#jaynix (cross)

[kentucky-the-fried]

Twitter dump!! <p>Feat. Kruse, Gen, Flame, Hara, Aevi, Ely, Schwarz, Danny, and a birthday gift for Eien! @eienias20 @noot-scoot @flametorchic @chimehara @aeviann @elysia-cross @anryl @shiro-hunter

[eienias20]

Happy Awakening

A short happy birthday story for love410s

Happy Awakening

“Is that the last of em?”

Rosetta turned upon hearing Jaynix’s question and nodded.

“The site is clear.”

Sheathing their weapons, the BLADEs met in the middle, several dead Indigens all around them.

“We should report back to Dorover at the Base Camp, he won’t have to worry about any more local attacks against BLADE teams...at least, not for a while.”

Jaynix nodded and began moving back towards the camp, Rosetta following closely.

“Another mission cleared, another good deed done…we’re on a roll. Thanks for coming out with me, Rosetta.”

Jaynix gave Rosetta a wide smile, the other woman smiled back.

“Don’t mention it Jaynix. Though I have to say…you were very eager to get me out here with you.”

“Was I? I don’t think I was any more than I usually am.”

Rosetta tapped her chin as the pair came to a stop, Dorover spotting them and asking them about the Ganglion. With the whole situation resolved they got back into Isaiah, Jaynix’s rover and drove out of Oblivia.

New Los Angeles in the distance, Jaynix spoke up.

“Rosie. Do you know when you woke up?”

“…woke up?”

Jaynix nodded.

“Yeah. Do you remember the day that you got out of your Lifepod and came to NLA? The day you became a BLADE?”

Rosetta looked out over the Primordian landscape as the drive back to NLA continued. She was quiet for far longer than she intended.

“Sorry. Just got…lost in the memories.”

“No worries. I understand.”

Rosetta sighed.

“I remember that day very well…like quite a few of us in NLA, I don’t have my memory of Earth so the time on Mira, the people I met…it’s all incredibly precious to me…”

“Kruse is the same way…honestly, sometimes it feels unfair that I remember everything.”

Rosetta looked to Jaynix and shook her head.

“There is no reason for you to feel that way Jaynix. I’m glad that not all of us have lost the memories of our home…because that way we have people to talk to about it if we ever get curious about it…”

Jaynix nodded.

“That is true…”

“And even if we don’t want to know about Earth for whatever reason we may have…we still have everything that has happened on Mira to comfort us.”

Pulling into the garage, the BLADEs got out and walked into NLA proper.

“Jaynix. Why do you ask?”

Rosetta watched as Jaynix giggled.

“No reason.”

“…Jaynix. What are you planning?”

The Fiery Interceptor looked to Rosetta and tilted her head.

“Planning? Why would I be planning anything?”

Rosetta crossed her arms, now she was certain that something was up.

“C’mon Rosie. What do you want me to say? It’s not like several someone close to you roped me in to help them with something special for you. Not at all.”

“…what?”

Jaynix covered her mouth and feigned surprise.

“Oops.”

Laughing, Jaynix gestured Rosetta to follow her.

“My Awakening…why would that…”

“Well, Rosetta. Since you don’t have memories of Earth, you don’t remember your birthday. Maybe one day we’ll find White Whale wreckage with that information but before then…a lot of friends wanted to do something for you…”

“…for me?”

Reaching the BLADE Barracks, Jaynix walked the halls to Rosetta’s room, she gestured to the door. Rosetta suddenly felt nervous, she looked to Jaynix for anything. The other woman gave her a warm smile and nodded.

Opening the door, Rosetta stepped into her Barracks where several BLADEs were waiting for her, all smiles, they cheered the same thing for her.

Happy Awakening.

Rosetta looked among the many faces, spotting dear friends. Christie, Astra, Flame, Alayna, Kruse…she then looked to Jaynix next to her.

“I…I don’t-”

Jaynix put an arm around Rosetta and spoke.

“Happy Awakening, Rosie.”

With a smile, Rosetta thanked her before stepping towards her dear friends. Together they’d share stories, laughs, food and drink and spend the rest of the day together, happy.

[baevi]

Another birthday doodle, this time for @eienias20- (sorry I'm a bit late) The colour palette was a bit challenging this time, but enjoy this Jaybird nonetheless!

[gramophoneturtle]

Style practice with some Xenoblade X Crosses! It was going to be using a variety of different styles, but it ended up being me mostly using cleaner lines and sharper shadows than what I’m used to.

Elysia @elysia-cross - Elysia is adorable, cats are adorable, this style is adorable, so combine it altogether and it’ll be extremely adorable, right?

Danniel @anryl - Discord was being flooded with Danny wearing glasses (might be exaggerating), so I contributed! This style combines the line art and the shadows into one “layer” so that way the gradient coloured shadow applied to both. Sparkle were in the reference for the style so I added them in. 

Aevi @aeviann - the colours were inspired from the headgear’s lights that Aevi wears.The headgear’s lights slowly shift between the yellow and pink so I thought I’d try to use it as the gradient coloured shadow. I wasn’t sure what to do with the line art layer, but leaving it as a solid colour seemed to balance it out the best.

Videra @whitefire321 - Also a birthday gift! This one I used the gradient shadows again but also layered them over the darker colour parts of Videra’s design - the hair and gear, rather than combining them like I did for Danny’s.

Kruse and Jaynix @eienias20 - A combination of the usual style I’ve been using lately before this, but mixed in the new style I’ve been practicing.

[kentuckywrites]

Brainjack: Pongo

@deltheor ‘s Sydney tries to Brainjack Pongo, and ends up with...a friend?

“Thanks Jo!” I wave goodbye to my favorite coffee brewer as she heads back inside the cafe to tend to more customers. She has gotten much better at not breaking things and that makes me super duper happy - though, ah, I never told her about that time she took my comm device to make a call. It took Lin a full day to repair it.

But as long as she is happy, so am I, and she was positively gleaming when she delivered my coffees before. Something must have her in a good mood! I wish I could ask her about it, but the cafe is busy today, so perhaps another day I will get the chance. After all, I come here often. Very often. Like, at least four times a day.

I take a well deserved sip of my caramel macchiato. As soon as the flavor hits my tongue I am filled with warmth. Gods, caramel macchiatos are the best! If I had to choose one drink to have for the rest of my life, it would be the caramel macchiato. Jo makes the best ones, I discovered a while back. Just another reason to love her!

Styrofoam cup in one hand and comm device in the other, I start to look at my most recent messages. Looks like some rewards came in for missions I completed already. More credits. More tank tops. Nothing new. But it looks like Jaynix messaged me too, so I open up the message and read it.

>Pongo! Was thinking of taking on a few tyrant missions later today if you’re up for it!

I type back quickly.

>Of course! Where are we headed?

>Sylvalum, there’s a vigent tyrant in the northern part of the continent. Should be a breeze! Meet up at the usual place, two hours from now?

>Sounds perfect. See ya there!

I close the message and check the time. Two hours from now would put us at around twelve thirty - lunchtime! Maybe I could surprise Jaynix by bringing her some lunch. Or better yet, I could pack some picnic supplies and after the mission we could eat lunch in Sylvalum together! Yes, this is a good idea, I like this idea a lot, and I am sure she will like it to0ojhgvj -

...Heh, what a weak mind. A perfect little plaything. Ready to have some fun?

~

This is not me.

This is someone controlling me. Using me.

Are you Mira?

No, you cannot be Mira. Your voice sounds different. Deeper. Mischievous.

Are you doing this for fun?

What fun could you be having by taking control of a human, against their will?

Can you even hear me?

...you can. I can sense you can. Well, let me see then. Let me ask a different question.

Are you listening to me?

…

No.

You are doing this with no regard for human life. I will fight this with everything I have in me.

I may not be strong physically, but this is not a physical battle. This is a mental one.

You chose the worst possible target. I will win this. It will hurt us all, but I will win.

~

I wake up.

Immediately I ask myself, why am I on the floor? Why am I so out of breath? Why does everything hurt so much? As I move myself out of this fetal position, I look around, noticing that people have formed a circle around me. They all look concerned, scared, confused. My eyes widen as I sit up. Someone asks if anyone has called the MMC yet, and I tell them quietly, “No, you do not have to.”

Some other questions float around. “What happened?” “Are you hurt?” “What about the other guy?”

The other guy?

I squint past the crowd and see someone on the other side of the street, on his knees and clutching his head. I get up and run across the street to him, disregarding the moment where I almost get run over. The loud blare of a car honk surprises me, but does not stop me from reaching him.

I recognize this man, but only by appearance. His skin is dark, his eyes a bright red, and his hair has an uncanny amount of hair gel in it. He dons very shiny armor and a pair of designer glasses, and he adjusts them as he looks up at me.

“What the fuck…” He mutters. “That was bullshit. How did you do that?!”

“Do what?” I tilt my head.

“Don’t play dumb with me! I tried to Brainjack you and you…”

Brainjack? I thought that only worked on indigens. Frowning, I offer him a hand up. “Well, ah...maybe that was a bad idea. Looks like it hurt you.”

He swats my hand away and stands up on his own, raising his chin ever so slightly. “It hurt you too. It was funny, watching you scream like a ten year old girl. Why don’t you remember that?!”

Oh, he seems angry. I give him a tiny smile. “Well, if you tried controlling me, maybe that thing happened where I do not remember anything about it? Happens a lot in the Earth movies.”

“Oh my fucking god, get your head out of your ass, it’s not a hat!” He screams at me. “You don’t remember ANYTHING?! Shit, man, shit. I’m leaving.”

He stomps away in the other direction. I open my mouth to say something, but it looks like he is in no mood to talk to me anymore. Either way, I decide to follow after him. He looked like he was in pain before and he might still be! So I put some distance between us as he heads further into the commercial district. He pushes past people and intentionally bumps the shoulder of one walking my way. Quickly I keep my pace, eyeing the one person he bumped to make sure they are okay. Seems like it. Man, that guy was lucky - his armor is spiky!

Eventually he stops near the edge of the road, looking out to the water below the city. I decide that now is the time to approach him, so as I come up on his right side, I make myself known with a friendly wave. “Sorry if I made you angry, but I really do not remember anything!”

“Why did you follow me?! Are you a dog in a mim’s body or some shit, because I don’t have any sticks to throw off this ledge for you to fetch!” He growls.

“N-no, I am not a dog. That would be my friend Gwin.” I stutter.

“Just fuck off, will ya? I don’t need you barking up my legs right now.”

“Not right now? Okay, how about tomorrow?”

“NO.”

“The day after tomorrow?”

He facepalms. “You’re an asshat.”

“I do not think that is possible to wear a butt on your head unless it belongs to someone else. And that would be awkward.”

He smirks at me, crossing his arms across his chest. “For an asshat, I’d bet you’d enjoy it.”

I blink a few times. He is very hard to understand, but I think I am getting somewhere, because he is still smirking. Smirking is technically smiling! “I am not so sure I would. Maybe you would enjoy it more?”

And that gets him to laugh. Yes! Score one for Pongo! “I already pay people to kiss my ass, I bet I can pay people to smother their ass in my face too.”

“That sounds like a waste of money. Why not spend it on stuff like coffee? You know, really good foods and drinks and stuff?”

“Who said I can’t eat the ass?”

“...I believe that is called ‘cannibalism’ and is, in fact, frowned upon.”

And another round of laughter comes out of his mouth. He has quite a nice laugh, so that is a bonus! But it occurs to me that I do not know his name - at least, I do not think I do. So I ask, very politely.

“It’s Sydney,” He responds, “And you are?”

“Pongo! With the Interceptors!”

...I did not screw that up. That is definitely a first to be proud of!

“Interceptors, huh? So you run around doing stuff for other people, saving their asses and such?”

“I mean, that is part of it. Saving butts is a big part of it, actually - and hey, it benefits you too, since that gives you more butts to eat, I think.”

“Well, Dildo -”

“Pongo.”

“- I’ve got my own work to get back to. Why don’t you run along, be a good dog?”

I giggle. He makes a lot of dog references and they are very funny! “Bork bork! I will, Sydney! Have an awesome day!”

I turn to go, but before I leave, one question pops into my head that I forgot to ask. Weird how it slipped my mind, but I suppose it was not as important as making Sydney smile. So with a curious tilt of the head, I ask him:

“Why did you try to Brainjack me, by the way?”

I am met with another smirk and a raised chin.

“I was bored.”

[eienias20]

Connections

A short story about Jaynix and her bonds with @flametorchic‘s Flame love410s’ Rosetta.

Set some time after “Firelink”

Connections

New Los Angeles, humanity’s bastion. As with every day that has passed on the planet Mira, the citizens of the city and their Xenoform allies continue to live and work together.

This day found two red haired BLADEs in an Outfitter Hangar, one sat at a worktable, taking apart several weapons and fine tuning them all while she relayed what it was she was doing to the one watching her.

Her name was Flame, a very intelligent and skilled engineer, a reliable Outfitter and friend to many other BLADEs who drop by every so often. The woman she spoke to was Jaynix, a powerful Interceptor who had given Flame her weapons.

Jaynix sat and watched as Flame effortlessly took apart the massive Gatling Gun.

“I’m pretty good at maintaining my weapon…but I’ve never seen one taken apart that quickly…”

Flame shrugged as she tinkered.

“It’s not all that special…”

Jaynix went silent as she watched Flame continue with her work. It had been a few weeks since the two of them were…formally introduced to one another through Rosetta. In the beginning, Flame remained relatively quiet around Jaynix whereas the Interceptor decided to follow through with what she had said before.

To Flame, they were strangers, so Jaynix saw fit to act around her the way she did with any stranger. She was loud, bombastic, energetic and excitable.

Jaynix, Flame and Rosetta took on missions together, Rosetta’s presence was incredibly comforting. She could keep Flame engaged and her encouraging gazes kept Jaynix’s spirits up all the while.

Eventually, Flame began to respond to her, all it took was a few words but Jaynix was incredibly happy to hear them. From that point on, they were closer. Jaynix knew from the beginning that it would be a long road…but it was one she wanted to walk and with Rosetta and the support of others, she wouldn’t be doing it alone.

Now, she could ask Flame to tune up her gear and Flame took her up on the offer. It had been a while but Jaynix kept her gaze fixed on what Flame was doing to the Interceptor’s Gatling Gun and Longsword.

“Gatling Guns have a lot of components, their size and mechanisms make them one of our most complex firearms along with the Rayguns…working with them is very touchy to say the least, put a part in wrong and it could either misfire or break down completely. Granted when it comes to our weapons if they aren’t maintained most fail in the same way…of course because of its complexity it’s a bit more difficult to reliably repair a Gatling Gun.”

Jaynix nodded.

“I don’t doubt that.”

Flame tilted her head as she looked over more of the Gatling Gun’s parts.

“You…maintain this very well. It’s not often I see a wielder of one of these arms handle it this way…”

Jaynix chuckled.

“Despite what people say about me, I’m not just a reckless brute.”

Flame looked up at Jaynix.

“I…I didn’t mean to assume-”

Jaynix shook her head quickly.

“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant…I mean, I know you didn’t mean that…it’s just a comment. I imagine if you didn’t know me that’s what you’d hear about me.”

“Reckless brute…”

Flame tapped her chin and thought over the many missions she took on alongside Jaynix and Rosetta.

“I can see where people get that impression.”

Jaynix nodded.

“I won’t deny it…but I’ve got a good thinker.”

The Interceptor tapped her head as Flame gestured at the Gatling Gun.

“This proves it…”

Jaynix fell silent again, smiling as Flame continued to work on the weapon, all the while commentating her process as she had been. Jaynix wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting with the other woman but it was high time she stretched and let out a yawn.

“I’m sorry.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jaynix looked at Flame.

“Hm? Sorry about what.”

Flame sighed.

“I get…wrapped up in my work. I know it’s boring yet I’ve been talking almost nonstop about this process…”

Jaynix smiled.

“Flame. My butt is sore.”

Flame looked up to Jaynix, a bit of a lost expression on her face as Jaynix laughed. A small smile came to Flame’s face as Jaynix continued.

“You aren’t boring me, I swear. Like I said, I have a good thinker. I’m listening to every word you say, I can use all this knowledge next time I need to perform maintenance on my Gatling Gun…believe me, it’s all valuable and I appreciate every word.”

Flame nodded.

“If you say so…I’m just used to…well, not this.”

Jaynix tilted her head as Flame put a few of her tools away.

“To be honest, I keep thinking I’ll look up from this and you’ll be gone.”

Jaynix smiled.

“Well, I’m still here.”

“You are. Jaynix, where did you learn to maintain your weapons this way? I assume it was at least in part at the Academy or in Service.”

Jaynix leaned back in her chair and nodded.

“Yeah, I got a lot of knowledge from both but most of it came from my family. My mom was a genius German engineer, hard not to pick up on things with a mom like that and I’m glad I did.”

Jaynix held back on anymore, the other person who taught Jaynix so much in her youth was Flame herself.

“Mother…I see.”

Flame was about to comment on the fact that Jaynix still retained her Earth memories but decided against it as she continued her work.

“If you don’t mind Jaynix…I’d like to see you work on your own weapon some time…I am curious.”

“Any time Flame!”

Jaynix gave the Outfitter a wide smile and a thumbs up. She then pulled out her Comm Device, eyes widening.

“Has it been this long? Wow.”

Putting it away she stood up and stretched again.

“Missions?”

Jaynix looked to Flame and nodded.

“Yeah. Well, sort of. You have my weapons so I’ll be sticking to work in NLA with Kruse and Rosetta. Before then I need some food. You hungry?”

Flame shook her head.

“I want to finish this first.”

“Alright.”

Jaynix stood there, watching Flame for a few more moments. Despite what most people would think, sitting there and watching Flame work on her weapons made Jaynix happier than almost anything else could.

“Jaynix. What’s this?”

“Huh?”

Jaynix followed Flame’s gesture toward a toy sitting on her work table.

“That? It’s a toy. A Transformer.”

“Transformer…”

Jaynix nodded.

“Yeah. They’re these figures from Earth, they had TV Shows, Movies and Comic Books for a long time. They’re transforming robots that fight each other.”

Flame stared at the figure a bit more before looking to Jaynix.

“Transforming…can this one?”

Jaynix leaned in to the figure, she of course knew which one it was right away.

“Yeah, it can. They transform into vehicles. Like cars, trucks, tanks, jets and so on.”

Flame reached over and took the figure into her hands.

“I don’t know where this came from.”

“What do you mean?”

Flame shrugged.

“I came to work one day and it was here. On my desk. I asked a few people about it but no one knows…Rosetta guessed that it was a gift, maybe a thank you from someone…I just don’t know who.”

Jaynix opened her mouth to speak but no words came out as Flame put the figure back, staring at it oddly before looking to Jaynix.

“Thanks for telling me about it.”

“No problem…I should get going. See you around, Flame.”

With a nod, the Outfitter returned her attention to the Gatling Gun.

Jaynix turned and walked away. The Transformer was indeed a gift…from Jaynix herself to her sister. She finally got the courage to give it to her but not enough to do so right in front of her.

Jaynix gave one last look back to Flame who was keeping busy before leaving the area. As she approached the Commercial District, Jaynix noticed someone walking in the same direction.

“Rosie!”

Turning the other woman saw Jaynix who was now skipping over to her. With a smile, Rosetta greeted her.

“Jaynix. Good to see you. How have you been?”

“Great! Thanks to you.”

“Me?”

Jaynix smiled.

“Yeah. I have a lot to be grateful to you for, Firelink.”

Hearing that name, Rosetta understood.

“I appreciate it, but it’s been all you as of late…and Flame of course. I can’t take credit for-”

“It’s not about taking credit. It’s just about being…grateful. Happy.”

Rosetta nodded, the pair walking side by side towards the Commercial District.

“I saw that you gave her the gift…”

Jaynix nodded.

“It took everything I had to not go back and take it away.”

“Do you think it’ll…do anything?”

Jaynix shook her head.

“No. Not really. It’s less about wanting to spark something and more that I just wanted to…give my sister something.”

Rosetta looked to Jaynix, watching her expression. The emotions she displayed were complex to say the least. But through it all there was happiness in her eyes.

“You two definitely look like friends as of late. I’m glad.”

Jaynix grinned and thanked Rosetta again.

“You going to get food?”

“Yes. Before we meet up with Kruse.”

“That’s what I’m about as well! So, Rosetta, where to? I’m buying.”

Rosetta wanted to tell her it was unnecessary but she could see that Jaynix had made up her mind. Thanking her, Rosetta took the lead through the District.

“This is going to be an interesting day…”

Jaynix raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“I just never imagined you doing Mediator work. In truth, it sounds like a bad idea.”

Jaynix chuckled.

“Oh, believe me. It absolutely is.”

Rosetta shook her head, smiling.

“Even so, you and Kruse will be there. So, I’ll do my best and if I screw up, you can help. It’s only until my weapons are up to snuff.”

“Well, it never hurts to work among the other BLADE Divisions. A specialty is good but being well skilled all around is as well…I do have missions lined up tomorrow as well, Interceptor missions. If your gear is ready by then…”

“Count me in!”

Rosetta nodded to Jaynix as they reached the restaurant. Sharing a smile, the pair entered and spent the meal discussing Rosetta’s day so far.

Jaynix was always one to leave NLA as soon as possible…finding more reasons to remain within the wall, people to talk to, connections to make…it all felt…good, and she liked that it did.

The rest of the day would be spent with her Brother and a close friend and she wouldn’t want it any other way.

[eienias20]

Dancers

Jaynix is out on another mission spree, this time to Sylvalum when she meets a BLADE that shares quite a few of her artistic expressions.

Featuring @eartkeepgoing‘s Natasha

Dancers

Sylvalum. A region that Jaynix has quite the tumultuous history with. Between this region and Oblivia, it was hard to say which was home to more bad memories than good.

Regardless, today she was here to complete a simple gathering mission. One material she was after was Pale Maize, a very hard to find vegetable located primarily in the dangerous Delusians South Summit. As such, there were many hostile Indigens in the vicinity so it was a prime mission for Jaynix to take. If it came to a fight, she was more than ready…and it came to several.

A trail of dead Cantors led to Jaynix’s current position as she kneeled down and brushed the white sand off her prize. Giving it a once over to ensure it was still in a useable state, she smiled and added it to the container she carried before moving on.

The hike up the mountain and the repeated Indigen attacks left her with a very worn expression on her face, she still maintained her stride and looked strong from afar…but up close the weariness was clear. She’d been at this mission spree for far longer than she cared to admit and as always, the exhaustion was beginning to catch up to her.

Reaching an area normally inhabited by Liceors, she found that it was bare. Not an Indigen in sight. Putting her container down she let out a long breath and sat on a rock.

Her muscles felt sore, her body felt heavy, she needed sleep…which was still one of the things she hated with a burning passion. Her eyes fell on the container at her side, she was only halfway collecting these materials…she felt some semblance of relief that she had the thought to start with the hardest materials first…but that just meant there was more work to be done when she was through with the Pale Maize.

At she let out another long breath she remembered Hideo Kumon, his teachings and his recommendations for moments like these. She could almost see him standing before her and speaking with care and authority. With a smile she nodded and stood up before walking out into the middle of the field.

Taking a pose, Jaynix closed her eyes and began to dance. She had been inspired in her youth by a famous dancer back on Earth and was then taken under Kumon’s wing. She was a graceful dancer and she loved it, she found it fun, relaxing and the go to answer for moments of doubt like what she was currently experiencing. Letting those doubts melt away she continued to sway around the field, a dancer without a partner.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed before she felt something. Breaking out of the calming spell of her dance, she drew her blade and stared around the clearing, eyes darting around.

Someone or something was nearby. She knew it.

Moving back to her supplies she picked everything back up and continued moving. Whatever it was, it wasn’t far away. Walking around a large rock formation she found herself striking something and falling to the ground.

Strange.

Shaking off the impact she looked to see that she had knocked someone else over.

Even more strange.

Bumping into what was likely the only other person up here on these damned mountain peaks in the middle of Sylvalum.

The pair locked eyes and Jaynix found her exhaustion fading away, a sly grin now forming on her face.

“Well…hello there beautiful.”

“Oh…huh? Beautiful?”

Standing, Jaynix reached out to help the other woman up.

“So sorry about that but honestly, bumping into you? This has to be my lucky day!”

The woman took Jaynix’s hand and was now standing before her. Jaynix decided to give her a once over and recognized that the woman also wore a Raim just like her, though it was the variant that exposed quite a lot of skin. Jaynix herself wore it sometime back. The woman also had very short shorts and her turquoise hair was accented with magenta.

Eyes meeting, Jaynix let out a whistle.

“What is a goddess like you doing up on these mountains?

“Me? Well, I’m having some fun exploring! This are is so charming and one of my favorites in this region.”

Jaynix chuckled.

“Ah, I can understand that. Quite a few friends of mine love exploring this planet…my idea of fun is taking on 20 missions. Heh. Anyway, what’s your name?”

“Name? Right! Hah! I think that bonk scrambled my thoughts…forgive my frivolity.”

Jaynix smiled.

“Already forgiven!”

Extending her hand, the woman introduced herself.

“My name is Natasha, nice to meet you.”

Jaynix shook her hand, glowing smile still evident on her face.

“Jaynix Copeland, Interceptors. I will certainly not be forgetting you anytime soon.”

Jaynix gave the other woman a wink, drawing a laugh from Natasha who was not picking up on the Fiery Corporal’s…fire. She then pointed to the container at Jaynix’s side and asked.

“Gathering mission? Mind any help?

Jaynix tilted her head.

“Really? I mean…are you sure?”

Natasha nodded.

“Like I said, I’m just taking a hike and exploring so I’m free if you need a hand or two.”

Jaynix watched Natasha smile before nodding.

“Why not? You have to be the nicest stranger I could’ve bumped into up here.”

Natasha waved her off before following behind Jaynix. All that depressing exhaustion the Interceptor had felt mere minutes ago was long gone. How could she be down with such a stunning companion at her side?

“I’m guessing that you are up here for…Pale Maize.”

Jaynix looked to Natasha who was very confident in her guess. With a chuckle she spoke.

“What gave it away?”

Natasha grinned, she was right.

“I’m a Curator. I’m aware of the local collectables and those are some of the rarer ones up on these mountains. You carry yourself like a very capable BLADE so you’d be the kind I’d recommend this job to.”

Jaynix tilts her head, curious and asks.

“…really? And what gives you that impression?”

Natasha smiles.

“I don’t know…something in your eyes? There is confidence in the way you stand and carry yourself so I assume you are not the same as other BLADEs.”

Jaynix crosses her arms.

“The analytical type eh? Well maybe it’s just my overbearing confidence but you aren’t wrong. I’m a very capable BLADE.”

Jaynix flexed proudly, Natasha letting out a light laugh.

“In fact, I had a friend quite like you back on Earth. Eren Hills. Her quick witted analyses got us out of a lot of scrapes.

“Oh. Must have been a wonderful time if you had the opportunity to work with such nice friends.”

Jaynix recalled Eren’s face and nodded.

“They were the best friends anyone could ask for…”

Jaynix fell silent recalling her unit. It was hard to forget them, she knew she never would. Looking up she saw it, another Pale Maize. Pushing the dark thoughts aside she walked over to the vegetable and picked it up.

As she did so, Natasha spotted another one farther off and approached it, her walk slowing as she drew near.

“Something doesn’t feel right…”

Hearing that, Jaynix drew her longsword while Natasha continued to look over their surroundings. Hearing a familiar honk, Jaynix looked up to see several Liceors perched along the rock walls. Was this a trap?

Jaynix grinned and prepared to meet their oncoming assault when Natasha, after a brief sigh, ran past her and up the cliffs, her blades cutting across the first Liceor.

“Impulsive? I can relate.”

First blood drawn, the other Liceors leapt off the cliffs and began spewing ether bubbles, most of them directed at Jaynix while several more swerved and headed for Natasha.

Swinging her blade, Jaynix’s body caught fire and roared at the Indigens as they landed all around her. Charging forward she threw the Pale Maize container aside and leapt into the air. Both hands gripped her blade and she brought it down, searing through one of the Liceors. The Indigen screeched as several others closed in and began striking Jaynix with their wings.

Up on the cliff, Natasha’s blades were a blur as she carved up the Liceor she had engaged. The ether bubbles erupted all around her but she maintained her assault until the Indigen dropped dead.

She then turned her attention to Jaynix who was taking on all the other Liceors. Without a second thought, Natasha hurled one of her blades down into the battle, piercing one of the Liceors’ backs.

With its attention on her she drew her sniper rifle and fired, taking it down as Jaynix exploded in flames. The Liceors were all pushed back by Jaynix’s fearsome aura. Guard broken, Natasha continued to fire as Jaynix’s blade sliced through the creatures.

The Interceptor continued to dance in the flames as shot after shot rang out from Natasha’s sniper rifle. Before long all the would-be ambushers lay on the white sand, dead.

Fire fading from Jaynix’s body the woman let out a sigh. Natasha shouldered her sniper rifle and jumped back down to join her, retrieving her other blade from one of the Liceor corpses. She then picked up the Pale Maize container as Jaynix spoke up.

“Quite the trap these Liceors set up. Doubt they expected BLADEs to come along…”

“I didn’t expect you to let them encircle you so quickly.”

Jaynix looked to Natasha and shrugged.

“What can I say? I thrive in terrible situations.”

Natasha handed the Pale Maize container over to Jaynix before the pair resumed walking.

“I saw you fighting. There is a sort of grace in how you battle despite the ferocity of your strikes…quite the opposite to your dancing.”

With a smile, Jaynix thanked Natasha before coming to a stop.

“My…dancing?”

“Yeah. Oh.”

Natasha laughed as Jaynix put two and two together.

“It was you! I knew I felt something watching me!”

Natasha gave Jaynix a wide smile.

“Guilty. I didn’t mean to spy, as I said I was just hiking but then I saw you dancing and…well, it was so beautiful that I couldn’t look away.”

Jaynix felt warmth inside from hearing Natasha’s words. She didn’t show off her dancing to many people so she wasn’t used to hearing compliments for it.

“Thank you…”

Natasha fell silent for a bit, realizing something herself.

“I didn’t…I didn’t see something I shouldn’t have, did I?”

Jaynix shrugged.

“Doesn’t matter at this point.”

“I guess not…it was also how quickly you fell into your battle stance upon realizing you were being watch that let me know how competent you are. It’s impressive.”

With a grin, Jaynix spoke.

“Oh. So, you like the way I move my body? Glad you’ve been keeping an eye on me.”

“Well. I like to dance too so…”

Again, it seemed that Natasha missed exactly what Jaynix was insinuating but that revelations…

“Really? I’d like to see you dance…if you don’t mind, of course.”

“Not at all!”

Jaynix smiled.

“Great! I can’t wait!”

Together the pair continued searching the Summit, finding the last few Pale Maize they needed and then leaving the area behind, much to Jaynix’s joy. Reaching Jaynix’s rover, the Interceptor loaded the material container into the trunk as she spoke.

“I still have a few more materials to find…”

Natasha stepped closer.

“If you don’t mind…”

Jaynix looked to her.

“I would love it if you stuck around to help, Natasha.”

The woman nodded as they both got into the rover. Engine starting up the vehicle took off across Sylvalum. Jaynix switch on her rover’s radio allowing music to fill the air.

Natasha watched as Jaynix moved to the rhythm, then the vocals kicked in and the Fiery Interceptor began singing. Natasha was surprised, not that Jaynix could sing but that she had bumped into someone who could dance and sing just like her. What are the odds?

When the song finished, Natasha spoke.

“You can sing too?”

“Yep. Well…I’ve been practicing. I’ve got years of experience in dancing, as for singing…my brother Kruse suggested it and a good friend of mine, Pongo. He inspired me to really get into it.

Natasha nodded.

“You sound good.”

“Thank you! I’m guessing from how you said ‘too’ that you sing as well. You really are something special.”

Natasha shook her head as the rover came to a stop. Before they got out, Jaynix looked to her partner.

“I have to thank you, Natasha.”

“Huh? For what?”

“Well…I was…my day was super shitty up until I bumped into you. Hanging out with you has been the saving grace of my day.”

Natasha seemed surprised by this.

“Really?”

Jaynix now wore a wide, cheerful smile.

“Oh yeah! You’ve made it all better. A drop dead gorgeous stranger is just what the doctor ordered!”

Stepping out of the rover, Natasha turned to face Jaynix again as the woman pulled another material container out of the trunk.

“I will say, Jaynix. Meeting you has been nice. I intended to spend quite a few hours in solitude but…I don’t mind this outcome at all.”

Jaynix looked to Natasha who was smiling as well. Together the pair began moving.

“Well then partner, let’s finish these missions and head home! Unless you want to stay out here after we’re done.”

“Depends on what you want to do back in NLA.”

Jaynix grinned.

“You see, there is this beautiful BLADE I’d like to take out somewhere to eat as thanks for all the help she’s given me.”

Jaynix and Natasha locked eyes, burning red meeting magenta, the former was smiling brightly, eyes shining.

Sure enough, the same smile came to Natasha’s face.

Missions complete, the pair now headed back for New Los Angeles, rover tearing across the regions.

“After we eat, I could show you my dance for real so you don’t have to hide. I really want to hear your opinions on it.”

Natasha nodded.

“I’d like that...”

She then looked over to Jaynix.

“When I was watching you dance in Sylvalum I could tell how at peace you were…I felt calm watching you…”

Jaynix smiled.

“Dancing. It really helps when I’m stressed. It relaxes me and lifts my spirits…it makes me feel…warm.”

As the drive continued, Jaynix took a deep breath.

“My military commander taught me how to dance, so when I dance I have memories of him and my unit. Those memories mean the world to me…they keep me happy in spite of…everything…”

Jaynix noted her companion’s silence before laughing.

“I’m sorry, I try to keep all this bottled up and normally I do but here I am spilling my guts to someone I just met. You bewitched me, Natasha.”

“Did I? I apologize.”

Jaynix continued to laugh.

“No need! Like I said. I really appreciate your company.”

Reaching New Los Angeles, the pair made a quick stop at Mission Control and turned in all the material containers. Receiving her payment, she walked back over to Natasha and put an arm around her.

“I think it’s time for two ladies to go out for a night on the town!”

Natasha smiled.

“Well, I look forward to having an amazing night.”

Jaynix laughed.

“It will absolutely be amazing! I guarantee it!”

The pair left the Administrative District and headed for the Commercial District. Natasha speaking up.

“I’ve never been quite so well treated upon meeting someone new. It’s different.”

Jaynix chuckled.

“I am 0 to 60 with beautiful women, can’t be stopped. I do hope I’m not coming on too strong for you though…what do you think?”

Natasha tilted her head.

“About?”

“About me?”

“Let’s see…that will take a while to put into words but I see you positively for sure. You have given me no reason to believe or think otherwise.”

Jaynix pumped her fist, drawing a laugh from Natasha.

“Great! I could say the same to you! It really doesn’t matter how much time passes here in NLA or no Mira, you can always meet someone new.”

“It seems so.”

“I didn’t expect this day to lead to a gorgeous new friend…but I’m glad it did. Thanks again for sticking with me today, Natasha. It means a lot…”

Natasha smiled and nodded as the pair reached the CD. Jaynix excitedly moved towards one of her favorite restaurants, Natasha keeping pace with her.

To think that a bad day would take this much of a turn. Jaynix still couldn’t quite believe that her new companion also practiced the art of dancing and could sing! She couldn’t wait to see and hear Natasha’s talents.

She knew that she’d be enjoying her time with her new friend greatly and this was just the beginning.

[eienias20]

Firelink

A day in Oblivia finds Jaynix and Rosetta in the middle of a mission. When the dust settles the pair has a meaningful talk...

Firelink

Oblivia. The rocky desert region east of Primordia, a wide expanse of sand, high rock faces, cliffs, tall mountains and a floating island in the sky.

Mira’s sun shined down on the entire region with added ferocity, always hot the region was sweltering this day. Beneath the burning sun, two Interceptors were hard at work, standing in a wide clearing, several Grexes falling dead before them, joining the countless corpses dotting the field.

Currently they stood, back to back and facing the final two Indigens who were preparing to strike.

The first Interceptor was Rosetta, a serious expression on her face as she watched the Grex stalk back and forth before her. As soon as she noticed it lower its back legs, the sign of an oncoming lunge, she became a breath on the wind. The Grex shot across the clearing, swiping and snapping its jaws at nothing as she emerged behind it, letting out a battle cry as she buried her blades into its back.

The second Interceptor was Jaynix, a cocky smile on her face as she spun her blade around. The Grex before her was incredibly agitated as she had chopped off its tail not too long ago. With a fierce roar the Grex advanced, its claws trying to rend, its teeth trying to bite and it even shoved its head forward to bash her, nothing took as Jaynix evaded with ease and swung her blade, cutting into its flesh over and over again. The onslaught came to a sudden end as her blade pierced its skull.

Both women stepped away from the Grexes as they dropped dead. Jaynix let out a long sigh, the blazing aura covering her body fading away. Rosetta kept her blades forward as she scanned the area around them.

The pair turned at the same time, facing each other and nodding before sheathing their blades. Jaynix approached Rosetta and gestured to the corpses.

“Have you ever seen this many in the same spot?”

“No. But it explains the state the base camp was in…and why Archer was the only one…alive.”

Rosetta closed her eyes, Jaynix made note of her expression and fell silent. Rosetta had asked Jaynix to accompany her to Oblivia on some run-of-the-mill missions.

Part way through their tasks they were hailed by Archer, a BLADE Prospector who they found severely injured. The herd of Grexes they just killed had assaulted his base camp and killed everyone but him.

Jaynix looked out over the horizon, the herd had been charging in the direction of another base camp when the two had intercepted them. The Prospector Skells were off mining and the numbers were staggering…Jaynix doubted it was poor luck…but worse things have happened on Mira.

“Rosetta.”

“I’m okay…we lose people. That’s how it’s been since we landed here.”

Jaynix nodded, she hated admitting it but the proof was everywhere and it was unavoidable.

“We saved the camp over there from potentially going through the same thing…that has to count for something.”

Rosetta looked over to Jaynix and nodded. Jaynix turned around and pulled out her comm device to make contact with the team dispatched to retrieve Archer.

“Jaynix.”

“Hm?”

“Your back.”

“My back?”

Before Jaynix could ask Rosetta to clarify, she felt it. Three long and deep cuts along her back. She wasn’t sure when it happened but now that she knew it was there she could only groan in pain. Slowly she moved one of her hands to her back and muttered.

“Shit.”

Rosetta walked over to Jaynix, supporting her and moving away from the corpses to several rocks jutting out from the sand. Once they were sitting, Rosetta inspected the injuries.

“Are you any good at this whole…repairing thing?”

“…not especially I’m afraid. You?”

Jaynix chuckled.

“I can maintain my weapons with no problem but…myself? You’d think that after all the scrapes I get in, I’d be better at it. I do it as cheaply as possible to keep me moving and…you’ve seen firsthand how that doesn’t hold up.”

Rosetta nodded as she pulled out her comm device and entered a few commands.

“I’ve seen it more times than I care to admit. I know you say that a lot of people tell you the same thing but you have to take better care of yourself Jaynix.”

The injured woman nodded and fell silent as the pair waited for Isaiah, Jaynix’s rover. As with any mission that she takes it on, Jaynix gave the remote access to her partner should they ever need it and her injuries were reason enough.

The silence was soon interrupted by a honking horn; Rosetta quickly retrieved the aid supplies from the trunk and returned to Jaynix to begin with the repairs.

“Are you alright Rosetta?”

“I’m fine. A few scratches but this easily takes priority.”

Jaynix let out a long sigh before looking to the sun overhead.

“Didn’t think we’d be here today…did you?”

Rosetta continued working as Jaynix gestured ahead of them, to where they fought the Grexes.

“I mean…we came out here to collect plants and animals to return to NLA, perform a bit of probe maintenance and finally deal with a few annoying Indigens…instead we stumble upon…all of this…”

“To be honest, I was hoping for an easy day to speak with you, Jaynix.”

Hearing this, Jaynix tilted her head and turned to look at Rosetta from the corner of her eye.

“Speak with me? No better time than now…what’s up?”

Jaynix wasn’t expecting the silence that followed.

“Rosetta?”

“…I saw it in your eyes…when we found that base camp. The dead bodies. I saw how you looked at them…I saw what flared within them when we learned of the Grexes…so what I want to ask you seems…disrespectful.”

Jaynix shook her head.

“I doubt you could ever be disrespectful. C’mon. Whatever it is, ask away!”

Rosetta took a deep breath.

“…why are you so interested in Flame?”

Jaynix’s eyes widened, she began stuttering. What did Rosetta mean?

“I…uh…what are you talking about? Flame? Why are you bringing her up?”

Rosetta finished with the first claw mark and moved onto the second.

“Two days ago. I got back to NLA from work…I wanted to get my weapons checked out and I trust Flame with them at every opportunity. So I went to ask her and I saw you standing not too far from where she worked.”

Jaynix remembered this but remained silent.

“You were staring right at her…and you had your own weapons in your hands. You took a few steps forward then back…then forward again. It was like you didn’t know if you wanted to talk with Flame or not…in the end, you didn’t and you seemed…hurt.”

“You could tell that from just seeing me?”

Rosetta nodded as she continued treating her partner.

“…and then earlier today I saw you again. This time with no weapons but you were holding something. I couldn’t make it out but you once again chose not to approach Flame. My first instinct was to be wary…Flame is a very close friend of mine and you were looking at her so intently…”

Jaynix stood up immediately and turned to face Rosetta, a mixture of emotions in her face.

“You…you can’t think I…you can’t think I intend to…hurt her?

“Jaynix-“

“I swear to you Rosetta! I swear. I have no desire to harm Flame. None.”

“…I know. I can see it in your eyes.”

Jaynix sighed, she hadn’t felt spent before but now…she was exhausted.

“I hope this doesn’t seem too forward but Flame is important to me. That’s why I brought you out here…I want to ask you: why? Why is it that you look at Flame like that and why can’t you speak with her?”

Rosetta fell silent as she watched Jaynix struggle with how to answer or if she should even answer. The two Interceptors have gone out on missions together quite often since meeting in Noctilum and during all that time, Jaynix found no reason to doubt or lie to Rosetta. She was trustworthy. Honorable. Loyal.

Slowly moving her eyes up, Jaynix looked at Rosetta.

“Flame…she’s…she’s my sister.”

Rosetta did her best to hide her surprise but…she had not expected that. Flame was a very close friend but she’s never once brought up having family.

“I know you don’t believe me…”

“It’s not that…I just…it’s unexpected…”

Jaynix nodded.

“It was for me too. When Elma, Kruse and Irina found me in Noctilum and brought me back to NLA, they asked me a lot about my past, trying to determine if I remembered everything. Apparently memory loss is a little too normal around here…but as far as they could tell, I was unaffected…or so I thought…”

Jaynix moved back to the rocks and sat down, Rosetta joining her.

“…you know that Kruse calls me Sister and I call him Brother, right? We have that deep of a bond…but one day…he just…he said it in such a way that seemed so…familiar.”

Jaynix tapped the side of her head.

“It all came back to me. My sister. My little Flame. I remembered her and I remembered that she boarded the White Whale too…and then I saw her and…I don’t think I’ve felt that happy in so long…my baby sister is alive. She’s here.”

Jaynix looked out over Oblivia, letting out a sigh before looking to Rosetta again.

“I couldn’t stop myself. There she was. I knew who she was and so…I ran to her. I hugged her, I told her I loved her and I missed her…I scared her so bad she ran away from me…”

“Jaynix.”

The Interceptor let out an empty laugh recalling how Flame pushed her away and ran off.

“I had no idea what I did wrong…no…I think I knew but I didn’t want to accept it. I finally came across her again to apologize and it was clear as day…she had absolutely no idea who I was.”

Jaynix fell silent, bringing an arm up she wiped her face. She hated getting so emotional around other people but she couldn’t help it. Flame means so much to her.

“…so that’s why you had the weapons…you were trying to find reasons to talk to her…to talk to your sister…”

Jaynix nodded.

“I just…I’m no one to her…just a BLADE. So I…I have to pretend like I don’t know anything about her, like I don’t know who she is…I have to start from zero with my own sister and its…its hard and heartbreaking…I want to. I want to be able to talk with Flame…I’m trying…”

Rosetta put a hand on Jaynix’s shoulder.

“I can help you.”

Jaynix wiped her eyes again before looking at Rosetta.

“Like I said. Flame is a very good friend of mine. We’re close. So if you join me when I go to visit her…you can come too. It’ll be a lot less stressful with someone else there, right?”

A small smile came to Jaynix’s face.

“I think it would be…”

“…Jaynix. Do you want Flame to get her memories back? Do you want her to remember you?”

Jaynix gave Rosetta a small nod.

“I do…”

She then looked to the sand and shook her head.

“…but I don’t…I don’t know if I should…I keep thinking, what if Flame is happy now? What if by remembering me or Earth, I only bring her pain? I can’t hurt her like that…as much as I want her to look at me and see me…I don’t want it if it hurts her…she’s too important to me…”

Jaynix returned her gaze to Rosetta.

“You’ve been around her…how is she?”

The other Interceptor thought for a bit.

“She’s fine in the most general sense. She’s a hardworking and devoted BLADE. She’s very serious but around her closest friends she does relax at least a bit…I don’t want to speak for her but she seems content and we enjoy each other’s company…”

Jaynix smiled.

“I’m glad she has friends…and I’m so happy to know that you are one of them, Rosetta. I know Flame will be okay with you at her side.”

“Jaynix that...”

The pair fell silent again, remaining as such until Rosetta returned to working on Jaynix’s injuries.

Once Jaynix was patched up, the pair returned to Isaiah, Rosetta in the driver’s seat. Her comm device was out displaying Vandham who wore a grim expression as she reported the incident at the BLADE camp and the Grex horde.

Vandham then told her that Archer was at the MMC and expected to make a full recovery. Vandham also seemed bothered by the Grex attack in general, much like Rosetta herself. Neither could fight this itch that there was more to it.

Report done, Rosetta put the comm device away and started the engine. The Grex incident had drained more time than either had expected so they decided to recuperate at a functional base camp for a bit before heading out to clear the last few missions.

“Hey.”

Rosetta looked into the rearview at Jaynix.

“That thing I was holding today…here it is.”

Rosetta found herself looking at a small…toy? A figure of a robot.

“This is a Transformer…Flame adored these growing up, she always asked me to play with her and I never turned her down.”

Rosetta smiled, the thought of a young Flame and Jaynix playing with robot figures…who wouldn’t smile at that?

“…I searched high and low for any archived data on old Earth toys…the White Whale really carried everything. I could have just as easily fabricated this at the IPP but…I wanted it to be special…so I built it out of whatever I could scrounge around and following an old schematic…”

“Do you think that will trigger memories for Flame?”

Jaynix shrugged.

“I don’t know…probably not but…I just wanted to make something special for her…when I get to know her better, I’ll give this to her…”

“Let’s hope that day is sooner rather than later.”

Jaynix looked at Rosetta and smiled.

The rover continued across the sandscape as Jaynix thought to herself. She was a fire. Most people saw her as that. But her sister was her Flame; her sister was why she was a fire.

Through their success in the Academy, it wouldn’t be uncommon to hear them referred to as the Fire Sisters and though their bonds were now broken…Jaynix wanted to establish a new connection, a new link…and Rosetta would be there to help.

Rosetta was their Firelink.

[eienias20]

Happy Birthday Flame!

Happy happy birthday from all of us to @flametorchic

Found out it was Flame’s birthday so I HAD to draw something for it! And what better than the Fire Sisters?

Happiest birthday to you Flame!

[eienias20]

A Day Out

Jaynix asked @flametorchic‘s Flame to go with her on a Survey across Primordia and Sylvalum. She wants to use this opportunity to bond and after some convincing, Flame says yes.

Deciding to make the trip lighter and hoping to get Flame to smile, Jaynix invites two Curators along, her best friend @omegalps‘ Zack and the lovable Minty Pal @elysia-cross‘ Elysia.

Together they took trips across Primordia, fought giant Indigens, swam with Terebras and crossed the island chain to Sylvalum where they fought even more giant Indigens amidst the Rising Energy Mist and took in the sights of Lake Ciel (no venturing close to the giant evil plant for Ely’s sake).

With the long survey at its end, Zack and Ely take off first, leaving Jaynix to ask Flame “Did you enjoy this day out?”

Because she did. Jaynix loved every second she spent with her sister.

[eienias20]

Dancing Crosses

@omegalps Thade D’nan, @aeviann Aevi and my own Jaynix are all capable dancers so I drew them all together!

If I had the ability or the time, I would’ve drawn them dancing, or possibly wearing their respective dancing get ups but I wanted to do something nice and quick.

The three of them are probably just meeting casually to talk about their respective types of dancing. Also its my first time drawing Thade I believe so YAY! A good Xeno who you best not call a fish!

One day they’ll dance together and it will be wonderful! Jaynix in an extravagant gown when?

[eienias20]

Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger Cross Version

Super Sentai has been going for over 40 years and it does not seem to be slowing. My Dairanger Tribute (and Kibaranger) was so much fun I decided to do it again, this time with the current Sentai team: #41 Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger!

Given that 10 is the image limit I'll be uploading a seperate one so you can see everyone without them being blocked by anyone else's arms and such.

Until then, I don't think this will be the last time I do a Tokusatsu tribute with Crosses. Hopefully next time it won't be as hard to decide on who to doodle or gather references!

And for reference here is the Kyuurangers transforming and their roll call!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFOldhyGNY

OKyuu!

Featuring Jaynix as Super Star ShishiRed Kriss as Poison Star SasoriOrange Kruse as Beast Star OokamiBlue @shunkuroichii Shun as Trick Star TenbinGold @omegalps Zack as Ring Star OushiBlack @flametorchic Flame as Silent Star HebitsukaiSilver @elysia-cross Elysia as Shinobi Star ChameleonGreen @heroicmeep Meep as Speed Star WashiPink @love410s Rosetta as Food Meistar KajikiYellow @omegalps Paige as Dragon Master RyuuCommander Azure as Big Star KogumaSkyBlue

[eienias20]

Painful Memories

A Discord RP between @omegalps​ (as Zack) and me (as Jaynix) that occured between 5/30/17 and 6/24/17. Almost a month? Really? Geez we’re slow.

Jaynix isn’t quite feeling like herself when her best friend, the stoic scout Zack finds her. Little did he know, she would share secrets with him she told no one else.

Painful Memories

Eienias || Jaynix

The New Los Angeles Administrative District was always busy. BLADEs leaving or returning to their barracks, taking on missions at the control boards, scouting allies, so on and so on. Usually Jaynix was amongst that hustle and bustle but today she sat at the end of Division Row, where the road came to a halt. She sat with her legs draping over the side, the gel pool down below. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, focused on nothing. As opposed to her usual boisterous self...she was unmoving. Silent.

 OmegaLPS || Zack

"…so unfortunately, that was how the training mission didn't go as planned."

Zack concluded his debriefing with Eleonora, both standing next to the Mission Console. The secretary gave him a sweet smile as she replied.

"Aww, too bad. We'll have those recruits reassigned to another veteran BLADE, but your effort was appreciated; expect a compensation check tomorrow. Have a good day and keep up the good work, Scout!"

Zack gave her an acknowledging nod before leaving. What a total cluster of a day.... Wait a minute. Looking down Division Drive, Zack thought he saw a flash of red hair. Yep, there she was. Jaynix was sitting where the road ended, sitting as still as a statue, which was unnerving since his best friend was almost always on the move. Well, he hadn't seen her in a few days, might as well go say hello. The Curator walked up to her and stood so that his boots were clearly in her line of vision.

"How's it going, Jay?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix continued to sit still, barely registering any words or even the lumbering presence of her best friend. Instead, she continued to stare out at nothing for a few more moments. Then she began to feel an itch...like someone was watching her. Blinking she turned to see Zack. When did he get there? Did he speak to her? She was sure that she looked incredibly confused right now. Shaking her head she tried to find her focus before looking back at him.

"Hey."

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Barely registering his presence, eyes appearing disoriented, unfocused. This was definitely not the fiery Jaynix Zack knew, her actions continuing to unnerve him. He crouched down closer to eye level with the Interceptor. Looking her square in the eyes he began analyzing them, searching for any indicators as to why she was acting like this. Zack couldn't find anything just by looking at her but he could tell something was off.

"You alright? You're not behaving like your usual self. Is something wrong?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix opened her mouth to speak, to answer Zack's question when her emotions finally took the better of her and everything spilled out. No words, just sobs. Jaynix was now crying in front of Zack, trying desperately to explain to him why but she couldn't form the words as hard as she tried. She began to choke out apologies to Zack as she wiped her eyes, attempting to recompose herself and hoping no one else could see her. Finally, two words came out before she once again succumbed to her sobs.

"I forgot..."

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack wasn't prepared for Jaynix to suddenly start sobbing. For a few seconds he didn't know what to, he'd never been in this kind of situation with another person before. Then he remembered about what Max had taught him about interacting with other people, specifically when a friend was in distress. He put an arm around her shoulder in a gesture he hoped would make her feel secure, giving her left shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Lowering his voice to the same gentle tone he'd used after the failed mission in Oblivia, Zack attempted to soothe his friend.

"Easy now, Jay, it’s okay. I'm here with you."

Zack paused before asking,

"What did you forget?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix wiped her tears away, sniffling but feeling better after hearing Zack’s gentle words. Taking a deep breath she spoke.

“Kruse and I…this morning we were just hanging out like we do…like siblings…and something he said just…”

She gestured to her head.

“…clicked. Like I heard it before. Next thing I knew…my head started hurting really bad so I came out here to calm myself and…I remembered. Her. My sister. My little Flame.”

Jaynix wiped her face again, before looking to Zack; her normally bright eyes were dull.

“I have a sister…all my memories about her came back, I know how much she means to me and how much I love her…then I realized that I’d completely forgotten about her…since I’ve woken up on this planet, I knew nothing of her. I’m a horrible person…I forgot my own baby sister.”

Jaynix felt tears welling up in her eyes again as she saw her sister’s face. Her eyes. Looking up at her with such joy.

OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack felt a pit open in his stomach when he heard that. Jaynix had a sister... and she'd forgotten all about her. Now he had nothing but empathy for his best friend. The Scout had the same revelation a few months ago when he found a photo of himself with his little brother, but Max had been recovered shortly after; Zack had no idea if Jaynix's sister was dead or alive.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that pain, Jay."

He mumbled to her, tightening slightly the arm on her shoulder.

"I've been there too, and I'll do everything I can to help."

Then Zack heard the familiar whirring gait of a certain sentient Skell approaching. He turned to see Typhoon stop just a few meters away from the two of them. The Skell nodded an acknowledgement to him, speaking in his usual baritone.

"Pilot, now that you are relieved from the debriefing process there are some matters that you must attend to."

"Now's not the best time, Typhoon."

Zack gestured down at the Interceptor still huddled under his arm.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix nodded to Zack, his concern and promise alleviating much of her pain and stress. She wiped her face one more time as an unfamiliar voice addressed Zack, someone named Typhoon.

“No. No. Zack…if you have work to do, you should do it…I…”

Jaynix shook her head, she wasn’t sure if she’d be fine and she doubted Zack would believe her. She stood slowly, careful not to stumble before turning around. Laying eyes on Typhoon any greeting died on her lips. Still lost from her emotional breakdown she wasn’t entirely certain that she was seeing clearly…but if she was, there was now something standing not too far from her, towering over her. A Skell.

Jaynix’s eyes remained locked on it, widening in terror as her body locked up. Two desires were raging inside her. One wanted to turn, run, hide and cry while the other wanted to tear the machine apart piece by piece. So she stood frozen again, staring at the Skell as a cold sweat covered her body.

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Feeling Jaynix's shoulders lock under his arm Zack looked at her face and saw her staring at Typhoon. The look she was giving the Skell was clear indication she was in fight-or-flight mode. Zack's shoulders tensed as well, this wasn't good. Now she was starting to sweat. Whatever was going on inside her head, Zack had a feeling things were going to get ugly really fast.

"Typhoon, return to the barracks. Now."

The Skell's head unit titled to the side,

"Your tone indicates urgency. Have I interrupted another human bonding ritual? If so please state your grievance so I may be more aware of the social situation in the future."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix wasn't sure if Zack spoke again, she couldn't hear anything. No, that wasn't true. She heard everything. Explosions. Screams. Lines going dead. She heard it all, she saw it all. Then she heard that deep robotic voice again and it seemed to her that the Skell before her was moving closer...but it wasn't. Was it?

She blinked hoping that it'd vanish; instead, she was in the vastness of space with a horde of unknown Xenos bearing down on her and one voice screaming at her to retreat, to save herself. Unknowingly pulling herself away from Zack she began to run away from the oncoming specters, her foot found no hold beneath it as she had been standing at the edge of the AD, right over the gel pool. She felt herself beginning to fall through space, the only thing she could do was let out a bloodcurdling scream.

 OmegaLPS || Zack

"Jaynix!"

Zack scrambled after her, stretching out a hand to grab her before she fell. Too late. He didn't stop as his instincts kicked in, diving over the edge and stretching himself out into slender shape. As they fell a scream erupted from Jaynix, the piercing sound making him flinch but he kept his course. He managed to grab her by the foot, throwing her course clear from an oncoming support pillar.

While Jaynix was safe, Zack had put himself directly in the path of the structure, moving as much as he could to get out of the way but he didn't move more than a few inches. The bottom of his chin connected with metal, slamming his teeth together and sending him into an uncontrolled tumble the rest of the way down. By the time Zack impacted the surface of the gel his jaw was dislocated and felt like he'd gotten another uppercut from Dadaan.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix felt herself floating. All around her was the vast, black emptiness of space, countless stars dotting it as far as the eye could see. It gave her an immense sense of isolation and loneliness. Closing her eyes, everything was silent and still.

Then she opened them again and saw the White Whale being torn apart by Xenos and a terrible desperate space battle to protect it. A Xeno disengaged from the combat and shot right at her body floating in space. Jaynix watched in fear and silence as another Skell flew in right in front of her, she wanted to scream at them to move, to forget about her but no sound came from her. She could only watch as the Skell was ripped apart and the pilot floated out of the debris.

Jaynix stared at the body as it was disintegrated in a flash of light. Opening her mouth to scream a name, Jaynix felt something fill her lungs and snapped back to reality, jutting up and out of the gel pool she began coughing to clear her throat.

What happened? She knew what happened; she had another one of her episodes. Holding her head she tried to will everything back in place. She fell. Then what? Turning she saw someone else floating in the gel.

"Zack? ZACK!"

Swimming over she took hold of his body and made way for a nearby support structure, her eyes going to the staircase. Normally she'd be up for carrying Zack back up to NLA proper, but all her energy was drained from her body. Just pushing Zack to 'shore' was excruciatingly painful.

“Zack…please be okay…”

Closing her eyes she began to berate herself. She was used to bringing harm to herself but she never wanted to bring it to those close to her.

 OmegaLPS || Zack

When he came to, the first thing Zack felt was the pain. Opening his eyes he saw that he was looking up at the underside of the A.D., letting out a groan as he rolled over on all fours. His jaw was dislocated, but he'd been to the MMC enough as of late. He grabbed hold of his jaw and set it in one quick motion.

"Hrph!"

The Scout grunted as the joints reconnected. Luckily dislocations were a simple fix in Mimeosomes compared to human bodies, opening and closing his mouth he made sure to confirm that it was properly reattached. Still hurt like hell though. Turning to Jaynix he gave her a look that was a mix of confusion and concern.

"What... the fuck was that?"

Zack hadn't heard her scream like that since... since she was impaled by the Ictus and the episode which ended with a mutilated Grex. Something clearly wasn't right with his best friend, and it was time he got to the bottom of it.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix had placed Zack down under the AD. Part of her wanted to check him over and see if he was hurt but her mind was beginning to ramp up again so she sat facing away from him and held onto the sides of her head. Everything she kept hidden away had been dislodged and it was taking far more effort to stuff it back down.

She didn't know how long she was struggling with it until she heard Zack grunt, turning in time to see him moving a bit before facing her. In any other situation Jaynix would laugh of Zack's concern with a "What was what?" type of answer. But there was no wit or joy or anything positive in her expression.

"Zack...I...the..."

Jaynix shook her head, not sure how to begin.

"I just...that thing...it...it scared me and..."

Bringing a hand to her head she tried to fight the pounding pain, feeling it grow. Worried by her darkest fear she began searching the sky above them. Looking for any sign of it. Any little thing that moved amongst the clouds caused her panic to build; quickly she began whispering names, over and over again and faster and faster.

"Kumon, Tai, Eren, Alto, Sagis..."

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack was incredibly confused by her answer. Sure, a sentient Skell with Typhoon's booming baritone could be unsettling to most people, but he hadn't seen anyone react as strongly as Jaynix had. And now she was repeating a string of names almost like chant. Whatever was setting her off clearly wasn't done yet.

"Jay, come on Jay,"

He put both his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to get her to look him in the eye.

"Tell me what's happening with you, I need to know how I can help."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix continued to speak the names, faster and faster until she felt Zack take a hold of her and ask her what’s wrong. She stared at him, wide-eyed before whispering.

“Help me? Zack. You can’t help me. No one can.”

She then brought a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pound. She still felt it, that cold sense of dread that any second now…something bad could happen.

“I told you Zack. I told you, Pongo and Aevi back in Oblivia that I…I’m broken. I was broken by battle…by the losses I’ve endured and as strong as I seem to be…it takes so little effort to shatter what’s left of me. I’m…I’m so destroyed that I’m beyond help…you have to have better things to do than waste your time with me...”

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack's eyebrows arched down, turning his expression from that of concern to a stern expression.

"No way in hell would I ever leave my best friend when she's in a crisis, on or off the battlefield. No one's beyond help as long as they have someone who cares enough to lend aid."

His point made, Zack's tone softened again.

“Jay, when we first met I was a shell of a man. I shut everyone out because I didn't want them to see how damaged I was - how I still am. But then I met you, and Xenth, Athena and the rest. You opened me up and helped me to recover."

"Please... don't shut me out."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix remained silent for a few moments. Staring at Zack, his words...they were all true and meant so much. Zack was...is her best friend, after everything they've been through together, shutting him out was not fair.

"Zack...thank you..."

Closing her eyes, Jaynix took a deep breath. She felt steadier now, able to breathe like a normal person again, her heart rate started to slow. She was calming down. Opening her eyes she looked at Zack.

"Back on Earth I served with the 3rd Soldier Unit. They were...my second family. There was my mother, my father, my sister...and then there was them. Hideo Kumon, Tai Alistair, Eren Hills, Sagis Fair, Alto Moore and...and...they were everything to me for much of my adult life..."

Jaynix looked up at the sky, beyond the clouds she imagined the space beyond.

"My unit was tasked with protecting the White Whale at any cost...so when those Xenos came for us, we deployed to defend it...and they all sacrificed themselves, one by one for the White Whale. For humanity. I can still hear them...their last words...I can still see them, their faces before we left to go fight...that battle was horrifying.”

Jaynix felt herself shake in fear at the memory.

"Enemies everywhere, we were beyond outnumbered and I was there for every torturous moment of it...watching the status of the unit, several dozen of us, I watched as every feed cut, as every recruit died and eventually my team joined them..."

Jaynix trailed off, lost in the memory of Human and Xenoform Skells shooting across the void of space and ripping each other apart.

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack listened silently as Jaynix recounted her story. He couldn't help but notice that the both of them had gone through similar circumstances, though in his case he lost one person. To watch your entire squad be wiped out in front of you... oddly, the thought pulled at something in his brain, but he'd have to think about it later.

Jaynix had stopped talking and had a look in her eye that indicated she was in another place. But what could he say to help alleviate her pain? If he started off with 'I'm sorry you had to go through that' it'd make him seem like he actually wasn't that concerned with helping her.

Zack scoured his brain for something- anything to say, but couldn't come up with the words. So he did what he'd done on the ledge, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Hopefully that would comfort her a bit.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix continued to see explosions and debris; she heard the static and dead lines. All of it immediately went silent when she felt Zack's arm around her shoulders. Once again her friend let his actions speak for him. Shaking her head she let out a heavy sigh.

"It was the role we were assigned...it's why we were called the Martyrs. I remember learning of the orders given to us and...being so foolish to believe we'd survive...being so naive as to say I wasn't afraid to die...I've never felt more terror than I did in that moment...but it always comes back to me...when..."

Jaynix looked up at the sky once again. Dreading that thing, still imagining it finding them.

"...when I see them...the machines that are supposed to protect us...I'm so terrified of them now it's pathetic. I can't breathe, I can't think, sometimes I can't move other times I just run...I feel sick...sleeping is hard...often I wake up screaming, nightmare after nightmare, night after night so I go days without sleeping."

"It affects my performance on missions, I get hurt and I have to go to the MMC where they look at me like I'm an inconvenience and where they demand to put me under...and if I avoid sleeping for long enough I...I see them...my team...and every time I do I think it would've been better if I'd died up in space. Better that than this...waking death..."

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack began putting the pieces together as Jaynix spoke; the general avoidance of the A.D. Maintenance Hangar, driving around in a rover when a Skell had more protection and accessibility to certain areas, and her insistence of taking missions on foot even when on Harrier missions. Now he knew why.

"Typhoon will receive standing orders to stay away,"

He said, noticing the way she was scanning NLA's skyline. But what she said at the end of her sentence made him pause.

Better if I'd died in space.

"Jay, do you honestly think you'd be better off? You're alive, and have so many people who care about you and consider you family."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix shook her head, pulling away from Zack.

"These connections that I've formed...the people who care about me...meeting and talking with all them. Those were all mistakes; Kruse, Pongo, Aevi, Athena, Xenth, Esmeralda, Draco, you. I should never have made these bonds...the only thing I've done is weigh you all down. I've put so many of you through so much...part of me realized this in Oblivia with the Ictus and the Grex but I refused to accept it and now...I'm tired..."

She turned to face Zack, anger and frustration evident in her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I don't want to weigh any of you down anymore. I shouldn't be here. I should be with them...because that way, this pain would stop. I wouldn't be scared anymore, I wouldn't hurt anymore...and I could see them all...I could embrace them all...and I could be with...I could be home...what I lost up there. I'll never be able to retrieve it. I'll never be able to feel it again. Never. I may as well be dead."

 OmegaLPS || Zack

She was clearly very entrenched in her mentality, and Zack was running out of ideas. If it weren't for his damn amnesia he'd probably know exactly what to say, but that was a pointless train of thought. All he could do was try and hope that Jaynix listened.

"Jay, there is no afterlife,"

His words were firm but he spoke them as gently as he could,

"Mims or not, this is the only life we have to live, and the belief that you'll see dead loved ones in 'heaven' will get you nowhere but in an early grave. But, if any of them were in Mims then there's a hope that they'll be brought back in organic bodies."

Zack paused as his face grew sullen,

"I never told you about my first real best friend, and for good reason, but I think this will help you. About a few months before the Lifehold Core battle, I met a young Outfitter named Olivia. She was the only person who wasn't intimidated by me at first glance, and we became fast friends. We were inseparable."

"Then on one field test mission, a Duogill tore her in half with its tentacles,"

The Scout fought down the flashbacks; even without the details it was difficult for him. Reaching into the collar of his bodywear Zack produced a handwatch. The brass was old but still in excellent condition,

"This was a family heirloom passed down to her by her grandfather. Olivia would always take it out and tell me stories about her family on our breaks...."

He looked into Jaynix's eyes again, his sadness turning into a fierce determination,

"I intend to give it back to her when she's brought back to life, so that she can pass it on to her grandchildren, and their grandchildren. I used to think the way you do now, but then I realized I had to keep living and pushing through the pain to see that dream carried out. If you really want to see them again, you're going to have to do the same. It's hard, but I'll help you through it, along with every person whom you've befriended."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix kept her eyes on Zack the whole time he spoke, she saw how sad he was recounting what happened to someone who meant so much to him, a dear friend he mourns and carries a memento for...that resonated so strongly with her.

"Zack...I'm so sorry..."

She then closed her eyes, thinking of all the people she's met since waking in Noctilum, all the dear friends and loved ones that are now a part of her life and have been at her side despite her self-destructive and suicidal tendencies. They never abandon her.

Opening her eyes, she looked to Zack and started speaking, intent on sharing something with the Scout before her.

"The people that I lost...Zack I...it wasn't just friends...it wasn't just family and it wasn't just comrades in arms...I...I lost...I..."

Jaynix knew she was crying, she always did when it came to these thoughts. Despite how much pain she was in, she wants to tell Zack. She wants to tell him because he's been by her side through so much. It isn't about deserving it or having to or needing to. She wants him to know because he's Zack.

Reaching into her vest, Jaynix pulled out something very small, but very precious. This tiny object meant more to Jaynix than anything else in her life, it carried with it memories of a life she no longer has... It was a ring.

"...I lost my wife."

 OmegaLPS || Zack

...Wife.

All Zack could do was stare, frozen in shock. His loud and flirtatious best friend had been married?! But it all made sense. Her violent episodes, the complete disregard for her own well-being, overworking her body to the point of breaking; Zack had seen the same behavior in others whose spouses or romantic partners were killed in action. How did he not notice before?

The Scout couldn't think of what to say, and how could he? He'd lost some people that were very close to him, yes, but nothing at the scale of losing a mate.

"Jay...."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix continued to stare at the ring in her hand. Lost in thought. Zack had fallen eerily silent...but part of her suspected that. He was the first person she'd confided in about this. About her wife. She imagined he was having just as hard a time thinking of something to say as she was.

"...her name was Lyla. Once we married she took on my name...Lyla Copeland...she was beautiful...I'd never met someone so wonderful. Her hair, auburn, it always felt so soft...smelled so good...her eyes. Emerald. Wondrous..."

Jaynix reached into her vest again and pulled out a picture of the 3rd Soldier Unit, she handed it over to Zack, tapping her finger against the woman who was at her side, holding her.

"She was strong. Loving. Determined. We met in the academy…determined to become the best. I wanted to protect my family, my baby sister…she wanted to protect everyone…we sparred with each other, growing stronger and bonding. Learning from each other and when we graduated we were both recruited by General Kumon into the Unit...we were an unstoppable tag team and we kept each other human...in a time when all we did was kill. Day in and day out...we had each other...she was always there…"

Jaynix turned the ring over in her hand, keeping her eyes on it for a few more moments before looking back to the silent Zack.

"She was my everything.”

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack took the picture and studied each face of Jaynix's unit, attempting to get a sense of their personalities from their appearance but stopped once Jaynix pointed out her wife. He analyzed her face carefully as Jaynix listed off her attributes; she was indeed a very attractive woman, and from the way Jaynix spoke about her then he assumed she had a decent personality as well.

"She sounds like a wonderful person,"

Zack had recovered enough from his initial shock to respond, still unsure of how to continue without saying something that'd upset her. He took a deep breath and handed the picture back to her,

"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about her."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix took the picture back to find it very blurry. Of course. Tears had been running down her face the whole time. Wiping her eyes she looked at the picture again before returning it to her vest.

"...she was brilliant. I don't know how else to say it...I think...I know she was stronger than me...but she was always at my side, she never moved ahead or strayed too far because she knew that as strong as she was...we were stronger together."

Jaynix turned her body to be fully facing Zack a faint smile on her tearstained face.

"She wanted our wedding to be special...it was the last thing we did on Earth. A sendoff to our home...for the two years aboard the White Whale I could call her my wife and I was hers...and then..."

Jaynix recalled the battle; the Martyrs, the White Whale's countless defensive teams and those Xenoforms that may as well be ghosts.

"...she gave her life for mine...I see it...so vividly when I close my eyes. She told me to live for her. For Kumon. Tai. Eren. Alto. Sagis. For every one of our unit who died in that battle she wanted me to carry on for them...she believed in me...to the end..."

Jaynix grew angry, pulling off her vest and pulling up her shirt to show Zack her heavily scarred body.

"And I did this to myself! I'm still doing this to myself! The worst thing I could do in their memory...in her memory...is kill myself...but I want the horrors to stop! Even so...the closer I get to death the more vividly I remember her begging me to live and it fuels my desire to survive. I want to die. I want to live. I want to be...and it’s just so hard..."

 OmegaLPS || Zack

It was just as unnerving for Zack to see his usually fiery friend reduced to tears now as it'd been back in Oblivia, and the more she went on the more difficult it became for him to respond. There was one thing that had worked well in Oblivia, and with Jaynix the way she was she could really use it. The Scout shuffled around to face her before wrapping her up in a hug. With her shirt lifted Zack could feel all the scars on her back as he rubbed in a soothing manner.

"Then live for her. Lyla, your squad, and everyone else who cares about you that's still alive now. I don't know if it's possible to fully recover from the things you've experienced, but you've made it this far and gotten all the stronger for it."

His hug tightened around her as he buried his face into her shoulder,

"Please just live Jay... I already lost my first best friend. I don't want to lose you too...."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix stared at Zack, tears running down her face, waiting for a response. An answer. Something. She had not expected him to embrace her. It was a warm, soothing hug and all Jaynix could do was hold onto Zack and listen to what he had to say.

He still believed in her, he wanted her to believe in herself. He didn't have all the answers, no one did...but she was made painfully aware that if she died, it may relieve her pain but it would only bring more pain to those she's grown close to.

She'd never truly considered what would happen to those who live on after she was gone. The thought of her death and the toll it could take on Zack and on all the people she's met who care about her...she'd could never allow herself to do that to them. Never.

"I'm sorry..."

Holding onto Zack, Jaynix closed her eyes and cried.

 OmegaLPS || Zack

Zack cradled the back of Jaynix's head as she cried into his shoulder. It seemed as if what he'd said had reached something in her mind, he sure hoped that was the case,

"Don't apologize, Jay. You've been a real trooper."

They stayed in that way for a while, giving Jaynix plenty of time to let out her emotions. Gently pulling away Zack reached up and wiped the last remaining tears out his friend's face. Once that was done he gave her the closest equivalent to a smile he could muster.

"We should be heading back now before someone comes out looking for us,”

Zack got up to his feet, extending a hand to help her up,

"Come on, I'll buy you lunch."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix continued to sniffle as Zack pulled away and wiped her face. She always asked herself, what did she do to deserve a friend like Zack? Or anyone who considered themselves her friend. She looked to his smile and felt a small semblance of...hope. Jaynix took his hand, allowing him to help her up.

"...thank you, Zack...I'm going to...I'm going to try..."

It's all she could do. But with Zack and everyone else at her side, no doubt wanting to support her as much as she supports them...she knew there was no need to force it. Letting Zack guide her, the pair ascended back to NLA proper.

As they walked, Jaynix stared down at the ring in her hand. Closing her fingers around it, she thought of Lyla and she saw that smile.

The smile she always longed to see.

[eienias20]

Sisters

A short story of one sibling’s overwhelming love for the other.

Featuring @flametorchic‘s Flame

The afternoon sun brought a warm glow to New Los Angeles. Painting the city in gentle colors as the day continued on and BLADEs kept as busy as ever.

Except for one, Jaynix was standing completely still on Division Drive. Weapons in hand, she was having an internal crisis.

She saw her. She knows she saw her. She spoke to her. She was standing before her, alive.

Flame.

The sister she had forgotten following her awakening. Now she knew and she wanted nothing more than to talk to her…but Flame’s reaction to her hug, to her greeting. It was almost as if…Flame had no idea who she was. That hurt.

Taking a deep breath, Jaynix closed her eyes and thought. If Flame didn’t know who she was, if her memories were in fact…gone…then of course she reacted the way she did, who wouldn’t? Jaynix owed her a lot and had to speak with her again. She just hoped she didn’t make the worst first impression.

Opening her eyes, Jaynix walked towards the Outfitter’s hangar along Division Drive and asked around for Flame. Receiving directions to her work station, she started towards it, nerves growing.

She saw her soon enough, tinkering away on something. That familiar look of determination and understanding in her glowing green eyes…

Jaynix allowed herself to smile before closing the distance and clearing her throat.

Flame looked up at her, and recognized her as that stranger that embraced her so suddenly.

“Wait. Before you say anything…I have to apologize for…for the other day.”

Jaynix bowed her head.

“I’m sorry. I…I thought…I thought you were someone else and…I’m sorry.”

Looking back up, she watched Flame’s face as the woman placed her tools aside and spoke.

“I accept your apology…what happened was…strange.”

“I know. I know. I’m really sorry…guess I was just…seeing things…”

There was a short silence before Flame gestured at Jaynix’s weapons.

“Do you need some help with those?”

“Hm? Oh! Yeah…I hit the Mission Board pretty hard these last few days so I just wanna make sure these guys are at their best.”

Jaynix handed off her longsword to Flame who began examining it, turning it around in her hands, her eyes taking in every detail.

Jaynix watched Flame, recognizing the intensity in her eyes as she began to understand how the weapon functioned and what was wrong with it.

“This weapon is…unique.”

“Custom made by someone special…”

“Then wouldn’t they be a better person to bring it to?”

Jaynix shrugged.

“Maybe. But they’re away on a big mission with a team…and I’ve heard of you around NLA so…”

Flame looked down at the blade for a few more moments before looking back at Jaynix.

“Flame. My name is Flame.”

“I…yeah…Flame. Nice to meet you Flame, I’m Jaynix.”

Holding her hand out, the Interceptor waited what felt like an eternity before Flame reached out and shook her hand. Jaynix felt her heart clutch; she wanted to say so many things to Flame right now. She wanted to pull her in and hold her close…but she couldn’t.

Hands separating, Jaynix let them fall back to her side.

“…the assault rifle?”

“Hm? Oh! Of course.”

Jaynix chuckled as she gave Flame her rifle as well, the woman once again studying it closely.

“…I’ll contact you on FrontierNav when they’re back to full potential.”

“Thank you, Flame. I know I can trust you.”

Flame put the gun down before looking back at Jaynix. She’s tried to deny it but from the moment she looked up and saw this woman again…there was just something…off.

Turning away, Flame sat back down at her workstation and returned to her task.

Jaynix watched her, taking in every feature she could. It was her. It was her little Flame. There was no denying that now. Jaynix realized she could no longer hold her emotions in and bowed her head to Flame again before turning and walking away as quickly as she could.

Tears began to fall from her eyes as she whispered.

“She’s alive…my little Flame…”

[eienias20]

Butterfly and Firebird

An RP featuring DeltaMachina’s Butterfly of the Battlefield: Esmeralda and my own Fiery Corporal: Jaynix. These two hang out a lot in RPs and this another of their adventures wherein they partake in the much loved activity of Ganglion killing!

RP ran from 6/23/17 to 7/2/17

Butterfly and Firebird 

DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

Dodonga Caravan, an ever bustling source of commerce for the Nopon in Noctilum. Despite being in a less than ideal location, they somehow still continued to operate their center of business from here for throughout the region.

Right outside is a small base camp and tonight's shift just so happens to belong to a certain Interceptor among others, sitting at the table and sipping from a milkshake as she speaks to a yellow Nopon wearing a blue beanie.

"Aaah, it's all so adorable!"

She grins, looking at the Nopon's collective of freshly made hand-knit hats laid out in front of her. There's a twinkle in her eyes as she speaks.

"Sad to say the headgear is kinda my thing, but you just make them all so adorable!"

"Then tall green friend should spend! Give to other friends like always!"

The Nopon beams with pride, her wings clapping together as she speaks happily.

"Nosusu is glad that friend is willing to gather materials so often, or may not be able to keep up with orders!"

"Oh, how could I abandon one of my girls when she's so adorable and talented?! Let me just-wait, shouldn't I be getting a discount?"

"Meh, meh! Friend gets paid for services! ... Usually!"

The Nopon pouts, adjusting her hat as she averts her gaze. To be honest, usually Esmeralda just dropped off the items free of charge after a nice little clear out of the local nuisances.

"Haaah... Nosusu, you are a dangerous businesswoman. No wonder Koko always recommends me to you."

"Nosusu is a pure and honest businesspon! Dangerous is Prone hideout around corner. So full of nasties. Even after all this time, surprised friends have not blown it to pieces!"

Esmeralda's eyes shift over in the direction the Nopon speaks of. Understaffed, no Skells, not much of anything compared to the larger base at the center of Noctilum's northern area...

"You and me both, Nosu."

The girl sighs as she pokes at one of the hats, thumbing her finger against one colored red with a pink stripe.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Not far from Es' base camp, a rover cut across the normally serene Noctilum forest, hard rock blasting from the speakers as Jaynix, at the wheel, whistled along with the song.

She enjoyed the music but it being loud also allowed her to block out any and all unpleasant thoughts...at least for the moment. Spotting the base camp, Jaynix turned down the volume and slowed the rover to a stop. Jumping out she turned to the two BLADEs she brought along for the shift change.

"Anton. Archer. Hope the ride was smooth but here we are!"

The two thanked her, Archer speaking.

"We owe you. I'm not sure what went wrong with my chopper but it was a grand help."

Jaynix waved him off.

"The Outfitters will have it up and running before you know it. Anyway, off to work with the two of you. Go on! Get!"

Thanking Jaynix again the pair took off to relieve the current on duty BLADEs. Jaynix turned to watch them go, taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling…calm. She was calm and whispering to herself.

"All I long to see...is your smile..."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

While Nosusu spoke, Esmeralda continued to think quietly to herself as she thought about the base more.

“If I remember right, the Prone in that base were supposedly under command of some asshole called the 'Blood King' or something dumb like that. But after he kicked the bucket they supposedly just kind of started petering around and... yeah, I think there's a new head honcho there. Question is what was their name again? Whatever, I'll just call him dead meat if I-“

The sound of the other BLADEs walking over threw off her train of thought.

"Hey there, we-"

"Yeah. Whatever."

Esmeralda huffed as she got up, rolling her eyes and flicking her launchers to her back.

"Later Nosu, I'll drop some materials off next time I'm in the area."

The two blades just stare at her as she walks forward, eyes looking at her Skell cleverly stuck behind the trees. Then again, hard to miss a large white Skell with an E-scythe on its shoulder.

"C'mon sweetheart, I think it's time for us to-wait a minute I know that rover...!"

Without a second though, she completely blows off the two BLADEs and dashes forward without a moment's thought.

"Jaaaay~!"

The girl smiles as she runs at the red Interceptor, all six feet of her rushing forward before grabbing the girl in a very embracing hug.

"Hey there gal pal what are you doing here?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix's soft whispers were abruptly cut off upon feeling a powerful oncoming force, before she could react in any way she was being hugged incredibly tightly by a very familiar green Interceptor.

"Es?"

Looking to the other woman holding her, Jaynix smiled. This was exactly what she needed.

"Hey there Butterfly! What brings...well, I guess you asked me first."

Hands stuck to her side as a result of Es' powerful hug, Jaynix gestured by tilting her head towards the two BLADEs that just arrived.

"Archer had some technical problems back in NLA so I offered him and Anton a ride out. Wasn't doing much back in town and a drive sounded like a good distraction…what about you Butterfly? What brings you to Noctilum?"

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"Oh you know just... point defense."

Esmeralda stated as she tilted her head towards the base camp.

"You know, make sure no nasty Indigens get near-make sure no Prone get too rowdy down the road..."

Esmeralda let go of Jaynix, coughing into her hand and flicking some of her hair out of her field of vision with the other.

"... Man, gotta tell you though honestly? Not really too exciting over here. For a Ganglion base down the road, it sure is quiet. They just all decide to hole up there; you know... things like that..."

There's an irritated look on her face as she places a hand on her hip.

"I'd kill for a chance for me and the big steel sweetheart around the corner over there to go ham on the place, but they'd say I'm just causing a scene or something.”

There's a moment of silence from her before she grins and looks at Jaynix.

"You know, it's a shame. They'd probably be ecstatic at the Caravan to hear that the Prone got cleared out if someone gave them a thrashing, right?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix tilted her head, listening to Es. Boredom sucked, she'd rather be in the middle of the loudest, wildest mess than just standing around doing nothing. Es definitely wasn't a fan of the nothing thing. Relatable. Hearing Es' last statement, Jaynix chuckled.

"Subtle."

She then looked down the road in the direction of the Ganglion base. She knew about it. No surprise that the Ganglion remnants were holed up there and still putting up small but annoying resistance. Looking back to Es, Jaynix smiled and put an arm around her.

"They're worried about you causing a scene? With the two of us together we will do much much more than that. You get some excitement and we do some good. I'm 100% on board with this thrashing. "

DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

There was a moment of laughter, before Esmeralda stared at Jaynix and her smile turned into a slightly confused look. Then the realization hit.

"... holy jitt, you're serious."

The girl looks at the caravan, her eyes drifting back to the Corporal after a few seconds of thought.

"Okay, so let's say we do tackle this place. Much as I want to approach it and blast the place in my Skell, it's not that simple."

She flicks out her comm device, bringing up a layout of the fort and leaning against Jaynix's rover.

"The entire place has to get unmanned in one shot if we want to pull this off. And if we do... honestly, I like to think a lot of people would be sleeping better once tonight hits."

The girl nods her head at the corporal, flicking her comm device out of view of any other nearby prying eyes as she checks to see if the other BLADEs that were dropped off are watching.

"You're all in on this, then?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Once Es' eyes met Jaynix's, the Corporal gave her a determined, fiery gaze. She's serious. She then observes the fortress layout on Es' comm device and listens to her words.

"I am completely down with this, Butterfly. If we get this done, take out all the Ganglion hiding out over there and not letting any of them get away...BLADEs, Nopon, anyone who comes by this area will have a lot less to worry about."

Walking over to her rover, Jaynix retrieved her weapons from the trunk and gave each of them a quick check before looking to the other Interceptor and smiling.

"It's you and me, Es. We've taken on Ganglion before. We've got this."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda,

"Yeah? Well much as I hate to admit it, unlike the other ones these idiots are... well, smart idiots."

With that conflicting statement out of the way, she begins to bring up a small written analysis of the base itself.

"Lakeview Stronghold, despite its unoriginal name, has an oddly high amount of anti-Skell measures, primarily cannons that take down anything that tries to approach from the air. They've reinforced the place with a few troops, but they're a lot more organized."

Her screen flicks to the image of the base again, red dots lighting up at key points where the troops were stationed.

"Even with a little over a dozen Prone, they have it set up so that once anything steps into the base, the entire place goes on alert-and then they always manage to repel anyone who approached from that point. Positioning, tactics, everything that I wasn't expecting... otherwise I would have taken it out earlier, honestly. Also, I really doesn't help that the entire upper half of the fort is covered in snipers either. Whoever it was who set that place up knew what they were doing."

She flicks the device back into its holding place, and she places a finger to her lip as she tilts her head.

"And besides that, trying to approach from the ground is... way too risky."

She shakes her head, not wanting to say why it is for her.

"I did find one alternate route, but there's a Sylooth in the way and I couldn't fit my Skell through there. Our only option is to try and approach from the upper levels, on foot."

With a shake of her head, she looks at Jaynix with a slight pause.

"Plus, if we take too long then they might send word to their neighbors at Bedrock Hold over the mountain. And...you can guess how that would go."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix crossed her arms and focused, listening to everything that Es had to say. Once the other Interceptor brought up the map of the base, Jaynix leaned in close, eyes taking in everything. Seeing this heavily fortified location gave her a sense of nostalgia. Familiarity. She was all set to comment on it but remembered that the last time she brought up something relating to Earth, it looked like it made Es the slightest bit uncomfortable. She wouldn't be the first either.

"Alright then Butterfly let's see if I'm on the right page here. We have to go into that Stronghold and take everyone out as quickly as possible knowing that the moment we engage, everyone in the facility will know what we're up to. Between that and the positions they're occupying it definitely seems like they're using their heads...that or, they have one person using their head and they know a thing or two."

Jaynix then looked off in the direction of the Stronghold.

"I've got experience with raiding bases...I do it all the time...part of that included disabling fortifications. If we could take out the base wide alert system it would be easier. If. That said, if you're sure we can't get by the Sylooth then we can go with the upper level approach. Where would that route take us?"

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"If you have good footwork? A small groups of ledges that we can jump to the start of the upper levels from."

She nods.

"We start from there, we can take out the snipers on the upper levels, move onto the rest. Ground combat is easy pickings from there without the eyes on high after all"

Her eyes move to a large group of tree roots not too far off, and she nods her head.

"We climb up Redsnake Pass, take a bit of a hike to the top of the mountain there and we can... probably hit the mark! Definitely probably!"

Scaling most of a mountain just to approach a base right around the corner. Well, it's certainly an approach.

 Eienias || Jaynix

"Definitely probably?"

Jaynix followed Es' gaze to the route that the pair would have to take. It certainly was a long way around but if it made the oncoming fight easier, then she had no real complaints. With a confident smirk she looked back at Es.

"I've got great footwork and enough energy for a hike or two. We can make our way there and take these guys out no problem! Those snipers won't even know what hit em."

Jaynix slammed her fists together.

"If you're all set to take it to em, so am I!"

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

God, Esmeralda knew she liked this girl the minute they hit it off-and sure enough she continued to impress. Usually most people met her ideas with skepticism or just outright avoided them, but Jaynix? Took them to heart and was ready to roll in the blink of an eye.

“I wonder why Irina never introduced us-“

The realization this might be why crossed her mind...but was then promptly shoved to the side as she nodded happily.

"Then let's get moving. Might take an hour to get up there, but once we get there I can probably get us down nice and easy! Come on Jaynie, time to take down some threats!"

The girl quickly clasped her hands together, and her wing-like launchers zipped to her back from their resting place in the base camp.

"Man this is the best though. I can't wait to see the look on Irina's face when we get back and tell her we totally trashed this place!"

Her voice softens for a moment, and she gives a slight sigh as she closes her eyes.

"I guess it has been a while since I got to work with her, though... maybe the three of us should all sit down after this, get something nice to eat and shop a little. Then we can all go on missions together, kick a bunch of Ganglion butt, just you, me, Irina and..."

She pauses for a moment, crossing her arms in thought and a quizzical hum.

"Oh and Gwin, I guess. I mean it's not a four girl squad but hey, he pulls his weight! Well... usually.

Sheepishly smiling, there's a faint blush on her face as she scratches at her cheek.

"Eheh, sorry... I'm running my mouth too much again, aren't I?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynie. The Fiery Interceptor couldn't help but smile at hearing that nickname; it was so cute and innocent sounding. Not at all like her but she loved it. An hour hardly sounded like any sort of huge commitment, Jaynix was more than ready for it.

"You, me and Irina? That sounds like a guaranteed good time! Come to think of it, it’s been far too long since I last saw her...well, here's hoping that changes soon."

Jaynix began moving away from the base camp when she heard Es mention Gwin. Of course! Can't forget the loyal farm boy. Noting Es' face, Jaynix couldn't help but chuckle.

"No worries Butterfly, I tend to talk a lot too, sometimes more than I should, other times not enough but a lot of words do come out of my mouth, heh. Anyway, once we wrap up with the Ganglion and have some free time, if you wanna bend my ear about Gwin for no reason in particular, I’m always available!”

Jaynix gave Es a wide smile and a wink. She felt so much lighter just after a few moments with Es. Hopefully this mission took a while, she desperately needed something to occupy her mind and focus with.

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

Bend her ear? Esmeralda didn't quite catch onto what Jaynix meant, but she just gave a light chuckle and motioned for Jaynix to follow. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get climbing.”

//////////

The top of the mountain hadn't been too hard to trek to, thankfully due to the whole ‘Mims having really great leg parts' thing she supposed. Though she had been quiet most of the way, since it did require a fair bit of focus.

Regardless, the two Interceptors had made great time climbing to the top-only a good thirty minutes. Looking over to Jaynix, the girl gave a nod as she motioned to the cliff's edge, looking down at the Ganglion base below. It was simple compared to most of the others... but perhaps that was why it proved a more difficult place to topple. Security in simplicity, or something. Whatever, it was going down today and that's all that mattered to her.

"Alright, so we're going to start from the left. There's a small series of ledges below we'll drop to-Oh, fog."

Es was now looking down on the fort as a thick layer of the frustrating stuff drifted in and covered the surrounding area. Mira's weather was working against them apparently, and Esmeralda gave a disappointed huff as she tried to find the location below. The fact that she could see the top of the Fortress' bridges and platforms was the only thing she had to go on right now... and very, very little else.

"Damnit, this is going to make things tougher, isn't it?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

The climb was relatively effortless, Jaynix welcomed the physical activity and before she knew it, they reached the top. Jaynix joined Es in looking down at the Ganglion base, their target.

She looked at it right up until the fog began covering most of it up. Jaynix chuckled at Esmeralda's disappointed huff. But she felt her slight irritation, the weather certainly wasn't agreeing with them.

"Tougher yes, but look at the bright side Es. They'll be having a hard time keeping their eyes on us. The big difference is we are two highly skilled BLADEs. I think the fog might be a boon. An annoying one...but a boon nonetheless."

Jaynix gave a thumbs up to Es, the fog was unexpected but it was not going to sideline her. Either of them. No way.

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"... Eh, at worst if we get separated you'll be able to find me from the light show."

With a smirk, she stared at the ground below and tried to pinpoint the location they could land... but with the fog, all she could do was estimate. If she messed it up, then she would land right... No, she couldn't mess this up. The one thing that could screw up this mission was not going to happen.

"Well, this might be easier if we try to do that... okay. Hope this works for two."

The girl made a motion with her hands, her launchers spreading to the side of her and Jaynix, taking a breath as she grabbed onto the corporal's shoulder.

"So hey, you know how when you free fall in a Skell it's super cool? At least I think it is-but then you realize you're off on the landing and you only have a few seconds to... Actually, don't think about that. Just uh, think about butterflies and birds. Landing. Delicately."

Yeah. Delicate. That thing she is. Completely. Extending her hand out to her companion, she tried to keep her smile on while inside silently trying to... well, hope that this little experiment would pay off.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Light show eh? Jaynix laughed, she enjoyed how confident Es was in her abilities and after their shared mission in Oblivia, Jaynix knew she had every right to be. Es then began setting up some kind of...plan on how the pair would jump down and land safely on the barely visible Ganglion base.

Feeling Es' hand on her shoulder, she gave her a smile which then faltered a bit once Es mentioned Skells. That was the last thing she wanted to think about in any capacity after what happened in the AD.

Jaynix shook her head, focusing instead on butterflies and birds...which matched the pair of them very well. Thinking of it that way, she felt herself calm down before looking to Es' outstretched hand.

"...a Butterfly of the Battlefield and a Firebird. I'm not quite sure I'm so delicate with how I rough house assholes but...I can try."

Reaching out, Jaynix took hold of Es' hand and gave her a confident smile, she had faith in Es' plan...whatever it may be.

"We've got this."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"Gravity Lunge."

On cue, the launchers flicked to their combat state and created a sphere of energy as Esmeralda wrapped her arms around the other Interceptor. Grabbing onto Jaynix and gritting her teeth, the two were caught up in the antigravity field of the psycho launchers as they began to drag them along their course, the sphere surrounding them pushing them forward off the ledge, and sending them rolling down it-tossing up debris from the mountainside as they continued to careen down the side. Four seconds left, three seconds...

“Okay, ledge! Can't land on the center of the bridge or we'll get seen, so a bit to the left and”

Careening the sphere's trajectory to the left, Esmeralda tried to focus as a tree branch came into view to her left, sticking out from the side of the mountain. The girl's eyes widened as she realized her miscalculation, and that they were falling faster than she had anticipated-did she put too much thrust into it or-? One second left.

“I really wish the Colonel's words didn't always apply when these things happen...!”

As the two fell into the thickest of the fog, Esmeralda spun herself around, the launchers disengaged the field- THUNK ... the feeling of her back hitting the solid rock and using herself as a cushion so Jaynix didn't was not one of her proudest moments.

"O-okay, destination... arrived..."

She muttered with a wince of pain, quietly as to make sure nobody else would hear. Chock this up to the list of things she would feel tomorrow...

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix was not expecting Es to wrap her arms around her, next thing she knew they were inside an antigravity field and rolling down the mountainside. This was definitely not at all on her list of ways to get down a cliffside and onto an enemy base...but there is something to be said for being taken off guard.

All the raids and assaults she's done in the past never involved something like this. Then the pair hit solid rock, it was an abrupt stop though Jaynix didn't feel it as much since Es took the hit. Looking to Es below her, Jaynix let out a small, quiet laugh.

"This is not at all where I expected to be today. Thanks for taking me on a ride, Butterfly."

Jaynix smiled at Es before standing and helping the other Interceptor up, now taking the time to examine their surroundings. Their foggy surroundings. She could make out some figures here and there but this was definitely going to be a test for the pair.

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"Yeah no, I'm... I'm glad you enjoyed it. Oooof..."

Pushing herself up to her feet, Esmeralda pressed her hand against the mountainside to try and orient herself with where they just landed. Taking a look to her left, she could faintly make out the waters below, and knew full well that meant-

The sound of a Dilus' growling caused her to lock up, and she shakily grabbed at her saber.

“It's down there... you won't have to deal with them if you stay inside the place... just stay calm...”

"Just keep moving along the wall here, mind your footing. Once you see the upper level of the base... it's all a straight shot from there."

With a nod of her head, she looked to Jaynix once more and gripped on her saber's handle tightly.

"Give me a second; I'm still... a little disoriented from that fall. I'll get moving in a moment."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix stood aside, keeping an eye on Es as the other Interceptor tried to center herself. The fall was incredibly disorienting after all and the impact did not help things either.

Then she saw something very familiar in Es' face and her body language. It was faint but something about it connected with Jaynix. She remained silent as Es told her the directions they should be heading, Jaynix let her eyes wander for a bit and observe their foggy surroundings.

Once Es had fallen silent, Jaynix stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Es. Are you okay? Aside from the fall."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

Jaynix's hand meeting her shoulder made Esmeralda jolt back a bit, but a sigh of relief and a reassuring smile went across her face as she nodded.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry. As long as we clear this place out, we don't have anything to worry about afterwards."

Her launchers centered behind her back again, and with a quick few steps forward, jumped up to the next ridge over. The base's upper bridge was right below her, and that meant it was finally time to start the offensive.

"I'll take point. You clear out the upper levels once their focus is on me. I'll take the low road once we get our first down up top."

With a nod of confidence, she knelt down and tried to focus ahead of her.

"You all set?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Reassured by Es, Jaynix stepped back. Es was capable and if anything went awry as it often did, Jaynix had Es' back. They'd be fine. Nodding to her partner, she watched Es leap down below before sharing her strategy with Jaynix.

"You're going to draw their fire? Alright. You stay ahead of their shots and I'll cut them down, they'll never see me coming."

Jaynix took a deep breath before drawing her blade. Speed was key here. The longer the enemy snipers remained active, the greater chance they had of hitting Es. Jaynix knew Es could take many hits, but she'd rather keep any possible damage to a minimum.

"I'm all set! Let's get this started."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

Launchers orbiting her body and making her usual protective field, she began her walk forward with her saber still inactive. The sounds of her footsteps against the metal stood out among the silence, though the wildlife of Noctilum could still be heard. She only hoped that it would muffle the sound of her approach-because the light created by her aura would stand out far more than even her headgear would.

“Clear for the first part so far... but if I remember right the first station is right at the end of this.”

As the Interceptor thought to herself, the sound of a single sniper shot smashing into her protective field-and quickly dispersing into bits of beam energy-caused her to tilt her head up at the first offender.

"Now you see-this is so much easier than sneaking about."

She grinned, whirling her saber and igniting the cutlass-like blade as she began her rush forward-jumping through the open gap of the watchtower and running up the stairs inside. When she reached the top, another shot smashed into her protective aura, and she just rolled her eyes as she looked at the offender-a large male cavern Prone-

“I mean they’re all large but still…”

The Prone seemed relatively distraught at the fact the sniper was doing nothing to her.

"Knock, knock, asscave."

Es said as she whirled the saber, lunging forward and slashing at the Prone, causing him to block the attack with his rifle. Needless to say that didn't work well, as the thing cut straight through and left him with two halves of a whole sniper that surely- THUNK

Apparently quick thinking prevailed however, as the feeling of said half of that sniper went colliding into the Interceptor's head. Ouch.

"GAH! RUDE!"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix watched Es take off, shots ringing out from the Ganglion snipers positioned along the base. Smirking, Jaynix swung her blade, flames covering her body before she launched up onto the base and made for the sounds of gunfire. As she drew closer she could see the Cavern Clan Prone throw part of its broken weapon at Es, striking her head.

"Not cool."

Leaping and letting out a war cry, Jaynix carved deep into the Prone's back, ripping through its flesh. The Prone roared in pain before turning and attempting to strike Jaynix with its fist.

Dodging the first strike was easy but the Prone reacted far quicker than she thought it would given its injury and nailed her with a second blow, pushing her back.

Spitting, Jaynix watched the Prone charge her and smiled, this one definitely had some fight in it. Using her speed she began dashing around the Prone as its fists swung wide, every missed blow led to a quick bite from her blade. As she carved up the Prone it only grew angrier, slamming the ground and causing Jaynix to lose balance from the immense force.

Seizing the moment the Prone tackled her to the ground and raised its fist, the Prone then gagged as Jaynix pierced its body with her blade. Shoving the body off of her and off her blade, she stood and stabbed it one last time. Pulling her blade out of the corpse she looked back at Es.

"You'll take care of the rest down below and I'll handle what's up here. Easy."

Jaynix then brought up her fist.

"Best of luck, Butterfly."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

The sound of multiple guns clicking to life and Prone battle cries gave plenty of notice that they were now the center of attention.

"Right then, time to-"

Another sniper shot collided with her as she stood in front of Jaynix, grumbling as she turned in the direction of the sniper with a look of irritation. God, no wonder people had issues with this place.

"Ugh, seriously! Guys always interrupting everything...!"

With that, she turned her head back to Jaynix.

"I'm leaving the upper levels to you, there's a structure in the back-we'll meet up there!"

And with that, she vaulted herself off the side of the tower and to the ground below. Saber in hand as she gripped tightly, clenched her teeth and leapt into the storm of oncoming beam fire with fury in her eyes as, well

"GALACTIC CATACLYSM!"

-Yeah, goodbye to the ground below her as a giant massive energy blade crashed into it, sending dirt and debris into the air and disorienting the ground troops.

"Alright losers, listen the hell up! As the Interceptor's own Butterfly of the Battlefield I-"

And then another sniper shot crashed into her protective aura.

"Can I finish a sentence here, dammit?!"

 Eienias || Jaynix

Orders received, Jaynix turned her gaze on the upper levels as Es vaulted off to the ground below. Spinning her blades she began ascending the staircase. A prone saw her coming up and charged down towards her. Ducking his opening strike, she kicked him over the railing and continued uninterrupted.

As the Prone hit the ground below, stunned by the impact, Jaynix emerged at the top where more enemies were lining up their shots, aiming at Es below.

"Hey assholes! Keep your sights off my friend!"

Clenching her teeth she threw herself at the Prone before her. Two rushed to engage her while the last one chose to avoid the battle and provide fire to the combat below. Jaynix cursed, she'd need to get through the two in front to get that last one's aim off of Es.

Blade flashing she began striking at the Prone, this time she made sure to watch them closely not planning to fall for any more sucker punches. Sure enough, much like the first Prone, they were fast, smart with their movements, at least relative to most Prone she's fought.

They evaded several of her strikes, swinging the ends of their rifles at her. All three combatants were dodging and weaving, Jaynix's blade occasionally cutting through skin. She heard another sniper shot go off from the third opponent and knew she had to change strategies.

Swinging out, she struck the Prone's weapons and jumped away, bringing her Gatling gun to bear the sides popped open, a barrage of missiles shooting forth. The Prone before her took the brunt of the blast and were thrown back. Path clear, Jaynix aimed and fired on the third one, bullets riddling him and taking his attention away from Es.

"That's right. Focus on me assholes!"

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

Esmeralda meanwhile was trying to slash her way through to reach her targets. The constant barrage of beam shots were starting to wear away at her patience and her protective field, but she sure as hell wasn't going to relent.

As one of the Prone finally came into her sight, she went in for the slash and cut a large gash in his chest, her eyes sharpening as she prepared to bring the saber down for a finishing strike.

Before she knew it her attack had interrupted by another Prone body slamming her into the massive rock in the dead center of the base, causing her to stumble with a muffled swear as she got back to her feet and kicked the jerk back.

“These guys... sure there's only the two of us, but seriously? I should be doing better than this... no; they should be way easier than this.”

Darting out of the way of the next volley of shots, the Interceptor renewed her aura, a quick flash of green light sweeping over her before she tried to make out the figures among the fog. If she could just lure them somewhere less open she would have an advantage, but...

“They're playing too defensively, most Prone just go for the attack and nothing else... and why the hell haven't I heard a single alarm this whole time?”

 Eienias || Jaynix

Even with the bulky Gatling gun in her hands, Jaynix continued to dodge as many blows as she could from the three very skilled and hostile Xenoforms. Every so often she'd feel a graze or her weapon would take a hit, but she remained focus, she had to do her part.

Spinning around she opened fire, a whirling torrent of bullets shooting out in all directions, pushing her opponents back. Grinding to a halt she leapt at a Prone and slammed her weapon into its face, the size of the weapon and the strength she put into the swing dazed the Prone, giving her time to turn around and fire on the other two attempting to close the distance.

"Hmm. These assholes seem to know a thing or two...but don't worry. Es will be fine, focus on them. Kill them."

Swinging her Gatling gun back again she slammed it into the dazed Prone behind her, throwing it to the ground. Drawing her blade she shot forth, flames once again covering her body.

The first Prone she ran past was quick, evading the end of her blade, but the second wasn't so lucky as she ripped its torso open. Skidding to a halt, she spun around and slashed through its back as well. As the Prone fell dead, the other two joined up. Jaynix then heard something and looked behind her; the Prone she had thrown down the stairs was back.

"Hmph. Still three on one...fine..."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

The sound of combat from up above meant that Jaynix was now engaged with whoever was there. The fact the sniper fire had ceased meant she was busy up top.

"... Alright then, my turn to get serious now!"

The girl's eyes flickered with light as the feeling of Overdrive activating swept over her, and her senses seemed to sharpen with it. Making out the distinct shapes in the fog, she quickly dashed forward and through the oncoming storm of attacks. And as she ran up to the first prone, fury reflected as she ripped her saber straight through the Prone's arm.

As he howled in anger, the girl then proceeded to let forth a flurry of slashes, each one drawing blood and burning through the Xeno's body until he falls, lifeless and mutilated as the Interceptor's eyes dart between each remaining hostile.

The other Prone seemed to cease their attacks, staring at the Interceptor as if they were trying to evaluate her. One of the Prone nodded to the others, and the rest of them move back silently into the fog.

"...I really hope you aren't planning to run off, because no way in hell am I-"

"Glennar has returned."

The large Xeno says, arms crossed as he looks at the Interceptor.

"Demands combat. We are to watch, not interfere."

Esmeralda just stands there, glaring at him with annoyance.

"Ex-gacking-scuse me?"

 Eienias || Jaynix

On the upper levels of the fort, the sounds of battle rang out; Jaynix's blade collided with two of the Prone clubs. They had engaged her while the third, rifle drawn, prepared his shot.

In the midst of a swing, the two in front of her jumped away and a shot rang out, the round striking Jaynix's shoulder and pushing her back. Even as the other two charged in and their clubs made contact, Jaynix couldn't stop herself from smiling.

With a war cry, her blade shot out, slashing back and forth with burning fury. One Prone managed to jump away covered in cuts while the other was pinned against the railing.

Leaping into the air, Jaynix delivered a savage kick to its head, throwing it over to the ground below. She then turned to the other two who made no move to engage. She prepared to press her attack when they jumped over the railings themselves.

"What the...hey assholes! You don't just stop the fight half way through!"

Following suit, Jaynix landed on the ground next to the lifeless Prone she kicked over, neck snapped on impact. She then made out the forms of two Prone disappearing into the fog. Narrowing her eyes, she gave chase.

"Get back here!"

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda,

The girl glares at the Prone, a raised eyebrow as she points her saber at him and smirks.

"Seriously? You're trying to make demands with me, really! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

With a quick slash downwards, she begins to step forward. Then a large Prone... well, I mean they're all large but-oh you get the idea. The guy is big, has most of his face covered in some makeshift mask that looks like it's made out of bones, markings carved on it. A large string of what look to be incense containers of some sort hangs off his belt, but otherwise he... seems about like most other Prone. Outside of y'know, being more menacing.

"Aaand the tryhard of the day award goes to…”

Esmeralda snarks, whirling her saber in her hand.

"Right then! I guess we'll just go through you first and then I’ll take care of the rest."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix continued through the fog until it cleared up...relatively speaking, to a wider opening where she found-

"Es!"

Upon looking over the surrounding area, she also noted several other Prone standing far back, a corpse on the floor, no doubt Es' brutal handiwork and another Prone standing taller than the others around stepping forward.

Jaynix narrowed her eyes as she looked this individual up and done, he seemed a bit different from the others aside from his size...something told her he was the one in charge around here and it also looked like he was personally taking the offensive instead of sitting back in his chambers and waiting.

"Mr. Big Shot himself came out to greet us? Charmed."

Jaynix noted Es was all set to fight, bringing her own blade up Jaynix called out.

"Es, are you alright?"

Keeping her eyes on the big Prone and her hands holding onto her blade tightly, Jaynix was set for whatever came next.

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

The Glennar proceeded to pull one of the containers off his waist, raising it into the air and waving it about, the smell permeating the area heavily. Smelled like... ew, rotten corpse. Delightful. Esmeralda gave a disgusted look at the Xeno as she shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Seems like one of those beast trainers the Prone have. Pffft, what's he going to do? Call out a Suid?"

She rolls her eyes, a smile on her face as she tries to ignore the odor... and in the process, neglects to hear the sound of large footsteps coming from the water outside the stronghold.

"Come on Jaynie, I'll cut this idiot into pieces before-“

As she prepared to lunge forward however, the sound of an all too familiar Indigen's growl caused the girl to lock up.

"Uh... ah...?"

A Dilus. The reptilian masses began lumbering forward towards the Prone, obviously drawn by the smell of the incense he wove throughout the air. But not just one, the outline of another began to step forward through the fog, and another, and another...

And Esmeralda's face paled.  Her hand began shaking as her hold on her saber started to slip. Backing up into Jaynix, panic began to sweep over her as she moved her saber towards the approaching Indigens, her eyes wide and body almost shaking as she stared at the reptilian creatures.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix shook her head briefly at the stench, it didn't matter what aid the Prone called on, a herd of Suid, a Simius or whatever else. Jaynix was ready for it and set to tell Es as much when the other woman fell silent, looking ahead, Jaynix could see a group of Dilus approaching the Glennar. She could make out about four when Es bumped into her.

"Es?"

Jaynix stepped next to her and gave her a brief look, but it was enough to see that Es was not doing well. At all. The fear in her eyes was immediately recognizable to Jaynix. Taking the lead, she stepped in front of Es, keeping her sword up.

"Es! Remember what you told me back in Oblivia. You said that I had to move. To stand and fight...or to run. But I had to do something and I did. Now I'm here to help you. You're strong Es and we're together..."

Jaynix put a hand on Es' shoulder. She wasn't sure what was about to go down and she was the last person who should be offering anyone support after what happened in the AD...but she was also the only other person here and she had to do something.

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

The feelings of fear coursed through her-instincts failing her, thoughts failing her, an absolute feeling of helplessness washing over her as she struggled to grip onto her saber-tried to remember how to recalibrate her launchers-anything that would keep her alive. Anything that would let her-

Fight. Run. Move.

The words registered, but it wasn't until Jaynix's hand touched her shoulder that they became the focus of her mind. Her head snapped up, her entire body felt a massive surge as Overdrive's innate abilities heightened at an almost alarming rate.

Everything around her stopped registering-just the targets in front of her-and the terror they stirred inside her. The girl's entire body shifted into full gear, the feeling of Overdrive amplifying her adrenaline and mixing with her fear caused her to dash forward at a speed she couldn't normally muster.

Wordlessly, her saber burst to life and entered the high-powered state attributed to Galactic Cataclysm, and she began to swing at the Dilus ahead of her, bringing the massive blade straight into the center of the group-and straight through the center of one of the unfortunate things.

Just one problem. None of these swings had a single ounce of accuracy. She was wildly swinging, like she was trying to keep something away.

“I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't...!”

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix saw Es' photon saber flare to life and knew nothing good would come of it, quickly she threw herself out of range as Es began wildly swinging her massive blade of energy.

Jaynix rolled across the ground to see one of the Dilus was bisected by the wrathful blade and the rest were opening their maws to engage. Jaynix had to do something but every thought that came to mind was more difficult than the last.

Knowing that she couldn't sit aside as Es continued her savage assault, Jaynix spat and stood up, engaging Overdrive as well. Jaynix watched Es' attacks and the Dilus preparing to strike, one of her swings went wide leaving her completely exposed.

Seizing that opportunity, Jaynix shot across the clearing just as a Dilus launched itself at Es, massive maw ready to bite down. Jaynix collided with it in midair, her blade cutting through it and throwing the pair across the ground. Jaynix remained low as Es' blade seared through the air over her head.

The Dilus continued to fight her as she clenched her teeth and held it down, the additional strength granted by Overdrive helping her greatly.

"Es! Es! You have to breathe! You have to focus! Es!”

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

There was a voice calling to her, but it barely registered past anything more than a sound as the thoughts reverberated in her head.

Turning towards the sound her eyes flared with light. Dragging her saber along the ground she rushed towards the Dilus with fear and fury in her eyes.

Swinging the blade up over her head she brought it crashing straight down onto the Dilus that Jaynix was holding.

 Eienias || Jaynix

"Es! Es! You-"

Jaynix was cut off as Es charged her, and brought her blade up. She could barely register it but knew she had to move. Acting quickly, she released the injured Dilus and jumped aside as Es' blade cleaved it in two.

Skidding to a halt, Jaynix called out to Es again and again before feeling something off. Looking down she saw a large gash running across her body. She didn't move fast enough.

"...Es?"

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

“Have to survive! Have to survive! Have to-!”

“Esmeralda?”

"Irina...?" Esmeralda's eyes met the source of the voice. Jaynix. When did she get here? When did... she get hurt? Was it the Prone? Or the Dil-

"...no. No, what did I...? No, oh no, no, no...!"

The sound of the remaining Dilus behind her left her with the last of her nerves shot, and she panicked. If she didn't attend to Jaynix's wounds, she would-but the Dilus and the Prone-

“I-I have to-I...!”

Esmeralda grit her teeth and ran away from the Dilus before its jaws tried to clamp down on her, barely grazing her as she ran over to Jaynix and gripped her arm tightly.

There wasn't a single word spoken as she dragged her through the waters away from the Stronghold, barely on the verge of tears as the two vanished into the fog away from the base.

 Eienias || Jaynix

The glow of Overdrive kept Jaynix relatively free of pain, but in light of the drastic and unexpected hit she took, it gave and faded away, leaving her body.

Jaynix had enough in her to see some semblance of self return to Es. From there she mostly felt numb as Es took hold of her and proceeded to wave through the waters. She tried to focus on Es' hand holding onto her.

"Stay. Conscious. Es needs you."

"It's alright Es...I'll be fine...it's okay..."

Jaynix took as deep a breath as she could manage, she's pushed her pain down plenty of times before. This was no different. Needing to reassure Es, she focused on her arm that Es was holding; Jaynix moved her hand and held onto Es' arm, giving her a squeeze to let her know that she was still there.

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"No, you're not going to be okay!" She whimpered. "Don't lie to me! Don't even speak to me right now...!"

The girl's eyes filled with panic as she pressed Jaynix against the nearest wall when they were finally in a safe zone. She pulled out her saber.

“Have... have to use the healing mode! Crap, I don't have the energy-have to...!”

She gripped her saber, closing her eyes as she gripped at her saber's hilt, activating an art as she grit her teeth. The energy in her body was drained through the use of Essence Exchange, becoming a new source of energy as she quickly shifted her saber to use its healing mode.

“Astral Heal! Astral Heal! Astral Heal...!”

She muttered the words inside her head as she tried to remedy her companion's wounds, green lights sweeping over the wounds-trying to minimize the damage as best as they could. However, it would only be a placebo effect until proper maintenance was performed.

“Have...have to get her to Maintenance...just have to get her to the Skell but...no, have to fix this first, have to-!”

The saber's healing effects continued on and on, as Esmeralda's desperate expression continued to get worse. This was her fault. This always is her problem. She wasn't protecting anyone-she was trying to cut down everything without hitting the brakes. She...

"Astral heal... astral heal...!"

Her voice began to grow hoarse as she kept crying, trying to continue to heal the Corporal desperately.

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix felt a wall to her back, the support was comforting. Closing her eyes she continued to take in deep breaths before facing Es again who was crying and pushing herself to heal her with everything she had.

"Es..."

Jaynix couldn't let her continue, she couldn't let Es work herself to exhaustion and she couldn't let her take all the blame for this…she saw the panic in Es’ eyes, the desperation in her voice and the tears staining her face.

Jaynix knew all too well what this path led to and she didn't want to see anyone else walk it. Mustering her strength, Jaynix moved forward and pushed Es' hand away, the photon saber hitting the ground.

Jaynix then placed her arms around the other Interceptor, embracing her.

"Es. Everything will be alright. Just breathe. Please."

Holding onto her tightly, Jaynix continued to speak softly.

"We're still in this together Butterfly...we're both still here."

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"It's not alright! Astral-!"

The moment Esmeralda's saber fell from her hand, everything felt like it stopped. And as Jaynix's arms wrapped around her, and it felt like everything shattered. The feeling of uselessness, the regret, every last emotion and thought was pushed aside as she screamed into Jaynix's shoulder, one of her hands gripping at the gash as if it was trying to cover it up.

About half a minute later, she clenched at the Corporal's side and muttered under her breath, trying to push herself off Jaynix. It was then the blood on her hand became apparent, and her eyes closed as she struggled to speak.

"Need to... need to get you to the city. Find someone to repair this before you..."

She clenched her hand into a fist.

"Get the first aid kit out of my Skell, air lift you back after I seal the wound properly..."

 Eienias || Jaynix

Jaynix ran her hands along Es' back as she screamed. This was what she needed. To let it all out. Jaynix knew that she shouldn't be standing let alone stopping Es from healing her...but she couldn't sit idly by as the other woman suffered, she refused to.

Jaynix heard Es speak; state her plans and how she wanted to help her. She nodded, continuing to hold Es until she felt parts of her body going numb. As strong as she was, blood loss was blood loss. Protoplasmic fluid or not.

"Es. I trust you. Fully. I...I have to go now...but I'm still right here, with you. You can do this...you can get us back to NLA. I believe in you."

Jaynix took her arms from Es, slowly as she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. She kept her eyes on Es, she wanted to stay awake. No one hated sleeping more than her...but she couldn't.

She gave Es the best smile she could manage before everything went black.

 DeltaMachina || Esmeralda

"Jay? What does that-"

The feeling of silence falling over the area as Jaynix passed out was all that remained as she weakly reached for her, eyes staring at the redheaded Interceptor as she fell to the ground.

"Jayn-"

She stopped herself, and all the emotions she had just poured out were replaced with a wave of bitterness, anger, all towards herself as she stood up.

She checked Jaynix for a pulse, but even that didn't ease the renewed bitterness as she turned around and gripped at her headgear, eyes fixed on the ground as she left out a frustrated scream.

"No... why, what the hell is wrong with me?!"

The Interceptor grabbed at the headgear at her head, flinging it as hard as she could against the wall Jaynix rested on. One of the light wings flickered, but the gear fell to the ground no worse for wear as she dug her fingers into her forehead, covering her face with her palms and swearing to herself over and over.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. They were going to keep people safe. Go home and maybe spend some time with Irina and Gwin, laugh about stunts they pulled, get chewed out for not letting Irina know so she could join in...

And then she remembered all those people Jaynix said she felt so close to, and her hands fell from her face. Her expression was pained, lonely, and empty.

"...Of course not…why did I even start to think I was starting to belong here?"

[eienias20]

Jaynix and Flame Sisters 01

I want to say it’s been a long time coming but i’m actually not sure how much time it has been.

Regardless @flametorchic and I have decided to link our Crosses, Jaynix and Flame by blood. These two are now, sisters.

I’ve doodled a bit for them but decided to hit the pair up in game and gather a bunch of nice screens of them just...being together. They’ve been apart from some time but no longer.

Memories or not.

Let these siblings bond and be happy.