A Spring To His Steps

4 Weeks, 1 Day

Medical is busy and Marcus slips between two injured Grounders – Trishanakru if he gets the tattoos right, which means they are likely assigned to the hydroponic farms and that there will be an accident report on his desk by the end of the day. It's the problem with so many people not used to working with machinery, they get hurt – which results in both him trying to find better solutions and Abby getting less free time. Jackson catches his eyes from where he is standing, tending to a burn on a young woman's hand and nods toward the office at the back of the big examination room.

He's a bit surprised she's not out there given that there are people not currently being seen too despite Jackson's and the Grounders' healers' best attempts but he reaches the open door of the office. He leans against the doorframe to better watch her, amused by the way she is furiously scribbling on a piece of paper.

Something in his chest aches with how beautiful she looks.

Her hair is gathered in a messy ponytail that falls over one shoulder, her brow is furrowed in concentration and the fingers that aren't holding the pen are drumming against the table in clear annoyance. She's not even sitting properly, she's half out of her seat, bowed over the desk in a way that makes him want to just…

He clears his throat before he can entertain any real inappropriate thought about her and the desk.

She glances up, her face lighting up in surprise when she spots him. "Hey."

"Hey." he answers with a smile and then clears his throat up again because, wow, they sure are being eloquent people. "Are you done with the inventory?"

Her lips twitch. "You're the Chancellor, don't you have people to fetch reports? I did."

"I sent them all to the other departments." he shrugs, walking in and closing the door for good measure. "It seems like as good an excuse as any to visit."

He drops in one of the two chairs in front of the desk and takes the file she hands him.

"For the record, I didn't miss paperwork." she sighs and walks around the desk to sit in the other chair, facing him. Their knees bump together and he relaxes for the first time that day.

They've been doing better, the two of them. Their relationship feels less… strained than right after Praimfaya. He's not sure they're back to the easiness they used to share, not yet, but they're on the right track. She's making efforts and he's refusing to let her pull away again.

"We need paperwork if we want to run this thing." he chides her.

It's not that he's a real fan of reports and forms himself but that's how they used to do on the Ark and that's how they need to do it down here. He has problems enough trying to make Octavia and Indra see that. They need to keep on top of everything.

"You just love lurking in people's office to make them nervous when they owe you reports." she teases.

It's a gibe about who he used to be on the Ark, he figures, and she's not that wrong. He used to enjoy letting people know he was in charge.

It isn't about that now though.

"We need to organize." he insists, rubbing his forehead before passing a hand in front of his mouth. It's been more or less on the go for the last three weeks and he's been pressing Octavia to get the Grounders to submit to the system because that's the only way they are going to make it. People can't just show up where they feel like working that day, mostly because there are things they can't leave to chance. The farms, the aquifer filtration system, the oxygen and air scrubbers… They've been trying to assign krus to the department they would be best suited but that's not working out so well. The fact that the hierarchy isn't clear isn't helping any and the idea that each clan leader is responsible for their people with Octavia at the top of the food chain won't hold long now. People are starting to settle in this new life, it's not easy, particularly for Grounders. "Octavia officially put Indra in charge of the guard this morning."

That's at least something, he supposes, even if he hopes Indra will show restrain. There's unrest between clans and that's only to be expected. If they start stabbing everyone who try to pick up a fight… He trusts his friend though. And he hopes that patrols of an identified guard corps composed of members of all clans will help settle things even more.

Octavia's Wonkru idea is a nice one but it won't happen in one day.

"What does that make you?" Abby asks.

"Her chamberlain?" he jokes. It earns him a smile and another bump of her knee against his. "I don't know, we didn't really discuss it. Aside from you and Jaha, I'm the only one with enough experience to run a place like this. I guess that's what it makes me."

Abby has never expressed any interest in taking a more active role in the leadership department, not since the lottery. She seems satisfied with running Medical for now and he doesn't want to push her too much. She advises him when he asks and for now it would have to be enough.

"Don't let Thelonious take over." she warns, her smile turning serious. "That's what he did with Clarke, you know…"

He shakes his head. "It won't happen with Octavia."

The girl doesn't like the former Chancellor and Marcus hasn't tried to convince her otherwise. He still considers Jaha a friend but he is also aware of the man's flaws. Thelonious is used to being in charge, to making decisions, the former Chancellor likes power and he doesn't like the fact that Marcus and Abby supplanted him.

He's not sure he deserves the right to call right from wrong but he doesn't like Jaha's methods, not anymore.

"I hope so." she offers, reaching on the desk to grab the piece of paper she has been writing on. "I have the list of people I want to keep full time." He skims it over, not surprised to find Jackson and Niylah at the top of the list. The other names, he doesn't really recognize. There are fifteen in all. She sighs. "I need more trained staff."

"Says you and Jaha and pretty much everyone else…" he snorts with no real amusement. "Is there someone from the Boudalankru on your list?"

"I don't think so, why?" Abby frowns.

"Because their leader believes Skaikru is conspiring to take over the bunker." he explains. "And Indra thinks his son has a thing for botanic, that might soften him up a little."

"Send him over." she nods. "I can always use someone who knows medicinal plants."

He places the paper on top of the inventory file, short of excuses to linger longer. "I should go back to work."

She bumps her knee against his leg for the third time, prompting him to look up at her. "Kom osir hit op nodotaim."

Until we meet again.

He smiles, eyes twinkling at her terrible accent. She's had so many difficulties taking up Trigedasleng though… "You're making progress."

"I think I need more private lessons." she grins.

"I'm always happy to provide." he retorts, leaving the chair to step into her space, leaning down when she stretches her neck to receive the kiss. He doesn't allow himself to get carried away though. He still needs to stop by engineering and the prospect of listening to Jaha complain about everything that goes wrong in the bunker takes the fun out of everything. "Ai hod yu in."

"I love you too." she whispers against his lips. "We meet for dinner?"

"I'll stop by to get you on my way there." he promises and, with a last kiss, he tears himself away from her.

Medical is even busier when he walks out of her office.

Still, there is a spring to his step that wasn't there before as he strides down the corridors to his next destination.

It feels like hope.

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