CHAPTER SEVEN.
thank you for coming to my ted talk.
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It had been around a week and a half since the incidents at Tondc and since then a lot had changed. For example, Sage and the others had finally escaped the endless days spent in the woods and her injury had finally perished. They had also been stationed back at camp jaha where they finally received their own rooms. Sage was highly excited by this and was more than happy to finally sleep in a room where the bed was actually well a bed.
However due to their return to camp this also meant that the teens were expected to undertake a role within Arkadia and actually make themselves useful. Sage had considered working in the hospital with Jackson and Abby but was turned off of this idea when she was told she would only be used as the cleaner. Therefore Sage instead agreed to work in the kitchen, an environment she was more than comfortable in. Working with food and serving people each night reminded Sage of her father who worked in the food industry on the Ark.
Sage's duty entitled her to work mostly as a waitress or barista and she did both each day. Waitress during the day, serving only small rations of food where as in the night she specialised in preparing and waitressing alcohol at the bar. It wasn't the most exciting job but Sage enjoyed the social aspects of her duty, considering she was beginning to form close bonds with the regular customers.
Such as Clarke, who although seemingly responsible often popped in for at least one drink each night.
Sage worked through the afternoon and it had finally reached the evening. Tonight had been particularly busy for the teen and she soon found herself rushing around to cater for all the resident's alcoholic needs.
Sage poured a glass of moonshine she had salvaged from Monty before heading over to the table Murphy was seated at. She soon located it and placed the cup before him receiving a 'thank you' and half smile from the pleased boy.
"Check it out, Sage salvaged Monty's still from the dropship. I guess you know if we could salvage Monty, huh." Murphy spoke, receiving no response from Clarke, Finn or Sage only a death glare.
"Can I get anyone anything else?" Sage asked in hopes of relieving the tension.
Nobody replied other than Murphy who shook his head no, indicating his one glass of moonshine was enough.
"Easy just a joke. K. You uh tell her we're cleared?" He asked, looking over to Finn.
"No." The boy replied simply.
"Well, it looks like our pardon for surviving includes our time on the ground. Now bigger fish to fry, I guess." Murphy continued, still receiving very little acknowledgement from the two teens either side of him.
"We did what we had to do. I gotta go." Finn stated, abruptly standing and leaving the table.
Sage also took this as her queue to leave, the last thing she heard being the indistinct voice of Raven telling Murphy to beat it followed by his response of 'I'm gone'.
She soon reached the bar and began to wipe the main countertop down despite its indestructible layer of grease resting atop of it. Her eyes were averted from her task when the presence of another entered and she detected someone sitting at the bar.
Sage met the eyes of Murphy who grinned before he continued to scull the moonshine.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" She asked, retrieving his empty cup and placing it behind the counter.
"I need to ask you a question." The boy stated firmly.
"Okay..." Sage agreed hesitantly.
The boy rubbed his fingers against his bottom lip as he contemplated how he should word his sentence, during the time being, Sage studied his appearance and condition since they had return. His face was much cleaner and had been washed of most of the blood once staining it. Never the less, various scars remained but other than that and his overall exhaustion, Murphy seemed a lot better.
Sage was snapped from her trance when the boy finally spoke up - "Why do you keep giving them so much?"
"Huh?" Sage asked, completely unsure of whatever it was Murphy was asking her.
"Why do you keep giving yourself to these idiots? When they give you nothing in return." He reworded.
Sage stood still, perplexed by his question. She wasn't sure what he meant in fact she had never thought of herself in that way.
"What do you mean?" She questioned, feeling inadequate due to her numerous questions.
"I mean, Raven and Clarke and Bellamy and all of them, you always give yourself to those idiots and they don't listen to one word you say. You're always looking out for them but I haven't seen one of them do anything for you." Murphy elaborated.
"Murphy, I give what I get. I'm certain of that much." Sage dismissed, strolling away from the boy and into the kitchen.
The boy quickly followed her, despite being prohibited from entering the kitchen in order to continue his conversation with Sage.
"No way." He spoke abruptly.
"Alright, if you're so certain of this, give me an example." Sage bargained, collecting a pile of metal plates and dropping them into the sink.
"Well you always insist on putting yourself on the line for others, like the fact that as a kid you took Raven in as your sister, you fed the entire camp when we landed and you took care of Charlotte and you helped the injured and you almost killed yourself trying to get that damn bomb onto the bridge." Murphy explained, jumping onto the counter beside the sink and swinging his legs absentmindedly as he elaborated.
Sage stopped for a moment, the metallic plate firmly held in her hand as she gazed up at the boy. Part of her understood what he was implying but she couldn't see his point. Yes, she had done a lot for those around her but they had done much in return. Sage believed Murphy was toying with her, and she couldn't understand what he was saying. It wasn't like she had performed astounding acts for her friends anyway, she had just as much as them if not less, therefore Murphy's accusation seemed awfully incorrect.
"I've done just as much as anyone else here." Sage shrugged, continuing to disagree as she resumed her cleaning.
"Yeah but there's a difference. They actually get acknowledged for their actions. I hate to say it Noon, but no one around here has ever acknowledged you for what you've done." He stated, watching the sink as her hands worked within them.
Sage stopped again, although this time her stare wasn't set on the boy but on the wall in front of her. She thought about his words and how true they might be. In all honesty Sage didn't feel as though she could agree with Murphy, he did have a point yet her mind simply disagreed with him. She wasn't sure how to feel about his words really. She always assumed she fitted in with the others but the boy's confession had her re evaluating said relationships.
"You know I'm right." Murphy grinned, clasping his hands behind his head and leaning against the wall lazily.
"Hardly, Murphy." Sage responded, stacking the plates before drying her hands.
"You're being oblivious, Sage. You let them walk all over you, I can't figure out why but you do. You give too much darling, they don't even care." He shrugged, once again following Sage as she ventured into the sleeping quarters of arkadia.
"Well, we can't all be selfish dicks." Sage mused continuing on her journey.
Sage suddenly came to a halt, the boy behind her crashing into her back almost knocking her over completely due to his weight and especially height. She studied the door before her, which was creaked open slightly, despite being locked by Sage the last time she used it.
"What's wrong?" Murphy questioned, leaning over her shoulder to analyse the door also.
"Someone's in my room." She muttered in response.
Sage reached her hand up to push open the door, only to be joined by the additional hand of Murphy. Together they pushed the door open revealing a blonde shuffling through the room and rearranging various pieces of furniture.
Murphy released a small cough, signalling their presence and thus causing the blonde to turn around. Clarke stood in the centre of the room, an alarmed expression plastered across her face. Sage's fingers fiddled while Murphy stood with his arms crossed.
"Oh, Sage. My mother said you might pass by. I was given your room if you don't mind of course." She shrugged, looking around what once belonged to Sage.
"They also put your stuff into a bag, sorry again. I'm surprised they didn't tell you." She continued.
"Yeah, me too. Uh, well I'll be on my way then." Sage nodded, taking the bag from Clarke's hand and smiling tightly at the blonde before shutting the door.
"Are you serious?" Murphy exclaimed incredulously.
"Fucks sake." Sage mumbled, wiping her hands down her face. She located her old name tag on the floor reading 'Noon', the door now decorated with the new name of 'Griffin'.
"This is ridiculous, I have nowhere to stay. I suppose I could ask to bunk with Monroe but-" Sage began.
Sage was cut off by Murphy who placed his hand onto the lower half of her back and began to lead her down the hallway.
"W-Where are we going?" She questioned, looking up at the taller boy.
"My room, you're staying with me." Murphy responded shortly.
Sage frowned at the boy, as she looked up at him he continued to look straight ahead. He was being awfully courteous for his usual self and Sage wasn't sure how to feel about him. Her thoughts were cut short when they arrived at what she assumed was his sleeping quarters. Fumbling for the key in his pocket, he quickly retrieved it and pushed the door open, leading Sage in before himself.
"Murphy, I can't just stay with you." Sage objected, standing in the middle of the room and folding her arms stubbornly.
"Sure you can." He shrugged, taking the name tag from her hand and placing it beside his original one. Sage gazed at the door now reading 'Murphy/ Noon' and frowned.
"Murphy, I can't-" She started again.
"Sage, shut up. You're staying here and that's that." The boy finalised.
"And where do you suppose I sleep?" She questioned, glancing around the room.
The boys room screamed Murphy despite being originally designed like all the other bunkers. The bed sheets were undone and messy and numerous empty beer bottles littered around the room. Sage knew he had stolen them from the kitchen but in all honesty she didn't really care. She wasn't about to side with the people who failed to mend her wound and gave away her room to someone else. There were also markings on the wall, implying the boy had a knack for graffiti and vandalism, something Sage knew all too well.
"You can sleep on the sofa, or in the bed with me, if you'd prefer that." He smirked.
"I think I'll pass." Sage retaliated, eyeing the boy up and down before looking at the bed which didn't exactly look fit for two indicating they would have to lie awfully close, which Sage wasn't fond of. Or at least she didn't think so.
"That's fine. Remember the offer still stands if you change your mind." He spoke as he removed the his shirt, lifting it over his head and flopping onto the mattress.
Sage swiftly removed her jacket, leaving herself in cargo pants and a thin strapped singlet. She made herself comfortable on the sofa before draping the jacket over her torso and sinking into the soft material.
"Heads." Murphy stated, throwing a folded blanket in her direction causing the girl to swiftly catch it.
"Thanks." She responded, unfolding said blanket and throwing it over herself.
"It's nothing." He replied.
"No, thanks for everything. Can't believe I'm saying thank you to John Murphy of all people. But seriously. Thanks. For cleaning my shoulder and letting me stay here and listening to me when I said the grounders didn't have our friends and all the other shit." She confessed, looking up at the boy who held a small smirk on his face.
"No problem Noon." He grinned.
"Alright, goodnight then." Sage spoke softly, closing her eyes carefully.
"Night darling." His husky voice replied.
And with that, Sage turned over on the sofa, now facing the back of the lounge and drifting into a dreamless sleep.
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Since the drop ship pity party as Sage liked to call it, Murphy and herself had seemed to be inseparable. And although she was unsure why, Sage didn't seem to mind. The boy was proving to be a lot less violent than she had initially believed and he wasn't as harmful as he wanted people to think.
Therefore, now that she had uncovered this side of his personality, she was determined to uncover the remainder. And the more time they spent together, the more he was revealing himself.
The past couple of days had proven to be quite eventful for the inner circle delinquents. Sage included. However the main target of adversities seemed to be Finn whose fate lay within the hands of the grounder commander; Lexa.
There had been quite the riot earlier on when Clarke returned with the news that the grounders were wiling to truce after Finn was handed to them. Or rather to his death. Sage strayed away from the chaos and chose to watch from afar, not in the mood to deal with that sort of drama. Especially considering she was involved in the grounder massacre.
Sage sat still as she gazed over the camp, her boney back was pressed against a cool metal and her hands hung in her lap lazily. She was enjoying the stillness of her surroundings and the fact that nobody was close enough to hear her humming quietly to herself.
That was until she noticed Finn strolling over to her. He plopped down beside her, not too close however and watched the camp before him just like she was. Sage glanced at the boy, relieved to discover his sights weren't set on her and his harsh line of vision remained forward.
Sage looked back only to realise yet another person was joining her spot. This time, Murphy fell down on her other side and unlike Finn he was clearly intending on talking.
"Hey, guys. Byrne actually gave me a gun. I guess we really are screwed, huh?" He joked, holding the rifle in his hands as he admired its metal.
"Look, we kicked their asses last time. We'll do it again." Murphy shrugged, looking across Sage and over to Finn who remained facing straight ahead, not sparing even a glance for the boy on his far right. Sage swiftly slapped the boy's leg lightly and pulled a face warning him and directing him to stop.
"A lot of people died last time." He responded solemnly.
"Hey. We're reinforcing all defences. Doubles on the perimeter. No one's getting past that wire." The deeper voice of Bellamy spoke, entering their conversation as he and Clarke stomped over to the seated three.
"I'll see where they're thin." Finn stated, standing to his feet as his gaze remained set on the pair.
"No. You should head inside. B corridor will be easier to defend if it comes to that." Bellamy instructed glancing to Clarke who nodded in agreement.
"I'm not gonna hide." Finn disagreed.
"Right now, we have to think about keeping you safe. I'm gonna talk to Lincoln." Clarke spoke leaving the others to remain silent. The three standing glanced between each other before Bellamy and Finn trudged away, leaving Clarke with the seated pair.
"Any orders for me, princess?" Murphy spoke, standing to his feet as he called to the back of a retreating Clarke.
"Stay away from me." She spoke firmly.
"He was just trying to be helpful." Sage interjected, standing beside Murphy as she watched Clarke begin to walk away yet again.
"You were both with him at the village." Clarke responded, turning to face them both.
"We tried to stop him." Murphy replied in defence.
"Not hard enough." Clarke spat harshly again turning around.
"You know, you want to start blaming people, Clarke?" Murphy started catching her attention and causing her to halt to a stop.
"He was out there looking for you." He continued, shifting the blame onto the blonde.
Sage spared a glance up at the taller boy before switching back to Clarke who was well on her way away from the duo.
Sage was slowly losing her mind being surrounded by the residents of Camp Jaha. Due to her current occupation you could say she was dealing with the drunks or addicts of the Camp. Fun!
She handed yet another woman her preferred beverage, her nose wrinkling slightly at the strong scent of whiskey. Placing it on the table, the customer glanced between her waitress and the drink.
"Uh, this isn't enough. Where's the rest of it?" She asked rather rudely.
"In the bottle back in my kitchen." Sage responded sassily, her hand carefully on her hip.
"Well, go get it kid."
"Listen Lady, I'm only allowed to give you a certain amount, anymore and I'll get in serious trouble." Sage reminded her. The girl flipped her tea towel over her shoulder before crossing her arms.
"How about you get the rest of it before I get you in even more trouble." The unnamed female threatened, standing up now and towering over the shorter girl.
"Excuse me." Sage asked in disbelief.
"Woah, woah okay let's just back it up here." A new voice piped in. Turning to face the newcomer of the conversation, both parties were met with the concerned eyes of Raven Reyes. Sage sighed deeply as her older sister stepped in front of her, taking her place and becoming face to face with the alcoholic.
"Now, how about you don't crack down my sister for the rules she didn't make." Raven shot her a counterfeit smile, awaiting the woman's excuse of a response.
The woman looked between the siblings before shaking her head and snatching up her drink, chugging it quickly before pushing it harshly into Sage's chest, returning the cup to its rightful owner.
Sage looked down at the cup now resting in her hands and gripped her fingers around it tightly.
"What a dropkick." Raven chuckled dryly as she and her sister headed back to the bar.
"Tell me about it." The girl chimed in with a smirk. They strolled to the bar, ignoring the stares from the other customers, Sage was used to them. Pretty much everyone knew of her somewhat connection to the boy on everyone's mind. Finn was on everyone's mind after all. And not only had Sage been seen with the boy in Tondc but once upon a time he was also her brother in law of some sort.
"Please tell me you don't actually get treated like that all the time." Raven inquired as she moved to sit on one of the bar stools.
"You know it." The girl nodded with an unhumorous laugh.
"God how do you put up with so much shit." Raven chuckled lowly, accepting the cup of water handed to her by Sage.
"If only I knew."
That night Sage stayed with Raven in the hospital, she had informed Murphy of her intentions and he took note of this by giving her the blanket she usually used whenever she slept in his room. Thanking him, the girl then headed over to the hospital which had become Raven's new home for the time being. She nodded shortly to the few staff members before finding the girl in the bed she had been strapped down into during surgery all those weeks ago.
"Hey little one." Raven murmured softly.
"Hi." Sage greeted.
"Come here."
Raven's open arms became home to Sage that night, the both of them huddled beneath the blankets just as they use to when they shared a bed up on the Ark. They recollected on memories of their days spent together as kids, and the havoc they wreaked running around the halls, the days they spent in school before Sage's lockup
, the days spent sneaking into the science labs so Raven could study. They missed it and they missed those two girls who they could never be again.
author's note !
as promised, here is chapter sevennn. i absolutely adore this chapter it's really cute and nice and fluffy after that roller coaster of a precious chapter. i hope you enjoy, things are looking pretty good for sage & murphy!
— clovdy