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 Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:11 am
It was late and Raven was already fully ready to just climb in bed when she got the text from Jett saying he was on his way over. She stared at the phone for a long while, hoping that if she just ignored the message he wouldn’t show up, maybe he would think she was sleeping instead. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him…she just didn’t want to see him right now.
Why did he always insist on coming over when she wasn’t cute? It wasn’t fair and he was just being a brat because of it.
The blonde toyed with her phone and gave a heavy sigh when she heard the doorbell right. Well. That plan hadn’t gone the way she wanted it to, not by a long shot. What a jerk. Just coming over whenever he felt like it. It was stupid. Thank goodness she no longer had her mirror in her room or he’d just waltz through that or something.
No privacy at all. None at all.
Raven walked down her stairs, sighing as she opened the door. “Ah. Jett. What can I help you with? Is there a reason you’re visiting so late? I was in bed.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:45 am
Jett shifted positions on the doorstep, apparently having been tapping his shoes while he waited for her to answer. He was an impatient man—especially when it was a situation where he didn't know what to do.
Especially when it involved someone dear to him—his girlfriend—keeping things from him. Important things.
"You were attacked again," he said flatly. It wasn't a question in itself, though there was certainly enough question in his eyes. He didn't seem to care about what she was wearing or how she looked—just about that. That she had been attacked.
He might have breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her alive, but a part of him was still very, very mad. He didn't speak again, just looking at her with the same unwavering expression. There was so much he wanted to ask, but just couldn't get out. Was she all right? Why had she powered up? Why hadn't she told him?
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:51 am
Raven raised an eyebrow. “Hello to you too.” How had he found out? And why had he found out? Had Acubens told him or something? But why would she do that…or why would those two be talking.
What else had she told him?
“Yeah.” It was an answer to his lack of a question, and it was lacking as much information as it could possibly lack. Though, perhaps the best combo finisher was her next brilliant one liner.
“So?”
There were a million things going through her head right now, and none of them were good. Honestly almost all of them seemed to be guaranteed to put an end to whatever rocky foundation that her and Jett’s relationship was standing on right now…and she wasn’t quite sure that she wanted to do that. Not right now. But, there were still dozens of things to say…moreover, dozens of things she wanted him to say.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:01 am
"So?" he challenged. "That’s really—so?" He scoffed and shook his head, though forced himself to calm down. The change was almost immediate; he drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes for a second, and then reopened them to look at the girl in front of him.
"So," he continued calmly, "I take it you didn't think that was important enough to tell me. I'm just curious as to why something like hat didn't quite make the list of 'what happened today' the last time I asked. I would have come over to take care of you or something."
…Unless she hadn't told him because she didn’t want him over, but considering all that they'd been through, he really couldn't imagine that was the case. She was probably just still shaken up about the last time and had been too traumatized to bring it up again.
He resisted the urge to sigh, though asked quietly, "Are you all right?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:19 am
Raven stared at him, leaning against the door frame. Was he really getting as much of an attitude as she had right now? Because…that wouldn’t really be best.
”Why would it? So you could fret about me some more? I was mostly fine after. That dumb white moon senshi killed the damn wraith and saved my a**. Whoo hoo.” The girl looked away, sighing. “Would it have mattered anyway? What could you have done? What would you have done?”
She shook her head. “It’s done, it’s over. Yes I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.” The blonde didn’t want him here right now. She didn’t want him here at all. God she was so hormonal. Those wraiths…this life was just annoying as all hell.
And she just…didn’t want it anymore. “Jett. I seriously. I just want to quit. And I swear, if I ever can find an out of the DMC, I’m going to take it. If you want to take it with me, well fine. But if not. Just a heads up. There’s nothing left for me there. Nothing worth staying for.” There. The thoughts that had been building up for weeks finally tumbled out. And honestly…she kind of felt better for saying them.
Kind of.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:35 am
Jett wasn't sure what Raven had said that sent the shiver down his spine. "Nothing worth staying for," he repeated slowly, as if it would give him better understanding. It didn't, so he repeated it again.
It brought him less clarity this time.
"Why would you even say something like that to me?" Never mind the fact that it was a large part of his life—that he had given a hell of a lot to the Court. He could understand her needing a break, but leaving the Court?
"If you want to leave, just stop powering up, isn't that enough?" Maybe the wraiths wouldn't be after her so much. "I thought that was the plan, anyway? I don't know why you changed your mind. If you were going out, we could have powered up together or something. Maybe we could have stopped the wraith before it ever got to you." He shook his head, anger still bubbling, even if he wasn't lashing out with it. He was trying, so hard to keep himself in check.
He hadn't meant to ask, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them. "Nothing worth staying for," he scoffed. "Nothing at all? What about me?" he finally asked.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:45 am
Raven bit back the first retort that came to mind, knowing that it would cause nothing but pain right now. Seriously, saying ‘What about you?’ would just be a bad thing right now…Jett already looked like he might hit her at any moment.
“I told you that I’d rather you just leave with me. But if you don’t want to…” Her voice trailed off and she looked away. “I was restless. So I went patrolling, and I hurt some civilian girl, and I felt bad about it so I kept going out and I ran into some other civilian, my wraith came out of nowhere and attacked me and Acubens came over and saved my a**. Jett, I don’t want to power up, but I know I won’t stop. And I don’t want to help out this damn court anymore. What has it done for us? What has that b***h Ares ever done for us?”
She swallowed. “Do you know that she could kill us at any moment? We’re nothing more than her playthings, who says she’s not just trying to do us all in anyway? She attacked her last court and tried to do them all in.” More or less...at least that is what she thought Zee had said. Something like it, at the very least.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 11:00 am
Jett was quiet for a short while, and then just sighed. He nodded. "I had entertained the thought," he finally admitted. "But she's gone. I don't know if she's ever coming back. She's powerful, but don't think that we aren't. There are enough of us that if she came back, I know we could take care of her."
…Or it was just wishful thinking. Either way, Jett was content to think that should Ares return with a desire to harm them, they could handle her.
He didn't know why she had attacked her last Court, or what the details were. He didn't have blind faith in the Dark Mirror Princess, but that didn't mean that he imaged she had reasons. Unless even her reasons were imagined.
There was much left unsaid. Jett was unwilling to discuss the option of leaving with her. If not powering up didn't count for 'leaving' the Court, he could only imagine one thing. And he knew enough about the glamour that hid Orpheus and Navi from order when their identity had been compromised to worry that leaving the Court meant leaving behind everything he had spent the past twenty years working for.
He was prideful. He couldn't abandon himself. Or his mother.
"Look," he said slowly, looking like he was calming down. "…I'm glad you're okay. I was just worried. The last time the wraith attacked you…"
He shook his head. He couldn't admit to any sort of fear. "…I'll figure all this out. Whatever's causing the wraiths to act up, I'll figure it out. I'll fix it. If I can't, I'll break every single ******** wraith, down to the last one, just to make sure they never hurt you again. All right? And we can go from there. Don't worry about the Court. Don't think about it. It doesn't define your life. If you don't like it, don't buy into it. Just…don't leave."
It was a plea.
Jett did not plead.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 11:06 am
Raven swallowed, then closed her eyes, still leaning against the doorframe. She had so many things that she wanted to say, so many snarky replies that she wanted to spit at him…but it felt like a basketball had wedged itself down her throat.
She was quiet for a good few minutes before finally opening her eyes and looking at the guy she had wanted to be with for the rest of her life, the one she had been in love with for years and years…the one who just seemed to keep letting her down time after time.
Did she have expectations that were too high? Or did she just want things to happen to quickly?
Either way, her finger was still devoid of a ring, and she was still living at home. She had told Jett that she wanted to move in with him ages ago? Had it been a year yet for that? He was still dragging his feet and she was just…tired of it.
Finally the blonde shrugged. “Then you better find me a reason to stay…because if I can ever find an out, I’m going to take it, Jett.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 11:19 am
Jett's eyes were on her; he was studying her face. It was reassuring, in a way—just having an excuse to admire her. He wished it had been under better circumstances. He wished they could go back to things a year ago. Back when he could whisk her away, when he could drop in uninvited and still feel welcome. When he could sleep without trying to figure out what was wrong.
When the only thing he dreamed about was her.
"I'll give you one," he promised, reaching out to take her hand. He gave it a light squeeze before drawing it to his lips and planting a soft kiss.
Even as he held her hand with his right, he was pulling something out of a pocket with his left. His fingers grazed the metallic surface, warm from being tucked away for so long. He was familiar with the ring that he withdrew; he'd been carrying it for months, now. He would have presented it earlier had he not had his doubts.
He'd spent so long just waiting for the right moment. Trying to make sure he wasn't going to make a mistake.
Jett didn't know if this was the right moment, but it didn't stop him. He couldn't handle hearing her talk like this. He just wanted to see her smile again.
When he lowered her hand from his lips, he continued to hold it as he gently slid the band onto her ring finger. It was an impressive piece; it glistened, even in the darkness, but that did it no justice. "If you'll have it."
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Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:01 am
Raven made a face when Jett began his…seemingly sappy nonsense, fully prepared to pull away, perhaps even shove him a bit. She just wasn’t in the mood for this from him. Not at all. Though…when she felt a ring slide onto her finger, she froze. Every inch of her stood still for a moment, then her eyes slid downward, staring at the glistening ring now firmly on her left hand.
This had to be a joke, right? Of all the times for him to pull this out of his a**…this was the least expected.
Finally after a long moment of silence, the blonde cleared her throat, opened her mouth, then shut it again, clearing her throat once more, a little more loudly this time. Had she forgotten to speak? Or was she just too overcome…with some sort of emotion. She wasn’t sure that it was joy or happiness…Maybe anger. Or resentment? Or maybe just a combination of emotions that she wasn’t quite ready to sort out yet.
Finally she managed to at least force some words out…though they weren’t what she had envisioned herself saying if/when Jett did ever put a ring on her finger. “…What’s that for?”
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Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:51 pm
Jett's eyes lifted to her face and he quirked a brow. "What's it for?"
Certainly she knew what a ring was for. Especially one on the ring finger. She'd only been hinting—really, almost even demanding—he get her this ring. How could she not know what it was for?
"It's for you," he answered slowly; he didn't have words rehearsed. He hadn't even known he was going to be doing this tonight. "For us. For fresh starts. For promises. For," he hesitated for the briefest of seconds. "Love. Unless you've changed your mind and you didn't actually want me to propose to you. Then I suppose it's just some pretty bauble I've been carrying around and decided it would look better on your finger than in my pocket. I mean, really. It's your call."
There was a tingling, from his head to his toes. The tips of his fingers were numb. He was nervous, even if he was trying to play it off.
Jett hadn't proposed because he feared rejection, and failure. And Raven had not said yes, yet, and his nerves were only making the wait worse.
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:09 am
Raven continued to stare at the ring, though glanced to Jett when he began his rambling. Was he being serious right now?
She sighed then let her hand lower to her side. “Of all the times you could have given this to me…you decide to make it when I’m mad and angry with you? Why not on one of our dinner dates? Or when we’ve been at a good part of our relationship? I’ve wanted this for so long, and now I just...”
The blonde trailed off. “It’s a very pretty ring. So thank you. I like it a lot. I just…You’re proposing. When I was seriously just a second from really considering dumping you…Isn’t this….kind of desperate…?”
She sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know, Jett. I just…I’m tired. I’m tired of so many things…I want things to go back to how they were…I really just do…” Raven reached her hand up, scrubbing at her eyes, not happy one bit. This wasn’t even fair. It was too much to think about right now, and he shouldn’t…shouldn’t have been such a jerk to put this on her.
“And just how long have you been keeping the ring? You’ve known how much I wanted it.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:20 am
This was not the reaction Jett wanted, and it was hard for him not to react in as offended a manner as he wanted to. Not fair? She wanted to talk about not fair? Oh, he could give her an ear on that.
But he didn't.
A second from dumping him?
Well, wasn't that the whole reason he hadn't given her the ring before? Because they were rocky, and he didn't want to put his whole heart into something that might not even be destined to work. And he'd tried, he really had.
It was difficult for him to stand there, when he wanted to just go back to his car and go home.
There was that feeling, that one he hated. The one he said he wasn't going to let himself feel.
That regret.
Not really at giving her the ring, but waiting. How was he supposed to know? It wasn't like he was an expert on relationships. He'd always assumed that if they were meant to work out they would, and a few months here or there wouldn't matter. They weren't even out of college yet. Didn't most people wait to make sure everything was going to work out?
"If you don't want it, just say so and I'll go home," he said. He didn't want to say it.
But in the spotlight like that? It hurt, either way. To be in that position. To upset Raven.
He hadn't realized things had been that bad.
"I was going to wait until our anniversary." Good thing he hadn't waited if there was a chance they weren't even going to last that long. "But I didn't want to risk losing you before then. So." He gestured and took a step back, though didn't leave. "This, instead."
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:27 am
Raven closed her eyes, really not wanting to deal with all of this right now. Honestly, she really just wanted to get a carton of ice cream and curl up in her bed eating it and maybe crying some and then just sleeping for…oh, maybe a hundred years or so.
”You just kept making me feel like you didn’t want me. You wouldn’t move into a place with me, wouldn’t propose, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. And I guess I still can’t. You were always out every night doing DMC stuff and I wondered if you weren’t having some sort of affair on the side, what with all of the people you talk to, and whatever. You know, and you didn’t want to settle down with me or live with me in case I found out.”
She walked away from the door, going inside to the couch and half collapsing onto it. She just felt dizzy right now, kind of lightheaded, and not in the good way at all. “I’m sorry.” The words were spoken into the pillow and most likely didn’t sound like what they were at all. But in Raven’s mind…it was totally the thought that counted. Now she just…well, mostly hoped that Jett would follow her inside.
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