Chapter Forty-One: Edenian Pride
Jade roamed the halls of the Special Forces Base with her arms wrapped around herself. She was not aware of how cold the base was when she first arrived, but now that she was alone, the Edenian could not help but notice. It almost distracted her from her current topic of interest: Tomas Vrbada. Ever since the former Lin Kuei left to go to Outworld, Jade could not take a seat for a second before getting up and pacing again. She was worried. Very worried.
Since the day she met Smoke, Jade has been looking forward to the silver-haired man's company whenever she can. Of course, she could simply go to Tomas whenever she wanted, but the two have only known each other for a few days. She did not want to seem too eager to see the man again. Jade herself thought it was strange for her to have this sudden interest in anyone. And as much as she was embarrassed to admit it, the Edenian wanted to further pursue that interest and she hoped that Smoke felt the same way.
Turning a corner, Jade walked past one of the many rooms that the base contained, which happened to be open. She was about to ignore it until she saw in her peripheral vision who the room's occupant was. The Edenian stopped in the doorway and saw a man hunched over on a bed with his head in his hands. Jade recognized the clothing and hairstyle of the person and it seemed that he was not aware of the woman's presence. She knocked on the open door a few times to get the man's attention and once he heard the noise, Kuai Liang jerked his head up.
"Forgive for intruding, Kuai. I just wanted to ask if you were alright."
The cryomancer nodded his head and looked down at the floor. The two stayed in silence for some time before Jade stepped inside the room and took a seat by Sub-zero on the bed. Usually she would have asked for permission to enter someone's room, but she did not think Kuai would mind. Or care. Jade clasped her hands together and laid them on her lap. She opened her mouth to say something, but Sub-zero beat her to it.
"You should not worry about our argument. This is between me and Tomas."
It was as if Kuai knew what Jade was going to ask him. She closed her mouth and looked away.
"How can I not worry? You seemed incredibly upset with Tomas."
"I am, but as I said, this is between me and him."
"I know, but…"
Jade stopped talking, unsure of what she should say. This was the first real conversation the Edenian had ever had with Kuai, so it was a little awkward speaking to him now and not knowing how to talk to him. The cryomancer always seemed so distant and antisocial to everyone except for Tomas and Cyrax. Even with them, Sub-zero said very little, especially when he was around other people. When they alone, Jade could imagine Kuai being quite talkative. She thought for a moment and decided it would be best to change the subject for the time being. Maybe she coulld get the cryomancer to open up to her.
"So…what was it like?"
"What was what like?"
Hearing the irritation in Kuai's voice, Jade almost stopped talking altogether. But she pressed on.
"Being a Lin Kuei. I have only heard a few stories about your former clan. Not much information about Earthrealm itself was available to me."
Finally, Sub-zero looked from the floor to Jade. He sighed.
"What do you think?"
"I…I just wanted to…"
"No. I meant no disrespect. But honestly, what do you think? I was an assassin. Taught to kill anything and anyone without hesitation. I was nothing without the Lin Kuei. They were my only family. That is what I was raised to believe."
That sounded similar to what Shao Kahn had told Jade when she became one of his servants. She remembers when her parents gave her to the emperor as a tribute when he had invaded Edenia and merged it with Outworld. At the time, Jade thought that her mother and father had given her away because they hated her. But as she grew older, the Edenian was able to retain her childhood memories and recalled the wonderful times she spent with her loving parents. Her family had loved her dearly and she now understood that that was the reason she was taken by Shao Kahn. They wanted to protect Jade and knew the only way they could that was if she became one of the emperor's servants.
Shao Kahn made sure to remind Jade everyday that she belonged to him and that no one else wanted her. Everyone who had cared for her, Queen Sindel, King Jerrod, her parents….they were all gone. The only thing that had kept her going through that time as an assassin was Kitana, and Sindel when she was still alive. When the empress died, Jade made it her main priority to keep Kitana safe, her reason for living each day with her head held high. Kitana was her family, not Shao Kahn or any of his other warriors. And now that they were free of the emperor's rule, they have found a new family in the Champions of Light. She had Raiden, Kitana, and especially Tomas to thank for that. Thinking about the silver-haired man drew her back to Jade back to her conversation with Kuai.
"I know exactly how you feel. My family and my realm were all taken from me by Shao Kahn and he took me, Kitana, and Sindel as trophies. I am thankful that Kitana was unaware of Shao Kahn's deception, thinking that that tyrant was her real father. I was young when I was taken, so even I could not fully comprehend why that was. I knew King Jerrod was Kitana's father, but why was she calling this other man that? This man who has destroyed our home and killed the king in cold blood while taking the queen as his wife?"
"But I understand now. She was doing the same thing for Kitana as my parents had done for me. If Kitana thought that Shao Kahn was her father, then she would be less likely to rebel against him. And she had been right. Kitana stayed alive for so long because of her mother's lies. Just as I have been able to stay alive because of my parents. It is incredible what a family will do in order to protect one another."
Hearing the Edenian's story, Sub-zero's face softened. He and Jade had lived very similar lives and he had not expected him and Jade to share such similarities. It was nice knowing that someone who has lived outside of the Lin Kuei could relate to the cryomancer. But he could not help but wonder…
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"...Because of what you said back in the medical bay. You said that you and Tomas are like brothers and that you feel you can tell Tomas anything that is on your mind. But it seems that he does not feel the same way."
"He does not."
"I do not think that is because Tomas does not trust you. Every family has its secrets, Kuai, and some of those secrets may never come to light. But sometimes…that is for the best."
"You are saying that Tomas only wants to protect me? That thought has already crossed my mind, and as I have told him before, I am not child. I can take care of myself and I can help him, but he will not let me!"
A slight chill passed through Jade as she felt the temperature in the room go down a couple of degrees. Kuai noticed and looked around the room seeing that a thin layer of ice had covered the window and the corners of the walls. He took a deep breath to calm himself so as to not freeze everyone and everything close to him.
"Did you ever think that maybe there is truly nothing you can do for him?"
"...What?"
"Kuai, there are battles in which we must fight alone. No matter if it is physically or mentally. Since the first time that Tomas and I crossed paths, I could see the internal battle he was fighting through his eyes. A battle that he really has to fight alone. I am not sure what it is that Tomas is fighting, but for now, I say we should stay out of it until he chooses to call out to us for help."
"That is easier said than done."
"But Jade is right."
A robotic voice entered Jade and Kuai's conversation and the two looked towards the entrance to see Cyrax leaning against the doorframe.
"How long have you been listening?"
"Long enough, Kuai. You are not the only one who is worried about Tomas."
"So you have noticed his peculiar behavior as well?"
"Everything about Vrbada is peculiar. But yes, I have noticed."
"And you also agree with Jade that we should leave him be?"
Cyrax nodded and stepped inside the room while closing the door behind him.
"Tomas will come to us when he is ready. You should know by now that it is not a good idea to push him in these kind of situations."
"But maybe that is exactly what he needs. For us to push him."
"And maybe he will not be able to handle that. It is evident from what Jade has said that Tomas' mental state is not exactly stable. He is struggling inside his own head and such struggles can weaken the mind. We do not need to weaken it more by asking questions and demanding answers from Tomas, answers he himself may not have. We need to give him time to figure things out for himself before we step in to help."
Time. The more you ask for time, the faster it runs out. Sub-zero was not sure if he could give Smoke the time he needed…but he was willing to wait a little longer. Tomas was the cryomancer's best friend, his brother. Nothing and no one was ever going to get in the way of their friendship. They had made a vow to have each other's back and Sub-zero was not about to break that vow.
"...Alright. I can wait."
Jade nodded her head and smiled.
"We all can."
She and Kuai looked at Cyrax who nodded in agreement.
"Of course. For now, I would like to know your feelings towards Tomas, Jade."
Not expecting for someone to ask her that, Jade froze with her growing wide with surprise. Both Cyrax and Sub-zero, who did not seem at all surprise by the cyborg's sudden question, stared at Jade and waited for her answer.
"I…do not understand your question, Cyrax."
"I believe that you do."
"Excuse me?"
"There is no need to be embarrassed, Jade. I actually approve of you having a personal relationship with my friend. I only want to know if…"
"There is no relationship! We are only friends, nothing more!"
Even Jade was shocked at how defensive she had gotten over one stupid question. She was too prideful to admit that she had grown quite fond to Tomas. She was a warrior, an assassin, a bodyguard. Not a lover. Maybe that was why the Edenian felt so anxious about the subject. Jade hid her face in her hands, but that did not hide the slight blush that appeared on her face.
"Forgive me. This is highly immature of me."
If Cyrax still had his human body, he would be smiling at the Edenian's reaction. It was honestly really adorable considering that she was one of the deadliest fighters among them. Even Sub-zero had cracked a smile at Jade's display. Love can make anyone do stupid and embarrassing things. Hopefully, Tomas' reaction will be just as amusing when Cyrax and Kuai confronted him as well.