The Aurelight hold had gotten uncomfortably silent since Jayde had agreed to spill his secret to Uriel, the secret of his recent distraction at least. Uriel awaited the explanation, her eyes trained solely on her subordinate who had asked for a moment to gather himself before ‘bearing his gods darned soul’ to her. She was about eighty percent sure that whatever he told her would be of little real consequence.
But this was taking far too long, it was all that she could do to keep her eyes open. While nowhere near as intense as some of their previous battles had been, fighting a Sovereign class never got any easier. If anything, it got harder with how those beasts-
“Before I came to Helios, before I became Jayde BiXiao, Hunter-in-training,” For the first time since he’d agreed to speak to her, Jayde finally looked her in the eyes “I was Jayde BiXiao, just another street rat on the streets of Maelstrom. I didn’t have any friends on account of my filthy mouth-” Even Uriel couldn’t stop the snort that escaped her at that very obvious statement, but Jayde ignored it, save for a tiny smile that grew on his face, “-I got into fights nearly every day and never got back home without at least one new bruise to show for my… productive day.”
Jayde sighed, looking forward towards their other two teammates while his smile grew “I can’t complain though. I had more than most other kids in the lower sectors did. A mother who loved me, a roof over my head, three-square meals a day and an education. Even if I did try to skip classes any chance I could.”
As Jayde continued to speak, Uriel couldn’t help but frown to herself, her own mind traveling back to her rather privileged childhood. A childhood surrounded by opulence and indulgence, so long as she continued to perform at an adequate level. Her heartache for a moment for all those children who’d grown up with nothing, but she quickly quelled those feelings. Right now she needed to help her friend, saving the world would come.
In time.
She returned her ears back to what Jayde was saying, releasing a sigh of relief once she noted that he’d not even noticed her momentary distraction. And luckily, he was off on some tangent about an infuriating teacher of his.
“-Anyway! At this school was where I met my best friend, though at the time I thought he'd be my worst enemy. My nemesis, even.” Jayde licked his lips, “In fact, I’d actually met him once before, not too long before we met again. His name was…”
“...Callisto Vale and Jayde BiXiao.”
The two boys glared at each other from across the room as their names were called. Jayde, of course, stood alone with the students all giving him his space while Callisto stood with a whole gaggle of sycophants standing around him. Not that they’d remained there for too much longer. The trainer, an overweight, balding man in a red tracksuit, had selected Jayde and Callisto to spar against one another.
Jayde couldn’t tell what the rich boy was feeling, but he sure as myst was ready to give Callisto the beating of a lifetime. A continuation of their previous brawl where Jayde had pummeled the aristocratic asshole into the dirt. Jayde drew his sword, a standard shortsword issued by the school, and Callisto drew his scimitar. Or at least that’s what Jayde assumed that weird shape was meant to be. It almost looked like one half of a pair of scissors. A custom make, courtesy of his father, Jayde assumed.
Both swords were obviously an appropriate size for both students, and both were suitably blunt. The two boys now stood across from each other as the trainer continued to divide the children into pairs, unaware of the rivalry that he had sparked between these two growing minds. Neither of them spoke a word. Neither of them blinked.
Both boys glared at one another, their chosen weaponry at the ready as they waited for the trainer to signal the start of their first round. The rules were simple. No serious injuries. Three rounds. First contact wins the round. Easy. Jayde's eyes narrowed, a mirror to Callisto's as the teacher called the start of the round. Calling upon their flux, both boys moved in the same instance, meeting at the center with a loud clang and a spark. They crossed swords, and neither boy would give ground.
Unfortunately for Jayde, the other boy was stronger. Perhaps he was more disciplined in training, or perhaps it was the more balanced and focused diet afforded to him by his status. But either way Jayde could feel himself being pushed back by the sheer strength that Callisto had behind his frame. Jayde had to think fast o-
Before the thought fully left his mind, Calisto forced Jayde back, making him momentarily lose his footing while he moved to strike.
In a panic, Jayde brought his sword up for a block, but was just an inch off as Callisto’s own blade slipped past the block and made contact with Jayde's chest. Point Callisto.
Although the hit was hard, Jaydes' Flux held, yet the boy still felt the wind knocked out of him. It was taking a moment for Jayde to recover, a moment that Callisto was giving him thanks to his grandstanding and boasting to essentially no one as Jayde focused on recovering.
And strategizing.
Another upfront clash would result in the same outcome, so Jayde had to out speed him. That would work, he thought to himself while standing straight and bringing his sword back into his fighting stance.
“Stop gloating, it’s just been da first round!” He called out,fury obvious in his voice. A fury that Callisto was able to rather easily pick up on, prompting a smirk to grow on the other boys face.
“You’re eager to lose, aren’t ya, street rat?” He taunted, taking a step back “Just get ready to run home and cry to your mommy!”
With that, both boys were once again in their fighting stances, and with some unseen count, both moved in unison to attack the other. Callisto sped forth expecting another clash. But was surprised when Jayde stopped midway through his charge, arching away ever so slightly to dodge Callistos’ strike. Then Jayde would bring down his own sword onto Callisto's shoulder, pushing the boy onto one knee and ending the second round.
As Callisto stood back up, thankful that his Flux had been able to withstand the blow, he would see Jayde back in his starting position with an infuriating grin plastered on his face. Callisto felt his rage boil at the sight. How dare that street rat look down on him?!?
“Lucky shot, you sneaky rat!” Callisto declared as he backed up to his own starting position. His eyes narrowed in. That underhanded bullshit wasn’t going to work on him a second time!
“My name is Jayde, asshole,” Jayde spat back, feeling his own anger boil in response to the pompous brat's words.
“Like I give two shits who you are!”
Both opponents glared at each other from across one another, even as they both shifted and assumed their fighting stances. They kept their eyes locked on, ready to react to any move their opponent made.
Then, once again, at the end of some invisible countdown, both students charged forward. Both ready to test their mettle against the othe-
“Cut the shit, Jayde.”
Jayde's excellent storytelling was cut off by the angry redhead that sat next to him, and Jayde couldn’t help but swallow nervously. He opened his mouth to say something. Continue? Protest her protesting? Apologize and then promptly jump out of the aurelight? But before any of that could happen, Uriel would continue speaking,
“I am insulted that you assumed such a story would keep me distracted-” Jayde suddenly felt like he’d been set on fire, though it was more likely that Uriels burning gaze had just raised the ambient temperature of the hold, “I have known you long enough to know when you are buying yourself time. Believe you me when I say that it is not working.”
Jayde sighed, hanging his head in shame. Mostly at being caught so easily by his captain than for actually trying to pull the wool over her eyes. He was in the middle of thinking about how he’d weasel out of this when he felt a sudden, unmistakable pain in his arm. He’d been punched. Again. Only much, much harder this time. Jayde could almost swear that he’d fractured a bone.
“Ow-OW! I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, hand moving to hold his pained area, glaring at the woman who stared back at him blankly, “I wasn’t lying though!” That was the truth, at least.
“Yes, but you were attempting to fool me with a long story and never actually tell me what was wrong.” Uriel shot back, calm and very, very correct in her conclusion.
“... Fuc-”
“Language, BiXiao.”
He sighed, “Look… I wasn’t completely off course. I’ve a friend back in Vaelstrom that helped me out. A lot. His name is Callisto and the bastard’s done got himself sick!” Jayde sounded truly annoyed, but it didn’t take a genius to see that the man was upset. A frown tugged at Uriels face as she noticed his tone.
“I am sorry to hear that, Jayde.” She reached out her arm, wrapping it around his neck to bring him into a side hug.
Jayde was at the point of no return, now that the kit was out, the Kaboodle would follow. “He was working at some research facility, his daddy’d pulled some strings to get him on there for an internship,” he swallowed, stiff as a board as Uriel held him in her arms, “‘parently he got himself exposed to some shi- crap that they were experimentin’ with, and now most of the interns and the head researcher are in the hospital-”
There was a lull. A moment of silence that Uriel allowed Jayde to get himself straighten up. To get his thoughts in order. In that silent moment, a hundred little moments occurred.
Uriels racing pulse calmed.
Jayde relaxed in her arms.
Uriel rested her chin on his head.
And Jayde closed his eyes.
Isha and King shifted on the seats across from them.
Jayde began counting the still impossibly fast heartbeats that kept his captain running.
“I still don’t know how you do it, cap’n.”
She hummed.
“How you can keep livin’, fightin’, orderin’ our bum asses around all the while staying at one hundred percent all the time.”
“I am used to it now, Jayde. I was born like this, remember?”
“Not really, wasn’t there-”
Uriel rewarded his sass with a pinch on his side. Honestly, it was his fault for undoing the security straps to earn a modicum of comfort in his combat gear. An act that was thoroughly against regulations.
“It is just how things are for me. I am always aware. Always ready. I would not be an exceptional hunter if I were not like this.”
It was now Jaydes turn to hum as a response. Though words followed his hum,
“I don’t know about that, Uriel, you’re worth a hundred of us bargain bin-”
Another pinch. This time to curb the self depreciation.
“My life holds no greater value than any other Hunters. To say nothing of my lifes worth and that of a civilian.’
Jayde didn’t say anything, either a show of defiance or a moment of contemplation. Uriel couldn’t quite tell. She almost never could when Jayde was involved. But what she could tell was how the air shifted. Jayde was ready to really talk again.
“Cal got the worst of it among the interns. He really wanted this project of theirs to go well. He-” Jayde swallowed, “He wanted to join that damn company someday, do ‘research that mattered’ or some malarkey. Now he’s waiting to die in some damn hospital bed, and I’m stuck here tryna get a call out to him while his dickhead of a father is doing everything in his power to make sure I can’t talk to him.”
“Is there any particular reason why his father would block your transmissions?”
“That rich prick has hated me since the first time he laid eyes on me!”
“Then why don’t you just go back? I am sure that Helios would allow you some time off to visit your loved ones at such a time."
Jayde let out a long, drawn out sigh that seemed to have sucked out any hope that was cradled in his chest “No can do, cap, it ain’t that simple when it comes to me and my motherland.” He pulled back from the hug and looked off down the hull and towards the hatch, “I ain’t welcome back home.”
“Would you mind if I asked you why?”
Jayde chuckled, “Ya know I’m an open book, Uri, but that’s a long story yer asking for and I don’t think we have the time.” He pointed at the clock at the far end of the hull. They barely had an hour before they’d be back at Helios.
Uriel nodded. “Fine. But I will help you with this, Jayde, you have my word. As your friend, as your leader, and as an Ulrich.”
Jayde gave her a small, sincere smile, but Uriel could tell that there was no hope behind his eyes. Like he knew that was a promise she couldn’t keep. Well, he would just have to prove him wrong, wouldn’t she?
“Now, get some rest. And do not forget to make yourself presentable. We must be a shining example to our lower classmen and the first step to that is by following the dress code!”
Jayde rolled his eyes as Uriel decided to go on her little tangent about examples and the future of Hunters. An effort to distract him, he was sure. His mind, however, was foggy with childhood memories.
He’d have to apologize to Uriel about ignoring her lecture later because all Jayde could do was nod along absentmindedly as Uriel spoke, committing none of it to memory.
Because no matter what she said, no matter what she promised, he already knew how this would end. People like him didn’t get to go home. And Callisto…