Jasper Bloodstone & Jan Saur in Eorzea

by IndigoSnake16

As you might have expected from the title, this a tale about Jasper and Jan's adventures in Eorzea. They had plans of their own, but now it seems the realm is in need of help from the most unlikely of places.

3. Chapter 3

Jasper Bloodstone & Jan Saur in Eorzea

Chapter 3

Dinah was more shocked than Jasper with the woman's proposal. After all that she'd done to Jasper, what made her think that he would possibly agree to help her? But even without Jan trying to convince him, Jasper took her request into consideration and eventually accepted it much to everyone's surprise.

The teaching did not begin immediately, Jasper still needed time to recover and he was left to himself for weeks while Dinah and Jan dared to go back to her apartment to finally take back some of her clothes. They still didn't fully know what had happened that day. Had it all been orchestrated by that young woman? Or was there someone else behind it all? Jan hadn't been able to get such information out of her. She seemed emotionally traumatized; asking her too many questions at once did not seem like the thing to do.

/

His mind was quite jumbled. Everything he had ever learned or knew had simply been plopped back into his head and the entire ordeal had felt beyond uncomfortable. He told himself not to hate the woman for going to such drastic measures, but it was hard not to. Had Jan not vouched for the girl he would have gotten rid of her already, poisoned her food even. And now he was simply going to hand over the knowledge she had sought to steal from him—he needed time to cool off, he needed time to gather his now confused thoughts.

He didn't trust himself to make rational decisions. Things simply wouldn't come to him as they had in the past. Knowledge was one thing, but to have it all come together coherently—he had lost that, he was certain. It was like flipping through a book knowing what it's supposed to be about but not really knowing where to find specific information at specific times.

There was a knock on his door and it opened before he ever had a chance to consider whether he wanted to see anyone. It didn't matter anyhow; the woman had walked in and was now before him. Her eyes always looked sorrowful and pleading—it annoyed him. If there was one thing that made sense to him, it was his anger, but he prized himself on not showing such emotion to the woman especially since he had agreed to teach her.

"Aren't you going to ask my name?" the woman asked with a small voice.

Jasper suddenly realized that no one had known her name. They'd taken to calling her "that woman". "I suppose that would be useful."

"Emily Hyde. When will you begin teaching me?"

She still had a small voice, but it sounded more like a brazen question to Jasper. He looked at her evenly. "Whenever I feel up to it."

"And when will that be? It seems like you aren't doing anything right now."

"I agreed to teach you and I will soon enough."

"How long? What are we waiting for?"

"Young lady—

"I'm not young. You're an Elezen; you should know that we sometimes look younger than we are. With the exception of you, of course."

"You're young in my eyes based on your actions."

"I knew it; you still resent what I did to you."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't."

"And that's what's stopping you, isn't it? Let me remind you—you agreed to this."

"Yes I did. Now if that's all you came to talk about, I'll need you to leave." Jasper wasn't even looking at her any longer.

"No," she said stubbornly. "You're stalling. I already said I was sorry. What else do you want me to do?"

"There is nothing more you can do."

"Oh, what's wrong?" Emily said when she saw the other's head bow down in sudden pain.

She came over to him to check and see if he had a fever of some kind—she found that he did.

"Don't touch me," he said darkly.

She snatched her hand away. "You know, if I were a healer, I could help you."

"But you're not, are you," he spat mockingly. "Will you leave already," he said.

He was seething now, but Emily never thought she'd see such raw emotion on an Elezen's face. She didn't know him very well; she didn't know whether he was acting out of character or not. She dared not push him any further and left his room quickly, closing the door behind her. He needed more time and she gave it to him. She sat down in the living room expecting nothing further to occur, but after a few hours Jasper came from his room fully dressed and presented his self before her with his usual neutral expression.

She looked up at him. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Better that you start sooner rather than later."

He had a rather large book in his hand and he handed it to her.

She glanced at the title briefly and then looked back to him. "You expect me to read this?"

"That's part of learning—reading. Memorize the first chapter and then perhaps there's something I can teach you."

"I don't want to read."

"Then I don't want to teach you."

"Fine, but I just want you to know that you make for a horrible teacher. I'd have an easier time just taking what you already know."

"You try something like that again and you won't like what I'll do to you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Call it what you want," he said dismissively. "Now, I'll leave you to your study. Really, it isn't that long of a chapter—three pages."

"And if I have questions?"

"Then ask me."

Jasper returned to his room presently and left Emily to herself. She didn't stay put for long. Eventually, she was basically in his room forever asking him question after question before Jasper began to rethink his "teaching" strategy. It appeared as if he would have to do more. Instead of simply answering her questions, he began to anticipate them. They were, after all, the same sort of questions he had answered on his own a very long time ago. He would guide her to the answer by asking her a series of his own questions and eventually she would get it though it was a painfully slow process.

Emily wanted to know when they would actually start doing things, but Jasper felt that it was necessary that she learned the foundation first and especially control. Control seemed to be something that Emily understood was important. It was always control; even the most advanced techniques required it. If she couldn't learn control, then she couldn't learn Conjury or any of other class of magic.

And so control was drilled into her. In fact, the book was put away for the time being just so she could concentrate on that one thing. Before ever touching magic, Jasper had her go through a series of trials to demonstrate her control—physical and mentally. They spent nearly a week on just that one thing until Jasper felt that she had a strong handle on it. And then she was told to read through yet another chapter.

Emily began to notice little things about her teacher like the fact that he was rarely happy. He never smiled, never was satisfied with her progress, never encouraging. He was the worst teacher she'd ever encountered, but he was still "better" than her last one. He was not only strict, but stubborn. Often, she wanted to do things a different way, but Jasper would not budge on his way. Emily had initially thought that he was a clean, well-groomed man, but his hair would be unkempt on most days, haphazardly thrown into a ponytail as if it were a second thought and sometimes he'd forget to wash. Sometimes he'd forget to even eat. Emily might have chalked it up to his quirkiness, but when Jan became concerned she knew that it simply wasn't the case. Japer was acting strangely, but Emily could care little about this. In fact when Jan asked her to report to him if she saw him doing or forgetting things she felt was off, she completely blew him off. Not in his face, of course, since he had convinced Jasper to teach her, but her actions spoke louder than words. She didn't tell Jan about any of the times she found Jasper wracked with dangerously high fevers for fear that he might halt his teaching and luckily, Jasper never seemed to remember such episodes.

She sometimes wondered why she hadn't simply gone through with her plans. She didn't care about Jasper, but somehow Jan had convinced her to do otherwise. He was a very warm person and she had been fooled into rethinking her plans. Now she couldn't turn back. As compromised as Jasper seemed, she felt he was completely capable of making her life miserable or worse if she tried to do the same trick again. Emily would see him some days and wonder if he ever slept. It wasn't as if she gave him much time for it. When she was told to go somewhere and read, she'd read as quickly as possible and come back to him with more questions. She could tell when he wanted to stop for the day, but she was an expert in distraction—especially when it could so easily be done. He'd forget what time it was fairly easy and she could get him to continue all night until she felt like calling it quits. Then she'd come back to him only a few hours later being fully rested and knowing that he had probably had far more trouble getting to sleep and had probably slept for half the time she did. She'd wake him without a second thought and she'd always convince him to continue. Though outwardly he appeared uncaring, she knew that he was the complete opposite. Anyone with any observation skills could see that. The fact that he had chosen to have a friend such a Jan was evidence enough. All she had to do was beg a little and he'd disregard any discomfort he might be feeling and begin teaching her once again.

In other words, she had him wrapped around her little finger and there was no one to stop her. Certainly not Jan who was too busy entertaining Dinah and certainly not Dinah herself who avoided books and studying like the plague. She liked the control she had attained in such a short time. She'd been so alone before. Now she could interact with people and not have to worry about the simple things like food, shelter and a place to sleep.

It was another day of learning and Emily was quite pumped about this day. She'd finally begin to use actual magic. Since she was feeling a bit generous, she gave him another hour to sleep. After that hour was up, she was off to his room. He seemed quite dead today—he was sprawled on his bed and he hadn't quite made it to getting under his covers. She shook him a little, but then a little harder when she realized he wasn't responding. Then she resorted to shrieking his name obnoxiously loud which did the trick. It seemed like a struggle for him to open his eyes, but she quickly got his attention.

"Rise and shine, Jasper."

"What…? What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Way past the crack of dawn, if you were wondering. It's getting late already. Weren't you going to teach me how to do that earth move?"

"I did…say that. I'll be with you in a few. Just wait in the living room."

"Okay," Emily said bounding out the living room.

Jasper sat up slowly in his bed as the spinning world and dancing lights began to subside and he groaned when he climbed to his feet. There was a routine he usually went through in the morning time, but he couldn't recall what that was at the moment so he threw on some clothes. His hair was in his face once again, but he could find the band which he unusually tied it up with and went without it. He found Emily in the living room right where he had asked her to be. She was perhaps the only constant thing in his life at the moment. She had out her book parsing through the chapters she had read already.

"We'll start small," Jasper began as he sat down the floor.

Emily who had been on the couch joined him. "I know about the aether and I know about meditation."

"That's good. Now these things must come together. You must meditate now, sense the aether around you and gather it in one spot."

"Where?"

"Try the tip of your finger—a small focal point."

"Like a wand?"

"Just like a wand."

"Can't I use one now?"

"You could, but I don't happen to have one at your level at the moment."

"Don't worry, I have one." Then she proceeded to taking a small stick out of her pocket. "See? Just an old weathered wand."

"That will do nicely."

"I know."

"It helps if you close your eyes," Jasper said watching her.

"Okay," she said taking a deep breath.

It was better than watching the other constantly pushing his hair back clearly annoyed with any of it being in his face. She sat quietly for a while and then peeked to look at the other to see if he was still awake—he was and watching her quite intently. She closed her eyes once again and settled down.

"What next?" she asked when he wouldn't say anything.

"You're not in a meditative state."

"Well, you don't have to meditate when you do your magic," Emily argued.

"Would you stop comparing yourself to me? You have a long ways to go before you can begin doing that."

Then she quieted down once again. Slowly, she began to clear everything from her mind—her needs, the fact that she was in a living room, the rather cool temperature of the house, her anxiousness—all of it soon faded away and then she was able to feel the aether.

"Good, now gather some of that aether that you feel towards your wand."

She did this quite effortlessly.

"Send it forth into the earth, allow nature to take over."

She was suddenly glad that he had told her to read first before attempting anything or else she would have no idea what he was referring to. She couldn't hear the voices of the elementals, of course, it was a rare talent, but she could at least feel its presence and manipulate it, in theory, to her will. Then the ground began to rumble and she opened her eyes to see just what she had accomplished and she saw a small piece of ephemeral earth jut up from the carpet and disappear.

"That was it!" Emily said proud of herself. "I controlled the aether and did my first spell."

"It is quite an impressive feat, but now you must continue to use it until you feel comfortable with using it. Perhaps next time you'll call forth more aether to make your spell even more powerful."

Emily nodded to him. "But what should I use my spell on?"

"Outside of these city walls you'll find plenty of creatures to use it on. Just make sure you don't take on more than you can chew."

"You want me to go out there alone?"

"Is there a problem? That's how I was taught. I wasn't even given the benefit of being taught a spell—I had to figure that part out by myself with only a book to aid me."

"But I could get hurt. You know I can't heal myself."

"Emily, you can do this on your own. You can defend yourself."

"You sure you're not shirking your teaching duties?"

"I'm certain. I know how eager you are to learn. Might as well go out there now so that you can go on to the next spell."

"And what's that?"

"A spell that can heal a moderate amount of injuries."

Her eyes grew big. "Alright, in that case, I'm off then and I will be back before the day ends so be ready."

"I doubt you can master a spell in one day, but you're welcome to try."

Emily knew exactly what the other would do once she left. He'd probably go back to bed and she'd have to drag him out of it once again, but there was nothing she could do to help it. She hadn't been able to convince him to come with her. Even before she left he returned to his room and she sighed exasperatedly. She was determined to master this spell today and begin on the next before the day was over.

/

Jasper felt chilly and shivered involuntarily as he laid down in his bed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd picked up the thaumaturgy book, but he certainly didn't have enough energy or brainpower to go through it now. After learning a miraculous two spells in one sitting, he was stuck, not because he couldn't teach himself anymore, but because he was far too distracted. He knew he'd make it quite hard on himself if he was still concentrated on his own studying while helping someone on something completely different. Switching back in forth between the two classes constantly seemed like an impossible task to him right now. His mind could hardly keep up with what he had to do from day to day. Emily was at the forefront of his thoughts and he became one-track when he thought of her. He knew he had to teach her and everything else in his life became optional.

He didn't bother with the covers. He knew he'd be miserable if anyone came to wake him and he happened to actually be comfortable. But if he stayed in this position, he wouldn't be nearly as annoyed. He was tired, but couldn't close his eyes. He sighed deeply and then got back up again. He couldn't think of anything to do right then which scared him. There was always something to do. He thought for a moment and realized that he hadn't eaten anything and he wasn't even sure if Emily had either. He hoped Emily wasn't going about casting her magic on an empty stomach. Surely, she'd be more sensible than that and apparently more sensible than him since he hadn't managed to remind her of this fact.

His door was open, but he heard a knock on his door. He looked up to find Jan standing there in his doorway.

"Hello, friend," Jan said upon entering his room. "Was checking to see how you were doing."

Jasper knew he was being evaluated and he was certain he was not passing the other's standards. Besides, he had yet to find his band which he could not recall ever taking off so his hair remained quite loose. Anyone could see that something was not quite right.

"I'm fine," Jasper lied.

But Jan was not having it and shook his head. "No, you're not. I haven't heard from you in days."

"Weren't you busy? And anyways I've had my hands full with Emily."

"I hope not too full. Your health concerns me. It looks like you haven't really slept in days."

Jasper turned his face from him. "So I haven't. What do you expect to do about it?"

"You're right, I guess there isn't much I can do, but I can tell you one thing—Emily shouldn't be your top priority right now."

"Yes, I know. State the obvious."

"Is it obvious to you?" Jan questioned, "Seems like you're having trouble prioritizing."

"What are you talking about? I can prioritize quite fine on my own."

"Yeah?" Jan said unbelievingly. "Well, then I'm sure you would have no problem finding this then," he said as he presented something to the other in his hand.

Jasper grew slightly annoyed when he found it to be that band he just couldn't seem to find. He took it from the other quickly. "Dare I ask, where did you find it?"

"Oh, but you should know, you put it there," Jan said.

"I don't have time for this—just tell me."

"You really don't know?" Jan asked a bit amazed. "It was in plain sight in the same bathroom you use every day and for as long as I can remember on the sink. If you'd visited the bathroom, you would have found it."

"Alright, Jan, you've made your point. But there isn't anything to do for it, now is there?"

"Well, the first step to fixing a problem is knowing there is one in the first place."

"Are we really doing this right now?"

"Why not? You're not particularly busy right now. Emily's not around."
"That's not the point," Jasper said exasperatedly. "I'm not a problem that needs to be fixed."

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you have a problem not that you are one."

"We're cutting hairs."

"Splitting, not cutting and it is a big difference."

"Jan," Jasper said wearily, "Will you just—

"Leave?" Jan said finishing the other's sentence. "You always do that when you're trying to avoid the issue."

"Whatever issue I have, I don't feel like dealing with it right now—can you understand that much? I appreciate that you took time out just to come and see me, but it was unnecessary."

"Unnecessary?"

"Yes, unnecessary. I can take care of myself. I've done so for years now."

"No one was saying that you couldn't. It's just—

"Jan, leave it."

Jan gave the other a long look and then crossed his arms. "I see you're being stubborn right noe. I'll come back later."

"Don't bother," Jasper said as the other one was turning to leave. "This is something that I have to deal with. It doesn't concern you."

"Alright," Jan said with a sigh. "I'll say no more about it. I suppose you know what you're doing."

With that, Jan finally did leave, but Jasper didn't believe for a second that Jan would let the matter rest—it wasn't in his nature."

Jasper might have been annoyed had he not appreciated the other's concern. It was nice to know that there was someone else concerned about his health. So often he concentrated on everyone else's injuries that he neglected his own. Now that he was here alone, he could finally begin deciphering through his confused thoughts and begin to put things back in order. He hadn't actively tried to do anything like this before as Jan said, the first step was acknowledging that there was a problem in the first place. He identified it, put it in perspective and began to slowly move towards the solution.

But then he suspected that something truly wasn't right. After hearing what Emily had attempted to do to him, Jasper expected he'd need some time to readjust, but after almost two months, he didn't think he should still feel this foggy. He didn't like being in such a haze. He knew he forgot things on a daily basis as if his mind was always on other more important things or what he now deemed as important. He wanted to tell Jan as much but he didn't want to worry him anymore than he already was. Jan needed to keep his attentions on Dinah not him. But he couldn't deny that he did feel strange, very strange. It was a feeling that hadn't left him since the woman first began to work her magic on him back at the dungeon.

/

When Emily came back to the house, the night was still young. She'd become overjoyed when aether began to flow from her wand so effortlessly. She had become a little too excited and over worked herself casting the spell she had learned on the creatures outside the walls. Though she wanted to move on to the next spell—she knew her limits and that she could only push her body so far. Besides, she still needed to have some reserves.

She looked for Jasper and found him in his room with the lights on because, of course, he hadn't thought to turn them off. He was dead to the world once again, but this time she didn't have a mind to wake him. He didn't appear the slightest bit comfortable which was what she expected. Were he not so deeply asleep, he might have been tossing and turning. She walked over to the side of his bed and took up one of his hands. She closed her eyes preparing the third stage of her summoning spell. Her mouth twisted into a cruel smile—she couldn't help the irony of it all. Never in a million years did she think her plan would run so smoothly. Already, she'd fooled both Jan and her host into thinking that she had desperately needed his knowledge and that the reason for his strange malady from before had been because she had somehow confiscated his knowledge. Emily wasn't even sure if such a spell even existed. Though she may not have been knowledgeable in the traditional uses of magic, she had been taught her own brand. Her old teacher had been none other than her mother and she was a hard teacher with a sharp tongue and harsh punishments. She had been scarred by her style of teachings in the past—that part was true—but she wasn't anymore, not after she realized how valuable her mother's lessons had been. Now she wanted her mother back. They had had plans before her life was cut short by cancer, but Emily was determined to reverse her fate.

Emily had been looking for just the right host and Jasper was the finest candidate. It was too bad he was man and not a woman, but Emily had already wasted two years searching and Jasper met all her other qualifications. Jasper was more than proficient in magic use—he was better than her and his control was unshakable even in the state that he was in now. He had a strong Elezen mind and body and he took care of himself. All these things she had looked at before coming to her final decision. That was why she stood here now repeating the incantation that she'd memorized by heart years ago. She'd chosen this time to continue her spell because she needed quiet and she could not be interrupted. Even more, at least in this stage, she could not explain her actions or try to hide it from others. In other words, she had to be discreet.

She exerted her control over him. "Repeat after me Elezen: Eternal rest for one's lost soul."

Emily waited and then she heard the soft rumble of his voice murmuring the same words.

"A spell to end Fate's dominion, to guide one's lost soul back, to relinquish the shackles of death."

She waited for him to repeat her words and he did and then she placed his hand down. She stumbled back with utter exhaustion. She really had over done it today, but it was all for a good cause. Emily watched the other for a while trying to picture him as her mother, but it didn't quite fit. With a shrug, she finally left and wasn't back up until at least 10am the next morning.

When she came to check on Jasper, surprisingly he was already awake, but once again it appeared as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep last night—this didn't surprise her. He looked at her wearily probably already knowing what she had come for. She took out her wand for good measure and gave him a bright smile.

"I take it you've mastered you're first spell," Jasper said noting her mood.

"I did."

"Your control was quite impressive yesterday and you've made your magic far more potent."

"But h-how did you know that?" Emily said a little surprised. "Were you spying on me while I was away?"

"I wouldn't say spying. I could sense your magic—you weren't very far away."

"Can you do that with anyone?"

"Anyone who I've spent a good amount of time with, like you. You sound concerned. I just wanted to make sure you weren't overextending yourself out there."

"Was I?"

"A little, but you're a novice, you did quite well."

"Oh, thank you. I do aim to please," Emily said with a courteous smile.

"You shouldn't. Aim only to improve yourself. Others will depend on your fortitude and you must depend on yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now—about that new spell you're going to teach me."

Jasper gave her a brief grin. "I was stalling. Meet me in the living room again."

She could hear the weariness in his tone and she wondered just how much time and effort would be put into this healing spell. She knew in theory how it worked according to her reading, but she had never actually done it, too afraid to do it without Jasper's guidance. Emily made her way to the said room and sat down on the soft carpet against the couch. She tinkered with her wand in boredom and anticipation until Jasper joined her sitting right next to her. She looked over at him expectantly and he began to explain what he wanted her to do.

She found herself closing her eyes sensing the aether about her and she once again began to gather it towards the point of her wand.

"You're in the wrong state of mind," Jasper warned the other. "Relax. You've grown used to sensing the aether about you, now you must soften your mood."

Emily sighed exasperatedly with her eyes still closed not sure how she could actually "relax" or "soften her mood".

"Think of something that relaxes you. Think of something that would put you in a good mood," Jasper suggested sensing the other's struggle.

"I'll try. It just might take a while for me to…'relax'."

"I understand."

It was quite a task trying to think of something that would make her relaxed. She went through several scenarios, but it wound up making her feel even more anxious. She was just an anxious person and now of all times she could not afford to relax. She always had to watch what she said now that she was in enemy territory. They weren't her enemies really, but she was certain they'd be against what she was doing. She had to stay on her toes constantly. If she relaxed, how could she keep her edge? How could she still keep her words guarded? When exactly was the last time she'd really been in a really good mood, had even felt relaxed? Her made up scenarios hadn't worked, she had to think of something real and poignant. She began to cipher through her memories slowly, hoping she'd missed something about her life that could help her now. Instead of anxious, she became increasingly depressed. There was nothing to be found there in her memories. She'd only known strife. Perhaps this spell was beyond her. There was not a single moment in her life when she'd been completely calm and completely herself.

Then she began to think of her more recent memories. The ones where she had spent her days in this house teaching herself Conjury. It had been calming in a way. No one held any expectations of her, no one was forcing her to do anything she didn't want to do, and there was no one constantly breathing down her back. She hadn't needed to conform to any sort of routine when she was here and Jasper was perhaps the most laid back teacher she'd ever encountered. If you were going to benefit from his teaching, you had to be motivated. Jasper was not going to motivate anyone and he was not going to hold anyone's hand. Most of the responsibility had fallen on her. She got a sense of pride knowing that she'd learned her first spell almost on her own through hard work and dedication. When she opened her eyes again, tiring of the exercise, she found that Jasper was sound asleep.

As always, he slept like the dead. She noticed that he shivered a bit and that too didn't surprise her. There was only one last stage of the ongoing spell she'd started so long ago and finally it was drawing to a close. Her spell drew his essence closer and closer to the realm of the dead which was said to be a very cold place and now his proximity to it was the closest it would ever be. She'd been preparing his body for this long for that very fact and now it seemed he was ready. Yet she hesitated.

"Jasper?" Emily said and then she repeated his name again much louder, but he didn't stir.

He was not a light sleeper, Emily determined, which was part of the reason she'd been able to get this far. There was no reason to stall now. This was the perfect opportunity and surely her mother would readily agree with her. Emily gave the other a pitying look. He didn't deserve what she was going to do next, but she'd chosen her path long ago.

"Sorry, Jasper. Thank you for your hospitality…and for being such a patient teacher." She sighed deeply and took up one of his hands once again. "Turn Fate against itself. This body shall be the vessel. The lost soul shall be returned to Life."

She laid her head against his chest as she heard the soft rumble of his voice repeat the same words. His body grew quite cold, but she waited and waited with closed eyes. And suddenly she felt his arms come about her in a loving way and her heart skipped a beat. She had to remind herself that this was no longer Jasper, but her mother. She looked up expectantly with a pleasant smile.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, mother."

He was warm once again and she might have stayed there in his grasp much longer if her mother didn't think such things so strenuous.

"I'm glad to be back. You did well, Emi. Though, why you felt the need to place me in a man's body is beyond me."

"Oh, you'll see, mother. He's perfect for your cause."

"We'll see," her mother said as she stood up from the ground. "It's been so long, darling! You know, you never know what you have until it's gone."

"Mother, watch what you say. He doesn't say things like darling."

"Oh calm yourself, Emi. I have all of his memories, all of his knowledge. I know everything about him and I know how to blend in. Now, I'm so famished! It feels like I haven't eaten in days."

"You haven't."

"Well, aren't you a cruel little girl. I've been watching you, Emi. That you can act so callously towards others is no surprise to me. Didn't let the man recover very well from the first part of the spell and you jumped right in to the other ones. As a result, he's far too weakened for me to begin my plans."

"I'm sorry. I just…spent so long looking for the right host. I thought you were getting impatient…"

"Oh it's alright, darling," she said with a playful smile. "I was only teasing. You did right by me. A few setbacks I was prepared for. Now go find me something to eat in here," she ordered.

Emily bounded off to the kitchen and her mother calmly made her way to the dining room and sat down at the place Jasper usually sat. Eventually, Emily came back in with a simple sandwich and placed it in front of her mother who looked at it critically.

"Whole wheat bread? There's nothing better in there?"

"No," Emily said shaking her head. "He's very healthy."

"I can see that. Disgustingly so." She took up the sandwich and found that she was quite delighted with it. "But I forget, my taste buds are not my own," she said through a mouthful. When she was finished, she handed the plate back to Emily. "Make more."

"Now, mother, I chose this body for a reason because he was healthy. He doesn't eat very much in one sitting."

"Is that concern I hear in your voice?" Then she laughed. "Are you more concerned for me or for him?"

Emily grew embarrassed as her ears began to turn red. She turned on her heels and made two more sandwiches for her mother and gave it back to her quickly. She was only able to make it through the first sandwich much to her disappointment.

"Here, take the last one. I can't stomach anymore."

"Thank you, mother."

"You pitiful little girl. I sense that you do harbor some feelings towards him. Good. I'll use that to my advantage."

Emily could only look down at her sandwich. She couldn't bear to look at her mother and she'd grown hot around her ears once again.

"Speaking of liking someone, I find Jan to be quite delicious."

"Mother! You can't—

"I can and I will. Besides, I'm bored. I am a woman first and foremost and since you felt the need to rush your little spell, now I have time on my hands for extracurricular activities."

Emily's eyes grew big. "Mother…please. It's too soon to blow your cover."

"Oh, I won't blow my cover. I can see things that Jasper cannot," she said with a mischievous grin. "Why don't you continue on with your Conjury technique, we may need your skills in the future. I'll go see what Jan is up to."

"He's probably with his girlfriend."

"We'll have to see," she said standing up but then she swayed a bit on her feet and caught the chair for support. "But I forgot how tired I feel. I'll rest first then. But you continue with your art, girl, you hear me?"

"Yes, mother," Emily said with a nod.

Emily watched the other make her way to Jasper's room. She followed behind just in case something happened. Her mother seemed quite unsteady on her feet. When she got to the bed, her mother simply fell upon it and was asleep in two seconds. At least her mother's foolishness could be stalled for a few days, but Emily had no doubt that her mother wasn't going to change her mind. Once her mother wanted something, she got it no matter what.

/

Emily's mother didn't wake again until approximately three days later and when she did, she was in a complete daze. She groaned as she lifted herself out of bed. When the daze left her, she went to the bathroom Jasper always went to clean himself up. She found the ponytail that was in her hair to be dreadful so she took it out and let her hair fall down about her. There was nothing like feeling soft hair on her cheeks. How could one spend their entire life always tying their hair up out of the way? She brushed until she made it quite straight and then continued on with the rest of her morning routine.

As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom she spied Jan coming down the stairs. She casually made her way over to the handsome blond man.

"Jan, there's something urgent I need to speak with you about," she said with one of the most neutral expressions she could muster. She understood that Jasper always tried to do as much.

It had the desired effect on Jan who grew concerned in an instant. "What is it?"

"Alone—away from others to hear. Follow me." When she turned to walk towards the den, she couldn't help but grin. Jan was quite gullible, her assumptions had been right. He didn't even question the nature of the urgency.

Her anticipation grew as they moved closer and closer to their destination. When they were both inside the room, she closed and locked the door. Then turned to Jan who wasn't even the least bit suspicious or had the slightest clue as to what would happen next.

"Now, Jasper, what—

But before Jan could finish, she pushed him against the wall and then began kissing him with all the bottled up passion she'd gathered over the years. She hadn't kissed anyone in a very long time and especially not someone as handsome as Jan. She'd been born ugly and she had an equally unattractive personality. No one could stay with her for long. Now was different, she could tell. She had a knack for sensing who liked who and she could tell that Jan liked Jasper far more than he was letting on. She knew she had startled him. He was so startled, in fact, that he was frozen in place and simply allowed her groping hands until his senses came back to him and he began to push off the other, but she could tell that his heart wasn't in it. She paused for his benefit.

"Jasper…what's gotten into you?" Jan said breathlessly. "You say there's something urgent and you pull this? I don't understand. I have a girlfriend."

"So," she said evenly. "Besides, you don't sound all that surprised, Jan. In fact, dare I say that you enjoyed it?"

Jan looked at the other critically and his eyes became almost penetrating as he tried to figure the other out. "This isn't like you, Jasper. Something is wrong, seriously wrong." He tried to step away from Jasper's closeness, but she only stepped right back into it.

She placed a gentle hand under his chin, but he backed away shaking his head. Then he made his way to the door. "One way or another, I'll have to find out just what's happened to you. The real Jasper—

"I am Jasper. Why would you think I'm anyone else? Was I too forward for you, Jan? You know I've always been horrible with reading signals. Am I wrong about you, Jan?"

Jan's eyes began to soften even as his hand touched the doorknob. "…No…"

Her eyes brightened and she began to smile. "To tell you the truth, the thought of you leaving again was quite heart wrenching. I…there was some things I couldn't leave unsaid."

"Jasper…" Then he took a deep breath and shook his head. "I really don't know what's gotten into. I've known you for a long time and you've never given me the slightest reason for me to suspect that our friendship could be any more than it already was." His eyes saddened a bit. "So I know that this right here isn't you."

Jan unlocked the door then and left the other quite distraught. She didn't pursue him or try to push the issue anymore. If she was right about Jan, then she only needed to wait until he grew comfortable with the idea that he was interested, that the feelings Jan had harbored towards Jasper was no longer one-sided and completely ignored. She smiled triumphantly to herself and licked her lips. Never in a million years did she think she could rope such a lovely man. She exited the room and went to check on Emily who was still meditating in the living room.

"Oh, honey, you're like a broken record," she said as she beheld her daughter.

She opened her eyes warily. "I need concentration, Mother. I might have been on the verge of actually doing it and you just had to interrupt me."

"Is that frustration I hear? You know I don't like it when you use that tone with me."

Emily sighed and then remained silent.

"I have something far more interesting to discuss."

"You're going to commence your plans?"

"No. I just finished spending some quality time with our friend Jan. He's quite luscious and a great kisser…even though I was doing all the kissing that time—

"Mom! Tell me you didn't make out with him. Not in that form. I mean, how did you get Jan to agree to that?"

Emily thought of Jan in her mind. He didn't seem like someone who was particularly frisky. He seemed to have a strong set of morals. There was no way he'd agree to doing anything that would compromise the relationship he already had with Dinah.

"Deep seeded emotions are often the strongest. And he didn't really agree to it, per se, but I can tell that he liked it. I can tell that we have a future together."

"A future?"

"Yes, this transition is permanent, is it not? And I like Jan. What's the use of living if you can't have your pleasures along with it?"

"Mother, you can't mean to keep him around. He's going to make everything so much more complicated."

"Oh, don't you worry, child. I can keep him on a leash. A man in love is quite easy to blind and control. In this body, I can do that. It's convenient really. If anything, I'm doing Jan a favor. Otherwise, he'd be doomed to living the rest of his life with that slut he calls a girlfriend."

Emily turned her eyes to the ground. There was no use trying to change her mother's mind once it was made up.

"What are we going to do in the meantime," Emily asked quietly.

She hadn't been able to concentrate before; she certainly couldn't now in her mother's presence.

"Let's have some fun shall we?" she said with a playful smile. "This is the most alive I've felt in a long time. I feel like I can do things now. Emily, I think it was a good decision to bring me back as a man—they hold far more authority than a woman ever could. Now, child, do you know the name Bloodstone?"

Emily nodded. She was an Elezen herself and knew practically all the high class families in their race. The Bloodstones mostly kept to themselves, but they were hardly forgotten by the general public.

"You know this man only by his first name, but his full name is Jasper Bloodstone. He's quite loaded, if you know what I mean and has a house like this in every city-state in Eorzea. Not only that, but he has far more money than he knows what to do with and not enough friends to spend it on. What I'm saying is: let's go shopping."

"Shopping?" Emily said incredulously.

"Yes! I want some new clothes and Jasper's wardrobe is far too homely for someone so rich. And you, honey, can do with a bit more color—something other than black all the time."

"Wait a minute, if he's really a Bloodstone, why aren't his eyes red?"

"Funny you should ask. Apparently the red eyes that their family is so known for is a result of heavy incest in the past. It is a fading physical trait as incest isn't practiced anymore, but has remained dominant for quite a bit of years. In fact, he was the only one out of his numerous brothers and sisters who inherited the red eyes, but with age the genetic mutation is 'turned off', that is, it can no longer be seen, but it is still there."

"Wow, that's actually…pretty interesting," Emily said thoughtfully.

"Now for shopping. Get yourself dressed, Emily, we're going out."

"Mother, you do know that you'll have to look for clothes that fit Jasper…not 'you', right?"

"Of course I do, honey. That's why I'm so ecstatic. You know how I was before—I'd put on a lot weight after having you and finding clothes that fit was more like a chore than actual fun. Now I don't have that problem anymore, do I? Sometimes I get turned on just looking at myself naked in the mirror."

"Mother!"

She smiled. "Oh, don't worry—I'll strip in front of you too and if you're really lucky, I'll even make love to you—That's what you want, isn't it?"

Emily was blushing profusely now. "That's incest!"

"No, it isn't. All you'd have to do is have a little imagination and I'll make it easy for you. I'm rather good at roleplaying."

"I'd never agree to it."

"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug. "You'll change your mind soon enough. I know it."

Emily might have been more embarrassed if she didn't know her mother so well.

/

Jan paced back and forth in his room deep in thought. Dinah had gone out with her friends that day, conveniently or inconveniently enough, Jan couldn't decide. He didn't particularly want to be left alone with his thoughts; he knew they would return to Jasper and what they had said to each other last time. It had been like stepping into the twilight zone—Jasper was just acting so differently, but somehow the same. Did it have to do with the magic trick that Emily had done on him? Was its side effects this far-reaching? But what if…just what if…he had been in complete and utter control of his faculties and he had simply chosen that time to reveal to him something he'd been hiding for years. What if after being absent from his life for so long, he'd realized how much he missed him…And when Jan began to think along those lines, he knew it couldn't be true. Jan knew Jasper practically inside and out—Jasper wasn't capable of loving him in that way. He just didn't see guys in that way. Jan supposed that he could say the same, but with Jasper things were different.

Jan knew that his tastes hadn't suddenly changed to liking guys. He'd experimented in the past and they had all managed to disgust him. He could never take such relationships seriously; his heart was never in it and he found himself wishing he was with a girl. He liked girls no question about it. Any marginally pretty girl could satisfy him quite easily. He decided long ago that he wasn't homosexual or even bisexual, he was simply straight and that Jasper was an exception. There was simply something about him that had excited him, the excitement he felt with any other woman. He knew his feelings to be one-sided. Jasper would never acknowledge them and at some point Jan had decided to distance himself from him. Things were different now. Jasper looked different from before and Jan found that he had no problem keeping his feelings in check—in other words, he had moved on. But that stunt Jasper had pulled yesterday—it had set him back. Everything he thought he had had under control came flooding back. It was a wonder that he'd been able to step out of the room.

He no longer dreamed of Dinah, but of Jasper. The hard-on that Dinah had felt that morning was not due to her in the least and that fact had terrified him. The knock on the door jolted him out of his disturbing thoughts. When he looked up, Jasper had already stepped in and he closed the door.

"Jasper, what are you doing?" Jan asked before he could do anything else. His hair was down; it had been that way since yesterday. Not only that but it seemed as if it was purposeful, not that he had simply forgotten to tie it backup. And he appeared to be more…feminine. He was Jasper, but not really.

"Fancy, finding you here all alone," Jasper said approaching the other.

Jan didn't have a chance to protest before they were kissing once again and just for a moment, Jan allowed it and he participated. But then he stopped when his mind yelled out in alarm—this was not right at all. This was a fantasy that was never meant to be reality. And Jan stepped back much to Jasper's annoyance.

"Are you still having second thoughts?" Jasper said to the retreating Jan.

Jan's expression was unreadable as he moved back to sit on his bed.

"You've had time to think, haven't you?" Jasper asked the other.

Jan finally looked up at the other. "Yes…"

"I've always known, Jan, since the day we first met. Do you remember that day?"

"I tend to try to forget it, but it hasn't worked—I remember it vividly."

"Of course you do. Your adventuring had taken you to Gridania for the first time. There was some performance showing at Mih Khetto's Amphitheatre and I had seen fit to attend it. I remember not really wanting to be there, only that I was dragged out for some family reason. So I sat in the back. And you arrived, sometime into the show completely awed by what you saw. I didn't even notice you were there until you decided to sit right next to me. And then you—

"Yes, I know what I did on the pretense that you were a girl. You didn't even say anything the whole time; you just let me make a complete fool out of myself. You had on a robe—pretty unisex—and you were clean-shaven, and you had your hair up as you usually did and the way you sat—it just seemed rather feminine. But when you spoke, I realized my mistake and I've been embarrassed ever since."

"You were more forward back then. If you saw something you wanted, you said exactly what you wanted to. I didn't say anything because I was quite amused and fascinated by you. And that feeling hasn't changed. In fact, it has intensified over the years. After not having you around for so many years, I began to realize things. That perhaps I had liked you more than just a friend."

"Jasper, if you really felt that way, why didn't you say something sooner? For Christ sake, you helped me find Dinah. You were the one who suggested that I should."

"Only because I thought it would make you happy. When you look at Dinah, do you see me? We practically have the same features only that she's female and a Mi'quote. When I first saw her, I was surprised. We might have been related. But you don't have to settle, Jan."

Jan began to look at Jasper differently—he grinned as if he knew something that the other didn't.

"What is it?" Jasper asked a little concerned with his response to his question.

"You couldn't be Jasper."

"We've went over this—

"No, you couldn't be Jasper. You've put up a good act for long enough, but I've known Jasper for far too long. I know him far too well for someone to get away with acting like they are Jasper."

"What?" she wished she had been able to hide the surprise from her voice, but Jan had seemed so sure of himself then. She should have gotten more defensive about his statement, completely confused even, but she'd forgotten to do those things and she could see the knowing look on Jan's face. Her disguise had been blown in that one moment. "Explain yourself," she demanded despite herself.

"If you wish. The Jasper I know is far too ignorant to other people's feelings to have made the kind of connections you've just made. He would never have noticed how similar Dinah might look to him and if he did, he wouldn't then assume that it was anything other than a coincidence—it is, by the way, but I suppose I have a type. Jasper is fiercely attracted to women—he can watch them naked for hours and never get tired of seeing it. He may have this façade that he doesn't like anyone, but when it comes to women, he's pretty much unable to figure out which one he likes more. He easily becomes emotionally involved with any sort of woman even if they only said 'hi' to him a couple times. He so attracted to them, in fact, that he would be blinded to any signs I might give him—and I've given him plenty. Never once has he concluded that I liked him more than a friend. Not only that, but he never wears his hair down. He doesn't like to and it's as simple as that."

It was too late now for her to plead her case. She saw that look in his eyes. There was no convincing him that he was what he said he was. Perhaps Emily had been right; perhaps she had bitten off more than she could chew trying to manipulate someone else's feelings. At least she knew she had been right, though. There was something there, but it was one-sided and Jan was quite aware of this fact and he had accepted it long ago. Those emotions could no longer blind him or allow her to get away with her scheme.

"You know Jasper quite well then, almost too well. It's a pity. You might have gotten what you've always wanted; you might have fulfilled all your fantasies had you simply overlooked your gut feelings."

"But this isn't what I want. I want Jasper to be happy and he could never be happy with me—I couldn't be in a relationship if I knew I was the only one deriving pleasure."

"He'll never be happy, Jan; he'll never be satisfied."

"And this is coming from someone who's doing a poor job at impersonating him."

"Be that as it may, I'm still quite privy to his thoughts and memories. I know everything that he is and so I can make an accurate conclusion. I was right about you, wasn't I? I sensed that you liked this Jasper and I sought to exploit it. Take it from me, he isn't someone who can ever be happy or satisfied with just one woman and he knows this. He knows the kind of pain he could inflict on a woman if he ever seriously started dating someone so he chooses to be alone. He's never had any intention of settling down."

"Wait…none?"

She smiled. "Not in the least. He only said it so you wouldn't have to worry about him. He believes that you worry too much for him."

"That idiot—always trying to protect me from something. I won't ask you anymore questions. It's disturbing knowing that some foreign presence has so much access and that I'm carrying on a conversation with you."

"Now that you know, there's nothing you can do about it. The transition is permanent."

"Nothing is permanent," Jan said with conviction.

"I see," she said with a tilted head. "I guess being friends with a magic user has made you a bit more knowledgeable than the layman. I see that Jasper believes the same thing, but there are things about magic that even he doesn't know. Some magic are permanent."

"It was Emily, wasn't it? She somehow prepared his body for you to enter. I should have been more vigilant with her."

"You are far too trusting and gullible. You think you can fix everything," she said with a grin. "But I'm not too upset about that. It's thanks to that that I'm here now. Here in the land of the living, breathing and talking. I'm here permanently. This is the Jasper you must get used to and this is the Jasper who can and will reciprocate your feelings."

"Sorry, but there are no such feelings towards you."

Jasper smiled. "I see. A Purist. I've learned over the years that in the end, it's the looks that count."

Jan stood up. "I suppose you may be right. The longer I look at you, the more I can fool myself into believing that you really are Jasper. You have his voice, his smile and sometimes even his personality." Jan approached the other until their lips were only millimeters apart. "And I can tell that whoever you are, you must be female. It must be difficult learning to adjust to a man's body."

"Unbelievably so," she agreed breathlessly. Her heart had skipped a beat. He was so close to her and he smelled nice and he was just so handsome.

"I might consider pretending if only for a little while…"

This time he initiated the kiss, but she quickly began to dominate again until she felt something violently hard stab into her abdomen. She was in so much disbelief that she didn't understand just what had happened until right before she fell unconscious and Jan caught her.

"Sorry, Jasper," Jan murmured.

He didn't have a good chair in his room to set him on so he traveled to the dining room and took one of the chairs and strapped him quite securely to it with knots that were impossible to untie. When he was done, he became aware of another presence. He looked behind himself only to see Emily who cowered back behind the doorway.

"Emily," Jan began softly. "It's alright. I'm not angry with you. Anyone could see who the real mastermind was. Come out."

She took a moment, but finally she revealed herself fully and walked uncertainly into the dining room. She looked up at him with sorrowful eyes. "I…know I was wrong…I just…that was the plan…"

"Emily, come here."

He had his arms open to her and finally she came in closer and allowed him to embrace her. Tears sprang to her eyes almost immediately.

"She was my only family," she blubbered. "I didn't wanna do it. B-but…I really like Jasper, he's really nice…he didn't deserve this…"

"It's alright," Jan said patting her reassuringly.

Then Emily backed away from the other as she took a deep breath. "Mother says it's permanent. It's not. Nothing magical is permanent—it can be undone." She looked determined now—a look that Jan never thought he would see there.

"What do you need to do?" Jan questioned.

"I need to remove her soul from his body. It's dangerous. I'll need complete concentration and no distractions."

"Alright," Jan said with a nod. "Emily, I need to know. Will Jasper remember any of this?"

"No," Emily said shaking her head. "His cognitive mind won't know. But…his subconscious will. In other words, it's not something he would have access to."

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that."

Emily smiled briefly through teary eyes. "At least you can be thankful about something from this entire ordeal. Jan, there's something else you need to know. I'll have to sacrifice myself."

"Emily, no," Jan said shaking his head.

"I have to do this. I want to do this. And when I die, Jan, I want you to make sure that Jasper doesn't bring me back. I want death. That's all I've ever wanted…and if I can die for someone who I love, then I'll do it."

"You're too young, Emily. You can't just sacrifice yourself for someone you barely know."

"Oh, but I know him well and I love him."

"Emily—

"No, you won't be able to change my mind. Save your breath. I will do this spell to save him. I've never made any decisions in my life that were for me, please, allow me this one time, Jan, that's all I ask. Allow me this."

"I really can't change your mind?"

She shook her head.

Jan took a deep breath. "Then do it. If it's what you want."

"Jan, I hope you really are a man of your word. Don't bring me back."

She closed her eyes and began the incantation, but it was in Latin so Jan could not follow. He kept silent the entire time. Jasper began to respond physically to her magic, he began trying to escape, pulling at the restraints, but it was impossible. She was awake again and she glared menacingly at Emily.

"You can't do it," she taunted. "You're too weak to do it. You poor weak little girl. How could you do this to your mother? The mother who's always provided for you?"

Then Emily opened her eyes as she finished her incantation. "You've done no such thing. Now leave this body and return to the realm of the dead!"

And suddenly Jasper's body became rigid and still before his body relaxed and his head bowed once again. Emily turned to Jan and smiled.

"It's done."

Jan caught her before she fell to the ground and then laid her down gently. He turned when he heard the ropes being pulled against.

"What the hell…?" Jasper said in a confused tone. "Why in the world do you have me—"

Jasper only looked at Jan briefly before his eyes came to Emily. He sensed immediately that she was dead; the fact that he was strapped to a chair was quickly forgotten. Tears sprang to his eyes involuntarily. He hated to see death of any kind especially if he knew that person. All their hopes and dreams were gone in that one instant. For as long as he could remember he was always deeply troubled by death and he had made the decision long ago that as long as there was breath in his body he would try to fix it. That was why he had learned Conjury so early on and with such dedication.

"Unstrap me, Jan. I must help her."

"No," Jan said shaking her head. "She wanted this."

"What are you talking about?"

"She wanted to die for you and she made me promise that I wouldn't bring her back."

"She's too young to making those kinds of decisions on her own!" Jasper said with frustration. "She had no idea what she was talking about."

"But she did. She was determined, Jasper. This was the one decision she had ever made for herself and she wanted me to honor it."

"Untie me, Jan."

"I can't, not right now."

"I won't do anything, alright," Jasper said.

"Alright," Jan said standing up and coming over to untie him from the chair.

Soon Jasper sat beside the deceased woman overcome with despondency. He felt stuck. He couldn't save her, but he couldn't stand to leave her that way. The only way to stop those tears from coming was by saving her, but he couldn't so he simply continued to cry in silence. And he stared at her silent form.

"Why…?" Jasper asked quietly. "I just don't…understand…"

Jan watched the other for a while, but he seemed unable to move. He seemed broken and diminished.

"Alright, Jasper, you can't stay there forever."

"But why…?" he repeated. "I just don't…understand."

"C'mon," Jan said as he placed his hands on the other's arms and guided him to his feet. "Let's sit down somewhere a little more comfortable."

"But…why…"

He was in shock and his body had stiffened. His skin felt cold to the touch. Jan couldn't tell if it was a consequence of the spell or his state of mind. He led Jasper to the couch in the living room and sat him down.

Jasper looked up to the other with haunted eyes. "Jan, why would she…Are you sure I can't…?"

Jan began to wonder if he should just let him do it if it would make him feel better, but Emily had looked so certain when she told him what she wanted and Jan suspected that she had never been certain about anything else in her life. She would be forever bitter if he simply allowed Jasper to revive her.

"Jasper there's nothing you can do. You'll just have to let her go."

/

AN: Interested in what happens next? Stay tuned!