eachdraidh | video; unseelie

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So I know a lot of people probably have a lot of training under their belts already, routines they have no interest in changing, and the last thing anyone wants to hear is a new kid asking more questions, but- [ she shrugs ] Here I am.

For whatever reason, the monarchs decided to take me from right before I was about to start my formal training. [ a beat ] Formal in the sense that I was about to be someone's second. A total bad-ass literally told me I would start my training "tomorrow", but- [ then those sTUPID IMPS HAD TO GO AND- okay, not getting mad about the imps again. moving on. ] I've learned how to use a knife, and I've learned a lot of combat movement, stealth, the basics. But I never got much time to practice. So that's what I'm asking for now - people who want to practice.

New people, probably, but people who know what's useful and what's not in a war like this would obviously be good too. People who have a lot to learn, but won't be afraid to get hurt and mess up, then get up and try it again. People who won't shove my inexperience down my throat, but won't go easy on me either. I don't need to be babied, I need to be taught. [ another pause ] No magic, not yet. I get it, we need to learn it, but I need to know my way around a blade before I try figuring out any of that crap.

Which means I need a weapon of my own. Mine, not something borrowed. I know I can't fight a war with a small blade, but I don't want a sword either. [ not yet ] I want something more like a machete. Anybody know where I can get my hands on something like that? I'll work for it. Whatever it takes.

-- And that's it. Let me know.

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[Ofc she waited till he LEFT but no he's not actually that annoyed, and he's not surprised either. By... anything his sister goes on about. He's not sure how he feels about her tailing around Indra, but that has less to do with Octavia herself and more his continued not-so-there trust in the Grounders as a whole.]

I can just give you one of mine, and then it's not technically borrowed.

[Though he understands wanting her own. Bellamy is nothing if not particular about his weapons stash.] Or at least just use something till you get your own.

It would still be borrowed.

[ also if Bellamy ever gave her a weapon she'd cherish the shit out of it and only use it for really important things and she needs something she can beat the crap out of while she learns. but she's not going to be telling anyone that. ]

I might have already been borrowing from your collection over the past few days. Just while I was out looking for plants. Plus yours all have markings on them, I don't want to mess with that. Not if it's- Bellamy-specific magic. [ a beat ] That's what I would want to use magic for. A rune that burns the crap out of anyone that tries to touch my weapons without my permission.

Not if I don't expect you to give it back. [That's not how gift giving works!!]

[He crosses his arms, but looks relatively unperturbed by her raiding his makeshift armory. He might've, a year ago, and he might've when the dropship first landed, but Octavia has more than proved herself, and he has beyond learned to slacken the chain. If there's anyone he wouldn't care pilfering his collection at this point, it's his sister.] They're boosters, mostly. It won't do anything to you, just makes the blades more effective. I don't need alarms on them, the house is secure enough.

[But it's not a bad idea, thanks for that, O.]

[ stop reading her mind ] -- I'm not about to say no to a weapon present. But I still want my own machete. [ SO THERE ]

It could. You don't know that. [ she's read enough myths to know you don't mess with other people's magical stuff, bro ] I don't want any boosters. [ she secretly does, or will maybe in the future, but shh ] I wouldn't have had any back home, I don't need them here.

[Well guess what he's going to do now??? Give her a weapon to keep?? Yes. Absolutely.] I'm sure there's one out there. Not like a machete's a gun. [Bellamy was going to offer help but he gets the sense she wants to take care of this alone. So he's... giving her that space. Growth!]

[He raises an eyebrow.] I'm not gonna carve a rune into a weapon if I don't know exactly what it's supposed to do, O. You probably don't need them, but they sure as hell are useful.

I don't even want to imagine what this place would be like if there were guns around.

[ probably just even more like home. but with magic. yikes. ]

No, duh, I meant- Maybe the magic would react different to me using it than when you do. You had to learn about it before you could use it, right? I haven't. I don't know what any of the runes mean.

[You wanna hear a confession, Octavia??] I've thought about it. I don't like not having one, but I don't like imagining the war full of guns either. [Bringing in chemicals was already bad enough tbh.]

[He shakes his head.] It shouldn't. But I'll double check. [Things Bellamy does not want: his magic hurting his sister.] Clarke's got books, if you wanna skim what some of them do - but they're not explosive. Not these, at least. If you really wanna avoid 'em, I've still got clean weapons.

Not like you need them, anyway. [ she shouldn't sound so fond of him right now???? but she does ] I mean, someone thinks you're good enough to train those people, so why would you need a gun?

[ no she doesn't want to read, Bellamy. can't you just read all the books then teach her? ...she's actually considering him asking him to do that. ugh. she feels like reading it won't make it anymore believable or easier to understand. but if he explains it? or Clarke? maybe.

and then she's rolling her eyes in a duh way ]

I know. I made sure the one I took a few days ago was clean. Not that I even had to use it, but still. [ there's some shifting around on her end before she's reaching for something, then she's holding up a knife that's like- kind of hideously intimidating, but nothing huge. just. scary. ] This one. See? Once I get my own weapon, I'll put it right back where I found it. Promise. [ or she'll keep it as a backup probably maybe who knows ]

[He doesn't respond at first, mouth open just slightly, before he closes it with a small exhale.] I'm used to it now. There are substitutes. You should try a crossbow, if you want a projectile.

[TBH!! He probably would read them aloud to her, like he read and told her all those stories growing up. He's already spent plenty of time reading aloud with Clarke here, reading to his sister is a nonissue.]

[Bellamy recognizes the knife she holds up and nods. It's a good one, one of the better he's gotten, but the words that follow are easy despite how good a weapon it is, how tightly he might've held on to it otherwise.] Keep it, if you want, even after you get one of your own.

[He thinks about how he used to be with her when they first landed on Earth and knows the idea of willingly giving her a weapon would have been unthinkable. It's a good change. He wants her to be protected, and that's something she can offer herself now too.]

I don't know if I like crossbows. I get why they're a good weapon, I just don't like the idea of running out of arrows. A knife, that stays with you. And if you throw it, you need to be damn sure you know where it lands. That's on you. It's not the same with a bow and arrow.

[ it's a tiny bit weird to be talking weapons with Bellamy, but she doesn't hate it. and there is some ridiculous little sister pride that comes with hearing "keep it" from your big bro, so she doesn't say anything, but there's a big "maybe I will!" grin on her face, after the fact ]

I don't use 'em much, beyond hunting. Most of the battles here tend to be up close and personal on my end. [So, you know, if Octavia needs to fight, at least she'll be better suited for that, even if he hates thinking about her taking part in something like the Dullahan Ride.] Just try one, as a backup. I know it's not the same, but versatility helps. [Because the more she can use, the better she can defend herself right????]

[He grins at her grin, recognizing it easily for what it is. She'll be keeping it, no matter what she might try to say on the matter.]

[ she doesn't love the idea, but if Bellamy's telling her to "just try it", she's going to. versatility, it's not the first time she's heard that word when it came to this stuff. back home, Lincoln used it to tell her about knowing the different uses of every weapon. that it was one thing to carry a weapon and practice a few take-downs with it, but also knowing how to improvise, knowing she could take a weapon off of a corpse and not need to think about how to use it, was just as important.

but, uh. yikes. anyway. ]

Up close and personal, huh? I don't love the sound of that.

[ like Octavia's the protective one here. but hey, it changes things up a bit when you show up somewhere new and find out your brother's been fighting in a way here for over a year. ]

But alright. Versatility. Lots of weapons, lots of practice. And hey, maybe afterwards I'll head back your way and show your boys how it's done. [ she knows they're not really his in whatever way, but for as long as he's training them they kind of are, so yeah. she'll make jokes. ] afterwards

[He does't love the idea either, but his sister is a long way from the girl who slept under the floorboards. Besides, if she's further away from her opponents, that's a good thing, right?? Right.]

[Dryly:] You realize up close and personal was like 90% of fighting the Grounders? Now there's just magic involved. [Look, he knows you don't like it, but he's gonna be casual about it FOREVER until she gets more used to the magic thing. Helping!!]

[But he half-grins, shaking his head.] They're not all men, but I doubt they'd mind.

Exactly.

[ MAGIC IS HORRIFYING ]

I didn't mean it so literally. [ of course there are women, what kind of army wouldn't have women? a sucky one. ] Though I do wonder how the soldiers here compare to the Grounders. There has to be some group of people who survive this place without magic.

There are plenty of people who can't even learn it, so yeah, it's not impossible to get by without any. But our Shards are magic, and that lets us learn it.

I'm not saying you need to, O. Just don't dismiss it. [Like he's one to talk, considering he had basically the same "wtf magic" reaction she did upon arrival to the Drabwurld.]

What if, now hear me out- Instead of dismissing it, I just ignore that it exists entirely? That should work out okay, right?

[ kind of smirking but also is maybe 76% serious. yes, 76%. ]

I'll figure something out. It's just like home, right? You have to learn to adapt, or you're dead. Simple. So I'll adapt.

[Rolling his eyes?? Rolling his eyes. But it's done with only the utmost affection.] You're just lucky I can't summon a fireball on my hand anymore, then we'd see how well you could ignore it.

[But then his expression softens, slightly. Bellamy hates that she needs to adapt like that, but he's hated it since she had to start on the ground.] Just don't adapt by cutting yourself off from all decent resources because it freaks you out, okay?

Yeah, yeah. Okay. No ignoring magic.

[ decent resources, sure. nah, she's very aware that she'll have to start.. liking that stuff eventually, but for now she's going to focus on the same things she was trying to learn back home. then she'll add magic to the mix. maybe. ]

[He grins at her. If he were with her, he'd probably do something stupidly brotherly, like ruffle her hair.] See, now was that so hard?

Lemme know what you get yourself, when it happens. And I'll be back tonight.

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ok random stray word at the end there hahaha

LMFAO

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