Noctis stared at his team as they were driven away from the site of the party. Despite their main person of interest being killed, the mission was a success. They retrieved information from another viable source and there were almost no casualties.
He looked across the faces of Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus. They all were pumped to the mission's success despite the tragic event that took place. Prompto grinned as he and Gladiolus counted their earnings for the evening. Ignis was on the phone with Tseng, relaying the information that they received.
But while he was happy that the team had done relatively well and had emerged unharmed, he couldn't help but feel a little off balance.
The reason for his discomfort? His partner's odd, cold behavior.
In the back of the car Jasmine elected to sit by herself and appeared to be lost in thought, clearly mulling over something. She hadn't said a word since the group had found each other and had been taken away from the site, something Noctis found troubling. Usually she would have divulged her information to them all straightaway but this time kept to herself completely.
"Something on your mind?" Noctis asked casually, looking over his shoulder to get a good view of her face.
Jasmine gave him nothing more than a vacant expression. "I always have something on my mind," she responded plainly.
Noctis, not satisfied with her reply but knowing full well that now was not the time to challenge her, decided to drop the subject and approach it again when they got back to their apartment. This was not the time to start an argument. Especially when the two of them were still on thin ice.
"When we get back," Noctis began cautiously, "maybe…we could go get dinner. I'm starving."
"Ven asked me to help him with something," Jasmine said apologetically. "But we could do something later on."
Noctis rolled his eyes but he made the mistake of not turning back around before doing so.
"Do you have a problem with me hanging out with Ven?" Jasmine asked, her tone clearly reflecting agitation.
"No," Noctis answered quickly, clearly not wanting to piss of his partner. "That's not it."
Jasmine simply stared at Noctis before she shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to the window on her left. It was clear that she wanted to drop the subject, indefinitely.
But still, there was something not quite natural about Jasmine's relationship with Ventus. Sure, they were good friends, but there was also something else there that Noctis couldn't place his hands on.
At least, not yet anyway.
Tifa gave a slight sigh as she approached the restaurant, watching Jasmine put away her pipe when she caught sight of her. Even though Tifa knew full well that Jasmine was a smoker, she still had a hard time accepting it. She understood Jasmine's reason for picking up the habit, but it was difficult to see it, especially considering how (in her younger years) Jasmine was very vocal about how much she despised smoking.
Once Tifa and Jasmine met, the godmother took her into her arms and pulled her down into a hug, which Jasmine returned with enthusiasm.
"How was your trip?" Tifa asked, leading Jasmine to the patio area of the restaurant. "Ven told me you got back yesterday."
Jasmine sighed as she sat down in her chair, turning her phone off as soon as she got settled in. "It went smoothly for the most part," she explained. "No one got hurt from our teams and we got what we needed."
Tifa knew by the controlled look on Jasmine's face that something else had transpired. However, knowing that the mission she went on was confidential, Tifa understood that she really couldn't ask her what happened. Still, the curiosity was killing her.
"I see," Tifa said slowly as she perused the menu. "Still, I'm glad you made it home safely."
Jasmine pulled her sunglasses off her face and used them to pin back her overgrown bangs. "Thanks. I am too."
"I'm probably never going to get used to you being away on missions," Tifa said distantly. She stole a glance at Jasmine, still unable to believe that her goddaughter was a 1st Class member of SOLDIER. But then again, when she thought about Jasmine's family history, it wasn't too hard to see how she got there.
"You know," Tifa began, "your mother never wanted you in SOLDIER."
With a casual shrug, Jasmine began scanning over the menu as well. "Oh I know. She's the first Valentine to NOT be involved with them. I think in part that's why she was so eager to marry my father – to have an excuse to NOT join."
Tifa set the menu down, pushed it aside and gave Jasmine a serious stare. "Could you blame her?" She whispered. "I think she wanted out of that life. Especially with the Valentines being involved with them from the beginning."
"Honestly?" Jasmine set her menu aside as well, having figured out what she wanted to order. "I understand her reasoning. Besides, I don't think she was built for this."
With a rueful smile, Tifa said, "Most people aren't. But I believe she wanted different for you - something a little less chaotic. So did your uncle…not that he thinks you're doing a bad job. You're doing extremely well. It's just that…" Tifa's voice trailed off distantly as she gave Jasmine a quick once over.
"I know," Jasmine said, almost as if she were reading Tifa's mind. "For the most part, the Valentines don't have the longest life expectancies. But it seems like we're supposed to end up here no matter what. I just hope that Tseng doesn't drive me insane."
Before Tifa could say anything more, she stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and her eyes widened in surprise before she smiled at the familiar silver-haired youth standing behind her.
"I hope you don't mind me butting in," Riku said casually, giving Tifa a hug when she stood up. "I saw you guys walk in and wanted to say hi."
After she released Riku from the hug, Tifa turned her attention to Jasmine who seemed to have almost no reaction whatsoever from Riku's presence. "It's always good to see you, Riku."
"Likewise," he replied warmly. Riku turned his attention to Jasmine and offered her a warm smile as well. "Hi, Jasmine. How are you?"
Calmly and casually, Jasmine took the ice off her stare and tried to look relaxed and unbothered. "I'm well, thanks. How are you doing?"
"I'm good," he answered.
Jasmine noticed the gym bag strapped to his back and then did a quick once-over of him. She had to admit, Riku looked just as attractive as ever. And, upon further examination of his well-developed arms and even stronger looking chest, she noticed that he'd gained a little more muscle since the last time she saw him. "You just came back from the gym I assume?"
Even to Riku, he knew that her question was more of a statement and he could feel her eyes on him, which – bizarrely – made him feel a tad nervous. "Yeah. Sora and I just came back from a session. He said he wanted to get a good workout in and needed a little help with…motivation."
Jasmine rolled her eyes, picturing Riku drag Sora from his bed all the way down to the gym. "Oh yeah…I can imagine him needing a lot of encouragement."
Riku chuckled. He'd heard from Naminé that Jasmine had just gotten back into town and was debating on whether to check in on her. He smiled, happy for this chance encounter, as brief as it was about to be.
"Well I've got to get going. I promised my mom that I would help with family dinner," Riku told the pair.
Jasmine lifted an eyebrow. "You're going to be cooking?"
Riku chuckled, completely understanding of why his statement sounded so bizarre. "I've actually started cooking for myself. Not that campus food is all that bad, but I figure that I should learn how to do things on my own."
Tifa and Jasmine gave each other approving stares with Jasmine giving Riku a nod. "I'm impressed. Maybe you're not the same, little, rich snot I met years ago," she added with a chuckle before taking another sip of her water.
"Glad you feel that way," Riku replied, casually rolling with Jasmine's joking, but sincere, compliment. "In any case, I'll see you guys later."
Tifa and Jasmine waved as Riku left the pair and went on his way, with the former giving her lunch date a wide-eyed grin.
"That was adorable," Tifa laughed as she scanned over her menu once more. "Almost like the good old days, don't you think?"
"Not really," Jasmine admitted casually. "I would've probably been a lot ruder back in high school. I think it's more of an improvement really."
Tifa nodded before she folded her menu, having decided what to order. Jasmine was right. Back in high school, she and Riku used to be at each other's throats. Now, even though there was still slight discomfort in the air whenever they were in the same room, they seemed to be rather cordial. Almost friends even…
"Do you think you'll ever be friends?" Tifa asked.
Jasmine finished off her iced tea and looked away. "Who knows? I don't make plans for the future anymore. If it happens, it happens. It's not something I'm opposed to anyway. Besides…I'd rather have friends over enemies. At this point I have too many of the latter."
While Tifa had to admit that there was a harshness to Jasmine's reply, she knew that she had every right to think and feel in the way that she did. She was part of SOLDIER now and the grim truth was that she was operating on borrowed time – especially in the field where she was working.
"Riku is bigger than he was when I saw him at Naminé's party," Jasmine said observantly. "I wonder what he's up to."
Tifa, slightly thrown by Jasmine's observation, laughed it off. "He's probably just really into working out. I think it centers him. Cloud and Zack work out all the time and they say it really helps."
"They're also active members of SOLDIER again," she replied quickly. "The two of them need to train." Upon noticing the slight shock on Tifa's face, Jasmine continued speaking, albeit with a less aggressive tone. "Tseng told me."
'Of course,' Tifa rolled her eyes mentally. Then again, with Jasmine's original background being in information, it made sense why and how she would know what Zack and Cloud were doing.
"I just worry about them, that's all," Jasmine admitted. "I wanted Sora, Kairi and the others to be okay. And I can't be there for them like I used to be. I don't know. I guess my friends and family are my weakness."
Tifa stared at Jasmine, saddened by the events over the years that led everyone down this path. But above everyone else, Tifa felt for Jasmine – who had undoubtedly suffered the most. Despite her feelings about the situation, Tifa put on a smile for Jasmine and reached for her god-daughter's hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
"Just don't forget that those people you care about, also care about you. You're not in this alone. Not anymore."
With a heavy sigh, Jasmine slipped her phone back into her pocket, staring at the elevator that led her to her and Noctis' apartment. She'd just gotten word that Noctis, Prompto and the others were going out for a "guy's night" and, in reality, she couldn't have been happier to hear that. After hanging out all day with her friends and family, all Jasmine wanted to do was spend time alone in her room or laid back in her bathtub while listening to music.
When Jasmine reached the door, she realized that the doorman was not there. Instantly, she went on the defense and reached into her purse, clutching the gun that her uncle had given her a long time ago.
She entered into the apartment, feeling an uncomfortable air in the room. As soon as she closed the door she dropped her purse, holding only the gun in her hand.
Once she heard a sharp breath she whipped around, pulled off the safety and aimed the gun in the direction of the sound. When she realized where, or rather who, the sound came from, her jaw clenched and she swore.
"You've got balls, Vanitas," Jasmine said with a tight jaw as she connected eyes with the SHINRA agent. "I give you that."
Vanitas, who had his hands up over his head, smirked. "Tell me something I don't know."
"What the hell are you doing here? You do realize that Noctis and I can shoot you on the spot right?"
Vanitas' smirk disappeared and he lowered his arms a bit. "I know that," he replied. "But that's something I'm willing to risk." Upon noticing the confusion on Jasmine's face, he continued. "We have to talk."
"About what?"
"About that night at the party," he continued. "There's something you need to know."
Author's Note: Thanks guys for sticking with this! I hope you liked this chapter. Onto the next one! I'm going to address all of the reviews in the next chapter (which I'm currently editing now). I appreciate all the kind words and emails you guys have sent me. It's been a really trying time and I'm glad to say that things seem to finally be clearing up!
Take care and see you soon!
