( CLOSED )

[obstinance]

Who: clary fray (obstinance ) & various
What: october event and accompanying shenanigans
When: october
Where: various
Warning(s): stupidity

[ closed catch-all for shenanigans. starters in comments; feel free to pm me or pp romanoff if you'd like to do something. ]

Comments

[jettisons]

[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.

[obstinance]

[ 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.

[jettisons]

Probably not.

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

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

[obstinance]

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.

[jettisons]

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.

[obstinance]

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.

[jettisons]

When we're this out of the loop, people usually start dying.

[Cheerful, Bellamy!]

[obstinance]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

[ still, he has her attention, perching up on her elbow to glance over at him.]

People are already sick. What do you think is going to happen? You don't use chemical warfare to release the flu.

[jettisons]

Last time something like this happened back home, it was because an army was weakening us so they could wipe us out.

[Continuously cheerful.]

I haven't seen any soldiers hiding outside the city, but they didn't do this for fun.

[obstinance]

Let them try.

[ (ง'̀-'́)ง ]

You can say "I told you so" when I start coughing up blood.

[ because that isn't dark at all. ]

[jettisons]

[He shoots her a look. Coughing up blood isn't super fun.]

I'm not kidding. Whoever did this, they're not going to stop here.

[obstinance]

Neither am I.

[ surprisingly. as dramatic as it is, she doesn't feel like it's the wrong presumption to make, either. clearly she's very skilled at keeping anyone from worrying, just like bellamy and his (lacking) optimism. ]

You and I both know it's going to get worse, and I doubt it involves an army. They've done enough with just the infection.

[jettisons]

You think they're trying to wipe out the entire city?

[He's thought about it himself, but yikes.]

[obstinance]

I think someone is trying to make a point.

[ essentially, that's a yes, though she's able to admit her perception might be biased. she's run into too many that share the same beliefs and motivations as valentine to assume there isn't something similar at work here. ]

And you don't make a point by giving someone a sore throat and a fever. This has to be the beginning of whatever they've unleashed.

[jettisons]

[He nods, reaching over to rub her shoulder gently. As strong as Clary is, there's no way she isn't worried about herself.]

We'll figure it out. They'll find a cure for this.

[obstinance]

[ worried is right, try as she might to suppress it. the safety of others is a larger concern, but she isn't so selfless that she's forgotten herself. she aims for a smile, small as it is, as a returned kindness for his attempts to be comforting. ]

And if they don't?

[ her optimism can only extend so far. she's been in impossible situation after impossible situation, but this feels entirely different. ]

[jettisons]

They will, Clary. There are enough people at the Sanctuary working on this. You'll be okay.

[obstinance]

People that know about as much as you and I do, which is almost nothing.

[ she shrugs, but it isn't argumentative, only matter-of-fact. ]

But I guess that has to be enough for now.

[ to keep them all sane, first and foremost, instead of lacking in hope. ]

[jettisons]

Clarke's dealt with epidemics before. She's saved lives. She'll figure this out.

[obstinance]

She's smart. I don't doubt that, or her.

[ smart with a heart of gold, clary would say. it hasn't taken more than a few months together to figure that out. ]

But there are a lot more factors in play, and I know she can't do it by herself. [ more importantly, though:] That's a lot of pressure to put on one person.

[ and while clary is fairly certain clarke must be relatively pissed with her for refusing more than a couple of hours of care, she knows it's just as possible that clarke will be one of the first to run herself into the ground. ]

[jettisons]

[Bellamy straightens suddenly, his expression closing off as he pulls his hand away.]

I'm not putting it all on her. There's no way she's the only one here with that kind of experience.

[obstinance]

I'm not talking about you.

[ her eyebrows knit, but that's the only remark she makes as she flops back down. ]

I'm talking about Clarke. Everyone I've run into is working themselves into the ground. She's not going to be any different.

[jettisons]

[He relaxes minutely.]

That's how she's always been. She thinks everything is her responsibility, and she doesn't stop unless someone forces her to. Most of the time that doesn't work, either.

[obstinance]

[ soft as it is, she laughs without fully intending to. most of the time that doesn't work. finding that anything less than admirable would be hypocritical on her part, all things considered. ]

I don't think I have any right to criticize her for that.

[ and she won't, but she will inevitably fuss about it. ]

I'm just saying someone should keep an eye on her. She might actually listen to you if you tell her to take a few breaks.

[jettisons]

I'm keeping an eye on her, don't worry.

[He says it softly, leaning back against the cushions.]

Someone has to.