[She recalls what she learned from the Flame in her brief time with it—that it had been formed to connect with the Ark, to ensure that all of the Stations would survive until it was time for them to return to the ground. It occurs to her that if the Ark needs to be set back up, the Flame itself might be the means to doing it. Then again, the deterioration might stop that. It's hard to say.
When Raven asks, she shakes out of the process of thoughts she nearly strayed on, and she takes up the tin canister and places it gingerly in Raven's hand. She recalls the desperate effort to keep it away from Raven, but Clarke doesn't worry about that now. She's seen the dark rings under her eyes, and her need to try to make everything better <already. The problem is that it's never as simple as that.]
I think she's gone. [The words might sound and feel like an admission, but that's because they are. Clarke knows ALIE would have ripped her away in those final moments, and likely did, but she had made it to the backdoor of the Flame. "I will always be with you" had been a lie, destroyed by the forged mysticism of Lexa's people, as it was the only way to explain all that they knew.]
[ The first impression Raven has is that it's lighter than expected. The second is a shudder, some muted spark in the back of her mind. There's no reason to feel accomplished, but she does. Her fingers close over the tin as she takes a breath, biting her lip to ground herself against it. She doesn't crack the tin open to look, raises her eyes to meet Clarke's instead.
There's no mistaking that meaning. Raven gently sets the tin down on the tabletop, expression intent. ]
I'm sorry, [ Raven tells her. ] I know what she meant to you.
[ As fogged as Raven's mind had been with ALIE, she'd understood what Clarke's reactions to mentions of Lexa meant. She could recognize that kind of grief. She'd felt it for Finn, more so now with ALIE'S influence lifted. It's not the sort of thing that fades away easily. ]
At least you could tell her goodbye.
[ It's hollow. Raven's lip quirks in a grim smile as she says it. There's no comfort in good-byes. ]
[That's one thing that's certainly true: there is no comfort in saying good-bye. Clarke has now had to say it to Lexa twice, and even with finally telling her that she loved her, it had amounted to nothing more than an inevitable absence. With all that she faces ahead, Clarke knows how much her people will need her. The issue is how broadly that is defined by now.
She holds steady for a moment before nodding toward the Flame, allowing that to pass.] I don't want to feel good about saying that to anyone else. If there's something to be had, it's on here.
[Clarke can't help but wonder if Raven knew before that this was coming, but hadn't been in the right mind to process it. Maybe ... maybe they don't need the Flame.
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When Raven asks, she shakes out of the process of thoughts she nearly strayed on, and she takes up the tin canister and places it gingerly in Raven's hand. She recalls the desperate effort to keep it away from Raven, but Clarke doesn't worry about that now. She's seen the dark rings under her eyes, and her need to try to make everything better <already. The problem is that it's never as simple as that.]
I think she's gone. [The words might sound and feel like an admission, but that's because they are. Clarke knows ALIE would have ripped her away in those final moments, and likely did, but she had made it to the backdoor of the Flame. "I will always be with you" had been a lie, destroyed by the forged mysticism of Lexa's people, as it was the only way to explain all that they knew.]
no subject
There's no mistaking that meaning. Raven gently sets the tin down on the tabletop, expression intent. ]
I'm sorry, [ Raven tells her. ] I know what she meant to you.
[ As fogged as Raven's mind had been with ALIE, she'd understood what Clarke's reactions to mentions of Lexa meant. She could recognize that kind of grief. She'd felt it for Finn, more so now with ALIE'S influence lifted. It's not the sort of thing that fades away easily. ]
At least you could tell her goodbye.
[ It's hollow. Raven's lip quirks in a grim smile as she says it. There's no comfort in good-byes. ]
no subject
She holds steady for a moment before nodding toward the Flame, allowing that to pass.] I don't want to feel good about saying that to anyone else. If there's something to be had, it's on here.
[Clarke can't help but wonder if Raven knew before that this was coming, but hadn't been in the right mind to process it. Maybe ... maybe they don't need the Flame.
But she's betting that they do.]