"So what ever happened to that administrative assistant we were supposed to get?" Delancey kicked back in her chair, groaning as she stretched her arms above her head. "All these tomes and the endless stacks of files are starting to get on my nerves."
"What'd I tell you, Delancey?" Jarvan said, raising an eyebrow as he lowered the file he was reading to the large meeting table in front of him.
"I'm not complaining sir." Delancey said with a surprisingly cheerful grin. "I just want some more help." She shrugged and brushed blue locks of hair from her face. "Someone who actually knows what they're doing with all this paperwork. Someone who has a remote clue about all these papers."
"I have to agree sir." Lee said warily, scrubbing his hands over his face as he slumped back in his chair. He slammed the lid of the tome he had been browsing and dropped it into a pile next to his seat that was easily as tall as the table. "All of these tomes and files have almost nothing to do with Swain. It's as if they sent us the entirety of the recorded history of Noxus." He paused and looked across the room where large boxes of tomes and paper files were stacked half way to the ceiling. "I'm pretty sure they did send up the entire recorded history of Noxian Demacian relations."
"I believe the archive officer said it was only the last seventy years to be exact." Delancey chirped, drawing dirty glares from both Lee and Jarvan. She gave them a glowing smile, and Lee simply shook his head and pulled another tome from the stack he was slowly working through.
"I'd help but I'm currently having to brush up on the history of Kalamanda and geology of all things." Jarvan said, the frustration seeping into his voice as he held up a geology book and pulled out a report regarding Kalamanda's recent mineral discoveries. He glanced at the cover of the report and sighed heavily.
"Just think though, sir." Delancey said smiling. "It may be a bit rocky now, but once you've got the gist of it, It'll be easy." She looked like she was struggling to keep herself from laughing.
"You're so chipper it's almost sickening." Jarvan groaned, watching as her smile grew wider.
"I've got some more geology jokes if you want, sir." Delancey said putting a finger to her chin as if she was thinking about something really hard. "Just give me a minute, I'll dig some up." That got a groan from Lee. "I mean, it's your fault our duty eroded to this, right?" She wore a big goofy grin as if she expected everyone to burst out laughing. Jarvan set the paper he was reading down in front of him, laced his fingers together in front of him and looked up at Delancey who still wore a massive, cheesy grin on her face.
"Delancey, I will have you hung up on the flag pole in the courtyard by your toes and let you see if you can wisecrack yourself down if you'd like to keep this up." Jarvan said evenly. She only grinned wider.
"Aww, you're making me blush." She teased, batting her eyes and glancing away in a mockingly coy manner. Lee snorted a bit of laughter and Jarvan couldn't help but smile.
"Enough joking though, we need to get through this before tomorrow." Jarvan said, shaking his head and sighing.
"Yes sir." Delancey said, a bit deflated, but the smile remaining on her face as she pulled a new tome from her pile and cracked it open.
Jarvan's smile quickly died as he dug through a thick stack of file folders, pieces of parchment sticking out at every angle, drawings and scraps of parchment strewn about everywhere. He finally found what he was looking for in the form of his report regarding the final two months of his excursion beyond the rift and his return there after. He flipped through the pages of parchment, his scrawling black handwriting lining page after page. He paused on page seven, and started reading. ...and when confronted, the dragon confessed he had been coerced into harassing Noxus. His actions were delayed by the immense injuries inflicted by myself and my companions, delaying the attack long enough for us to hunt him down. It was in this last confrontation that Valin Isaacs, my lieutenant, fell. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the Noxian wilderness just south of the Ironspike Mountains, but should be treated with full military honors... Jarvan felt a heavy weight on his back as he read his words, pausing to take a deep breath and clear his mind. The report detailed the deaths of all of his men, even those who hadn't died at the very end of the two year journey the report was supposed to cover.
Argyle, Reynolds, Vanneth, Halcyon, Marntin, Jean, Tron, Orion, Laryn and Shore and Valin Isaacs... The weight on Jarvan's shoulder seemed to grown infinitely heavier as the memories of the men and women of Exemplar company seemed to wash over him like a lead wave. There are only two survivors of the original Exemplar company now. Forsythe and myself. The only unit I've ever commanded has a ninety-nine percent mortality rate. I'm not a commander, I'm a butcher. I led my men to the slaughter. Jarvan closed his eyes and sat back heavily, trying to let his guilty conscious ebb a bit, though the wound had surfaced again, as it did sometimes. Jarvan had returned home and received a hero's welcome, and though he loved his country, he sometimes felt as if he didn't belong amid the fanfare. Most of his friends had never returned to Demacia, and the only solace Jarvan could find at times was amid the empty graves that were awarded so-called heroes who died in battle.
War is a cruel existence, but for me, this peace is almost worse. Jarvan slumped just a bit lower in his chair breathing deeply. Lonely nights and long days dealing with politicians and soldiers he didn't know were starting to wear on him and Jarvan could feel it. If this keeps up much longer, I think I might go crazy. I miss the open sky and the freedom of Valoran right now. Jarvan frowned a bit and clenched his fists, a pang of fear at having to sleep alone striking deep in his heart. I don't know if I can take too many more nights alone...
"Sir?" Jarvan opened his eyes to black breakers on a sea of tan parchment. He massaged his eyes for a moment and sat up, tearing his eyes from the messy black handwriting that and looked up to see Delancey standing in the doorway that led into the small common area of Jarvan's suite of rooms. She wore a worried look and the hesitation told Jarvan that his subordinate was worried about him. "Miss Halsington has brought us some coffee and sandwiches." Jarvan blinked a few times and then rubbed his eyes, glancing to the clock that was high above his desk. He groaned and nodded.
"Tell Noel to bring them on in." Jarvan shook his head, trying to banish the weariness he felt. It had taken him a few moments to connect Noel's first and last name together. He had always known Noel Halsington as simply 'Noel' ever since he had been a young boy. "I hadn't even realized it had gotten so late in the day." He pushed himself up to his feet and stretched his back, yawning. After working through the entirety of the day before on brushing up on his knowledge about Kalamanda, Jarvan had worked through the morning with Councilor Crownguard and his staff as they had tried to sort through what exactly Swain had been involved in in his history with Noxus. During that meeting the archive officer that Delancey had talked to before apparently realized he had forgotten to send the second half of the record on Kalamanda. Jarvan had been working through today trying to finish up and the time had escaped him.
"So we still have a huge number of reports to sort through despite all of our work yesterday. What exactly happened in the meeting this morning?" Lee asked as he sat up a bit straighter in his chair. Jarvan glanced over at the olive complected officer, his short black hair ruffled against his mounting frustrations with all of the paperwork.
"While the councilor's staff had managed to identify several hundred actions and operations that Swain could have had a hand in or was connected to, they had defaulted to me to decide what exactly Swain was involved in." Jarvan sighed, letting his shoulders sink heavily. "I'll be honest, everyone considers Swain to be my arch-nemesis as if we're constantly hunting each out and trying to take each other out over and over. Swain tried to kill me twice because I'm the heir to the Demacian throne... I don't know anything about him other than what reports have to say and what we know through rumor and hearsay."
"Sounds like no better time or reason to familiarize yourself then." Lee said, shrugging.
"Perhaps, but what exactly am I going to use short of talking to a Nox-..." Jarvan paused, a thoughtful frown on his face before he shook his head. "Anyways, the councilor had apparently expected me to be some sort of all seeing oracle. While I've had my few run ins with him, Swain is the tactical genius, not me. He out maneuvered me and killed my entire company off as if it were nothing but a milk run." Jarvan said through gritted teeth as he leaned on the back of his chair. The plush blue chair creaked a bit as Jarvan rested more weight on it, but it settled quickly. Jarvan shrugged. "I took my report of my actions with me, but he didn't seem interested in anything but the parts with Swain. He wants me to write up an actual analysis of Swain's martial tactics from my point of view for his people to analyze. He also wanted me to sort through all of these reports to determine the ones most likely to have been perpetrated by Swain. Which leads us to where we are now."
"More paperwork, sir?" Lee let the flickering of a smile pass over his normally placid face. Jarvan shook his head in exasperation and let his head hang as he sighed deeply.
"Yeah, more bloody paperwork to sort through." Jarvan groaned. "I swear to god, if I have to look though and more file folders I might just drown myself in this sea of paper."
"I hear you, sir." Lee said, looking back at the stack of tomes he had beside him, one of each side. "Perhaps taking a break from the Kalamanda reports will break the monotony?" He gestured to the stack of books that were sitting off to the side of the table that Jarvan and his staff hadn't even touched yet.
"Yeah, maybe." Jarvan said tiredly. He watched as Lee picked a tome off of the shorter pile next to him and cracked it open in front of him, dipping back into his readings. He has no trouble simply tuning out the rest of the world when he has work to do. Jarvan watched Lee for a moment to see if the soldier would show any further signs of frustration, but the man's eyes simply danced over page after page of written word. I suppose that's a mage for you, they're as much at home amid the tomes as they are on the battlefield.
"This way, ladies, the Prince is just through here." Delancey's voice carried through the outer room, and though Jarvan could hear the trundling of a cart being pushed, he could also pick out three sets of clicking of heals. He could separate the subtle clank of Delancey's armored grieves on the carpeted stone, but there were also two pairs of clicking heels striking the stone as they passed from rug to rug.
Who could that be, it's not just Noel... Jarvan frowned as he stood up and straightened out his tunic, realizing just how out of place he felt without his armor. I hate this soft warfare—politics. It is no place for me. He shifted uncomfortably as the feet approached.
Delancey came first, sweeping in the door and opening the second of the double doors to allow for the cart that Noel pushed to roll into the room. The tall maid had her usual uniform swaying around her, her clear blue eyes standing out against her pale skin, raven hair, and white and black uniform. She pushed a cart stacked with sandwiches, pastries, and a massive coffee pot poured steam at the very top. Behind her followed a petite young woman with wavy brown hair and emerald green eyes that sparkled in the dim light of the room. Jarvan felt something unsettling in his stomach as he looked at the woman, ice settling in his stomach as he met the fair skinned young woman's gaze.
She looks just like... Jarvan stood up just a bit straighter and looked down at the short young lass. It couldn't be...
"Captain Lightshield, this is your new administrative assistant." Noel said, gesturing to the woman. "I found her wandering around the halls looking for your study." Noel wore a faint smile that spoke of her memories of having done the same for Jarvan many times before.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." The young woman said, bowing rather than saluting. "My name is Private-..."
"Valentine Isaacs." Jarvan said softly, the disbelief crossing over his face as he finished her sentence for her.
"I'm glad you remember me, sir." The woman said, blushing, a smile spreading over her face. Jarvan shook his head and let a sad smile cross his face. "It's been a long time since I last met you."
"You probably weren't much taller than my waist at that point though." Jarvan wore a crooked grin as he shook his head. "Has it really been so long?" She nodded. "You've grown up quite a bit; you're how old now, seventeen, eighteen?"
She blushed and smiled. "I'm flattered you remember. Eighteen as of last month. I was only seven or eight at the time when you visited with my father and brother, so many years ago."
"To think it's been ten years." Jarvan said, a sad look falling over his face as silence befell the room. "I meant to come and visit to give you my regards about your father and your brother. I was close to Isaacs and Shore. Ah, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."
"It's fine, sir." She said, her shoulders sinking as if a massive weight had slowly begun to descend upon her. The sparkle in her eyes seemed to dull, and she stared down at the ground, her hands clasped together in front of her. "I didn't really know my father all that well, and Shore was so many years older than I was. I remember them both from when I was little, but they were only home a few days a month for the few years leading up to their disappearance." She worked her hands nervously. "I remember Shore a little better because he would watch after me when mother and father would fight when we were little, but even then, he seems like such a distant memory now."
"I..." Jarvan's voice faded away as he sank down into his chair. Isaacs had been like a second father to me, did he really neglect his own daughter? And fighting with his wife, they divorced peaceably... I thought.
"My parents separated shortly after I was born." She said, wringing her hands as she saw the confusion wash over Jarvan's face. "I mailed my father now and then, but a little over two years ago his letters became infrequent. My mother said he had gone away to do something important, but she never told me exactly what. I would receive letters from him occasionally, post marked from all over Valoran. He described beautiful places and tales of great creatures, but I don't know if my letters ever reached him when I wrote back. He always mentioned the prince, and when you returned without him, I feared for the worst." She wrung her hands in front of her, still staring at the ground. "When I had come of age last year, I enlisted to serve my three years of mandatory service in hopes of learning what had happened to him. I suppose I will never know, now."
"Valentine, your father and brother accompanied on a journey across Valoran. They died in battle with a dragon that nearly killed me as well.. and robbed me of all but one of my men." Jarvan gripped the arms of his chair, his hands shaking with a mix of rage and grief. "If you want to be angry as someone, you can be angry at me. I know I am whenever I remember your father and brother, they were good men. I asked them both to accompany me and it was the reason they ended up losing their lives. I am sorry." Jarvan closed his eyes shut and let his head fall forward. "I am truly, truly sorry."
Jarvan braced himself for the words of anger and hatred, but seconds passed without any words of reprisal. He felt soft warm hands press against his hand. He let his iron grip slacken on the arm of the chair as he opened his eyes. Valentine wore a sad smile as she pulled his hand into her own and opened his palm, spreading it and running her fingers along the inside of Jarvan's palm.
"You have rough hands." She said softly. She wore a sad but fond look on her face. "But they're strong... kind of how I imagine my father's hands to be."
"No, his hands were softer than mine." Jarvan said, shaking his head with a crooked grin. "He was caring and kind, always looking out for the men, be it with a dirty joke or a knock on the head." Jarvan chuckled, sinking in his seat a bit. "He was a great man, much better than I."
Valentine laughed, the sound like tinkling bone china. "My mom always said he was too busy with trying to raise the entire army to take care of her and I..." Her face fell as her voice trailed off, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I suppose that was his greatest fault." Jarvan said softly. "The old bastard cared too much about all of his men. If you ever need anything, please, don't be afraid to ask me. I owe him a greater debt than I could ever repay." Jarvan smiled warmly at her. Jarvan offered her a silken handkerchief from the pocket inside the lapel of his uniform tunic.
"Could you tell me about him?" Valentine said, wiping away the tears with the handkerchief, blushing slightly. "Mother doesn't talk about him much."
"Sure." Jarvan said, chuckling.
Lee cleared his throat as he lifted a cup of coffee to his lips and continuing to look down at the tome he was browsing. Jarvan blinked a few times and then looked at Delancey, who wore a grin as she leaned on the back of her chair, munching on a half of a sandwich. Noel silently poured coffee for Jarvan, and slid a sandwich onto a plate for him, setting them both on the table next to him.
"Sorry." Jarvan said, shaking his head with an embarrassed grin. "I suppose it will have to wait for now. We're on a bit of a deadline so I'm going to have to ask you to jump right in."
"That's fine." Valentine smiled. "I requested this post for a reason. I'll do whatever you need of me, sir."
"Oh?" Jarvan said as he shuffled through a stack of papers, finally pulling out the report of his most recent actions, concerning Isaacs death and Shyvana. He quickly rearranged it into it's proper order and hesitated before handing it over to Valentine.
"Yes sir." She said nodding. "I saw your name come up through personnel and I put in for a transfer. It took a day to go through, but I was allowed to transfer out of the Demacian Command Office to your command."
"I see." Jarvan said, nodding. Lee glanced up from his readings at Jarvan who glanced away and sighed. "I'm going to need at least two additional copies of this report." He tapped the report several times and then looked back to the youngest Isaacs. "Read this. It's a bit graphic in places, but it'll at least tell you how he died.
"Yes, sir." Her fingers trembled as she accepted the report from Jarvan and glanced over it briefly. Jarvan watched, waiting for a reaction as she browsed the contents. She flipped through the report briefly and then her mouth opened as she blinked a few times. She closed the report. "I'll get right on it." Jarvan nodded as he gestured to a section of the desk that was mostly clear of the mess of books and papers. He picked up a file folder and started flipping through it and then frowned.
"I'm sorry we don't have more time for introductions, but we're pressed for time. There are quills and ink in the side desk, as well as parchment and anything else you may need. In the mean time, I have to sort through and familiarize myself with information for contingency plans based on history that apparently doesn't exist!" Jarvan frowned as he slammed the remnants of the stack of reports onto the table, sending papers flying around the room. "It's as if Swain didn't exist once upon a time. He's a virtual ghost up until he just pops up as a major in charge of a company of infantry. That doesn't just happen."
"We've still got quite a few records to go through, sir." Lee said before popping the corner of his sandwich into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully and then washing it down with a sip of coffee. "It's entirely possible that we simply have not stumbled across the actual records we need yet." He tapped a painfully short stack of file folders and pushed them towards Jarvan. These are a few that I've found that actually have details that match his or mention him by name." He then tapped another pile that was only slightly taller. He frowned, letting a mix of confusion and anger mar his face. "These may have been his responsibility as well but the unit details of those involved don't match up with existing Noxian naming and designation parameters. It doesn't make any sense, as if someone has gone through and messed with all of the records." Jarvan could see the frustration mounting in his face as he opened a second report and held them next to each other, his eyes bouncing back and forth between the two reports.
"What, you think someone tampered with the Demacian Archives?" Delancey said, looking up from a tome. "That's not possible"
"It's possible, but only high level military officials and staff within the archives actually have access to said records." He glowered, thinking. "Even then, detailed records are kept regarding anyone who accesses them. Prince Jarvan, I'm starting to get worried. What exactly is going on here?"
Jarvan hesitated, a frown crossing his face. If someone really did edit the records, who can I trust? Katarina did say to trust no one... He pinched the bridge of his nose. Can I even trust her?
"What does it matter, Lee?" Delancey said with a shrug. She sighed before turning back to Jarvan. "But I have to agree, sir. This is pretty damn weird."
"I know, I know..." Jarvan growled, shaking his long black hair out. "Someone might be working against us from the shadows, and even now I feel as though I'm only getting bogged down in paperwork to keep me busy while they dance around me laughing. This is just frustrating." Jarvan tossed a report onto the table and sent papers flying everywhere. The file folder itself crashed into his cup of coffee, spilling it over the table, and then it rolled off the edge and crashed to the ground. "Oh great..." He muttered, shaking his head. "Just fucking great."
"I have it, sire." Noel said softly, kneeling down and pulling a towel from her cart and beginning to wipe up the spilled coffee and shards of china.
"I understand you're frustrated, sir." Lee said tightly as he picked up a sheet of paper, dripping black with coffee and smeared ink. He sighed and shook his head, picking up a few tomes before the creeping trail of coffee had a chance to reach them. "Irreplaceable records now ruined. Fabulous." Lee growled, shaking his head. He turned to Jarvan and fit the prince with a molten glare. "Sometimes you simply need to deal with it, sir. You're a prince and a representative of the Demacian Government now. You have responsibilities you must attend to despite how it may seem."
"You're out of line, Lee." Delancey growled, a frown forming on her face.
"Am I?" Lee snapped back. "Am I really? Mages learn about responsibility early on when they're studying in the Academy. There are certain things you have to sacrifice when you have so much responsibility on your shoulders. The prince wouldn't be here now if he didn't understand that."
"You should learn your place!" Delancey snapped back.
"Why?" Lee growled. "Just because I'm not an indoctrinated sheep like you academy knuckledraggers doesn't mean I'm not above understanding a Demacian's proper sense of duty. I simply don't follow it blindly."
"That's enough, Lee." Jarvan said finally, a grim look on his face as he used a cloth that Noel had produced to wipe the table clean. "Thank you, Noel." She bowed as she accepted the clothe from him.
"What, you think I'm wrong too?" Lee said defensively. Jarvan turned to face him fully, silence descending upon the room. Delancey, Noel, and Valentine all watched with apprehension as Jarvan glared at the mage. His chest rose and fell heavily once I a silent sigh before he turned to the other occupants of the room.
"Ladies, do me a favor and give me a moment alone with Lee, please." Jarvan said, trying to not let menace enter his voice. He waited as Delancey glanced at him, and though he met her gaze briefly, he simply nodded. She wore a frown but gestured for Valentine and Noel to follow.
"This way, Miss Isaacs." Delancey paused, looking at Valentine.
"Please just call me Valentine." She said softly, her eyes flicking nervously back and forth between Lee and Jarvan. She stood and gave Jarvan a withering gaze as Delancey led her into the outer room of Jarvan's suite. Noel bowed as she followed behind them, bowing as she pulled the door closed behind herself.
"Now, while I was going to agree with your comment about responsibility, I'm more inclined to sock you in the jaw right now." Jarvan growled, standing with his legs spread shoulder width apart and his arms crossed over his chest. "I took my frustrations out on the file folder and spilled some coffee, big deal. And here I was thinking you were the more level headed of my bodyguards. If you have any actual reason to be so angry, I shall listen to any grievances you have. If your reasons are sound, I shall deal with them as I see fit. Or, if you dislike this posting, you can see yourself now and head down to the personnel office to put in your transfer papers."
Anger showed on Lee's face. "Oh and I bet Sergeant Delancey got this same conversation, too." He sneered, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "This is a military investigation, not a baby sitting service."
"Actually, yes, I did have a conversation with Delancey about this." Jarvan growled. "She didn't like the idea of all this paperwork anymore than I did, and I set her straight. Now, if you're done pitching a bitch fit like a five-year-old, and want to speak to me like a soldier would address his superior officer, I MIGHT not bust you back down to private."
"Sir!" Lee snapped to attention, color draining from his face.
"Now." Jarvan said, sighing, stepping up towards Lee with a grimace on his face. "If you like this posting, and you have a legitimate complaint, I will listen to them."
"Sir, I have nothing to say, sir!" Lee barked.
"Oh?" Jarvan said, leaning back slightly, posting his fists on his hips. "And here I thought daycare was starting to bore you." Jarvan shook his head and sighed. "Look, Sergeant, I'll be straight with you. I can't figure you out. If you want to say something, just be out with it before I request a new escort so I don't have to deal with this. I don't want anything in the way of us working together, and right now I'm pretty sure something massive is ticking you off. I don't like that in my subordinates. Now out with it."
Lee glared at the wall behind Jarvan for several tense moments, his face an impenetrable mask. He glanced at Jarvan, his shoulders heaving as he sighed. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
"Do it." Jarvan growled, though his voice had lost a lot of its menace.
"Sir, I really don't think this sort of investigation is the place for romance or you suffering from outstanding issues with your late lieutenant's death." Lee took a deep breath and held it for a moment and then exhaled again. "I can't see any good coming from the fact that this young woman was able to get herself assigned to this post just like that, especially when she had an existing post within Military Command. That consists of so many military code violations I can't even begin to list them, and this stinks of foul play or traded favors, neither of which I appreciate." Lee clenched his fists, obviously hesitating before he went on. "I worked my ass off to get through the Demacian Arcane Academy while my parents languished to pay for books and living expenses, giving away what little they had to ensure I did. To see someone like her who is able to abuse the system gets under my skin."
"She's the daughter of a man who was greater than any man you or I could ever hope to be." Jarvan said, a frown marring his face. "If you have a legitimate security concern regarding the young woman, and I can see you really are concerned about this, I will allow you to look into these issues. However, it will have to wait until after the meeting regarding Kalamanda."
Lee's glare had softened a bit, but he still looked uncomfortable. "Yes, sir."
"Something else, sergeant?" Jarvan turned to where a fresh cup of coffee Noel had poured for him sat on the corner of the table. He picked it up and took a sip.
"Not really sir." Lee said.
"That doesn't sound convincing, Lee." Jarvan raised an eyebrow as he lowered the cup to the edge of the table. "Convince me."
"Sir, aside from my considerable security concerns regarding both the woman and the archive breaches I would like permission to follow up, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable of the level of intimacy you seem to share with the young woman. If you've going to start to develop some sort of relationship with her..."
"Just do me a favor and stop right there." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "She's more akin to a little sister than anything else. I knew her when she was a child, and her father was like an uncle to me than a lieutenant. Besides, I've got a..." He hesitated for a moment as if searching for the proper word. "...someone I'm courting already. If you have an issue with that though..."
Jarvan could read his mind piecing things together one by one, working steadily towards the end goal. "Oh right, you mean you and the dragoness..."
"Yup." Jarvan said, sighing. "If you have a problem with that, then we really might have an issue."
"No sir." He snapped back to attention, his face becoming a mask again. "Now that I understand the situation a bit better, I think I can work with this."
"And you don't have an issue with me and a half dragon being together?" Jarvan raised an eyebrow.
"You can't change who you love, sir." Lee said with a tone that told Jarvan there was something else at work. He raised his eyebrow, but shrugged.
"Well put." Jarvan shook his head as he finished off his coffee. "Now, I'll let you run your investigation if it'll convince you that there is nothing to worry about with Valentine. I want to be able to trust you, Lee, you're my bodyguard, I have to be able to trust you. I hope you can come to trust me as well."
"Yes, sir." Lee said quietly. Jarvan could see the hesitation still in his face.
"Now, go fetch the others and we'll get back to work." Jarvan picked up a sandwich from the plate and started munching as he glared down at the table. "We've still got a huge amount of paperwork to deal with."
Jarvan laid back in his chair and yawned, raising his arms high above his head, letting his back crack. He slumped down, letting his arms fall over the sides of the plush, high backed chair.
"More coffee, sir?" Lee offered, standing up and cracking his neck from side to side. He took a deep breath and hung his head before straightening his tunic with a brush of his hands. Jarvan picked up his coffee cup and looked at the dregs along the bottom, the black liquid having coalesced into a syrupy substance.
"Is it still hot?" Jarvan leaned forward and ran his hands over his face, feeling the thick stubble that now covered his chin and cheeks. Lee picked up the coffee pot and shook it from side to side before he put his hand on the side of the pot. He looked to Jarvan and shrugged. "Bleh I hate cold coffee." Jarvan growled, leaning back in his chair. "If it's not too late, I can have Noel brew us another...good lord, it's three in the morning."
"Wait... is it really?" Delancey dropped the tome she was reading through on the table, dust rising from the pages as it hit the table. She glanced over to where Valentine had fallen asleep on her arm, two crisp copies of Jarvan's report sitting next to where she lay drooling on her sleeve. Delancey smiled at the young assistant before she looked up at the clock that hung above the massive desk that sat at the far end of the room. "Wow, it IS three." Delancey slumped forward and let her head hit the desk. "I can't believe I didn't notice that."
"Tell me about it, my boyfriend is going to kill me." Lee groaned as he stretched his back. Jarvan paused mid rising to his feet and looked over to where Lee was leafing through a stack of papers.
"Wait you mean..." Jarvan said, frowning slightly.
"Sir?" Lee said, looking back at Jarvan and then frowning.
"And all this time I could have sworn you were..." Jarvan said, pulling himself to his feet. "Uh, never mind."
"What, you thought I was single?" Lee said as he set about straightening the papers and tomes he was working with.
"No, no, I just through you were in to..." Jarvan hesitated and shrugged. "You know, it really doesn't matter."
A slight frown darkened Lee's brow. "Well it matters to me, because it sounds like you thought I was-..."
"Ey, cap'n, what do you want me to do with Valentine." Delancey had hauled herself up and she was standing next to the young woman who had fallen asleep on the table.
"Oh look Valentine is completely out, could you go deal with that? We'll continue this conversation later." Jarvan said hurriedly as if he was trying to avoid the issue. Lee shrugged and moved over to where the young woman was slumped over the table. She groaned a bit and shifted on her arm, slurping a bit, causing Lee to smile and Jarvan to snort and chuckle. "Hell, she even sleeps like her father." Lee sat her back in the chair, letting her head hang back, the brown ponytail drooped over the back of the chair. Lee grunted as he lifted her up in his arms and turned towards Jarvan.
"What exactly, do you want me to do with her?" Lee said with a bit of exertion. Jarvan pointed to a decorative sofa. It had been shoved off to the side of the room when they had brought the table into to the study.
"Just lay her out over there." Jarvan said, glancing around. "I'll go get a blanket and a pillow for her. Soon as you want, you can head on out of here."
Delancey was wandering aimlessly around the room, looking about before she returned to the cushy chair she had been working in. she hovered next to the chair for a few moments before she dragged it around the face the fireplace along the side of the room before she started digging through her pockets.
"Going to crash right there, Del?" Lee said, watching as she started to pull weapons from her person. She dropped the little bit of armor she wore on the ground next to the chair and then worked her tunic out from her belt, yawning. She deposited no less than a dozen throwing knives, a combat knife, a long and slender bladed dagger, two knuckledusters attached to knives with spikes on each knuckle, a short bladed falcata sword, and the saber from her hip, using her chest plate like a bowl. Satisfied she had removed all the weapons, she unsnapped the leather buckles on her grieves.
"Yep." She said, kicking off the armored steel boots, making sure she had a small, triangular shaped blade still strapped to her wrist and then glancing over at Jarvan. "I'll keep an ear out for anything, sir. I'm just going to crash here though, I don't wanna go back to the female dorms this late." Jarvan shrugged as she curled up in the chair, Delancey tucking her legs into her chest. "Besides, someone has to keep you from jumping her bones." She pointed to where Valentine lay on the couch.
"Nothing is going to... She's like a sister to me, damn it!" Jarvan protested, angrily. "I HAVE a girlfriend!"
"Whatever you say." Delancey said, waving him off as she pulled the bun free on the back of her head, tugging her brown hair over her shoulder.
"God... damn... it..." Jarvan muttered with an exasperated sigh. He turned to glare at Delancey, but she had closed her eyes and her chest immediately began to rise and fall deeply. "And she's out like a light." He shook his head and turned back to Lee. "Two questions: does she always fall asleep this quickly, and has she always carried enough weapons to equip a small army?"
Lee snorted and Jarvan watched a thin smile play over his face. "Well, as long as I've known her... yes and yes."
"I've got a friend she'll like." Jarvan said with a grin. "A real weapons enthusiast. More or less a walking armory." He looked back and forth from the two women who were asleep now and shook his head.
"Two women asleep in my suite, and neither of them are the one my heart lies with." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "God damn it."
"Speaking of significant others, I hope you don't have a problem with me having a boyfriend?" Lee said evenly, watching Jarvan's face to judge his reaction.
"Not an issue." Jarvan said shrugging. "If you had mentioned it earlier though, I would have let you gone home to him; I didn't mean to keep you so late. Though... it's a bit surprising after your triad earlier to see you having a significant other of your own."
"He understands this is important work." Lee said shrugging. "He gets a bit impatient when I stay away for several days though. And I don't have any issue with significant others, I just have reservations about a lack of separation between officers and their subordinates. I've seen that cause more trouble than I want to get involved in with my last unit." Lee wore a soft smile, the most emotion Jarvan had seen on his face in the past two days they had spent cooped up in Jarvan's study going through record, reports and hundred and hundreds of tomes. Jarvan shrugged, wearing a admonished smile. "Besides, it's partially a security issue that I'm worried about, not just the girl. If you have anything else you'd like me to sort through..."
Jarvan pinched the bridge of his nose and yawned, messaging his eyelids before wiping his face. "Nah, I don't think we're going to find anything substantial this late." Jarvan shrugged and let his shoulders fall. "You're free to go, Lee. I appreciate all the help with this crap." Jarvan gestured to the papers and books stacked around the office. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Of course, sir." Lee saluted tiredly and then spun, heading for the door. "Goodnight."
"Take care. Give my regards to your boyfriend." Jarvan grinned when Lee looked surprised, glancing over his shoulder at Jarvan. He shook his head and waved over his shoulder, disappearing beyond the door. Jarvan glanced at where Delancey used the chair as a bed, her head laid against the wing of the high backed chair, her blue forelocks falling around her face, long brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Jarvan shook his head as he lifted the stack of reports he had been browsing. He opened the top folder and glanced at it, frowning and then tossing it on the table, realizing he had already read that one.
Jarvan browsed the table, picking out an older looking file that was fairly thin, with frayed edges. He thumbed through it briefly, frowning at the coffee stains along the edge of the paper as he headed for his bedroom. He stepped through the darkened common room, the large fire that had been laid now smoldering embers. He glanced briefly around the room, looking over the many mementos from his past before pushing the door open to the bedroom beyond. Inside was a massive bed and a rather large, empty room, heavy doors holding out the cold as he tread into the room, thick carpet underfoot. There was a bathroom off to the side, but Jarvan glanced around the room before heading to where a massive chest was sitting at the end of the bed. Jarvan tossed the file folder on his bed and then opened the chest, pulling out two heavy blankets, the thick, soft wool fuzzy to the touch. He headed back to the study and then tucked one under his arm, tossing the large heavy blanket over Valentine. She shifted a bit as it settled on top of her and she pulled it around her. Jarvan grinned as he stepped over to Delancey and tossed the other around her.
Satisfied, Jarvan paused, looking back into the dark depths of the suite and frowned, glancing at the clock.
He shivered.
It may not be the company I would most prefer, but it'll do to warrant off the nightmares.
Jarvan stepped up to a side table and then opened a drawer, pulling out a stack of parchment paper. He took the paper and headed over to his desk, grabbing the short stacks each of his officers had pulled out tossing them on the desk before slumping down in the high backed chair. He pulled a quill and ink bottle from his desk, and started to piece together the makings of suggestions for Councilor Crownguard's contingency plan.
Jarvan sighed and started scratching a plan out onto the parchment.