04-07-2010, 05:21 PM
“Xenia!!”
“Sage!” he called after her as the pain forced him to release the cerulean-haired girl. He watched helplessly as she darted through the doorway, running faster than Juno had ever seen her run after her sister. His hopes were dashed; she really cared for her sister, then. He’d never really felt that type of attachment to his own family.
He watched as she disappeared through the doorway. And just like that, she was gone.
How could he have been so stupid? He had sat there rambling on about stuff they probably weren’t even interested in, and for what? For his pride? Some friend he was. He had barely checked on them—he had noticed the blood on Sage’s dress, sure, but had he even cared about it? No, he’d focused on the fact that she was alive and ever-so-slightly willing to hear him glorify himself. Now, he’d blown his chance.
He walked over to the couch, and slumped into it, his hand still burning from the pain Sage’s chill had inflicted. He glanced at the blue hand—maybe some of the desert heat would warm it up? He held it up, letting some of the arid heat waves waft through the nearby window onto it, and slowly but surely, it turned back into the pale white color that it was supposed to be. He sighed, sinking back into the ratty cushions of the couch, and leaning his head back.
…should he go out and help her? He thought about the option for a moment—maybe he could head outside and stand at a safe distance, ready to interfere if Xenia tried anything. After all, that was what guys did for girls, right? They protected them, right?
He sighed as he mulled over the teenagers’ feuds. He was still a teenage boy, on the inside, but he had never really had that type of social interaction. He’d lived on Mercy-sei, with the other ragtag outcasts, for what would’ve been his high school years, and there, all concepts of love and commitment were just tossed out the window. On Mercy, no one was with anyone—people were simply tools, to be used and discarded. He’d been discarded more than once.
The same, he supposed, was true for Sage. It was quite clear to him, no matter how much she tried to hide it, that there was a certain pain lingering like a dark raincloud over the coral-eyed girl’s head. He scowled; she always seemed to be hurting. She just hid it in a dramatically different way than he did, the half-Saiyan supposed.
Vegeta-sei disappeared behind him as the automatic doors to the spaceport shut.
A young, sixteen-year-old Juno stood in the midst of a crowd of people, lost amongst the many different shades of armor or cloth that weaved through the crowd, this way and that, like waves in an ocean. He pushed through the people, fighting back tears, holding his satchel close to him.
Slowly, a counter materialized before him with an elderly clerk. The woman looked at the young man with a caring eye—the first one he’d seen in a while—and he smiled up at her, attempting to hide the hurt that plagued him.
“I… I’ve got a ticket,” he stuttered as he walked up to the counter and slowly pulled a ticket out of his pocket. The woman cautiously took it, eyeing him with a slight suspicion. She read the ticket, which gave him adult permission to travel to Mercy-sei. With a wary smile, the maternal clerk slid the ticket into a confirmation machine, and within seconds, the report had returned to her—the ticket was, indeed, valid. “…th-thank you,” he muttered through a cracking throat as she handed the ticket back to him.
“Everything alright, son?” the woman asked kindly, and Juno stopped in mid-turn.
He waited for a second before replying. “…yeah. Everything’s fine.”
She knew he was lying, but what could she do? She watched him walk away, disappearing in between all of the different people that littered the spaceport. He continued to fight back tears. He looked at the ticket, and then let his eyes travel to the signature. The name stung him, and he quickly shoved it back into his pocket and made his way towards his terminal as quickly as he could.
Why, then, was he all of a sudden so eager for companionship? Sage obviously didn’t want it, and neither had Sophia, but he had pursued them to no end as if there was no other option—and yet, through all those years, he had never dared to think about something like that—like commitment.
Yet, there it was; it had all come back to him when he had met Juliet. A strong-willed girl, one who knew how to live her life and wouldn’t let anyone change it. When Juliet had “died,” Sophia had easily slid into that role. Sage represented the sweeter side of her, the side that was consistently pained with doing what she had to do, but knew the necessity. There was always that moment, he remembered, that he could hold her and she would just… sob endlessly. The salty water of Sage’s tears—back in Olde Town, so many months ago—had led him to that comparison, only expounded upon by her beauty.
Now he had to decide; to interfere or not to interfere? If he didn’t, he might really lose this chance forever. He wanted Sage to think of him as a friend, and friends helped each other, right? They acted like shoulders to cry on… well, then, what type of a friend was he to her?
No, he answered himself; she probably doesn’t want my help anyway. As much as he hated to admit it, Sage probably would’ve been more comfortable if he wasn’t there. He closed his eyes, letting himself rest amongst the ripped, slightly disgusting cloth of the sofa. He felt the weight shift ever so slightly, and he opened his eyes to see Yuffith sitting next to him.
“It’ll be alright,” she assured him, slowly reaching over and placing a hand on his shoulder, “This place makes everyone tense anyway.” He sighed—that much was true. Since he’d been here, everyone had been on edge, including the half-saiyan himself, who normally attempted to be rather casual in situations like this. Should I go talk to her? he wondered idly, and slowly turned and looked toward the door. He was met, however, not with a sight that convinced him he should go after Sage, but one that distracted him almost completely from the blue-haired girl. Almost.
The blonde-haired priestess hadn’t noticed him yet. She looked largely the same as he remembered her from a few rounds ago—the blue dress, the blonde hair cascading down her back, all of it was familiar. And all of it was hot.
“Well, hello, Sophia,” the black-haired boy laughed, standing up.
“Hm?” Sophia replied, turning and seeing the black-haired half-Saiyan. “Oh! Hey, Juno!” She walked towards him, and they shared a slightly awkward hug. Afterwards, they separated, and Juno put his hands behind his back and glanced outside. “So… did you just get here? I didn’t see you at the carnival last time around.”
“I was there,” Juno assured her, almost too prideful. “Well, I’m sure you saw Sage.” Sophia nodded, glancing through the doorway.
“Yeah, we did,” Sophia muttered, and Juno’s interest was caught by the ‘we.’ Seeing his confused expression, the priestess continued, “By ‘we’ I mean Ander and I. He went chasing after her.” She chuckled. “He reminds me a bit of you.”
“He… went after her?” Juno stated, agog. Immediately, he turned on his heel and began to march toward the doorway, but he quickly felt Sophia’s hand clutch his own and pull him back. “What’re you doing?” he fought, but Sophia laughed a bit and caught him around the waist, pulling him in and tossing him onto the couch. Juno, however, was not amused. This… this guy was going to get the chance to comfort Sage like he wanted to comfort her, and he was missing the chance because Sophia told him to stop?
“Now, now,” the priestess smiled, sitting next to Juno on the sofa, “I thought you weren’t going to chase our skirts anymore.”
“Correction,” Juno smirked, “I’m not going to chase your skirt anymore.”
“Well,” the blue-dressed girl counseled, “I’m quite sure his charms won’t overrule yours, Juno. After all, you’re just so irresistible.” Juno scowled; her sarcasm wasn’t exactly welcome in this conversation. Or was she certain about it, and just masking it with sarcasm? He couldn’t tell—maybe she was just trying to appease him. He sighed inwardly; the priestess’s motivations were so hard to tell. He supposed that if the sarcasm was genuinely sarcasm, at least it had done something to lighten the mood.
The pair was silent for a moment as Sophia helped Juno into a sitting position. He glanced furtively toward the door, wondering idly what type of smooth-talking Ander was putting on Sage right now. He remembered what he’d done to Victoria. He wasn’t sure it worked, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t try to impress her.
He had to admit, if Ander hadn’t been targeting the same girl he was, he probably would’ve liked the guy. And to be honest, he hadn’t really been given any reason to dislike him yet, other than the fact that he was—quite obviously—attempting to win some sort of favor, whether it be romantic or not, from Sage. Of course, all of this speculating about Ander’s motives was purely preemptive—the only thing he’d heard of their encounters was the short argument they’d had at the beginning of the competition and Sophia’s recent testimony that the desert thief had gone ‘chasing after her.’ He had to find some way to get out there, but the only way he could do that was if Sophia was on his side.
“You’re sure we shouldn’t go check on her?” he asked, turning to Sophia.
“Sage!” he called after her as the pain forced him to release the cerulean-haired girl. He watched helplessly as she darted through the doorway, running faster than Juno had ever seen her run after her sister. His hopes were dashed; she really cared for her sister, then. He’d never really felt that type of attachment to his own family.
He watched as she disappeared through the doorway. And just like that, she was gone.
How could he have been so stupid? He had sat there rambling on about stuff they probably weren’t even interested in, and for what? For his pride? Some friend he was. He had barely checked on them—he had noticed the blood on Sage’s dress, sure, but had he even cared about it? No, he’d focused on the fact that she was alive and ever-so-slightly willing to hear him glorify himself. Now, he’d blown his chance.
He walked over to the couch, and slumped into it, his hand still burning from the pain Sage’s chill had inflicted. He glanced at the blue hand—maybe some of the desert heat would warm it up? He held it up, letting some of the arid heat waves waft through the nearby window onto it, and slowly but surely, it turned back into the pale white color that it was supposed to be. He sighed, sinking back into the ratty cushions of the couch, and leaning his head back.
…should he go out and help her? He thought about the option for a moment—maybe he could head outside and stand at a safe distance, ready to interfere if Xenia tried anything. After all, that was what guys did for girls, right? They protected them, right?
He sighed as he mulled over the teenagers’ feuds. He was still a teenage boy, on the inside, but he had never really had that type of social interaction. He’d lived on Mercy-sei, with the other ragtag outcasts, for what would’ve been his high school years, and there, all concepts of love and commitment were just tossed out the window. On Mercy, no one was with anyone—people were simply tools, to be used and discarded. He’d been discarded more than once.
The same, he supposed, was true for Sage. It was quite clear to him, no matter how much she tried to hide it, that there was a certain pain lingering like a dark raincloud over the coral-eyed girl’s head. He scowled; she always seemed to be hurting. She just hid it in a dramatically different way than he did, the half-Saiyan supposed.
~+~
Vegeta-sei disappeared behind him as the automatic doors to the spaceport shut.
A young, sixteen-year-old Juno stood in the midst of a crowd of people, lost amongst the many different shades of armor or cloth that weaved through the crowd, this way and that, like waves in an ocean. He pushed through the people, fighting back tears, holding his satchel close to him.
Slowly, a counter materialized before him with an elderly clerk. The woman looked at the young man with a caring eye—the first one he’d seen in a while—and he smiled up at her, attempting to hide the hurt that plagued him.
“I… I’ve got a ticket,” he stuttered as he walked up to the counter and slowly pulled a ticket out of his pocket. The woman cautiously took it, eyeing him with a slight suspicion. She read the ticket, which gave him adult permission to travel to Mercy-sei. With a wary smile, the maternal clerk slid the ticket into a confirmation machine, and within seconds, the report had returned to her—the ticket was, indeed, valid. “…th-thank you,” he muttered through a cracking throat as she handed the ticket back to him.
“Everything alright, son?” the woman asked kindly, and Juno stopped in mid-turn.
He waited for a second before replying. “…yeah. Everything’s fine.”
She knew he was lying, but what could she do? She watched him walk away, disappearing in between all of the different people that littered the spaceport. He continued to fight back tears. He looked at the ticket, and then let his eyes travel to the signature. The name stung him, and he quickly shoved it back into his pocket and made his way towards his terminal as quickly as he could.
~+~
Why, then, was he all of a sudden so eager for companionship? Sage obviously didn’t want it, and neither had Sophia, but he had pursued them to no end as if there was no other option—and yet, through all those years, he had never dared to think about something like that—like commitment.
Yet, there it was; it had all come back to him when he had met Juliet. A strong-willed girl, one who knew how to live her life and wouldn’t let anyone change it. When Juliet had “died,” Sophia had easily slid into that role. Sage represented the sweeter side of her, the side that was consistently pained with doing what she had to do, but knew the necessity. There was always that moment, he remembered, that he could hold her and she would just… sob endlessly. The salty water of Sage’s tears—back in Olde Town, so many months ago—had led him to that comparison, only expounded upon by her beauty.
Now he had to decide; to interfere or not to interfere? If he didn’t, he might really lose this chance forever. He wanted Sage to think of him as a friend, and friends helped each other, right? They acted like shoulders to cry on… well, then, what type of a friend was he to her?
No, he answered himself; she probably doesn’t want my help anyway. As much as he hated to admit it, Sage probably would’ve been more comfortable if he wasn’t there. He closed his eyes, letting himself rest amongst the ripped, slightly disgusting cloth of the sofa. He felt the weight shift ever so slightly, and he opened his eyes to see Yuffith sitting next to him.
“It’ll be alright,” she assured him, slowly reaching over and placing a hand on his shoulder, “This place makes everyone tense anyway.” He sighed—that much was true. Since he’d been here, everyone had been on edge, including the half-saiyan himself, who normally attempted to be rather casual in situations like this. Should I go talk to her? he wondered idly, and slowly turned and looked toward the door. He was met, however, not with a sight that convinced him he should go after Sage, but one that distracted him almost completely from the blue-haired girl. Almost.
The blonde-haired priestess hadn’t noticed him yet. She looked largely the same as he remembered her from a few rounds ago—the blue dress, the blonde hair cascading down her back, all of it was familiar. And all of it was hot.
“Well, hello, Sophia,” the black-haired boy laughed, standing up.
“Hm?” Sophia replied, turning and seeing the black-haired half-Saiyan. “Oh! Hey, Juno!” She walked towards him, and they shared a slightly awkward hug. Afterwards, they separated, and Juno put his hands behind his back and glanced outside. “So… did you just get here? I didn’t see you at the carnival last time around.”
“I was there,” Juno assured her, almost too prideful. “Well, I’m sure you saw Sage.” Sophia nodded, glancing through the doorway.
“Yeah, we did,” Sophia muttered, and Juno’s interest was caught by the ‘we.’ Seeing his confused expression, the priestess continued, “By ‘we’ I mean Ander and I. He went chasing after her.” She chuckled. “He reminds me a bit of you.”
“He… went after her?” Juno stated, agog. Immediately, he turned on his heel and began to march toward the doorway, but he quickly felt Sophia’s hand clutch his own and pull him back. “What’re you doing?” he fought, but Sophia laughed a bit and caught him around the waist, pulling him in and tossing him onto the couch. Juno, however, was not amused. This… this guy was going to get the chance to comfort Sage like he wanted to comfort her, and he was missing the chance because Sophia told him to stop?
“Now, now,” the priestess smiled, sitting next to Juno on the sofa, “I thought you weren’t going to chase our skirts anymore.”
“Correction,” Juno smirked, “I’m not going to chase your skirt anymore.”
“Well,” the blue-dressed girl counseled, “I’m quite sure his charms won’t overrule yours, Juno. After all, you’re just so irresistible.” Juno scowled; her sarcasm wasn’t exactly welcome in this conversation. Or was she certain about it, and just masking it with sarcasm? He couldn’t tell—maybe she was just trying to appease him. He sighed inwardly; the priestess’s motivations were so hard to tell. He supposed that if the sarcasm was genuinely sarcasm, at least it had done something to lighten the mood.
The pair was silent for a moment as Sophia helped Juno into a sitting position. He glanced furtively toward the door, wondering idly what type of smooth-talking Ander was putting on Sage right now. He remembered what he’d done to Victoria. He wasn’t sure it worked, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t try to impress her.
He had to admit, if Ander hadn’t been targeting the same girl he was, he probably would’ve liked the guy. And to be honest, he hadn’t really been given any reason to dislike him yet, other than the fact that he was—quite obviously—attempting to win some sort of favor, whether it be romantic or not, from Sage. Of course, all of this speculating about Ander’s motives was purely preemptive—the only thing he’d heard of their encounters was the short argument they’d had at the beginning of the competition and Sophia’s recent testimony that the desert thief had gone ‘chasing after her.’ He had to find some way to get out there, but the only way he could do that was if Sophia was on his side.
“You’re sure we shouldn’t go check on her?” he asked, turning to Sophia.