fragile | clexa

chapter forty eight

_______________________________

Ten minutes before nine, the two went outside, led on by Clarke. The blonde was wearing a long, low-cut black dress that -surprise- Berta had organized for her and Lexa felt as though her own dress didn't even closely reach the level of simple beauty Clarke's had.

The place Clarke took her to was breathtaking, but nothing could've taken Lexa's breath as much as the sight of Clarke rather smoothly walking, her hair flowing in the light breeze and her blue eyes fixing on the tent that rose up into the sky before them.

Lit up with torches on all sides and the most colorful tent Lexa might have ever seen, there stood a construct taking up a space where ten usual tents would have fit. At least. Couples in their prettiest clothes were streaming towards the large entrance, which was lightened up even more than the rest, and funnily dressed... people? stood in front of it. Their robes were as colorful as the tent, their faces painted and somehow, in the light of the fire, some of them glittered.

The air smelled unusually sweet and Lexa felt as though she was led into a fever dream when Clarke gently pulled her towards the entrance. Despite her strangely painted face representing a huge smile, the woman that approached them looked as though an alien stood in front of her.

"Heda," she stuttered. "We didn't know you were coming tonight."

"Is it a problem?" Lexa asked, her brow raising.

"No, no, absolutely not! On behalf of everyone here, we're very excited," the woman rushed. "We just didn't think your duty extended that far, that's all."

"I am not on duty, I'm here on a date," Lexa said nonchalantly and lifted their intertwined hands a bit as if to make a point. A blush showed on both Clarke's and the other woman's face.

"Oh. Well, please, enjoy yourselves," she stuttered and motioned for them to go on.

"Aren't you going to ask for tickets?" Clarke asked her before they moved anywhere.

"No, no, of course not! Please, in thanks for our Heda's hard work."

"But I got tickets."

The poor woman was completely lost. With even more stuttering, she hesitantly accepted the two slips of paper Clarke handed her. Lexa didn't look any less surprised.

"How on earth did you get tickets? For what did you get tickets? What is this?"

"Have you never been to a circus before?" Clarke asked incredulously.

"No. What is it?"

"You'll see, because I doubt I could explain it."

"And how did you get tickets?"

Yeah, right, that was another thing Clarke had done next to moving and eating more; at the clothing stand of Berta's friend, she had started helping out for a few coins the hour.

"I paid them. They're not very expensive."

"When did you pay for tickets and with what money?" Lexa kept asking, only slipping further into disbelief every second.

"Berta told me about the circus going around soon and tonight's the premier. She helped me getting a small job at the market," Clarke explained and had to tug Lexa onward into the tent.

"You worked!?"

"I somehow needed to get some money together. It was fun actually, I just had to sell some clothes and help her knit some sweaters and for that I got paid pretty alright."

"Clarke, I hope you know that you don't have to waste away a single hour of your life working just to pay for something, to pay for a date. You heard the woman. We would've gotten in free, and if not, then the money of four Commanders is rotting away in my tower," Lexa emphasized and for once, Clarke gave in to Lexa's constant pausing in her step to look the woman into the eye.