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 Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:42 pm
"Ahhh... today's Black Friday." How appropriate. She blinked heavily again and closed her eyes. "So I guess, it hasn't been that long."
When he made mention of how much she and Touta were valuable assets, it only made her heart sink more. It sounded so formal and cold, and yet so convincing at the same time. Would Remarque even be talking to her right now if they didn't need her? Her usual optimism in everything hadn't exactly worked for the past ... well, few months.
"Okay." Non-committal. "I don't know when I'll see Touta again.." If at all. "So if you can tell her please do."
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:24 pm
That Esme didn't sound particularly thrilled with any of this—that she was still seeming so distanced—did little to please Jett. "Then I'll check in with her in a bit. Esme—do you remember what I asked you, the last time we spoke? For honesty. So I implore you to keep that promise you made me and tell me what you need. I'm not going to leave knowing you're here, unhappy or afraid. You've got Nicolae to take care of you, I'll give him that responsibility if you trust him with it. But he'd better take damn good care of you. I'll worry about you, otherwise."
Worrying was not something Jett did well. Hell—caring was not something he easily did.
But the Court was small. And he, for whatever reason, had been entrusted as its Vice Captain. Leto had her duties, and he had his—and he'd be damned if making sure the Court was all right wasn't a duty both of them shared.
"As long as you remember that you are more than someone to throw on the front lines, Esme. You are not solely a warrior—you are a friend, an ally, and family. There will be times that you fight for your family, and times you fight with your family. But you will never be in a position where we won't be there for you. So tell me, what can I do for you, now, to make sure you're doing all right?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:53 pm
The corner of her mouth twitched. Honesty. That's right. She had promised Jett ... Remarque.. that she'd be honest with him. Even out of uniform. The girl didn't like being dishonest to begin with, and probably gave the truth to more than a few too many White Mooners about how she felt at any given time. And with that attitude, some of them even became her friends .. or at least someone they could talk to.
"Nico will take good care of me. I know that cuz we're married."
She felt it, her good nature flooding back to her. At least for now.
"Before Ares chucked me in a mirror she promised that I'd have a family. And I thought that, I really did. I met lots of cool people and made lots of friends that I've never done as Esme. Touta became my BFF and I've never had an actual girl friend before, not to mention a best one! And I got my first kiss too! And my first date!" Esme pointed to the door, most likely indicating Nicolae outside. "Maybe even my first love! PROBABLY!" She waved out her arms like it was a huge deal. WHICH IT WAS. "Buuuut okay my love life that's besides the point. I thought I had a big family and when Requiem smacked me upside the head and later tried to kill me, on my mom's grave OKAY?, all it did was remind me of the other family I have."
She paused to take a breath. "It was my dad killing my mom and sending my little brother to the hospital in a coma all over again. And you know what? You know? That SUUUUCKS. And when you have doubt in your heart already from what a little girl with butt wings says to you, it makes it WORSE. All the worses! Like if a worse and worst came together to make a little baby. It'd be the worstest."
Oh God she needed to breathe. She sat up and threw off the covers.
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 9:51 pm
The outburst was not what Jett had expected—but after tonight, what could he expect? Esme was sharing private details—details he wasn't sure he knew how to respond to. Congratulations to being married? Or, 'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that' about her family? Nothing quite seemed to fit.
And he wasn't quite sure what to say.
He watched the girl, listened to her, and finally nodded. "And you survived that, then. You seemed to be doing pretty well for yourself. Listen," he paused, for only the briefest second, and then continued, "Your past isn't there to define you. You can't base your whole future on one day. Whatever happened yesterday will mold you as much as you allow it. You still have a family—a large one. Most of which will want to be there to support you. Even when there's an internal conflict, or when some little girl tries to break you in. You're not weak, Esme. Not by any means. Ares selected you for a reason. You have, in you, the potential to do great things. There will be hiccups along the way—difficulties. I don't agree with what Requiem did."
Admittedly, a part of him could understand the need to temper Aurora to the world, but a full out assault? It seemed a bit extensive. There were white moon senshi—knights—who would kill her if they'd gotten the chance, he was sure. He wasn't in the mood to coddle anyone, but there were steps. You didn't put your weakest member against one of the strongest unless you wanted to break them. Aurora wouldn't be of any use to them if her spirit was crushed. She'd be work than a weakness—she'd be a liability. Possibly a danger.
"But I'm proud of you. I'm proud of how hard you've worked for the Court. I'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself, and I'm proud of you for the progress you've made. One day, you'll do great things. As Aurora—as Esme. I want to help you get there. I want you to feel comfortable in the court, to feel proud that you are a part of it. I will do everything in my power to see that happen."
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:30 am
Mmmmbuuuuuh. Esme stared at him as her chest heaved and she gulped for breath. Thinking about it, talking about it - anything about that night in question just made her feel like... like... “My name is Chibi Eternal Sailor Lenka, and I’m going to be your worst nightmare.” Indeed. Lenka didn't know how true her words would be. How they dredged up old feelings. How Toutatis brought them to the forefront and how Requiem almost made them true. The pink-haired girl just nodded at Jett's words. They made sense. They made perfect sense, actually. And his proclamation of doing everything to make her feel comfortable? To do great things as both Aurora and Esme? Amazing. Esme would normally be all up in this pep talk. But it didn't address the one thing that bothered her the most. She promised Lenka that she wouldn't be a murderer. And she would do all she could to make sure that it was true. "Ahahahaha." She put on her best smile. "I guess I will."
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 11:48 am
That was all Jett was looking for. He didn't know if she meant the smile she wore, but at least it was there. And that was all the sign he needed that maybe things would be all right. "That's the spirit," he said, flashing a small, reassuring smile of his own. He'd have to talk to Leto about all of this—to find out where she stood and what had gone wrong. He was not approving of such drastic actions against not only one of the first members of the group, but also someone of such power. Leto had known Requiem for far longer than he and probably had his own opinion on that matter—he just wanted to make sure that everything was sorted in the end, and figure out how to prevent any inner-court conflicts from occurring in the future.
He wasn't sure if he'd accomplished anything from this conversation—if Esme was really feeling better about anything—but he decided to be optimistic and take her smile as a sign of good faith. "Nicolae will be worried about you. He's probably out there throwing a fit because I've got you all to myself. He's worried about you, so I'm going to leave you in his loving care. But. Before I go, is there anything I can do for you? Any requests? Or shall I just go out now, buy a card, and have the others sign it and send you their best wishes?
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 1:50 pm
"Ahahahaha." She wondered just exactly how Nicolae was reacting outside that door. Since he'd taken the time to actually hunt out an eternal for her, was he really acting the way Jett suggested? Throwing a fit? That would be.. well. She wasn't sure. Touta throwing herself at Requiem and Maripo throwing himself at enemies just for her sake was all new to her. In name of friendship and perhaps love.
It made Esme blush. She turned her head slightly and lowered her gaze, embarrassed by the whole prospect.
"Uhmm.. n-no.. I mean... do what you think is best, Jet."
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 2:50 pm
All things considered, it seemed perfectly reasonable for Jett to assume she was blushing at the idea of him getting a card and having the whole team sign it. He didn't want to embarrass her, or tell everyone her story if she wanted it kept private. It was her story to tell, and she could do so as she pleased. "All right, then I'm going to stop bothering you and bringing up bad memories."
He stood, flashed her a small smile, and then added, "Take care of yourself, Esme. I'll check in with you again in a little bit. Call me, if you ever need anything. I can't stress that enough. If you've got an issue, you don't have to take it on alone. All right? —Now get some rest. Don't overwork yourself." He paused, and then—sounding like he earnestly meant it, he said, "Thank you. For your time. You take it easy—and have a good night. I'll send Nicolae in here in a minute." He moved the chair he'd been sitting in back to its original location. Before he left, he offered her one last little wave, and then slipped from the room to locate Nicolae.
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