Welcome to Gaia! ::

Axinite wondered if Jet had been waiting for there to be something between them before he started speaking, and he supposed the two cups counted for something. He looked up from his cup. His hands were still gently wrapped around it but he’d made no effort to draw it to his lips.

For a few seconds, Axinite was quiet; he tapped one finger against the ceramic.

“I understand.”

It was all he said for a moment; he kept tapping on the cup.

On the outside, he was almost completely unreadable. His face wasn’t quite relaxed, but he seemed focused. There were no discernible clues, nothing to give away what he thought or felt.

It seemed like that was all he was going to say, but he had the awareness to know that this would be a short, awkward conversation if he lapsed into silence again.

Jet was a General King now. There was no power imbalance between the two. Axinite had more experience, but that was all.

Laurelite had known about the mission, in all its secrecy. She had trusted Jet. Greatly, obviously.

He wasn’t upset about the promotion. Jet had earned it. He was capable of running missions, of leading teams, of capturing Princesses.

“You didn’t want a liability. It’s practical.”

“In this instance, was I not?” Axinite questioned. “You thought you did what was best for everyone. If I didn’t know, I couldn’t intervene. I assume you felt I couldn’t be counted on not to deviate from the plan you’d structured. You must have had all the information you needed, so there was nothing more I could offer you. I know I’m not at my best on the field. So, I understand. And, your mission was a success. You knew what you were doing.”

He shrugged, not quite dismissively, but maybe there wasn’t much more to say about it.

“So, your choice was practical. You accomplished your mission goals and brought everyone back alive. And, you captured a Princess. Queen Laurelite is obviously pleased with how things went down. So you owe me no apology. I should be congratulating you.”

Silence blanketed Axinite’s office for a moment, and then his soft sigh broke it. “I’m conflicted,” he finally said. “But not because I’m not proud of you. You performed admirably, and you accomplished an amazing thing. Of course I would have worried if I’d known what you were up to. I worried while you were gone, too. It’s not that I don’t understand.”

He kept his hands on his desk but he seemed to have relaxed into his chair a bit.

“I hope you don’t think I didn’t notice your presence in my office. My empty inbox would have been indication enough that something was going on.”

Another sigh, like he had to work to breathe the emotions out of himself. His expression softened a bit, though; his eyes didn’t leave Jet’s face.

“Congratulations are very much in order, General King Jet. I’ve thought very highly of you for a long time now. Your promotion was well-deserved. I’m sorry that my emotions have been distracting me from that. I won’t lie and pretend like I haven’t had hurt feelings. On a practical level, I know what you did was the right thing. On a personal level, I don’t ever want you to do anything like that again. If something had gone wrong,” he drew in another breath and the thought seemed to make him uncomfortable again.

“I would never have forgiven myself. Whether you’d told me or not. So the next time you want to do something reckless, tell me. If you won’t let me talk you out of it, at least let me have your back for it.”

For a moment, Axinite was quiet. There was something in him, a steely reserve, that he might have intended to argue with. For a fraction of a second, maybe he could have held himself how he used to be, if only to prove that he wasn’t weak, but–

Jet wasn’t asking that. He didn’t need to prove himself to him.

Axinite relented, and then he nodded.

“You’re not wrong. And I’m not happy about that, but. I am very emotionally charged these days, I know. It is a weakness. But. It isn’t all bad. I can’t help that I care so much. And I’d like to think that my caring has helped someone when they needed it.”

He exhaled and leaned back in his seat. “I’ll do my best. But I won’t promise to always keep my emotions out of it. And you might be a General King but I have seniority over you. And if I want to fuss, I will, and I expect you to let me. I respect you, though. I won’t give you too hard of a time. I would be very upset to lose you, Jet. My concern doesn’t reflect my confidence in you. If you’ve made your mind up, I will support you to the best of my abilities and I will do everything in my power to see that you succeed. Just keep an open mind for me. I was pretty good at planning missions and calculating risks even before I was a General King. That hasn’t left me. Even if I am more cautious, now.”

Axinite’s eyes immediately shot up, guarded and worried, and–there was an unreadable emotion, like he wasn’t exactly sure how to process what Jet had said. It wasn’t alarm, it seemed like he’d just been surprised. Whatever he’d been expecting, it wasn’t something like that.

A silence followed, brief and fleeting. Axinite didn’t think it was uncomfortable but he wasn’t willing to let it become such. “It doesn’t sound stupid,” he said, a bit more gently now.

He understood how important Jet’s brother had been. He understood how young he’d been when he lost him.

He understood a lot of things, not the least of which was how meaningful a statement like that was.

Of course, Jet could always be manipulating him–in which case, he’d have been doing a splendid job because Axinite’s defenses immediately lowered.

“I am grateful that you look out for me.”

Most people didn’t extend worry to him, he was a General King, and he had earned his status.

But Jet had, too.

“And I intend to continue doing the same. If you are so keen to protect me, at least make sure I have the information and resources to do the same, Jet. I’ll ask for that, but know that it’s only so I can make sure you’re as prepared as possible. I trust you. I don’t want to lose you.“

Especially not over something that could have been prevented.

Axinite watched him closely, taking in every little detail that there was to observe. He was calculating and attentive, but he was also comfortable around Jet. Now, at least. If he’d had anger or disappointment for how things had happened, they had already faded.

“I already count on you, Jet. I am optimistic about your future. I think Metallia has made a good choice with you. And, you’ve earned it. All of this. Anything you need, of course I’ll be here to help. You aren’t in any of this alone. I remember how difficult it was to get started. But, you know where my office is. You can contact me at any time. If I’m not here, for whatever reason, you can always send me a message.”

His brows were just slightly knit, no doubt because he always had room to worry for those important to him, but he seemed to have visibly relaxed–and even managed a smile.

“I know you’re a good fit for this position. In your heart, you know what you’re doing. But, perhaps you should spend a little extra time with me so we can go over things together. If you’d like, there’s no pressure.”