nysalogs | ( CLOSED )

[ she'll interpret that as a victory, thank you. intimidating bellamy blake into scooting away from her will be her purposefully warped perception. ]

Don't be too glad. Alec likes to pretend he still hates me.

[ she rolls her eyes, but otherwise doesn't seem too perturbed by that fact. alec is alec, and alec... will be alec. ]

Still?

[He raises his eyebrows.]

What, did you pick him up too?

Uh, no. I think he might literally try to murder me if I try.

[ that's a gross exaggeration, judging by the laughter in her voice, but alec has never been known for his sense of humor. ever. ]

He's just... Alec. We didn't get off on the best foot, and we don't exactly see eye to eye on everything. Besides, he's the definition of grumpy. His face moves even less than yours does.

[ as though that's an accomplishment of some sort. teasing begets teasing; bellamy deserves some ribbing in return. ]

[Wow, rude. He glances over, face impassive, but what he says isn't at all serious.]

Maybe I'm only like this with you.

[ either he's playing along with the joke, or his expression is hilariously adept at staying unreadable. whatever the case, her mouth still splits into a smile. ]

Oh. [ that aforementioned smile quickly turns into what can only be described as a shit-eating grin. two can play at this game. ] So you really do think I'm special, don't you?

[He shrugs, giving her legs a half-hearted and not at all successful little push in his lap.]

Depends on what you mean by that.

[ don't make her resort to childishness by shoving her toes in your face, bellamy. for now, she's content to plant her foot against his chest and shove, however gently, with the excuse that he started it. ]

Why don't you tell me what I could mean by that?

[ no matter how convinced she is that she's potentially setting herself up to be the butt of his joke.]

[He lets the shove happen, raising his eyebrows at her and settling back against the arm of the couch so that he's facing her more fully.]

Do you really want me to answer that?

Yes.

[ automatic and a little suspicious. her skepticism is only amplified by the slight narrowing of her eyes before she latches onto the pillow nearest to her and smacks him in the arm. ]

You can stop building the anticipation now.

Nothing. I was joking.

[He says, with a shit-eating grin. What a jerk.]

You're an ass. You know that, right?

[ which might hold vitriol and some weight if she didn't laugh before announcing that. whatever the case, she's leaning forward to try to smash that pillow into his face. just desserts, bellamy blake. ]

[Bellamy laughs, shoving the pillow away.]

Yeah, I know. You're supposed to be resting.

I was never very good at following directions.

[ surprising, truly. clary knows she's had enough run-ins with bellamy that he's probably gauged as much for himself without her input. she gestures to the couch a moment afterward, gaze pointed. ]

I'm halfway there.

[ it counts. ]

[He scoffs, pushing the pillow back at her.]

Go to sleep, Clary.

[She's not going to.]

On the couch?

[ she'd have to be extremely fatigued for that to be an option, given how incredulous she sounds. the couch is a haven for sketching and reading, or even entertaining herself with whatever weird shows they air on their outdated televisions. more than that, she might just be looking for an excuse to do the opposite of sleep. ]

What do you plan to do if I actually sleep?

What, too good to sleep on a couch?

[He shakes his head. Shameful!]

You said you wanted me to stay, so I'll stay.

It's better than the floor.

[ so the answer, then, is maybe. she'll leave it as a mystery. ]

I think watching me sleep is going to get pretty boring. [ dryness aside, she is sincere when she adds, ] But thanks.

Trust me, I've had guard shifts more boring than this.

[She's not saying no, so hey, there's a chance, right?]

[ dryly, ] What a compliment.

[ that's another piece to the puzzle that is bellamy blake, even though she recognizes it as a throwaway comment. guard. he isn't among the ranks here, so it's a natural assumption that he means it in reference to home — the ark, clarke had called it — instead.

she stretches, quick to get up (an obvious mistake, as she pauses for a second), if only to shed the jacket she's wearing. first: a blanket, second: a change of clothes if she intends to sleep out here. ]

If that's true, maybe you should be working for the guard here.

[ patrolling the nobles district is the epitome of boring to her, after all; bellamy would fit right in, should he be assigned a similar duty to listening to the rich prattle on and on about nothing. ]

[Bellamy shrugs, watching carefully as she stands. It isn't like he hasn't considered it, but...]

Not sure I want to play soldier when I don't know who I'm guarding or who's going to be giving me orders.

[ her only initial reply is a cursory shrug. it's a fair point, and one she doesn't forget to address when she wanders into the next room and reemerges a handful of minutes later, changed into clothes moderately more comfortable for relaxing than leather jackets and boots. the comforter she's carting gets thrown carelessly onto the couch — including onto bellamy's lap — but that's just as well, considering she intends to take over most of the couch. ]

You would be guarding the people here, mostly. I can't say anything about the people in charge. [ she settles back down, maneuvering beneath the blanket but making no immediate move to genuinely sleep just yet. ] Hearing everyone blame the leaders in this place puts things into perspective. I don't know if any of us really know who we're working for like we should.

Probably not.

[Because, in his experience, that's how things usually go.]

Who's in charge of the guard? You know anything about them?

Is this another interrogation?

[ unsurprisingly, her legs are sprawling back out in his lap. that's the consequence of telling her to sleep, even if bellamy's usual pattern of grilling (as she almost points out more directly) is a distraction from that. ]

Her name is Ashti. I only spoke to her once when she was recruiting.

Not everything is an interrogation, Clary.

[It just sounds like one coming out of his mouth.]

I'm out of my element here. I need to catch up.

Everything out of your mouth sounds like an interrogation.

[ sorry, bellamy. teasing aside, it's still the truth, and the shrug she offers is entirely unapologetic. ]

I haven't been here that much longer than you have. We're all out of our element here.

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