Merry Christmas! + Writing

    Two posts in one month! Quick, look out your window, is the world coming to an end?

    Business first: I hope you are all having an absolutely amazing Christmas season. Whether it be with your family and the traditions you grew up with or with a new family or even just important friends, let this be a holiday of bonding, gratitude, and laughter.

    Life races ahead of us without scarce allowing us to breathe and it's easy to forget that the years that race by are also years of living and breathing that are slipping away. You get older, your parents get older, your grandparents get older. Appreciate the people important to you this Christmas. Take that time to sit and talk, to fill your grandparents in on your goals, hug your mom and remind her that you'll always be her kid, stay up late laughing with that friend who means everything. 

    Jesus is the reason for the season. The season is about sacrifice that's more recognized as giving now. Give the gifts, but give the emotional commitment as well this year. 

    I'm leaving home and flying the nest in three months. It's a freeing and yet drowning weight, one that flutters in my chest during the day and churns in my stomach at night. Every occasion that we pass--Thanksgiving, my twentieth birthday, Christmas--I am reminded that I don't know where I'll be next year. 

    So I'm giving these holidays as much as I have to offer. Sitting and working through my plans with my extended family. Listening to my mom when she wants me to take someone with me to do errands, even if I'll on my own soon anyways. Sometimes, the greatest gift you can offer is a willing spirit and opens arms.

    Merry Christmas, guys. Truly. Hopefully you have snow on the ground outside, or some favorite Christmas music blasting right now. (And have a joyous New Year's!)

    Now, onto the writing portion of this post.

    I've got two things to post--the Jade drabble will be first. We were in the car for three+ hours this afternoon and inspiration struck like lightening for a musing deviant!Jade scrawl. It came out of nowhere, so there's your reasoning for how irregular it is.

    The second I decided to try and do a couple of days ago, and we'll see if I can push through and finish before too long. Basically, I watched a romcom Christmas movie called A Princess for Christmas (it is as bad as it sounds, despite some familiar acting faces) and decided there needed to be a Jandy and Dechlan AU for it. Hopefully, my take on the sad plot is a bit better. 

    I found twenty-five, Christmas themed prompts and have written four of them, plus an intro. Also, the writing ability is a tad rusty and they might suck. Just as a warning.

    In a clinical, intimate way, Jaydn is aware that she could burn down the galaxy with her bare hands, if she put her mind to it. It would be easy—start at the top and topple everything on her way down.

    Wars are easy to start—far easier than ending them, to say the least. (She knows, she’s done both before.)

    Sometimes, she thinks about it, when it late and dark and there’s blood dripping from her fingertips onto her soul. It’s impossible to not know what her parents have tamed, have harnessed and set loose upon those who truly deserve the battering storm within her.

    They do not know that it takes willpower to walk away from every ground level informant, to not kill them and leave their torn corpse on the ground behind her as she rips apart the organization they comply with one confederate at a time. 

    Yes, Jade wants very much, sometimes. To let the black tide swell and break in her breast and set the incendiary that ends everything. There is the ability in her hands to shoot governments between the eyes and make syndicates fall on their own swords and the knowledge causes her being tremble—with fear, with excitement, it’s hard to say.

    But the turbulent ocean within is dammed, held back with an iron hand by what she has been raised and taught by. The sure fingers and calloused palms that could rain down terror and destruction at will have been pressed against the cheeks of her mother, held by the rough hands of her father. Jaydn looks down at the supernova contained by flesh and bone and sees the tears they have wiped away from the cheeks of their merriment incarnate, the anger they have staid and the recklessness they have quelled. Her makers have built a guardian, protector, defender, instead of stirring the roiling chaos. 

    Jade knows to be grateful. That is the response, when disaster is averted.

    But oh, how she longs to be destruction. To break through the stays and blaze a path through the stars that will be spoken of for a millennia. The thought alone is heady, seductive, the most powerful philter she’s ever experienced. The desire to cut her ties, to sever her links to sentiment and attachment and weakness, is overpowering. The universe is at her fingertips, she just has to take it.

    Jaydn wants, very much. But she quells with the same might that would bring down the heavens and force them to their knees before her. She channels the impulse into their cause, into a glance that makes men falter with foreboding, into the slow breaths she takes before the trigger depresses beneath her touch. Her facade of overprotective becomes her cover and yet is not a show in the least.

    If there would ever be a reason to become the arsonist history would never know and never forget, it would be for the humans who have shaped her world and give her a purpose. Jade knows, subconsciously and on every waking level, that her making will be her breaking. The provocation to coax the phoenix to eruption would be rooted in the five mortals that have caged her demons. 

    Again, don't ask me. The inspiration bowled me over like a speeding train and then sped away before I could tag along to get some work done on the Jandy/Dech prompts. Yay.

    Onto the fun stuff!

    Mild Warning for brief crass wording. For lack of a better explanation. Jandy wanted to cuss everybody out, but we kept it PG. 

(prompts from tumblr blog, the-girlwhowouldbeking, and the plot might be from a Christmas-themed romance called A Princess for Christmas.)

    So, this is how the story goes. On her twenty-fifth birthday—well, our twenty-fifth birthday—Jane Miriam Sparks married one (disowned) Charles Yates Scott of Manchester, England, and they were as happy as two beings could be together. I would know; I lived nearby for the first six months of their marriage before Jane told me to live the life I’d never had because of her.

    It was little over a year later that I came back when their daughter, Adeline Ella was born, with breathtaking brown eyes and the softest wisps of hair. Jane cried, Charles cried, and I laughed a lot. Life has held a lot of things for me, but being an aunt was one I never imagined. 

    I’d been traveling for my job when I got a call that ended everything.

    As if one near-fatal incident with a car wasn’t enough for my baby sister, she and Charles were both killed in a head-on collision three days before Christmas.

    It took social services another month to track me down and when they did—there’s no thinking at that point, you know?

    She’s my niece and she had nobody else but me. I dropped everything and went to find her.

    You want to know what really steams me? Charles’ family got called before me, because apparently if you’ve got a family of somebodies who disowned their son offhand, they’re the ones to contact first before the nobody sister. 

    Here’s the real kicker: they did nothing. I talked to the hospital staff, social services, the foster family who had Adeline and the most contact any of them received from across the pond was one fax and a phone call. 

    The call said the fax was coming and the fax was paperwork relinquishing any rights to their parentless granddaughter.

    Pissed off doesn’t quite cover it. 

    Though I admit relief to not have to fight any custody battles. Jandy Sparks off the streets of NYC doesn’t quite hold the same shine as English monarchy. 

   Adeline has been mine for almost a year of all-nighters, fevers, and soiled diapers and last week this suit who introduced himself as Thomas—just Thomas, mind you; first name, last name, help me out here—told me that the Scott family wants Adeline and I to come out for Christmas.

    Out to England. Me. With an infant who’s still sensitive to loud noises and unfamiliar places.

    That’s rich.

    But I’m a sleep-deprived, pseudo-mom that’s also an idiot and I said yes after a day of stewing. 

    When it comes down to it, how many chances are going to roll around to find out about Adeline’s father and his roots? I want to be able to tell her about the man who loved her mother enough that he left a fairytale behind for her.

    My main stipulation, of course, was room, board, and airfare. Look up the costs of traveling halfway around the world to England. At peak holiday season, no less.

    Thomas arranged everything for us and then left a few days in advance to “prepare for our arrival”. I packed two suitcases, an umbrella stroller, and the fullest military-grade backpack known to mankind, and got on a plane to the United Kingdom with a baby in a carrier.

1—Mistletoe

    Gritty eyes, an aching head, and a bent-out-of-shape neck were doing nothing for Jandy’s mood. Adeline had done very little but fuss for the majority of their four connecting flights spanning almost an entire day of travel. 

    Jandy stood on the airport sidewalk in somewhere called Manchester, breathing in the crisp air, her niece bundled up well in her carseat—finally out for the count. The indoors had gotten too stifling so she’d undergone the exhausting process of moving them outside, hoping help would arrive soon.

    Christmas decor had been liberally applied to the towering structure, with red bows and evergreen garlands, and high, high above the hub of activity inside, little pieces of mistletoe tacked onto the streamlined arches.

    Jandy had had more than enough time to study each and every one of them while waiting for anyone to show up and rescue them. It had also given her ample opportunity to question, once again, why she was even here.

    The answer was inescapable—for Adeline.

    For Adeline, and for what might very well be her only chance to know the world of the father she’d never know.

    Everything Jandy did was for her niece now, much like once her every waking moment had been committed to Jane.

    Letting out a long breath, Jandy crouched down to peek beneath the blanket pulled over the baby’s face. Aside from a pink nose from the warmth of her little cocoon, the baby slumbered on, lost to the world.

    There must’ve been a miscommunication about their arrival—hadn’t that Thomas fellow said someone would be waiting to drive them the two remaining hours to the manor where Charles had been raised?

    Jandy stifled a groan but didn’t want to let it out, considering the bustle of people also on the sidewalk and a lack of desire to be seen as the whacked out Yank. More than she already was, in her bold blue Short But Dangerous t-shirt and the undercut style to her hair that she was loathe to grow out, even with her new identity as mother first, kickboxing trainer second. 

    Kneading at the crick in her neck, Jandy resigned herself to her fate and looked up when a man said, “You have my most sincere apologies, Miss Sparks, for the delay.”

2—Hot Chocolate

    “Would you like any particular beverages, Miss Sparks? I can have Anne bring it up to your room. Tea? Mulled wine? Perhaps some hot chocolate?” Thomas asked as he escorted Jandy up the icy front steps of the frosted manor, one hand at her elbow.

    Misbalanced as she was while toting Adeline about, the trainer was thankful for the support. Two plus hours in a car was doing nothing for her right now. “Just a couple bottles of water and if you have some milk on hand we can warm up, I’d like to get some of that into Adeline before we crash out.”

    Anything further she might’ve had to say was wiped away when they moved through the mud room into the entryway—if it could be called that. The ceiling was high, the wooden floorboards gleaming, and the columns along the walls of unblemished marble. She’d never watched Downton Abbey but this felt like walking right onto the set. 

    Decorations—garlands, bows, wreaths, poinsettias—were placed at regular, unerring intervals, adding a Christmas mood on a whole new level. Jandy's thoughts went back to her two-room apartment and the sparing, homemade evidence of the season there.

    Trust the Scott family to make her feel inadequate from the get go, she mused, too drained to get worked up about it. 

    Jandy eased Adeline’s carrier to the floor, dark gaze flickering from paintings to doors and then to Thomas, who stood by with a patient smile. His suit was still perfectly crisp despite the long return trip to Dunham Manor. 

    “The manor and grounds have belonged to the Scott family for many generations. It may look aged on the surface, but it receives regular refurbishments and upgrades, have no fear. You will find everything is quite modern.” The butler explained, gesturing to the long hall ahead of them in invitation.

    With her suitcases already being toted to unknown regions of the house, Jandy picked up the carseat again and offered a brief smile. “Good to know. Do I need to worry about looking like a slob for a welcoming committee?”

    “No, ma’am. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have retired already and the rest of the family will not arrive for two days yet.” 

    Thomas led the way across the waxed floors and Jandy finally decided to just explore tomorrow, focusing on the black suit coat ahead of her with a single-minded focus. She still had duties to attend tonight and then both she and Adeline needed a full night of sleep.

    Their path wound through hallways straight out of Pride & Prejudice—one of Jane’s favorite movies—and up narrow staircases that made her thankful for the long years of training that had honed her body. Adeline was no longer six months old and the weight difference was noteworthy.

    Stopping beside a set of deep mahogany doors, the butler pushed them open to reveal a tasteful, well-furnished room, complete with a pack-and-play in the corner, as per Jandy’s own wishes. The color scheme was a soothing mesh of beige and cream, heavy tan curtains pulled across two tall windows, no light peeking around the edges. 

    Her two stuffed suitcases were already settled on luggage stands, the backpack between them. 

    Jandy was relieved on several levels. No matter how bad this holiday might get, this would be a good place to retreat and sequester when needed.

    Thomas turned to her and Jandy gave him her attention. “If you don’t mind, I’ll leave you here and go find Anne. She’ll bring up your refreshments and help you with any needs you might have. The bathroom is attached and we’ve stocked the room with a variety of supplies we thought might be necessary for Miss Adeline.”

    “That sounds perfect, thank you, Thomas. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it all a lot more with a few hours of sleep under my belt.” Mild humor lightened her exhaustion and the retainer responded to it, amusement appearing on his serene features.

    “It’s our pleasure, Miss Sparks. We’re grateful that you chose to come so far at a considerable personal cost and will strive to make your stay here at Dunham Manor a pleasant one.” The lilt of his accent lent the words a certain warmth that might’ve been lacking otherwise. 

    There was no point fighting the fondness already manifesting so Jandy let a laugh escape her chest. “You’re awesome, Thomas. I’ll see you in the morning?”

    The colloquialism stymied him for a moment but the man recovered in an admirable amount of time. “Yes, Miss. Sleep well. Anne will be up to attend you shortly.”

3—Snow

    The beeping had been sounding for several minutes now. Jandy had been ignoring it in favor of that heaven known as sleep but now Adeline was beginning to make grumbling noises.

    Time to rise and conquer, then.

    Flopping onto her back, the woman reached to stab at her phone—now just a glorified mp3 player, with international call rates being what they were—and then stare at the ceiling.

    We’re in England. In Charles’ family home. To spend Christmas with his family. 

    The impossibility of the whole situation was still surreal. Jandy sat up and raked her fingers through her loose hair, tugging on the ends. Jet lag was going to be a real problem; schedule changes never went over well, especially in the last year.

    Adeline cooed from her pack-and-play, tucked into the closet. Well, someone was a happy camper.

    Rolling out of bed, the trainer padded across the thick rug to the window and pushed open the curtains to reveal paned-windows, frosty at the corners. The temperature must’ve dropped even further after they arrived last night, which wasn’t much of a surprise, with the way the wind had howled.

    Jandy pressed her forehead to the glass, wondering if they had any decent trails around to run on. She’d packed all her exercise gear, knowing the need to get out and burn off energy would be needed every couple of days.

    Snow blanketed the country side in a heavy blanket, untouched except for the shoveled road they’d arrived on. The trees were sparse past the immediate house grounds, but there were a couple other houses—estates?—on the horizon.

    “Maaaaa-maaaaa,” Adeline drew out and then squealed, sounding quite alert and in a good humor—which would change when she decided she was hungry, but Jandy took what she could get.

    A grin pulled at the corner of her mouth as she left the window and crossed to the closet, peeking in the crack before easing it open. “Good morning, my sunshine,” she greeted, delight spilling over at the picture that the baby made.

    Adeline stood at the edge of her crib, her wide smile revealing the baby teeth they’d both suffered over. She waved her arms, a plea to be rescued, while she giggled with elation. “Up!”

    “What do we say, Adeline?”

    “Pease!” 

    “Good girl,” Jandy praised, swinging her up and out of the bed, nuzzling into her soft cheek. “Hello, my love.”

    The baby babbled and cooed, chubby arms flailing before wrapping around Jandy’s neck. Adeline buried her face in her guardian’s shoulder with another bubbly laugh.

    Swaying with every step, an unbreakable habit from long nights with a fussy infant, Jandy carried them both back out into the bedroom, where Adeline looked around, eyes bright with interest. A quick visual search confirmed there wasn’t anything at hand level to the eighteen-month-old to worry about so she set the baby down on her feet.

    “Shall we get dressed and find breakfast, Dell?”

4—Candy Canes

    Walter Scott, patriarch of the Scott family, eyed the small wreath hanging on the wall with distaste. It was an imitation—Marianne’s allergies included evergreen—but the colors were unavoidable. Bright imitation berries were mingled with miniature candy canes and warm lights, the entire piece finished off with a vivid red bow.

    “Sir?” 

    Roland’s voice broke him from his thoughts and Walter turned to the retainer, pushing aside his irritation with the season. “Yes?”

    “Mrs. Scott is awaiting your presence in the breakfast room and Thomas would like to know if Miss Sparks will be joining you for the meal.” The manservant reported without missing a beat, any feelings he might have on the situation hidden with care behind a serene front.

    Walter weighed his options for a brief moment. He had a certain ambiguity to the presence of his only grandchild, unable to decide his feeling until he actually saw her, but he knew Mari would want to see the child. “Inform Thomas to send Anne up for Miss Sparks and—my granddaughter. I’ll join my wife in the meantime.”

    “Very well, sir.” Roland offered a brief bow and departed, disappearing into the depths of the substantial manor.

//

    Jandy hadn’t expected the small, cherubic maid to tell them the morning meal would be served in the breakfast room. She sat, frozen, in the middle of brushing a squirming Adeline’s hair into two ponytails, while Anne smiled, the expression genuine.

    “Shall I inform them you’ll be done with Miss Adeline shortly, ma’am?”

    The inquiry kicked her brain back into gear and Jandy finished putting a rubber band into her niece’s fine hair. Adeline got to her feet with a couple of grunts and hurried off to where her pile of toys was waiting. Snorting her initial amusement, the trainer stood and faced Anne.

    “Yes, please. Should I change into something more—formal?” Jandy hesitated, beginning to gesture to her jeans and her navy sweater that was nice but not formal, per say.

    The maid shook her head almost before the question was out. “No, ma’am. You’ll be perfectly fitting in whatever you have. Miss Elinor tends to wear what she pleases when at Dunham Manor and you’re welcome to do the same.”

    Not an amazing comfort, but Jandy would take it. Offering a smile in return, she replied, “Sounds good. We just need to put on some shoes and then would be grateful for a guide.”

    “It would be my pleasure, Miss!” Anne was almost as bubbly as a happy Adeline.

    

//

    “Miss Sparks and Miss Adeline, sir,” Thomas announced when Anne stepped to the side of the door, allowing Jandy a view of a rather formal, in her opinion, breakfast table, and its two occupants.

    Charles’ father had a severe face, no doubt from his time in the Royal Navy and current role in England’s political fields. His steady gaze was assessing but gave nothing else away. Jandy got the feeling that she wouldn’t know what he thought of them unless Walter wanted her to.

    It was easier to see her sister’s husband in his mother—there was warmth buried deep in the creases around her mouth and eyes. But she was similarly ambiguous to their arrival.

    Adeline struggled to get out of her grasp and Jandy’s attention was diverted. A glance down at the baby revealed a creased brow and a pout at her failing escape attempts. Meltdown imminent, then. 

    “Sorry for our tardiness. Adeline’s not a fan of shoes,” Jandy greeted, tone light but careful. The progression of this conversation would set the tone of the next two weeks and she was hyperaware of that fact.

    “That’s quite alright,” Marianne Scott lilted, rising a beat and leaving the table to approach the duo with an air of politeness that didn’t set well with Jandy. “This is her, then?”

    The situation was surreal—introducing a grandmother to her first grandchild as if it were no more than a business negotiation. A certain amount of regret that the relationship was at this level weighed in her chest, but it was mingled with smoldering anger. They were the ones who’d cut ties because they didn’t agree with Charles marrying an American with nothing to her name but an associate’s degree.

    Missing the first year and a half of Adeline’s life was on them, not on her.

    Tightening her jaw, Jandy fixed a smile on her mouth. “Yes. This is Adeline. Adeline, can you say hello to Mrs. Scott?”

    Marianne’s blue eyes flickered from her granddaughter, who clung to Jandelyn’s leg and hid in her pant, to the child’s guardian. Jandy stared back, unmoved. Your play, Grandma.

    The older woman relented after a beat, sorrow ghosting through her eyes as she eased down to Adeline’s level. “It would be—my honor if she would know me as grandmother, Miss Sparks.”

    Triumph flared for a brief moment, unavoidable. Jandy might’ve spent too much time in fights—both of the aggressive and professional variety—but they’d taught her valuable lessons. Put up a strong front and your opponent will think twice about attacking you head on.

    Crouching down as well, Jandy patted Adeline’s back when she tried to press close, ducking her face away. “Come on, Dell, your grandma wants to say hi. Can you wave?” Her powers of persuasion weren’t usually up to snuff but Adeline was feeling obedient.

    She didn’t quite make eye contact, but she peeked out from Jandy’s shoulder to the stranger smiling at her, one chubby hand uncurling in a flapping motion before she hid again. 

    As the only witness to the quiet moment, Jandy was surprised at the tears that filled Marianne’s eyes before she hurried to blink them away. Taking pity, she scooped up Adeline and stood, finding where Thomas had pulled a chair out.

     Walter hadn’t moved from his position. Casting him a brief look, Jandy took her seat and deposited Adeline on her lap, almost immediately having to grab chubby hands that lunged for the chinaware on the table.

    And that's all for now! I'm hoping to do some plinking tonight while watching Persuasion, so there could be a second post yet tonight.

    You guys are awesome. Keep it up.

    Ad astra per aspera.

    To the stars, through difficulties.

Writing: Jade + "isn't this illegal?"

    Hey, look who actually has something to post. It's from several weeks ago, granted, but at least it's something.

    You have no idea how long I agonized over that fight scene. And how many martial arts gifs I looked at on Pinterest, trying to figure out what moves to have Jade pull. And then how on earth to write said moves. So I'm sorry if it's ultra wonky and weirdly paced. I'm just thankful that I got it down.

   Um. Yeah. Writing has been slow. I did scribble a little something in the car, but it's disjointed. The writing ability has dulled again and it's hard to kick it back in gear. Le sigh.

    But this is deviant verse, post the Ruusan kidnapping arc. Jade showing off her mad skillz and being weird. As normal. And Charles being awesome.

    Someone remind me to hit the ground running with Dax/whatever I'm going to name him and (oh, what about Dackson?) start writing something for him. 

    Charles stepped into the warehouse after the sentry let him through with only a small monetary donation and a mention of his good friend Jade. He was pretty sure the guard had shown some approval in response to her name and had to wonder what Jade had gotten herself into this time.
    The action was happening several hundred feet away once he stepped through the heavy, metal door but it was still like being hit in the face with a tidal wave of voices, noise, and blinding white light.
    The contact had to stop and regain his bearings, adjusting to the extreme light variance and then trying to decide just what he was looking at. A rather large group of people stood in a frenzied cluster around the main attraction of the night, and even though what that was was out of his vision for the moment, but it wasn't difficult to draw conclusions. Dead of night, out of the way location, guardsmen starting several miles out, and now, high-powered lighting on an activity that was being betted on. Charles didn't frequent illegal fighting rings, but the few he had stopped in at had been very similar to this.
    And it had to be a human versus human fight, because there was no equipment for dogs or any other creature hanging around in the fringes of the warehouse, plus the fact that Jade would have no purpose at any of those sort of places.
    It was nicer than some he’d been to—at least it was in a warehouse, and not an hour out of the city in a barn with nothing but hales of bay and outdated lamps to light the space.
    But still.
    He sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. She was going to be right in the middle of the crowd, probably one of the fighters. Which was news to him, as this had never come up in the nonexistent “Jade Digest” as a pastime of hers, but neither was Charles surprised. 
    There was no way he could condone this habit, but she was more than capable of participating in and surviving any sort of unlawful fights she could buy her way into, seeing as her day job was made up of many similar components. Plus, she was a big girl. She could make her own choices.
    Resigning himself to his fate, he started making his way around the crowd in a subtle manner in an attempt to find a break in the mass that he could see through to spot his longtime friend.
    Jade, Jade, Jade, you well accomplished, but possibly over confident, oddball. Only you would come to one of these places for fun.
    Keen eyes surveyed the feverish audience, looking for a break in the wall of bodies.
    Finally.
    There was a small gap that he headed towards, preparing himself for the crush of people. Nothing put him out of his comfort zone like being surrounded by bigger, burlier men who were out to enjoy a blood sport and who could crush someone like him just by not looking where they were stepping.
    Putting his skills to work—Charles had not spent half his life learning to be unnoticeable and honing the ability to slip through a crowd with ease to let them go to waste now—he eased his way towards the front, ears ringing.
    The combined voices of the spectators was a fearsome thing. He could scarce tell one shout from another, but could make out the difference in tones, knowing who was cheering and who was jeering. One man Charles ducked under the arm of hurled a vitriol string of curses, no doubt being on the losing end of a considerably large bet.
    Charles took a quick step back before another of the onlookers could clip him in the chin and put him out of commission for the rest of the fight, before he’d even laid eyes on his goal.
    Jade owed him for this. So owed him for this.
    The things I do for you, dearest.
    With one final movement, in which he sidestepped and tucked himself through a narrow gap between two more shouting observers of the fight, the contact found himself a mere two feet from the ring. It was cordoned off by pulsing blue cords, which, by the look of them, would deliver a stinging bite to whoever touched it, keeping the brawlers in and the spectators well away.
    Hazel eyes travelling, the next thing that caught his attention was the blood. It was splattered at odd angles across the cement floor, some of it smeared by what looked to be footprints, other portions untouched. But all pointed to a brutal fight.
    Initial assessment complete, Charles flicked his gaze to the two competitors, anxiety already tightening in his chest. The larger of the two fighters was everything he expected in a place like this—nothing but pure muscle and a face that could make his mother cry—and the other… 
    The brute turned his stance, following his opponent as the slight woman with a swipe of red across one cheek and a shadow of purple forming on the curve of her jaw took quick steps away from him.
    Apprehension swelled in Charles’ chest unbidden. He knew she could handle herself, had seen her do it, but that knowledge wasn’t helping.
    Jade dropped to sweep out with one leg, avoiding a heavy blow aimed for the side of her head by a narrow margin. She caught her adversary’s right leg behind her calf and yanked, misbalancing her opponent with the motion. He tottered and Jade was on him in a heartbeat, dark eyes intent and without a hint of pain as she went in to try and finish the fight. 
    Hair clinging to the back of her neck swung free with her violent surge of movement, lunging upwards from the ground, pressing her advantage. One arm came up hard to catch him in the solar plexus, the other in a firm defensive  position in case he caught his wits again before she expected it. Everyone in the crowd let out a low breath when the man expelled all the air in his lungs at the force of Jaydn’s wallop, his eyes bulging in his head.
    Charles had to force his hands to unclench, already tense after even the few brief moments he’d been standing there. Trying to tell himself that Jade is a grown woman who knows what she’s doing did nothing for him. He’d known her since she was nothing more than a gangly teen who distrusted the universe from day one in it and the last fifteen years of growing up didn’t make a lick of a different right then.
    She followed up her winding blow with an elbow strike to the jaw, form closed and tight, leaving no space for a mistake and yet with the fluid ease that came with years of training and hard-earned experience. The man’s head snapped to the side and he staggered away, making a feeble attempt to swing at Jade.
    The crowd’s roar spiked as they tried to urge him on—Charles had no illusions that there would be only a few betters to walk away with a fat wallet that night. Jade had the appearance of an underdog. She didn’t get bet on, didn’t get chosen first, because she didn’t come off as deadly or even intimidating, like the rest of her family did. Not unless she was aiming for it.
    As the contact watched, Jaydn danced out of reach, bare feet sliding across pocked concrete, and Charles was struck by the gracefulness of the movement. It was so unlike her usual fighting style, the one her whole family utilized. They fought like Gogamians; hitting hard, not aiming to draw the clash out, finishing the skirmish with as little effort as possible. This was an art unto itself, the type people made a legal, professional living off of.
    He had to wonder if any of these beefy onlookers had any idea about the show they were witnessing.
    Her opponent—a man to Charles’ left shouted move your feet, Thrace—lurched after her, regaining himself as he bellowed in anger, red in the face from exertion. They crossed the small area of the ring, Jade always just out of reach, light and easy, never taking a lifted step, sliding instead. Always grounded, always ready to dig in.
    Charles’ lungs felt like they’d contracted to half their size when his longtime friend neared the ring’s border. She skirted the edge of thrumming cordon, passing just feet from where he stood, unfazed by the painful burn that awaited a hair’s breadth from her skin. 
    Thrace followed, blinded by his rage, intent only on trying to land a blow. The fight would degenerate to the level of bar brawl if he got his hands on Jade, and judging by the spike in fervor, the audience knew it. Some jeered, others goaded on the lumbering man. Charles kept his hands deep in his pockets, silent, tracking every quick moment, trying to determine what Jade’s next play would be.     
    She was toying with Thrace, that much was obvious. Letting him get close enough to feel confident about taking a swing, then moving out of range in the next breath. Linger, retreat. Linger, retreat.
    Shifting from one foot to the other, he contemplated bailing to wait elsewhere until Jade had finished, because there was no way this could be good for his blood pressure. Illegal fighting rings weren’t places he frequented for a reason.
    The dance continued for what felt like an eternity. A quiet began to fall over the onlookers as they waited with baited breath for the final move, Charles among them. It was only a matter of time now, and they all knew it.
    One beat.
    Two beats.
    The panting breaths of the two fighters as they circled. Thrace had caught onto her game and had stopped falling for Jaydn’s baiting.
    Dark eyes glinted. Charles had a sudden vision of a cat on the verge of pouncing.
    He wasn’t far off.
    Jade took a half step back, then reversed direction and surged forward, towards Thrace, crossing the span between them in a matter of heartbeats. On her last stride, she pushed off with her back foot, kicking out with the same limb and using the momentum to scale Thrace, toes driving into the space where his thigh met his hip and give herself the foundation she needed to get to his shoulders. Hands gripping his head, digging into his hair, Jade swung herself up and around so she could lock her legs around his neck, still utilizing that forward impetus to jerk Thrace off balance. One more hard twist of her body, throwing her upper torso out to the side and they both went down, hard.
    Charles didn’t want to imagine the expanse of bruising Jade would be facing in a handful of hours, flinching as the duo went crashing to the concrete floor, Jaydn’s hip and shoulder taking the brunt of her impact.
    It didn’t disconcert the woman, though. Jade’s head came up in the moments after she and Thrace went sprawling, watching as his face reddened, then purpled, as the effect of her chokehold took hold. He made a paltry attempt to struggle, his unimpeded arm flailing out, but it was a doomed effort from the start.
    Counting down the seconds—five, four, three, two, one—Charles braced for the swell of noise as Thrace’s eyes rolled back into his head, unconsciousness taking him and declaring Jaydn the winner of the fight.
    The cacophony of voices rose and peaked. Bets would be collected and the loser dragged from the ring to be brought back around. Within the safety of the cordon, Jade rolled to her feet, fingers going to push back loose strands of her hair, a poorly repressed smile tugging at her mouth.
    She sought Charles out with her gaze, quirking a brow once she’d made eye contact, as if to ask what’d you think?
    His only response was an exasperated shake of his head, before he started to shift through the crowd to where he could see the supervisor of the fight was keying in the code to take down the electrified partition. Jade headed that way as well, stepping over Thrace, out cold, as she went. 
    “Some fight, champ,” the supervisor was saying as Charles reached him, lifting the deactivated fibrous cord that kept the fight separate from the crowd for her. 
    Jaydn ducked low to slip between the two upper cables, coming upright on the other side with a grin. “You did a good job by picking Thrace, Kashi. That wasn’t an easy win.” Her dark gaze flicked to Charles, smile widening further. “Hey, old man. Come out to see the show?”
    “Work, I’m afraid,” the contact responded, stepping in closer when someone whacked him in the shoulder with an elbow. Ignoring the spike of pain, he took a quick inventory of Jade’s injuries. 
    It was far easier to see the extent of the damage from her tussle when up close; the bloody nose, bruised jaw, and hair plastered to her forehead and neck from sweat. Nothing that wouldn’t wash away or heal. Her attention was already back on the third member of their trio, however.
    Kashi, the short, stocky enabler of the brutal display, slapped Jade on the back and used the placement of his hand to urge her into motion, good humor clear on craggy features. “Come on, Vance. I’ve got your stuff in the corner and your cut of the winnings, then you can head out.”
    A small jerk of her head told Charles to trail them as Kashi led the way through the crowd. Insults were thrown as often as, if not more than, compliments from the milling spectators. Thrace must’ve been something of a legend to this crowd, because having a woman bring him down wasn’t going over well.
    The sooner they got out of here, the better.
    It was darker in the corner of the warehouse, away from the temporary spotlights that had been installed in the rafters for tonight. No one made to follow them, though, and that put Charles more at ease. 
    “There you are. Safe, as promised,” Kashi announced, gesturing to a small pile of clothing and a bag on the ground.
    Jade nodded, going to snag a pair of slacks and shimmy into them, pulling them up over the capris she’d fought in. While Charles averted his gaze, the other man felt no such consideration, watching her disappearing curves with undisguised appreciation.
    “I assume you have my cut of the winnings?” The hunter prompted, and there was mild warning in her voice, enough that Kashi was quick to look to the side.
    “Yes. There’s the expected fee for, ah—“
    “Take whatever cut you usually do, Kashi. I’m not planning on coming again.”
    The snort was hard to stifle. Jade was in the midst of pulling on a loose shirt and couldn’t see the despairing look that crossed the fight supervisor’s face. He would lose a lot of potential money by her not coming back.
    Kashi was smart enough to know better than to argue, though. With a heavy breath, he conceded, “You got it. I’ll meet you by the exit.”
    There was a mumbled affirmation in Gogamian as Jade pulled her hair out from its tie to shake it out.

//

    He didn’t speak until they’d left the warehouse and its inhabitants far behind. “So. Illegal fighting. Interesting pastime.”
    Jade took in a deep breath, hands in the pockets of her pants and head thrown back to take in the night air. “I don’t know how to explain it, Charles. Fighting gets my pulse racing in a way it doesn’t when I’m working. It—I guess that it drives away the demons for a little while."
    Charles could've sworn that the moon illuminated a smile that pulled at her features—and a true smile. Not just a quirk of the lips. He had to remind himself to keep pace with the hunter. It’d been a long time since he’d seen that smile. Months, if not years.
    "I get in that ring and there's nothing else but me and my opponent, Charles. I'm not tracking my siblings' positions. I'm not assessing possible threats. I'm not building a veritable library of criminals in my head. I can narrow in, block everything else out. There isn't time to think. I take a breath, and he’s coming at me again. Then the crowds are drowning out all the noise and the lights make it hard to see and he comes at me again and again until one of us goes down." Passion lent a foreign vibrancy to Jade's voice, bringing her words to life and transporting the contact back to the scene he'd witnessed to twenty minutes prior.
   Charles had to resist the urge to sigh. "You certainly have a knack for unusual pastimes, my love."
    Jade did snort, casting a smirk at him over her shoulder before she wiped blood from her nose with the back of her hand. "I can smell the disapproval on you."
    The contact raised his palms in a gesture of innocence. "I said no such thing."
    "Didn't have to." She spat off to the side to get blood out of her mouth, making a face. Which she really didn't need to because she already was a sight to be seen with the bruises already forming, visible even in the poor light.
    "Now I remember why you aren't the one who works cons," Charles commented, dry humor overtaking his tone as he ambled along at Jade's side.
    Something akin to a laugh bubbled out of her. "Is that a subtle way of telling me that my manner could be seen as offensive in some circles?"
    His grin was nothing short of cheeky. "Possibly."
    "I hate acting anyways, so it all works out well in the end. But shak, that was a serious work out. I may actually be sore tomorrow." Jade crossed her arm over her collarbone, using the other to stretch out the toned muscles in her limb.
    "Was that a subtle brag, Jaydn Vhander?" Charles didn't have to reach far for false outrage, but he did have to fight to maintain a suitable expression. After all, he had seen her bring down Thrace. If she’d been serious about the fight instead of out just to relieve stress, it would’ve been over long before he’d gotten there. 
    "Charles, please. You know that I am above bragging. We both are aware of the fact that my skills far outweigh most opponents I am faced with. I have no reason to brag when one well-placed punch can do it for me." Despite her mostly factual tone, there was a saucy sway to Jade's hips and a tilt to her lips that betrayed her.
    Grinning, he smacked her in the ribs, feeling no sympathy when she flinched at the light blow and strolled past while the hunter paused to catch her breath before jogging to overtake him again. "You have a ride, I assume?"
    Elbowing him in one quick strike and then throwing her shoulder into his to push him off balance, Jade jogged a few steps to be out of retaliation range before responding, "Of course. Half an hour walk away, at that privatized pad on the edge of Upper Westside's jurisdiction."
    Holding his side—Jaydn didn't know the meaning of playful jab and never really had, when he thought about it—Charles nodded, even if she couldn't see it. He wasn't going to ask where she’d gotten permission to touch down at a private landing pad. They all had those connections that made their lives easier. "That works. We can talk shop and then I can get a ride in to the spaceport from there."
    There was a grin on her voice when she shot back over her shoulder, her high ponytail swinging with the motion, "You up for a run, old man? I don't look this good because I walk everywhere."
    "Impudent brat. I'll meet you there. Take the long way around and maintain your amazing physique even better." Charles had to shake his head, partly because of exasperation but more in amusement.


    As always, thoughts, comments, or critiques are always welcome. I love feedback or just chatting. Both is good.

    Ad astra per aspera.
    To the stars, through difficulty.

0200 Hours and I am Interneting (Alt: Writing -- Jade + Jase)

    Contrary to popular belief, I am still alive. 

    And the hour is depriving me of my usual wit and humor (joke) so... life is life-ing as usual. I'm on a sort-of internet break, but I wrote a page and a half of a Microsoft Word document on my ipod while avoiding schoolwork the other day and figured it was better than the nothingness I've produced up until now.

    It's been one of those "I have so much in my head but everything I put on the page sucks" sort of phases, I'm afraid. But the scrawl I'm posting tonight (this morning...?) came rather easily after a couple days of computer break, so. We'll see if I can continue in this line and maybe find it in me to do something with Jandy and Dechlan.

    But, for some background. I was sitting and idly thinking about Deviant Storyline Jaydn and Jase and the ever present issue of her martyrdom for her family that's causing her to say no to a potential future with Jase. Do not ask how I got to this point, but I ended up with Jase getting pinged by Charles (contact/good friend of Jade's) to go rescue Jade, who'd gotten herself in a bit of a fix. 

    Through an unfortunate twist of events, I believe she fell down a flight of stairs and ended up getting caught by the local law enforcement who... were on her tail for reasons unknown. I didn't say this idea was hole-less, just FYI. Anyways, by the time he gets there, she's at the hospital and on a couple more painkillers/sedative-type-drugs than she's used to. Which, considering Jade stays away from all that stuff in general because it clouds her mind and she can't think, makes for an interesting Jade. Like, you hear about alcohol bringing out different sides of people? Well. Yeah. 

    After she commented on Jase's eyes making her imo (father) smile, because they were special like Ha'imo and Merri's, and commenting that she didn't like drugs because they made her mind all "woo-woo", Jase knew it'd be quite a tall order to get her away without attracting attention. 

    And there was another moment while she was still pretty out of it that was humorous but stemmed from a much more serious subject, which is referenced in my scrawl, but I haven't quite worked out what her comment was. 

    As for the timeline, I'm putting this ten or so months after Ruusan was rescued and brought home and also post another event that Penny and I never got to but considered, which had the space station attacked and a bunch of hunters (Jase included) captured by baddies and just... stuffs. My brain is so dead right now.

    If you're really confused over stuff, ask. Please. Because my explanations are really crummy at the moment.

    I may also have taken a small liberty founded in hopeful wishes for Ruu which you should be able to figure out as soon as she enters the scene. 

    Anyways, kicking off on the space station where the Vhanders live, in the infirmary, Jase having managed to get Jade there. (And Jase is familiar with Ruusan because she was one of the attending doctors after he and the other hunters were rescued following the proposed attack on the space station.)


   Her head turned on the white pillow, the rustle drawing Jase's attention and he watched as her eyes blinked open, disorientation clear to be seen there.
    For a long moment, Jade watched him, pieces clicking together in her gaze before she looked past him, then to the machine that was displaying her vitals. He'd muted it a half hour earlier, having no desire to listen to it blip in pace with Jaydn's heartbeat.
    "Charles called you?" The woman asked at last, her voice rough from the effect of the drugs that were still making their way from her system.
    Reclining back in the seat Ruusan had found for him and trying to ignore what seeing her like this was doing to him, Jase nodded once. "Sooner would've been better, but I got you out before they called in anyone higher than bootlicker."
    Jade braced her usable hand on the mattress and shifted herself upwards so she was sitting up, but the crease between her brows spoke of the pain she had to be in.
    "I don't remember a lot," she murmured after she'd resettled, glancing at him with something akin to apology in her gaze. "Just... a lot of different drugs. And later."
    He didn't need a translation for 'later'. When she'd started coming back around. The things she'd said that still echoed in his thoughts.
    Deciding to spare both her and himself until a later time when they would both be prepared for that conversation, Jase offered, "Your sister-in-law, Ruusan, said it'd be a while until she'd get everything flushed out of your system. They gave you quite the cocktail. Must've known who they were up against." He allowed a brief, faint smirk to pull at the corner of his mouth.
    The woman shrugged her free shoulder before looking down to observe the status of her arm, discontent showing through to her features. Jase leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
    "The medical read-out in the hospital said you fell down a flight of stairs and Ruusan concurred with that prognosis." He didn't know whether the fall had been a miscalculation or an honest stumble, and thus wouldn't try to reassure her, but he would've put money on the former. Dark environment, possibly being pursued, assumed that a distance was farther than it turned out to be...
    A ghost of a smile appeared on Jade's face, as if she had already guessed the direction of his thoughts, even with her fogged mind. In response, he raised a brow at her, daring her to contradict him.
    She didn't, but that may have been because there was a scuff of feet on the smooth infirmary floor, drawing both hunters back to the present as they made sure there was no imminent threat.
    Wrapped up in a sweater and with her hair braided back out of the way, small curls escaping, Ruusan brought warmth to the room with her presence alone, blue eyes bright with cautious interest. A blanket was in her hand, held out of the way of her growing baby bump.
    Jase was still surprised at the change between this Ruusan and the one who's been there to greet him and the other rescued hunters upon their delivery to Loophole's infirmary five months prior. But he hid it well, sitting back in his seat to allow the doctor access to her sister.
    "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Ruu said, glancing between the two. "They just keep the infirmary cooler than is normal so I wasn't sure if either of you wanted this." She indicated the blanket in her grasp.
    "I wouldn't mind," Jade replied, honesty in her voice and Jasen could see her mind processing all the different signs in Ruusan's movements and expressions that would tell of her physical and emotional welfare. "Their cocktail is proving hard on my system."
    Professional disapproval drew a frown to Ruu's features as she approached, hesitation falling away, and she moved to unfold the blanket, tucking it around Jade. "I don't know what they were thinking. Mixing some of those things can easily be toxic to anybody's system, let alone someone like you, who isn't accustomed drugs of that potency."
    "I don't doubt that whatever law enforcement dragged me in gave them strict orders to make sure that there would be no way I'd be going anywhere without help," Jaydn shrugged again, too tired to work up any great amount of frustration over the spot of trouble she'd gotten herself into.
    One of Ruusan's slim hands drifted over her extended abdomen, while the other settled at the small of her back, neither action going unnoticed by the two hunters in the small, curtained off room. "Still. Our oath is to do no harm and whatever doctor or nurse administered your dosages got darn near committing malpractice."
    Jase was content to let the conversation flow around him, the adrenaline high he'd been running on for hours finally beginning to slow enough that he could relax. Plus it was... nice. Being there. There was still a lot that would need to be talked about, but Jade wasn't pushing him away and that was enough of a start in his book.
    "You should go home," Jaydn said and for a moment, he thought she was addressing him until stormy-blue glanced up and saw that she was talking to Ruusan still.
    That woman was not enthused by the idea. "I'm okay, Jade, really and I would really rather be here, making sure there's no adverse effects from that cocktail then twiddling my thumbs and pretending to sleep."
    From the sound of it, this was a conversation that had been had more than one time and Jase knew it had everything to do with what had occurred less than a year ago and the life currently sheltered within Ruusan. His priority was currently Jade, but he did agree with where the other hunter's thoughts undoubtedly were at. Get Ruusan to rest so she doesn't wear herself out and cause complications to her pregnancy.
    He stood, the movement drawing the attention of both females. Jade's gaze was calculating, deciphering his intentions, while Ruusan's was curious.
    "I'll walk you to your apartment and then I'll come back and stay with Jaydn," Jase said, informing more than anything else. "If anything changes, I'll find someone to send and get you. And the rest of your guys' family will be here before too long."
    Protest again rose in Ruusan's blue eyes. "That's very sweet of you, but I really don't need to be--"
    "Ruu." Her sister's voice was gentle but not allowing for further argument. "I'm fine. And whether you like it or not, you need to be off your feet. Go and someone will come get you when the others arrive, alright?"
    When the doctor finally came to terms with that fact that she wasn't going to be able to talk herself out of this one, she sighed. "Alright, fine. But I want to be notified the moment anything changes."
    Jase stepped around the bed to take Ruusan's elbow in hand and guide her towards the exit, noting the gratitude in Jade's eyes as she watched the proceedings. The pregnant woman's instructions died out rather quickly after he ushered her from the room. The rest of the infirmary was vacant besides a man whose appearance suggested that he was on the night shift. All the same, Jase did a quick assessment as they passed to determine if he was armed and decided he wasn't an immediate threat. If he did turn out to be one, he was certain Jade would be able to hold her own until his return.

    And... yeah. It's something. I kind of like it. Might fill in the blank spots before and after at some point, but I really (really, really) have to get some schoolwork done one of these days, so we'll see.

    I haven't forgotten Jandy and Dechlan, either, Trinity. Really, truly. It's just again with that "I know what I want to do, but it won't come in a way that I'm satisfied with" sort of thing. Which is getting rather frustrating, so I might need to change something in the idea I've been chewing over for the last while to make it different and see if that kick starts anything....

    Anyways. I should go read about transcendentalism and all that fun stuff before it gets to be too insane of an hour. 

    Many thanks for hanging around (and did you just follow me, Nate? If so, awesomeness, muchas gracias, and welcome. :D) and again, don't be afraid to leave comments or questions. I will get back to you pretty quickly. 

    Ad astra per aspera.
    To the stars, through difficulties. 

Writing: Deviant -- Jaydn's Resolve and Jase Drouais

    As I promised, I am back after writing my email. I'm going to attempt to jam this all into one long post, but it might end up as two, and if it does, make sure to read part one (I'll edit the title if need be) then part two, or you'll be really discombobulated.

    There isn't really a lot of explanation for these bits as they explain themselves pretty well. But for age reference, Jaydn is nineteen in the first bit, twenty-four in the second and third, twenty-five in the fourth, and twenty-eight in the fifth. Jase is within a year of her age, maybe a wee bit older, if you were curious.

    Also, a non-serious warning that the notorious, stop-in-the-middle-of-a-tense-moment part of me struck in the fourth bit, and a serious WARNING for the mentioning of sensitive themes in the third bit in a bit more detail than my last Deviant Jade scrawl that I posted. So if you're skittish around that stuff, you might want to skip the third segment of this series of scrawls.

    I think you all have figured out Gogamian fairly well by not, and if you haven't, well, I'm going to make you do the legwork. The most recent language reference is located in the last Deviant Jade scrawl I posted.


    Jaydn leaned back against the couch, rubbing Merri's back absently while the two year old snoozed against her chest, as she’d been doing for the past half hour. A couple of feet away, Jhidek sat tinkering with her comlink that had been damaged which she and Imo had been on a mission two days prior.
    She didn't hold out too much hope that he'd be able to fix it, but was willing to let him give it a shot before she just grabbed another one from their cache of replacement gear.
    Stretched out on the couch behind her, Raina was absorbed with a book, the only thing truly capable of keeping her still for more than five minutes. The relative quiet was soothing to the nineteen-year-old.
    Imo and Ha'imo had gone out to meet with one of Ha'imo's old hunter friends about a possible Gogamian threat an hour earlier. Jade had been more than glad to stay at home with her siblings, still low on energy and motivation to do much in the wake of the longer job she and Imo had been gone on up until the prior day.
    Brown eyes were distant as she drifted through her thoughts even while she made sure to keep an eye on Jhidek so he wouldn't zap himself or cause the comm. to overload by accident. Merri shifted and Jade glanced down to see if she was awakening, but she resettled and the young woman smiled faintly.
    There had been an ultimatum weighing on her mind for some time, since the pirates had found them and she'd been stabbed, but now Jade made up her mind.
    No one else but them.
    Jade didn’t delude herself. Imo and Ha’imo wouldn’t live forever. Time was a bitter foe mankind had fought for a millennia and lost to for just as long. If nothing happened to them sooner, it would take them both and she and her siblings would have to rely solely on each other. They’d watch out for and protect each other.
     No one else but them.
     She would never leave her siblings, not unless Death was the one who came and then she would fight against it with everything she had left to stay with them a little longer.
     And Jade knows this means she will never have a family of her own. A new family means her priorities will have to shift. Her children would have to be protected as well, because this life is not one she will ever be able to leave behind and they would have to be shielded from that danger.
     The hollowness at this thought is something she’s aware of. Her baby sister’s quiet breaths as she slumbers remind her of what this choice will mean for her, but she closes her heart off from it.
     Jade knows that her parents will have a hard time accepting her decision and while she’s always wanted to do what makes them happy, her mind has been made up.
    This is my decision, my choice, my resolve.
    She watches Jay work, is aware of Raina behind her, and brushes her fingers over Merri’s soft cheek. Maybe one day she’ll be able to keep an eye on their children.
    Auntie. Jade tests the word inwardly, and nods to herself.

    ~~*~~

    Maybe it was because she was so tired, worked into the dirt and ready to be home again. Maybe it was the low lights, pounding music, and dancing people reminding her that she was still only twenty-four.
    He didn’t belong there, in that setting, any more than she did.
    The strobe lights that flashed across the bar area of the club brought out the stormy blue of his eyes, illuminated his midnight black hair.
    Jade moved her gaze onwards before he noticed, watching the rest of the room while she waited for Imo to return from upstairs. He sat down two stools away and ordered something she didn’t hear the name of.
    The glance was seen in her peripherals, lingering a beat too long to be cursory, not long enough to be interest, but the correct amount of time to make deductions, before his eyes moved on as well.
    She wondered if he was as aware of her as she was of him, but it didn’t matter either way.
    No one else but them. Her decision from five years earlier.
    Another man approached on the other side of the stormy-eyed stranger. She caught the name uttered in greeting.
    Jase.
    Even if Jade hadn’t wanted it to, her acute mind committed it to memory, sealing away the storm blue, the raven black, the name Jase.
    The newcomer sat down next to him and their voices were covered up by the bass that made the very air shiver as if alive. Her drink was cold in her hand. Non-alcoholic but high in caffeine.
    It set her nerves on edge and that was fine.
    The second man stayed for only a few minutes. Imo would be back soon. Jade didn’t look forward to the rain they’d had to trek through to get here. Istilanda was beautiful in the summer, but the winters brought constant downpours, although the temperature didn’t drop below fifty.
    That much was a relief, at the very least. All the same, she’d just starting to dry out.
    I miss Ha’imo… It’d been a long three days constantly on the move.
    The beverage helps to calm her again.
    He hasn’t moved. Jade doesn’t think it’s right to call him by his name without permission even in the privacy of her mind. That’s when she decides she’ll need to sleep at the first available opportunity. If Imo’s conversation pans out as they hope it will, they can go home.
    Her eyes slipped shut as she leaned her arms against the bar.
    “Jade.” Imo’s voice.
    Did it carry?
    The young woman straightened and rose, already having settled her bill with the bar-tender. Imo started walking and she followed, ready to be out of the club, away from the music, the people.
    Whether he glanced after her she doesn’t know. Jade knew she wouldn’t see the man with the stormy blue eyes who didn’t belong again, and that was okay.
    No one else but them.
    And Imo probably wouldn’t have liked him anyways.

~~*~~

     Jade lounged in her starfighter, finishing up with her calls to the various contacts and information hoarders she knew and could trust to keep their mouths shut.
    That way, there was a low chance of either Imo or Ha’imo hearing about her researching, at least from them. They were already aware that something was up, but hadn’t asked yet and Jade wasn’t sure what she would say if they did ask.
    There hadn’t been many search results in the public records for the name Jase, blue-grey eyes, and black hair; even less when she initially searched through solely Istilanda’s records.
    Drouais, Jasen. Twenty-five years old. Parents deceased. Three siblings.
    Istilanda’s ‘secure’ files listed him as an active bounty hunter. But Kahn’s secure profile on him was far more interesting.
    Bounty hunter, yes, but also former assassin.
    The calls Jade had put out to her contacts were to learn more about that time of his life.
    They hadn’t known much. Vesper had said he was a loner, though mostly because K-Sec had him on a tight leash and there weren’t many hunters that wanted to work too closely with K-Sec. He’d done hard time for a few years, only for K-Sec to offer him a deal that would never have flown if put through the proper channels.
    The scandal of it all was the gossip of the contacts who did know about Drouais, and even those who didn’t. They’d let him out of jail decades early and cleaned up his public profile in exchange for him doing some dirty work.
    Even Jaydn, used to the sometimes illicit activities of governments, was a bit surprised by that turn of events.
    She watched out of the hangar bay’s entrance at the stars, mind turning over the data she had collected.
    It wasn’t matching up.
    People would say assassin and she saw someone who pulled the trigger for money, who had a cold, feeling-less edge to everything they did, and there had been none of that in the man she’d seen at the club.
    He’d had two kills, both on Istilanda, both in the city where he’d lived. One had been a high-profile crime syndicate boss and the other had been a senator whose corruption had run deeper than his pockets.
    And those two targets had been too close while being too far away to be part of a paid job. So Jade looked into the possibility of personal motive.
    It wasn’t because of his parents; his father had been Istilandan Police and had been killed during a raid on a completely different syndicate. From the sound of it, his mother hadn’t ever recovered from his loss and had succumbed to illness the year following.
    Both the brothers were businessmen for an upright and reputable real estate company, with nothing fishy to be found within a hundred miles of either them or their bosses.
    Which left the sister.
    She’d looked over everything public records had on his family, though, and besides Jase’s activities, there was nothing to be concerned about.
    Jade drummed her nails on the arm rest. I’m missing something. She reopened the file on the sister on the datapad in her lap, dark gaze narrowed in thought.
    Drouais, Danica. Twenty years old. Her picture revealed a woman who could’ve been Jase’s twin.
    Even if she hadn’t borne eyes that made Jaydn want to sit and just memorize the way they looked, she would’ve said Danica was stunning.
    Her natural, breathtaking beauty brought a thought back to the forefront of Jade’s mind. That senator—
    Scrolling back through the news report she’d found ten minutes prior, her suspicions were confirmed by the long list of crimes he’d committed that had only been discovered in the wake of his assassination.
    Apparently, the dirt-bag had kept girls on his private estate for his sick pleasures and if Danica Drouais had fit his profile…
    Jade had to shake her head as the pieces began to fall into place in the mental picture she had been constructing.
    Raina leaned into their small hangar space at that moment, saying that Aunt Sarris and Uncle Novarr had arrived with Ruusan and Ha’imo wanted them to join them.
    She acknowledged her sister’s call and swung from the cockpit of her starfighter.
    Thoughts swirled through her, continuing to put the puzzle together, but she was fairly certain of one thing as she locked up the bay behind herself.
    He’d been willing to give up his future with his family to protect his sister and probably his brothers as well by killing two men; Jade was still fitting the crime syndicate boss into the series of events, but was positive that he played an important part in everything that had occurred.
    It might’ve been horrifying to other people, normal people, but Jaydn had killed her first man at six years old to protect her mother, and countless others in the seventeen years since in defense of her family. His actions, though extreme, were ones that she could relate to.

~~*~~

    Her heart was pounding in her throat as she darted through the closing doors of the underground metro, making it with a moment to spare. A couple of people glanced up as the doors sealed shut and she leaned against them, taking in controlled breaths to bring her racing pulse back under control.
    Jade wasn’t a fan of Kahn’s countless subterranean metro lines – affectionately called “the tube” by long-term residents of the planet – the enclosed space a bad one to be caught in.
    The choice had been taken from her today though as she’d had to outmatch several pursuers. Speaking of which…
    Retrieving her comlink from the inner pocket of her coat, Jade keyed a message to Imo, telling him they needed to rendezvous at an alternate location. He had Jhidek and Raina with him and while she wasn’t sure their meeting spot hadn’t been compromised, they couldn’t take that risk.
    The comm. vibrated once to indicate her message had been sent and Jade went to study the map of the stations that was displayed on the wall, keeping an eye on the other occupants of the transit car.
    It took a few moments to calculate a path to the second rendezvous point as she plotted a winding, backtracking trail through an upcoming hub of activity that would be bursting with people right now. Jade determined the station where she would switch lines then settled with her back to the rest of the car’s inhabitants to wait.
    The tube itself was almost soundless, with only a faint whistling from outside to indicate the rapid speed at which they traveled. Inside, though, was alive with the quiet voices of the travelers, talking with each other and on their comms. The latter was practically unheard of on Uhric, with the majority of the planet’s inhabitants following an unspoken rule of politeness to refrain from conversations over comlink.
    That was just one of several reasons why Jade preferred Uhric to Sinjaro Kahn, despite Kahn’s tolerance of bounty hunters coming and going.
    A man entered the compartment through the connecting passages located at the ends of the cars, and Jaydn watched him in the reflection of the doors which she stood before. The tension in her shoulders loosened when he gave no sign of searching the faces of the other passengers.
    There had been no way for her to ascertain whether her pursuers had made it onto the metro as well, and she wills the train to hurry and reach her destination.
    Minutes seemed to crawl pass. Jade received confirmation from Imo about the change along with a bidding to be careful. That drew a brief smile from her.
    Two stops came and went, and she was beginning to think that she’d managed to lose them at the station where she’d gotten on when a commotion at the other end of the car drew her attention.
    The third one was nowhere to be seen, but the two older men were making their way through the compartment, their experienced gazes going over the inhabitants. Jade made sure her back was towards them, eyes flicking to the door, which had closed moments prior, sealing her into the tube until the next stop. But now there were several other passengers standing in the car, getting themselves settled.
    She used them as a cover, making sure to keep her movements easy and sure. Nothing brought attention like slinking around. There was a call.
    “Stop right there!”
    Shak.
    Jade kept moving, jamming her elbow into the locking mechanism for the door as she got to the other side. It wouldn’t keep them for long, but it would buy her enough time to pass through this car and get to the next.
    Focus from years of similar situation kept her calm, her pace easy despite its length. Her pursuers had security uniforms on; if the rest of the passengers caught wind that she was their target, they would aid the false officers, and not herself.
    Seven strides away from the next car. Jade would keep walking, slowing them with locked doors until the train stopped again and she could escape into the station.
    I hate traveling on the tube.
    This car had more people, with quite a few standing and holding onto the hanging handholds. She was almost to the next connecting door when a hand caught her arm and jerked her to a sudden halt.
    Instinct burst through her that Jaydn had to quell to a simple, but tight, grip on the wrist of her assaulter – male, her mind informed –, her brown eyes flicking to where he stood near the wall on the left.
    Stormy grey-blue met her gaze and her initial surprise gave him the edge he needed. Jade found herself towed out of the middle of the car, moved between Drouais and the curving wall of the train as there was an impatient banging against the transparasteel window in the access point she’d passed through moments earlier.
    She had half a minute, tops, and her mind was blanking on what to do. She had yet to let go of his wrist, but he twisted out of her hold with a simple movement and caged her in with his arms.
    Jade stopped breathing at his proximity, the sharp, clean, distinctly male smell that filled her senses. She flattened herself back against the wall. What are you trying to do? She wanted to ask, staring up at him, but she couldn’t trust her voice right now.
    Drouais’ gaze narrowed, then he bent his head so his words came next to her ear, quiet but intense. “Play along if you don’t want to be caught, Vhander.”
    Imo, what do I do?
    Jade longed to be able to turn to one of her parents for help at that moment and instead had only herself to rely on to make the decision.
    It was either him or her pursuers and right now, the ex-assassin that she’d seen once in a club was the better option. She glanced to the side at him, only seeing his ear and part of his jaw, and nodded once. Her forehead bumped into his shoulder with the short motion.
    Jase Drouais slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Jade felt fear rise up in her throat, tensing to attack him if she needed to. He pinched her and the message was clear. Relax.
    While the young woman had never participated in this style of detection avoidance, she was aware of the theory behind it. Sometimes the best way to hide was in plain sight and Jase was offering – forcing? – her to take that route.
    There was a hiss as the door slid open, almost undetectable, then the angry murmurs of the two men registered in her hearing and Jade knew she had moments.
    Turning her head the other direction so they wouldn’t glance over and see her face, Jade leaned hesitatingly into the taller hunter whose frame seemed to envelop her. Arms. What did one do with their arms at this point?
    Jase’ free hand moved down her shoulder to her elbow, pulling it up so one of her arms went around his waist. She mirrored that position with her other limb, clasping her fingers together at the small of his back and wondered if he could feel the faint tremble in them.
    She was aware of how he pulled his unzipped coat forward to hide her away within it as well. The collar of it brushed her nose and Jade resisted the urge to wrinkle her features in response.
    This is not what I had in mind when I wanted to learn more about him.
    And Drouais had apparently done his research on her and Imo in return. Jaydn supposed whether that was a good thing or not would be determined in the next few minutes.
    The young woman could hear them approaching, their boots falling heavily on the train’s patterned floor. The voice overhead began to announce the next station. And it was all overlaid with the steady beating of Jase’s heart beneath her ear.
    He was shorter than Imo, and slimmer. Hugging him was strange and Jade didn’t know how she would ever explain this to the rest of her family if they found out.
    Hopefully they wouldn’t though, because this didn’t matter. It couldn’t. Her jaw tightened a fraction. No one else but them.
    The two men were closer. Jade squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her face closer to Jase, mentally planning a counter-offense if they discovered her. All it would take was one question to one of the other passengers who would’ve seen her coming through here. Unless they were particularly unobservant, they could blow the whistle on this deception in a moment.
    The overhead called the name of the station again, approximating half a minute until arrival.
    The heavy tread came nearer.

~~*~~

    Jade sat on the beach, running her fingers through the sand as the salty breeze sifted through her loose hair.
    The overcast skies allowed the choppy waves a gray hint to their blue depths, bringing similarly shaded eyes to her thoughts.
    It had been years since their last encounter on Kahn in the metro, and she had heard little about him or his activity in the hunter world since.
    Jaydn had told herself numerous times in that time that she didn’t want their paths to cross again, that she didn’t notice that shivering, tentative connection between the two of them, even though her subconscious had told her otherwise in many vivid ways.
    A small family registered in her peripherals, strolling along the beach, nearer to where the ocean licked at the shore. The two children raced ahead, their bare feet kicking up sand and their laughter carrying on the wind.
    Her brown gaze followed their progress, lost in thought, before she closed her eyes and just breathed in sea air, so different from anywhere else she had been.
    All the planets that she’d seen after leaving Gogam eighteen years earlier were captivating, each in their own way, but some of them were more entrancing then others.
    Istalanda was one of them, with its endless oceans and smooth sands that were so unlike the coarse grit found everywhere on Gogam’s rough surface.
    The children’s excited calls drifted to meet her ears again, despite their having almost disappeared around a bend in the coast a few hundred feet to her left. Jade contemplated how much time she had until she needed to get moving. Her errand was successfully completed and Ha’imo wanted her back to accompany her on another job.
    All in a day’s work…
    A soft swish of a footfall in the sand caused her eyes to open again, going to the side to see who was approaching.
    Somehow, Jaydn wasn’t surprised to see him standing there, stormy blue eyes considering her for a long moment.
    Jase looked older than he had three years ago in the tube, and maybe a bit taller, but Jade supposed the time had worn a bit on her as well.
    After a bit, she glanced to the empty space beside her. A silent invitation, and then she looked back out to the sea to try and calm the way her heart had sped its pace.
    The other Hunter accepted wordlessly, dropping easily to sit at her side and he leaned back on his hands, seeming perfectly at ease where he was. Jade envied him that calm.
    In the corner of her eye, she saw the wind toy with his hair like it did hers and the quiet reigned for several minutes longer. She was the one to break it, her arms looped loosely around her knees.
    “Visiting your siblings?” It was a gamble, beginning with this, one that depended on just how clueless he believed she was.
    There was a pause from the man before he replied. “…Just checking up on them.”
    Jade was glad that he hadn’t severely underestimated how much she’d discovered. It would’ve been just about insulting, had she been one to take offense over such things, and anyways, didn’t they know each other better than that by now?
    “Job?” Jase returned after a beat.
    “Contact,” she corrected easily, taking in a quiet breath and wishing that this didn’t hurt quite so much.
    “Aa…”
    Jade had questions, and while she would’ve liked to ask them, she was very aware of the internal battle that was being fought over his very presence right now. She knew the effect Drouais had on her, but she also knew of her decision, made almost ten years prior that had never been threatened before she’d met him.
    She had to know, though. The answer had been taunting her, remaining just out of reach due to a lack of insight. “The senator wanted her and that’s why you killed him. What part did the crime lord play?”
    At first, Jaydn didn’t think Jase would answer, judging by the way he stilled.
    But the Hunter spoke, slowly and with a subtle edge that Jade was mostly certain wasn’t directed at her.
    “The senator hired him to kill my brothers and deliver Danica to his estate.” Short, succinct, but telling much.     Kill only one, and there would’ve been the other to contend with later. Kill both and solve the problem. She nodded once. One of her theories had included this, but she hadn’t been able to find connections between the politician and the criminal to prove anything.
    “I’ve heard about you and your family. For people relatively hard to find, you tend to stir up a lot of chatter.” Jase commented and Jaydn couldn’t decide if he was fishing for something or just saying it for the sake of saying it.
    “Does that mean you’ve been looking?” Jade countered, her voice quiet as she turned her head so she could look at him and found that gaze that had haunted her for years already watching.
    “Would it matter?”
    Jade paused. Would it?
    The reply that came to her immediately was a resounding ji. It wouldn’t because it couldn’t.
    I won’t leave them alone in the years to come. Merri especially.
    But the other part of herself that would take these brief respites on Istilanda and that could’ve sat and just stared at Jase’s eyes, trying to memorize the way they looked, wanted to say ey, yes, it would.
    The struggle must’ve shown on her face because he sat up, slowly, carefully, with another faint swish of sand so that their gazes were level, the expression on his own features one of patience.
    “…I can’t leave them alone, Jasen.” Jade said at last, addressing him by name for the first time and looking away in the same moment, back towards the waves that broke upon the beach. “My siblings. Merri is only eleven and with the life we lead, something could happen any day, to any of us. If something happens to—to our parents, I can’t have any other priorities but to protect them.”
    Whatever his reaction was, she didn’t see it.
    But she did hear his reply, the sincerity in his voice. “I understand.”
    Jade frowned as he stood, but instead of leaving, held out a hand to help her up. After a hesitation, she took the offer and let him hoist her to her feet. His gaze was steady, looking into hers, as he released her and put his hands in his pockets.
    “I would ask something, though,” Jase continued, watching her, now with a hint of guardedness.
    Jade brushed the sand off her clothes and nodded for him to go on, even while she tried to guess what was going through his mind.
    “That if these crop up,” he glanced around at their surroundings, the empty beach and the looming clouds, then back to her. “We keep them.”
    Understanding dawned in her mind and Jaydn studied him, thinking through what the request might have to offer, what it would mean, and what that might end up doing to her.
    Ji.
    I can’t lead him on.
    And so Jade shook her head once, choosing not to speak and letting the action speak for her.
    His eyes – was she going to see them again after this? – were unreadable. Jade wondered if her decision had hurt him, because she could feel the hollowness in her chest growing.
    Then Jase nodded and he was gone a moment later, pacing along the beach away from her.
    She left as well, because Ha’imo was waiting for her and emotion was rising in her throat, choking and suffocating and she’d never felt this way before.


    And thus ends Jase and Jaydn (sorry for the proximity of name spellings; not sure what possessed me when I named him that) for the next seven years. She's searching him out for all the kidnapping stuff though, for his expertise and experience in dealing with slave-traders and the such. Which is, of course, seven some years down the road.

    At this point, I don't know if they're going to work out. They could, but they could just as easily not work out. This whole business with Ruu could either push her closer to him or cause her to draw even farther away. We'll have to see.

    At any rate, I hope you found these interesting, and isn't baby Merri just so adorable? I'm ready to just steal her and cuddle her, myself.

    Please feel free to leave a comment with feedback or if you need anything explained. I enjoy helping clear up the confusion I cause. Thank you for reading!

    Ad astra per aspera.
    To the stars, through difficulties.

    P.S. This is my fiftieth post already. Two landmarks in one day! You all are amazing for sticking around this long, honestly. Have an amazingly good day, everybody. *twinkle*