Jasper woke slowly, eyes bleary, and thoughts muggy. He pushed himself up and glanced around the room he was in with a frown. His hood was still secured, though... His left hand came up to rub at the stiff side of his face, knocking off clumps of dried dirt. Oh… dirt was fine, he could always fix it later. His right hand drifted to his pouch fingering his phone, knife, sewing kit, charger, and garrote wire. (And, ow, moving his wrist was not only difficult but painful!) Everything was still in place… but where was he? There were wooden crates blocking him from view, and consequently his view of the room so he decided to cautiously peek around them.
Empty.
There was literally nothing around except crates and... No. Wait. Actually there was another person propped against the plain metal wall near the door. They were on the small side but it was hard to get a good view of their body as they were curled in a ball, hands wrapped around their knees and face tucked in between. All he could really make out was their size, the legs were skinny, and that they had really white hair. All curled up like that they wouldn't really be a threat if he had to move quickly but the fact that they were so close to the door...
He checked it over to see what he'd need to do to get out. It was a basic door, lock on the inside, knob handle, probably metal as well considering the wall… and the floor actually (that would explain why he felt a little bruised but… not how he got dirt so heavily caked to part of his face). And now that he was paying more attention to it, there was a solid hum in the air. Possibly electric… but he couldn't be sure.
Jasper glanced back at the person near the door. That same shock of white hair and blue eyes-
Wait.
He ducked behind the crates with barely an exhale (noises got you caught) as he thought over what he should do. His heart beat harshly in his chest, not so happy to have been startled like that. The person looked like a kid, which didn't exactly tell him anything, but at least it wasn't an adult. He could go out and say hi, possibly ask what they were doing here but-
"Stop being stupid and look at your phone, Nutty."
Jasper blinked, his breath hitching in his chest. A fair idea. But how did the other boy know that? It was possible they knew each other, which would be sort of neat actually. Still, he could be an enemy. You could never be too careful after all. He was already injured on the arm he used most but he could make do with his left hand and the garrote if he had to.
"Have you looked yet?"
No. If he did, was he going to put himself in a bad situation? He peeked out from behind the crates again but the boy hadn't moved at all. Jasper pulled back, biting at his lower lip. It should be fine, right?
He pulled out his phone.
And stared.
"Are you Whitey," he asked cautiously after a moment.
"What- Is that what you've been calling me!? That's terrible," the other squeaked, offense layering his voice. Jasper heard him clamber to his feet and couldn't help but snicker. There wasn't really any malice coming off the other boy and the way his voice had cracked was hilarious.
"You called me Nutty, didn't you? Whitey is much better!"
"It is not!"
"Is so!"
"Prove it!"
"White is a color and I'm good with colors," he declared proudly, peeking around the crates again.
"That's it!? At least Nutty accurately describes that you're a nutcase," Whitey responded with a glare. "Call me by my name!"
"But, I'm not going to remember it," he whined, a smile playing at the edge of his lips. He didn't remember ever feeling so playful except around his family. Not that he remembered much anyway, but the point stood!
"Write it in your phone, stupid!"
"Don't want to," he giggled happily. Oh, yes. He was going to enjoy this easy going back and forth they had.
His chest felt warm and fuzzy now and his head didn't feel nearly as muggy. Words were coming to him easily and there was (if not a friend then-) an ally he could sort of trust. It was startling, but nice, to realize that Whitey had been guarding the door and if it had opened at all the boy would have been able to take a stab at legs immediately. Yes, yes, he felt great!
Today was going to be a good day!
"Ugh, you're not even going to remember this later," Whitey growled. "C'mon, Gon'll be upset if I don't make sure you make it to the next round."
"I will so remember," he huffed, wriggling his way between the crates so he could leave with his… possible friend. "Today's a good day!"
Whitey stared at him before scoffing. "Uhuh, sure. I'll believe it when I see it."
Jasper, finally free, stumbled over to the other boy with a laugh. "I will! I can tell these things you know! So, when are we supposed to get to the next round?"
"We're supposed to be landing in an hour or so. But I want to see if they have breakfast. Let's go!"
Jasper happily followed, practically skipping at the thought of being able to eat food. He knew he was supposed to eat multiple meals a day. Daddy once had said it was supposed to be three plus snacks but he didn't quite remember eating that much when he was younger. And nowadays food came when it came. His stupid tummy would never tell him when it was time to eat, not like it used to. All he had to go off of was that he didn't feel dizzy or sick.
Well, he had access to food now so he wouldn't worry too much about it. And having a Hunter License should help with food later, too! He'd be able to eat whenever he wanted to!
When he left the room he couldn't help but gape at the line of windows that took up half the hallway. He let out a delighted squeal and rushed over to look out upon the clouds and the flashes of land underneath that would sometimes appear. A giddiness filled his chest at the thought of being so high, so free. The only possible thing that could make this better would be to have his family by his side.
"Nutty, don't just stand there. C'mon, I'm hungry!" Whitey was glaring at him from farther down the hallway.
"But look! It's so pretty! And we're so high! Everything is white, like your hair," he laughed.
There was a disgusted sigh followed by footsteps walking away. Jasper spun around with a "Hey!" and darted after the boy. But Whitey's annoyance didn't stop him from looking out every window on their way, savoring the happy feeling he was practically floating on.
Even the adults congregated in the dining hall couldn't put a dent in his abnormally happy state. He sat and hummed while eating the food that a smiling chef gave him. It looked different to most everyone else's, consisting more of fruit and bread but he didn't mind. In fact, the fruit was super sweet and he preferred it to the stange milk and flake mixture that had ended up in Whitey's bowl. It looked super gross. Not to mention the grease heavy meat that he had sitting on a plate next to his elbow.
"Hey, kid."
He popped another small berry in his mouth, delighting in the burst of sweet flavor that filled his mouth.
"Kid."
"Nutty, she's talking to you."
Jasper blinked and looked up. "Huh? What?"
Whitey pointed behind him and he turned to look at the blue haired woman who was standing behind him with one hip cocked out. Her hair was tied up in an… interesting style and she had way too little clothes on. One of her hands settled on her hip and her other held up a… leather bag?
"These are the rest of the eggs that you grabbed from yesterday. You never took them so I stuck 'em in this satchel for you."
He stared at her unsure what to make of what she was saying. Eggs? He'd grabbed eggs? Had he gone to the market or something after the exam?
"I- What?"
The lady snorted and tossed the bag- er, satchel?- at his face. He reacted instantly, hands coming up to snatch it. His wrist gave a sharp throb but he ignored it as he yanked the bag into his lap, giving him line of sight to the adult. His right hand was already reaching towards his pouch when she gave a sharp grin.
"Good reflexes. Good balance. Gotta work on the cooking a bit more but that's fine. You'll do for sure!"
He watched her turn and leave, a saunter to her steps and grin never leaving. Jasper felt… confused. What the heck did she mean he would do? His fingers twitched on the leather satchel in his lap. He glared down at it but his interest was piqued. So, he carefully flipped open the top to find a smaller pocket that was closed only by a button and the larger one by a zipper. He checked the smaller one first but there was nothing there. Then he checked the larger one and blinked at the small see-through container that had five brownish black speckled eggs. There were blocks of white packaging on the sides that he could already feel the cold radiating from.
The lady wasn't lying. She literally gave him eggs.
He closed the bag and then looked up to stare blankly at Whitey before asking, "Eggs?"
That got him an amused stare in return. Mischief filled the other boy's face and he cattily responded, "Yea. Don't you remember?"
Jasper couldn't stop the small whining groan. "You know I don't! Tell me!"
Whitey turned his nose up in the air, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Nah. I don't feel like it." Jasper slumped over his plate, the bag on his lap squeezed tighter to his stomach as he pouted. "Maybe Gon will tell you!"
He wasn't exactly sure who that was. But what he did know was that 'Gon' was not here and Whitey was! "But you're here now. And I really want to know! Please!"
"And I really don't feel like telling you. Besides you'll only forget it. What's the point, Nutty?"
Jasper curled his fingers tighter into the leather of the bag, feeling the hard edges of the smaller container. Whitey wasn't exactly wrong. What was the point? It's not like he wrote everything down and he would eventually forget… but today was a good day. He'd remember longer and he really wanted to hear it! What had he done to get here so far? What adventure was he able to go on? Especially for something as mundane as an egg (or eggs really)!
"Whiteeeeeeeyyy…"
The other boy jolted and threw him a small glare. He ignored it, continuing to release his pitiful whine.
"Didn't I say to stop calling me that!"
"Whiteeeeeyyyyyy!"
"Knock it off, Nutcase!"
Jasper bared his teeth, tilting his head up enough so he was sure they'd be seen. "Don't call me that!"
"Then call me by name," Whitey huffed, before shoving a spoonful of soggy breakfast in his mouth. Then he paused and stared down at the dishware as if it had betrayed him. His mouth reopened allowing the food to splatter back into the bowl in a disgusting display.
Jasper laughed loudly, momentarily distracted by the comedy happening in front of him. Free entertainment was always nice after all. Eventually though, he cleared his throat, getting back on task (it was rather important to him after all!). "Colors are much easier for me! What's wrong with the color white anyway?"
Whitey snorted. "There's nothing wrong with white," and there went his nose into the air again, "but Whitey sounds stupid! I refuse to be called that." The boy paused, that same mischievous grin returning. "How 'bout I stop calling you anything nut related… if you remember my name ten days in a row! And you can't cheat by writing it in that phone of yours!"
"Hah!?" Jasper sat upright like someone had shocked him. "That's not fair!"
Whitey glanced at his hand, curling his fingers so he could observe his nails. "Oh, well, I guess if you can't do it-"
"I can too!"
"You don't even know my name," Whitey scoffed. "It's fine, it's fine. I shouldn't have proposed something unfair-"
But Jasper wasn't listening at this point, frantically clawing over the foggy memories of this morning. Whitey had mentioned his name, right? There had been a bunch of crates, a feeling of relief, looking at his phone… He bit his lip, chewing for a moment while he desperately tried to drag the words said back up. He wasn't good with remembering words no matter what kind of day it was. Not unless it was something he focused much energy and attention on… and sometimes even then-
But he wanted to do it! He could do it!
He wanted to be seen by Whitey. He wanted those blueblueblue eyes to actually look at him. Whitey made everything around him fun and he made Jasper buzz with a strange happy energy. Already he was enamoured with the idea of being 'friends' that he had written on his phone. When he'd woken up, it had been interesting but not important beyond the fact that the whitette could probably be trusted. But now, after spending time with him, he was determined to get the other boy to like him too.
There was just one problem.
"I don't remember you saying your name today," he practically sobbed in frustration.
"Tch, that's because I didn't, idiot. My name is Killua! Kill-u-a!"
Jasper paused his pity party to start frantically repeating the name to himself. He mumbled it out loud and in his head he constantly repeated 'Whitey is Killua'. Because he was absolutely determined to get this done! If he could get his phone and pouch figured out, he could remember one damn name.
Killua watched Nutty mumble to himself like the nutcase he was. Then he sighed and glanced down at his ruined breakfast. He'd waited too long to eat it. Ugh. Well, at least there was still the bacon. It would taste fine cold.
He snagged a piece and popped it in his mouth happily chewing. It was so much better after the mess of his cereal. As he chewed, he pondered how much longer it could be before they reached the next stage.
Actually… they'd been in here for a while and there'd been no announcement of landing. They were supposed to land at eight, right? Killua was pretty sure it was past that time. He glanced around the room and spotted a clock over by the kitchen. Yup, definitely past that time.
Was this another phase like the first one? Had they already started somehow? There'd been no examiner so it couldn't be, right? But then why weren't they there? It did, of course, cross his mind that they could be late, but air vessels like this were hardly off schedule without wind turbulence. And they definitely would have felt that. There was none when they'd boarded last night and had to steer Nutcase to the food. There'd been none when he and Gon had 'played' with that annoying old man. There'd been none when he tracked down Nutty- who was actually hidden really well and he would have missed him if it wasn't for the rough sound of his breathing- on Gon's request to make sure he wasn't 'lonely'. There'd been none when he slept (he was a rather light sleeper after all) guarding the door and there had definitely been none when he'd woken up to the rustling of fabric and a curious face peeking out from the crates they'd been hidden behind.
Killua knew exactly what turbulence in an airship felt like. (That had been one interesting hit that Grandpa Zigg had accompanied him for back when he was first starting out… He didn't like thinking about it.) The assassin was actually rather sensitive to wind turbulence in airships so he knew nothing like that had happened.
So what the hell was going on?
Ignoring Nutty who was determinedly repeating his name- and horrible nickname but if this is what it took to never hear it again…- the assassin stood up and sauntered over to the chefs behind the giant hole in the wall they call the kitchen window.
"Hey, aren't we supposed to have landed by now?"
His voice made everyone in the kitchen and cafeteria quiet down. Then the hushed whisperings started up behind him; the worries, the disbelief, the anger. He focused his attention on the blank faced chef staring at him from the window. The contest lasted far longer than he wanted it too, and Killua, finally starting to get annoyed, was about to snap and break something when the chef finally smiled and blinked. "Don't worry, kid. There was just a small delay. We'll be getting there in about an hour."
Killua's eye twitched. He could have gotten more sleep? Not that he needed it like most people but that didn't mean he liked to give it up when he didn't have to.
Screw this. He was going to take a nap.
And if he grabbed Nutty and dragged him (protests and all) behind him without a thought… Well, Killua didn't realize until he was already settling back in their crate room. At that poing it would just be stupid to kick him out of the room again, so he settled down with a huff and a, "Just be quiet, dammit."
It didn't stop the muttering of his name. Nor did it stop him from falling asleep anyway.
(Jasper wasn't a threat.)
Jasper was quite determined to win this little bet (he didn't like being called Nutty). So determined that he almost forgot to write the details in his phone. Thankfully, he did, and he was also able to set an alarm after messing around for a few minutes. He never really used anything but the Notes thing so it took him far longer than he'd like to admit to figure it out. But he did. Eventually.
And now it was set for every thirty minutes as a reminder to himself of the bet and Whit- er, Killua's name!
Then, he just sort of sat there watching the white haired boy. He was really pale, pretty close to Jasper's own skin color now that he was thinking about it. Jasper raised his left hand in front of his face, palm facing Kill-u-a, and splayed his fingers. He could see the greeny blue lines trailing under his skin. Veins, Aunt Fei had told him once when he'd asked. They weren't so visible on his chubby hands back then, his skin a darker color than what it was now.
Jasper pursed his lips and curled his fingers, watching them claw the air. His skin was closer to Mom's now. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
He sighed and let his hand drop into his lap. He missed his family. He wanted them back. All of them. How much longer would this take? Would he be an adult by the time he found them?
(Would they still want him?)
He bit his lip and pulled up his phone, right hand clenching it hard enough that his wrist was starting to twinge again. He swiped through some of the old note pages, flicking through the titles until he stopped on the very first one.
All it said was
'FIND FAMILY'
It was, to date, his most frustrating but fulfilling entry. He didn't remember the circumstances of how he was separated from his family, he didn't remember how he got his hands on his phone, he didn't even remember how he got to where he was now. But he did remember his family. He remembered how they loved him. His parents had always been there when he cried (rare as it was, Jasper could admit that it happened… if only in his own head), his aunt and uncles were always there to show him new things, help him make discoveries, and play with him. His questions never went unanswered, his tummy never hungry, and his heart never empty.
Jasper sniffled and tilted his head back to keep his burning tears from falling. There was no reason for him to be crying, dammit! Today was a good day and good days should be used towards getting better and getting things done.
He was going to find his family and they were definitely going to be happy he was back! There'd be pride in Daddy's eyes for finding his own way home!
His phone chiming merrily in his fingers startled him and he glanced down at it.
Oh. The alarm. Right. Had it already been thirty minutes?
He glanced up at the other boy as he dismissed the alarm. Though the boy had shifted slightly, head now facing outwards instead of tucked between his knees, it hadn't woken him. Good.
Now… Whitey's name is Killua...
The rest of his time in the crate room passed quickly. Jasper distracted himself from sad thoughts by thinking of Killua and hoping to see Greenie and the others soon. Blondie sounded nice and Mister Drab seemed okay. Though, he had a weird note about not being an adult even if he looked like one.
Finally his alarm chirped again only minutes before an announcement rang throughout the ship. Killua popped up like he'd never been sleeping and threw his hands above his head for a stretch. Jasper admired the immediate alertness. He wondered how the boy could do that. When he woke up this morning, he was super slow.
"Alright… let's go see if we can track down Gon," Killua hummed, shaking out his legs before heading towards the door.
"Oh! That's the one you said would tell me about the eggventure," Jasper chirped happily.
"Eggventure? No, wait," Killua paused and turned to stare at him with wide eyes. "You remember I said that?"
Jasper huffed in offense. "I said I would. I know my memory sucks! But I also know when it's a good day and I can remember better!"
Killua was still staring at him. "But… that makes no sense! Memory doesn't work like that! What- How-!?"
"I dunno! I just do," he said. He'd always been different, even before his memory issues. His family had been okay with that. So any friends should too, right? "Does it matter?"
"Yes! No! Argh! Nevermind- Let's just- just go find Gon. He's probably passed out in that training room," the white haired boy finished in a barely audible mutter as he yanked open the door and trudged out into the hallway.
Jasper followed after a moment but his mind was still stuck on his 'friend's' answer. What did that even mean? Did that mean the boy didn't accept him? Would never accept him? Because he was different? Or was it something else bothering the boy?
He had the feeling that if he asked he would be receiving no answers any time soon.
Eventually, they did end up finding Gon- who turned out to be Greenie!- who had already woken up and made his way to the viewing area where the exit door was. Blondie and Miser Drab were there with him and chatting about the large tower of stone that they were fast approaching.
"So, how was your night Jas," Greenie asked as Killua pushed himself into the group after a cheery greeting between all of them.
"I woke up with dirt on my face," he informed the boy blandly, thoughts still rotating around Killua and his 'friend' status. He did actually want the boy as his friend but did Killua want him back? They had laughed together… or had it been more Jasper laughing at Killua? Was he putting too much effort in a friendship that hadn't even really started?
"Oh." Everyone paused and turned to look at him. "Wait, does that mean you remember waking up?" There was a bit of excitement in the younger boy's tone and it made Jasper's lips crawl up from the frown they had settled in ever since leaving the crate room. Greenie had a very contagious enthusiasm about him. He was also much more pleasant than Killua. While Killua gave him a buzzy feeling of wanting to run and jump, Greenie gave him a warm feeling that wrapped around him like a safe warm blanket. Also, unlike Killua, Greenie's feeling had fallen over Jasper as soon as his eyes landed on the darker haired boy.
"That's right. It's a good day today," he cheerily informed him.
"Wait," Mister Drab cut in. "What exactly is a good day?"
"I'm assuming it's a day where your memory is better," Blondie added thoughtfully before he could say anything, tapping a finger to his chin.
He looked at the two of them, tilting his head a bit to the side to see out from under his hood better without having to lean back. Mister Drab was pretty much as described in his notes. If he hadn't written that the guy wasn't an adult, he definitely would have mistaken him for one. He just looked like every other business bore that wandered down the streets of major cities.
Blondie, on the other hand, looked young, though there seemed to be some kind of… Eh. Jasper wasn't exactly sure what he could call it. But Blondie seemed very… angsty? It was almost like a hidden cloud around him. Weird. But it didn't have to make him not nice so he'd trust his past notes for now. After all, the more people that were on his side, the better chance he would get his License. People were useful like that.
"Blondie is right," he confirmed after a moment. "Good days are days when I don't have so much trouble remembering. Of course, I forget about them pretty quickly but they're nice while they last."
Killua, off to Greenie's other side, had a furrow between his brow and his eyes were darting side to side as if he was trying to figure out some complex math problem. Jasper didn't really understand what was so hard to get about his good days but if the whitette wanted to overthink a simple problem he'd leave him to it. He'd rather not get called Nutty again any time soon after all.
Mister Drab was straight up scratching his head, with a scrunched up face as if he had to go poo really badly. "That doesn't make sense… Or maybe it has happened before? I'll have to look up studies and-"
Jasper tuned him out, focusing on Greenie's happy, "Oh! I got it! That's really cool! Do you think you'll still need reminders?"
"Reminders?"
"Yeah! I've been helping you out by reminding you about the Hunter exam," Greenie hummed happily.
Oh. That was really nice of him. No wonder seeing Greenie had evoked a sense of safety! "I'd really like that!"
They didn't get to talk much after that though because the airship landed and they were shepherded out onto the hot desert stones. The wind was whipping around them and Jasper reached up to make sure his hood wouldn't fly off.
"This is Trick Tower! You have seventy two hours to reach the bottom. The start of Phase Three begins now! Good luck," a little man with a bean for a head (and Jasper most certainly did a double take at that because- what?) announced. Then he slipped back into the air ship and it took off, leaving every examinee to their fates.
Jasper grinned and turned to go bug Greenie and Killua.
AN: Apologies for the late chapter but I just had major surgery so
But! In pure Hobbit fashion, I gift to ya'll a new chapter on my birthday! Yay!
Don't feel shy about telling me what you liked! A comment a day motivates the author lol
Q&A: Bluepeony- Jasper would have had to come in contact with and made sushi several times to have a muscle memory for it. He hasn't, so he doesn't. I hope that clears that up for you!
