Jaz has been on my mind a lot lately, so I decided to go with her for today's prompt as a bit of a break from Vena. Churning out all those words over the past few days for her and Ast has me a bit burned out. Needed a change, you know?
Time setting is after she gets put in charge of Busan, which I'm not sure I've told you guys about, but, long story short, Whitecourt got killed in an attack and, because she still had her amnesia and was thus very removed from the situation, they put Jaz where Whitecourt had been, rank-wise. The temporary post lasted a while longer than anyone expected, but the city had been going through a rough patch and Jaz had a handle on things, so they let her stay in office. Which is sort of where this picks up.
Drabble Challenge: Day 14 - wind
Word Count: 1,004 Minimum Goal: 840
Rain and wind buffeted the building, the deluge pounding against the windows of Jasmine’s office as she listened to her fellow minister with ever lessening patience. Oscar Litfin, Minister of Arset and a distinguished veteran of Arset’s military, similar to her, had allowed a tenuous alliance to be formed between Busan and his own city.
Jaz had fought for every line of that alliance. Busan wasn’t high on the prospective allies list, being a small dot on the map and her role as leader, even if it was temporary, wasn’t being taken lightly by her fellow ministers across the country.
Now, Liftin had walked into her city and had started laying down more guidelines, ones that were completely advantageous to Arset and left Busan largely undefended and with very little incoming commercial commerce. Along with a great many other things.
Leaning back in her low-backed seat, Jaz attempted to maintain a façade of interest, her hands clasped neatly in her lap. At the back of her office, near the door, both Liftin’s and her respective guards stood. The site of them reminded her that they’d been supposed to change shifts almost an hour ago.
The steel-gray haired man across the desk from her was still talking, gaze coolly locked on her face as he continued to lay down the terms to their alliance as his council had no doubt instructed him. Jaz counted herself as lucky as having grown up among many of the senior leaders in Busan; they hadn’t been thrilled at her rise in rank, but they listened to and considered what she had to say.
“—expect to be kept up to date on all your military, political, and economical plans, both for now and for the future, for the betterment of both our cities. As for Busan’s---”
Of course. Both our cities, for certain. She let his voice fade to the background again.
Jaz decided she rather despised politics. Things had been simpler when she’d been allowed to work on a basic rule of shoot before getting shot. Technically, she could still work on that same principle, but it would have a few more repercussions now than it had been when she’d been a faceless grunt.
How the mighty fell.
“---And, of course, we expect to be allowed access to whatever portions of Busan we wish, to read any mission reports on file, to transfer any prisoner you might take to Arset as we deem necessary—“
Jade eyes hardened at that and the woman stood after a moment, planting her hands on the desk in front of her as she pinned the older minister with a look. “Minister Liftin.”
He stopped mid-sentence, brows drawing together as a frown settled on his features.
Jaz forced herself to speak calmly. “I have let you into my city and my office. I have housed and fed you and your entourage for a week. I have listened to you lay out these so-called terms of our alliance to each other day after day. But if you think for a moment that I will allow you so much control over my people and my city, you can get up and leave Busan within the hour, because I will not allow us to be subjugated merely because you believe that we are weak.” She spat the last word, anger clear on her tone.
Outrage dawned in Liftin’s eyes and he got to his feet as well, voice steely when he spoke to her. “You condemn your city to death, O’Haire. You need allies or you will never survive this war and those are few and hard to find for a minister in your position. If you turn me away, never expect to see our help again.”
“Take your blasted help and get out of my city.” Jaz hissed, clenching her hands into fists because she could feel the tremors setting in. Too long. “Right now. Leena!” She shouted for her assistant, knowing the other woman would be poised to heed her call.
The door opened only a few moments later and the short, plump woman she’d hired three months ago after the last secretary had had a nervous breakdown appeared in the doorway, brows raised.
“Get this man and his entourage out of my city by nightfall,” Busan’s minister bit out, her jade-colored eyes pinned on Liftin, who was slowly turning red.
As soon as she’d finished speaking to Leena, the man turned on his heel and stalked out of her office, following the redhead secretary, shoulders held rigid and his head high. It would not do well for Arset’s reputation to know their great and mighty help had been turned away by the spineless female leader of Busan.
Lightning ripped the sky in half as he disappeared from sight, blotting out the rest of the lights in Jaz’s office with a flash of white-hot light while she simultaneously collapsed back in her seat, energy leaving her in a rush.
The older of her two bodyguards, Nielsen, crossed the room to her in a few swift moves even as he issued a command to his comrade. “Go to the fridge. Get the water in there, and close the door.”
Jaz gripped the armrests of her chair tight as the tremors turned into jerks, forcing herself to keep breathing while her guard pulled open one of the drawers in her desk and drew the pill box out from beneath her casual jacket.
The water was thrust over his shoulder. She had to wonder how she looked because when Nielsen’s gaze came up from his rummage, concern was written there as he passed her the bottle of liquid.
Reminding herself to thank them both later, Jaz took both it and the handful of pills the soldier also supplied her with as the seizures started spreading through the rest of her.
Yeeeeaaah, I got inspiration for Jaz during church, part of which is featured here. Mwuaha, I'm so delightfully evil to Jaz at times.
But yes, seizures! There's a story behind it--sorta. An attempt on her life was the thought I had and it left her a bit damaged. Also, if there's any confusion, let me know and I'll do my best to sort it out for you.
Off to bed with me. Hopefully you guys don't mind these random intervals with Jaz too vexing and perhaps even a bit interesting?
Ad astra per aspera.
To the stars, through difficulties.
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