Jade smiled to her best friend. Kitana was feeling weighed down, so the temporary excursion to Outworld was probably something the new queen really needed. Kitana had only just been crowned Queen not too long ago. Still, even when she was crowned Queen, Kitana had already bore so much responsibility. Jade was her faithful bodyguard, loyal to the end no matter what. Her green-clad bodyguard also knew Kitana was lonely, and that part of her hoped her lover, Liu Kang, would show up, and when he did they could not keep their eyes off each other.
When Kitana and Jade first arrived they were surprised to see they were the first ones there. Raiden had called the women to a tiny hotel in a little village in the Outworld. The name Jade could not remember for the life of her, but the hotel was bigger(at least according to Jade) than expected. The village, while pleasant, was by no means modest, or rich. It was just a tiny fishing village with no real attractions. This was perhaps the reason why Raiden called the rest of the Earth real warriors here.
The hotel has a second floor(one of the first things to surprise Jade) and an indoor bathhouse(the next thing that surprised Jade). After unpacking Jade helped Kitana change into something more causal(casual being the operative word) and slipped into a fresh pair of clothing as well. The queens bodyguards fans were tucked away in her sleeves, just in case. Time passed by as both women waited before more friends finally showed up. First Johnny Cage, who gave Kitana then Jade a brief hug and peck on the cheek. He also gave them each a signed photograph, though Jade suspected Johnny didn't realize his photos would only have sentimental value here.
Next Liu Kang and Kung Lao showed up and the queen and her lover then became almost inseparable. Following the monks's arrival, the next to show up were Jax, Sonya, and Sub-Zero. Jade smiled to Sub-Zero though he seemed not to notice her. Jade had had feelings for the man some time now, but she doubted the cryomancer was interested, though when he turned to Jade she felt her heart flutter at the sight of his gorgeous blue eyes. Jade greeted Kung Lao, who happened to sit next to her and they made small talk for the next hour as the group waited to see who else would turn up.
Eventually Kitana asked Jade if she could fetch her a blanket, which was at least -something- for Jade to do, aside from watching the two lovebirds bat their eyelashes at each other. Standing and excusing herself, Jade ascended the stairs to their shared room. After finding an acceptable blanket(the queen would have been fine with anything, but Jade had to make sure it looked decent! Plus, it was comfortable) Jade headed downstairs. A door closed and mention of Lord Raiden was heard, so when the emerald-clad warrior returned to the dining room she was pleasantly surprised to see Lord Raiden sitting in her spot. He greeted Jade then offered the woman her seat back to which she declined. Jade handed over Kitanas requested blanket before Lord Raiden spoke up.
"Hello to you all, my warriors. It is good to see all of you again. As you know it has been a year since Shao Kahn was defeated, however we all know he is not dead. He is recuperating right now so I do not perceive him to be gone for much longer." Lord Raiden paused before continuing, "The young man all of you just met, except you, Jade, is being hunted by Quan Chi. He has already escaped Quan Chi but you all know that the sorcerer will come for him again."
Kung Lao cut in with a question, "Why is that plague after him? He seems fairly normal to me." Raiden tilted his head towards Kung Lao, and his eyes squinted, if only by a small degree, "Kung Lao, you will not provoke him into a fight. He has done nothing wrong. He was brought here without a choice so it is my job to make sure he stays safe till I discover, precisely, what it is that drew him here, and why." Kung Lao shrunk back, like a child being scolded by an elder. A small smile crept onto her face, but thankfully Jade had her mask on, so it went unnoticed.
Raiden continued on, "I just ask that you keep an eye on him. Quan Chi will most likely be coming after him again, which means he may have Scorpion hunting down his whereabouts." Briefly, each pair of eyes in the room glanced to Sub-Zero, who had narrowed his eyes before remarking, "Then I will make sure the man stays safe, if just to be a thorn in that ghoul's side." Sub-Zero's response seemed adequate, but something felt off. Jade couldn't place her finger on it, but the man that was being spoken about entered, nervously glancing from face to face. Raiden then introduced the young man as 'Jay' before dismissing everyone for the evening, Jay noticeably exiting the room fairly fast after a glance towards the warrior monk duo.
"There is much to talk about, but that can wait till tomorrow. Right now, everyone should rest. We can discuss more in the morning."
With that Lord Raiden took his leave. Jade moved towards her best friend, casually giving her shoulder a light squeeze before asking if Kitana needed anything before her bodyguard went to bathe. Kitana shook her head no before telling Jade to save some hot water for her. Jade smiled beneath her mask before heading back up to their room. She had thought it strange that the young man-'Jay' skipped out so suddenly.
Shuddering as she picked up her towel, Jade moved back into the hallway. She turned around just in time to see a door close down the hall. It was one of the bedroom doors so the royal bodyguard assumed one of the others was heading to bed. Once inside the bathhouse Jade also noticed that there was already fresh, hot water started. Normally she would have assumed someone was in here but the bathhouse was empty. After shutting off the water Jade disrobed and tested the water with her toe. Just the right amount of heat, perfect! She climbed in, even going so far as to take off her mask and lay it with her clothing.
Jade also let her hair down, which wasn't all that often. Moving to the middle of the bath, she then lowered herself enough so that almost every part of her save for her face was covered. Jade let herself soak for a few seconds before sitting up and scrubbing herself. In the middle of scrubbing Jade heard voices in the hall before watching as the door opened. A tall man with his back to Jade was speaking to...was that Johnny Cage? Jades eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to stop an embarrassing situation from unfolding, mostly since all the man was wearing was a towel. Before Jade could speak Jay said, "Thanks for the loaner towel, buddy! I'll figure out the clothing situation later, I guess. Night!"
Then, as if on cue the door shut and the towel dropped. What stunned her was that he had a gorgeous backside. And the strange markings covering athletic arms probably explained why Jade was speechless. Then, when the unsuspecting man turned around Jade, if possible, became even more speechless. She tried averting her eyes, and he didn't see her till it was already too late. Jade is supposed to be poised and a lady at all times, even as a female warrior, but she could not prevent the blush on her cheeks. Jay, too, was blushing and thankfully had the right of mind to snatch the towel up and cover himself. He then flinched, nearly shouted an apology and was out the door before Jade had time to blink.
The blushing woman smiled to herself, thinking, 'At least he shut the door behind him.' She grabbed one of her nearby fans and started fanning when the door opened again. This time it was Kitana who was there. The newly appointed queen smiled before quickly disrobing and joined her friend in the bath. Jade had to stifle a grin as she informed Kitana, "My queen, I believe I just had the pleasure of meeting the young man we are to be keeping an eye on. On a more -personal- level."
Kitana gave her a confused look before a smile spread across Jades face. "Oh yes, have I a story to tell you ."
*A/N*: Hello! Edited this chapter a bit. Definitely needed it given the switches between third and first person. I know there are other chapters much worse off than this one and they will be updated soon. Promise!