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Chapter 15: A suspicious-looking guardian angel
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
JJ watched as the last ray of the solar eclipse faded away and nightfall began taking over the sky. The forest was dark. Rain had been poring in their faces for the past hour, and JJ had been in the same position as he'd last been ever since the Sully children were basically kidnapped.
After figuring out that this man was indeed Quaritch and he had somehow revived, JJ almost jumped from the tree with his pocket knife to stab the man to death as many times as possible to ensure the he stayed fully dead this time— not caring about the amount of trauma those kids would've probably gotten if they saw it, and neither caring that he too would've been killed the next second by the other avatars as well.
However, JJ was trained to think logically in times of great distress. As much as he yearned for the satisfaction of having Quaritch's head on a platter, he couldn't afford to let his desires guide him this time. It wasn't really about the well-being of the Sully children, it was more about the safety of his real family back home— Reyn, Ki'rrëy, Kyeri — and the broader community that relied on him for safety. The pledge to protect them extended beyond his personal vendetta, even if it meant suppressing his most visceral urges, so in realizing the potential consequences, he held back, choosing reason over revenge.
For now...
JJ waited for the perfect moment, knowing that going headfirst would only lead to being outnumbered. However, he refused to call for reinforcements from his Na'ri warriors back home as he couldn't bear the thought of them endangering their lives for what he deemed to be a reckless mission. Instead, he chose a more delicate approach: He understood that his best chance to take down theses avatars once the Sully couple got here was to leave his hiding place to stand next to them, hopefully in a way that doesn't trigger their kill or kill senses.
Engaging with them was a risky move but by doing it, JJ would've been able to keep both the avatars and the kids closer to his line of sight, and he would be able to take action in case of an emergency. Saving them would make the Sully parents would deem him trustworthy enough since they'll see him helping their children, and once all hell breaks loose,— as it definitely will— he'll pull a few punches so he's injured enough to prompt these Omatecayans to take him to their secret hideout in the mountains for care. From there, he would locate Reyn and somehow do everything in his power to bring her home.
Additionally, with enough luck, JJ might just take out Quaritch right then and there. Maybe pull a tooth or two as a reward for his own service.
Not wasting time to second-guess the stupid plan, JJ descended from the tree, aware that his movements hadn't gone unnoticed as the faint noise of his descent didn't escape the alert ears of at least one or two guards that were standing near his hideout, as the click of loading guns echoed milliseconds later.
