Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Forty-Two: Balancing Acts

It was under Jubilee's request that Jay found herself entering a small training room found at the heart of the castle. Though she called it a request, it was certainly more proper to consider it a demand; Jubilee knew what she wanted and how she was going to get it, and if that included pushing Jay into coming to meet with the rest of the group with a sideways glare, then so be it. It wasn't as if Jay was going to complain in the first place. She was more than happy to speak with the rest of her team, and Jubilee's pushiness did little to deter her from the decision that she had already made. 

By the time that Jay arrived, the rest of the Skylian Mages were already there and sitting in a circle. Ronan's head was tilted backwards as he leaned against the wall, and Arian sat a few feet away from him. Lana was poking around on a small computer that fit in the palm of her hand while Jubilee played around with her nails. Colt was the first one to notice that Jay had arrived, and his eyes were just as striking as they always had been. In a way, his stares were almost somewhat unnerving, and if Jay didn't know for sure that he was harmless, she likely would have assumed the worst of him at some point. 

"Good to see that you've joined us," Colt said simply. That was enough to draw the attention of the rest of the group to the direction of the door, and Jay nodded in response. She pulled the door shut behind herself and walked over to where the rest of the group was sitting before easing herself onto the floor as well. She had to reposition her sheath to ensure that it wasn't resting at an awkward angle, and in the end, she opted to rest the blade and its holder sideways on the floor in front of her feet. 

"I assume that you already know what we're going to be talking about," Jubilee began, her lips tilted in a sly grin. When Jay nodded once again, Jubilee continued. "I'm glad to hear it. Now, let's go on and take care of the elephant in the room... How are things going with you and Zelda? I know that you know about how important it is to try and get along with her."

"And the issue has been completely resolved," Jay finished easily. "We spoke a while ago about the fact that we do need to work together. We've come to the same conclusion and decided that it would be for the best if we put our differences behind us. This isn't to say that I'm willing to forget the past, but I will be focusing on the future instead. I think that would be the best outcome for all of us."

"I'm glad to hear it," Jubilee told her with a grin. "All of us were pretty worried about you for a while there. I mean, it was always a concern to some degree, but then you had to go off and work with her while we were focusing on getting rid of Alba during their second attempted assault on the castle."

"I can only imagine how tense of a situation that was," Arian remarked with a nervous grin. "I mean, anybody can see from a mile away that you two didn't get along. In fact, I feel like it'll be a long time before you even think of completely forgetting about everything that happened."

"It was tense, but it needed to happen," Jay declared. She wouldn't have ever expected herself to say such a thing, but she knew that it was true. If not for the fact that she was sent out on that mission with Zelda, she would not have even dreamed of trying to reconcile with the other made. It had shown her the necessity of their alliance for the sake of their own safety and for the rest of the group. They were counting on her, but beyond that, she needed to rely on herself on such a front. It was key for all of the parties involved, in other words. 

"It seems like the only step we need to take now is getting rid of Alba before their plan can be truly put into motion," Ronan announced, a smile on his face. "I know that everybody has been planning for that, and I... I think that we're going to be able to do it. We all know what we're doing, and that's a good thing for sure."

"We're ironing out the final preparations now," Lana explained. "I can't imagine that it will be much longer before we're ready to go off and take care of them once and for all... In a way, I suppose that it's sort of funny. Alba is going to wind up leading to their own downfall with what they've done in the past."