Noticing the pain chase was going through, jasmine pushed him back down, getting up and tucking him into bed. "You dont need to worry about moving at all."
The physician backed away, hands raised in surrender as Jasmine's glare burned hotter than Damian's axes. "I'll check on the others," he muttered, scurrying toward Andrew's cot where the water mage was currently resting.
Chase's fingers twitched against the coarse blanket as the physician retreated. Jasmine's presence—solid, warm, unbearably real—made his pulse stutter. Her knee pressed against his thigh through the thin mattress, the weight of it more tangible than any spirit-sea touch. "You're really here," he breathed, voice cracked like dry earth.
Chase couldn't help but get lost in her eyes. Seeing that she too was falling into this trance,
Jasmine opted to do something. "Would you like some soup?" Chase was half listening. "Sure, just stay here a little longer." It took alot of strength for her to pull away. "Ill go now, thank you."
She returned, not only with some good looking soup, but with Damian in tow. Handing him the bowl, Damian was looking confused.
"Chase, who is this woman?"
Chase stared at the steaming bowl in his lap, then at Jasmine leaning against the cot's footboard with that infuriating smirk. Damian's armor clanked as he shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flicking between them like a spectator at a dueling arena.
'Their is clearly tension between them, but she just showed up? Is this one of the things he was hiding? Where could he hide a whole human being?" Many thoughts were floating around Damian's mind at the moment.
Damian's gauntleted hand twitched toward his axe. "Chase. Explain." The words came out flatter than he intended, edged with something between suspicion and awe.
The soup bowl trembled in Chase's grip as Damian's shadow loomed over the cot. Jasmine flicked a stray lock of hair behind her ear—the motion deliberately casual—before crossing her arms. "You first," she said, nodding at Chase. "Your dramatic reveal skills are worse than your swordplay."
"Hey, I haven't had a sword in a while. And shes…"
Chase exhaled sharply through his nose, staring at the soup like it held the answers. "She's Jasmine," he said finally, as if that explained everything. Damian's eye twitched.
Chase felt bad for Damian. He thought this was finally the time for a big reveal, but if Jasmine didn't even want him to know too much, if he told damian anything but her name, she might kill him herself.
'And im only being half satirical'
Damian's gauntlet creaked as he clenched his fist around the axe handle. "Jasmine," he repeated, flat as a whetstone. "Just... Jasmine." His gaze flicked to Chase's bandaged ribs, then to the blackened veins still visible beneath Jasmine's collar. "Bullshit."
Then he sighed. "But if you're still not telling me things I'll assume its for a reason. Nice to meet you miss jasmine. Judging by what im seeing, we'll be working together." Damian extended a hand.
Jasmine studied Damian's outstretched hand like it might bite her. Then, with deliberate slowness, she grasped his forearm—warrior's grip—her fingers pressing just above the hidden pulse point. Testing. "Likewise," she said, and something in her smile made Chase's soup go cold. After the handshake ended, Damian continued.
"Ive been walking with patrols, pulling people out of destroyed buildings and making sure any random monsters geg dealt with as soon as they show up. Last part hasn't happened yet.
Shiva told me that a few scouts are coming. Checking for demonic presences. So logically me and you will be meeting up with people."
What that actually meant was just in case these people have the holy ability to sense demons, we shouldn't dare to come into their field of vision.
Chase nodded. 'Someones gonna have to carry me out in bridal carry, otherwise ill just be flopping on the floor.'
'Ill do it.' Someone else spoke in his mind.
Who it was was obvious. Turning to look at her he realized that they were still connected by the soul seeing as how she was his [Spirit weapon].
'GET OUT OF MY MIND YOU CREEP!!'
Seeing the look on his face, Jasmine began laughing. "Relax!" Seeing all this, it simply looked like they were speaking a wordless language.
Damian began walking out, intending to prepare for when the scouts got there and to check on damian. He hadnt see him in a while.