Awakening | Act 1, Chapter ?: Bitter Reunion, Part 1 |

[DoubleOEspresso]

Awakening Character Profiles

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A bed of grass on top of gray rock, surrounded by a thin layer of fog. Hidden beyond the rocky surface was a stronghold brightly lit with various rooms, fit for warriors. Training rooms, lodging, self serve kitchens, and a hearty warm lounge lit by a fireplace. The wizards had finally arrived on the shoal connecting the miniature archipelago to the main training island. Although it had just been three days and two nights, the dry and warm stone walls seemed more cozy compared to crumbling sand. All of them had longed to return to the home they’d been accustomed to for two weeks.Scarlett tightened the sails as the gentle current of the shoals directed the caravel towards the shore.

At last, the boat had stopped on the surface of damp sand. One by one they all departed from the caravel, and began to form a supply chain to deliver crate after crate to the shore. In just a few minutes, the dozen of crates were neatly piled up. “Kaladin.” mentioned Julius. Without a reply, he summoned six barriers that enclosed themselves around the pile of crates in the shape of a cube. A large green magic circle underneath maintained it’s form, and Kaladin immediately began heading towards the stone stairs leading up to the mouth of the cave. “Hey Kaladin, do you need help?” asked Joyce. “Nope! I’m good. This is quite light actually, and the barriers are hardly draining any magic energy.” Joyce tilted her head in confusion. I thought Kaladin couldn’t lift heavy loads with his barriers? When did he get this strong? Asura and Jin both stared at Joyce worryingly, and rushed over to Kaladin’s side. The rest of the wizards followed up behind them, and began their “test of endurance” as Lance claimed.

Jin and Asura went up close to Kaladin as he levitated the green cube ahead of him. “Kaladin. Are we still going to hide your increased strength from everyone? It doesn’t seem like the best decision,” whispered Asura. “I agree. It wouldn’t hurt any of us to mention it either.” added Jin. “Just shut it guys. We’re telling nobody until Lance sees my growth for himself first.” concluded Kaladin, with slight aggression to his tone. Asura and Jin stopped in place as Kaladin stomped up the stairs. They continued after he’d gone up several steps. “It’s a strange idea, and one that’s respectable as well, but Kaladin’s still an idiot.” said Asura. He kept his voice to a low, so that Kaladin couldn’t hear. “An idiot for what?” questioned Jin. “Insisting on Lance’s approval, and always being so petty about working alongside him. We’ve known him for two weeks now, and it’s not like Kaladin ever met the guy before all of us did either. So why?” Asura cracked his knuckles and scratched his neck.

A drop of water fell on his nose. He let out his hand and felt more droplets come down. “Ah shit! Come on guys, let’s hurry it up!” shouted Julius at the back of the line. The rain picked up the pace and soon the droplets turned into a shower. “Argh! Hey Vega, can’t you use some spell to negate the rain? I’m getting soaked!” whined Joyce.

“My spells can’t focus on this wide of an area! The rain would just come back anyways!” shouted Vega. Their voices were blocked out by the pattering of rain on the stone. “We’re almost there!” shouted Kaladin. Even at the back, the light of two torches strapped to the ends of the arch could be seen past the gray sky. They all hurried up the final steps, and made it past the entrance.

The wizards sighed at the beauty and relief of torches that illuminated and warmed up the hallways. The sound of shouting and explosions resonated through the chiseled walls. Vega let out a disgusted groan. “Could we please get a break from the sound of explosions? It’s getting annoying now.” “Honestly, I could agree with you on that one,” said Scarlett.

The two fist bumped each other and pushed ahead of everyone else. The rest of them made their way past the mouth of the cave, and headed straight into the lounge room. It was a spacious area fit with bookshelves, tables and chairs, with a fireplace and a bearskin rug to accessorize the dark spruce floors. “Alright then. Let’s waste no time here gang. I’ll be in the storage room if any of you need me.” said Kaladin, as he paid no attention to the others and began his immediate exit towards the main hallway.

“Oh Kaladin, let me come with you! I’ll help you out with sorting and hauling the crates.” “Thanks-” said Kaladin, before Jin and Asura both stepped between the two. Kaladin tapped their shoulders, and pulled their ears in. “What are you guys doing? You’re making things worse here. Back off please.” whispered Kaladin. He let go of Jin and Asura’s ears and nudged them aside. The two of them walked off into the lounge disconcerted.

“As I was saying, thanks for the help.” Kaladin stared back at Jin and Asura momentarily, before continuing with his sentence. “I appreciate it.” Kaladin said with a bright smile. The two headed down the hall, making their way to the stairwell leading to the lower levels of the stronghold.

The others remained in the lounge, enjoying the company of heat and warmth. Sounds of cracking wood were followed by rumbling stomachs. Being the last one still standing, Vega slouched his way into a chair. “Vega, you need to rest properly,” said Jin. It sounded more like an order than a friendly request. “I’ll be alright. A table and chair, alongside a cozy fire is plenty enough for me.” Vega put his head down on the table and shut himself away from the commotion. The sounds of explosions and banging rumbled through the walls. The rain poured down even harder, and water seeped it’s way into the stronghold.

“We can’t just sit here like this! Can we at least have something to eat?” whined Joyce. “Nooo, can do.” said Julius. He toyed around with a splinter of wood, twirling it between his fingers. “So long as Vega is asleep, we can’t cook shit.” Joyce marched over towards Vega, and shook him viciously. Jin and Julius jumped up and rushed over to pull her back. “What are you doing Joyce?” they said simultaneously. She flailed around and looked up at the two. Her eyes were nearly tearing up. Jin let go of his grip, but Julius held on tighter. “I’m not falling for that again!”

Suddenly, a pulse of heat radiated from where Vega sat. He stood up slowly. The bags on his eyes paired with his drooping hair cast a shadow over his face that highlighted his fiery red eyes. His magic aura reverberated as he slowly walked out of the lounge. “Asura. Assist me please.” said Vega, motioning faintly with his fingers for him to follow. “Right.” replied Asura, and he instantly trailed behind him. Joyce could just barely hear Vega say, “Gods, she’s so annoying sometimes.” as he disappeared down the hall. “Hey I heard that!” Joyce shouted. She slumped onto the ground and crossed her arms.

Jin sat where Vega formerly was. He jumped up at the heat and patted down his bottom. “Well, this situation sure has gotten quite awkward.” said Scarlett, finally speaking up. “I think awkward doesn’t come close to describing it. We’ve all been acting strange, and I’m sure the past two days have all taken a toll on our heads.” stated Julius. He sighed in frustration. “I don’t know how you couldn’t figure this out yet.” he murmured. Scarlett covered her giggle with her hand. BOOM! The stronghold shook and drops of water accompanied by dust drifted down from the ceiling.

“That’s it. Vega’s right. Their training is getting annoying.” Julius turned over to Joyce and grabbed her by the arm. He hauled her out of the lounge. “Let’s go tell those two to keep it down. How has Apollo been training against Lance for so long already? A curse user against a light magic wizard. Ha! Apollo must be in shambles right now!” The sound of his voice trailed away as the two navigated the stronghold, making their way to the training sector.

Jin and Scarlett both stared blankly at the empty hallway, then gazed around in the room. It came as a shock to the two of them, at how quickly they had all left. Suddenly, Jin felt a tap on his shoulder. It was light as if a butterfly had landed briefly and flew off. “Let’s chat for a bit shall we?” said Scarlett. She took her seat on one of the chairs. Jin took his. Jin fumbled his hands around, placing them in his pockets and on the table, awaiting for Scarlett. She just stared at him, smiling. His irritation provoked him to speak out. “So are we just going to remain silent this entire time?” Jin asked. He felt that his time was being wasted, but he knew his time would go to waste elsewhere. “Alright. I’ll start then.” said Scarlett. Her words were harmonious and dignified, carrying the esteemed greatness of the Malkavian Clan with it.

“So Jin, how are you doing?” she spoke with a mildly sarcastic tone. "I’m doing fine,” he replied. Scarlett stared at him unimpressed. “Now you ask me the same question.”

"Jin felt sweat roll down his neck, and the heat underneath his shirt clouded his thoughts. “How are you Scarlett?”

“Thanks for asking Jin. I’m doing quite well.”

“That’s good to hear. How are you doing?”

“See? You’re getting the hang of it now.”

“I shouldn’t be taught how to speak Scarlett. I know how to make conversation.”
“Well you just seemed like you needed a push.” Scarlett reached across the table and nudged Jin’s shoulder. Jin tilted his head down, hiding the red cheeks he felt appearing on his face.

“Thanks then.” Scarlett smiled back at him. “No problem.” How the hell are you able to smile like that? Jin thought, as he breathed rhythmically to calm himself down. He finally tilted his head back up.

“Well, come on!” Scarlett slammed her hands on the table, which startled Jin. He recoiled back as Scarlett slid across the table. “I gave you the push you need. Let’s try and keep the conversation going please!” Scarlett said, inching her face closer to Jin with every word. She seemed to be more frustrated than furious.

“Alright, alright!” Scarlett reeled away from him and returned to her seat. It looked as if she embodied patience itself. Back straight, legs and feet together, hands placed neatly on her lap, and eyes glued onto Jin, awaiting for his next words.

“Is there anything you would like to talk about?” Jin asked.

“Give me your honest opinions on everybody.” Scarlett stated.

“Seriously? That doesn’t seem like much.”

“I think you’ll come to realize that it might be a lot harder than you might think.”

“What do you mean?”

“To speak honestly. I mean true honesty. Hiding nothing at all.”

Is she testing me or interrogating me? This shouldn’t be too hard. Jin thought. “Alright then. Who should I start with?”

“Let’s go with… Joyce, Julius, Kaleigh, Kaladin, Asura, Apollo, Vega, and lastly…” Scarlett pointed towards herself. The flames from the nearby torches fanned and waved around as a gust of wind from outside rushed into the stronghold. It lit up Scarlett’s face, creating a golden glow on her eyes. Jin stared at her, and his mesmerization was broken as the spotlight steered away from her face.

“Ahem. So for Joyce…” Jin paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Hold on, this really is a lot harder than I thought. I speak openly all the time. Vega even scolds me for it. So why can’t I do it now? “Joyce. Yeah. She’s… exciting…and fun, I guess.”

“Seriously Jin?” Scarlett chuckled. “Cut it with the jokes.” She tried her best to cover up her laugh, putting her hand to her mouth and taking in large breaths.
Jin laughed awkwardly. “Sorry. I’ll be honest from now on.” Scarlett wanted to laugh even more at what he’d just said. But she held herself back, and kept her thoughts to herself. What is up to honestly? Although, it’s kinda cu- cool. Cool.

“Joyce to me is just the goofy little sister out of all of us.” Jin spoke out suddenly. Scarlett quickly gave her full attention to Jin. “She has her brave moments, but she’s really clumsy and honestly kind of dumb. She definitely relies on other people too much, which might end up holding her back from a lot of things. Although it’s kinda nice to have her around. A person with as much sass as her can sometimes light up the mood. She’s cool.”

Silence befell on the two of them. “U-uhh, did I say something wrong?” asked Jin. Scarlett continued to ogle him. The realization hit Jin like a mace to the skull. “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything bad, knowing how close you two are! If anything, you’re the one who told me to be honest!”

“Jin! Oh my Gods calm down please!”

“Why’d you look at me like that then?”

“Just a force of habit. Usually whenever anyone mentions Marie like that. I should be apologizing. Now it’s Julius’s turn right? Also, you can just keep going afterwards. No need to wait for my response.”

“Got it.” Jin cleared his throat. The rain eased up, and the sound of crashing raindrops no longer rang in the background of the conversation. “Julius. He’s probably the most annoying person I’ve ever fucking met.”

Scarlett burst into laughter. “Keep going!” she managed to make out between her giggles.

“Okay so, Julius sometimes can never just stop talking, or commenting on every little thing. The noises he makes just out of nowhere, or the vocal commentary. Like, come on! It’s not necessary right? However, I do have respect for him since he’s got my back sometimes, and I admire his efforts to control his own magic. He’s definitely a good guy at heart.”

“Next!”

“Kaleigh. Oh man. Sometimes I just feel like, Kaleigh is really held back. I know that he’s scared deep down, and you can see it if you look closely in his eyes. During the survival challenge with Lance, you could tell he was scared even though we knew that Lance wouldn’t be using a drop of his full strength. Yet that pressure must have gotten to him, and thus Vega had to sacrifice himself to save Apollo.”

“May I add, that the day we first met Lance. Kaleigh stopped talking right after Lance mentioned the slavery in kingdoms.”

“That’s… something I feel like we shouldn’t discuss. It’s too personal.”

“Agreed.”

“Moving onto Kaladin. He’s quiet at times, but he definitely warms up to us during some crucial times. At first glance his personality might seem kind of bland, but as you’ll get to know him, you can see the many sides of him. His seriousness, his lack of care, and he’s even funny and a jokester at times too. Hopefully Lance gets to see more of his versatility.”

“Seriously? Kaladin making jokes?”

“Oh yeah. He only makes them when we have a late night talk with the guys.”

“I could never imagine making a single good joke.”

“I’ll be honest, they’re better than Julius’s.” Jin and Scarlett both chuckled.

“Now onto Asura, he’s been quiet and reserved as usual. Even when we fought alongside each other in the Oasis. I don’t really know what goes on his head, but I’d like to know. Probably something brilliant, like he’s calculating every single possibility that could turn out in a day.”

“Time for the almighty Apollo!” Scarlett chanted.

Jin sighed. “I mean, I don’t even need to say much. He’s just a sun. A bright, radiant sun. Always happy, always glowing. His charisma and physical skills are a sight to behold. If he didn’t exist or wasn’t in our lives, we’d be the stalest group in the whole War Seas.”

“Don’t say that!” Scarlett nudged Jin playfully. “We would have Julius at least.”

“But Julius gets annoying. Apollo is just uplifting no matter what. If Apollo stops smiling, the rest of us do as well. Maybe things could’ve been different if we had him on the Oasis with us.”

Scarlett remained silent, looking down at the table. After a few seconds she tilted her head up. “Alright then. Now onto the one I’m looking the most forward to hearing about. Vega.”

“Well, Vega and I have been friends since the start. We’ve lived alongside each other. Almost every memory I can recall, would always include him. He was always there, having my back. I had his back. We were total opposites. Liking different things, having different strengths and weaknesses. But we could always come back to the middle, and embrace what one had and the other didn’t. The closest friends, but of course we competed against each other to see who was stronger or better. My rival.”

Jin paused for a moment. He looked back at Scarlett, awaiting his next words curiously and willingly. “Now I feel that things are different. We’re growing up to become adults soon. I’m starting to see that this rivalry might just be one-sided. Vega… he always manages to display his strength. His intellect. Back at the raid on the island. It was his idea to combine our magic properties to create a huge attack. It was his moves and efforts that held off the explosion magic general.

While I just ended up getting hurt. He’s just that much stronger…” Scarlett rested her head on Jin’s shoulder. Jin was too lost in thought to care. “Well I wouldn’t sell yourself short Jin. You’re fairly strong too. I would say just as strong as Vega." Scarlett said endearingly with a smile. Jin smiled back warmly, before fixing his gaze to the ground. “I’m just jealous of him. Even though I’m working on my Blood Wind, I just know that he’ll surpass me. Those flames of his. They’re nothing close to common.”

Scarlett fell silent, and so did Jin. The rain began pouring again. Jin promptly looks away from Scarlett, making sure to hide his red face. Scarlett subconsciously did the same. Ahhhh! What do I say next? I don’t really know how to solve this. Do I try to make him feel better, or?

“Scarlett.” said Jin.

“Yeah?” replied Scarlett enthusiastically.

“I almost forgot to talk about you.”

“Oh. I see…” Scarlett’s face turned a rosy red. “You know what? We don’t actually have to talk about me-”

Jin grabbed Scarlett’s hands, and held them tight. Scarlett looked up, revealing her flustered face to him. She titled her head away immediately, hiding her blush.

“I want to talk about you. Even it’s just a couple of words."

“Seriously?”

Jin nodded affirmingly, and let go of her hands.

“Go on then.” Scarlett gulped down her nervousness, and awaited his response.
“You’re always taking care of us, being really considerate and confident. It’s like nothing ever fazes you. You’re like a tough guy, but still a beautiful woman. If that makes any sense at all. You’re just, overall stunning. I envy you.”

Scarlett covered her mouth as Jin said ‘beautiful’. Her face was flushed with redness, resembling a ripe tomato. So he thinks I’m beautiful… She tilted her head fully down, to hide any hint of her embarrassment. Her heart was pounding, and sweat trickled down her neck.

“Sorry…” said Jin with guilt. The silence that came afterwards was long, and felt as if it lasted forever. The sound of rain from outside hammering down on the island could be heard clearly now. Jin had completely forgotten it was raining. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Jin… touch my hair.” Scarlett seductively requested.

“What the fuck? Hell no!” Jin twisted his body in an aggressive manner. Scarlett shot upwards, seemingly back to normal. “Aww. Are you seriously that upset?” Scarlett asked, maintaining her composure. There wasn’t a hint of malice or other intent. It all seemed genuine for Jin.

“Alright, fine.” Jin stood up, and walked behind her. Scarlett sat up straighter, back pressed against the chair. She closed her eyes and waited. “Sorry in advance.” murmured Jin. He stretched out his fingers on his right hand, and brushed them through her long silky vermillion hair.

“See. That wasn’t so hard was it? Hey. If you’re ever upset about something, just come tell me. If you can’t tell Vega of course. I understand why you’d keep your troubles away from him.” Jin scoffed at her and got up.

He broke into silence, hiding away his tearful smile. Just this one time, only this one time. “Sure. I’ll come tell you. But you’ll be telling me your troubles too. I’m not giving you this opportunity for free.”

“I’m sure you have that psychology backwards,” chuckled Scarlett. “Alright come on. It’s been a while since Joyce and Julius left. Let’s go check up on them.”

The two promptly headed down the stairs, savoring the few minutes they had spent together. Keeping their emotions in check, they bundled their warm feelings deep in their hearts.

Managed to get a schedule together, so hopefully I’ll be able to be publishing chapters once per week. Part 2 comes out next Friday.