Target To Save

Chapter 3 - Part 2

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"So, how was it?" Jaizya lounged on the counter carelessly, steam coming out of the mug in their hand.

Ivalin bit her cheek, and she avoided looking at Jaizya. Tears threatened to rise and her ears were still ringing with the cacophony of noises the school made. She wanted to lash out and break down, screaming about how she hated every second, but instead she shrugged, every movement precise. "It's a job."

Concern crossed Jaizya's face and they leaned closer to Ivalin, "It's not, though," when Ivalin didn't look up, Jazia's fingers lightly tapped a lost melody, "You know I care, right? Give me the word and I'll pull you out."

Ivalin's hands sat frozen on the mug, the heat burning her fingertips. Her gaze was caught by the dark liquid, and she wanted to scream. She felt like a carefully created machine that had started to crack. "That's not your assignment."

"Is it not?" Jaizya jumped off the counter with ease, their eyebrows raised. They dismissed the panic that hung in the air. "Besides, even if I wasn't allowed to, I'd always protect you."

The cup in Ivalin's hand shattered. Blood clung onto her clenched fist, decorating what was left of the mug in red, and every time she moved fragments of porcelain rained onto the floor. She stilled. "That's not how it works." Her eyes were focused on the mess she had made.

Frowning, Jaizya crouched down to grab a washcloth, their shoulders tense. "Who says how it works?"

Ivalin tilted her head, shards digging into her hands. "The Masters."

Letting the cloth run under warm water, Jaizya's voice softened, worry laced in their tone, "And if you don't have one?"

"There's always someone who gives the orders." Frustration rose in Ivalin's chest, it picked at her skin. Her eyes met Jaizya's and she searched for some sort of understanding.

Instead of Jaizya meeting Ivalin's lost look with one of kindness, they looked away from Ivalin's gaze. Their hands pulled Ivalin's away from the shattered coffee mug and carefully picked out the shards of glass that had settled into the skin. They spoke carefully, each word poised. "And if there isn't?"

Blood dripped off Ivalin's hands and stained her pants. "There always is." Ivalin's tone was harsh, but when she paused, Jaizya only hummed and slowly washed their hands with the towel. When she pulled back, the cuts were already healed, no longer bleeding, no longer tiny dots of scarred tissue. Ivalin pulled her hands back to her side. "Monsters always have masters."

"Good thing you're not the Yavic." Jaizya rolled their eyes, and turned around.

"Yavic?" Ivalin slowly sounded the word out, her eyes flashing at Jaizya's dismissal.

Jaizya gave a sad smile, and Ivalin's shoulders tensed. "It's this monster that has rows upon rows of neverending teeth, sharp scales that crawls its way up the horns that sit perched on its head, and it's terrifying, using it's whispery voice to lure children into war zones. Parents tell children that if they don't go to bed it will eat them." Her hands waved in the general shape of the creature, which made it long and shapeless.

"And where does this 'Yavic' live?" Ivalin leaned forward, trying to place the monster in its habitat. Her eyes narrowed, and he wondered what weapons she would have to use against it.

Jaizya's hands stilled, they quieted, and looked at the young girl in front of them. "It's not real. It's only a fable. It's to scare children to obey their parents when they're acting out. You know," they tossed the washcloth, covered in Ivalin's blood, into the sink. Ivalin's eyes followed it. "'Go to bed or the Yavic will get you.' Basic parent fear tactics."