Distractions

The Chirping of the Doves Leads to Talks

This drabble is brought to you by @ink_and_fables_4_u's  prompt 'Comforting Jace, but with them still being sassy with each other.' This one had so many possibilities, and it was so hard to pick which one to write. However, this one is one that can be included in a few chapters if I choose to do so, and thus this drabble was born. (And yes, Everest can indeed speak French outside of this drabble.)

About one third of this chapter is in French (I used a translation website, so correct me if anything is incorrect), so translations will be at the bottom. The actual French words are songs in French, but any dialogue in French is written in English. Enjoy! (And yes, the title should make more sense later on.)

There was a pep in her step as she walked through the Institute, headphones resting comfortably on her head and the familiar song echoing through her ears. All around her, Shadowhunters stared as the purple haired girl bounded through the Institute, a bubble of happiness and contentedness in the serious and sorrow-filled atmosphere. Several even gaped upon hearing that she was singing. No one quite understood what she was saying, however.

"J'me dis souvent, j'ai pas trop le choix. À quoi bon chercher si c'est comme ça. Un jour, j'ai trop, un jour j'ai pas, un jour de trop, un jour j'sais pas," she sang, the French words spilling from between her lips smoothly.

She walked into the kitchen, her focus solely on getting to the container of raspberries in the fridge. "Un jour de plus et je m'oublie, moi. Ce refrain qui m'emmène, insouciante, je me rappelle. Un instant, j'oublie ma peine. À chacun de mes pas, moi je compte les heures. On se retrouvera dans la joie et sans peur. Je poserai mes pas dans un monde où les gens me répondent; J'entends le chant des colombes."

She flinched back in surprise as a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. She whirled, ready to hit something, but relaxed when it was only Jace. He mimed taking out an earbud and she complied, pausing her music.

"Yeah?"

"You speak French?" he asked, words colored with shock.

She shrugged. "Yeah, learned in school and kept up with it so that I could communicate with some friends in France better."

Jace glanced around, hesitating. He lowered his voice as he said, "Can we talk? In private or in French or something?"

Everest blinked. Jace didn't usually talk to her about things that required being in private or talking in a language other than English. "Yeah, what is it?" she asked, switching to French after a moment.

"Everything." Jace sighed, also switching to French. "Not only did I find out that I kissed my sister, my dad's a murderer, and my other sister is a walking disaster, but my mom just died."

Everest refrained from scoffing out of respect for the serious tone Jace had. "One, I am not a walking disaster. Two, I don't know what you want me to do. My dad's the same murderer as yours is and our moms are the same dead one. I—" Everest hesitated, "—I don't understand what you want me to do, Jace."

Jace sighed, eyelids lowering until they were half closed. "I don't know either, Everest. That's why I wanted to talk. We—you, me, and Clary—can't just keep going on ignoring it all and hoping it goes away, that's not how that works. We need to figure out what we're going to do and move past all of this awkwardness."

This time, Everest did scoff. "Please, the only awkwardness there is between the three of us is between you and Clary. There's nothing awkward about our relationship, or my relationship with Clary."

Jace shrugged. "Still, I can tell that the awkwardness between Clary and I is getting to you. You won't even be in the same room as the two of us for more than an hour."