The rest of the day passed by uneventfully and Lexa went to sleep, grinning to herself about Clarke's secret and for once eager to repeat the day.
When Wes informed her that Clarke requested an audience, she told him to let her in.
Clarke entered the small tin house and said, "I've been thinking, Lexa..." her voice trailed off when she caught sight of the commander, eyes wide in confusion, and Lexa liked to think, something else.
Lexa had not gotten dressed this morning and instead was wearing only her sleeping garments; that is to say, a tank top and a pair of underwear that travelled to mid thigh. She had undone her hair and it was flowing over her shoulders in a tangled, though still somehow, attractive mess.
"Uh, sorry," Clarke said a bit dazedly, not looking away. "I thought you were ready to see me."
"I am, Clarke," she replied, doing her best not to smirk and remain serious. She shifted slightly in her sitting position on the bed, placing a hand on her thigh. "I have something important to show you."
"Um..." Clarke murmured, eyes travelling where Lexa had led them.
"Come here, Clarke," she urged softly.
Clarke didn't move, remaining transfixed to the spot, so Lexa stood up and went over to her.
The bewildered girl started backing away. Soon she had hit the wall and was trapped. The only way out of the house was to go through the commander.
"Lexa, I don't know-"
"What's the matter, Clarke?" she interrupted. "Why are you so uncomfortable?"
Clarke swallowed and firmly said, "Don't, Lexa."
"Don't what, Clarke?" she said innocently, crossing her bare arms, again directing Clarke's gaze.
"I, uh... don't...uh..."
Lexa finally took pity on the girl. "Don't show you my tattoos?"
"What?" said Clarke, completely taken aback, eyes snapping to her face. She blinked rapidly a few times. "Tattoos?"
"Yes," said Lexa with a genuine smile. "I thought you might like to see them."
She turned sideways, moved her hair out of the way and gestured to the blue pattern on her upper right arm. "I received this after my first kill. I was thirteen." Lexa glanced at Clarke. "It symbolizes strength and vitality." She pointed to her lower left calf where a deer resided. "I received this one when I was fifteen. It signifies that I am swift and sure footed." She turned around so that her back was to Clarke and started to pull off her shirt. Lexa was mildly surprised when Clarke did not protest this action.
This final tattoo spanned the entirety of Lexa's back, with wings on her shoulder blades and an intricate pattern spreading out from them and trailing to a stop right before her underwear began.
"I was given this one when I became commander, just as the commander before and the one before that and so on. It shows that we are fearless and will go to any length to ensure our people's safety and survival."
"It's really beautiful," said Clarke quietly.
"Yes, I like to think so-"
She stiffened when Clarke placed a fingertip to her skin and began lightly tracing the design, starting from the centre of her spine and moving upwards to the wings. Lexa focused on keeping her breath even and did her best to appear unaffected. Clarke's touch lingered on her shoulder blade for a time, and then after what seemed like an eternity, retracted her finger.
Neither spoke or moved for several moments more. Lexa regained control of her emotions and covered herself before turning to face Clarke.
Clarke was looking at her strangely, in an intense manner that Lexa had never seen before. Her ocean depths bore into her grassy fields as if trying to divine the secrets of the universe.
Clarke blinked again and looked away. "Why did you show me that, Lexa?"
Lexa cleared her mind, crossed over to the square table and took a seat. She gestured for Clarke to do the same.
Once situated she said, "You told me you had an interest in our artwork, in particular our tattoos. You said you would like to have one of your own, something invoking unity and life...and that you would want it to be on the back of your hand so that you could admire it at all times, just as you admired the Earth from the Ark."
Clarke gaped at her for a second and then said, "H-how did you know that?"
"It's like I said, you told me of your desire."
"But I didn't," the puzzled girl muttered, shaking her head. "I think I would have remembered."
Lexa proceeded to inform her of the 'groundhog day' effect, to which Clarke balked at.
"I-I don't believe you," Clarke said, getting up and hurriedly leaving the metal hut.
Lexa huffed in frustration and quickly threw on her things before chasing after her. She enquired from Wes as to which direction Clarke had gone in and groaned internally when she learned it was towards the pauna's den.
They took off into the trees like they had done that first day, when she had halted the meeting to follow Quint and make sure he didn't do something foolish. Predictably he had and she had gladly struck him down. He was her least favourite clan leader and almost as irritating as Indra. She kept Indra close by because she knew her loyalty was forever, no matter what decisions Lexa made.
Thankfully Quint was nowhere to be seen on this day and they caught up to Clarke and her guard without incident. They both spun and nearly shot holes in Lexa and Wes.
Lexa lifted a placating hand. Clarke turned away and continued on with Byrne by her side, flat out refusing to engage in civil conversation.
"What do you want? Have another ridiculous story to tell?"
"Clarke," called Lexa gently, "it's dangerous out here. You need to head back now."
"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine," she retorted, holding up her pistol.
"No, you won't," insisted Lexa, jogging up on her other side. "There are monstrous creatures in these parts. Your weapon would only serve to enrage them. Pauna's cannot be killed with mere bullets."
"Oh and I suppose you know that because it's already happened, right?"
"Yes."
Wes and Byrne shared a look but neither said a thing. Obstinately, Clarke continued charging along the root strewn path. Lexa estimated they were about half way to the den by now. In a short while it would be able to smell their approach and they would be lucky to make it out alive a second time.
"When have I ever lied to you?"
"Uh, let me see," said Clarke sarcastically, "about twenty minutes ago. Yeah, that would be about right." Clarke rounded on her. "For all I know you've been lying this entire time and you plan on betraying my people once we take down the mountain. Finish what you started."
The accusation hurt Lexa. A lot. She pushed this melancholy aside, clenched her fists and said, "Fine then. Keep on your fools quest. I will have no part of it."
Despite her words, she stayed put, watching Clarke head out of sight and to her eventual demise. Not long after, there was a fearsome roar followed by rapid bursts of gunfire, courtesy of Byrne's automatic.
Cursing under her breath, she took off after the idiot girl and arrived on the scene just as Byrne was having her machine gun arm ripped from her body. The beast had set its sights on Clarke who was on her behind, levelling all of her ammunition into its bleeding torso. She clicked empty and looked terrified as it jumped fifteen feet, landing right in front of her. Before the beast could pound Clarke into the ground, Lexa hurled her dagger at it as hard as she could. It was hard to say who was more surprised when the blade made contact with the pauna's skull, piercing through the unusually thick bone. The beast instantly crumpled forward, Clarke scrambling out of the way just in time before being crushed by its sheer weight.
The panting girl looked over at her saviour. "I think I officially believe you now."
Lexa rolled her eyes and hopped down from the log she had been standing on. Swiftly she moved to Clarke's side, helped her onto shaky legs and then retrieved her dagger. Or at least she attempted to. It was lodged so far in the pauna's skull that it had managed to get itself stuck on something. She placed a boot to the back of its neck as she yanked for all her worth. It simply wouldn't budge.
"Lexa, leave it," Clarke said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
The commander shrugged her off and continued at it.
"Don't you have other daggers?"
"Of course I do," she grunted, "but this one is my favourite."
Anya gave it to me.
"Lexa, we should probably go," Clarke said, glancing around nervously. "There could be more of them out there."
"Wes, retrieve my dagger!"
With a great effort he got it loose, but in the process broke most of the blade off in its skull. After grabbing the wooden handle from Wes, she glanced or rather glared at Clarke and then headed back to Tondc at a rapid pace. It was Clarke's turn to jog and keep up with her.
"I'm sorry about the dagger. And I wanted to thank you for saving my life."
Lexa nodded once out of habit even though she was pretty annoyed at Clarke for the destruction of Anya's present.
"So...a time loop, huh? That's pretty crazy. What do you think is causing it?"
"If I knew that, Clarke, do you think I would still be in it?!" she snapped. "Do you think I enjoy not being able to move forward with this war and save my people?! Do you think I enjoy you asking me the same inane questions every day?!"
Clarke gave the frizzy haired, somewhat demented looking warrior a worried look and said, "Are you okay?"
"Gahhhhh!"
What comes around, goes around. That's what she gets for being a little shit.