Hadrian sighed as he looked around the landscape. "Well, Mevia, in an unfortunate turn of events, it looks like we are indeed stuck in the land of chickens that are the size of zombies."
To punctuate his point, he ducked down rather violently as a huge fowl went flying over his head, clucking loudly.
"Yes, Hadrian, and it looks like we're just going to... have to... wing it," Mevia said loudly over the clucks of multiple, very large chickens, giving her cohort a nervous laugh, "get it? Wing it?"
Hadrian was silent for a moment, before he shot the cyan-haired woman a look. "You're fired, Mevia. You're fired."
About fifty feet away, Jesse watched the two Old Builders with Harper, standing just in front of the exit portal. Harper looked over at the spider hybrid, who looked far too amused. "You know we're going to have to take them out eventually so we can keep an eye on them, you know..."
Jesse was silent for a moment, before turning and walking through the portal. "We'll burn down that bridge when it comes to it."
Jesse sat in the dorms. The others needed to prepare some things before they could send the people who wanted to go home home, and before they themselves would go home. Which meant that Soren, Isa, Harper and Otto would be having a conference. Which the other non-Old-Builders were not invited to.
A little pink head wriggled in under Jesse's crossed arms, and Jesse started for a moment before relaxing upon realizing who it was. "Hi, Reuben."
The little pink pig hybrid beamed at Jesse, snuggling into her arms again. "Hi, Jesse."
The two of them sat there, Jesse's arms gently wrapped around him as the two of them sat in a makeshift nest of blankets on the floor. And then Reuben started speaking. "This is probably a little obvious by now, but I remember stuff from my last life."
Jesse rolled her eyes and gave the little pig hybrid's pink hair a vigorous ruffle. "No, ya think, kiddo?"
Reuben giggled like the little child he now was, before looking up at Jesse, his pale brown eyes going more somber. "You know, you apologized to me back with the Witherstorm."
Jesse took a minute to process that- and then her heart sank. "Oh." A short silence. "Right."
Reuben snuggled into Jesse's chest again, his pig ears flopping against her neck. Automatically, Jesse's upper arms reached up and fondled his ears, tousling a bit of his pink hair in her fingers as well. "It's not your fault," Reuben said after a couple minutes.
Jesse's fingers paused, and she tilted her head so she could see the pig hybrid's face. "What?"
"It's not your fault, Jesse," Reuben repeated, lifting his face up so he could look at the spider hybrid, "it's the 'Storm's fault."
"But- but, I let you go-"
"Right, because the Witherstorm decided I was a lovely thing to play Tug-of-War with," Reuben reminded her calmly, and how could he be so calm, how could her little Reuben be so calm and matter of fact about talking about his own death?
Why was it that a nine-or-ten-year-old-child was more mature than Jesse?
He'd always been an intelligent little one...
Reuben butted his head into her chest, making her realize that she'd been sitting utterly still for a minute or so now. "Hey-y, I still exist," he teased, pouting a bit playfully at Jesse.
Jesse chuckled and ruffled a hand through his hair, making him giggle again, "Yes. Yes you do." And she meant to say it jokingly, but suddenly her throat caught and she drew the little pig hybrid into a warm hug, nose buried in the crook of his neck and wet eyes hidden in his pink hair, fingers fondling his pink hair.
Reuben stayed there, his own arms going around Jesse in a tight hug of his own, not complaining when she hugged him too tightly for it to be normal.
Jesse emerged from the dormitory a minute later- and crashed into someone. Rebounding, her lower arms flicked out and caught her in an awkward crab-walk position, upper arms still wrapped around Reuben.
Aiden was rubbing his nose from where her forehead had collided with it, but a sheepish look crossed his face as he realized who he'd just literally run into. "Oh. Hi, Jesse."
"Hi," Jesse said, flipping herself back upright, Reuben still snuggled in her grip snugly, "What's up?"
Aiden rubbed the back of his head, an awkward look on his face. "Oh. Um... nothing."
Jesse arched her eyebrow, one of her lower hands going on her hips as Reuben sat in Jesse's grip serenely. "That's a pretty loaded face for 'nothing'," she said, teasingly.
Aiden winced again, and looked at the ceiling as if it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. "Oh, right, um, well... why did you save me?"
"'Scuse me?"
Aiden's face went bright red; he looked rather mortified by now. "Um.. back on Sky City, when I tried to..." Cue clearing of the throat. "You know." Another clearing of the throat. "Kill you."
Reuben bolted upright in Jesse's arms, almost making the spider hybrid drop the pig-hybrid on the floor. "Oh! Oh right. Well..." Jesse blinked, thinking about it. "Well... I have a tendency to feel bad for someone who's trying to kill me." She tilted her head at him for a moment. "... I guess I didn't think you're that bad."
"Oh." Aiden looked at his feet, his cheeks a rather bright shade of red. "Well... thank you."
"No problem. Is that all you needed?" Jesse asked, readjusting Reuben.
"No, actually I wanted to know, where's Cassie?" His face seemed to go a little pinker as he asked.
Jesse blinked.
Aiden and... Cassie?
Huh.
"Um, I think she went to the dorm down the hall? I'm heading that way, actually, wanna come with me?" And she smiled at Aiden.
"Sure," Aiden said, crossing his arms and looking away awkwardly.
Jesse refrained from singing 'Aiden and Cassie, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G' because she was a mature, responsible almost young-adult.
Sort of.
A/N: Lol xD I hope you guys like this both slightly touching (not very) and very humorous chapter
ShadowWind: I don't think you'd like it if you were on the receiving end xD
NoItsBecky: Oh xD
angelwings: Lol
RapidSammi: (falls over from hugs)
Idon'tlikecheese: Yep! And thanks!
x.X. A.L. X.x.
