[ he should've known she'd call about the gifts. it's not really anything; he'd been unable to sleep, and instead of reading or watching television, he'd decided to try and distract himself by doing something that felt normal for him. making a little snowman from olaf's had been a nice challenge. ]
It's nothing.
[ he feels embarrassed, and is glad to fall back onto his bed. the dogs remain on the floor, zelo asleep beneath a table and nike in the bathroom, probably pulling at the mat. ]
I'm going to guess the snowman with the carrot nose is Olaf?
You assumed correctly! It looks just like him. I can hear his laugh just by looking at him.
[ elsa leans against the kitchen counter, stirring the last of her peppermint tea. hours are shorter at work because of the cold season – she's fine with it. it gives her more time to learn and explore. ]
And I will give Anna the snowball later. I think she's out with Kristoff today.
[ he doubts anna being given the snowball will lower the intensity of her and her question-asking. but he can't really give something to elsa while ignoring her sister. it doesn't seem right. he doesn't expect anyone to give him anything if they present a gift to octavia, but he knows he'd like it if someone gave octavia something along with him. (or just her, but, no one's bellamy blake when it comes to octavia.) ]
[ he shifts on his bed and places his hand over his eyes. he can't quite escape from it, despite wanting to. ]
He's not animated. [ because he doesn't have that skill she does with snow. even then, he doesn't know how to wire things, either. ] I've never known how to make them move.
[ she takes a breath to continue speaking but stops short, instead taking another sip of her warm drink. while she likes a good themed outfit, she hadn't bothered in dressing in the red of valentine's day either, instead wearing a big, soft lavender sweater over a cotton dress. ]
[ that's good to hear, at least. even though bellamy feels like he should've seen if someone could've made it animated. it's a thought he has in hindsight, one that he has when he thinks of elsa and how she'd been able to give him a stagnant snowball and a snowgie. ]
[ he feels awkward. he knows he sounds it. withdrawing his hand from his face, he stays lying down on his bed, stretching his arm out above his head. ]
[ upon saying that, she not only keeps mini olaf in her hand but she holds him to her chest, utterly touched by the gesture. turning away from the kitchen, she makes her way into the living room where she sits with a leg curled beneath her. ]
[ elsa's gift is sitting right beside him. odyssey remains closed for now, but the iliad he has open, turned upside down on his chest so he can pick it back up easily. ]
Yeah. [ he smiles. despite the memories he has with the book, elsa had done him a favour. he'd avoided the greek section of the bookstores, always picking up a book or two on every other mythology — christian, egyptian, irish — and avoided that particular spine. she'd done what he hadn't been strong enough to do. ]
[ it's only a book. but he feels like he can hear mom's voice reading to him again. ] I'm reading The Iliad right now. Couldn't put it down until you called.
[ looking at the book tented on his chest, after a moment, he says, ] Thank you.
Oh! [ she laughs, relieved and pleased. if her hands weren't full, she would clap them as well.
elsa knew that bellamy loved mythology just from her first conversation with him, never forgetting that important fact. it's hard to forget such a thing when someone compares you to a goddess. ]
Oh, don't let me interrupt you, then. I'm so glad that it – it was good. I'd been thinking about giving it to you.
[ bellamy pulls himself up to sit against his pillows. brows creasing and lips still curved upward in amusement, he sounds it, ] Really?
[ if he was someone who had game, or wanted to acknowledge he had it, he'd ask her you've been thinking about me? but there's a line that's become incredibly blurred between them. it's one bellamy doesn't want to cross, even though he's not too sure what side of it he currently stands on. she thought about him. that's enough. ]
Yes! Yes, I did. I – [ another laugh as she touches olaf's carrot nose to hers, picturing him with the the book. ] I found it on the bookstore some time ago, I wasn't sure when to give it to you, but then I realized that Valentine's Day would be a good time. [ she takes a deep breath, realizing that she has begun to ramble. ]
[ his smile widens. ] Why am I not surprised you've read this?
[ it's strange, given how he doubts many people on the ark, or those he calls good friends from home, have pored over a book like the odyssey or the iliad. he expects those from mount weather to have read it. with nothing to do but read and play games and perhaps run about those long corridors, the people within the bunker didn't have the luxury he did when on the ground. he can relate to feeling so trapped. ]
[ he sounds like he's about to laugh, ] Have you got a copy of the book?
Not yet! [ she giggles. ] I read it when I still had tutors. It was more of a personal venture, but they encouraged it. It lines up well with my studies of Romantic languages. [ that's how it always was, with elsa in her chambers with her books and anna rolling around in the dirt with her imaginary friends. she has always been an academic mind, though it's easy to forget when distracted b her powers. ]
[ bellamy laughs, ] I'll believe it when I see it.
[ romantic languages. all bellamy knows is what he'd been taught on the ark. with unity day uniting all the different stations together, he had the opportunity to learn. mom hadn't let him slide on by without learning at least something that wasn't english. romantic languages … it's not something he thinks he's familiar with. ]
If you want, you can always borrow my copy. You should've gotten yourself one before you gave one to me.
[ bellamy's had the iliad read to him a thousand times while on the ark. he's read it a few hundred times himself while growing up. he understands it, though, that a new book is special in its own way, even if he's read the story over and over until he's memorised almost every word, even the page number it had been printed on. ]
[ he can't stop smiling. his voice remains warm, ] Which ones are those? I might need a few recommendations.
The one next to me right now it's – [ she pauses to lean towards the coffee table. ] Matilda.
It's a children's novel about an isolated little girl who knew she was different from her crass and unkind family. She was wise beyond her years and discovered magical talents.
[ for the misfit in everyone. it's easy to relate to, she thinks, magical powers or not. ]
[ right beside his bed is his windowsill, and on the sill is a notebook with a pen. there's clarks's painting, cerberus, the toy dog, and a few books scattered there. he presses the phone between his ear and shoulder and leans over to write the title in the open notebook, scribbling it across the lines at a slant. ]
Reminds me of someone I know, though. [ minus the unkind family, he suspects elsa's chosen that book for a reason. it probably resonates with her, given what he knows of her and her family. ] I'll make sure to read it next once I'm done re-reading this one.
[ the themes about finding family and acceptance are especially important to her, but she doesn't go into it, simply smiling and ducking her head when he replies. she doesn't expect him to add it to his list and likes that he's accepted her recommendation so readily. ]
I like it so far. The school she means to attend is cruel, but her teacher, Miss Honey, is lovely. It gives you hope in spite of a bad situation.
[ it might be a cop out answer, but bellamy's loved all of it. some parts he's hated, some he's loved, others he's obsessed over, wanting to play it over and over and over again. there's always been a lesson in the stories. he thinks mom read him the iliad to emphasise how he should treat those around him. at a distance, but keep those he cared for close to him. ]
[ bellamy knows he used think he and octavia were patroclus and achilles. ]
I just liked Achilles and Patroclus. Most of the Greek stories are tragic. Someone dies, someone's turned into a creature, offered to a monster, or treated pretty badly. It ends tragically for the both of them, but you know Achilles loved Patroclus more than himself. [ he shrugs, even though she can't see it. she can hear the pause and the slight shift of his voice, a little lower. ] I always liked it.
Oh, yes. [ it is a tragedy, but it doesn't surprise her either that he was drawn to that particular story, about someone who loved someone else so deeply that nothing else mattered. ]
I can see why. I'm glad – I hadn't even known it was such a beloved story for you. It felt right.
[ elsa pauses, licking her lips. ] Would you like to go somewhere with me? I just had tea but I am craving hot chocolate.
[ bellamy opens his mouth for a moment, then closes it. he moves the book off his chest, closing it without marking the page he's up to. if he has to reread it from start to end to find where he'd been up to, it's not something he'd particularly grow exasperated at. ]
[ glancing out his window, he sees it isn't such a horrible day. it isn't a bad day to spend time with someone he likes, even though it's almost a knee-jerk response to decline. ]
Yeah. Where do you want to go? [ then he adds: ] My shout.
Downtown, perhaps? Not your place of work. Somewhere new, I think.
[ she's surprised he has agreed under such notice, but doesn't protest or point it out. instead, she just smiles hopping up to put her phone on speaker so that she can look for a pair of shoes. ]
I ought to drop by, then we can decide from there.
[ he's glad that it isn't common grounds. taking less shifts at work, he prefers keeping himself far from it. he has a feeling if he showed up with elsa, he'd end up roped into a late night shift and bellamy doesn't feel like doing much when it comes to work. ]
[ she sounds distant on the phone. he stays on his bed, not moving. ]
I'll be here. I'll trust you to pick a good place, Elsa.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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It's nothing.
[ he feels embarrassed, and is glad to fall back onto his bed. the dogs remain on the floor, zelo asleep beneath a table and nike in the bathroom, probably pulling at the mat. ]
I'm going to guess the snowman with the carrot nose is Olaf?
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[ elsa leans against the kitchen counter, stirring the last of her peppermint tea. hours are shorter at work because of the cold season – she's fine with it. it gives her more time to learn and explore. ]
And I will give Anna the snowball later. I think she's out with Kristoff today.
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[ he shifts on his bed and places his hand over his eyes. he can't quite escape from it, despite wanting to. ]
He's not animated. [ because he doesn't have that skill she does with snow. even then, he doesn't know how to wire things, either. ] I've never known how to make them move.
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[ she takes a breath to continue speaking but stops short, instead taking another sip of her warm drink. while she likes a good themed outfit, she hadn't bothered in dressing in the red of valentine's day either, instead wearing a big, soft lavender sweater over a cotton dress. ]
Thank you.
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[ he feels awkward. he knows he sounds it. withdrawing his hand from his face, he stays lying down on his bed, stretching his arm out above his head. ]
It's no problem. Just glad you liked it.
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[ upon saying that, she not only keeps mini olaf in her hand but she holds him to her chest, utterly touched by the gesture. turning away from the kitchen, she makes her way into the living room where she sits with a leg curled beneath her. ]
Did you – did you get my gift?
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Yeah. [ he smiles. despite the memories he has with the book, elsa had done him a favour. he'd avoided the greek section of the bookstores, always picking up a book or two on every other mythology — christian, egyptian, irish — and avoided that particular spine. she'd done what he hadn't been strong enough to do. ]
[ it's only a book. but he feels like he can hear mom's voice reading to him again. ] I'm reading The Iliad right now. Couldn't put it down until you called.
[ looking at the book tented on his chest, after a moment, he says, ] Thank you.
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elsa knew that bellamy loved mythology just from her first conversation with him, never forgetting that important fact. it's hard to forget such a thing when someone compares you to a goddess. ]
Oh, don't let me interrupt you, then. I'm so glad that it – it was good. I'd been thinking about giving it to you.
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[ if he was someone who had game, or wanted to acknowledge he had it, he'd ask her you've been thinking about me? but there's a line that's become incredibly blurred between them. it's one bellamy doesn't want to cross, even though he's not too sure what side of it he currently stands on. she thought about him. that's enough. ]
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I quite enjoy The Odyssey.
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[ it's strange, given how he doubts many people on the ark, or those he calls good friends from home, have pored over a book like the odyssey or the iliad. he expects those from mount weather to have read it. with nothing to do but read and play games and perhaps run about those long corridors, the people within the bunker didn't have the luxury he did when on the ground. he can relate to feeling so trapped. ]
[ he sounds like he's about to laugh, ] Have you got a copy of the book?
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I assure you that I studied more than geometry.
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[ romantic languages. all bellamy knows is what he'd been taught on the ark. with unity day uniting all the different stations together, he had the opportunity to learn. mom hadn't let him slide on by without learning at least something that wasn't english. romantic languages … it's not something he thinks he's familiar with. ]
If you want, you can always borrow my copy. You should've gotten yourself one before you gave one to me.
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[ she doesn't want to take that away from him. cracking open a book for the first time is a very important moment for any reader. ]
I'm in the middle of three or four other books myself at the moment.
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[ bellamy's had the iliad read to him a thousand times while on the ark. he's read it a few hundred times himself while growing up. he understands it, though, that a new book is special in its own way, even if he's read the story over and over until he's memorised almost every word, even the page number it had been printed on. ]
[ he can't stop smiling. his voice remains warm, ] Which ones are those? I might need a few recommendations.
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It's a children's novel about an isolated little girl who knew she was different from her crass and unkind family. She was wise beyond her years and discovered magical talents.
[ for the misfit in everyone. it's easy to relate to, she thinks, magical powers or not. ]
no subject
[ right beside his bed is his windowsill, and on the sill is a notebook with a pen. there's clarks's painting, cerberus, the toy dog, and a few books scattered there. he presses the phone between his ear and shoulder and leans over to write the title in the open notebook, scribbling it across the lines at a slant. ]
Reminds me of someone I know, though. [ minus the unkind family, he suspects elsa's chosen that book for a reason. it probably resonates with her, given what he knows of her and her family. ] I'll make sure to read it next once I'm done re-reading this one.
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I like it so far. The school she means to attend is cruel, but her teacher, Miss Honey, is lovely. It gives you hope in spite of a bad situation.
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[ considering a girl was named fox, it's not all that strange, but people on the ark don't seem to have such warm names or titles anymore. ]
I'll have to borrow it from you when you're done.
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[ there is something to be said about two nerds who talk on the phone surrounded by books. ]
What is your favorite part of The Iliad?
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[ it might be a cop out answer, but bellamy's loved all of it. some parts he's hated, some he's loved, others he's obsessed over, wanting to play it over and over and over again. there's always been a lesson in the stories. he thinks mom read him the iliad to emphasise how he should treat those around him. at a distance, but keep those he cared for close to him. ]
[ bellamy knows he used think he and octavia were patroclus and achilles. ]
I just liked Achilles and Patroclus. Most of the Greek stories are tragic. Someone dies, someone's turned into a creature, offered to a monster, or treated pretty badly. It ends tragically for the both of them, but you know Achilles loved Patroclus more than himself. [ he shrugs, even though she can't see it. she can hear the pause and the slight shift of his voice, a little lower. ] I always liked it.
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I can see why. I'm glad – I hadn't even known it was such a beloved story for you. It felt right.
[ elsa pauses, licking her lips. ] Would you like to go somewhere with me? I just had tea but I am craving hot chocolate.
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[ glancing out his window, he sees it isn't such a horrible day. it isn't a bad day to spend time with someone he likes, even though it's almost a knee-jerk response to decline. ]
Yeah. Where do you want to go? [ then he adds: ] My shout.
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[ she's surprised he has agreed under such notice, but doesn't protest or point it out. instead, she just smiles hopping up to put her phone on speaker so that she can look for a pair of shoes. ]
I ought to drop by, then we can decide from there.
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[ she sounds distant on the phone. he stays on his bed, not moving. ]
I'll be here. I'll trust you to pick a good place, Elsa.
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