Sole Survivor

[Baron Tseng]

Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember

The couple days that followed from the massacre at Mount Weather were filled with an array of emotions. Some felt relieved that the threat was permanently over. Others felt remorse for how things had come to be. An entire civilization killed. No. Not the entirety of it. There was but a single survivor of the massacre. She was with them now, seemingly bonded with a certain individual among the original 100 sent to the ground. Baron had not spoken to her at length, but there was an evident trauma. An inevitable trauma perhaps it could be better described. She had lost her entire family. Her people. Truth was, Baron could not even begin to imagine the devastation. If he were forced to lay witness to the death of his people . . . it was truly unimaginable. His heart went out to the woman. He did not know her. He did not know those in Mount Weather. But what he did know, was that he couldn't imagine what she was going through. Noticing her standing outside the doors of the fallen Ark, standing in the cool air and just looking at their now fortified gate that confined them . . . Baron stepped outside to join her. Night was a cursed time for many. The quiet stillness forcing the others to remain alone in their thoughts. Perhaps it was what plagued this young woman too. He took off his jacket and wordlessly offered it to Maya, while sharing the sight of the darkness before them, lit by the moon, stars and those patrolling at the gate. "Is it like you imagined it would be?" He asked her, referring to the sight. From what he had been told, those in Mount Weather had never stepped foot outside the confines of their wall. Tag Maya Vie

                           involve me, I understand

[Maya Vie]

template by punki of adoxography

i am feeling so small

i'm still learning to love

No matter how hard she tried to look away from that gate, she couldn't. No matter how hard she willed herself to move away, she couldn't. It was like she was a tree rooted at that spot, unable to move, unable to do anything but spend an eternity staring at something that was never going to change. She wished it would change; she wished that she could close her eyes then open them and be inside the mountain, before the forty-eight arrived, before the desperation of a few men would lead to the extinction of an entire civilization. But it didn't matter how many times she blinked, or how tightly she closed her eyes, or how how many times she opened them, she was still staring at that damnable gate.

Maya didn't move when he approached. She only spared him a glance and a brief, sad smile as she took the offered jacket. Shrugging into it she turned her attention back to the gate and the mountain looming in the distance. His question cause a pang of pain to stab at her heart. Was it what she imagined it would be? Yes and no... staring at the sky, the stars, the shifting clouds, stirred emotions in her she hadn't thought she would feel again. Awe at the sparkling stars that were so far away, heartbreak that she had to take it in without them. The emotions came together like a firestorm; intense and fierce, threatening to engulf her. Maya shivered but not from the cold.

"It's beautiful," her voice was soft, thick with emotion and unshed tears. "But it's an empty promise." It didn't seem fair that she would be the only one of their people to stand out in the open air, the only one to take in the sights, and the sounds, and the smells. There were that had deserved this moment. Good people. Innocent people. But their lives have snuffed out like candles in the wind.

Tag: Baron Tseng

[Baron Tseng]

Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember

Baron remained silent for a few moments, pensively taking in her words. An empty promise. It was indeed a devastating thought. To consider all those that longed for the sight that the two now lay witness to. So many on the Ark had dreamed for the day they could gaze upon the stars from the ground. Where as he imagined, those in Mount Weather longed for the same sight. Both their people were trapped one way or another. However, one side was nearly extinct of their civilization. "Or an infinity of possibilities," he suggested, offering another perspective of what the stars coudl represent. "Some people believe that when a person dies, their soul ascends an becomes a star." Baron wasn't necessarily sure he believed it, but he recalled reading about it. The different beliefs and theories about death. "So whenever they are missing someone, they look at night sky." As the two of them were doing right now. Tag Maya Vie

                           involve me, I understand

[Maya Vie]

template by punki of adoxography

i am feeling so small

i'm still learning to love

Maya couldn't help but smile at his words. It was kind of him to offer comfort and the hope that the sight above was an endless sea of possibilities. But the pain was too fresh, too raw, for her to be able to believe him. Maya was still grieving and in that moment the future was bleak, filled with rain clouds, with no signs of a brighter tomorrow. But even so she listened to his story about how some believed that the soul ascended to the heavens, that they looked up at the night sky when they were feeling missing someone.

She wished it were true. She wished that her mother and father were up there, together again and happy,  the everyone in Mount Weather was up there, safe and sound and non the wiser to the horrible fate they had been dealt. But... she doubted it was true. Life wasn't kind. It wasn't fair. Life had brief moments of happiness in a world that was gushing blood day and night. "The stars are beautiful, more so then I ever imagined they would be." she said, smiling faintly and almost bitterly. "But they are also burning and dying." Like everything else in this world.

Maya turned to face him then, turned her attention away from the glistening specks above. If she continued to look at them, to hope for the impossible, to dwell of the pain of what had happened, she might cry again. And she'd shed enough tears to fill the ocean so she focused on him. She had seen him around the camp but hadn't spoken to him in great detail. She wasn't even sure she remembered his name but she remembered that he was kind.

And he was one of the few people that had come to check on her. Many didn't know how to approach her. Most others didn't know how to approach her or what to think of her being in their camp. They saw her as one of the Mountain Men that had tried to kill their people... or with pity because she had lost everyone she'd ever known. It was nice to speak with someone other then Abby or Jasper. "I know I'm not great company at the moment but... thank you."

Tag: Baron Tseng

[Baron Tseng]

Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember

Baron took in her words, commenting on the stars and their beauty. Yet, it was a bittersweet sight. As she added that they were also burning and dying. He could understand the reasoning for it. Sometimes, a sight was not worth it in the absence of loved ones. He kept his gaze at the stars, though felt hers upon him. A slight smile formed on his lips at her latter spoken words of how she was not the best company. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard that," he told her, turning his head to now look at her. "Both on the Ark, and the ground." People speaking of their poor company due to the trauma or loss they had faced. Though, they had not lost an entire civilization . . . still. Sometimes the loss of a single person could feel like the loss of ones existence. "You don't have to be Maya," he told her. She didn't have to great or even good company. "No one expects you to be," he added on with a continued smile. "I just hope you know that, no matter how it may feel right now . . . you're not alone." With those words he turned to look back at the endless sky. He knew that she had formed close bonds with one delinquent in particular. But he also wanted to assure her that there were others here that would work to make feel like she belonged. Baron among them. Tag Maya Vie

                           involve me, I understand

[Maya Vie]

template by punki of adoxography

i am feeling so small

i'm still learning to love

Maya found that she couldn't stay miserable in his company, as must as she wanted to. Baron was different from the other sky people. He was kind and comforting, logical but not cruel with his words. He offered a different, happier perspective on the world, he offered an understanding that the majority of others didn't or rather wouldn't. He was willing to understand her misery, to see both sides of the story.

But it hurt to know he'd heard her words spoken time and time again, by others. Maya wanted desperately for the world to be a happier, kinder place, but it wasn't possible. The world was gushing blood day and night, and people never stopped mopping up their pain. How many people had he lost? How many people came to him to lament their grief? Was he always the one to offer encouragement? Did anyone ever comfort him? Those thoughts hurt to have, but she didn't speak them. She didn't want to bring up painful or unhappy memories.

"I know I'm not alone. I have Jasper and Monty. Even Bellamy." She said softly as she looked away from him and down at her feet; she wished the ground would open her up and swallow her. Maya sniffed, sighed hard, and raised a had to wipe the tears in her eyes. "It's just that... I remember everything about them. Their names, their faces, their favorite foods, what their children wanted to be when as they grew up. How do I go on  knowing that I'm here... and they're not..." One day she would be okay, she would be able to smile and laugh again, but today was not that day.

Tag: Baron Tseng