nysalogs | ( CLOSED )

[ in any other instance, she might be able to wrench herself out of his grasp. it's telling that she doesn't struggle, both in regard to what respect she does have for him and what energy she needs to conserve to avoid nearly collapsing again. ]

You don't know how sick you'll get. [ she raises her arm to emphasize where his fingers have curved around it to make her point. being in her proximity doesn't seem wise; touching her seems even less so. ] We don't know how sick any of these people will get, or how many resources we have to deal with it. Your safety is more important to me than mine, and so is theirs. I have to do something.

[ she hadn't been undermining her decision to defend the people here, as self-destructive as that thought might be. still, so many of them are human, bellamy included; she distinctly isn't. ]

[He rolls his eyes, not letting go of her arm. This is the worst combination of sheer stubbornness and self-sacrifice possible.]

"Something" doesn't help any of us if you don't know what it is, and it doesn't help if you collapse in an alley.

I'll figure it out. I just need information first — and unlike most of these people, I already have a head start.

[ a shoddy strategy, but one that's (sadly, and incredulously enough) worked in her favor. ]

What do you want me to do, Bellamy? Sit around and do nothing?

[ said as though that's unthinkable and even heard of. for clary, it just might be. ]

I want you to take care of yourself.

[That's the ideal situation, but he knows that isn't realistic, and he understands that itch to help in any way possible. He's not going to convince her, and he's not going to drag her back to Clarke.]

If you won't, I'm coming with you.

You don't need to worry about me.

[ need to versus want to is an important distinction, but it still needs to be said. ]

If I say no, are you even going to listen?

[ considering she already sounds resigned to it, it's evident she's already arrived at the answer to that. ]

You could try it.

[But the answer is clearly no, even though he finally lets go of her arm.]

Where are you going?

The Institute. [ an instantaneous answer in spite of her previous vague strategy. she's not entirely useless with formulating plans, no matter her proclivity for reckless and impulsive choices. ] If anything like this has been seen before, it'll be in the archives there. And if it isn't — well, let's just say I've heard a few unsavory things. It's worth checking out.

[ she doesn't run off the moment her arm is free from his hold, but she isn't waiting for him to speak before she sets off in that direction. ]

Go home, Bellamy.

[ he said she could try, didn't he? it's a half-hearted effort, nevertheless, already expecting a refusal. ]

[Good guess, Clary. Bellamy doesn't even break stride.]

Someone needs to carry your ass back if you pass out.

You don't even know where I'm staying. Good luck trying to carry me back, in that case.

[ without even missing a beat. how long are they going to bicker about this? stay tuned for results. ]

[Bellamy rolls his eyes. That doesn't stop him from dragging her back to Clarke, does it?]

I'll manage. You don't have any spells to fix this?

[ that's the opposite of a favor when clarke likely wants to kick her ass for running off, bellamy. ]

I don't do spells. I'm not some kind of warlock.

[ that continued belief of his would be amusing if she wasn't borderline feverish, but she's sparing him from hearing her exhale huffily, as tempting as it is. ]

It doesn't work like that, anyway. There are runes for burning out infection or replacing lost blood, but we don't exactly deal in chemical warfare. The Clave is more — [ outdated? ancient? eventually, she settles on, ] Medieval than that.

[To Bellamy, magic is magic. He doesn't know why being compared to a warlock is a bad thing, but she seems offended.]

Guess we wouldn't be that lucky. What rumors have you heard?

[ in magnus' absence, she has to be offended for his sake. ]

The runes would only work on me, anyway. Everyone else is too human.

[ too normal compared to her, but that's not a line of self-loathing thought she wants to entertain for more than a single moment. ]

Some woman stopped me earlier because she thought I was her daughter. Said something about "that snotty scientist" from the Institute being at fault. She sounded pretty adamant about it.

That's more than I've got. I don't know much about the Institute.

[Please tell him, Clary!]

[ 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.

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