nysalogs | ( CLOSED )

[ her eyes dart to her own wrists reflexively. if the infection's effects aren't enough reason to stay off of the streets, a case of mistaken identity because of her runes could be a mess waiting to happen. ]

Did you hear anything about what they stand for?

[ speaking of fussing, she doesn't sit down until she moves to retrieve a bottle of water, pushing it toward him wordlessly when she takes the adjacent seat at the kitchen table. the demand for him to take care of himself is implicit with that gesture alone. ]

Some kind of name?

[He gets the message, and it's sort of sweet. They're staying on topic, too, so he's not going to complain about it.]

Most of it was vague. One of the women asked the other why they were using an "M" when that "wasn't even the name". The other said it was because it meant something to the higher ups before. They mentioned a "little bird".

So it's a name, but not their ringleader's. Maybe even a symbol?

[ that feels like the right deduction to make with all that's been said. she considers it for a longer pause, eyebrows knit together; for as many questions as she has, she has fewer that bellamy can answer with what he's heard. most of what's been circuling has been little more than whispers, information that needs to be slotted together to complete the bigger picture.

still, she does have one pressing thought. ]

Do you think they meant the higher ups in whatever terrorist organization they belong to, or the higher ups here?

I don't know. There might be a connection. This many refugees has got to be a strain on the city.

[So, yeah, he doesn't know much.]

Maybe.

[ between that and what she's heard about evras? there might be some weight to it, and that's hardly the only suspicious factor. ]

I haven't heard an announcement from any of them, either. You'd think the Empress would have something to say about everything happening in her city, but it's not surprising that the people in charge might choose to hide while all of us clean up for them.

[ she's not bitter, you're bitter. ]

[He scoffs, unscrewing the cap of the water bottle and taking a swig.]

She should be making speeches about unity and perseverance by now. We're expendable.

[ actually drinking does placate her a degree, as keyed up as she still is. clary smiles, however slight, before she shakes her head. ]

Word on the street is that some people think she murdered her own husband for power. If that doesn't say expendable, I don't know what does.

Somehow I'm not surprised.

[This is like the coalition all over again.]

Have you ever heard about anything important that starts with an "M"? An organization or a god, maybe?

[ she's silent for a long moment, turning it over in her head. after consideration, she's still no closer to having anything useful to offer, try as she might not to look defeated about the fact. ]

No, sorry. I'll check with a friend and see if she's heard anything about it.

[ considering jyn's hobbies had read lying, theft, and forgery, her tendencies might make her a better candidate for scooping up seedy information. with that said: ]

I've heard a few other things about the Institute, though. It's starting to look like I was right to be suspicious.

[Well, that's something. More than Bellamy has, certainly.]

What have you heard?

I know someone who works at the Institute.

[ a friend, she might say, if she and peter weren't currently bitter toward one another for their opposing viewpoints. she still trusts the information in spite of any disagreements they've shared; otherwise, she wouldn't be repeating it like it holds weight. ]

He says the gas from the attack is similar to one he's seen there before. Of course it's magically missing from the inventory now that he went looking for the sample.

Maybe you were right, or at least on the right track.

[Someone from the Institute having a hand in this makes sense, doesn't it?]

Unless someone managed to sneak in and steal it.

That doesn't mean it wasn't made there. That seems like a pretty good reason for someone to blame Evras to me.

[ then again, it still brings them no closer to finding the actual culprit. anything is better than nothing, even so, but it isn't as comforting as she would have preferred. ]

Remember when you said I wasn't always right?

[ she isn't saying i told you so, but. ]

You aren't.

[He is refusing to accept that implied "I told you so"!]

Who's your friend at the Institute?

Says you.

[ but whatever, she's used to blatant lack of praise when she's right. she'll skip over it for both of their sake, even if she shoots him an odd look at the question. ]

Peter Parker. [ more importantly: ] Why the curiosity?

[ ensuring her lead is a trustworthy one, maybe, or just that: simple curiosity. clary can't decide which makes more sense in the current context. ]

Edited 2017-10-13 04:32 (UTC)

[He shrugs.]

I don't know anyone at the Institute. It might be good to.

[Not a lack of trust, then.]

There was something else. Footprints leading straight into the wall at the back of the alley. If there was a door or some sort of mechanism, I couldn't find it.

You can try. He doesn't seem like he's the best with people.

[ more precisely, he's prone to stammering and awkward fidgeting, from clary's experiences. sorry, parker. at the very least, it's a forewarning rather than warding bellamy off of that course.

as for that bit of information, footsteps leading straight into the wall trips her up for only a moment. it's nothing short of strange, but olympia seems determined to challenge her idea of what is and isn't far-fetched. ]

Not to sound insane or anything — [ yes, she's aware this suggestion is about to sound insane. ] Are you sure it wasn't just magic? Some kind of phasing ability?

[That's a good point, and one Bellamy hadn't considered. He's out of his depth there.]

I have no idea. The only experience with magic I have is what you showed me.

I don't do magic.

[ at this point, there's no amusement or exasperation to that automatic correction. she's said it so often it feels more like reciting a fact more than anything else. ]

Which alley was this again? [ or, as better phrasing: ] Do you remember what district it was?

Just outside the market. Didn't see anything else strange nearby.

[So, a dead end both literally and figuratively.]

If it did lead anywhere, they've probably already changed the location of their hideout.

[ which, of course, boils down to one (frustrating) line of thought. ]

It's been a week. I thought we would have something to show for it by now.

So did I.

[But, as usual, that doesn't seem to be their luck. He takes another swig of his water, although it's mostly for her sake.]

We'll figure it out, Clary. Are you sure you're okay?

[ she makes a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat, easy enough to mistake for an agreement when, in reality, she's becoming less and less convinced they'll stumble upon any information. more than deconstructed and limited amounts of intel, at any rate; even the most minute details have given her some hope, but it's not enough.

speaking of — ]

Yeah. I will be. [ her eyes drift from him to the window for a moment — closed and curtained — before they return. ] But I need you to stay away — at least for awhile.

[Yeah, that's reassuring. Bellamy sets the water aside and crosses his arms.]

Why?

[ if there was ever any stance that would convince her this isn't going to be an easy pitch to make to bellamy, it's that one. ]

Because. [ she would leave it at that if she were feeling more childish, but 'because' won't satisfy him. she doesn't need to own a manual on how bellamy blake behaves and functions to realize that for herself. ] It's obviously not safe for a number of reasons.

[ the infection takes priority in that regard, but her brother has never been a harmless threat. ]

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