deep in the sea (I give you my heart) // jenlisa

Chapter 20: Witch Hunt

Lisa pushed the door to her quarters open, noticing Roseanne had stood from the desk, and was slowly walking around the office. She turned at the sound of people entering the room, her eyes instantly landing on Jennie, who walked in second.

There was a tense silence where Lisa glanced between her sister and her lover, watching them stare at one another. Jennie's face was stoic, expertly hiding her anxiety about meeting Rosé; even Lisa's trained eye had a hard time seeing the wavering gaze as she struggled to keep her composure.

Her sister openly frowned, clearly still disapproving of who exactly Jennie was. After a few moments, when it became clear that neither woman knew what to say, Lisa spoke first. "Uh... Rosie, this is Athena; Athena, this is Roseanne." She gestured between the two women, her sister strolling over to stand to Lisa's right.

Awkwardly offering her hand, Jennie said something that made both sisters raise their eyebrow. "Let's not start this introduction off with false information; you can call me Jennie, just like your sister does- although I'd like to keep the name 'Athena' around my crew and strangers, if you don't mind."

Feline eyes glanced to chocolate ones, silently searching for her agreement. Lisa's smile was gratifying as she looked to Jennie, giving the smallest nod. Her sister noticed the look, glancing between the two of them as she gave Jennie's hand a brief shake. "So Athena's a fake name, then? Why not just go by Jennie?"

"The name Athena was given to me by my previous captain when I first joined her crew; a façade to protect my true identity."

"Did you know her real name?" Roseanne glanced to Lisa, who nodded.

"I figured it out shortly after we met, but it took a little while before I actually started to call her that. She also asked me to keep it a secret" Lisa remembered how stubborn Jennie was in the beginning of their time together; she always got so annoyed when Lisa would try and slip 'Jennie' into her sentences. Now she seems to prefer her real name.

Roseanne quietly hummed, crossing her arms as she looked back to Jennie. "And you're the one who captured my sister? Took her away to your secret island?" Before Jennie could answer, a flash of insult passing through her eyes, Lisa quickly suggested they sit down; this was going to be a long conversation, if Rosie kept up with these types of questions.

Stiffly, Jennie and Roseanne sat next to each other, Lisa sitting in her usual spot across from the desk.

"I did capture your sister when we first met, yes," Jennie explained in a slightly frosty voice, "But to be fair I wasn't actually going after her, I was going after who she was escorting..."

"She never explained to me why you actually kept her, and didn't kill her like the rest."

"Well... It's a little complicated to explain, but... Originally I held onto Lisa because I wanted to use her in my own selfish plot of revenge, but when I subconsciously realized my attraction, I decided to just... Hold onto her."

"Why not just send her back when you realized you didn't need her?"

"She'd seen too much, and by that point she'd already been branded by a jealous crew member trying to get rid of her."

Roseanne frowned, glancing at Lisa at the mention of being branded- Lisa only briefly mentioned the brand, brushing over it. Jennie eyed the brand under the navy captain's jacket, clearly remembering the memory with a slight frown.

"And what happened to this crew member who branded my sister?" Roseanne's eyes narrowed, as if Jennie's answer was going to truly decide what she thought about her.

"I killed him."

Jennie held the blistering eye contact, not flinching.

All of a sudden Roseanne relaxed her shoulders, her eyes widening and eyebrows raising in surprise. "You killed one of your own crew? To protect my sister?"