Pausing the moment she reached the top of the basement stairs, Jenna turned to face the door to her right that led into the garage, and figuring nobody would have a problem with her using that door, she turned to pull it open with her left hand before immediately stepping through it. As she made her way down the first row of shelving, toward the more open part of the garage, she knew she had made the right decision with using the door, for once she glanced outside of the opened garage door that was nearing in the distance, she watched the snow fall from the sun-setting, orange-hued, cloudy sky for a moment before shuddering due to the cold temperature that was more apparent in the main area.
Isaac was standing by his truck near the open door. The passenger side door was open, and Jenna watched him for a moment as he leaned over the seat, searching for something in the glove box. Her breath hitched in her throat as she took a moment to appreciate just the sight of him, well and unharmed, and now, hopefully, free of any trouble. Although Bane had claimed he hadn't done anything to Isaac, seeing that confirmed for herself was nothing short of relieving, and as Jenna opened her box of cigarettes, she began to feel as though this whole troublesome incident would finally get to be pushed behind her. However, she could already feel that awkward tension beginning to fill the chilled air, and as she plucked a cigarette out from the box, she braced herself, preparing herself for an even more awkward conversation.
Unable to find the sudden missing box of shotgun shells from his truck, with a sigh Isaac closed the glove box, and when he heard the sound of a lighter ignite, he leaned up and glanced out of the truck's closed window. A small shock ran throughout him upon seeing Jenna, standing and shivering in the middle of the garage while she lit up a cigarette, and while that same craving for a cigarette took over Isaac, those same, awkward feelings did as well. Regardless, he leaned out of the truck and closed the door, and as soon as he did, Jenna glanced up.
"I didn't even hear you come in," Isaac said as he took a step closer to her, struggling to ignore the images of Jenna, laying beneath him the night before, and how angry Bane had been just hours prior. "Can I get a cigarette?"
"Yeah, of course," Jenna replied with her cigarette dangling from in between her lips, and she handed Isaac the pack and the lighter. His fingers accidentally brushing against hers as he accepted them, Jenna jumped slightly before moving her left hand to her side, and she kept it there as she absentmindedly took a small back, hating how just a simple mistake that happened more often than not to everybody was making her feel more awkward and anxious than it should. She realized Isaac either ignored her reaction or hadn't noticed, and she watched him light his cigarette before she glanced away to stare down at the dirty floor, wondering now if coming out to the garage had been a good idea after all.
As he exhaled, Isaac moved to place the cigarettes into his coat pocket, but when he suddenly remembered that he had given Jenna the pack earlier that morning, he reached out to hand it and the lighter back to her. She was still staring at the floor, and when she didn't notice he had even moved at all, he cleared his throat gently, causing her to glance up at him.
"Sorry," she mumbled, feeling dizzy with the terrible energy, and she quickly reached over to take what Isaac was handing her, nearly dropping both of the objects before she tightened her grip around them, using more pressure than necessary as the box began to cave in from underneath her fingers. Isaac had seen this, and he merely nodded before he took a small step back, finding it bewildering that Bane was still allowing the two of them to converse, let alone be in the same room together after all that had happened and been said. Unless, Bane didn't know Jenna was out here...
"Does Bane... does he know that you're...?"
"Yeah," Jenna answered, knowing very well what Isaac was trying to ask, for she was just as surprised as he was. Isaac nodded as he glanced away. He hadn't wanted to ask, or mention Bane at all, but after just barely making it out of this situation, alive and unharmed, he wasn't ready to chance anything else. Had Jenna said Bane wasn't aware she was outside, Isaac would have been forced to abandon his cigarette and return inside. But Bane allowing the two to still see each other only confirmed what Bane had told Isaac earlier. He wondered if Jenna knew anything about that at all...
The two smoked in silence for a few moments as the snow began to pick up in front of the setting sun, and when a gust of wind blew in through the door and the chilled temperatures remained in the warehouse, Isaac watched Jenna shudder for a moment before he glanced down again, taking another hit from his cigarette. Shivering, Jenna reached up to do the same, wishing all the while that this uneasy energy didn't exist. There was much she'd like to say to Isaac, but she didn't know how to go about initiating the topic, especially when it was already so awkward to begin with. Still shaking as goosebumps began to cover her bare arms, she glanced up at Isaac, but she immediately dropped her gaze to the floor when she accidentally met his eyes.
"Where's your coat?" Isaac asked her finally after he watched her shiver for another short moment. Jenna merely shrugged.
"I left it inside."
"Do you want mine?"
Jenna lifted her eyes to glance into his, and although her body was desperate for warmth, she shook her head.
Isaac knew this was a lie, though at the same time he understood Jenna's answer. He was just surprised he had even offered in the first place. Why wouldn't you offer? He wondered to himself. She's still Jenna, she's still your friend. She's still the same girl as before. Do something to clear the air. If you don't, this tension will last forever.
Isaac knew he should, but where did he even begin? What did he even say? What was he supposed to say? 'Sorry, it can't happen again?' 'Sorry, it definitely will never happen again?' Was he even sorry? He was sorry for betraying Bane, but was he truly sorry for what he and Jenna had done? It was relieving for the both of them, and it appeared as though it was something Jenna needed to get out of her empty shell. Now, she appeared to be more life-like than ever, and because of the act, it had pushed her to speak with Bane, and do something she had never done before. She had taken the blame, taken complete responsibility even when it wasn't entirely her fault, all in the efforts to protect him. Maybe you should start with saying thank you...
Jenna kept her eyes focused on the floor still, and she struggled to keep her shivering under control, for she knew that if it continued, Isaac would take his coat off and give it to her without a second thought. Jenna didn't want to wear his coat. Accidentally touching his hand was more than she could stand at the moment. As the minutes passed by, she wished she knew what to say, and she wished she knew what Isaac was thinking, or what he was planning on saying. He's not, she thought. He's not gonna say anything. It's Isaac. If he had something to say he would have said it already... Unless he's feeling as nervous as you are... Unsure of what to believe at the moment, Jenna wondered what he and Bane had talked about when he came out here. She wanted to know what words were exchanged, and what was said for the two of them to avoid any serious confrontation, or harm. Had Bane merely talked to Isaac because of what Jenna said, or was it for another reason? Did Isaac know why? Jenna closed her eyes and took in a silent, deep breath through her nose, wishing she could obtain these answers without ever having to open her mouth.
She wanted to say something, anything about what she and Isaac had done. But she had no idea of what to even say at all. Chances were, Isaac didn't even want to hear anything about it. He had escaped pain, he had escaped death. More than likely, he was just as ready, if not more ready, to just forget about this whole situation and move on. Perhaps that was why he wasn't saying anything about it.
But as the tension built, the stronger the urge to say something about the situation arose in the both of them. Glancing up at her, Isaac watched Jenna continue to shiver as she took another drag, and he blinked a few times before he glanced away toward the closed garage door on the adjacent wall. The tension was making him feel dizzy, and he knew the importance of saying something was growing. He licked his lips before he forced himself to glance at her again, preparing himself to speak, but the words never came. He swallowed, watching her still, taking a moment to prepare before saying anything about the situation at hand, but when Jenna glanced up and met his eyes, he opened his mouth and allowed what ever words to flow through it.
"How's your arm doing?" He closed his mouth as he let out a small sigh, barely able to believe all that he was feeling now. He knew it was clear to Jenna that this was not what he had meant to say to her, and while it was a legitimate question, he knew Jenna was well aware that it was also a question meant to simply keep the two from talking about what was truly important.
"Umm, it's alright," she answered quietly as she glanced down to her cast before slowly glancing back up at him. "It's the same as... usual."
Isaac nodded, finally noticing she wasn't wearing the sling. The medical expert side of him wanted to reach out and feel for himself how her arm was doing, but he easily held himself back from doing so.
"It's been a while since you've been in that cast. I'm wondering if it's time we put you in an air cast."
"An air cast?" Jenna wondered, her eyes widening slightly, her tone unmistakeably filled with hopeful curiosity.
Isaac nodded. "Depends though." He lifted his cigarette to his mouth to take another hit while his sleepy eyes glanced away from hers for a moment.
"On what?" Jenna asked, her eyes still fixed on his. Granted this wasn't the conversation they should be having, if it was a a conversation about finally getting to use her right arm and hand again, Jenna was all ears by this point.
"If you're a fast healer," Isaac replied as he glanced over at her again.
"Oh," Jenna replied with a small nod as she glanced down, and noticing her cigarette was nearly burnt to the filter, she let it fall to the ground. Isaac followed her movement, and after watching the cigarette land, his eyes focused on her bare feet for a moment before a small grin stretched over his face.
"No shoes?" He wondered, glancing up at her again as he reached his leg out to properly extinguish the cigarette with his boot. A small grin spread over Jenna's lips as she shook her head.
"I didn't think it'd be this cold."
"During the end of December?" Isaac asked, cocking an eyebrow when Jenna shrugged.
"I wasn't thinking."
"That's not new for you," Isaac returned quickly as he dropped his gaze and cigarette to the ground as well, but as he moved his boot over it, he paused before slowly glancing up at Jenna. But she was still grinning, and she merely rolled her eyes, aware they were still avoiding what needed to be discussed, but also welcoming toward the lighter energy and topic.
"Yeah, well. I'm working on it," she said, and she watched Isaac grin as well, relieved that his comment hadn't turned out to be a rather rude way to enter the dire topics at hand.
"Well, I think I'm gonna go inside," Jenna said now. "It's... cold, and..." she trailed off, realizing not only did she not want to go back downstairs, but that suddenly she was desperate to avoid the conversation all together. They had spent too long avoiding it. Bringing it up now would only be more awkward.
"Yeah, I gotta go get more cigarettes," Isaac replied. "I'll, uh... talk to you later?"
"Sounds good," Jenna replied in more of a mumble, and without another word, she immediately turned to head back into the warehouse, using the way she had come from.
The lights in the basement were still on, and the first thing she noticed upon starting down the stairs was Bane standing in the middle of the basement, his body turned to face where the mayor had been sitting. His arms were crossed over his chest, and the flexed muscles were unmissable from beneath his gray and tight long sleeved shirt. Swallowing, Jenna glanced away from him, but once she reached the basement, she couldn't help but to glance over to the empty chains attached the wall. Slight curiosity heightened in her as she slowed her pace to her room, but judging by the way Bane was standing in front of them, seemingly waiting, Jenna figured he had everything under control. She began to turn her head to face forward, but once her eyes met Bane's, who had turned his head to glance down at her, her breath hitched in her throat in surprise, and she came to a sudden halt next to him slightly. Feeling dizzy with that tense and undesirable energy again, Jenna realized she had just set herself up to speak to him, for he was now staring at her with furrowed eyebrows and expectant eyes.
"Where's the mayor at?" She finally forced herself to ask as she reached up to push her hair awkwardly out of her face. At the moment, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Bane. Fear? Nervousness? Gratitude? Whether it was the absence of all these feelings, or a sick mix of all three, the feelings left Jenna feeling confused and exhausted.
"Bathroom," Bane replied as he turned his head to glance up the stairs. Following his movement, Jenna turned and leaned over slightly to glance up the stairs as well, where she found one of Bane's armedhenchmen standing just outside of the closed bathroom door. Growing uninterested, Jenna was about to glance away, but she jumped a second later when the henchmen slammed the end of his gun against the bathroom door, using more force than necessary.
"Times up!" He scolded in a heartless, gruff voice. Her eyes widening slightly, Jenna finally turned away, but when she glanced at Bane again, unable to help it, she saw that deep wrinkles had appeared on the sides of his eyes again, and he bowed his head slightly as the bathroom door slowly eased open upstairs a good minute later. Why was he smiling?
"Move." The henchman spoke roughly again from upstairs, hitting the mayor's back with his gun, no doubt. A feeling of dread began to overcome Jenna, and she blinked her eyes finally as she glanced away from Bane. She finally lifted her foot to begin over to her door, but she jumped when Bane reached out to take a tight hold of her left wrist.
"Wait," he said, glancing down at her from over his shoulder. Her heart racing, Jenna glanced up to him with wide, nervous eyes. "Don't you want to see what a real hostage is treated like?"
Her eyes widening more due to his words, she swallowed as he turned away, finally letting go of her wrist, and she felt ice cover her body as she took a small step back in defense. Bane's action of keeping her around suddenly was nothing short of confusing, but his words filled her with a new sense of even stronger dread. It appeared as though Bane wasn't going to force her to stay around, for as soon as the mayor began to limp down the stairs, Bane took a few, large steps toward them. Swallowing again, Jenna backed up toward her door, and once she reached it, she pushed the door open more to start to ease herself inside, but regardless of that dread, her eyes would not look away from Bane and the mayor.
Once Anthony was just four stairs away from reaching the basement, Bane suddenly reached out to grab him by the shirt collar, and he pulled the mayor with him as he took a step back, Anthony flinching as his feet smacked painfully against the stairs. Frowning, Jenna reached up to clutch the frame of the door as she moved inside her room more, but still, her eyes followed Bane as he led Anthony back to the wall.
"A two minute break is a generous gift of precious time, Anthony, considering your current predicament," Bane was saying once they reached the wall, and Jenna couldn't help but to flinch when Bane slammed him against it. Holding him in place with his hand spread flat over Anthony's chest, he kept his eyes focused on the mayor while he waited for him to open his own eyes. "But you don't appear to be all that grateful," Bane growled, his mask only causing his voice to sound more terrifying.
"I... I..."
"Perhaps, if you'd like to see your family again, or... keep them safe from harm, you will follow my rules, Mister Garcia, to an outstanding extent. If you do not, it could prove to be your ultimate downfall."
Jenna felt her heart plummet to her stomach due to Bane's chilling words, and when he suddenly let the mayor fall to the ground, Jenna jumped as the mayor flinched, letting out a moan of pain. The same armed thug from upstairs was standing at the bottom of the stairs, and with a simple nod toward the mayor from Bane, the thug immediately went over to Anthony to begin fastening his chains again. As Bane headed away from him, he glanced over at Jenna, finding himself rather pleased that she had watched the entirety of what had just happened. He wasn't entirely sure of what had over come him. After excusing Isaac from any punishment, those leftover feelings of rage made Bane decide to give the mayor his break, all while knowing the mayor would take a longer time in the bathroom than was allowed. Due to this, it would give Bane a reason to drain some of that leftover rage from his body.
But rather unfortunately, seeing the mayor downstairs after Jenna had headed outside only reminded Bane of something, and got him to thinking. Mayor Anthony Garcia was his real hostage. He was threatened, beaten, left to suffer everyday, motionless against the cold wall, and was allowed two minute breaks once, very rarely twice a day, only in the efforts to keep him alive. Much like Jenna, the mayor had the choice of how to spend them: obtaining a small portion of food or a bathroom break, but very unlike Jenna, his time was short, and his breaks should be considered as something of more appreciation.
Jenna was allowed five minute breaks up to six times a day sometimes. She was left enough time to eat and use the restroom. If Jenna went over her five minute limit, she received a warning, and upon returning downstairs from her breaks, she didn't have to fear threats or physical pain. She would merely return downstairs to safely sit in her room. Due to the perspective, Bane realized, Jenna's punishment was nothing short of a kindergarten time-out as compared to the mayor's terrible situation, but he knew there were underlying reasons as to why this was. The mayor was scum to him, a pointless man who deserved to be treated this way, especially after thinking all this time that he had avoided Bane the first time he had rampaged Gotham. Jenna was... different. Had she undergone a punishment as severe as Antony's, it would have killed her fragile frame. Though, Bane realized, not only did he want to put Jenna through that, her kindergarten punishment appeared to have done the trick.
When Bane allowed the mayor to venture to the bathroom this time, he decided that at some point it would be important for Jenna to see how the mayor was really treated in hopes that she would make a direct comparison to herself and her own situation. Despite what Bane had practically confessed to Isaac, he wasn't entirely sure why he suddenly felt this way, but now, judging by the look on her face, he knew his idea had worked.
Jenna was still staring at him with that racing heart, and she swallowed when Bane slowed his pace, more than likely preparing to speak to her. Jenna figured her safest bet was to stay silent and not think much of Bane's actions, but suddenly, how could she not? Why had Bane wanted her to see that? To frighten her? To warn her? To make her think back to her punishment? But why? "Don't you want to see what a real hostage is treated like?" He had asked her. Her eyebrows furrowing, a short second later Jenna finally realized what his goal had been, and suddenly she could not hold herself back from speaking.
"Should I be saying thank you?" She asked, her tone a little more sassy than she had meant. But Bane picked up on this, and he stopped in his tracks suddenly to turn his body to face her. Jenna could instantly feel her body cowering back, but when she saw Bane to be grinning again, she swallowed, feeling dizzy with confusion and wonder.
"Only if you feel it's necessary," Bane returned. "Perhaps now you'll begin to understand your situation isn't nearly as bad as you think it is. Although, I believe it is you who should be receiving praise."
Jenna followed Bane's motion of glancing over at the mayor, and she felt her heart sink into her stomach again, not only due to the mayor's sudden, unconscious state, but also due to what Bane had said. Jenna decided Bane currently couldn't be acting weirder, even if he wanted to.
"F-for what?" She finally asked once she and Bane glanced at each other again. When Bane took a step toward her, she instinctively took a step back, suddenly wondering if she should be expecting Bane to lash out at her.
"You instilled the mayor with a new sense of hope, and in doing so, you've caused him to comply to my demands so far. So really, thank you, Jenna."
"How...?" She wondered, her eyebrows furrowing as she glanced down. So Bane had learned she had been speaking to the mayor, but why wasn't this upsetting him? How had Jenna made the mayor out to be suddenly hopeful? The last thing she wanted to do by this point was help Bane...
"All he had to see was you, and all you had to do was confirm who you were." Bane watched Jenna slowly lift her head up to him, and when he saw the confusion had deepened in her expression, he explained further, still unsure as to why he was so willing, so suddenly, to be speaking to her. Not even an hour ago, he had just barely came up with a decision on how to handle Jenna and Isaac's situation at hand. He had settled it with Isaac, but he still wasn't entirely sure if sparing Jenna from anything was the right move...
"You have been declared deceased by the media for quite some time, a story that had, no doubt, reached the mayor's ears. But seeing you here, alive... it has caused him to believe that he, too, will pull through this."
A new, heavy weight lowered down onto Jenna's shoulders as various thoughts and confusions buzzed around in her mind, and she licked her lips as she glanced away from him, barely able to keep her eyes focused on his.
"Will he?" She wondered. When Bane didn't answer, she glanced up at him, and she stared into his eyes for another moment before he merely took a step back from her.
"What do you think?" He answered, and when Jenna's frown deepened, he turned to head over to his own room, deciding their conversation was now over. That sickening feeling of dread and anxiety weighing her down again, Jenna finally took a step back to close her door, and she sighed as she closed her eyes, feeling even more exhausted suddenly.
Bane's behavior made absolutely no sense to her. Just hours prior, he was ready to kill both her and Isaac. What had changed that? Why had it changed? What had Bane and Isaac talked about, and why was Bane suddenly so ready to start speaking to Jenna again, on a more patient and amused level? For a split second, the thought of asking Isaac seemed desirable, but even while Jenna did not feel like facing him again, she knew Isaac would not tell her.
What was more desirable than ever was to go back to the time of ignoring Bane while he ignored her in return. Jenna had continuously been filled with that nervous feeling, but at least she hadn't been as confused as she was now. While she wanted to know why Bane was speaking to her like this, she was definitely not prepared to ask. Just ignore him yourself, she figured. This seemed like an excellent idea. After her encounter with Isaac, then having to deal with Bane's sudden rationality toward her, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and avoid everybody.
–
Jenna had not been the only one to be confused as to why Bane was speaking with her. While he was prepared to prove to Jenna, once and for all, how rather good she had it around the warehouse, he wasn't prepared to speak to her for so long, and with so much interest and patience, as well. Upon returning to his room that night, Bane had paused the moment he closed his door, and he stared blankly at the still, camera images on his TV. It was almost as though confessing his secret to Isaac had awoken something in him, almost as if he wasn't truly aware of it himself. All his desires with Jenna, all his actions toward her all pointed to his secret. Practically saying it aloud for the first time seemed to only solidify it, and cause it become inescapable.
Taking a step forward, he grabbed his new TV remote from his desk –a spare remote he had kept around, just in case– and he pressed the rewind button, watching the image of the garage in the center of the screen. Once it picked up some activity, he waited until the beginning, when Jenna entered the warehouse, and after pressing play, he crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Jenna and Isaac intently, curious to see what had gone on.
It appeared as though they hadn't been talking much, and they maintained a pretty vast distance in between them. Jenna's mouth barely moved, and Isaac was primarily holding still, save for the instances he would bow his head or look away from Jenna. For the majority of the time they just stood there, smoking, and Bane could almost feel that awkward energy radiating from the TV, judging by their distance, the lack of conversation, and the way Jenna had jumped when it appeared Isaac's fingers brushed against her own. Good, he thought as his eyes went from Isaac to focusing on Jenna, and he kept his eyes focused on her and as he fixed his hold on the remote.
Jenna wasn't the first woman he cared about in some way, but the feelings were different than Talia's had been. Although, ultimately in the end, Bane had to wonder if he ever did truly care about Talia in the first place. He had saved her, obeyed her every command, given her the world... but what for? To ultimately be betrayed? To be left behind, after all he had done for her, so she could selfishly escape with her life? She hadn't cared about him, ever. When Bane finally realized he had been nothing more than a mere toy, whom she had used and thrown away so easily, he could not let this go unpunished. So he ended her, and once he had, his prior feelings died along with her, causing him to wonder if he had ever felt them in the first place.
But Jenna was different. Everything about her and how he felt was different, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why. While Talia had been smarter, tactical, more devoted and even warmer, Jenna was childish, a coward, immature, fearful and quick to act out on these undesirable traits. But on the other hand, Jenna was seductive, sensual, and ready to take and embrace anything that came along with these two traits. She brought about feelings and urges that Bane had never felt before, and never dreamed about feeling with Talia, not that he ever even wanted to in the first place. But unlike Talia, whether she knew it or was willing or not, Jenna was ready to learn, and correct. She had proven this to Bane just that day, and her example was stronger than he could have ever anticipated.
Talia was set in her ways. What one saw was what one got with her. Jenna was almost like an enigma. She was interesting. She was, dare Bane say, fun, in many ways, sometimes. She was fun to be around, fun to be with, and fun to toy with. But no matter how badly Jenna thought she was treated by Bane, he knew that she would never understand the true meaning of being toyed with, and used.
This had to be why Bane was so forgiving toward her. If Bane didn't care at all, Jenna would be dead, and he would have more than likely hurt Barsad. But not only did he need Barsad on his team, deep down, he realized, he knew hurting Isaac would, in turn, only hurt Jenna as well. He hated how this was happening, and he hated having to deal with it and sort everything out, but no matter how logical Bane, or anyone for that matter, was, feelings and emotion always had a way of taking one over, completely, and could not be defeated with thought and logic. Bane had many reasons to rid himself of Jenna permanently, but now, he was beyond wanting to do so.
So what did Bane want, right now, after all of this? Did he want to merely ignore Jenna and force himself to deal with his feelings privately, like he had been, or was he truly ready to forgive and forget, and interact with Jenna again? Regardless of what he wanted, he knew what Jenna wanted. She wanted to be away from him. She wanted avoid him. If Bane truly wanted to ignore her, this would work out to everyone's advantage, but when Bane realized he didn't want to avoid and ignore her...
He growled from where he stood in the middle of his room, and in a sudden fit of miniscule rage and annoyance, he turned off the TV, using more force on the remote's button than necessarily, and he struggled to keep himself from throwing the remote at the wall. So he cared about her. So he wanted her to be around him. Fine, right? Why couldn't it be? Bane was still human, after all, regardless of his impressive and destructive resume'. Just because he cared about Jenna didn't mean he was devoted to her in any way. He wasn't, and planned on never being that way. He simply cared enough about her to keep her out of true harms way. He cared enough to value her life, and correct her errors. He cared enough to keep her close to him, and protect her... unless, he didn't really care about her. Perhaps he was just possessive over of her. But even if he was possessive, where had that feeling stemmed from? Caring.
Bane growled again as he tossed the remote onto his desk, and feeling hot suddenly, he reached down to peel off his shirt. Finding it slightly outstanding that he had been thinking about this all for so long, he also realized he was still entirely unsure of what to do. Even if he decided to get close to her again, how would Jenna react? More than likely, she would push him away, all while discovering Bane's true feelings toward her, and while he was beginning to accept them, or accept the better title for them, possessiveness, he wasn't ready for Jenna to understand the extent of them. But honestly, despite what Bane was feeling, was he really ready to be the only one feeling anything in yet another twisted type of relationship? He had already gone through those problems. He had been betrayed already by Talia, and even Jenna already, although Bane understood Jenna was not aware of how he felt... But Talia had been... Talia's betrayal had been worse. Bane did not want to be betrayed again.
He knew if he wanted to be around Jenna again, it meant making her want to be near him, or, at least it should. It all sounded so terribly foolish, but these feelings were inescapable. Realizing he should perhaps redeem himself in some way, to gain back some of her interest and her trust, he also knew he was not the only one who needed redemption. Granted, Jenna had given him a shining example of her newly corrected ways, Bane knew finally that Jenna would not be able to redeem herself if Bane did not start redeeming himself first. If, of course, Jenna even wanted to...
Sighing again, Bane sat down on his bed, desiring sleep, but he knew this would be a hard feat to overcome. His mind was racing, with no hope of dying down, and as he leaned back on his bed, his knees bent against the edge, his feet resting flat against the floor, he knew it would be a very sleepless night. His thoughts were leaving him exhausted, too tired to even prepare for bed. Though he had to wonder if a deep and long sleep was exactly what he needed to achieve the answers he was seeking...
Early the next day, he discovered rather quickly what he planned on doing, and before he could even stop himself, his mind had been made up, no matter how degrading it seemed or appeared to be.
He had stepped out of his room that morning, after obtaining nearly five hours of slumber, after falling asleep a little after three, just in enough time to watch Jenna step out of her room as well, carrying what appeared to be a toiletry bag in her left hand along with a towel draped over her arm, as well. He stayed near his door, watching her start toward the stairs, but once Jenna noticed him watching in the corner of her eye, she jumped slightly when she finally turned to glance at him.
She watched Bane's eyes drop down to the objects in her hand, and she swallowed when he raised his eyes back up to hers. "I was going to go shower," she felt obliged to explain, even though it was obvious what she was heading upstairs to do. However, there was a truth to this that she hadn't expressed, and as the seconds went on, she realized it was probably dire to tell Bane the entirety of her plan. "In... Isaac's room..." she added in a mumble as she bowed her head slightly.
Desperate to shower to the fullest extent, shave again, and find a way to sooth her aching back and neck due to a terrible night's sleep, Jenna saw no other way to achieve this other than (hopefully) using Isaac's shower. Granted she could just ask him to wrap her arm in a bag again –it would save her from asking a terribly awkward question, and save them from dealing with that tension again– but Jenna knew she would be interrupted if she were to use the bathroom on the main floor, and she would feel anxious the entire time.
Due to Bane's silence, she lifted her head slightly to glance up at him, wanting to know what his physical reaction would be. Her eyes traveling up his shirtless frame quickly before focusing on his eyes, she grew shocked to learn that he remained motionless, even after hearing what Jenna was going to do, if, of course, Isaac allowed it.
Regardless of how Bane felt about it, a short moment later, he merely nodded, blinking slowly as he did so, and when Jenna realized he wasn't going to say anything, she slowly turned to start back over to the stairs, feeling bewildered. Bane remained where he stood, watching her, knowing that while he wasn't exactly fond of Jenna using Isaac's shower, or being in his room again, no less, he wasn't prepared to do anything about it. What could he do? He understood why Jenna wouldn't want to use the bathroom on the main level, and he was past the point of forcing the two to remain apart again. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling out noisily, once Jenna disappeared up the stairs, he slowly wandered toward the middle of the basement, his eyes avoiding the slumbering mayor all the while. He stopped in the middle of the room, turned to glance over toward Jenna's open door, and once he peered inside of her room, all he saw was the mess of her filthy clothes strewn everywhere...
Anxiety took over Jenna more and more as she neared Isaac's ladder, and once she reached it, she draped her towel over her shoulder and placed the handles of her bag in between her teeth. After struggling to climb the ladder, once she reached the platform, a group of henchman chatting noisily in their hangout behind her, she took hold of her bag again before taking a deep breath. She raised her fist and forced herself to knock on Isaac's door, thinking about how desperate she was for a shower her only motivation to doing so, and as she waited, she hoped Isaac was inside.
A moment later, she heard his bathroom door open, and after listening to his feet shuffle against the floor and Isaac seemingly open his dresser drawer and close it a few seconds later, the door opened, reveling a usually tired-looking Isaac, clad in an army green t-shirt and tan cargo pants. Distracted by figuring Isaac had just put that shirt on seconds ago, and growing even more distracted when she realized she was rather thankful for this, she blinked finally before focusing her eyes onto Isaac's.
"Hi," she mumbled nervously, that energy already apparent, not even after ten seconds of being in his presence. "I, uh–"
"Need a shower?" Isaac finished, his eyes dropping to the items in Jenna's hand before he raised his eyes to look back into hers. Jenna forced a small grin to spread her lips.
"Yeah," she replied. "Is that okay?"
"Is it?" Isaac asked, his gaze suddenly sterner, and after a moment, Jenna understood what he meant.
"Yeah, it is," she replied quietly as she bowed her head slightly. "He knows."
Trusting her words, Isaac stepped aside to let her in. "You want another bag? For your arm?"
"Yeah," Jenna replied as she turned slightly, watching Isaac close the door before he headed over toward his dresser. Swallowing nervously once her eyes roamed over his unmade bed, she felt her heart drop to her stomach as she immediately started over to his bathroom, but she paused once she noticed his electric razor sitting on the sink and plugged into the wall, ready to go. The lack of hair in the sink, the same hair that was currently still covering his jaw and chin, made her realize she was interrupting him.
"If you were busy, I can wait, or just go downstairs–" she began once Isaac appeared in the bathroom doorway. He immediately shook his head as he held open the plastic bag to her, a hole cut on the side closest to Isaac, and Jenna dropped her things to the floor before she slowly extended her arm into and through the bag.
"You're fine," he replied. "I can finish up when you're done."
"You sure?" Jenna double-checked as Isaac began to tape the bag around her arm, Jenna struggling to hold out her arm as far as she could to keep her distance from him. Keeping his eyes focused on her arm and his work, he nodded absentmindedly before he took a hold of the middle of her cast. Pausing and holding as still as she could, Jenna watched him slowly start to extend her arm further, his eyes watching her elbow to see just how far he could manage to extend it while also gently lifting her arm upward. Humming to himself a few seconds later, he nodded before backing out of the bathroom.
"Take your time," he offered before closing the door. Still standing there awkwardly with her arm stretched in front of her, Jenna furrowed her eyebrows as she glanced down to it, and she slowly brought her arm back to herself before she slowly extended it again, surprised with how much movement she could suddenly do with it. Thoughts of that air cast began to swarm her mind again, and she wondered if she really was ready for it. Granted she wasn't sure what it was, exactly, it sounded much better than the bulky mound of plaster that currently covered the vast majority of her arm.
After starting the shower and getting out the necessary objects she needed from her bag, as soon as Jenna stepped under the hot water, she let out a loud sigh as she closed her eyes. She stood perfectly still under the water, letting it mat down her hair and run over her cold body, and after standing still for a long, couple of minutes, letting the water beat down on her sore neck, she finally remembered Isaac was waiting to get into his own bathroom, and she quickly moved to finish her routine.
By the time she was done, a little over half an hour later, she couldn't help but to start shivering as she reached out for her towel, and after squeezing out her hair the best she could for the moment, she wrapped herself up in her towel before stepped out onto the bathroom tile. Wiping away the thick fog that covered the mirror, she glanced at herself through the reflection, and used her finger to remove any left over traces of makeup before rotating her head around a little, hoping to make the pain in her neck go away. Granted she wasn't touching any parts of her body, she could feel how smooth and hairless she was, and the feeling was welcoming as she moved to place her foot up on the toilet to start drying her legs.
After another five minutes of trying to get as dry as she could, she wrapped herself in the large towel once more, but once she reached the door, she paused, ready to kick herself for not even thinking to get dressed. After all that had happened, how could she be so stupid enough to walk past Isaac, wearing nothing but a towel. She shut her eyes tightly as she let out a large sigh through her noise, annoyed and painfully nervous, but Isaac was waiting for her to leave, and she was just as ready to leave. She had no other choice but to simply open the door, and thank Isaac quickly while marching toward his door to leave as fast as as she could manage.
With a deep breath, she placed her hand on the handle, hesitating for a moment before she finally forced herself to open the door. Using more force then necessary, she stumbled back slightly when the door hit her knee, and she hissed to herself just before she noticed she had caught Isaac's attention on the bed. He had been leaning against his pillows, staring up at his TV, but now he was staring at Jenna with furrowed eyebrows and widened eyes. Swallowing, she flashed Isaac a quick grin before she tightened her hold on the towel and she immediately began to his door.
"Are you...?" Isaac began to ask, only to immediately be interrupted by Jenna as that awkward tension swarmed the room.
"Okay? Yeah," she replied, just a few feet from the door now. "Thank you," she added. Isaac watched her retreat from where he was laying on his bed, and with a frown he leaned up.
"Jenna... wait."
Jenna had just placed her hand on the handle of his door, and when she heard his tired and lower voice, she paused, swallowing as she listened to Isaac get off the bed. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, both unsure of what Isaac wanted, but also hoping he'd change his mind from talking to her. But when she heard his floor creak slightly from underneath his feet, she knew what was coming.
"We need to talk," he went on.
Frowning still, Jenna finally let go of the handle of the door, and once she turned to face him, clutching her towel tighter, she nodded. Isaac's eyes wandered down slightly, but once he reached the middle of her body, he closed his eyes before finally opening them and focusing them on her face. He realized now probably was not the best time to talk about what they had done, especially after Jenna just gotten out of the shower –his shower– and was wearing a towel in his room, but he was sick of the tension that was existing between them, and he knew to truly be past the whole event, he and Jenna had to be able to both get past it together and on the same terms.
Judging by the way Jenna was staring silently at the floor, Isaac knew she was waiting for him to speak first, and after clearing his throat, he did. "First, I guess I should say thank you," he began, his words catching Jenna's attention, and she lifted her head to stare up at him finally. "For defending me," he explained further. "You didn't have to do that. It wasn't all your fault."
"Bane told you that?" She asked, and she nodded to herself after Isaac replied with the same gesture.
"That was big of you Jenna, and something I wouldn't have ever expected you to do."
A small grin reached Jenna's lips as she bowed her head, but as soon as it had appeared, it went away. "Yeah, well. I felt like I had to."
Isaac grinned slightly. "The old Jenna would have hid in her room, and merely prayed that I'd be okay. If she even cared enough in the first place to do so."
Jenna furrowed her eyebrows as she glanced up at him again. "I've always liked you, Isaac. You've been the only one there for me, and the only one to help me, even when I've screwed up big time. I really appreciate your friendship, and I..." Jenna sighed as she glanced away for a short moment, wishing this awkward conversation would end, although she knew the importance of it continuing. "I don't want what happened the other night to ruin it. Unless, it has. Which I'd understand," she went on to mumble.
Isaac's grin expanded, and he surprised Jenna when he let out a small laugh. "It doesn't have to be if we don't let it. It was a... helpful experience. For the both of us." He nodded slowly as he glanced away as well, his grin fading away, just when Jenna had looked over to him, and she was able to tell the awkwardness had finally reached him to its full extent, as well. "But, I work for Bane. I'm his second in command, the rightful leader should anything happen to him or if appointed to be so. I betrayed him, again," he added with a simple shrug. "I've told you before Bane doesn't give out second chances, but for me to receive a third? I just want to make sure we're both on the same terms when I say nothing like that can never, never happen again." He glanced up at her finally, his tone having become firmer, his tired eyes sterner, but still, Jenna could see he was nervous that he may be hurting her in same way, as well.
But Jenna wasn't hurt, and if Isaac wasn't going to be the one to say that, Jenna definitely would have. It wasn't worth endangering Isaac and herself, and if she were being honest, she was beginning to think it had hurt Bane more than he had let on, despite how angry he had become.
"We are, I understand," Jenna replied. "It just... happened."
"Exactly," Isaac stressed, pleased to see that Jenna was on the same page with what he had told Bane the night before. "It could have happened with anyone."
"Well, I don't know about that," Jenna said, smirking again suddenly. "Most of the guys around here are scary... and gross."
Isaac's grin returned as well, and finally they could both feel that awkward energy draining from the room with each grin and smirk exchanged.
"Bane included? Me too?" He went on to joke. Jenna's smirk expanded into a grin.
"Bane's scary but I wouldn't really call him gross," Jenna replied honestly, surprised for a moment to hear how casually she had just spoken his name. "And you? You're more... friendly, and clean."
Finally, Isaac let out a small laugh as he bowed his head. "Clean and friendly," he confirmed once he glanced up at her, his grin causing his teeth to show and his eyes to squint. "Just what a mercenary wants to hear."
"Yeah well, it's this new thing I'm trying. It's called the truth. And sometimes it hurts," Jenna replied in a more stern voice as well, her grin expanding. They remained staring at each other for another moment before Isaac finally bowed his head, his eyes catching site of the bag that still covered Jenna's arm.
"You want that off?" He asked as he looked back up, and he took a step closer to her before Jenna nodded, realizing finally what he meant. She held out her arm, through not as far this time, and even with doing so, the awkwardness was kept at bay. Isaac began peeling off the tape, Jenna's eyes watching his hands the entire time, and as he worked, she began to wonder about her arm again.
"So that cast," she began once Isaac slid the wet bag off of her arm. "Do you think I'm ready for it?"
"Should be," Isaac replied as he turned to head over to the garbage that sat under the sink in the bathroom.
"When do you think we could see?" Jenna asked, hoping she wasn't jumping into reviving their friendship too soon for Isaac's tastes. She paused, biting her lip slightly when Isaac didn't reply from within the bathroom, but she relaxed once he appeared a few seconds later, holding her toiletry bag and her clothes, all rolled up in the shirt she had been wearing in efforts of not touching any article that was too personal.
"Not sure," he replied as he started over to her. "Got some runnin' around to do today."
Jenna nodded once he approached her, and she smiled slightly as she reached out to take her bag and clothes from him, being careful to keep her towel held up by the pressure of her upper arms against her sides.
"You uh, almost forgot this in your haste to run away."
Jenna let out a short, breathless laugh as she held onto her clothes and towel again with her left hand, the handles of her bag around her wrist now.
"Well, I didn't want it to be any more weirder than it had to be."
"Does it still feel weird?"
"Not really."
Isaac nodded with a smirk. "Guess were doing something right then."
Jenna's smile re-appeared on her face again. "Guess so. Thank you, for your shower."
"Any time," Isaac replied as he took a step forward just as Jenna opened his door to step onto the platform. He glanced across the platform to look at the various henchmen that were in their hangout, some of them staring at Jenna while others were too busy watching the TV, and after Jenna dropped her bag and clothes down onto the main floor below, he glanced back at her.
"I meant what I said though. You taking the responsibility like that. It's astonishing, to say the least. You deserve praise for that."
"Thank you," Jenna replied shyly as she re-adjusted her towel yet again, incredibly relieved she and Isaac had resolved their problems, but also terribly desperate to get dressed.
"Bane, even, was just as surprised. If not more," he added, unable to help but feel it was something he should say in Bane's behalf. A small, shocked look over came Jenna before it faded, and she nodded slightly as she pushed her dripping hair out of her face. Isaac grinned at her, his eyebrows bouncing up once, before he decided now was a good time to excuse himself. Without a word, and knowing Jenna understood, he took a step back before closing the door, and with a final nod to herself, Jenna turned to start down the ladder, hoping and praying that none of the thugs from upstairs would 'suddenly' decide to come down.
Fortunately, Jenna made it down the ladder just fine, and after picking up her bag and clothes, she immediately began down the hall and toward the stairs.
Most of the lights were off expect for one light above that cast a dim light down into the basement, but her eyes adjusted to it before she even reached the bottom. As she started to her closed door, she focused on keeping her eyes away from the mayor, wanting nothing to remind her of what she had done to aid Bane, and with a small sigh she placed her hand on the handle of her door. But once she opened her door and turned on her light, she paused, breathless, when she discovered absolutely none of her clothes were in her room. Her mouth hanging open in the near perfect shape of an 'O', she slowly took a step further into her room as she dropped the objects in her hand, her eyes darting all over the area in search for any of her clothes. Where had they all gone? Who took them and why?
Just when Jenna couldn't decide whether to be terrified or burning mad, as soon as she turned around, she gasped lightly upon seeing Bane standing in her door way, wearing a black t-shirt, dark gray cargo pants, and his usual, large combat boots the bottom of the pants tucked into. Composing herself and tightening her hold on her towel, she closed her mouth as she took a minuscule step back.
"Where... where are my clothes?" She asked, struggling to keep eye contact with him suddenly.
"I took the liberty of doing your laundry," he replied, his answer shocking, to say the least, and Jenna's eyes widened. Bane was doing her laundry? How could that be? Her mouth hung open again as she tried to fathom this while Bane had made himself busy with leaning through her doorway to glance around her room. "The absence of all your clothing makes this room look... larger. Wouldn't you agree?"
"You have a washing machine?"
"And a dryer," Bane replied as he leaned away from the door. He had anticipated for Jenna to be surprised, but never to this extent. It looked as though she was about to have a panic attack. Truth be told, Bane was near ready to have one himself. He had done her laundry. And so suddenly, too. It was a decision he hadn't even had time to make. As soon as he had seen her clothes all over the floor in her room, something came over him, and he could not stop himself from marching inside to collect her clothes in his large arms. Had he been bored? Tired? Had he suddenly decided the mass of dirty clothes in one place was rather disgusting? Or was he just ready to get on Jenna's good side...?
"W-where?" Jenna asked, her eyes narrowing as she glanced away.
"The garage," Bane replied. "In the furthest corner, by the garage door on the adjacent side of the building."
"I've never seen one."
"You've never ventured to that area before," Bane pointed out, causing Jenna to stop talking. So Bane's done your laundry. Cool! You'll finally get clean clothes, Jenna thought. But still, she found herself to desperately be wondering why he had even done it in the first place. First, he appeared near ready to kill her. Then he ignored her. Then he held a patient conversation with her, and now he was doing her laundry? Bi-polar? Jenna wondered freshly to herself.
"Thank you..." she finally mumbled, unsure completely of what else to say about this, until, of course, a rather terrifying thought entered her mind. "But, what am I supposed to wear until it's done?" She wondered aloud.
Bane watched her glance down to the clothes she had been wearing on the floor, and he watched a flash of disgust over come her face before he nodded in thought. Without a word, he turned away from her door, and catching Jenna's curiosity, she started out of her room and began to follow him to his own. She stopped just a few feet away from his door, the feeling of falling overcoming her when she listened to Bane open his dresser. He appeared outside of his door a short moment later, holding a single, folded, black t-shirt in his hand, and once he approached her, he handed it to her.
"You can wear this," he offered. "If you so choose."
As opposed to what? Jenna thought somewhat sourly as she took the shirt from him with an awkward raise of her eyebrows. The dirty clothes I had been wearing? It appeared as though she didn't have a choice. Her heart was racing and pounding away against her chest with such force, she was positive Bane was able to hear it as he stared down at her. Clutching her towel even tighter, Jenna forced herself to glance up at him.
She merely nodded with a look of defeat on her face, not entirely excited to be wearing one of his shirts. But he had done her laundry. Wearing one of his over-sized t-shirts for just a few hours was a small price to pay for weeks of fresh, clean clothing. Without another word, Jenna turned to start over to her door, his shirt in hand, and once she stepped into her room and closed the door, she let go of her towel, allowing it to fall to the floor, and she unfolded Bane's shirt before holding it in front of herself with her left hand. She gazed upon the black fabric, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that this shirt, that Bane had probably recently just worn, was about to rest against her body. She knew if this was happening mere months ago, she wouldn't have minded. She probably would have disgustedly embraced it. But now, after all that he had put her through?
It's a fucking shirt. Put it on and get over it. For once he's done something kind for you. Weird, but, kinda needed. Jenna was frowning, but she knew her thoughts were right. She turned the shirt over with her left hand before moving it over her head, searching for the collar to put her head through and flinching when pain stemmed from her neck, but she suddenly became dizzy with the smell that was permanently embedded into the shirt. Bane.
Swallowing once Jenna had fit her head and arm through the proper holes, she glanced down to feed her right arm through the large and free-hanging sleeve, holding her breath all the while, but once she finally inhaled again, she was greeted with that scent of him, a scent that she could not place, but had admittedly once enjoyed. Now, however, it was making her feel dizzy.
The bottom of the shirt hung down to the middle of her thighs while the sleeves ended just above her elbows, the collar of the shirt hanging down slightly as well. As Jenna glanced down at herself, she had a hard time believing this huge shirt was so fitted and tight against Bane. The shirt seemed to only put his massive size into better perspective for her.
Having no other choice at the moment, she was forced to put on the same underwear she had been wearing, after deeming them clean enough, of course, and she knew once her laundry was done, she could immediately change. She had wanted to put her pants on again, but after discovering they had become wet and damn due to her towel laying on them and smelled like the murky outdoors, she was forced to change her mind with a scowl and a large, defeated sigh.
Taking a step back from her clothes, and feeling the bottom of Bane' shirt rub against her legs as she did so, she let out a small sigh through her nose while reminding herself of the positive outcomes that would stem from this. At the same time, when she glanced back down to her clothes, she wondered if she had enough time to add them to the laundry that was already going, or still had to be put on. She stepped forward to pick up the clothes, but as soon as she had them in her arms she paused, Bane flashing through her mind. Despite everything he had forced her to go through, and the immense terror he had caused her to feel the day before, it was not only bewildering, but stupidly kind of him to have done her such a great favor. She had meaning to ask Isaac about her laundry for a while, but after being locked away for a month, too tired to even speak, and after all that had recently happened, she had simply and easily forgotten. While she was terribly curious as to why Bane had suddenly done this, for her, she suddenly could not escape the need to at least thank him, to at least show him that she was grateful. Perhaps, if she did this, she'd be able to get back on Bane's good side, and hopefully these actions would help to keep Bane's anger about the situation at bay. Jenna knew there was probably a good chance still that Bane wasn't entirely happy with how he had handled things... He had done nothing about it, after all.
Taking a deep breath, Jenna turned toward her door, barely able to believe what she was about to do. Before opening the door, she glanced down, double-checking the shirt hung low enough, and once she was primarily satisfied, she opened her door and slowly stepped outside of it.
As she started toward Bane's open bedroom door, she continuously smoothed down the shirt against her legs, ensuring that it would not rise up during her walk. Once she approached his door, she found him to be sitting on his bed, staring up at the news channel on his muted TV. When he heard her approach, he turned his head, and he could not help his eyes wondering down her body. His shirt absolutely swallowed her, and only caused her slender legs to appear even more so. His eyes traveled back up her legs, lingering on the area of her upper thighs where the shirt ended, before he finally raised them all the way to glance back at her incredibly nervous face. He stared into her eyes for another few short seconds before he finally began to glance away, back to the TV.
"The shirt looks like it fits you well," he commented sarcastically.
"Yeah..." she mumbled, shifting all her weight to her left foot as she began to toy her left fingers with her right. "Um, thanks," she finally forced herself to say, trying to keep her focus on the profile of his face, though her eyes kept wandering away. "For doing my laundry, and... giving me the shirt."
"I am not giving you the shirt, I am letting you borrow it," Bane corrected as he stood from his bed to head over to his desk. Jenna watched him move over to it, her eyebrows furrowing.
"I-I know, I–"
"Relax, Jenna," Bane interrupted, his back still toward her as he struggled to look for something to appear busy with. "Your gratitude is accepted."
Jenna nodded to herself as she glanced down, flashes of Bane's curious expression entering her mind when his eyes had wondered over her body. The thought caused a small shock to travel up her spine and sting her neck, but she held back a shiver due to this as she cleared her throat.
"The clothes... that I was wearing. Is there still time to wash those, too?"
"Should be," Bane replied, finally giving up in his search to find some busy work. He hadn't ever anticipated his and Jenna's encounter to be so awkward and tense. Before he was able to pick up on her nervous energy, of course, but now it was different. Now he was feeling the same way, positive that Jenna understood what he was trying to do. He thought back to Barsad and Jenna in the garage the night before, and how awkward they had appeared to be. He wondered if Jenna felt as though facing Bane was worse than facing Barsad...
He made himself turn around to glance at her, and when he did he saw she was still just awkwardly standing there, toying with her fingers. When his gaze dropped down to her hands, they wandered onto her cast before he lifted them back up to look at her face.
"How's your arm?"
"It's... fine," Jenna replied with a small nod, wondering desperately why she was still standing there, in his room, and conversing with him. Even more so, she wondered why Bane was even allowing it in the first place, or even initiating the conversation, for that matter. "Feeling better, I guess."
Bane nodded as he glanced away.
"Hey, what's an air cast?" Jenna suddenly asked, both surprising herself and Bane, which was evident by the way his eyes widened when he glanced up at her. "Isaac mentioned something about it, but I don't..." she trailed off, wondering if bringing up Isaac's name had been a terrible idea.
But Bane remained patient as he leaned against his desk. "It's a lightweight cast that allows air flow and more movement," he replied, "made primarily out of plastic."
Jenna couldn't deny this cast sounded a million times better than the one she already bared, and too curious to leave his room at the moment, she kept on with the conversation, figuring she was okay since Bane appeared patient, and hadn't gotten angry upon Jenna mentioning Isaac's name.
"Do you think my arm's ready for that?"
It was astonishing to Bane that he and Jenna were holding a conversation about her arm with out either of their previous feelings on that situation arising. Bane felt fine talking to Jenna currently, a little pathetic maybe, but it amazed him to see Jenna appeared to be over her grudge toward it. Apparently, some good had come of it, after all.
"Can you move it around?"
"I think so," Jenna replied.
"Then you should be ready for it," Bane assured with a nod. Jenna nodded as well, glancing away in unison with him. Although she had tamed the awkward energy with Isaac, now it seemed to exist with Bane. It was an unusual feeling Jenna wasn't used to experiencing with Bane. Usually she felt anxious or frightened. Now she just felt tense and uneasy.
"Alright well, I'm gonna go add those clothes," Jenna stumbled through her words, struggling, again, to keep eye contact with Bane once he glanced back at her. "Thanks, again..."
Giving her a simple nod as his answer, Jenna immediately turned around to start out of his room, and Bane couldn't help his eyes immediately wandering down to watch the bottom of his shirt sway against her legs. He closed his eyes before he could stare any longer, and with a sigh he leaned away from his desk, not entirely sure if he should feel pleased with what he was starting to desire, or disgusted...
A faster update, as desired! Hope you enjoyed! Please review if YOU LOVE BANE AND JENNA.
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