12/23/16

Anyone feeling festive yet? Heh, I am. This year has been a great many things but I honestly can't recall much of what happened before Aug19. From that day I got my hands on Xenoblade Chronicles X and every since then has been Xenoblade hell, fan art, fan fiction and endless, endless hours spent on the fictional world of Mira. It's been a good run.

Anyway! At last Jaynix meets the final species of Xenoforms that live in NLA, also my favorite species! The rest of the story is done, just a matter of editing and then posting so...the final chapter will be up on the 25. Merry Christmas :D

Wrothians

Lin sat at one of the many tables all over Barista Court. A partially eaten bar of chocolate in her hands, taking another bite she continued looking back and forth across the Court, waiting for Jaynix. She expected that at any moment the hot-headed woman would sprint into view or just materialize behind her and scream some sort of very energetic greeting.

However, she froze in the middle of a bite as Jaynix skipped into view and headed towards her, smiling very vibrantly.

"Hey, Lin! Hope you weren't waiting here too long."

"Jaynix?"

Lin looked her up and down "Are you…okay?"

"Hm? Yeah. Totally, why?"

Lin shrugged "I don't know…did something good happen?"

Jaynix nodded "Very good but I can't tell you yet. Maybe some other time but what I can say is…I'm excited. I'm stoked! I have some interesting plans for tomorrow and I just…I can't wait until tomorrow!"

Lin tilted her head as Jaynix took a deep breath "But! Before then, we have a place to stop by and eat right?"

"We do!"

Lin stood up and began walking, Jaynix following her "Though won't that chocolate snack ruin your meal?"

"Nope. Chocolate can't ruin anything."

Jaynix thought for a few moments before smiling "Shit, you're right! Chocolate is the best!"

Lin laughed before breaking off a piece of her bar and giving it to Jaynix, the older woman thanking her.

"I like having you around."

In the middle of chewing, Jaynix looked to Lin and raised an eyebrow.

"Just…something about you. You're so different from Kruse or Elma. You've only been here for a few days but I can't imagine the barracks without you."

Jaynix swallowed her treat and smiled again "That's…that's very sweet Lin…thank you."

Lin returned the smile before skipping ahead. Leaving Jaynix to cast her eyes down at the ground, lost in deep thought.

Lin, unaware of the trepidation on Jaynix's face continued speaking "Anyway, this place we're headed to is gonna blow you away. The taste is indescribable!"

At that moment another voice rang out.

"Taste? Taste!? What taste! Tora want taste!"

The pair came to a halt and turned as a Nopon hopped onto a table they were passing by and stared at the two of them.

"Meh Meh! What's this? I heard taste but there no food here! What friends talking about?"

Crossing her arms, Jaynix grinned "If it isn't Tora. What brings you here? Besides food?"

Tora looked over to Jaynix, a bit of confusion in his face before he jumped into the air "New friend! It's new friend!"

"Yeah. It's me. New friend, good to see you, Tora."

Tora narrowed his eyes "Why is it? What you planning?"

Jaynix chuckled and shook her head "Not planning anything I just want to know how you've been. I promise you that isn't some sneaky question trying to get at your business or anything. I'm just curious."

Tora watched Jaynix a bit before speaking "Not much. Tora entertaining business prospects. Beginning ventures that will soon expand all of Mira."

"Beginning?"

"Oh right!"

Jaynix looked over to Lin who continued "Tora just got his special coin about a month or so ago. So he's only just been allowed to act as a Nopon Merchant. That makes him the newest member of their little business 'game'."

Jaynix smirked "I see. Well, here's hoping it all works out for you Tora."

Tora smiled "It will! Tora is littlepon of famous Nopon Merchants! They amazing so Tora work hard as Tora can to be an even better Merchant! Tora be legend!"

"I really do like your fire Tora. Keep that attitude up and you'll get what you want in no time…or rather…it'll take a long time but you'll get there."

Tora began hopping up and down "New friend Jaynix believe in Tora! Tora not let down new friend! Oh! Tora not hungry anymore…Tora want to get back to business! Tora want to work! Thank you Jaynix!"

The Nopon hopped off the table and began on his way only to come to a stop and look back at Jaynix "And thank you for donut."

With that he ran off, leaving Jaynix with a smile as Lin crossed her arms.

"That's interesting. I don't think I've ever seen Tora act that way around anyone."

"Really?"

Lin nodded "Yeah. It's pretty clear you bonded with him at least a bit."

Jaynix chuckled "I'll take your word for it. It's still a bit hard to tell with these tiny stingy businessmen."

Lin laughed "I imagine so but aside from Mia, Tora never talks to anyone that way and definitely doesn't express such genuine gratitude."

"Mia?"

"Yeah. She helped Tora get his coin and gave him the strength to meet with his parents. The pair share a bond in that way…strongly connected to their family."

Jaynix thought back to Mia who she met on the Ma-non ship as Lin continued "It was one of Mia's first big missions after becoming a BLADE and of course, she took it on with Kruse, or Chief as she calls him. Kruse stood back for most of the mission letting Mia run the show. He only stepped in when it came to blows. To say he was proud of her after the mission was done would be a huge understatement."

"Just like Tai and…"

Jaynix covered her mouth.

Lin gave Jaynix an odd look "Tai? Who's that?"

"Tai? I didn't say Tai. You okay Lin?"

Tapping the side of her head, Lin shrugged "Yeah but maybe I just misheard you. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Now, can we get to the eating?"

Smiling, Lin nodded before leading Jaynix the rest of the way to a small restaurant. It didn't look too different from any of the other spots around the Commercial District but almost every seat outside of the restaurant was taken by a fine mix of humans and Xenos, all enjoying their meals. Jaynix could see through one of the windows that the inside may as well be the same.

She let out a long whistle "Popular place."

Lin herself was looking around the seats before spotting the perfect place. "Go sit over there."

Jaynix followed where Lin was pointing, it was a table and there was already someone sitting at it.

"Is that…"

"Yep. She's a Wrothian. I expected there'd be a few here so why don't you go and have a nice chat with her over your meal."

Jaynix looked back at Lin.

"Will you be fine on your own?"

Lin giggled "Irina gave you the full story about what went down with the Lifehold right? I was there. I'll be fine."

Jaynix nodded "Of course."

Lin turned to leave before snapping her fingers "Wait! I almost forgot. When the waitress comes over, tell her that this is your first visit."

Jaynix raised an eyebrow as Lin smiled "Trust me!"

Shrugging, Jaynix walked away from Lin and towards the Wrothian.

"Hey!"

The Wrothian looked to her "Oh. Hello."

"Probably odd seeing as I'm a stranger and al but…mind if I sit?"

The Wrothian shook her head "Not at all."

Jaynix sat down and smiled to her new acquaintance "Hiya! I'm Jaynix, Corporal Jaynix."

One of the Wrothian's…very round ears twitched. "Corporal? That is a military position, yes?"

Jaynix nodded, the Wrothian smiled "So you've done extensive training? You are a warrior?"

Jaynix crossed her arms, looking very confident as she spoke "My Unit was made of the best of the best and I was one of their top gals so yeah. I'm a pretty great warrior."

The Wrothian clapped her hands "Excellent! Ah. Forgive me, my name is Gu Ladha. This meeting between us has to have greater meaning! It must!"

Jaynix tilted her head "How so?"

Gu Ladha began to speak only to catch herself and stare closely at Jaynix. Narrowing her eyes she waited and watched.

"Uh…not that I don't mind the attention but…what are you doing?"

"Waiting."

"For?"

Gu Ladha remained silent as the waitress came over "Ah! Gu Ladha, back again. More thinking food?"

The Wrothian smiled to the waitress "Yes. Thank you. Same as ever."

Turning to Jaynix the waitress asked for her order, following Lin's directions Jaynix spoke "This is actually my first time here."

Jaynix watched as the waitress became very VERY excited. With that she took off very quickly.

"First time eh? Where have you been? This restaurant has been active and popular for a while."

Jaynix shrugged "I just got into town a few days back. You are actually the first Wrothian I've ever spoken to."

Gu Ladha seemed to realize something, shaking her head "That explains it."

"Explains…what?"

Gu Ladha gestured to her ears "You've not said a word about my ears. Nothing."

"Was I supposed to? I mean…they're cute but…am I missing something?"

Gu Ladha chuckled "Thank goodness for a normal interaction for once. You see, I spent most of my life being taunted and mocked for my rather adorable ears. None of my fellow Wrothian warriors took me seriously as a fighter because of them…I became quite recluse."

Jaynix nodded "Ah. So even within alien species those kinds of thing happen."

"Did something like this happen to you?"

Jaynix gestured to herself "Not to toot my own horn but…I think myself as very attractive to say the least."

Jaynix watched Gu Ladha's eyes move across her body "Where you…mocked for your appearance?"

"Me? Not really mocked for looking good but more people insisted I do anything else but pursue a military career. Not many people thought I could be a good fighter cause I looked like a model. I put every one of them, man or woman in their place believe me."

Gu Ladha chuckled "I'd believe. You look strong. Very strong."

"I am. So your problems with people mocking you. I totally get it, but you don't seem quite so recluse now. You got a repertoire with the waitress from what I see."

Gu Ladha nodded "Yes. Thanks to-"

"Kruse."

"Hm? Yes. Kruse. How did you know?"

Jaynix shook her head "I've been all over this damn city these last two days. I've met a lot of Xenoforms and just about every single one has been aided by Kruse in one way or another. I don't think anyone in this town hates that guy."

Gu Ladha laughed "Yes. I see how that could make this seem obvious if not a little repetitive but to your last point. I learned recently that that wasn't true."

Jaynix was surprised to hear this "Someone out there isn't fond of Short Stuff?"

Gu Ladha waited a few moments before asking "You mean Kruse?"

"Yeah. Sorry…so, who doesn't like him?"

Gu Ladha cleared her throat "Well, one day, Kruse and I were returning to town through the Industrial District's gate and there was a man who called out to him. I could read it in his body language that he wasn't fond of Kruse at all. I asked Kruse about it later, the man is named Tobias and Kruse beat him at a sort of game they had going twice as well as showing him up later in Cauldros. I suppose Tobias has never gotten over it, at least not completely."

Jaynix tilted her head "So weird to hear someone doesn't like Kruse…I've not been around him long but he's freakishly nice. So, how'd he help you? I assume it was a confidence thing, helping you not be so recluse, yeah?"

Gu Ladha smiled "That and so much more. He actually trained me. We sparred and through our battles I became so much more aware of my faults and deficiencies. Since then I've worked harder than ever to grow stronger. I've fought him several times but he puts me down every time."

"Not surprised. I've yet to fight him but I can feel it in the air around him. He's no joke."

She thought back to when Kruse pushed her away from Erio. She felt the pressure in his hand and heard the strength in his voice. It was a brief moment but she knew that just because Kruse was an obscenely kind man, he was still an accomplished warrior.

"I finally begged Kruse to help me understand why I could not topple him. He asked me how I trained and then explained how he trains. Sparring with Elma every chance he gets, the woman who has Ga Buidhe's favor. It's no wonder I could never beat him."

Jaynix tilted her head "Ga Buidhe?"

Gu Ladha nodded "Yes. Ga Buidhe. She is the adjunct to our Prince. She is also one of the most skilled warriors on this entire planet, yet even she speaks wonders of Elma's ability in battle and she personally trained Kruse."

"Shit, he got training from one of the best fighters on this rock? Damn. Now I really want to spar with him. This Ga Buidhe chick sounds pretty awesome."

Gu Ladha chuckled "Not the words I'd use for her but yes…this may be premature but I do believe you two have a lot in common. You seem accomplished, strong, confident and proud. Ga Buidhe has all these qualities complete with an undying loyalty to Prince Jiarg."

Jaynix flexed "Glad I gave you that impression! And now I'm very interested in meeting this Ga Buidhe. Think that would pan out?"

Gu Ladha prepared to say something else only to hear a low growl. Bringing a hand to her stomach she apologized "I'm just…very hungry."

Jaynix laughed "No need to apologize. I totally understand. This is taking a bit."

"Yes but it is worth it. The taste is incomparable."

Upon saying those words, the waitress returned. After placing two bowls of curry on the table she moved next to Gu Ladha and waited. Jaynix looked at the two of them, noting that they were watching her as if they were waiting for something. She then noticed that Lin was also watching from where she was sitting, giving Jaynix a thumbs up.

Shrugging Jaynix looked down at her bowl of curry and grabbed a spoon.

"If I die. I'm going to kill all of you."

She heard Gu Ladha chuckle as she took up a spoonful of curry and brought it to her mouth. As soon as she tasted it, her eyes widened. Swallowing it she looked back up at Gu Ladha and the waitress.

"Holy shit! This…HOLY SHIT!"

The waitress began laughing "I always like seeing first timers. Please enjoy."

She walked away as Gu Ladha crossed her arms and nodded "Ni Zain does it again."

From her own table Lin clapped her hands and called out "Enjoy it Jaynix!"

Shaking her head the Corporal spoke up "Y'know. You all would've looked completely ridiculous if I hated it."

Gu Ladha smiled "Maybe so, but it's hard to take you seriously when you scoop spoonful after spoonful into your mouth between words."

Jaynix said something that Gu Ladha could not make out amongst the rapid curry eating. Laughing she began eating from her own bowl.

With more than half gone, Jaynix took a deep breath "That is incredible. Really fuckin' incredible."

"It is. Many people have tried to figure out how he does it. Ni Zain insists it's in the ingredients, all found here on planet Mira as opposed to coming from the IPP."

"IPP…the Integrated Production Plant?" She thought back to Kruse explaining how the installation worked only to realize she could only recall bits and pieces of the talk.

"Yes. Of course we can't discount the chef's own skill. Apparently he was quite the natural. Seeing as you are a first timer, chances are he'll come out to meet you."

Jaynix continued eating like a rabid animal, Gu Ladha chuckling as she ate from her own bowl. Finishing with her meal at an astounding pace, Jaynix tapped her stomach, enjoying the burn she felt from the curry.

"That is SO good. I need to come back here…I don't know, a lot!"

Letting out a long sigh of relief she looked over to Gu Ladha "If you don't mind me asking. When we started talking and I told you that I was a Corporal…you seemed to want to ask me something. Lots of stuff got in the way so maybe you forgot but…what was it?"

Gu Ladha took one more spoonful before sighing "It's like I said, I felt that our meeting has to mean something. Kruse told me that he grew so strong and continues to grow stronger because of his training with Elma, Ga Buidhe and Prince Jiarg. So I've been seeking a strong teacher of my own. I've been thinking about this as hard as I can, who could I turn to? Who could train me to stand up to Kruse? And finally you come, sit with me, talk to me…I was immediately able to see and feel strength in your words…I felt that the answer had finally become clear. So, Corporal Jaynix if it isn't too much to ask I'd like you to be my teacher."

Jaynix rubbed the back of her head "Shit. That's…wow…sure I had people to whom I was their superior. I lead raids and operations on orders from my own superiors but I've never trained someone on my own. I've never had a student, never expected that I would, especially not a Xenoform."

Gu Ladha smiled "So…will you do it?"

Jaynix nodded "Absolutely!"

Gu Ladha clapped her hands "Excellent! You have no idea how excited I am!"

"Same here, believe me! But if I'm going to be training you to fight Kruse that means we're going to be doing A LOT of work…I'm gonna need to trick Short Stuff into sparring with me so I can get a feel for his strength and skill but after that the two of us are gonna spend a lot of quality time together."

"Thank you, Corporal Jaynix."

Jaynix smirked "Don't mention it!"

"Greetings!"

The pair turned to another Wrothian "Oh! Gu Ladha, good to see you again! Enjoy the meal?"

"As always, Ni Zain."

Jaynix brought a hand to her chin "You must be the chef, correct?"

"I am. My name is Ni Zain and you must be the first timer."

"Jaynix."

"Jaynix. So Jaynix, what did you think?"

Jaynix shrugged "I don't have the words to express how much I loved this. You do a kickass job Ni Zain!"

He bowed "Thank you! I had a grand teacher and a lot of help to get me to where I am."

"From the few scattered rumblings I assumed the Wrothians were nothing but a warrior race."

Ni Zain nodded "First and foremost the people of Wroth are strong, powerful warriors. But since arriving at Mira and meeting humans things have changed and some of us seek new ways of life. I will always have my sharp blade at my back but now I contribute in a new way. I can cook."

Jaynix smiled "And what does cooking feel like to you?"

He laughed "I'm not sure if there are enough words or enough time to tell you how much I love it. Such an odd thing…so calming…so fulfilling. If I get into it, I'll probably make no sense to you."

Gu Ladha chuckled "Believe me when I say, he makes no sense. All I gather from his words is that he likes it, beyond that it is a mystery."

"I get it."

Gu Ladha tilted her head "What?"

"I understand how he feels. Completely."

Ni Zain smiled "You cook?"

"I do. I'm actually really fuckin' good at it. The best chef in my unit if I do say so."

Gu Ladha crossed her arms "You don't say. I'm quite surprised. When did you have time to learn to cook?"

"I learned how to fight and how to cook almost hand in hand. My commander believed that knowing both would give one a great advantage in life and in combat and I agreed with him."

Ni Zain grinned "Sounds like a wise superior. You truly do understand where I'm coming from. We should cook something together someday. Just to see what we can do."

Jaynix gestured to her empty bowl "If you can make stuff this good then whatever we'd make together? That'd blow everyone away."

"Wait! I thought you said you'd be training me?"

Jaynix turned to Gu Ladha, before she could speak Ni Zain cut in "You train well enough on your own! I've never cooked with someone else before!"

"She told me she'd train me first! Get in line!"

"There is no line!"

Before the two could continue arguing, Jaynix whistled, pulling the Wrothians' attention back to her.

"I can do both y'know. Just let me put together a schedule and I'll let you two know when I can pop by for the training and the cooking."

The Wrothians rubbed the back of their heads and apologized before pulling out their comm devices.

"Wait. You guys have those too?"

Ni Zain looked up from his "Yes. BLADE HQ was kind enough to give these to almost every Xenoform in the city so that we could maintain contact with not only each other but with the others of our kind not in the city."

"The Nopon are the exception as they have their own. Though teaching most Prone how to use one is a bit of a nightmare." Gu Ladha commented as she forwarded her information to Jaynix.

Ni Zain chuckled "I imagine the many humans at BLADE HQ are working on a more simplified version of the device for the majority of the Prone. Make no mistake a few are sharper than others but…only a few."

Jaynix looked over the details on her screen before looking back to the pair, "Thanks, it was nice meeting you two."

They nodded to her as she realized something "SHIT!"

Ni Zain jumped "What is it?"

"I was supposed to learn about you guys as a people! All this talking and I still know hardly anything about the people of Wroth!"

Ni Zain let out a sigh of relief as Gu Ladha chuckled "As you say Jaynix. One can do both. Perhaps between sparring sessions I can fill you in on the history of our people."

"And while we wait for water to boil and the like, I can tell you of our culture." Ni Zain added with a smile.

Jaynix looked between the two of them and grinned "Sounds like a plan! Gu Ladha, Ni Zain. Thanks."

Ni Zain bowed to her "I must return to work now but it was a pleasure meeting you, Jaynix."

As he walked away, Jaynix and Gu Ladha stood, the latter stretching.

"I look forward to the training, Jaynix."

"Me too! Be warned though, I'm gonna work you over so hard."

Gu Ladha smirked "We'll see."

With that the Wrothian took off.

Jaynix let out a long breath before walking down the street, Lin joining her.

"This city. This planet…I don't know what to say."

She looked to Lin "I expected a lot of things after I woke up…but all of this? I never imagined anything like this."

"None of us did."

Jaynix thought to other things that plagued her mind, every time she met with someone, made a new friend and learned of new cultures, the thoughts were buried. After her first night spent on the floor writhing in pain, she'd expected it to continue worse than ever but now…maybe there was a chance for something better.

A chance for something more.

A chance at a new life, free of pain.