Taming Chaos // J.M // The 100

Chapter 17

Unity Day, for Ethan, was more about its fun and less about the lies told by the council. For years the truth had been attempting to spread throughout the Ark, that the 13th station - Polaris - had been blown out of the sky so the other twelve could rejoice. 

Ethan didn't see a reason to celebrate that, but he was dying for a party, and here Jasper was pulling out Monty's new batch of moonshine to share between the hundred.

At some point during the Unity Day speech, the communications had gone dead, cutting the Chancellor short. Not many had cared, but there was some question as to why it cut out.

Ethan's wearing the shirt he'd swiped the other day, and has a feeling he isn't gonna let it go anytime soon.

He follows the rest of the partying people in dumping his cup to the scrap metal table and swipes a hand across his chin to gather a single drop of Monty's new 'Unity Juice'. He wipes it across his shirt and sees an opening in the chaotic dances occurring around the fire.

He slips his hand into someone else's and twirls them around. Once done, they exchange for different people. A group of three were banging sticks on hollow scraps of the dropship in a short but merry beat, two voices varying in pitch singing words he can't hear above the laughter.

Cackling at the height difference between the girl he was currently swinging in tandem with, Ethan steps back and trips, stumbling back into a tree. It only makes him laugh harder.

He pulls his gaze just further than the dancing bodies, eyes latching onto Octavia who sprints across the camp, sticking close to the fence until she slips past the exit. He sees the smile on her face and releases a relieved breath.

Ethan feels like Finn pulling him out of sight an hour later has something to do with her disappearance.

Shrugging his arm out of his grasp, Ethan studies every inch of the tent. Then, 80% sure that this is a genuine meeting between just the two of them, he looks back up and raises a brow.

"How's the wound?" He asks first.

Finn tilts his head in acknowledgment. "Better."

Ethan nods, "Good." It trails off into an awkward silence. "Look, if this is about what happened the other day -"

"It is." Finn holds up placating hands, "And I want you to know that I'm with you, okay? The whole camp thinks the only answer to the grounder problem is to kill them. I don't agree."

"Well, yeah, neither do I. That's why he's not still here, locked up and being tortured." Ethan deadpans, wondering where exactly this was going. He picks up a bunch of equipment from the table and fiddles with it while Finn talks.

"Octavia." Finn steps up beside him, "She started this, didn't she?"

"I don't -"

Rolling his eyes, Finn leans back against the wood and crosses his arms. "I saw her leaving. She defended the grounder against Bellamy. Come on," He engages in eye contact, "It's obvious."

Ethan exhales through his nose, staring at the tent wall. "I hope not." He whispers.

Matching Finn's pose, he drags a hand down his face and grinds his teeth as he thinks. "This is a real problem. I feel like. . . even if there were more grounders like this guy, Bellamy won't hesitate to open fire. To the hundred, he's a hero and he wants to keep appearing that way."

Finn sighs. They stand in silence, reflecting on his words.

The brunette lifts his shirt to pull something out of his belt. It's a dagger, with a nice hilt to it. It's fancy, and nothing like the makeshift ones they put together here.