[HIATUS] The Tide Rises

Chapter 11

Skye always had a knack for knowing when things were wrong, and it was something she always acted on with pride. Being a fairly light sleeper, she sat up in an instant when she heard a quiet knock at the door. She glanced at the sleeping forms of Maya and Tina, who had decided to crash at her place, and realized Jules still hadn't returned from the warehouse. After crawling out of her bed with a yawn, she poked her head outside, her senses kicking into immediate gear.

She found Jules standing in the darkness, hugging herself lightly. "Hey, Skye," she greeted, her voice a soft whisper. "...how's your night?"

She smiled, but Skye could see through its facade. She could see the redness in her cheeks lit only by the soft fairy lights of The Fortilla, as if she had been crying, and Skye immediately reached her arms out. Jules was quick to enter her embrace, and Skye could feel her body shudder every now and then with a silent cry, her breaths raggedy against her skin.

"Jules, what's wrong...?" Skye asked gently, tightening her grip around her. Jules only shook her head with a quiet sniffle. For a few minutes, the two stood in silence, drawing comfort from each other's embrace, until Jules pulled away and wiped at her misty eyes. "Sorry, Skye, I... I just... needed someone to talk to, and..."

"You don't have to be sorry for anything, Jules," Skye shushed her, smiling gently. An idea popped into her head suddenly, and her smile widened as she tugged at Jules' hand, leading her away from the apartment. "C'mon, let's go make some hot chocolate. It always helps!"

~•~

Jules silently stared into her mug, waiting as Skye prepared her own inside the small bar near Sticks. She glanced around, admiring the strings of lightbulbs glowing warmly across The Fortilla, which highly resembled fairy lights; it was a nice touch, and felt way more welcoming than anything she could have prepared for The Authority. As much as she normally liked to take pride in the gadgets and designs she came up with, she had to admit, The Fortilla in its stripped down glory was even more impressive than the fancy structure she had designed for SHADOW, especially considering GHOST most likely had little to work with. Jules only wished she had been around to help out.

Skye sat across from her, and Jules couldn't help but chuckle as she took a sip of her beverage immediately. "Hey, you're going to burn your tongue."

"The best hot chocolate comes at a cost," Skye giggled, before her laughter melted into a gentle smile on her lips as she looked up. "I'm glad to see you laughing... Are you ready to talk...?"

Jules sighed and blew on the liquid in her own mug before taking a small sip. "I... there's a lot of things, Skye, and... you're just always the first person I think of to come to."

Skye nodded, reaching across the table to place a reassuring hand over Jules's. "You know you can talk to me about anything, Jules..! Never fear, because Legendary Adventurer Skye is here!"

Jules chuckled once more before her frown returned, her thoughts switching to the malfunctioning drum gun sitting back in the warehouse. She thought back to the letter Midas had left her, which Chaos Agent had thrown in her face the day they both found out. I'm leaving my drum gun in your care—I trust you'll take good care of it and put it to good use until I return.

She sighed, imagining the disappointed scowl that would no doubt cover his face when he found out she had done the contrary. Midas would rarely use such an expression towards her, but on the occasion he did... it withered her and locked her in her room for the rest of the night. She glanced up, realizing Skye was still gazing at her expectantly, and let the words flow as she explained. She explained how Midas had left behind his drum gun when he took off, how Hazard and Sorana had given her the idea to give it some upgrades... how she mindlessly messed around and rearranged parts in hopes of accomplishing something, only to damage it as she recalled it malfunctioning at The Authority. How, not even an hour ago, she had tried so many times to get it to fire correctly, to no avail.