles wryly, shaking his head as she disappears. It's strange when she tugs on his arm, almost surreal.]

This thing only lasts a few minutes, right? Give me a signal when you want me to use it.

[ she doesn't trust that her own abilities will be as potent, not for more than a handful of moments, with the state that she's in. it minimizes their window, certainly, which might contribute to another tug, more insistent. it's the only warning he'll get before she tries to lead him inside, waiting until a few stragglers in the foyer walk by them to speak. something tells her a disembodied voice whispering would draw attention if they were around to hear. ]

Now would be a good time.

[ hopefully he doesn't expect a fancier, more subtle, signal than that. ]

[Direct is just fine. This whole magic thing is going to be another story. He focuses on the pendant like she told him, thinks about his intent, which feels strange. In fact, he feels a little stupid, with his hand clutching an old necklace and his face likely screwed up in concentration. It only takes a second for it to work, though, and while he was expecting... something, some sort of rush, fireworks, anything, none of that happens. One second he's visible and the next he's not, and as much as he tries to be quiet, he inhales sharply anyway.]

[ her impatience falls to the wayside, forgotten, as he tries to focus. it's nostalgic to watch, to some degree, if only because it hadn't been so long ago that she had been in his position, forced to accept something new. her tracking abilities are still too rusty for her not to feel incredibly ridiculous (useless) when making the attempt, so she has little room (or desire, at that) to judge.

what's more troubling isn't the amount of concentration it takes, but the sharp inhale. she freezes when the sound seems to draw a glance, and only a glance, before relaxing the moment they're relatively alone again. if not for the belief she would hit his chin if she tried to cover his mouth in warning, she might have done so. ]

You're okay. [ she's not so certain that quiet reassurance is needed, but she rubs a brief series of circles into his forearm, giving him only a handful of seconds to adjust until it's back to business. ] The head honcho should have an office nearby. Ready?

[ 'should', meaning her mental layout of the institute isn't... as clear as it could be. ]

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