they say the brave are always stubborn.

@earthdropped also gets a lou because he wanted in 

“C’mon new girl.” He teased, eyes alight with playfulness. “You can’t stay cooped up here forever. I got your back, it’ll be fun.”

     “ Daring, aren’t you? “ replied the girl, glancing over at him with a light grin touching at her face before she shook her head. He was right that she couldn’t, but... “ I can try. “ she added simply.  “ Beside, is your skinny ass supposed to protect me from danger out there? “ she teased.

@earthdropped gets a styxx starter 

“I’m sorry for what you lost.” He said softly if not entirely gently ( he was trying, okay ), drawing the girl’s attention to him. He wasn’t sure why he’d been handed the replacement clothes to give to her; perhaps no one else knew what to say to the sole survivor of her station. Not that he did either, but it was doubtful anyone cared what he felt. He held up the clothes in his hands to show her. “New clothes to replace yours if you want them.” he said by way of explanation, coming forward to set them on the counter near her and back away a few steps once more. 

    I’m sorry for what you lost. As if the words could take away the pain throbbing in her heart, the certain numbness... The way every step and every action she took felt as if she did it automatically... Just because she HAD to... I’m sorry for what you lost. A slow nod was given to the other, eyes flitting up for a second,  her underlip quivered. She wanted to CRY. Wanted to SCREAM. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair she was here and EVERYBODY was gone... And yet here she was. Hands numbly took the clothes offered, staring down at them for a while, another nod being given. She couldn’t speak. Tried, but nothing came out. Wanted to say ‘thank you’, but--

@earthdropped gets a foxy starter 

“Mel, they grew!” She was grinning as she trotted over to the brunette, hands cupped together until she reached the other girl. Once she was at Mel’s side she opened her hands, revealing the red strawberries in her hands. “Want to sneak off and eat them before anyone realizes I took ‘em?” She offered with a devious smile. 

       Looking up from her current work ( she found out green fingers weren’t as easy to have as healing hands ), she found her eyes falling upon the form of the younger girl, a smile slowly blossoming on her face at the information that was being given. “ Did they? “ she asked, excitement running through her voice as she brushed off her hands on her pants before peering over at the strawberries and-- goodness... At the suggestion, she looked up, e yes widening a bit. “ N a u g h t y, Fox! “ she scolded before a cheeky grin curled around her lips. “ But let’s. “

sterling was sure that he never smiled this big since landing on the ground     —     seeing her there,  knowing that after his fall,  she was still saved,  it was like a great weight had been lifted from his chest.     he was quick to catch her,  arms wrapping around her light tightrope,  like if he let her go,  she would be gone.     he took that moment to lean his face into the crook of her neck,  where he found home in times before when they were on the ark together,  and inhale her scent.     she was here.    she was safe. ‘     no,  i’m really here.     i’m here,  mel,  i’m here for good.     ‘      any thoughts that he was going to part ways with his people were gone now,  and instead flooded with the images of them living together on the ground,  growing old together,  happy.     interruptions of war simmered into nothingness for he was too intoxicated with one fact:   they were given a second chance. when he eased her down to her feet,  and he pulled away,  he still remained close.     a palm reaching out to splay out along her jawline,  oceanic orbs tracing her features.     there were exhalations of relief and disbelief,  whispered   thank god  curling forth from his lips,  and a laughter rang from his war torn lungs.     he wanted to speak,  but when his tiers parted and hung agape,  no words fell out,  too speechless.     so instead,  he leaned forward,  pressing their foreheads together     —    feeling the warmth of her skin radiate off of her and make home within his bones. 

She could still remember dangling from that cliff. That event forever etched into her mind, her bottomlip often quivering at the thought of h e i g h t s... Remembering gazing down at what could be her impending death. What she believed had been her boyfriend's death. She remembered screaming and crying into her pillow, weeping for all that she had lost that faithful day. Sure she had been alive, but what of all those that had been lost to her? Those who had deserved to see the blue sky. To feel grass underneath their feet. And sometimes she did burst out in tears at KNOWING that they wouldn't. That life had been robbed from them. And she was all that remained.

Sometimes it had been too much.  But right now? In this moment? With Sterling's arms around her, she wept no tears of sorrow... She wept tears of joy. Joy that he was alive. She wasn't alone. He wasn't gone. Sobs wrecked her body, but laughter managed to trickle through it, sobbing laughter... He was alive, he was alive... And then GUILT. He was ALIVE and they had LEFT him there... He was alive and had been alone and-- The smile that had been present on her face crumbled and she heaved for breath, clutching tightly to his form.

Jaha was probably full of shit. Murphy knew the deal sounded too good to be true but Jaha had a point. He didn’t have much going for him back at camp and no one was ever going to see him differently as long as they only knew him for the things he’d done. If that place was real, the City of Light, or whatever it was, being part of the group that found it offered him not only a way out, but also a chance at a new reputation. 

He could see why some of the others wanted the same escape, but for the life of him, he didn’t get why Mel was standing there in front of him too. He waited a moment to answer her, not sure himself. He adjusted the strap on his pack and looked toward the dropship, then the group leaving, then at her. 

“Yeah. I’m coming.” He took a few steps closer, aiming to follow as promised. “What the hell are you doing here though? I mean, I figure you’d wanna stay safe at camp.” 

Mel wanted to believe in this promised land. She wanted to remain optimistic about this journey they would be making. Hoping it would be for the best of their people. But she knew chances of it were close to nihil... Still, couldn’t stop her from h o p i n g. Far more optimistic, because what else could she rely on? Her friends were dead. Her boyfriend had fallen to his death. Her family was dead. She was all alone. Nobody from her station had survived the descent and being at camp Jaha physically HURT.

So she took the chance. She took the chance to be GONE for a bit. To see new horizons. To fall in love with this Earth. To appreciate the beauty around and-- Be there for a person she knew was struggling with himself too. A slight tilt of her head, a small smile before she finally fell in step with the teen, shaking her head once.

as soon as he caught a glimpse of her features within the crowd,  sterling felt as though he was robbed of air.     he wanted to see her,  to show her that he is alive.     but he also wanted to hold her,  to drown in the fact that she was safe and alive and standing there.     so he did his best to conceal his slight limp as he moved towards the direction he noted she was walking,  hoping to intercept her.         ‘     mel!     ‘              @earthdropped

          She had struggled the first weeks in Camp Jaha. Coming to grip with the reality she had been given. Her mother she could no longer lean on, her father she would no longer see playing on that little ukulele of his. She’d no longer see her parents fussing about and making up, she’d no longer see her friends and chat with them. Her lover had fallen to his death because of h e r. Because she hadn’t died with the rest of them. A sole survivor.  But she had managed. She told herself again and again, Sterling DIED for me, I won’t let it go to waste. And though it was hard, she slowly on had blossomed again. And  then--

                                 “ M e l ! “

      Her heart jumped to her throat, eyes widening a bit before she froze to the spot. Because she would recognize that voice in a crowd of a thousand. And it was a voice she thought she’d never see again. Heart thudding painfully, the girl finally turned to see him. To look at him and... Oh... Oh... Tears gathered in her eyes, hands moving to cover her lips because he was there. He was real. He was real.  “ S t e r l i n g ... ? “ she managed to say, her voice cracking halfway as she took a hesitant step forward, then another... Until she RAN, hair flowing behind her. Sterling. Sterling. Sterling who she had watched fall. Sterling who she had cried and mourned for. Sterling who was stood in front of her.

     And god her arms flinging around his neck, pulling him in, he felt like H O M E. As always he had done. And she wept. She wept. “ How... How is this... Am I dreaming?! “