Revamped!
Forming Clay Soldiers: Part Ten
After the airport chaos, they all went their separate ways to relax after having solved the Jacin dilemma. Winter and Cinder bring Jacin back to their place. When they open the door, they see Levana standing at the bottom of the staircase with the letter Jacin wrote in her hands. She narrows her eyes at the three of them and for a moment, they think that Levana will kill them.
"Cinder," Levana orders, "give us a moment."
Cinder nods without any objection. On her way out, she mouths Winter and Jacin a good luck. When it's only the two of them with Levana, they both put on their brave faces that are wrapped with "we have no explanation for all this" as their fingers lace tightly with each other's.
"Levana," Jacin starts, "Winter had no idea about any of this. This is all my fault."
"I know," Levana responds, referring to the letter in her hands. "I spoke with your parents and they'll be allowing you to stay for a bit but only if you speak to them soon. I had a feeling you'd be coming here but delayed your travel time to throw them off."
Winter and Jacin didn't expect Levana to be so accepting. Then again, she has nothing to be angry about so it makes sense. And if there was mischief to occur that wasn't against Levana per se, she would be prouder than pissed. Besides, Jacin fooled Artemisia's customs officers and almost made it through Commonwealth's.
"I'll accommodate you but you're sleeping in the guest room," she tells him.
"Thank you, Levana," Jacin says.
Levana scoffs a smirk. "I'd do anything for the people who build high, strong fences since those people survive the best."
"So, you're not mad?" Jacin asks her to be sure.
"Of course not. Everyone's first priority should be themselves."
Levana turns around and sashays out of the room. Jacin and Winter look at each other, unsure of what happened. Levana's self-serving sass, though expected, was still shocking. Despite that, they're still stoked to be able to spend more time together.
"Why is Levana considered bad again?" Jacin questions.
"Her niceness is sugar-coated with evil," Winter responds.
-o-
Jacin sits in Levana's office. On the computer in front of him is his parents over video chat. Jacin knew he had to do this but looking at the state of his parents and knowing that he caused this makes him feel guilty. They look like they haven't slept in days and Jacin just wants to slink back in the chair and disappear again. He couldn't bear this but had to.
"I'm sorry," Jacin tells his parents wholeheartedly. "After the military recruiter came in and gave stellar comments about me making a fine soldier, I couldn't sit with it. I was getting stressed at school because I realized for myself that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. That's the decision you're supposed to make now and I can't. I'm heading down the path of being a soldier and I'm not sure if I want to be that. Dad, I'm a Clay but not a clay soldier. I don't feel like I was made for the army and you can't mould me into so."
Garrison Clay: I get it, Jacin, but you could've just spoken with us instead of running away. At least I could've filled out those leave papers for you.
Jacin knows that his parents have the point there. He could've just had a conversation instead of an escape plan. He only thought he had when he left Andromeda Academy was that the best way to love someone isn't to change them, but instead, to help them reveal the greatest version of themselves. Still, getting those official leave papers would've been nice.
Clarissa Clay: What the stars were you thinking when it came to running away?! It could have been a horrible decision!
"If nobody from the future came to stop me, then how bad of a decision could it really have been?" He asks.
It was a joke but his parents don't laugh. Their faces remain sombre and serious. He secretly applied to Peking School of Medicine, which he already told Winter on their way here and was planning to tell his parents when he would return home since a reaction to that would be better to see in person rather than on a screen.
"It may have been an outrageous choice, but consider this, Mom: most choices we make in life are equally dangerous," he tells her.
Clarissa Clay: I understand, Jacin. Look, your father and I still have a lot to say but you must be tired where you are. Your father and I will call you again soon.
Garrison Clay: And we'll ship you some clothes since your mother and I spoke with Levana and we all agreed to let you stay there and clear your head for a bit.
Jacin looks up in shock. "Really?! Thank you both so much! I love you guys."
Eventually, after another set of sentiments and farewell, the call ends. Jacin leans back in the chair, satisfied with the way this all turned out. Sure, some things still have to be ironed out but for now, it's all good. He can relax.
Slowly, Winter peeks her head in. Jacin gestures her inside and she comes, making her way around the desk and sitting on the ledge in front of Jacin.
"Iko and Kinney called," Winter tells him. "They're glad that you're safe and were entertained by the rumours that spread about you."
"I was once not noticeable in that building and now I'm the centre of attention," Jacin states. He laughs in a huff. "Wow, now I'm never going back."
Winter laughs along with him as she runs her hands through his hair. Their laughing dims down and now they're just staring at one another. Her hands rest on his broad shoulders and he puts his hands on top, holding hers.
"This was all really brave of you," Winter tells him.
Jacin scoffs. "Or really stupid."
"Bravely stupid."
-o-
As a way of punishment towards them (for Jacin running away and Winter and Cinder not telling Levana about the letter), Levana made them handle their dinner or go out to get it themselves. To be fair, it was and wasn't a punishment at the same time and Levana well knew. What Winter and Cinder would do about dinner was the obvious: take Jacin to the Rampion. It was a given that they'd to do that.
"I should've mentioned this earlier but I like the blue hair," Cinder tells Jacin as they enter the Rampion.
Before Jacin could answer, he, like Cinder and Winter once were, had to take a moment to appreciate and be amazed by the space-like restaurant. He returns to reality, still keeping that childlike awe in his eyes. Cinder and Winter grin as they take him to the table where all their friends are, even Scarlet who isn't working today.
"I think I'm just going to cut off the blue," Jacin tells them as they sit down.
"You should have Thorne do it," Cress says. "He cut my hair."
"I'm thinking of trademarking it as Carswell's Cuts," Thorne says like a prophet.
Everyone cringes at the thought of Thorne as a hairdresser. They have nothing against the profession in any way but they just didn't want to think about the possibility of Thorne having a pair of scissors by their heads.
"So, you two came from Luna?" Jacin asks Cress and Wolf. They both nod. "Where from?"
"Anemone," Cress responds first. "You know, that city with the reputation of having people whose heads were always in the sky."
Cress makes a smoking gesture with her hands and everyone laughs uncomfortably. Nobody would've guessed that Cress came from the town of smokers and druggies.
"That town is so pretty, though," Winter says.
"I'm from Enyo, the so-called ghetto," Wolf says. "I don't have any memories from there since I moved here right after I was born."
Honestly, everyone saw that coming. Luna was really a remarkable country in many and every way possible. Its diversity could be a story of its own.
Scarlet suddenly lights up and slams her palms on the table, startling everyone.
"Jacin!" Scarlet exclaims. "Tell us how Thorne got kicked out of military school!"
"Oh stars, no…" Thorne begs to Jacin.
"Oh stars, yes!" Everyone else exclaims.
"C'mon," Kai encourages, "you know you really want to tell us."
He really does. As Jacin looks at his options, he smirks to himself.
[And that ends Jacin's arc! He will have a bigger part in the next arc. Speaking of the next arc, it turns the story around. Feel free to guess who it is.]