literature

Starcrossed || Fifty-Two

Deviation Actions

Published: Aug 7, 2015

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Literature Text

Though the mid-day sun was concealed behind a perpetual, misty grey blanket of clouds, the heat remained. It wafted down between the intermingling branches of the wild woodlands, and settled in the few patches where trees refused to provide shade.

Sean and Elise sat upon a sturdy, low hanging branch- Elise more of a spectator while Sean barked corrections at the two Tessirians. Push the fist straight out from the body, pull everything back into a tight position, don't hold your breath when doing endurance exercises... Jared and Kaye had followed Sean's step by step instructions for over two hours now, and their efforts showed.

As if fighting an invisible enemy, they each followed through with a "simple" double-fist punch forward, kick out to the right routine. Though Jared had felt he had executed it perfectly, Sean had another opinion. As always, his punishment for his less than perfect form was fifteen push-ups. Sweat glistened on his toned shoulders and soaked through patches on his white under shirt. His other shirt had long since been discarded, hung over a branch at random. He glanced up at Kaye as he wrestled with his own body weight. She smoothed back her hair into yet another tight ponytail, determined to keep it neat during the course of their vigorous training.

"Where's her push-ups, huh?" Jared complained, short of breath.

Sean waited for Jared to stand again before he smirked and gave his answer. "Guess she doesn't like push-ups as much as you do, buddy, because she's getting the forms right." In truth, both of the Tessirans were doing remarkably well. Sean was quietly impressed with their progress. But Jared clearly had some preconceived notions about combat, because they colored his execution.

If the man ended up having to fight for his life, and he probably would, there would be no room for personal flair. So Sean was determined to coax that tendency out of him before it became a bad habit. And it wasn't as though boosting his arms was a bad thing. Jared was already well-built, and Sean had heard that his right hooks could be pretty mean. Might as well make 'em meaner.

"You're doing really well," Elise reassured Jared with a smile. Considering that Sean could only demonstrate each maneuver a few times before his ribs demanded a break, both giants were adapting to them quickly.

She leaned on her hands with her legs dangling over the side of the branch. Her legs were crossed at the ankles and they swung slightly as if in a breeze. Amazingly, she didn't fear being up so high. Spending so much time around Jared had definitely weeded out whatever fear of heights she might have had.

Elise couldn't help but notice once more just how well-toned Jared was. Of course, being enormous by comparison, he was already incredibly strong. But watching his arms in sidelong glances, it was easier to see that he was clearly well-built even among giants. And with his new combat techniques learned from a spy, he might be able to take on someone like Warren.

"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." He quipped.

Jared stood up and wiped his glistening forehead with the back of his hand. His hazel eyes drifted inevitably to Sean's right, connecting with Elise inevitably. He flashed her a somewhat sheepish smile from afar, the only kind he could manage when he was dripping with sweat and fighting for even breaths.

Egotistical as it may have sounded, Jared quite enjoyed being the center of her attention. He liked those looks she had been sending him all afternoon, especially the ones he pretended not to see at all. And besides... He was happy to be the distraction if it kept her mind from wandering to her space-ship.

All morning, they'd been waiting around vigilantly for some sort of response from the merchant ship that had contacted Elise's vessel days ago. Radio silence had droned on all morning. They even tried re-sending the same transmission at one point, with the same result. Coming out here for physical training was the best thing for everyone at the moment.

Dried grass crunched in time with his steps as he crossed over to the human's tree to pick up his glass thermos of water waiting at the bottom. He polished off the last few gulps and set it aside again, taking a moment to lean against the blessedly cooler bark of the tree trunk.

"Does it really matter if I get my leg up that high, Sean?" He raised a thick eyebrow, glancing upwards to the side at them. "I mean, aimed in the right spot, it's gonna do damage regardless."

Sean sighed and shifted over so he was looking down at the giant more clearly. And giving him his best derisive glare. "Oh, I mean, I guess, sure," he answered, his expression shifting into a smirk again. "Lesson's yours, mate. I only went to training for this stuff for years."

Elise laughed at Sean's snarky joke and rolled her eyes. "Sean ..." she warned, still smiling.

The other human rolled his eyes right back. But soon enough he looked back down to address Jared, a more serious look on his face. "You're right that it'll still do damage, but not nearly enough and it leaves you open." He held a hand in front of himself and brought it towards his chest, indicating a blow to the lower ribs. "Get someone below their center of gravity and they'll double forward like this," he leaned forward.

Sean mimed grabbing the invisible leg that kicked him and suddenly pulled it to the side and up, and it didn't take much to imagine the attacker toppling easily. "But they recover quicker because you didn't take them off balance and now you're only on one leg and they have your other one. You're dead."

Elise was kind of impressed with how patiently Sean explained the maneuvers. Even she could learn a thing or two, though she'd never hope to be able to use the techniques against a Tessiran.

Sean then mimed a hit right to his sternum. "Hit someone in their center of gravity and it not only knocks the wind out of them," he leaned back and almost stumbled. "They're off balance and you have a chance to move in and hit a pressure point. Make sense, buddy?"

They retreated a short distance, just enough to see each other clearly without strain. Jared ran his lips together. Only a faint taste of blood remained, easily overpowered by Elise's sweet kiss.

He brought up a hand and curled his index finger under her chin, his thumb trailing the short distance from her ear to her chin.

Stay. For seemingly the hundredth time that day, the plea ran through his head. Every time it crossed his mind, it grew closer and closer to making its way to his tongue. Jared forced it down; he wouldn't do that to Elise. He wouldn't make this any harder on her than it already was... She deserved that much.

"I think I'm beat for the day." Jared announced, taking a step back. "What do you say we take turns bathing the in the stream and go from there?"

Kaye exchanged a look with Sean before nodding. "Fine by me."

She snatched a towel hiding under her clothes and sauntered deeper into the woods. "Ladies first." She called over her shoulder.

Sean inched over to where the low branch met the tree trunk. He sat down with a quiet huff, leaning against the tree. Demonstrating all of those moves to Jared and Kaye had been a little exhausting all by itself. He was nowhere near as worn out as the Tessirans, but all the same he'd worked pretty hard for someone nursing healing ribs. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, hardly acknowledging the saccharine couple just feet away.

Elise chuckled quietly at that, and turned back to look up at Jared. The conversations they could have with only their eyes were becoming harder and harder not to say out loud. I wish I didn't have to leave you here, she thought. Her cheek still tingled from the memory of his touch. How much time did she have left?

How much time would she have to be gone? Elise wanted to do the selfish thing. Let Sean take the ship, and stay with Jared, keeping close to him at night. But all of that would be tainted by the knowledge that she could have done something. Righted wrongs that happened a generation ago.

She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if, while on the run, she and Jared saw news of another ship crashing here, knowing full well what would happen to its crew. Ambron would have them detained swiftly, without a chance to defend themselves, and more humans would be tormented like Sean had been. Elise couldn't let that happen.

She took a deep breath of fresh air. The sooner she did the right thing, the sooner she could freely return. She had to remind herself that. She wasn't leaving forever. She couldn't.

"Well," she began, a smile beginning to turn up the corners of her lips. "Aside from worn out, how do you feel? Like you could take someone down if they came at you?"

Jared smirked faintly as he mulled it over, sweat still glistening to prove his hard work. But the memory of being bashed unconscious by a solider, waking up strapped to a table, Ambron leering down at him... It was enough to made the smile fall short of his Hazel eyes.

"I think so," he answered shortly, quick to move her attention off him. "What about you? You ready to share a ship with this guy for... What is it, two months?" He aimed a teasing look over at Sean, confident that by this point the smaller man could take it in stride.

"Don't be jealous of her, buddy. Green's not your color," Sean shot back easily. He didn't even open his eyes to acknowledge Jared's look, but a smirk pulled up at his lips regardless. "Though I can hardly blame ya for already missing my charm." He folded his arms behind his head to provide some meager cushioning for his skull on the tree trunk.

Elise chuckled quietly at the banter. Ever since the two had a chance to talk without actually getting into a fight, things seemed a little more relaxed. Not enough to stop the occasional snips here and there, of course, but it was a much improved climate between them compared to the first time they met, which Sean panicking and giving Jared a literal shock.

"Honestly I'm hoping that merchant ship is still nearby," she confessed. "The ship is probably mostly spaceworthy, but it's been through a lot. I'd feel a lot safer just using it to get to a ship in better condition rather than risking it for a longer trip, you know?"

She chuckled sheepishly almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth. What is there for him to know? He hardly believes the ship can break atmosphere. The only Tessiran who'd probably understand the risks there is buried. The thoughts almost yanked the smile off her face, but instead Elise's expression just softened some. "Though I'm sure he'll be bouncing off the hull no matter how long we're traveling," she added.

Sean waved a dismissive hand from where he sat before putting it behind his head again. "Please, sweetheart. Two people in a shuttle-class? Hardly gonna be room to scratch my chin, let alone bounce around. Any tighter in there and it'd be like that plane of theirs."

Jared did a bit of a double take between the humans. He and Elise had learned so much from each other during their time together. And still, they had only just scratched the tip of the iceberg. He still wasn't a huge fan of being on the ignorant side of things, wishing he had Elise's grace to accept all the new information of a distant culture.

"Plane?" He mouthed to Elise.

Elise smiled softly at the perplexed look on Jared's face. Sean wasn't paying them much mind, so he didn't seem to notice that he'd said something confusing. Elise leaned forward slightly to answer so she could keep her voice down and save Jared any further embarrassment. After all, it wasn't his fault that he didn't know, considering flying seemed to be highly illegal on Tessira for murky reasons.

"It's short for aeroplane," she began in a hushed tone. "Basically, it's what we call a vehicle that flies in the air. Neburn's craft is basically an aeroplane." Elise couldn't go into much further detail than that, though she thought it would suffice. After all, Jared merely lacked experience, not intelligence.

Jared repeated the word to himself, making a mental note to start integrating the term when he could. Elise had made such an admirable attempt to adapt to Tessirian ways- even with size aside. He felt compelled to keep up with her when he had the luxury to.

He smirked quietly at his feet. "By the end of this, I'll be a certified human expert." His eyes softened on Elise, a serious look overcoming the ever-present tenderness held for her. "You'll be in history books someday, Elise. Just you wait."

Elise gasped quietly, a faint rosy blush coming to her cheeks. She hadn't once considered the long-term impact she may have. But if she succeeded, then it was entirely possible that diplomatic relations with the Tessirans could be reopened. It was a heady thought, considering how long they had evaded the radar.

Her smile returned as she regarded him. That goal was lofty, but worth reaching for, and the reason stood in front of her. Elise was going to come back someday. She was determined to help any future travellers that ventured near Tessira. But she was also determined to be able to return to her Jared. "I guess you'll be in the books with me, won't you?" she pointed out.

"I wouldn't be making much history if it weren't for you."

Jared's dark eyebrows went up a ways, a playful gleam replacing the muddled, dark thoughts of before.

"You and me, huh?" He reached up to rest his hands on the branch on either side of her. It was remarkable the tree didn't so much as sway under his massive weight. The giant leaned in close, reveling in how she didn't so much as flinch at the proximity. Not anymore.

"Sounds like one hell of a book. In fact, I dunno if I'd be able to put it down," Jared's voice dropped low as he kissed her soundly on the lips. Their late-night practice was evident. Even with the vast size difference, each of them knew how melt into the other. Now, there was a sound rhythm between them.

A faint groan to the right cause them to break apart. Seeming to remember Sean's presence, Jared stepped back from the PDA.

"Sorry, man." he said, giving Sean an apologetic wave. But could he really be chastised for taking what he could get here?

The awkwardness didn't have long to settle. Shortly after, Kaye arrived freshly cleaned, and Jared took his leave to bathe in the ravine. With the freshly drawn water, Kaye promised to prepare some sort of indoor bath for Elise and Sean to have the luxury of cleaning off from the outdoors.

Lightning lit up the sky, a beam of pink light illuminating the gentle deluge of acid rain. Jared had been caught in the tail end of his jog back to the abandoned fuel station. Though Tessirian clothes were integrated with an mild anti-acid solution, Jared's shirt was sweat clean through. It was balled up in his hands as he hurried through the woods. Not the best time to be sprinting shirtless through the woods.

He made it back to the station with little incident. He had his pants after all, thank goodness for that. A smattering of circular burns dotted his bare torso, his hands, and neck. Irritating for the moment, but nothing that couldn't be patched up with a swipe of the Blue.

He hadn't gone more than an hour at the most, But the minute he walked back through the door, he knew something had changed. A more cautious stride to his step, Jared padded around the decaying tiled counter and into the larger area where their makeshift campground was sprawled out on the ground. Kaye was lying on her stomach, one arm propping her up as she listened close to a passionate discussion between the humans.

Everyone paused for a moment to turn and greet his bemused expression.

"What's going on?" Jared asked.

"The ship-- we got a message back." Kaye could hardly contain herself. "They're coming, Jay. The other human ship, they're going to save them."

Jared's knees just about turned to jelly. He lowered himself into their midst, his attention unshakable.

"Really?" He breathed in astonishment.

Elise tilted her head back with a relieved grin. In the corner of her eye, she saw Sean take a small step away, most likely startled by Jared's suddenly dropping into their presence. "They... Oh," her explanation stopped before she even got started when her gaze drifted past his face to his shoulders, where some angry red burns dotted his skin. She met his gaze in a worried glance.

Hazel eyes looked back at her, and the eager smile in them invited Elise to continue, not to worry. "The merchant ship was passing nearby again and they caught the second message explaining what happened," she answered, quickly regaining confidence in what she wanted to say.

"I warned them not to land, of course, but they said they'd wait out there for up to a week, hearing the state of the ship. They're going to allow us to dock and get us back to the Allied Planets command center."

Sean sighed, and even he had a ghost of a smile lingering on his face. After so long on this planet, spending his time locked in glass boxes or tight grasps, being little more than an object of curiosity, the news was almost enough to make his heart physically ache. Freedom, actually within his sights after so long without it. No more experiments, no more having awful drugs forced into his system, no more crushing hands grabbing and holding him down.

Home. Sean was going home.

"Honestly they're probably very interested in making it into the news," Sean quipped with a smirk. "A diplomatic emergency of this level, and their ship the one that brought us in?" He chuckled at the thought. Sean hadn't even heard of the company before, so it must have started up after his capture. But he was already a fan.

Elise glanced his way only for a second. He would look at things that way, assuming someone would only take an action based on how it benefited them. Then again, he hadn't really met many people lately that would do otherwise. Elise was once again struck by the fact that one was right in front of her.

"Regardless," Elise answered with a faint roll of her green eyes, "they're going to get me right where I need to be to start asking the right questions and fix things. I know it's possible." She was determined. After all, her own connection with Jared proved that humans and tessirans didn't need to be separated just because of size orculture. And the sooner she uncovered the truth, the sooner she could come back and not even worry about being captured.

Jared's head spun with the beautiful truth. It seemed like eons instead of barely a month ago that he had rescued her from that fated embassy. A whole other lifetime before he had set out on the run with a human in his pocket. For the first time, his promises of hope to her were not empty. And though his heart ached at the though of losing her, he shared her joy through and through.

"I guess then... All that's left to do is make sure this thing gets you up there in one piece." Jared's arm arced over their heads, resting a large hand upon the hull of the space shuttle. His palm alone easily covered the majority of the roof, with sturdy fingers draping down over the sloped metal side.

At long last, the end was within sight.