They were still aboard the Albiore. There was an unexpected delay in their flights home, but they'd all agreed that they would rather take the Albiore home together this one last time, whether it be due to laziness or nostalgia.
This would be their last night together for the time being, Jade thought to himself as he slid off his overcoat and hung it on the coatrack in the corner of the men's barracks. There were only two rooms beside the cockpit in the small Fontech aircraft, and despite their diminuitive size, they were able to set up sleeping arrangements for each gender in each room. Noelle however bunked in the cockpit, embarrassingly enough admitting that she loved the Albiore so much that she sometimes slept in there on purpose anyway, so she was used to it. Despite Guy's gentlemanly insistance that he and Jade'd sacrifice the men's barracks to give her a more fitting place to sleep (without asking Jade's opinion on the matter first, of course), she blatantly refused and hugged the steering wheel happily. Everyone had sweatdropped.
The Colonel chuckled at this memory and paused mid-removal of one of his boots. He stared out the window blankly. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd miss everyone here. It had almost become a habit to awaken to the sound of Luke's suicidal rantings, Anise's overly cheerful demeanor, and Guy's ritualistic panick attacks whenever Tear tried to wake him. A great deal of stress would be lifted from his chest now that this mess was over, but by the same token, he'd lose a lot of the spontaneous adventure that had so suddenly invaded his life.
Jade shook his head and fully removed the boot. He was an old man now...one would think he'd outgrow such childish aspirations of daily action and adventure, especially after all the spontaneous "adventures" he'd suffered throughout his childhood. Hadn't he endured enough "adventure" to last himself a lifetime? And yet...
Knock, Knock.
Someone was knocking at the men's "bedroom" door and Guy was sleeping like a log beside him on the floor, one leg bent in the air and his mouth hanging open comically. Maybe he should take the oncoming conversation outside to save Guy from embarrassment?
...Nah.
Jade removed the other boot quickly so that he was only wearing his military regulation black shirt and pants and put his glasses back on. Just as he heard another set of knocks at the door, he opened it only to find Tear with a blanket wrapped around herself. "Good evening..." he began, somewhat puzzled by her random intrusion. "Is there something I can help you with?" He kept his voice low so as to not wake up Guy. Jade had no problem with waking Guy under normal circumstances and embarrassing him for the fun of it, but the intruder being Tear, he had to think twice. Guy would not only awaken embarrassed, but probably freak out that it was a woman in addition and awaken the entire ship with his screams of terror.
"Can I speak with you..." Tear peeked in past Jade and saw Guy sleeping soundly, deducing exactly what Jade had seconds ago. Looking back to Jade, she continued hesitantly. "...outside?"
The Colonel took a minute to consider her invitation and then nodded slightly. "Of course." What harm was there in that? He stepped out of the room quietly, slid on his Resort King slippers that he'd left at the door in case he needed to use the bathroom during the night, and led the way out of the aircraft. It was chilly out, Jade soon discovered, not having considered that beforehand. He had to credit Tear for bringing her blanket with her when she delivered her invitation. She was probably using it as a visual cue to Jade that he should probably grab a jacket or something too...but it seems he was somewhat on the slow side today.
They stood there outside the Albiore for a moment, just waiting for the ice to be broken. Jade's hands were in his pockets as per the usual and Tear's were wrapped tightly in her long blanket which was blowing in the breeze. The stars glittered beautifully in the sky above them and her attention was immediately caught. Her cerulean orbs absolutely glowed when she noticed cute things and it brought a smile to Jade's face...whether that be at the blackmail opportunity or just because it was nice to see a girl her age happy rather than stoic for once. She only had one chance to live her youth, and she shouldn't waste it as he had.
His attention was focused on her as she spied the stars happily; maybe she just needed this moment alone with someone who wasn't insecure, obnoxious, or annoying. He empathized with that obviously and stifled a laugh. It was then that he noticed that her blanket was wrapped around her shoulders rather than over them, revealing the straps of what he could only imagine to be her undershirt or bra. Trying to shake that thought from his head but not look away and signal that he was losing interest in her invitation, he glanced down toward her feet and noticed not even a pair of socks on them. This must've been quite urgent.
Despite her enjoyable stargazing, her smile soon began to fade and her expression hardened once more, donning her soldier visage again. No doubt she was saving this adorable moment to bask in later, or... Maybe the stars reminded her of something depressing that she refused to share? "The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they Colonel?"
Jade took a moment to absorb her statement, realizing instantly that something was indeed amiss with her if she was making small talk when they could be catching up on well-deserved rest. "Yes, they are," he replied softly, playing along; he gazed upward and attempted to appreciate them as much as she did. Of course, her being herself and him being himself--them being two different people with two different perspectives--he didn't expect to be successful. But trying to understand every perspective of a situation helped one to comprehend it more fully in the longrun, so he persisted. Maybe he could find something out and help her recover from this slump. "Do you know why that is?"
Tear failed to see what he meant by this and automatically assumed that he was going to make another sarcastic retort, recalling a situation similar to this occuring while they explored Mt. Zaleho and were discussing the gender of a certain dragon... The corner of her mouth curled slightly into a frown as she tried to convince herself that he's only using teasing and sarcasm as means to deal with his stress. She just wished that he didn't take it out on her like this...was this her punishment for keeping him awake when he could've been sleeping? "...Why?" she queried finally, mentally sighing as she bit the bait anyway.
"Because they don't try to hide anything from us. They are what they are and nothing more," he answered. She wasn't completely sure of what he was getting at, but was relieved at the lack of a sarcastic reply. If there was ever a time that she could use real support, it was now, which is why she chose to go to Jade in the first place. He may have been a sarcastic bastard most of the time, but he was the one she could relate to the most. Sure, she had Luke, but...she winced at the memory...he was gone now. And he hadn't been through a lot of what she'd endured, so he didn't always understand and she was usually the one who needed to comfort him. She didn't mind doing that for him, but what about when she needed guidance herself?
"You can tell, can't you, that the stars keep no secrets?" The Necromancer wasn't one to weave tales like this, but he didn't want to make assumptions about her situation. He knew for a fact that she was hiding something, and the only reason people seek out others in times of need like this are so that they can share their problems and receive consolation. He wasn't keen on being people's shoulder to cry on or anything like that, but he couldn't resist trying to ease her burden even a little. She'd grown on him, as they all had, but he knew that her facade was the same as his, the stone cold facade of a battle-hardened soldier whose true feelings were some of the most safeguarded secrets in the world. They'd both endured the worst of the world, but she wasn't even of age yet; she still had a long, weary life ahead of her, and again, he empathized. He knew what she was in for as a soldier and maybe it was just because he had somewhat acted as a parental figure for the group since their journey began, but he felt more than willing to offer any comfort he could.
But first of course, he had to break through her soldier facade without damaging her pride, which is why he was taking such a roundabout approach to this rather than his typical beeline approach. "If they had anything to hide, I'm sure that they'd at least share it with each other if not with us, because it's unwise to tackle hardships alone. It's almost like on the battlefield..." The Colonel's ruby eyes softened with compassion as he stared on into the mystical abyss of space. Tear was mesmerized by them and the grip on her blankets loosened a bit, despite it not being any warmer out than it had been. For whatever reason, the coolness of the night air didn't bother her so much with him by her side like this. She'd never seen a look of compassion in his eyes before, and it made him look irresistably handsome. "...you can't expect to win if your allies all develop their own strategies. No one will know what their allies plan to do and therefore cannot expect to work together or aid one another in the heat of battle."
"I...understand," Tear replied, looking down. He could tell he'd made progress with her and looked over at her once more, sincerely hoping that he hadn't been too forceful or obvious with his approach; patience wasn't exactly his strong point and he realized that. "I normally don't let things like this get to me, so I'm sorry for dragging you out here like this. I just...wanted someone to talk to about it who would understand." Jade nodded, wordlessly condoning her actions as if to say that it was only natural. "Even though he was my enemy, he was also...my big brother." She had always used the phrase "older brother" in the past to refer to Van and therefore sound more professional, more detached...but she was using "big brother" now, which showed Jade that she was being painfully open with him and therefore didn't want to be ridiculed with sarcasm, just this once.
"And he always will be, no matter what he's done, good or bad. But sometimes unforeseen circumstances occur and extreme measures need to be taken to ensure the safety of the many regardless of the feelings of the few. You know that what you did was right."
She nodded. "I do, but I've also lost Luke in all of this." This was one point where she was definitely being more forward and open than usual and it honestly took Jade by surprise. She'd never before openly admitted to liking Luke...
"You...haven't lost him," Jade lied. "He promised he'd return, so you know that if there's any way that he can, he will. He's very stubborn when it comes to these things," he added, trying to lighten her mood. "And even so, until he returns, you still have your memories of him." It was then that she worried that she was being selfish...she was seeking consolation in her grieving over Luke, who may very well return someday, from an old man who had always lived with such grief, and whose few hours of rest were surely precious to him. The guilt he lived with daily over the murder of his childhood mentor must've been eating away at him for years now; Tear wondered how on Auldrant he was still standing today.
So...they were both hurting inside right now...
Tear approached Jade more still, now so close that their arms were touching; was she finally getting cold, he wondered? "The pain dulls, but it never goes away, does it?" It almost struck her as a stupid question to ask now that she thought about it, but she couldn't take back what had already been said.
It was so slight, that if she hadn't been staring him intently in the eyes for a response, she would've missed it; he shook his head and confirmed her fears. His gaze didn't budge an inch. "People close to you will inevitably die..." 'And sometimes at your own hands or by your own fault,' he added mentally. "You learn to live with it in the field we're in...but I'm sure you've realized that by now. We're different from normal people; we can take lives without a second thought." She knew that this statement was completely unrelated to his supposed problem of not knowing the difference between life and death because she was a soldier as well. It wasn't that they didn't know the difference, but that they couldn't afford to care. If they held remorse for every life they cut short, they'd both have committed suicide over the grief years ago.
Tear wrapped her arms slowly around his arm, trying to be discreet about it, but failing miserably. They were hardened soldiers who had seen the worst the world had to offer and only wished to help each other through it...was it so wrong to want to dispel her Oracle Knight facade and simply be held? Just this once?
Jade jerked his arm a bit in her grip, trying to signal to her that he wanted to move it. Whether she took that as a sign that he didn't care for her attention or as a sign that he was willing to put his arm around her and comfort her as she was so silently requesting, he left up to her. She took the hint and promptly let go of his arm, keeping a steady downward gaze and waiting for him to do whatever it was he needed to do with his arm to make himself more comfortable. Lifting his arm backward out of her way so that it was no longer an obstacle, she took the opening as an opportunity and darted forward, latching herself onto his side. Her arms wound tightly yet gently around his waist. Then, he heard something that caught him by surprise again; she was crying.
Tear sobbed into his shirt, "I'm sorry, just this once, please..." It was choked with the tears of sadness that she'd locked in for so long because of her required military facade. He nodded and began petting the soft hair atop her head comfortingly. Given the air of the moment, Jade had no problem with consoling her like this for now, because he admitted that he would've given anything for moments like this when he was in the military at her age. Even more credit was given to her in his mind as she was female, and they tended to be much more slave to their emotions than men were. He had a lot of respect for her for enduring this long and for providing the mature guidance so many in the group looked to her for despite her being one of the youngest in their group.
He couldn't deny that he also had no qualms with this moment because he'd unwillingly attained a sort of fatherly feeling toward the entire gang throughout their journey (which coincidentally only solidified his decision to never have children) and felt slightly obligated to be there for her now. Not obligated in the way that he didn't want to, but in the way that if he kept his facade up and said nothing to console her, he'd feel downright terrible later. This fatherly feeling brought guilt anyway though as he ran his hand through her velvety locks...masculine feelings for her began to leak into his mind at the feeling of her breasts pressing against his side. It was a baser instinct that he could easily control at his age, so it wasn't a terribly urgent problem, but what he feared was that he established a connection with her that night that may last longer than it should have.