Her euphoria lasts longer than she originally thought it would.
To be alive, and to be standing on Earth? She never thought she'd be here in her lifetime. If her grandmother could see it now she'd weep.
It's so goddamn beautiful she almost believes she's dreaming.
Quinn glances over at where Clarke is hovered in front of something, Wells barely a few inches away, and she sighs. If she knows Clarke Griffin she knows that the blonde is going to do whatever is in her power to secure resources for the band of misfits the ship has dropped off, and the Chancellor's announcement in the ship doesn't help.
Always the leader.
And it isn't like Quinn isn't hungry herself. Prison gruel was barely tolerable, and that was who knew how many hours ago?
She marches over towards where the pair are overlooking the map, Jasper and Monty following behind. Taking in the layout before her, Quinn wrangles her mane up into a bun with dexterous hands, lamenting that she can't tie a braid worth a damn. She'll have to ask Jasper to later.
"Cool, a map," Jasper says, his goggles taking up almost half of his head where they sit on his cranium. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a beer-"
His words are cut off by Quinn's soft jab with her elbow and Wells immediately trying to steer him away from their grouping. He's being a little rough, truth be told, and Quinn steps in, grasping Wells' wrist as she puts herself between the two.
"Don't touch him," She warns, clenching her jaw.
Before Wells can respond another voice interrupts their...whatever, and she turns to see none other than John Murphy stalking into her line of sight, trailed by a bunch of equally rowdy assholes. She had made a point to steer clear of Murphy while on the Ark; he was always too loud at the parties she attended and the way he exudes himself now just makes her on edge. It didn't help that he antagonized her at every opportunity because she was Marcus' daughter. Of course he ended up here.
"Hands off of him, he's with us," Murphy calls, and immediately Quinn steps forward, her chin set high.
"Like hell he is."
Murphy takes a moment to really take in the ginger's appearance, an amused breath leaving his nose before he responds. "Of course they'd send Kane's daughter to the ground. Trying to take up your daddy's footsteps, uphold some authority down here?"
Without thinking twice Quinn spits at his feet, her eyes holding nothing more than sheer loathing for the boy.
"Don't compare me to my father," She hisses, clenching her fists, and immediately a warm hand is on her shoulder, and she turns to see Monty staring at her with concerned eyes.
"Everyone relax," Wells calls, and Quinn briefly uncoils the tension in her shoulders. "We're just trying to figure out where we are."
"We're on the ground," Bellamy's voice cuts in. "That not good enough for you?"
As Wells tries to find the words to combat Bellamy's harsh and confident tone Quinn steps forward, raising a brow at the man before her.
"You want food, don't you? And supplies? Equipment? Unless you want to forage all night I suggest you let us figure out where we're going and what we're getting for us."
"She's right," Wells finally chimes in. "We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message; that has to be our first priority."
"Screw your father," Octavia replies, and Quinn squeezes her eyes shut, looking Wells with exasperation. Mentioning Jaha is basically promising anyone here won't listen to a word, even if it makes logical sense.
"What, you think you're in charge here?" Octavia continues, and as much as Quinn can't help it she feels for the girl. On the Ark the authority was not only extremely evident but brutally displayed. Their being down on the ground is proof enough of that. "You and your little princess, and the knight?"
Quinn was a knight? What the hell was that kind of logic? Yeah, she was headstrong and argumentative, but still. Being Marcus' daughter sucked any way she looked at it. She'd give anything to swap places with someone else.
"Do you think we care who's in charge?" Clarke says, finally stepping from the grouping. "We need to get to Mount Weather, not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be." Not only is she addressing Bellamy and Octavia, but now she is addressing everyone that has converged along the group, that's within hearing distance.
Hearing Clarke talk is like listening to hope, and Quinn gives a small smile as she takes in the words, stepping alongside the girl.
"We're looking at a twenty mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark we need to leave, now."
"I got a better idea," Bellamy says, and once again Quinn feels irritation rising up to the surface. "You three go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change."
"You're not listening," Wells begins, but before he can continue Quinn steps out, her eyes meeting Bellamy's own brown.
"The more people we have with us the more food we can bring back. Three people, carrying enough food for a hundred?" Her hands drop to her sides in desperation. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Without much warning Murphy walks forward, kicking Quinn's legs out from under her with a smirk on his face, and it's only the safety of Monty's arms that keeps her from falling to the dirt in a heap.
"Look at this everybody; the valiant knight of the Earth, defending her Chancellor. Making the decisions." Murphy's amused gaze flickers between Quinn and Wells.
"You think that's funny?" Wells says as Quinn stands upright once more, hissing at the pain of his kick, and before Murphy can do so much as lunge for the boy in question she bolts forward, knocking a knee into his abdomen.
"I don't care who's in charge," She calls out, ignoring the hacking cough Murphy exudes as he's doubled over. "I don't give a damn who thinks that because of who our parents are it gives them the right to judge us. Or what we've done." At her words she can see several on the outskirts cast their eyes to the ground, and she glances over towards where Bellamy looks apprehensive. "Here, on Earth, you're free. The Ark judged you for your crimes harshly, and I know that some of you committed them to help someone else. You have a clean slate. We're all the same down here, and we all deserve to eat and drink and be happy. To build a life. To do that we need supplies."
Her impromptu speech ending Quinn steps back towards Monty and Jasper, biting her lip as she looks around the circle of people that have gathered.
"You're dead, Kane," Murphy wheezes, menacingly pointing a finger in her direction before stalking off with the rest of his goons.
As the voices begin rising in the group a pair of feet pad onto the surface from the outside of the dropship, and Quinn looks to see that none other than the boy named Finn, Spacewalker extraordinaire, is slowly walking towards them, no doubt dropping down from the elevated lip.
"Count me in."
Against her better judgment the ginger feels gratitude surge up in her chest. He may be sarcastic and way too joking for his own good, but at least he steps up to the plate when it's needed. As Bellamy absconds with his sister and everyone crowding them leaves to do whatever it is they're going to do, Quinn creeps in closer to Clarke, grimacing.
"Hey, sorry if that was out of line," She amends, twisting an errant curl in her finger. "I just thought convincing them was-"
"No, it was called for," Clarke interrupts, a smile gracing her features. "Thank you."
"So when do we leave?" Finn asks, hands shoved into his pockets.
What a ragtag bunch they are; all criminals, most coming from varying backgrounds on the Ark. Everyone around way too headstrong and way too concerned with the wellbeing of others.
"Right now."
As Quinn adjusts her jacket a familiar pair enters her vision, and she sees Monty and Jasper make small steps further into their circle.
"We're going."
"No, hey, what if there's something dangerous out there-" She begins, but Jasper holds up a hand, stifling her protests, and she falls back.
"We're going, no ifs ands or buts about it."
With a sigh Quinn looks over at Clarke. "Well, you've got yourself a team. What now?"
Now, she learns, is an abysmal trek through woods that Quinn can't help but feel a small amazement for.
Every breath she takes is so much more rich than on the Ark, and she relishes in it. Relishes in the wide expanse around her so different from the cold steel of her cell. Down here she doesn't have to repeat songs she's heard a thousand times in her head, doesn't have to sit through visits between her and Marcus, as brief and fleeting as they were. She doesn't have timed meals of sloppy rations to keep her sustained, doesn't have the bland drab of cell walls around her.
She doesn't have time to go over every memory, looking for what she's done wrong in them.
She grips the simple, gold ring hanging from her neck on its chain, wishing that her mother could see this.
As much as she wants to linger on her thoughts, the insufferable bedroom eyes Octavia is currently giving Finn as they walk side-by-side is enough to make her gag, and she ignores it as best she can. It takes barely a second before Finn is plucking a purple flower from the brush and tucking it behind Octavia's ear, and Quinn wants to projectile vomit at the display. Barely a foot away it seems Wells is thinking the same thing, minutely shaking his head.
Before she can voice some sort of disdain, however, Jasper turns back towards the two, admiration gleaming in his eyes. Quinn can already tell what's coming next.
"Now, that, my friends, is game," He says, and the redhead shakes her head.
Before she can let out a response, however, Monty is replying, and it's in this moment Quinn realizes how much has changed since she was sent off to the Skybox. Typically the immediate know-it-all response would be fulfilled by her, but it seems Monty has taken up the reins, and she feels a longing in her chest.
She should have been there, discussing dumb shit with them in Farm up until now. Even if they were put in the Skybox, she should have been there up until they were arrested.
Did a little over a year really change life so drastically?
"That, my friend, is poison sumac," Monty begins confidently, plucking his own flower, and Octavia hastily brushes the plant from her ear.
"What? It is?"
"The flowers aren't poisonous," Quinn adds, sending Monty a knowing, if warm look. "They're calming, actually. The name is misleading."
Her comrade pops a flower into his mouth, a grin spreading on his face, and Quinn snorts.
"His family grows all the pharmaceuticals on the Ark," Jasper chimes in.
Before she knows it Finn's gaze meets Quinn's, and she gives him a grimace as she accepts Monty's offer of poison sumac, stuffing the plant in her mouth.
"And what about you?"
It takes a moment for her to plan out the words but Quinn avoids his eyes, looking towards the ground before them as it becomes more vine and root-laden, chewing more harshly than needed on the sweet plant. Tripping would suck, and in an extreme event twist an ankle or break a leg. At least her mother had taught her how to bind that sufficiently.
"Wanted to," She responds curtly, clearing her throat. "But I got locked up and sent here, didn't I?"
Finn opens his mouth to respond but is cut off by Clarke's reprimand.
"Hey, guys, would you try to keep up?"
"Come on, Clarke," Finn eagerly responds, traipsing through the ferns around them. Quinn notices it doesn't take much to change his attention, at least where the blonde is concerned. Hormones and an uninhabited planet did not make a good combo. She notices that Wells' jaw is set tightly at Finn's eagerness. "How do you block all this out?"
A valid question, honestly, because Quinn is having a hard time blocking anything out. She spent months, more than she cared to count doing that in Skybox. Now, on the ground, it's overwhelming. As if the sheer amount of oxygen and plant life wasn't enough to send her into euphoria the fact that she was with her best friends again made it all a dream come true.
Marcus had told her at one point that both boys had been arrested for the very same crimes, and it had sent her into hysterics in her cell. She blamed herself, and still does.
Now, however, they're all on Earth. Starting new.
"Well, it's simple," Clarke responds, a pragmatic tone to her voice. "I wonder: why haven't we seen any animals? Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty, though. Come on."
Immediately Quinn increases her stride to match the blonde's, and she gives her a look.
"You know that by now burns would be apparent all over our bodies. Plant life exists, Clarke, so of course some higher evolution of that must exist as well." The ginger takes a breath before continuing, lowering her voice. "You're on edge, and it makes sense. I am too, but can you blame everyone for being overwhelmed, or for truly appreciating the fact that we're alive? I was going to be blasted out of an airlock in the next few days."
It takes a second for Clarke to process her words, and she gives a small nod.
"I know, it's amazing. Still, our first priority should be survival. A hundred people can't exist on the ground without a plan."
"What's the point of surviving if we aren't living? We can have a balance," Quinn presses, and Clarke doesn't respond. Her attention quickly turns to where Finn is badgering her best friends, and she lags behind, falling in step with Monty and Jasper.
"I gotta know what you two did to get busted."
"Sumac's not the only herb in-" Monty begins, before Quinn gently nudges him.
"None of your business," She cuts in harshly, sending a glare towards the spacewalker. Finn continues walking ahead of them, but he sends a look in Quinn's direction. Beside her, Monty gives her a questioning look of his own, which she ignores.
"How about you, Octavia?" Jasper starts, and the redhead wants to sigh at his obvious crush, all the while thankful for the change of subject. "What'd they get you for?"
"For being born," The gorgeous brunette responds, increasing her pace to break ahead from the rest of them. The silence is awkward, and Quinn debates whether she wants to go ahead and try to comfort the girl when Monty's voice interrupts her machinations.
"That is so not game," Monty replies, and her two friends begin exchanging light slaps on the other's chest.
Boys, she thinks, albeit fondly.
"Actually, Wells, I'm kind of curious as to what you did to get thrown down here with us," Quinn asks, and immediately Finn's voice responds in a light, but cutting tone.
"What? Monty and Jasper can't share their stories but you want Wells to?"
"That's different, I'm the reason-"
Wells sends her a pointed look, understanding swirling behind his dark orbs, and it catches Quinn off guard. "Hey, it's okay. I tried to destroy the Eden Tree."
Quinn's initial response is anger; that's a physical sign of hope for her grandmother, and an object with equally symbolic meaning for Quinn herself. Then she rationalizes with herself, knowing that Wells likely did it just to join Clarke to the surface. It was fitting he chose a crime with little to no violence or collateral damage, it reflected his personality.
There's a moment of silence before their advance stops, and Quinn tries to avoid the probing look Monty is giving her. At least Jasper is completely entranced with Octavia to notice anything.
It takes barely a moment for the party to crouch down behind Clarke, the blonde pressing a finger to her lips as she motions out towards the field in front of them, a reluctant grin spread across her face. As Quinn takes in the sight of a deer (a real life deer!) before her she unconsciously presses a hand against Monty's arm, the warmth emanating from it helping to ground her in the moment.
What you can smell, touch, feel under your fingertips.
It's precious to her, a seemingly innocuous moment on Earth. So much plant life, and now a real animal in view. Sure, birds are one thing, but a large mammal? Things are looking up since she had heard about the irradiated soil of Earth.
"No animals, huh?" Finn breathes, leaning in closer to Clarke before advancing into the clearing where the deer stood, slowly. Wells' soft protests fall on deaf ears.
The snap of a branch sends the animal in their direction, and Quinn feels bile rise up in her throat as the sight of a malformed, two-headed deer encompasses her vision. It's disturbing, and she thinks about backtracking the words she told Clarke earlier. As the deer dances away into the brush and the band of misfits tries to settle themselves from the experience Quinn tries to focus on the sunlight splayed through the trees, the chirp of birds around them. Then again, maybe the birds have two heads, too.
"Hey, you know what I'd like to know?" Finn's voice cut through the din. "Why send us down here after ninety-seven years. What changed?"
Quinn notices Wells and Clarke exchange glances, the boy's shameful and the blonde's scathing, and her brows knit tightly. Before she was locked up the two had been inseparable, best friends.
"Who cares?" Octavia replies. "I'm just glad they did. I woke up rotting in a cell, and now I'm spinning in a forest."
As if to emphasize her words the brunette spins herself around the thin trunk of a tree, trying to elicit a reaction from Finn. It does next to nothing, however, as Finn marches past the sight to follow Clarke's trek.
"Maybe they found something on a satellite. You know, like an old weather satellite, or-" Jasper offers, and against her better judgment Quinn replies.
"I doubt they found anything," She begins. "It makes sense; they send us down here to see if it's inhabitable, and if it's not they've only sent children to their deaths. Must be a light burden," She whispers, venom lacing every syllable.
"It wasn't a satellite," The blonde agrees, and Clarke sends a small nod to the ginger before continuing, her gaze as hard as flint. "The Ark is dying." Her grip is tight on her pack.
At once every head turns towards her, and Quinn stills in shock.
"At the current population level, there's roughly three months left." Quinn feels something cool and dark press its way into her stomach. "Life support. Maybe four now that we're gone."
Immediately Finn steps forward, hands in his pockets. "So that was the secret they locked you up to keep, why they kept you in solitary, floated your old man?"
Instantly Quinn sends out a subtle kick to Finn's ankles, knocking off his progress, and she steps around him as the group continues onward.
Sparing Clarke from a response is the main reason for her actions; seeing Finn covered mostly in muck is just an added bonus. The guy didn't even think twice before the words spilled from his mouth, and Wells' downcast mood at the new discussion leaves little to the imagination.
"My father was the engineer who..." Clarke begins, and Quinn steps back to fall in stride with Monty and Jasper.
Maybe everything is easier if she doesn't barge her way into shit. She has no business messing with whatever conversation is happening between Clarke and Finn and Wells, and yet she feels the need to intervene. It isn't hard to notice how difficult the discussion is for Clarke. Quinn may have been born from someone on Alpha station, but she had been raised heaps around the delicate sensibilities of Farm, and her mother; she knew when to back off.
Clarke continues despite the awkward silence. "He thought the people had a right to know. The council disagreed. My mother disagreed. My best friend disagreed."
The look she sends Wells is incredible, and Quinn is sure if looks could kill then the boy would be dead twice over. He simply clenches his fists, avoiding anyone's gaze.
Trying to force out the awkward conversation at the forefront of her mind Quinn glances between Monty and Jasper, a half-hearted smile rising to her lips. She doesn't want to linger on thoughts of her father and grandmother suffocating to death on the Ark.
"So, we need to rebuild a farm station. What say you two work with me to grow some food for these desolate souls?'
As predicted Jasper responds immediately. "Hell yeah, who better than us?"
There's a beat of silence before Monty responds, giving a stiff nod as his eyes flicker between the three some feet ahead of them. Of course he can sense the underlying tension; he's always been good at that. No doubt the news also made him wonder about his parents still on the Ark. A painful jolt in her chest reminds Quinn that Hannah is still up there, no doubt tending to the plants.
"If we can gather enough seeds we can start plots," Quinn begins, but what Clarke says next interrupts her thoughts. Although it's addressed to Finn, even she can hear the panic behind her friends' words.
"Anyway, the guard showed up before we could. That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die at least we bought themselves more time."
Against her better judgment Quinn thinks of her father up in space. Even if he is way too set in his own distinctions of good and evil, he doesn't deserve to choke to death in his own home.
The thought of Moira doing that in a hospital bed is enough.