Chapter 13 - Choices
Ryne awoke in a bed that was too cushy. As the world around him came into focus he could see where he was. He was in one of the royal guestrooms. his in fact. His family had visited the Royal Family so often that King Enrique had given them their own rooms. As Ryne looked around he could see that it hadn't been touched since he'd stayed there not but a few months ago, when his whole family had come to celebrate the Festival of The Moons with Moegi, her husband, and their children.
A pang of hurt stabbed into his heart like an icy blade as he pushed himself up and looked to the foot of the bed and saw a picture of his family. Ryne wanted to cry. He really did. But the tears wouldn't flow. He just fell back down, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He didn't know how long he lay there like that, but in a seemingly short time a knock was heard from the other side of the door and a moderately tall blonde haired and close-cut bearded man with stunning blue eyes opened the door quietly, gracefully, and stepped into the room, his regal cloak trailing behind him with a gentle whooshing sound. He gave a weak smile at the sight of Ryne.
"Ah. I see our honored guest has awakened."
"Hello Uncle Enrique." Ryne said, sitting up and forcing a smile on his face. The King of Valua wore a genuine look or relief as he sat on the edge of the bed and gathered the young man into his arms.
"Thank the Moons." He said softly. "When I heard your family was missing I feared the worst. I'd almost given up all hope."
"Don't give up on us yet." Ryne said, the familial love he was feeling strengthening his spirit. "We're fighters."
"I know, Son. I know."
Ryne sat there for a while, feeling much like the little kid he had been the last time he'd let anyone hold him like this. He had been twelve years old and the little huskra that he had grown up with finally died of old age in his sleep. He could still remember his mother's soothing words as they held a small funeral for Pow. His little memorial was still on Crescent Isle.
He remembered the last time his mother had tried to comfort him like this. He'd been fifteen, and training to become a crewmember, an honor he wouldn't get until he was sixteen. His sparring partner had taken a cheap shot with his blade, cutting deep into his shoulder. Fighting tears, he ran home for first aid. It was a deep gash that required stitches and he remembered breaking down and crying when his mother had wordlessly taken off her belt and told him to bite down. She'd tried to comfort him, to hug him, but he pushed her away. "I'm going to be a man soon." he'd said, drying his own tears, "Don't baby me anymore."
He felt so old now. Like life between childhood and adulthood was no longer an option. He'd grown up. In this realization he pushed himself away from the man he'd grown up knowing as "uncle". His eyes were dry.
"I'm not that kid anymore Enrique." He said, standing up and scratching the back of his neck. The king just looked at him, his bright blue eyes proud.
"I know. You've become quite a man in such a short amount of time. I wish your father were here to see it. He'd be proud."
Ryne smiled. "He'll be proud yet. just you wait and see."
********************************************
The wind was harsh, blowing away the tears as quickly as they left the face of the ten year old girl. She watched as her brother struggled to steer the dying life raft, his face somehow changed. older somehow. Finally, he slumped against the side of the raft, his arms hanging limp at his sides. She tried to say something, but the only thing her mouth could form were quivers of the lip as she sat in the front of the small boat. Her parents were dead. her and her brother were stranded in the ocean. and their raft was sputtering, dying. She did what any scared ten year old girl would do. She crawled over to her brother.
He already looked dead. His eyes had a hollow, empty look to them. She buried her face into his chest, wrapping her small arms around his body. She felt it was her brother, alive after all, wrapped his arms around her.
"They're dead." she said softly, wetting his chest with her tears. He only held her tighter.
"But I'm not." He said fiercely, "And I promise I'm not going anywhere.."
*****************************************
"Liar." Jay spat, her voice full of venom that she really didn't mean.
She was perched on the edge of her bed, looking into her own reflection. She wanted to see the older, grown up Jaycera, the one who had her wits about her. But she kept seeing a curly headed little girl, her eyes wearing that same hollow deadness that she'd seen in her brother six years ago as they waited for their death on that dying life raft. and she hated it.
What happened to that strong, self sufficient woman that she'd become because of her stolen childhood. She'd had to deal with death before. why was this one any different?
Because he's all you had left.
Jaycera shook these thoughts from her head. Thoughts like these would only dredge her down. She had to find her strength. Back then it had been Leos, but now her was gone. dead. But who did he have? What kept him going?
Hope.
He'd had hopes for her, of the woman she'd become. Now she had to do the same thing. Hope for the best. the best in her. She was the only person who could determine who she would be. And she chose to be Jaycera. the woman. She chose to shove her emotion aside and not let it rule her. What were emotions anyway?
Not even she believed herself.
*********************************************
Leos could only remember falling, dimly accepting the fate he'd condemned himself to. He and Gideon had fallen through the clouds together, neither struggling. Gideon was reeling with his defeat, Leos was praying to the moons, not really expecting anything. The moons had never come to his aid before. why should they now?
Tylen on the other hand, had a different plan. With all the power he had left he began to morph, expanding and covering the two men. In a last, dying effort he'd managed to form his ion engines his life energy draining away with every second he kept them firing. As they escaped the atmosphere of Arcadia he gathered all that was left in him and fired one last burst, sending them on a crash coarse for the Silver moon, his corpse hardening into a protective shell around them.
**************************************************
Ryne was pacing now. He didn't know how long he'd been recounting his story to King Enrique, but he didn't think he'd ever talked this much in his entire life. His uncle just listened intently most of the time, sometimes asking questions to gather more detail. He told him of his initial abandonment, his rescue, of finding Pirate's Isle destroyed, the crash into the Ixa'Takan wilds, and of Jerusha Strong. At the mention of this name Enrique chuckled.
"Ah. Jerusha Strong."
"You know him?" Ryne asked, his interest piqued.
"Oh yes, I know him." He said, standing up and folding his arms behind his waist. "He's raided Valua many times. Years ago when you were a child he was one of the most feared Black Pirates in the skies."
Ryne scrunched his eyebrows. "What happened? He seemed like a nice enough guy to me."
"Well, after about five years of raiding, we finally caught hold of him. After about a week of ranting and raving in his cell I went down to try a make a deal with him. He didn't even let me speak, just kept on cussing and yelling. As I was about to leave he challenged me to 'stop and fight like a man.' So I did. Oh, by the way, does he still walk with a limp?"
"Yeah."
Enrique grinned boyishly. "After that I let him go and he never gave me any more trouble."
"And you let him start a legitimate trade and you both lived happily ever after?"
The man shrugged. "The ice thing was a pretty god idea so I let him run with it."
Ryne smiled, clicked his tongue, and shook his head - smiling. "Well, we hitched a ride with him and then I find myself waking up in my nice Valuan room." Ryne stopped for a moment and chewed something over in his head. "Speaking of which, how did I get here?"
Enrique pulled a chair out from under the desk that had been in the corner of the room, sitting down in it backwards and resting his chin on his hands which were folded on the back. His mood had darkened considerably, which worried Ryne. After thinking a moment, he spoke again.
"We found you at about fifteen minutes after midnight. The guards heard some loud noises so they investigated. They told e they found you lying unconscious on the ground with a small, pretty girl sitting up against the wall of the palace staring vacantly off into space and another unconscious body of a young blonde woman whose body was lying against the wall some ten feet from a large crater. They recognized you immediately and brought you inside."
Ryne's sense of growing dread grew as a question formed in his mind. "What about Leos?"
"Leos?"
"Yeah, a tall guy with dark hair. Should have caused some kind of ruckus."
Enrique was silent for a moment, then spoke in soft consoling tones.
"I'm sorry. all we found were the girls and you."
Ryne sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself with a technique his mother had taught him long ago that he thought he'd forgotten long ago. Finally he calmed himself enough to speak again.
"What happened?"
Enrique scratched at his beard, looking at a loss. "We're not sure exactly. There was some kind of struggle, that much is obvious but no one saw what happened. except the girl and she hasn't said a word to anyone since we brought her in."
Jaycera.
***************************************
Jay shuffled through the closet. She had to keep herself busy or else she was going to lose her mind. She had taken a small venture out into the hallway, but turned back when she saw that everything looked the same in both directions. The clock on the wall said that it was almost noon meaning that she'd only been here about twelve hours. Those twelve hours however had seemed like an eternity. Her only sleep had come fitfully and full of nightmares and she didn't want to return to them.
Finally, she found something of interest. It was a jet black and crimson outfit consisting of a tank top, pants, and boots. She found a loose leather jacket that matched them, and looking inside it saw a strange wraith-like symbol which chilled and thrilled her at the same time. She also found what looked like a fencing mask, but quickly discarded it distastefully.
Grabbing her bundle she went into the adjoining bathroom, took a quick shower, and dressed in the outfit finding it to fit her nicely. The pants were a little long, but she just tucked them into the dark boots. As she was gathering her hair up into a messy bun, leaving two long bangs free, she heard a soft knock at her door. Looking over at the clock again and noting that it was now one o'clock, she figured it was one of the servants again, bringing her some lunch. She was surprised to see a grim faced Ryne behind it, a blonde, regal looking man behind him. The older man patted him on the back and walked off.
Jay looked at Ryne for a moment. Something was different about him. His appearance was ragged, his clothes were filthy, his white hair was unkempt, and he looked as if he hadn't showered in days. which he probably hadn't. But something about him seemed older. Maybe it was the short growth of teenager's beard which had somehow crept onto his face. Maybe it was his musky scent which reminded her so much of her father after coming home after being on a ship for weeks. Maybe it was in the way he just stood there and studied her, his eyes filled with a new understanding.
He was the first to move, gathering her into his arms and just hugging her tightly. She returned the gesture, though there was really no feeling in it. He seemed to notice this small shift in her and pulled back, looking at her as if for the first time.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his hands on her shoulders, his eyes boring straight into hers. Jay shrugged.
"Yeah, I'll be okay."
She could see in his eyes how much that careless statement hurt him. But she didn't care. Why care? Caring makes you weak. Caring gets you hurt. Caring gets you attached. only to have those things ripped away from you. Coldly, she shrugged his hands off of her shoulders and walked over to where her pack laid.
"How. did it happen?" Ryne asked as she started to sort through her things, throwing out things that were worn beyond repair and replacing them with whatever she found in the closet.
"It was after you passed out. again." She said her voice dripping with venom. "Some thing came out of nowhere and attacked us. He saved us. Tackled it over the edge."
". Are you going to be okay?..."
"I already told you I'm going to be fine! Now buzz off will you." She said, throwing her full pack over he shoulder and walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Ryne asked, blocking the door with his body.
"I'm going to find my life on my own." She replied coolly.
"But. why?"
Jay threw down her pack, a loud thud resounding into the hallway that she was trying to get into. "Because every since I met you you've brought nothing but complications into my life! Because thanks to you I've lost my ship, the only family I had left, and my life! Thanks to you I have no where to go and no one to turn to."
"But. I thought." Ryne stammered, searching for words he wanted to say, up coming up short. Jay smiled - a look that shot ice.
"Thought what Ryne?" She asked, taking joy in her defiance. "That I had feelings for you?"
"Well. yeah."
Jay picked up her clothes satchel.
"Feelings are for the weak. You get attached to something and it's stolen from you." She pushed her way through Ryne's arms and started walking down the hallway. "Learn this now before you get hurt."
************************************************
The first thing Leos realized was that he wasn't dead. The next thing was that he wasn't falling either. After a little while he'd pretty much come to find that he could move each appendage and each digit on each appendage as well. When he'd gotten around to opening his eyes, he found that he had to shut then again, the absolute brightness seeming to burn his eyes. Finally, slowly this time, he opened his eyes, and found that the world around him seemed distorted and suddenly realized that he was floating in some kind of thick clear liquid. and that he was totally naked. Even that wouldn't have been so bad if the next thing he noticed hadn't been a young white-haired woman, sitting at a bright white console, looking up him with her deep blue eyes brimming with. what was that?... reverence?
He couldn't hear anything through the liquid he was suspended in, but he could see that she was talking seemingly to herself. After a moment another figure entered the room, his dark hair and clothes contrasting sharply with the whiteness of the room. It was almost a relief. He stopped by the console the young woman was sitting at, never taking his eyes off of Leos, talking at her but not to her. He saw her nodding and twisting a few dials he couldn't see, then he heard a sucking noise, and he felt his body lowering to the bottom of the glass cylinder he was suspended in. Eventually he was standing on his own two feet, ripping off the air mask, and trying in vain to cover himself.
This seemed to amuse the dark-haired man, who walked up to the cylinder and pushed a few buttons, opening a small shelf and making a hole appear in the tube. Leos stepped out and the man threw him a soft robe, which he quickly wrapped around himself, tying the belt around his waist loosely. The man handed him a towel and Leos dried his hair, which had grown considerably longer than he remembered it being, along with a full beard which now adorned his face.
"Where am I?" He asked, rubbing the muscles of his shouldered which were screaming at him.
"Welcome, honored brother, to the Sylvias complex." Dark-Hair said, opening his arms wide as if he were going to hug him or something.
"Honored brother? Sylvias complex? What the heck are you taking about?"
The man grinned. The look seemed alien on his face.
"Come. You shall see in time."
*******************************************
Ryne sat at Celeste's bedside. Apparently she'd been in a coma since they'd gotten here, but Ryne didn't really know the story behind it. He wanted to ask Jay, but she was gone. She hadn't been bluffing. Enrique had offered to send some shadow guard to watch after her, but Ryne had declined the offer. He didn't want to mess with her life anymore. He'd already caused enough damage. So he let her go, though he regretted it now. His heart ached for the companionship she'd provided, romantic interest or not. Now the only part of the group he had left was in a coma. And he didn't even like her that well, let alone get to know her.
Ryne sighed and stood up. He wasn't going to do anything here but sulk himself to death. He walked slowly back to his room, lost in the absence of thought. The only thing he wanted right now was a nice hot bath.
********************************************
Jay walked the streets of Valua. She'd only been gone from the palace a few hours but she was already beginning to worry about finding shelter. She could feel a storm coming and Valua was famous for the ferocity of their rain. She checked in inn after inn, none of the willing to give her a tab to work off. Then the rain started. Cold, Wet, and miserable, Jaycera began to hike back to the palace. It was the only place she could think of to go. She dreaded seeing Ryne there, but she knew it was probably inevitable.
She really did have feelings for Ryne. But the way things were looking neither one of them might last long, and she didn't want to fall in love and then leave him to be crushed by her death. She convinced herself that she'd had his best interests at heart when she'd lashed out at him like that. But part of the plan had been to leave, to get out of his life and now here she was walking right back in.
"That's alright." She said softly to herself. "I'm not going to let him get attached. I won't let it happen."
Ryne awoke in a bed that was too cushy. As the world around him came into focus he could see where he was. He was in one of the royal guestrooms. his in fact. His family had visited the Royal Family so often that King Enrique had given them their own rooms. As Ryne looked around he could see that it hadn't been touched since he'd stayed there not but a few months ago, when his whole family had come to celebrate the Festival of The Moons with Moegi, her husband, and their children.
A pang of hurt stabbed into his heart like an icy blade as he pushed himself up and looked to the foot of the bed and saw a picture of his family. Ryne wanted to cry. He really did. But the tears wouldn't flow. He just fell back down, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He didn't know how long he lay there like that, but in a seemingly short time a knock was heard from the other side of the door and a moderately tall blonde haired and close-cut bearded man with stunning blue eyes opened the door quietly, gracefully, and stepped into the room, his regal cloak trailing behind him with a gentle whooshing sound. He gave a weak smile at the sight of Ryne.
"Ah. I see our honored guest has awakened."
"Hello Uncle Enrique." Ryne said, sitting up and forcing a smile on his face. The King of Valua wore a genuine look or relief as he sat on the edge of the bed and gathered the young man into his arms.
"Thank the Moons." He said softly. "When I heard your family was missing I feared the worst. I'd almost given up all hope."
"Don't give up on us yet." Ryne said, the familial love he was feeling strengthening his spirit. "We're fighters."
"I know, Son. I know."
Ryne sat there for a while, feeling much like the little kid he had been the last time he'd let anyone hold him like this. He had been twelve years old and the little huskra that he had grown up with finally died of old age in his sleep. He could still remember his mother's soothing words as they held a small funeral for Pow. His little memorial was still on Crescent Isle.
He remembered the last time his mother had tried to comfort him like this. He'd been fifteen, and training to become a crewmember, an honor he wouldn't get until he was sixteen. His sparring partner had taken a cheap shot with his blade, cutting deep into his shoulder. Fighting tears, he ran home for first aid. It was a deep gash that required stitches and he remembered breaking down and crying when his mother had wordlessly taken off her belt and told him to bite down. She'd tried to comfort him, to hug him, but he pushed her away. "I'm going to be a man soon." he'd said, drying his own tears, "Don't baby me anymore."
He felt so old now. Like life between childhood and adulthood was no longer an option. He'd grown up. In this realization he pushed himself away from the man he'd grown up knowing as "uncle". His eyes were dry.
"I'm not that kid anymore Enrique." He said, standing up and scratching the back of his neck. The king just looked at him, his bright blue eyes proud.
"I know. You've become quite a man in such a short amount of time. I wish your father were here to see it. He'd be proud."
Ryne smiled. "He'll be proud yet. just you wait and see."
********************************************
The wind was harsh, blowing away the tears as quickly as they left the face of the ten year old girl. She watched as her brother struggled to steer the dying life raft, his face somehow changed. older somehow. Finally, he slumped against the side of the raft, his arms hanging limp at his sides. She tried to say something, but the only thing her mouth could form were quivers of the lip as she sat in the front of the small boat. Her parents were dead. her and her brother were stranded in the ocean. and their raft was sputtering, dying. She did what any scared ten year old girl would do. She crawled over to her brother.
He already looked dead. His eyes had a hollow, empty look to them. She buried her face into his chest, wrapping her small arms around his body. She felt it was her brother, alive after all, wrapped his arms around her.
"They're dead." she said softly, wetting his chest with her tears. He only held her tighter.
"But I'm not." He said fiercely, "And I promise I'm not going anywhere.."
*****************************************
"Liar." Jay spat, her voice full of venom that she really didn't mean.
She was perched on the edge of her bed, looking into her own reflection. She wanted to see the older, grown up Jaycera, the one who had her wits about her. But she kept seeing a curly headed little girl, her eyes wearing that same hollow deadness that she'd seen in her brother six years ago as they waited for their death on that dying life raft. and she hated it.
What happened to that strong, self sufficient woman that she'd become because of her stolen childhood. She'd had to deal with death before. why was this one any different?
Because he's all you had left.
Jaycera shook these thoughts from her head. Thoughts like these would only dredge her down. She had to find her strength. Back then it had been Leos, but now her was gone. dead. But who did he have? What kept him going?
Hope.
He'd had hopes for her, of the woman she'd become. Now she had to do the same thing. Hope for the best. the best in her. She was the only person who could determine who she would be. And she chose to be Jaycera. the woman. She chose to shove her emotion aside and not let it rule her. What were emotions anyway?
Not even she believed herself.
*********************************************
Leos could only remember falling, dimly accepting the fate he'd condemned himself to. He and Gideon had fallen through the clouds together, neither struggling. Gideon was reeling with his defeat, Leos was praying to the moons, not really expecting anything. The moons had never come to his aid before. why should they now?
Tylen on the other hand, had a different plan. With all the power he had left he began to morph, expanding and covering the two men. In a last, dying effort he'd managed to form his ion engines his life energy draining away with every second he kept them firing. As they escaped the atmosphere of Arcadia he gathered all that was left in him and fired one last burst, sending them on a crash coarse for the Silver moon, his corpse hardening into a protective shell around them.
**************************************************
Ryne was pacing now. He didn't know how long he'd been recounting his story to King Enrique, but he didn't think he'd ever talked this much in his entire life. His uncle just listened intently most of the time, sometimes asking questions to gather more detail. He told him of his initial abandonment, his rescue, of finding Pirate's Isle destroyed, the crash into the Ixa'Takan wilds, and of Jerusha Strong. At the mention of this name Enrique chuckled.
"Ah. Jerusha Strong."
"You know him?" Ryne asked, his interest piqued.
"Oh yes, I know him." He said, standing up and folding his arms behind his waist. "He's raided Valua many times. Years ago when you were a child he was one of the most feared Black Pirates in the skies."
Ryne scrunched his eyebrows. "What happened? He seemed like a nice enough guy to me."
"Well, after about five years of raiding, we finally caught hold of him. After about a week of ranting and raving in his cell I went down to try a make a deal with him. He didn't even let me speak, just kept on cussing and yelling. As I was about to leave he challenged me to 'stop and fight like a man.' So I did. Oh, by the way, does he still walk with a limp?"
"Yeah."
Enrique grinned boyishly. "After that I let him go and he never gave me any more trouble."
"And you let him start a legitimate trade and you both lived happily ever after?"
The man shrugged. "The ice thing was a pretty god idea so I let him run with it."
Ryne smiled, clicked his tongue, and shook his head - smiling. "Well, we hitched a ride with him and then I find myself waking up in my nice Valuan room." Ryne stopped for a moment and chewed something over in his head. "Speaking of which, how did I get here?"
Enrique pulled a chair out from under the desk that had been in the corner of the room, sitting down in it backwards and resting his chin on his hands which were folded on the back. His mood had darkened considerably, which worried Ryne. After thinking a moment, he spoke again.
"We found you at about fifteen minutes after midnight. The guards heard some loud noises so they investigated. They told e they found you lying unconscious on the ground with a small, pretty girl sitting up against the wall of the palace staring vacantly off into space and another unconscious body of a young blonde woman whose body was lying against the wall some ten feet from a large crater. They recognized you immediately and brought you inside."
Ryne's sense of growing dread grew as a question formed in his mind. "What about Leos?"
"Leos?"
"Yeah, a tall guy with dark hair. Should have caused some kind of ruckus."
Enrique was silent for a moment, then spoke in soft consoling tones.
"I'm sorry. all we found were the girls and you."
Ryne sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself with a technique his mother had taught him long ago that he thought he'd forgotten long ago. Finally he calmed himself enough to speak again.
"What happened?"
Enrique scratched at his beard, looking at a loss. "We're not sure exactly. There was some kind of struggle, that much is obvious but no one saw what happened. except the girl and she hasn't said a word to anyone since we brought her in."
Jaycera.
***************************************
Jay shuffled through the closet. She had to keep herself busy or else she was going to lose her mind. She had taken a small venture out into the hallway, but turned back when she saw that everything looked the same in both directions. The clock on the wall said that it was almost noon meaning that she'd only been here about twelve hours. Those twelve hours however had seemed like an eternity. Her only sleep had come fitfully and full of nightmares and she didn't want to return to them.
Finally, she found something of interest. It was a jet black and crimson outfit consisting of a tank top, pants, and boots. She found a loose leather jacket that matched them, and looking inside it saw a strange wraith-like symbol which chilled and thrilled her at the same time. She also found what looked like a fencing mask, but quickly discarded it distastefully.
Grabbing her bundle she went into the adjoining bathroom, took a quick shower, and dressed in the outfit finding it to fit her nicely. The pants were a little long, but she just tucked them into the dark boots. As she was gathering her hair up into a messy bun, leaving two long bangs free, she heard a soft knock at her door. Looking over at the clock again and noting that it was now one o'clock, she figured it was one of the servants again, bringing her some lunch. She was surprised to see a grim faced Ryne behind it, a blonde, regal looking man behind him. The older man patted him on the back and walked off.
Jay looked at Ryne for a moment. Something was different about him. His appearance was ragged, his clothes were filthy, his white hair was unkempt, and he looked as if he hadn't showered in days. which he probably hadn't. But something about him seemed older. Maybe it was the short growth of teenager's beard which had somehow crept onto his face. Maybe it was his musky scent which reminded her so much of her father after coming home after being on a ship for weeks. Maybe it was in the way he just stood there and studied her, his eyes filled with a new understanding.
He was the first to move, gathering her into his arms and just hugging her tightly. She returned the gesture, though there was really no feeling in it. He seemed to notice this small shift in her and pulled back, looking at her as if for the first time.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his hands on her shoulders, his eyes boring straight into hers. Jay shrugged.
"Yeah, I'll be okay."
She could see in his eyes how much that careless statement hurt him. But she didn't care. Why care? Caring makes you weak. Caring gets you hurt. Caring gets you attached. only to have those things ripped away from you. Coldly, she shrugged his hands off of her shoulders and walked over to where her pack laid.
"How. did it happen?" Ryne asked as she started to sort through her things, throwing out things that were worn beyond repair and replacing them with whatever she found in the closet.
"It was after you passed out. again." She said her voice dripping with venom. "Some thing came out of nowhere and attacked us. He saved us. Tackled it over the edge."
". Are you going to be okay?..."
"I already told you I'm going to be fine! Now buzz off will you." She said, throwing her full pack over he shoulder and walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Ryne asked, blocking the door with his body.
"I'm going to find my life on my own." She replied coolly.
"But. why?"
Jay threw down her pack, a loud thud resounding into the hallway that she was trying to get into. "Because every since I met you you've brought nothing but complications into my life! Because thanks to you I've lost my ship, the only family I had left, and my life! Thanks to you I have no where to go and no one to turn to."
"But. I thought." Ryne stammered, searching for words he wanted to say, up coming up short. Jay smiled - a look that shot ice.
"Thought what Ryne?" She asked, taking joy in her defiance. "That I had feelings for you?"
"Well. yeah."
Jay picked up her clothes satchel.
"Feelings are for the weak. You get attached to something and it's stolen from you." She pushed her way through Ryne's arms and started walking down the hallway. "Learn this now before you get hurt."
************************************************
The first thing Leos realized was that he wasn't dead. The next thing was that he wasn't falling either. After a little while he'd pretty much come to find that he could move each appendage and each digit on each appendage as well. When he'd gotten around to opening his eyes, he found that he had to shut then again, the absolute brightness seeming to burn his eyes. Finally, slowly this time, he opened his eyes, and found that the world around him seemed distorted and suddenly realized that he was floating in some kind of thick clear liquid. and that he was totally naked. Even that wouldn't have been so bad if the next thing he noticed hadn't been a young white-haired woman, sitting at a bright white console, looking up him with her deep blue eyes brimming with. what was that?... reverence?
He couldn't hear anything through the liquid he was suspended in, but he could see that she was talking seemingly to herself. After a moment another figure entered the room, his dark hair and clothes contrasting sharply with the whiteness of the room. It was almost a relief. He stopped by the console the young woman was sitting at, never taking his eyes off of Leos, talking at her but not to her. He saw her nodding and twisting a few dials he couldn't see, then he heard a sucking noise, and he felt his body lowering to the bottom of the glass cylinder he was suspended in. Eventually he was standing on his own two feet, ripping off the air mask, and trying in vain to cover himself.
This seemed to amuse the dark-haired man, who walked up to the cylinder and pushed a few buttons, opening a small shelf and making a hole appear in the tube. Leos stepped out and the man threw him a soft robe, which he quickly wrapped around himself, tying the belt around his waist loosely. The man handed him a towel and Leos dried his hair, which had grown considerably longer than he remembered it being, along with a full beard which now adorned his face.
"Where am I?" He asked, rubbing the muscles of his shouldered which were screaming at him.
"Welcome, honored brother, to the Sylvias complex." Dark-Hair said, opening his arms wide as if he were going to hug him or something.
"Honored brother? Sylvias complex? What the heck are you taking about?"
The man grinned. The look seemed alien on his face.
"Come. You shall see in time."
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Ryne sat at Celeste's bedside. Apparently she'd been in a coma since they'd gotten here, but Ryne didn't really know the story behind it. He wanted to ask Jay, but she was gone. She hadn't been bluffing. Enrique had offered to send some shadow guard to watch after her, but Ryne had declined the offer. He didn't want to mess with her life anymore. He'd already caused enough damage. So he let her go, though he regretted it now. His heart ached for the companionship she'd provided, romantic interest or not. Now the only part of the group he had left was in a coma. And he didn't even like her that well, let alone get to know her.
Ryne sighed and stood up. He wasn't going to do anything here but sulk himself to death. He walked slowly back to his room, lost in the absence of thought. The only thing he wanted right now was a nice hot bath.
********************************************
Jay walked the streets of Valua. She'd only been gone from the palace a few hours but she was already beginning to worry about finding shelter. She could feel a storm coming and Valua was famous for the ferocity of their rain. She checked in inn after inn, none of the willing to give her a tab to work off. Then the rain started. Cold, Wet, and miserable, Jaycera began to hike back to the palace. It was the only place she could think of to go. She dreaded seeing Ryne there, but she knew it was probably inevitable.
She really did have feelings for Ryne. But the way things were looking neither one of them might last long, and she didn't want to fall in love and then leave him to be crushed by her death. She convinced herself that she'd had his best interests at heart when she'd lashed out at him like that. But part of the plan had been to leave, to get out of his life and now here she was walking right back in.
"That's alright." She said softly to herself. "I'm not going to let him get attached. I won't let it happen."