Today Hasnt Been The Best. Jade Can Feel It In Her Body. Shes Typically Rigid, But Never Like This. And

Today hasn’t been the best. Jade can feel it in her body. She’s typically rigid, but never like this. And the worst part is Kit hasn’t spoken to her in hours. To be fair, Jade’s also kept her distance since their silent conflict earlier and spent time where the Manheim royals clearly want her to: the dungeons. But even she can’t escape a night time routine. She has to sleep and, outside of her recent trip to the Wildwood, she and Kit have shared a bed since returning from the Immemorial City. The same applies now as she enters into a room that immediately fills with awkward, tense silence. “Are we going to talk then?” she asks when it becomes clear Kit’s not going to say anything.

ㅤㅤㅤthe scabbard is removed from her waist and rested against the side of the bed. back remains to the door as the sound of it creaking open greets her ears. exhaling silently, kit sits on the edge to remove her boots. it's been hours since she last spoke to @dutyxbound, and she's too tired to approach the incoming onslaught from her knight.

Jade blinks. She’s not sure what she expected, but certainly not that. Her mouth falls open to interrupt, but nothing comes out. How could Kit even come to that conclusion? Since their quest to save Airk, Jade has done nothing but show faith in her princess. She let her jump off a waterfall for crying out loud! Against every fiber of her being, every atom that told her to stop Kit, she watched her jump. What would make her think she didn’t believe in her now?

“Kit, I came here for you. I came to see you, be with you. I missed you! And I believe in you more than anyone. I thought I’d proved that,” Jade insists, coming closer. “I could have just returned to Tir Asleen and waited for you, but I didn’t. How was I supposed to know they were going to want to imprison me and my envoy?”

ㅤㅤㅤit didn't take long for that to be brought up. this impending doom that lingers over their heads, it's suffocating. each new day adds more and more weight onto the young royal's shoulders. she's doing her best, but some days - she can't help but feel like she's not trusted to do the things everyone has asked of her.

ㅤㅤㅤbefore she can stop herself, kit is on her feet and the last boot is thrown to the floor.ㅤ“ㅤi had it handled, jade. do you not trust me with this or something?ㅤ”ㅤhands fly in the air in frustration.ㅤ“ㅤthe only reason i'm here is because you convinced me. i could've -ㅤ”ㅤcould've what? stayed home? wallowed after an absent lover? even kit knows that would have driven her to madness.ㅤ“ㅤyou were gone, okay? i had this handled, and y-you - you just... i need you to believe in me, not undermine me.ㅤ”

“I’m sure people have lived through a kick in the head, but some have certainly died from it. Horses are powerful creatures. Hence why I advise staying away from their hindquarters unless you know what you’re doing,” Jade replies. She doesn’t want to scare Polly, but she also doesn’t want to lie either. Horses can be dangerous if one is negligent or foolish. Jade is neither. “You seem more the type to pet them and feed them sugar cubes. Eclipse loves that.”

Jade imagines Polly wandering the palace of Tir Asleen, lost, and smiles. “I thought the same when I left home for the first time. Like I’d get lost beyond the Barrier. And maybe I did a few times, but it always led to a great adventure. Imagine the things you’d find in those unknown rooms.” She realizes she’s starting to sound like Kit. Or perhaps just an old version of herself that she once lost.

"Is..." She hesitates, face flushing at the idea of even asking the question. "Is it true that if they kick you in the head, you drop dead immediately?" It sounded like something they told children to keep them from causing trouble, but Polly could never know for sure. Not with such powerful beasts, so much larger than herself.

More than that though ... Jade seemed so insistent on getting her out of the forest. The very idea sent a bolt of fear down her spine. The world moved so quickly out there, with borders changing, kings and queens dying every turn of the moon. She had never so much as crossed the tree line, taking travelers up to the edge of the woods and seeing them off safely before turning back home. But to leave altogether? "I'm not sure you'd want someone like me to look after in a proper city. I'd get lost in a building with more than three rooms, I'm sure."  

@tanthalos and I really said our first thread back to Kit and Jade should be pure angst. 😂😂😂😭😭😭 We love our girls, honest.

Since when does Kit run from a fight? Then again, the two have avoided conflict for most of their relationship, one way or another, afraid the other might leave them. That’s how abandonment issues work and they both happen to be healing from it. “Then when, Kit? Tomorrow, before we meet with the king again? Tomorrow, when we’re in the meeting? The day after, when we do it all over again? When are we going to talk? Because there’s never going to be a time when it’s convenient and I fear things will get worse if me and you don’t work out what’s going on between us.”

ㅤㅤㅤ“ㅤcan we not do this tonight?ㅤ”ㅤkit tilts her head and finally looks at the redhead.ㅤ“ㅤi'm tired, and i just want to sleep.ㅤ”ㅤyet another long day awaits them, and with the tension that settled in today, the outcome isn't looking too positive for anyone.ㅤ“ㅤwe have a lot to do tomorrow. gods, a lot to fix and i - can we just not?ㅤ”

Okay, I did a full rewatch of Willow yesterday and I need to get back into writing Jade. I miss her so much.