"...And she essentially roasted that poor sod. It was kinda funny…And brutal. Very brutal."
Jace sighed for the thousandth time as Cloud started a new story just a second after ending one. The first few stories had been bearable, nice even. Now, Jace wanted to pluck his ears out and bury them. The only thing that made his torment worth it was the fact that the devourer was enduring it with him.
'Vicea brat. Shut him up or I'll skin both of you, cut each and every one of your tendons and starve you. Then watch as you devour yourselves."
Cloud abruptly stopped, blinking rapidly. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Cloud turned away. "I think someone wants to roast me."
Jace's smile froze and the Devourer quieted. Forcing a smile, Jace waved it off, "It's probably your imagination. No one'll want to roast you. You'll taste bad."
Chuckles escaped Cloud's lips yet his wariness remained, caught through his eyes and his slow distancing. He gazed beyond Jace, maybe at the statue in the center, his eyes resting on something interesting enough for him to disregard his earlier wariness and mutter, "You may not believe it, but there is an angel walking right at us."
Jace turned to check, confused on Cloud's definition of 'angel', yet Cloud grabbed him in place. Jace struggled to move, realising in quiet awe that even as he tried, he couldn't shake off the grip holding him in place. Jace mouthed, "Let me go,"
Cloud shook his head, whispering. "No. If you turn, she'll know we were looking. Stay still. She's getting closer."
Jace watched as Cloud exhaled deeply, forming a smile that was nothing if not charming. Even through the throng of people, he had the distinct air of a quiet Scholar or a melodramatic poet. Sighing, Jace played along, still backing the mysterious woman.
He heard the sounds of people walking, the steady tapping of feet on the ground, and then…blood. The stench hit him as he felt arms wrap around him, a gentle force resting against his back.
Jace whirled, catching Elena's tired smile. She leaned against Jace weekly, her nurse outfit stained with blood. "Hey,"
"...Hey," Jace replied, feeling a glare inches away. He turned in time to see Cloud's astonished face. He sputtered like an engine struggling to start, took a few seconds to breath, then almost screamed in Jace;s face.
"You..You, How do you even know her? Why?"
Cloud stopped his rambling, switching into a calm demeanour so smoothly, Jace wondered whether he was really surprised. "So, you guys are dating?"
Elena tried nodding yet failed to lift her head off him. In the end, Jace did the nodding.
Cloud's mouth flopped open as he stared at the heavens, a feeling of triumph surging in jace. Finally, he had gotten him to shut up.
Cloud gazed into the heavens forlorn, as he mourned sorrowfully, "Why? Why did you have to get one?" He glanced back at Jace, his lips quivering.
"It was supposed to be you and me. Me and you. Going on dates, on those legendary two-mans. It was supposed to be us. Being each other's wingmen."
Jace almost laughed, pondering on whether to subtly slip to Cloud that they hadn't known each other for that long. In the end, Jace decided not to. He liked the show.
Cloud stopped his mourning, choosing to glare at Jace instead. He bowed to Elena, flashing a simple smile. "I'm sorry that you–"
He paused, his smile frozen and his eyes alert. Then his smile returned to normal and he took a large step back. "Sorry, I don't mean to be hysterical or anything but is that blood on your shirt?"
Elena forced a smile. "Yeah. A few second-years came back from a mission. Two of them were really badly injured. It was a mess."
The last part was said quietly yet Jace managed to pick out a sad air. Cloud nodded, still remaining distant. "I see,"
He glanced around nervously, shooting out a question, "So, um, you're dating. You two must have gone on loads of dates, right?"
A feeling of terror gripped Jace as he felt two pairs of eyes on him. Once more, he was reminded of why their relationship was so…unique. Both Elena and Jace had practically jumped into a boat and called it a relationship before wading through the water.
Cloud observed the two for a minute, quickly realising he had made a mistake. Muttering a quick bye, he vanished.
"Elena–" Jace started as he felt her weight lift off him.
"Do you really think I blame you for our lack of dates?"
Jace paused, unsure of what to say. Elena sighed.
"I know it. You know it too. We honestly just jumped into this thing. It's not bad, it's just…"
Jace understood it. Maybe even more than her. Their entire relationship had been built from Jace being dependent and it hadn't matured a lot from that. Sometimes, Jace saw Elena more as a therapist.
Taking a deep breath, Jace grabbed Elena's hand. He bowed as he muttered, "Would my lady honor me with the privilege of a date?"
Elena gazed at him for a second, her look a mix between gazing at a fool and being touched. In the end, she burst into laughter, whispering a single word. "Idiot,"
* *
"I'm an idiot,"
Jace gazed at himself, or at least at his reflection. He wore a shirt. A black one. A clean one. A shirt he had the urge to rip off and burn.
Fumbling with the button closest to his neck, Jace questioned his imaginary friend. "What do you think? How do I look?"
The Devourer grunted, "Why do I care?"
Jace sighed, letting go of the button and allowing it to come undone.
"You look like a pimp,"
"Thanks," Jace muttered, flicking on his cyberlink and taking a glance at his credits. He had enough for a moderately expensive night. Jace switched to his rank, watching as the 2 in front, the numberJace had gained from fighting Duke, pulsed.
Drax had been kind enough to inform him that his grade 6 ability would become public knowledge the next day. Jace had been bothered that the Military were making it public, but he hadn't let it ruin his night. Nothing could.
Taking a deep breath, Jace walked out his dorm making sure to lock the door behind him.On the way he spotted a dark shadow leaving the room next to him, blonde hair whipping so fast in it looked like a flash of light.
Jace watched for a few minutes before continuing on his journey down to the old medical hospital, the place they had first met. Walking through the courtyard, Jace ignored the giant statue in the center. In the nighttime, it felt more like a harbinger of doom and despair.
Walking past the library, Jace offered a quick glance, not slowing down. He arrived at the old medical shed a few minutes later.
As Jace neared the old building, he felt two soft objects settle over his eyes. A voice came from behind, sonorous and slightly tired yet filled with that small hint of childishness. "Guess?"
Jace peeled the hand off his eyes, spinning around. His heart caught as her light green eyes glittered like stars. A light blush rested on her face, her golden hair tied together in a ponytail and a necklace acting as the sole jewel on her skin.
She smiled brightly, the previous tiredness gone. "Are you going to keep staring or are we leaving?"
A smile on his face, Jace grabbed her hand and led her out the path and to the gate which led out to the city.
The Academy didn't keep strict focus on who walked out, but they did have curfews. Curfews that even they didn't fully implement.
The pair walked out the gate and into the wide field. Taking a sharp turn, they found another gate, a brass gate leading outside. Jace took steady breaths, trying to keep his mind off his hand yet that remained impossible.
A thought came to him, a funny joke that he considered sharing but the thought was squashed. It was a date, not a comedy show.
Another thought came to him, sweet enough that Jace's smile widened. He cast that thought away too. It was too romantic, even sappy.
Jace fought the urge to groan. Relationships were hard. Jace knew that but he didn't think they would be too hard. Jace considered which was worse:Facing the Shadows or being there.
"We're here,"
Elena's words dragged Jace out of the confines of his mind. They were already in the city.
Streetlights flickered about, stores glimmering with vivid displays in a constant bid for attention. A few drones floated above, their invisible presence both comforting and restrictive.
The air was cool and calm, filled with the steady hum of neither machinery nor technology. Instead, it held the steady hum of people. Talking, laughing, walking.
Jace turned, noting Elena's eyes fixed to the scenery. He leaned to his cyberlink, whispering slowly and carefully. "Set a path to Mo's diners."
Jace had prepared rather thoroughly for his 'date'. He had checked a dozen common threads on relationships, watched quite a few videos, and most had said the same thing:The guy had to plan for the first date. He had to prepare everything. Failing could be considered a capital offense and according to some, it was enough to warrant a break-up.
Sighing, Jace took a minute to relax, a voice whispering eerily close to his ear. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing," Jace jerked back, his wrist behind his back in a second. Another thing he had heard online: Surprise them.
Elena nodded, seemingly missing Jace's reaction. "Shall we go?"
Jace nodded and the two held hands and dived into the crowd of people. Throughout the journey, Jace kept steering them towards the diner at the edge of the city. Elena, meanwhile, kept taking twists and turns, going into dark alleys and traversing brightly lit roads–Checking the surroundings as if committing the paths to memory.
After barely a few minutes, the two found themselves in front of a store. An elderly man with graying hair–The shopkeeper–greeted them with a smile as Jace whispered, "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
Elena nodded resolutely as the shopkeeper led them to the back of the store and into a room where a dozen circular togethers floated in the air and moved about. "Get 100 points and receive any items you want."
The items referred to trinkets, toys and even stuffed animals. Jace gazed at the game with unconcealed fascination. In a world at war, it would be harder to find someone who couldn't throw than someone who could. If so, how did this old man make his money and why was his smile a bit predatory, like a con-man ripping off kids.
All it took was Jace grabbing one of the darts and he understood why it was so hard. Throughout the game, one only had three darts. The highest, the center, was 45 points, the widest region being 5. The darts themself vibrated, making holding one just really uncomfortable.
Jace tossed the first one, watching as it sailed through the air, sinking into one of the floating boards. 35 points.
Jace shot a smile towards Elena, grabbed the second dart and tossed it. It sank. 40 points.
From the corner of his eye, as Jace wielded the last, he felt the old man's gaze on him. He took aim, threw the dart, and watched as it sailed through the air, diverted ever so slightly and missed the practice target entirely.
The old man yelped in excitement, catching himself as Jace glared. "The dart diverted mid-way."
The elderly shopkeeper shrugged, "It's meant to mimic real life situations. Tis simply a poor shame."
Jace glared as Elena walked up to the mark, standing 15 metres away from the target, exactly where jace had stood. She tossed one, the dart thudding against the wood in a pleasant manner. 40 points.
The second floated across the air and smashed the center of a target. 45 points. The third floated across in the air, diverting suddenly yet still hitting the target. 15 points.
Elena grabbed a trinket from the pile of rewards, a tiara, and placed it on Jace's head with a bright smile. "You look absolutely stunning, your highness."
Jace grumbled yet he left the tiara on. The two walked away, Elena waving goodbye to the shopkeeper while Jace shot him a glare. As the two walked away, Elena found Jace's hand and slipped hers into it.
By the end of the night, Jace was holding three teddy bears, two of which belonged to his girlfriend, and had on a gold tiara. Elena meanwhile trailed with a rather small plushie and a silvery blue bangle, a gift from Jace.
"Thank you,"
"Uh?" Jace hummed as the two walked past the first iron gate.
"I know you were curious about a lot of things with me. So, thank you. For not, for not….bugging me."
Jace muttered a simple "Sure," his mind drifting to the past incidents. Elena was partly right. Jace had planned to ask about 'Kano' and her past, but in the end he had decided against it before the date and forgotten entirely.
The two walked back to the Academy, silence between them. The moon hung above them, lighting the way and reflecting the golden tiara.
As the two came closer to the old medical building, Jace suddenly remembered what every advice and tip had mentioned. At the end of the first date, there would be a kiss. That kiss, or the absence of it would determine how the date went.
"So–" Jace started, turning to Elena only to feel something soft press against his lips. Something soft and sweet. Vanilla.
The pair stood, their lips touching as Elena wrapped her arms around Jace's head and he hooked her waist.
The moon glistened as the two disengaged, their breathing heavy and slightly raggedy.
"Thanks for the date,"
Jace stood like a statue even as Elena grabbed her two teddy bears from Jace's arms and left. His hands slowly rose, touching his lips as a bright smile bloomed on his lips.
Punching the air, Jace skipped to his dorm, his tiara lightly shaking and his cyberlink still set on the path to Mo's diners.