Quiet Moments

41 - Ink and Stories

The bunker was quieter than usual. The air felt heavier, the lights dimmer, as if the space itself were still reeling from the weight of the epidemic that had swept through the population like a ruthless storm. People were still healing — bodies slowly mending, but hearts and minds remained bruised and battered.

Octavia moved through the dim corridor, the only sound her boots tapping against the cold concrete. The tension of the last few weeks still clung to her muscles, tight and aching. She had just finished another long day of mediating disputes and ensuring order, but as she turned the corner toward their quarters, a knot of worry twisted in her stomach.

Jade's state of mind had improved somewhat; she was no longer wandering the corridors in the dead of night or staring blankly out at the sealed hatch. But there was still a darkness in her, a quiet grief that lingered like a shadow, following her wherever she went.

Octavia pushed open the door to their quarters and was immediately struck by the silence. She stepped inside, her eyes scanning the small, cramped room for any sign of her wife. The bed was empty, the small table untouched. Her heart quickened in her chest as she heard a faint sound coming from the bathroom — the soft clink of glass against porcelain.

She walked toward the bathroom, her footsteps careful, hesitant. The door was slightly ajar, and she pushed it open with a gentle nudge. There, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, was Jade.

Empty pens littered the counter, their plastic bodies scattered like discarded bones. An ink cup rested beside them, dark and gleaming. Jade was hunched over, her long fingers meticulously guiding a fine needle over her skin, slowly adding to the tattoos on her hands and fingers. The ink was fresh, a deep black against her tan skin, and Octavia could see the tiny, precise lines forming under Jade's steady hand.

"Jade," Octavia whispered softly, not wanting to startle her.

Jade paused for a moment, her head lifting slightly, but she didn't turn to look at Octavia. Her focus remained on the task at hand, her breath slow and controlled, a calmness radiating from her that Octavia had missed so much.

"Hey," Jade replied, her voice quiet, almost distant. "I'm almost done. Just... one more line."

Octavia nodded, stepping inside the small bathroom and leaning against the doorway. She watched as Jade continued her work, her movements precise and steady, the needle dipping carefully into the ink and then back onto her skin.

"Is this... a new one?" Octavia asked gently, trying to keep her voice light.

Jade nodded, finally glancing up at Octavia with a faint, weary smile. "Yes. I'm adding to the ones on my fingers," she said softly. "For Sedna... the goddess of the sea."

Octavia blinked, intrigued. Jade had mentioned her culture before, in small, guarded pieces, but this... this felt different. More open, more vulnerable. "Sedna?" Octavia repeated, stepping closer. "Tell me about her."

Jade paused, her eyes lingering on Octavia for a moment before returning to her hands. "Sedna is the goddess of the sea and marine animals in Inuit mythology," she began, her voice soft, almost reverent. "She lives at the bottom of the sea and controls all the creatures there — seals, whales, walruses. She's... powerful, but also a figure of suffering and resilience."

Octavia listened intently, her eyes fixed on Jade's hands as she continued to work, slowly creating intricate patterns on her skin. She could see the focus in Jade's eyes, the way her brow furrowed in concentration.

"The tattoos on my fingers and hands... they're for her," Jade continued, her voice almost a whisper. "In our stories, Sedna lost her fingers in a great betrayal. And from her severed fingers, the sea creatures were born. These tattoos... they honor her sacrifice, her strength, her pain. They remind me that there is power in resilience... even in suffering."

Octavia felt a lump form in her throat, her chest tightening with emotion. She watched as Jade carefully added the final touches to the tattoo, her hand steady, her expression focused and intent. When she finished, Jade set the needle down, her shoulders sagging with a sigh, her fingers brushing over the fresh ink with a sense of quiet reverence.

"They're beautiful," Octavia murmured, stepping closer, reaching out to gently touch Jade's hand. "Just like you."

Jade smiled faintly, her eyes still distant, but there was a softness there, a flicker of warmth that Octavia hadn't seen in weeks. "Thank you," she whispered, turning her hand over to lace her fingers with Octavia's.

"What about this one?" Octavia's fingertips light on the inked V on Jade's forehead. 

"Coming of age," Jade explains, taking Octavia's hand in her own and bringing her finger's down to Jade's chin. "This one too. When I started moontime."

"And these?" Octavia's hands cup Jade's face, thumb brushing against the dots on her cheeks and the arrows next to her eyes. 

"For beauty," Jade turns a subtle shade of pink. "They're just there to be beautiful."

"You are beautiful," Octavia replies, kissing Jade on her cheek before turning her attention back to the newly inked lines, dots, and figures on Jade's hands, marvelling how the patterns travel up her arms to her elbows. 

"Does it help?" Octavia asked, her thumb brushing over the newly inked lines. "To do this?"

Jade nodded slowly, her gaze dropping to their intertwined hands. "It does," she said quietly. "It reminds me of who I am, where I come from. It helps me feel... connected. Grounded. Especially when things feel so... heavy."

Octavia swallowed hard, her heart aching for the woman she loved. "I wish I could do more," she admitted softly. "I wish I could take some of that heaviness away."

Jade squeezed her hand gently, her thumb stroking the back of Octavia's hand. "You do," she whispered. "Just by being here... by listening. By trying to understand."

Octavia felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she quickly brushed it away, not wanting Jade to see her cry. "I love you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I love you so much, Jade."

Jade's eyes softened, and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Octavia's. "And I love you," she murmured, her voice barely more than a breath. "More than anything in this world."

They stayed like that for a long moment, foreheads touching, hands intertwined, finding comfort in each other's presence. In the small, quiet bathroom, surrounded by the scent of ink and the soft hum of the bunker's ventilation, they found a moment of peace, a moment of connection.

And for the first time in weeks, Jade felt a glimmer of hope, a small light in the darkness, reminding her that she wasn't alone. That she was loved. And that, somehow, they would find a way through this together.