Staying Warm In The Winter Takes More The Blankets

[Braeden Quinn]

This was not her mother's idea of Earth. Her mother had trained her for plants, and surviving off the land--not human hunters, and savages. Braeden was in the Ark, and in a room that guardsmen used for meetings and information. It was empty right now, but another of the guards--one who felt the same as she did after this past month and half of being on the ground. They knew they needed to stay alive--and Abby Griffin and Marcus Kane would do their est but they were not ready like the others were. They needed more information. She wasn't disobeying orders, she was taking it upon herself to gather information . . . and support.

She had the support of many of the guardsmen, and she knew the kids from the first dropship would be behind them too--because they were about to put forth a vote to add Bellamy Blake to the council for the purpose of making sure someone was there to help get them ready for winter. The only trouble was--they'd not told Bellamy Blake yet. Which was why she was here.

The door opened and he walked him. She raised her head up while watching him, and unfolded her arms from her chest. "We need to talk, Blake." Getting right to the point, "Come in and shut the door."

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Braeden Quinn

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

He had been summoned it would seem. One of the guards had informed him that Officer Quinn had wantd to speak to him. Truth be told, he welcomed any and every distraction. It prevented him from getting lost in his own mind -- which was a dangerous place for him to be. Sleep eluded him. The images hauntd him. And yet, he was doing all he could to just focus on the present. Winter was coming. They would be making preparations for it. That would keep him occupied. That would keep him from bring haunted during the day at least.

He wordlessly followed the guard, entering the room and upon doing so, was told that they needed to talk, to close the door behind him. He did as instructed, granting them that privacy before verbally responding. "What is it?" He asked. His tone wasn't overly demanding, nor was it soft. It was just . . . lifeless, he supposed. He didn't know anymore. There was no peaked curiosity or intrigue. He just, spoke. Straight to the point, like her. Which he appreciated. Beating around the bush was neither of their style.

[Braeden Quinn]

"What is it?" She moved to walk closer to him, her arms falling to her side as she did. He didn't look like Bellamy used too. Bellamy had been a force of nature, and now he looked . . . haunted. Another reason she had pushed for this was because it would give him direction. Maybe. Or maybe it would just piss him off. She didn't know but it was done. The people trusted him. He had fought with every breath in his body to bring home their children and then he'd walked them through the gate. Everyone trusted him.

"Winter is coming. We need to be ready." This was the easiest place to start. "And you know the this place better then anyone." She was hinting to what she was about to ask him now. Braeden moved again to half sit on the table beside him, trying to make sure he knew this was unofficially not official. "We want you to tell how to get ready for it. To make sure we are all ready for what is coming."

And to make sure he understood. "For anything that might be coming." Be it grounder attacks, winter, or whatever the hell this Earth hit them with next. "The people trust you, Blake. I trust you . . . and we need you."

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Braeden Quinn

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

He quietly listened to her say that winter was coming. That they needed to be ready. That he knew this place. He had a feeling where this was leading to . . . what she was building up to. This wasn't just a casual pointing out of the obvious. There was a depth to what she was saying. He noticed her move to sit closer to him, but he remained stationed in place. Unmoved. Unaffected. Outwardly at least. Inside, so many things were going through him. She said that the people trusted him, that they needed him. It was why he hadn't left. Why he couldn't leave. But . . . Clarke had. She had left him here to be that person. She was needed too. He needed her, but it had meant nothing. It was not enough to say.

She had even said these exact same words to him once: we need you. The familiarity of that moment was overwhelming, painful. Because when she had said it to him, he had complied. He had gone back to the camp. She had asked him to and he'd done so. But when he asked her, she didn't. The resentment was suffocating. He hated it. And so, he tried to push it away. He remained stoic, trying not to let the emotions show. Staying guarded. Or lifeless -- just like his words. He didn't know. He didn't care. "I'm not going anywhere." It was an assurance, in case that was what they were worried about. Him fleeing like Clarke had. His sister was here, that alone was reason enough to stay.

"We need to start building cabins. Hunting, gathering what food we can." This was what it was about, wasn't it? Making plans? Well, he was offering this information to her now. Telling her that they needed to organize themselves starting tomorrow. She could tell the others. He didn't have to be there for that. "I'll map out the best areas to find food." Nuts, fruits, whatever they could find. "A few people are already working on a way to sustain it during winter." To make sure it didn't go bad. Building the necessary containment areas. He needed to focus on this. Not on the fact that she trusted him because . . . well, she shouldn't. There was blood on his hands from before Mount Weather that gave her ample reason not to trust him; blood that he had not confessed to her . . . yet.

[Braeden Quinn]

"I'm not going anywhere." Clearly! After the engineer's daughter disappeared they had been watching Bellamy closely to make sure he stayed near. Not that she thought he would leave--but because they could not afford it if he did. Though she also knew his sister was here and that was a good sign he would stay. "We need to start building cabins. Hunting, gathering what food we can." Clearly he also misunderstood. "I'll map out the best areas to find food." Very much. "A few people are already working on a way to sustain it during winter." Maybe he didn't even have a clue.

"You can tell the people what to do when you speak to them--after speaking to the council." She explained, watching his face closely, "Because we are pushing forth a motion to allow a vote to take place and put you on the council with Kane and Griffin." There. She said it. Out right and with no chance of him misunderstanding. "It's happening now. We know we need to do things differently to survive, and you being a voice of authority would go a long way into helping making sure everyone is taken care of."

"The motion is being put in within the hour, and a vote will happen swiftly. We need you to be ready." Because there could be some backlash, but she would be there watching his back. Not that anyone would try to hurt him, but after the happenings of mt. weather she knew he'd need support. "I'm not going to hold your hand, but I am not going to leave you to do this alone. I will help you, but after a month of being here there are many who still have not left these walls. We cannot surive with our heads int he ground, and we need you to make sure we are ready."

"Are you on board, Bellamy?" She asked directly, "Can we do this thing?" Not asking permission, but for his willingness.

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Braeden Quinn

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

What in the who where when why? She was informing him that he was going to be on the council if elected? He couldn't say he was entirely surprised . . . but it was happening more quickly than he had thought it would. She wasn't asking him, she was basically telling him that it was happening. He didn't know what to say. What should he say? It wasn't that he was opposed to the idea . . . but did he really deserve it? Did he deserve an honor when he had killed so many people? He himself knew the answer to that question, but it seemed the others were more accepting of his choice. Understanding of what he had done.

Marcus had told him he did good, despite what that entailed. Maybe they wouldn't truly understand . . . because they didn't have to live with it. He did. Every second of every day. "Do I have a choice?" He asked in return to her own question of whether he was ready. His question was a bit sarcastic, because even if he didn't want this, it already sounded like everything was in motion. She was telling him that she wasn't going to leave him to do this alone. She had never given him a reason to not trust her . . . but Bellamy learnd what it was to be emotionally dependant on someone. To rely on someone. To open himself up to someone. In the end, it had nearly destroyed him. Because out of all the people, he never thought Clarke would done this. Once again, he found himself needing to push her out of his head. Focus on what Braeden was saying -- what this meant.

"If the people elect me, if this is what they want, then it's done." He couldn't say he would accept it because he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Under other circumstances, perhaps he would have been more excited or felt anything akin to honor over this. Here . . . he felt like he was being glorified for mass murder. He didn't regret it, and maybe that was what made it all worse. "We'll be ready," he assured her. "I won't abandon our people." The words came out automatically, without a second thought . . . almost rehearesed even, for he had said it so many times before. Heard it so many times. And they came out as a reassurance, a statement of fact . . . he would not abandon their people.

[Braeden Quinn]

"Do I have a choice?" He asked, and Braeden gave a small shrug, not to say she didn't know but more to help him see that she wasn't here to baby him about this. "Would you have wanted one?" She asked, wondering if he would have been willing to step up if they'd asked rather then planning it ahead of time--if he would would have tired to talk them out of it.

"If the people elect me, if this is what they want, then it's done." Then it was done.
"I won't abandon our people." "You've proven that. You've fought the grounders, mount weather, and even us for the kids here. No one thinks you're about to leave us now." They'd been shocked when Clarke did it, but she had never fought for them like Blake had. Clarke worked the bigger picture. Bellamy just wanted everyone protected.

"Now that we've got the details out of the way, once you're o the council you will need to appoint someone to yourself." Kane had the captain of the guardsmen, Abby had Jackson. All the members had someone they directly delegated things too. "Until you can make up your mind, you can us me." She wanted the job, but she wasn't going to ask for it--or anything. Once he had the power he could tell her to go eff herself, and she was aware of that. "We can do what needs to be done to make sure everyone will be ready for winter. If I remember Earth Skill classes correctly, it should be on us soon."

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Braeden Quinn

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

She said that he had proven that he wasn't going to leave, listing off the things he had done thus far. But . . . did the people truly know it? Clarke had left after all. She had fought the Grounders, fought for those in Mount Weather and the delinquents. But she had left. Would the others, if not only the delinquents even, think that he would run away as well? He supposed this position, should he be elected, would reassure them that he was staying here. It would solidify his position. Though he knew himself he would stay, he couldn't help but be a bit curious as to what his people's perception of it was.

She then explained that he would need to appoint someone to himself. That he could use her. Was she offering herself as some sort of default? "If you want to be appointed to me, that's fine. But Nathan Miller will also be with me." The man he had trusted. The one who became his second not because Bellamy had to control him -- like Murphy and John -- but because Bellamy had trusted him. And that trust did not diminish. Nathan was not in the guard but he deserved to be. His father was among the guardsman and it would also allow them the opportunity to be with each other. That wasn't Bellamy's primary reason for doing it, but it was on the list of reasons.

"I'm not going to justify my decision." Bellamy wasn't going to explain that he was well trained, that he trusted him, that he was more than capable. He wanted Miller by his side. That was all there was to it. "Too soon," Bellamy agreed, his mind going over everything they would need to do in order to prepare. "We need to start. First thing in the morning. Whether I'm elected or not." He didn't need an official title to take action or assert his authority. But it would damn well help to have one when it came to certain discussions and being in the know.

[Braeden Quinn]

He told her that IF she wanted to be appointed she COULD. Not that he wanted her there, or thought she'd been good, or was even a mist his effing first few choices! It was just IF she wanted to be there she could be there with freaking Nathan Miller the thief of a son that Miller had--the older Miller. The one she respected. He even went ahead and told her that he wasn't going to defend his choice! As if he EXPECTED her to bitch about it! Braeden stood up from where she was half sitting, and looked up at him--she wasn't even trying to hide her displeasure at that. At least with her body language, "Appoint whoever the hell you want, Blake." She didn't want his favors.

Still! It pissed her off! She had been a damn good guardsmen and he picked a freaking thief! If he had not already proven himself to be a good leader she'd have told him he was an idiot. She was smart enough not to tell him what she thought with her words out right--she knew he'd been though hell for them, and she wasn't going to disrespect that--but she made it clear with her body language that she didn't approve of this first decision. "Tomorrow morning then. You might want to make sure you know which men you're asking for before you go into the council room. THEY might question your choices." And she didn't blame them!

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Braeden Quinn

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

She was pissed. Clearly. She didn't seem at all happy with the fact that he had chosen someone else above her. He wondered if it was because he had chosen someone else, or the someone else he had chosen that pissed her off. He just watched her as she rose from her seated position and then told him that he should make sure tomorrow and that they may question his decision. He had his resons for trusting Miller and wanting the man by his side. But they were for reasons that only the delinquents could understand == because of all they had been through since arriving.

"What did you expect, Braeden?" He his her. There was no anger or any tone of defensiveness in his voice. He was just asking a question, not even one that was meant to be entirely rhetorical. "I have been with these people for two months. We've been through hell together. And I trust them." What had the Arkers and guard done as soon as they arrived? Electrocuted him and locked him up. "They are my people." The others weren't as much his as they were more Kane and Abby's. "And I want them by my side." Like Miller. Bellamy didn't ask for this. He didn't ask to be elected. But it sounded like he was going to be. And he would have to be prepared for it.

[Braeden Quinn]

"What did you expect, Braeden?" Braeden. Not Quinn. "I have been with these people for two months. We've been through hell together. And I trust them." Really?! He'd say that to her as his reason for trusting them over her? "They are my people." Not her. Not the Ark. "And I want them by my side." She wanted to hit him.

"What did I expect, Bellamy? They've been by your side two months." She repeated his words, "I didn't raise the guard when you were sneaking on the drop ship! I have been your friend--or so I thought!--since we were 16!" And some of that was spent letting him crawl into her pants! "And suddenly . . . . I'm the bad guy. I wasn't here--I can't know what was hell was like." She wasn't mocking him, so much as angry that THESE were his reasons. She lost everything on the Ark! No one was hunting them but they's been slowly dying with ever breath they took. Not enough oxygen, not enough food, not enough water--for two days they didn't even have enough heat for everyone to live. So many bodies of dead friends, and parents!

But clearly his hell was more then her's. "I expected something that is no longer there . . . my mistake."

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Braeden Quinn

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

She asked a question, saying that they had been by his side for two months. That she didn't raise the guard when he snuck onto the drop ship -- and he knew that in itself was a risk toward. She was right. She had been his friend, and more. He would forever have a place for her in his heart. But, that was when he had a heart that was not consumed with pain and guilt. "I would never want you to experience the hell here." But the Arkers had, in their own way. Yet, they didn't have to hunt for food, establish shelters, fight off Grounders, wild animals and Mountain Men -- the latter though did come at the end. There was another reason though. Probably the biggest reason of them all.

"You were friends with Bellamy Blake. A cadet in training. Someone who wanted the best life for his family." Part of that hadn't changed, but a lot of it did. He took a few steps toward her, his voice strong though still not angry. "I'm not the same guy. I've done things. Unimaginable things." He was bathing in blood. "You expected your friend. But believe me when I say, you don't want me as that in your life. You wouldn't want anything to do with me if you really understood what I did." He had killed innocent women, men, and children. He was responsible for the 320 people who died on the Ark. He hadn't even realized that he was now standing directly in front of her, unable to fully shield the pain from his eyes that could be seen if one looked closely enough, while the rest of his face remained stoic. They said that the eyes were the window to one's soul . . . and Bellamy felt like he no longer had one.

[Braeden Quinn]

"I would never want you to experience the hell here." Nor would she want to be here--or have let him come if she'd known what awaited him here. But she knew that he'd made his choice and she had made her's. To allow him to try. "You were friends with Bellamy Blake. A cadet in training. Someone who wanted the best life for his family." And here he was--Bellamy Blake, a leader who wanted what was best for his people! "You expected your friend. But believe me when I say, you don't want me as that in your life. You wouldn't want anything to do with me if you really understood what I did." What he did? She knew about the war and the mountain.

He had moved closer to her, and she stood her ground, but now she took a step toward him--invading his personal space to make her point to him as well. "So you decide for us both then, Bellamy?" She asked, "You are just going to decide that I could never be apart of your new circle of friends?" This was not what she had even been pissed about--but maybe it was. He had been her friend until he had become a janitor. Until he had asked her for what she could not give--would not give him. Even then later she had proved her words wrong when she'd not raised the alarm at being being on the dropship. "I lost everyone on the Ark." Her parents, friends, most her co-workers. "I didn't expect that meant you as well---but like I said . . . clearly that was my mistake . . . because you've already made up your mind."

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Braeden Quinn

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

It made it sound like it was a bad decision, when this meant something good for her. To not have to be overly affiliated to him. He was here. He was leading the people. But in terms of friends . . . he just didn't know. The others, the delinquents, knew him and what he had done. They still accepted him. If the other Arkers found out, Bellamy wasn't sure he would be given that same second chance. He knew he didn't deserve it. Clarke had given him forgiveness, but it wasn't enough. Her not being here was a clear example of that. He could get through this with her, but not anyone else. How could he? Octavia was the other but he didn't want to keep burdening her with his pain. She too should hate him for what he had cost them . . . but she didn't.

She was so determined, so convinced that he was worth having in her life, as a friend. She said she had lost everyone . . . and he feared to know the answer. Yet he would prove to her now what he meant. That she should hate him. Loathe him. Be so incredibly angry with him. "I destroyed the radio." The words came out, emotionless, expressionless. As if they were as dead as he felt. "When Raven Reyes came down here, I destroyed the radio from her pod so we couldn't contact the Ark." And well, it wouldn't take her long to realize what exactly that meant: that he had been the reason so many Arkers had died. They had witnessed the funeral. Well over 300 bodies. He had to live with it, just like he had to live with killing those in Mount Weather. But Braeden would see now, what he meant. She would understand that he was not worth having a friend. She would realize that he was a monster.

[Braeden Quinn]

"I destroyed the radio." What radio? Braeden wondered what he was talking about now. The one from the mount weather place? "When Raven Reyes came down here, I destroyed the radio from her pod so we couldn't contact the Ark." Raven had come down? That was a while ago. She didn't know all the details because it had been an illegal launch but she seemed to remember that it was a last attempt to get communications with Earth. The radio had worked thought, it just had taken time to get a hold of the Ark.

It was a sore spot with her. Her father had been one of the volunteers. He had given his life so that his family could have more time. It had not been a popular choice between them--he was respected and needed--but he had wanted to be there, and do this for his people. He had believed that it was the only choice he could have made.

Which made his words confusing. What the hell was he talking about? It had taken them a few days to get in touch with Raven, because she had to rebuild the radio--but she had assumed it was the crash . . . That was the moment. Her face shifted from confused, to shocked. The shock didn't last long, as it turned to hurt and betrayed. Bellamy had done that? Why? No, didn't give a flying fuck why! The anger was taking over--born from an orphaned daughter who had sat out side the air locked doors, waiting on her father to die so she could move the body! She knew before this moment that it had been for nothing--but it wasn't until now that she had someone to directly blame!

And he was still standing too close to her. She let out a short scream of anger before one hand reached up to bunch into his coat, and the other formed a fist to smash into his face! She was going to kill him! She would hit him until she killed him or could no longer move!