When there is no one left to mourn, someone still needs to do it.


Chase Young threaded his way through trees taking the long route to the ocean. He could have flown yes but he had the nagging feeling someone was following him by air, a very annoying someone. He ran quicker hoping to lose them in the blur of the trees and seethed at the worms audacity to follow him like he was some sort if prey.

His white sleeve caught on a branch and he yanked it off leaving a jagged tear near the seam; it did not matter, he did not wear this often. Chase sniffed the air, smelled salt and realized he was close. Without his heavy armor every motion seemed easier. The acrid smell of Spicer's heliopack filled the air and Chase hung his head as he gazed towards the rolling blue waves of the sea.

Jack landed clumsily in the branches of a great tree and Chase turned his head ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of him in the embrace of a oak. Jack gave a awkward laugh somehow sensing he had interrupted a personal moment no one was to witness. Chase turned back his green and black hair flowing with the sea breeze.

"Why are you here w," he paused and glanced towards the horizon."Spicer, why do you insist on being so very irritating?"His tone was sharp but he could not bring himself to give Spicer a tongue lashing here, here when more then ever he regretted his decision. He had no known family left, they had all died but he felt the waters watchful gaze on him and he knew he was being judged.

"I-I came to see if you wanted to forge a evil alliance to steal some wu back from Wuya," he stammered out staring at the evil overlord with his face in a expression reserved for this kind of a activity, a mixture of self pity, reverence and Hollywood bad boy image. Even for the most pathetic villains it was a laughable attempt. Chase sighed.

"I have no time for such foolishness Spicer," he said while drawing out two sticks of incense from a unseen pocket and sticking them in the soft dirt. A pop and the end of each stick was smoldering, a small amount of ash would collect on the glowing tip and the wind would blow it off leaving the embers brighter for just a moment.

Chase knelt down and bowed his head so that the tips of his hair brushed the earth. Jack stared perplexed, what was he doing? The actions did not look particularly evil and for that matter neither did Chase. It was one of those rare times when he did not feel the need to keep up his reputation and could perhaps be a little more lax in his behaviors. Reputation was gossip- just talk- no one really took Jack Spicer seriously enough to believe his talk. The boy thought for a moment, in China wasn't white a mourning color?

"Who?" Jack managed to squeak out. He had meant to say who are you mourning for but it seemed that the tongue would garble it so he stopped. Chase sighed, the worm was not so dumb as he seemed after all, he could put two and two together and come up with four.

"My people...my parents." He said this calmly and with great amounts of dignity and Jack stammered trying to come up with a condolence. Try as he might he couldn't see Chase as a baby or ever a child. He was someone to be feared, revered , and respected not to be cuddled and loved.

Jack pictured what his own childhood was like; his mother was almost always there, his dad had come home more often and in general he was a coddled child. Then he tried to do the same for Chase. The vision didn't come so he looked at his hero instead, but he was gone. All that was left were the two half burnt sticks of incense near the shore.

Jack flew up and away on his heliobot determined to bug Chase again, but not till the morning.