Hunting the Sphinx (Success!)

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    Pain. Humiliation. A plethora of negative emotions was running through Jack at the moment in which Nyght frowned and pulled away from him. He felt like he was dying. And maybe, in that moment, a small part of him did. The young man was forced to do what he always did when a powerful negative emotion was threatening to consume him. He crushed it. Jack took the pain and humiliation he felt at Nyght's rejection and shoved it all down to be compressed with everything else. A small part of him would die, but Jackson Fletcher would live.

    "N-Nyght wait!" He managed to choke out. "I don't know how to tell you what I feel. I don't know what you want me to say!" But Jack said this to her back. Nyght had already begun to walk away by the time she'd disengaged from their hug.

    Jack didn't know what else to say. He felt betrayed. His throat seized up and all he could do was stumble back over to Paquito. The young man sank to the ground and sat, leaning against the Ak's powerful bulk. A rough tongue touched his face, licking away the beginnings of a tear the young man hadn't even known he'd had. Jack looked up at Paquito and seemed to borrow strength from the creature. After a few moments, the young man was numb again, simply sitting there staring at dead sphinx with Paquito by his side.

    "Where did I go wrong, Paq? Since when did I start caring about people?" Jack knew the Akhlut couldn't answer back but it felt better just to talk to him. He still felt the sting of Nyght's rejection but having his friend with him let the young man feel like it would be ok.

[Varos Talantos]

“You always have. You just never let yourself accept these feelings.” Varos was sat on the ground, gently petting Paquito. Her grey eyes glanced up from him to Jack. She wore a form she had worn many times before, enough so that many could usually recognize who she was from the red hair, cool eyes, chiton and sword.

She reached out, and Jack’s sword gently went over to her. She wiped it clean on the white of her dress, leaving a giant smear, but ignored it and gave the sword back.

“Nyght does not know I’m here. She will not accept me into her life, and I will not force myself upon her. Still, she is on a dangerous path. Her chosen fate worries me.” Varos sighed. “As for you, I congradulate you on killing yet another dangerous creature. Here, take this.”

Varos closed her hand, and upon reopening it, there was an eye, taken from the body of the Sphinx. It, too, had been cleaned. As if none of this had ever really happened. As she gave the eye to Jack, he would feel a strange sensation: one caught in the middle of pain and pleasure. A new mark had formed on his body. He was, for now at least, Blessed.

“Good luck. I will assure that Aurora is alright.” Varos said, before vanishing. Time resumed itself properly, and Nyght would find a little present box within Aurora’s jaw, and also find the creature suddenly had a bit more strength. Within the neatly wrapped box would be the severed tongue of the Sphinx.

[Nyghtingale]

Nyght wiped her eyes again, trying to stop crying. She was so worried for Aurora, she wouldn't have noticed probably even if the goddess had shown to her or not. She instead was attempting to help Aurora and keep her calm and make sure her friend was not about to die on her. She suddenly found that Aurora was standing straighter, and was not in so much pain. Her ahkult grunted at her, slapping her tail on the ground once but quite loudly. Nyght blinked, jumping back slightly at the ahkult slapped her tail. Aurora turned around, and suddenly set a small box wrapped up like a present upon the ground at her feet.

Night blinked, frowning as she wondered where the present has come from. She raised an eyebrow, bending slowly and picking up the present and eyeing it carefully.

She slowly turned around, looking at Jack with the present in her hand. She tilted her head, frowning at Jack.

"Jack....what just happened. Was that something you did...did you just give me a present... Or was that something else. Aurora...she's feeling better...and this present appeared...is this like when that lady showed up and did whatever it was she did to Marcus?"

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    Jack looked up at the sound of her voice. He was too numb to react to the presence of a stranger who hadn't been there a moment ago. The young man's eyes widened when his sword floated over to the woman. That wasn't supposed to happen. No one could do that except... Except for maybe one person. Was person the right word? Perhaps, being or entity was more correct. Suffice to say, Jack looked at the woman more closely this time, taking in the red hair and archaic dress. He wasn't sure that he wanted to believe it.

    As he accepted his sword back, the young man focused on the tightness in his chest. Jack would never admit it to anyone but he was apprehensive, bordering on fearful. The last time a goddess had appeared before him, it had been to curse Marcus for his cowardice. At first he worried that he might have done something wrong, but when he gripped the hilt of his sword it did not burn him, the young man noted with relief. He was still deemed fit to be a Keeper, to uphold balance. Varos then offered him the eye of the sphinx which he gladly accepted.

    In that moment in which he accepted the eye, Jack felt strange. The sensation was not quite pleasure, not quite pain. He'd been blessed. The young man began to feel tears well up in his eyes but he fought them back. Not a curse, but a blessing.

    Varos assured him that Aurora would be alright before vanishing and with her absence things seemed so much more normal that Jack almost doubted she'd been there at all. He continued to sit there, attempting to process what had just occurred, Paquito by his side and the clean blade of his sword lying across his lap, catching moonlight. Nyght approached and asked him something.

    "I gave you nothing," It took a split second for Jack to sort through his emotions and perhaps he was a little colder than he'd meant to be in his response. "I don't feel cursed. Do you?" The young man gave Paquito a quick pat on the back and the Ak left. He'd see him in a few days, once the Akhlut had arrived at the port. Jack would arrange for a boat to take him back west so Paquito could return home.

    Jack wanted to leave, too, but he continued to sit there, still not looking at Nyght. "How's she doing?" The young man asked, referring to Aurora.

[Nyghtingale]

     Nyght blinked, frowning as she looked at Jack. He was being extremely rude, and Nyght was not sure why he was being so rude. She decided it was probably best to just ignore it otherwise she would worry about it to much and probably over think it. So she decided to move past this strangeness. She raised her eyebrows at him, and sighed.

     "Well, since you obviously saw something, or somebody, I did not I am going to assume that it was like last time? That they simply with held themselves from me for some reason." She sniffed, flicking her hair behind her head and looked at Jack. "Whatever, I guess. No, I do not think you have been cursed, and I have not been either. At least I do not think I have been."

     She glanced at Aurora again, and reached over to pat Aurora's back gently. Aurora shivered, and Nyght leaned in close to kiss her cheek softly. She looked back at Jack and nodded softly. "She looks like she is doing fine. She suddenly is more energetic, but she is still hurt and needs time to rest and heal. Thank you for asking Jack...I...I appreciate that a lot."

     She looked around, sighing deep. They had a massive mess, and they probably should clean some stuff up. Otherwise there would be questions ask, and an investigation started. "Aurora, if you are feeling up to it, can you please get rid of the body for use." Nyght stepped forward and flicked her hands at metal chains, causing them to disintegrate and disappear. Aurora limped over to the body of the sphinx, and began to spray acid on the body causing it to slowly begin to disappear.

     "There we go, cleaned up as best as we could. Jack...thank you for everything. I appreciate it, and I...I just..." She frowned, looking away at the city. She then suddenly leaned forward and kissed Jack on his lips. She pressed her lips firmly against his own, the soft heat from her own flowing in to his lips. She then pulled away, cheeks flushed with heat. She pulled away, then turned and walked away from Jack and rested her hand upon the Aurora as she walked away back towards the city making sure to pick up her firearm along the way.

[Jacksoπ Flεtchεr]

    When Nyght spoke some more on her theory concerning, he didn't say much, simply shrugging every so often. She seemed somewhat irritated, by his behavior? Was that the right word? Maybe miffed, or something else from the thesaurus. Jack didn't mind all that much. He had too many thoughts running around in his head at the moment. She thanked him for asking about Aurora, as if it had taken any effort or consideration or energy on his part. She had Aurora dissolve the body with acid and then she kissed him.

    At first, Jack wasn't entirely sure how to react. He certainly hadn't been expecting it. The young man wasn't entirely sure what to think either. It was over all too soon and the entire time he hadn't done anything but sit there with a bemused look on his face.

    Afterwards, she and Aurora began to walk back toward the city. Jack didn't follow. He sat there for a moment longer, thinking. Finally, the young man shook his head and sighed. Tonight had been an emotional roller coaster, especially for someone like him. All he wanted to do was go home and, a moment later, he was. Disappeared, teleported away.