In the Tower, Jayla, Darren and L.J had just finished a long day of co-op missions and were settled in the ramen shop for dinner.
"Who won E.K.C today?" Jayla asked as they got their food.
"I kinda stopped playing after our second strike." L.J admitted.
"Merin keeps track." Darren said thru a mouthful of food, glancing at the book in his hand as he talked. "But she always does. It's hardly part of a game."
Jayla leaned back against the wall, chewing. "Do we have an agenda for tomorrow?"
Darren pulled up his ghost. "Actually, nothing. The Dawning celebrations end this week and they want us to relax and enjoy them if we haven't had a chance yet...ahh, and there's fireworks tonight."
"Sweet!" Jayla sat up and swallowed. "Maybe we should go!"
Darren shrugged. "I have a whole pile of books i'd rather be reading."
L.J smiled. "What would we do, without our studious warlock to make the team look good?"
Jayla smiled too and ate some more. "Well...for starters," She swallowed again. "We'd probably do more recreational activities as a fireteam…"
She pushed her plate away and started on her second glass of wine.
"I think i'll go, maybe just for a bit."
L.J shrugged. "I've got nothing going on; why not? Last call, Darren."
The warlock held up his book. "You got my answer. Thankyou for your offer, tho, as usual." He continued reading and eating at the same time.
Jayla shook her head and stood up. She squeezed Darren's shoulders and rested her head on the top of his in an awkward-half-hug.
"Have a great weekend, Dar. Don't forget to stretch and get some sunlight at least once a day."
"Ha. Ha." He answered, running his fingers thru his hair where she had messed it up. "Do enjoy yourselves."
Jayla picked up her glass and downed the last bit. L.J stood up too.
"I'm sure we could rustle up some more people to come watch..."
L.J shrugged. "Or not. No big deal."
Jayla glanced sideways at him for a minute, trying not to read into anything he was saying.
"Well...i'm going to go change; meet you back here?"
"How about the I-beams off the front of the tower?" L.J asked. "Prime seating and all. I'm going to change too."
Jayla nodded. "Sounds good then; see you in a few."
20 minutes later, Jayla skipped down to the ledge in a pair of soft pants, boots and a long sweater. "You look quite nice." Orrin said as she walked and he kept up, at her left shoulder.
"Dare i say, you SMELL nice too. I didn't realize this was a date."
Jayla's face flushed. "It's NOT! He's not really my type; you know that…And we invited Darren; i'm not dressing or acting any different than I would if he were here."
Orrin floated to her other side and bobbed defensively. "Hey, i'm just making sure."
Jayla's gaze told Orrin she was thinking.
"You do...think he's not my type, right? It would be bad if he...asked me out, right?" She asked after a moment.
"Well...technically you already had a date…" Orrin said haltingly.
"Uugh," Jayla rolled her eyes. "Lay off me about that. A drunken night and a potential one-night stand isn't exactly a date. And we don't even remember most of the night anyhow."
Orrin sighed. "You make it sound like you wish he'd ask you out."
Jayla stopped walking and glared at Orrin. He stopped and turned back to her. "Well...do you like him?"
Jayla looked down at the ground, then back at Orrin. Then at the ground again.
"I...don't know." She said finally. "Maybe? He seems a lot older than me; not that that really matters...but is it weird?"
Orrin glided back to her. "There's only one way to find out. Either way, he's your friend, and your fireteam member. That's the greatest bond of all, isn't it?"
Jayla shrugged and kept walking. "You're right; it is!"
She stood at the front of the tower and looked over the railing. Rubbing her hands together in anticipation, she got a running start, and leaped off the edge of the railing, landing hard on a balcony.
She saw L.J straddling on the I-beam below her, his legs dangling over the edge, talking to Asa, his ghost.
She hung off the edge of the balcony and let go, landing neatly on the jutting beam next to them. "How's it going, guys?" She asked as she sat down.
"Great, thanks! This is going to be fun." L.J smiled.
He was in a hoodie and comfortable-looking pants and boots as well; Jayla internally sighed with relief. He didn't appear to expect anything from her.
As she made herself comfortable on the beam with Orrin and took in their surroundings, she started sweating a bit. She had never done anything recreational with L.J besides getting drunk, and Orrin had already reminded her of how that went down. She glanced sideways at him out of the corners of her eyes.
She remembered her first impressions of him. He seemed similar to that now. Vibrant and chill, with his crazy eyes being the only thing that gave away the hellscape that his past had been, before he joined her fireteam. His eyes stood out on his body the same way this happy-go-lucky persona stood out against his difficult history.
"Jayla?"
She twitched and looked at him head-on. "Sorry. Daydreaming, i guess."
L.J nodded understandingly. "It has been a long day."
Jayla nodded in agreement.
They both sat in silence for a minute as dusk fell and the lights started coming up in the city and on the tower.
"So...i was going to wait until after the fireworks, but i have to tell you something." He started.
Jayla swung her leg over and turned to face him. "For sure! What's up?"
"Okay…" He looked around to make sure no one else was listening.
"Okay. So you know Celestia-10?"
Jayla shrugged. "Uhh…"
"She's a warlock; she helps Tess in the Eververse shop. I guess she's got an eye for shader combination and ghost shells and she does some design."
Jayla nodded, trying to picture her face. "She's an Exo, right? Purple eyes? I think i've seen her."
L.J's crazy eyes were dancing. "She gorgeous."
Jayla's heart sank.
"I...yeah. Yeah, she's quite lovely."
L.J's smile got bigger. "So you approve? You know, as another girl? You all always seem to have the inside view on eachother."
"Girls are shit." Jayla swung her leg back over and faced forward.
L.J looked at Asa and then back at Jayla.
"Umm...i guess I forgot who i was talking to. I forgot you don't have a lot of girl friends. It's a shame, really. You've been a great friend to me. I'm sure a lot of girls here need that."
Jayla rolled her eyes. "Be real."
"I am being real." L.J said. "I know Darren feels the same way. Have you just been burned by them or something?"
Jayla sighed. "I guess you could say that. They're...too fragile for me. They don't appreciate my humor, or the things i like, and they want more from me than i can give. They want to hang out every weekend, and do stuff i don't like as much, and make small talk and...and i don't do that. I've spent most of my Risen life with guys. Girls were never really beating down the door to get to Reno-13, and i'm pretty positive Darren's gay...or just waiting for the human version of his ghost."
She shrugged. "All i know is, the ones i did get close with left me. Or i had to leave them. The bonds females have can be...suffocating. It's far easier to avoid close friendships with them, unless you want them to break your heart, again and again. Heartaches, i tell you. Nothing but heartaches."
L.J nodded. "I think i understand. I was honestly going to ask if you'd be willing to scope out Celestia for me, just to see if anything turned you off right away before i said anything to her. Honestly...it could just be her appearance, but i don't think it is...She reminds me of Lyssia-4. And i…"
He leaned back and pulled his knee into his chest as he looked out over the horizon. "I never told Lyssia how i felt about her. I think she knew, but now i'll never know. I don't want to make that mistake again, about anything."
Jayla nodded. "Please understand...i'm just a naturally pessimistic person."
L.J laughed and looked over at her. "No, you? Really?"
Jayla rolled her eyes. "I'm naturally pessimistic, but that doesn't mean you have to be. I'll gladly spend some time with Celestia-10...for science."
L.J looked hesitant. "As long as you're sure. If it's ever too taxing or uncomfortable-"
"No." Jayla smiled too. "I'm happy to help. You're my friend."
L.J's smile made it all worth it. "Thanks, Jayla. You're a great friend; don't forget it. Anybody in your lives who hasn't appreciated that and told you so doesn't deserve you."
There was a loud crack and a hissing sound below them. The fireworks were starting. Jayla lay forward on her stomach, hooking her heels on the beam behind her. She rested her chin on the backs of her hands to watch and Orrin settled on her shoulder.