WHO Dela & AGB WHAT Dela's a lot more upset about Things than she's letting on, and AGB can tell. Plus, she's going to take him home with her this weekend. It's mostly general cuteness. WHEN Yesterday WHERE Dela's room RATING Cute!
In truth, Dela found great comfort in tedious and repetitive tasks. They helped to ease her mind away from whatever was troubling her or keeping it occupied. She could focus on something that required little effort, and it would set her to a calmer path. In her village, preparing materials for her healing took some time. Cutting and wrapping her bandaging into rolls, cleaning her tools, collect and mixing herbs -- it was a part of her job that may’ve bothered others, but that she found comforting. Sharpening her blades, mending clothing… anything that put her fingers to work.
She had a lot on her mind, a steadily growing flood of thoughts that seemed to spike with each passing day. The situation with the curse had started it -- it had reminded her of the power of this place and how easily all that she’d come to know could be gone. The onslaught of words against her people wasn’t new, but it was certainly revitalized. It infuriated Dela, and it made her sad. She had a lot of opinions on a lot of subjects, and both her translation skills and her attempts to stay calm kept her from expressing them. This kept her out of battle, surely enough, but it also kept her with a head full of thoughts and tongue that had grown sore from being bitten so frequently.
And now, with the settlements, there was more fuel to the fire within her.
She had perched herself on her bedroom in the room she shared with her sister and two others of her clan, alone for the time being. Her fingers made swift work of pulling small leaves from the little plants she’d gathered, pushing them into the little mortar and pestle to blend them together, trying to keep her mind on anything but the chaos that was actually brewing within it.
Alexander had figured on finding her there. Dela wasn’t a stationary sort - she was often out and about somewhere in the mountain or outside of it - but Alexander had gotten to know her habits well enough to make some solid guesses. This time of day, without anything in particular happening in Medical and no unusual threat to the compound, first guess was her quarters. As was often the case for Mr. Alexander Graham Bell, he guessed right.
Science was often just a very directed kind of guessing, he thought. Take a guess, see where it gets you, take what you learn from that, make a new guess, test it out, see what someone else did with that, guess again...until eventually you got to an answer. Matters of the heart weren’t quite so simple a path as matters of acoustics and botany, but he nonetheless hoped that the little box in his hands would be a hit.
He had been worried about Dela since his return from Storybrooke. She had been rattled enough by losing so many of her friends to Storybrooke to begin with (Alexander was rattled, too, but he was doing well enough just thinking of it all as a very strange, very real dream). The sudden swelling of nasty, rude commentary on Dela’s people just made things worse. He knew he didn’t have to worry about her physically - if anyone attempted to attack Dela, they’d quickly wish that they hadn’t. He worried about her emotionally, though; Dela had a big heart, and she felt deeply, and her culture and her people were deeply important to her.
He couldn’t do anything much about what was happening, except to tell people in no uncertain terms to shut up if he heard anything said or saw anything written. There was nothing to be done about the root of the problem, not by himself alone. He could do something small, though, and try to give Dela a little something to be cheerful about, and that was why he’d come looking for her.
He knocked, because Alexander was a polite sort. Even if you were involved with a lady, you didn’t just go barging into her space uninvited.
Dela did have a tremendous heart for her people and their culture, and that heart was being broken by the the torrent of words and hatred. (In truth, it was the arrogant assumption of knowing that ultimately was the worst of it all — these people knew nothing of what they were saying about her people.) She’d become a sort of ambassador for the Floukru, especially in recent weeks. Clarke had included her in discussions, and she’d been able to speak on Luna’s behalf within the mountain. However, that only heightened her sense of responsibility.
The knock made her smile — she did not get many visitors, and those she did get really never knocked. Except for one, who was one of the few with direct permission to enter without doing so. Alexander was a gentleman, though, and she loved that about him.
She looked up from her work towards her door. “Come in, Alexander,” she called, brushing hair from her eyes with the back of her hand. “It is not locked.”
He entered promptly, a smile on his face and a wooden box about the size of a shoebox under his arm. He didn’t ask how she knew it was him - she always knew it was him.
“I have something for you,” Alexander said, holding the box forward. It held a small collection of the delicate peppermint reeds that grew in the chocolate pond, dipped in said chocolate pond above halfway up the stick. Since Lady Maria had so bravely vanquished the chocolate bear, Alexander had decided the candy field was safe enough for the likes of him. Now he just had to hope that Dela didn’t hate either chocolate or peppermint.
Dela smiled still as she tidied up a little, brushing some of the little bits of leaf from her hands as he joined her. She felt her heart warm at the sight of him, and the tension in her shoulders visibly shifted and relaxed.
“Do you?” she asked, her head tilting curiously as she set her ingredients on the table beside her to make room for him on her bed. She took the box as he handed it to her, opening the lid to look inside. The sweet scent made her smile grow, and she lowered her face closer to inhale, her eyes closing in satisfaction. “This is so sweet of you,” she said. “Thank you.”
There was just about nothing in the world better than seeing Dela look so utterly blissful. Knowing he’d succeeded in finding her a good gift was nice, and he got a pleasant little rush of pride at that, but the best part was that Dela looked genuinely happy in the midst of all her recent stress. Alexander grinned broadly as he sat down beside her and gave her a light kiss.
“You’re most welcome, m’dear,” Alexander replied. “I don’t know if you’ve had chocolate and peppermint together before, but they’re an old favorite combination of mine, so I thought it was worth a try.”
There was little that made Dela as consistently happy as him, truthfully. She was a naturally fairly contented person, but this sort of joy was still a novelty to her. It still filled her with a fluttering feeling even now that it’d been a little while that she’d had together with him. The candy, sweet as it was, was not what made her smile so brightly — it was Alexander and his kind, gentle heart. She smiled against his lips, adjusting so that they were closer still as he joined her.
“I am still very new to chocolate,” she said, “so I have not had the combination. I am most keen to try it.” But she closed the box for now, setting it aside. “How are you?”
“I’m well, thank you. And you?” His answer came automatically, the result of a lifetime’s training at being polite. The question, however, was genuine. Alexander had worried for Dela of late. He truly was concerned about how she was holding up.
Dela reached to take his hand in both of hers, her attention focused on it even as she smiled and nodded in response to his answer, and then paused before giving hers. “I am… full of thoughts,” she answered, her eyes shifting to his face. “I’m angry, and I’m sad.”
“I can see how you would be,” Alexander replied, and gently squeezed her hand. “There’s a good deal to be angry and sad about lately. I find myself hoping that with the establishment of settlements outside of Mount Weather, we’ll be able to get well away from some of these folk.”
The squeeze helped, and she adjusted closer to him so that she could rest her head lightly against his shoulder. “I hope so,” she said, “but it does not change the underlying problem, simply leaving. There is much that is wrong here, and I do not think the ways of fixing it that have been tried are best suited.” She shook her head. “I wonder if we should not just go home.”
“Change always takes more time than any of us would like,” he replied. “Especially when you’re dealing with a lot of frightened, ignorant sheep.” Alexander sighed. He hated dealing with stupid people. They were everywhere, unfortunately, and had seemed particularly thick on the ground lately. “I cannot blame you for wanting to go home - I’d likely have to follow you, though, if you did.” He gave her a bit of a smile. “I’ve gotten rather partial to you, it turns out, and I don’t think I could just let you wander off without following after like a sheepdog.”
“And far more effort than some are willing to give,” she said, sighing. She shook her head. “They are very arrogant for thinking their ways are better than ours, or that they understand ours at all. It is infuriating.” She nodded a bit as he supported her thought about returning to her village. It was an idea that had been on her mind for a few weeks now, though she knew it wasn’t ideal at the moment — their village was still in repair. At the words, she grinned, leaning up to kiss him again. “You are most welcome to come with me when I go. It will not be now, I’m sure, but soon. You’ll come home with me.”
The kiss made Alexander smile, but not so much as the sentiment did. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want me along or not,” he said. “I’ve gotten better with a spear, but comparatively speaking, I’m a bit of an embarrassment. And of course it’s a bit of a step, taking someone home with you.”
In the world he came from, no one would even consider it without at least an engagement, if not marriage. Of course, he also couldn’t have been carrying on nearly so publicly with a lady at home, either. In fact, it would have been extremely improper just to be in her room alone with her like this. Really, modern manners had a lot to recommend them, now that he thought of it.
Dela laughed — the words themselves were true enough. By comparison to the warriors of her people, he was definitely… well, he didn’t compare. But that wasn’t important. There were other roles in a clan beyond just the combatants, contrary to what these anti-Grounder folks tended to believe. They did more than just fight. “I am not embarrassed of you,” she shrugged. "And anyone who thinks I ought to be will simply get over it.”
She sighed. “It is troubling, all of this.”
“Aye, that it is,” he quietly agreed. “This is the sort of talk that swirls up before things get ugly. And the only reason we’ve been able to survive all the nasty buggers that’ve showed up here so far is because we’ve all been working together. Set people at each other’s throats instead…” Alexander grimaced. It wasn’t an encouraging prospect. “And I’m still not sure this isn’t talk that someone’s stirring up deliberately, for the direct purpose of making trouble.”
“It is frustrating to me, watching this unfold. They question -- though it is perhaps more aggressive than just questioning -- our way of doing things, but I have yet to see where theirs is better. This dissent, this way of doing things -- how is it working?” She shook her head. “It is good to know that there are those like you who will speak back, but I worry that it is not enough. People become frightened and they become impulsive, and then my people will get hurt.”
“There’s something to be said for dissent, I think, but nothing for blind hatred,” Alexander replied. He came from a democratic society, and he believed in democracy. He believed in a free exchange of ideas, because he thought that was the path to progress, both scientific and social.
“And I like to think that most of these people are bright enough not to start anything more than a verbal battle. Their notions may be foolish, but I think most of the Podkru have made it clear that we’re having none of it, and they’d have to be the worst sort of fools to go up against the likes of Thor.”
“I have no issue with the speaking out, truly. But you cannot allow that level without an authoritative response,” she said. “Or… ‘allow’ is not the right word. You know what I am saying, I hope?” She shook her head. “We do not have this as much. Our clans were, mostly, quite at peace before they came down from the stars. We stay in our land, and there is no trouble. If there is trouble, it sees swift end.” She shrugged. “They think we are savage, but more death has come from their arrival than there was before. It is worse that they feel they understand our ways well enough to say so, too. They do not even ask.”
She was getting too wound up over it, though, and letting her emotions and thoughts get away from her, so she fell quiet, a brief laugh escaping her. “I would not see Thor and think to fight him, no.”
“Terrible idea, taking on the God of Thunder,” Alexander agreed. If Dela wanted to leave the rest of the topic behind, he’d let her. Dwelling seldom helped anyone much. “Even if I didn’t know he was a god, or at least as good as if he’s not one really, I wouldn’t look at that man and think ‘oh yes, fighting him’s going to be a grand idea, no way this could possibly end badly for me.’ People may not be smart, by and large, but they do have a solid sense of self-preservation. So truly, I don’t think you have to worry too much, not as long as people keep responding to tell folk that their hate isn’t welcome.”
Dela wasn’t sure she really could set aside her worry, not with all of the hate and the suspicion, but she could certainly stand to talk about other things. She didn’t bring it back up when he let her move on, glad for the shift. She smiled. “You are not quite advanced enough in your training to take him on, no,” she agreed. “Do you want to go home with me this weekend?” she asked, curious. “I am returning to speak with Luna about the settlements and update her on the goings on in the mountain.”
The request immediately brought a smile to Alexander’s face. “I would enjoy that very much,” he readily replied. “Thank you for inviting me. You’ll have to update me on any traditions of visiting that I ought to observe - in my home it’s customary to bring a small gift, but I don’t have a clue what’s proper here, and I do want to do things right.”
Dela grinned at the responded, nodding. “No need to bring a gift,” she said, shaking her head. “It is not an offense, though, so you are welcome to. I do not know that she will meet with you, but she very well may. I will introduce you to some of the others, though.”
“That sounds brilliant!” Alexander grinned right back at her, just as enthusiastic about the prospect of meeting her friends from home as he was about his various science projects. He wished he could introduce her to his family in turn. They wouldn’t exactly understand, he knew, but he was sure that once they got to know her, they would come around on the fact that Dela wasn’t exactly conventional. Unfortunately, his parents and his remaining brother were so far away from here than the issue was unlikely to ever arise. That didn’t often bother him too badly, but every now and then the thought hit, and it stung a little.
Dela very similarly wished her parents were still alive to meet him. They’d have found him strange and seemingly weak at first, but it would not have lasted once they got to know him. He was so very clever and capable of so much, and that would have won them over. She was glad to have her sister, though — and Elea was very fond of Alexander, in her own special way. She smiled, squeezing his hand lightly. “It will be a good trip, then,” she said. “Thank you for coming to see me. I was getting very lost in my thoughts.”
“I am always happy to see you, or to distract you from your thoughts,” Alexander replied, and turned his head to give her a light kiss. “Call upon me any time, and I will be promptly at your service.” He nodded to the pile of leaves and stems before her. “May I stay for a bit and help? Or stay out of your way and chatter at you about my progress on the telephone?”
She returned the kiss, happy and comforted in a way she’d not been before. She pulled her tools back before her at his words, sitting upright again. “You may, yes,” she said, laughing. “Chatter away. And maybe think of ways to make this process,” she gestured at her work, “more efficient.”
Alexander grinned brightly and picked up a branch. “I think I know just the thing…”