She doesn't mind

by Cyanidas

She greets her with an easy smile and a twinkle in her eyes that the tempest can't place. They weren't familiar to one another, not friends or even acquaintances. As a matter of fact she doesn't think they were ever alone together. Seven years after their first meeting and she still holds a timeless and oddly serene beauty that the tempest has never come around to understand. F/F.

Hello :)

It's been a while - always is. I am playing a lot of Guild Wars lately and I have this rather unhealthy crush on both Jennah and Anise and while I have around 30 documents catering to Anise, there's only 4 concerning Jennah. This sort of wormed its way into my head and as a little warning; I suck at present tense. There's a second part which I am currently writing, a little look through the eyes of Jennah. I will certainly release that one eventually even though I do not expect this to get much love. The GW2 fanbase seems to be rather small to me and even then Jennah doesn't get much love. Especially in combination with someone that is not Logan. I don't like Logan but she shall not be bashed. Now - in before horrible use of present tense.

Part 1: She doesn't mind

The first thing she does after the white cloth meets the ground, is raise her staff high above her head and close her eyes. She knows doing so is unwise and has moved way past the point where the action isn't needed to bolster her concentration anymore, but it's a bad habit. Drawing upon the energy she finds deep within herself she becomes an eerie calm statue. Her enemies are a mixture of two guardians, a ranger, a necromancer and a mesmer. She has time until they strike her first.

She can see the lines, invisible to the rest of the world, appearing from the earth and air all around her. They race towards her and so do her opponents but she knows the energy will meet her first. And when it does the first guardian is right in front of her and ready to strike. But she thinks quickly and teleports out of his weapon's way and that's when she is charged up and ready to go. Opening her eyes and she knows they glow slightly in a blue that is known to most but familiar to few, she throws her staff in the air where it alignes its tip to the sky and knows the time to win this match has come.

The bright blue light shoots up into the sky and the clouds gather and darken the sky; she keeps teleporting in and out of their range because she has accumulated all the energy she needs. It cost her years of her life and a long list of sacrifices, but she studied hard. And she is ready to overcharge the entirety of her elemental power.

Her palms meet and she catches the staff as it drops down again. Both she and her weapon are brimming with energy and if she were to look into the spectating crows she could easily point out those who have senses fine enough to feel what she is radiating. Her mind is fixed now and she concentrates; no time or capacity to keep moving. She is fixed and an easy target but she has danced this particular dance for too long to still struggle. She has fought armies of Risen and Mordrem and what are Braham, Logan, Rox, Marjory and Kasmeer against her? They are dangerously close now and that's when she finally snaps and lets go, knowing that the shield that protects the viewers has been fed enough energy to withstand the tempest. In an instant the sky is red and burns; fire rains down upon their heads. Logan shields them but that's when the earth starts trembling and he looses his footing. Kasmeer is being torn away by a gust of air, kept prisoner in winds too strong for her to break through. Marjory notices and runs to save her, her love and urge to protect her partner too strong for her to think rationally. The tempest knows this and encasing her in water which turns into thick solid ice in the blink of an eye is almost too easy. Rox almost catches her with an expertly fired arrow but the winds look out for their mistress and so it's being carelessly flung to the side. The charr ranger has her fur singed just a moment later, only because she tried to roll through the fiery wall that isolates her from the rest of her companions. She is not proud of it but she is ready to do whatever it takes to win this fight. A simple watery apparation that resembles the queen he loves a little too closely is distraction enough and soon after, Logan has his arms and legs restricted by unyielding stone leaving him helpless. Braham sees his team, how they are rendered useless and she thinks he is about to surrender. Apparently he has been training and she hadn't noticed because a well-placed reflect topples her balance and sends her to the ground. A slight in concentration and she chastises herself for it but she is back to her feet in no time and makes sure to make it hurt just a little bit more than usually when he is launched off his feet and across the entire arena, back hitting the stone walls with a painful crack. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes again, almost lovingly lets go of the control she has over the lines. It fades into nothingness and leaves her silent and calm, the way she prefers to be. Overcharging was healthy, a good dose of natural medicine. The magic eats away at her and she notices the white strands in her hair that are few and far in between but releasing the built up energy, giving it back to the world, always does her good and eases her inner peace. With a snap of her fingers her former companions are released and she is declared the winner. She barely listens having known the outcome of this from the moment she received the invitation to the celebrations a month ago. Apparently the slaying of two Elder Dragons was best rewarded with annual get-togethers and completely overblown events which were held at a different capital each year. It's Divinity's Reach this year and it's the third year after the Dragons have retired, called back to sleep after the demise of two of their own. She is a hero now. At least that's what people call her, yet she never had much interest in what people call her.

A blink of her eyes later she is back in the now and then and notices the looks she's getting. She had been called to exit the arena and receive her trophy from the queen herself but she hadn't moved. Blinking twice in quick succession she gets a move on and absent-mindedly adjusts the collar of her armor. It's not the most ornate or outstanding design; it is plain and simple for the most part, the mixture of different shades of purple, white and grey the only indication as to how much it cost. She likes purple and it's always worth its price. She marches up the stairs after a respectful nod to her former companions and follows the way. With the odd turn her life had taken she has seen much more of the krytan monarch than she ever expected but if she is absolutely honest, she isn't quite done with admiring her yet. Seven years after their first meeting and she still holds a timeless and oddly serene beauty that the tempest has never come around to understand.

She greets her with an easy smile and a twinkle in her eyes that the tempest can't place. They weren't familiar to one another, not friends or even acquaintances. As a matter of fact she doesn't think they were ever alone together. Neither are they now. At least she was more comfortable around her by now, used to the impressive and elegant ruler. She accepts the trophy with a low bow and resigns to waving at the crowd who repays her by roaring loudly. That's when she hears the whisper, a quiet sound into her ear, asking her to meet with the ruler in private later this evening when the festivities have calmed down. She doesn't know why she would ask such a thing and she's dying to know but she knows she's not supposed to ask. This much at least, she has learned. So she keeps looking at the crowd and bears the rest of the celebrations with her usual air of polite distance, an aura that has served her well over the years. She is detached, dignified and rational and it has always been 'her thing' as Marjory put it once. Yet a little voice constantly nags at her throughout the whole thing, asking her what the queen could possibly want. And if it is going to disrupt her plans which involve disappearing back into nothingness after the celebrations as she always does. There is no point in sticking around after all.

She is being adressed by a Shining Blade guard just moments from midnight. The queen has retired an hour ago and she assumes now is the time for her to see her. So she excuses herself and promises Kasmeer that she will stay safe and return next year as she always does. She also tries to never break her promises and the blonde never fails to make her give another. The walk to the palace is short enough and the weather is pleasant; warm but with a soft breeze. She thinks the queen probably has a task she needs her to do. Even though most think of her as 'The Commander', she is still a human and a houseless one at that. If the queen calls she has to answer. Thankfully she finds no fault in doing so. She is too polite to stare but she still finds time to admire the insides of the palace as she climbs higher and higher to the very top where the private rooms of Queen Jennah are located. She now understands how she can be so fit when all she does is sit with the ministry or work through mountains of paperwork all day. Finally she reaches her destination and when the door opens, she is faced with a set of spacious and warm rooms connected to the main room of the wing. Apparently the queen doesn't live in a room but the whole upper eastern wing of the palace. A luxury, the tempest thinks is not worth the downsides.

The krytan woman sits on a spacious couch and gets up when the tempest enters and greets her politely much like she did earlier that day. Her ceremonial garbs traded for a much simpler dress she looks decidedly more plain but still hasn't lost a fraction of her famed beauty. Remarkable. The thought that she was here to receive an assignment of sorts quickly validates itself as she is being shown a white and gold badge she has seen before. Kryta's oldest and fiercest enemy is afoot again and rumour has it they gather at and operate from an ancient krytan stronghold above the Heart of Maguuma. The queen says she knows that the tempest has a habit of disappearing without a trace for months at a time and asks her if she can investigate. She speaks the words with unmatched elegance and keeps her perfectly royal demeanour but she is less perfect, if there is such a thing. She seems more human than ever and the tempest is not the kind of person who would turn down her queen. So she doesn't. A moment passes and then the krytan offers her a glass of wine. Somehow she knows there isn't much room for discussion, so she agrees and sits down on the couch when being encouraged to. This is the first time they are truly alone and she is hesistant to speak, unsure if she is allowed to.

Then the krytan asks her questions and shows interest in a way she never has before. So the tempest, for the first time in her life, finds herself explaining why she likes purple more than yellow and that ley energy actually does possess a unique taste that lies somewhere between ectoplasmatic dust and raspberries. She sees her laugh and she can't recall having seen it before. She finds that she likes it. They carry on for a while and once she sees that despite all the luxury, presence and weight of her position, the queen is just another simple person they settle into a pace that seems to be comfortable for the both of them. The tempest learns that her queen loves flowers more than jewels, laughs the hardest about stupid and not actually funny jokes and doesn't wear shoes because she likes feeling the earth and grass beneath her feet despite what people might think of it. In turn the monarch gets to know that the tempest actually has a name, was a mere fifteen years old when she was declared Advocate of the Crown and has but one goal in her life; to learn and study as much as she can. It's an honourable dedication the ruler says and the tempest disagrees. It neither is, nor isn't, an honourable goal but a simple wish. A wish to live long and peaceful enough to reach it.

The monarch falls silent at that and she thinks she has made a mistake when the krytan puts down the glass and reaches for hers to place both of them on the oak table. She tells her that her display of ability in the arena was unlike anything she has ever seen before and that she admired every second of it. The tempest is baffled for a second before thanking her with a bow of her head and explaining that a lot of work and studying went into the discovery that elemental magic could be powered by ley energy and thus charged and overloaded. It takes her breath away when the older woman admits that it wasn't the magic or technique she had been admiring. Now the tempest is truly and honestly strained and it must be visible because the queen apologises and actually backs away a little. She's not sure what exactly the woman is trying to say but either way she is in unknown territory and she dislikes having to deal with things she doesn't understand. So she is a little bolder than usually and she knows the wine plays his part in the whole affair. She asks what the queen means and deep olive eyes find stormy grey ones the very second sweet pink lips meet soft pale ones.

It is unlike anything she has ever felt before, her eyes widen and her heart goes wild, violently beating against her rib cage. The lips don't move away and eventually she surrenders to the feeling and closes her eyes with a sigh, the sweet smell of sunshine and orchids filling her nostrils. A part of her tries to wonder why this is happening and what the queen's motivations are, but she finds it hard to think. It's hard to feel anything other than the lips that move against hers and the hand that tangles itself in ashy hair. She has always found it hard to relinquish control but this time it's easy to surrender and thus she doesn't mind giving in. Eventually it stops and the monarch withdraws with a look on her face the tempest can't place. It is nothing she has ever seen before and she can't help but wonder if she is going to be thrown into a cell now. That's when the woman apologises and withdraws quickly, leaving the tempest alone on the couch. She desperately wants to follow her so she can understand but sees her retreat as a request to leave now. So she does. She's halfway down the tower when the ruler catches up to her, hand closing itself around her wrist and making her stop her descent.

She tells her that she was being impulsive and should have known better. She tells her that she is deeply sorry and hopes she is being forgiven. She doesn't ask her to keep it a secret and not tell anyone what happened, but the tempest hears it anyway. So she says that the queen needn't worry. She won't tell anyone. Especially not Logan but she keeps that thought to herself. She has the feeling that the monarch hears it anyway. She also feels like she should tell her that she has, as a matter of fact, taken her first kiss. And that, despite the queen's reasons, she liked it very much. It was nice. She's not quite sure but she thinks she sees the woman's face light up just a bit and if her eyes are warmer than before, the tempest certainly doesn't mind.

Weeks later, deep in the Heart of Maguuma and not far away from her destination, the tempest wonders if she had kissed her to sway her. To make sure she never forgets her loyalties. She kills one White Mantle cultist and soon after a second and she finds that in the end, she truly and honestly doesn't mind.

I hope the few people who read this enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it, so there's that :) I would appreciate a review (or maybe even two!) but above all I hope you liked it.