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[reproached]

@john.murphy | ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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[reproached]

Yeah.

[ Okay... Think... ]

Clarke can probably tell you more about the science. The whole thing's kind of a blur for me. Anyway, there was supposed to be a settlement down there. Descendants of another Eligius mission. But when we found it, the whole village was abandoned. Like everyone just got up and left. Recently. We were taking a look around and...

Then Emori lost her damn mind and came at me with a knife. And you know the rest.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy resists the urge to apologize again. It's instinct, whether it's necessary or not, but it's written on his face.]

And Octavia?

[reproached]

You wanted her to stay in cryo. You figured she'd put any peacemaking with the aliens at risk, which...

[ Yeah. ]

I don't know if she woke up with the others. I was really out of it. Honestly, I don't remember much after I came out of my death-coma.

[jettisons]

[Bellamy nods at that, gaze dropping to the floor. He could press Murphy on it, sure, but it's like he told Clarke—if he needs to make sure Murphy's not lying, there's no point in them talking.]

Alright.

[He's quiet for a moment, processing.]

How bad did my sister get?

[He can guess, of course, but something tells him Clarke didn't want to go into the nitty gritty details.]

[reproached]

[ He would ask if Bellamy's really sure he wants to talk about this, but he already knows the answer. So Murphy sighs and drifts closer to him. ]

As bad as she could possibly get. Worse than Ontari, which is impressive. She had people fighting in death pits to lower the population in the bunker. Like it was a game. It's how she was gonna kill you, too.

[jettisons]

Gladiators.

[It's half-mumbled, the connection made more for himself than for Murphy. Clarke left that part out, but he can't blame her.]

Clarke said they were running out of supplies.

[But it's clear even that knowledge isn't enough for it to make sense to him.]

[reproached]

Yeah. Seems to me like they could've picked something a little less barbaric if they really had to cull, but what do I know?

Anyway, I don't know much else about it. I didn't see it for myself.

[jettisons]

[He lets out a slow breath, scrubbing a hand over his face.]

I can guess the rest.

[And of course, Bellamy being Bellamy can't help but wonder if he could have helped Octavia if he'd been down there.]

[reproached]

Yeah.

[ Murphy sighs, retreating in the direction of the door. ]

I guess I'll leave you alone now.

[jettisons]

[For a second, Bellamy hesitates. Then he lets out a quiet, frustrated noise, reaching out to snag Murphy's shoulder.]

You don't have to leave, Murphy.

[reproached]

[ That genuinely surprises him. Murphy stops and glances back to Bellamy. ]

Do you want me to stay?

[jettisons]

[It isn't an instant response. He's quiet as he mulls it over, brows furrowed. He's still frustrated, yes, but he gets why both Murphy and Clarke did what they did. He'll get over it.]

Yeah, I do.

[reproached]

[ Well, then. Murphy turns back to face him. ]

You can cry on my shoulder if you want. You've done it like a hundred times.

[ He's joking. Or is he? Who can say. ]

[jettisons]

[He scoffs, but it gets his lips to quirk up, at least a little.]

Yeah? And how many times have you cried on mine?

[reproached]

After Emori broke up with me? A thousand, at least.

[jettisons]

She broke up with you?

[Ouch.]

[reproached]

While we were on the Ring, yeah. Actually, you were the only one who was talking to me for a while there. I sort of got exiled.

[ He gives a light shrug. ]

Don't worry. We worked it all out now.

[ Except for the buried resentment that led to her stabbing him! Which he will just not think about. ]

[jettisons]

[Uh-huh. This definitely seems like the whole story.]

Why would we exile you when there were only seven of us up there?

[reproached]

Because I was a waste of oxygen and algae.

[jettisons]

You'd still be wasting oxygen on the other side of the ring.

[Translation: He doesn't buy it.]

[reproached]

They probably would've floated me if you weren't there to stop them.

[jettisons]

I thought I brought Echo along to lighten the load if we had to.

[reproached]

Oh, is that why.

[jettisons]

What's that supposed to mean?

[reproached]

I mean, you two shacked up for a couple years toward the end. Was that not the plan all along?