( he remembers. clarke kneeling in a clearing, doing what he couldn’t — strong, resolute, singing a chilling lullaby, and he knew suddenly ( in the same way he knew he was a coward ) that clarke could do anything, would do what was required of her. the same way he remembers resenting her spine; the challenging rise of her chin, that condescending tone, her insistence that they needed each one of their people to come down from the ark in as gentle of a flaming crash landing as possible. he’s not bluffing, nor is bellamy using rancor in his description of clarke. she is a wonder and not all wonders are magnificent, however paralysis-inducing they may be.

she objects and bellamy pulls in a breath, sticking a pin in that conversation for later. more than their fair share of disagreements, that staircase in the bunker leading to the hatch in particular, but he’s here, isn’t he? meeting her people.

but mizuki is here and he’s exclaiming that he and bellamy are brain twins or some such nonsense, and he doesn’t. he doesn’t get it. he wants to dig in with his teeth and tear at the point. figure out where and how this person has had a singular experience with hard choices, with blood and gore and murder, to be this ecstatic about it. he doesn’t disagree about clarke because she always finds a way; right, wrong - inconsequential. a path nonetheless. )

I'm not worried.

( his norse mythology is nonexistent, other than bigger names and words that might have been mirrored in greek or roman texts, so he blinks accordingly, following as best he can. )

And what are Aegirs known for, specifically? Your variant. In your world. From a curious friend of a friend to a friend of a friend. ( he’s perfectly civil, clarke, do not change the subject again. ) I'm human with very few distinctions to set me apart from other humans.

( but there are some markers. )