Kadance

5b

To her dying day Kadance doesn't know how she knew to shout, "Sergeant Jayse stand down." Or how she managed to get it out in time to stop Jayse from killing the young idiot.

One second the young man was all swaggering bravado showing off for his friends and the next he was slammed down face first on the floor. Then his head is lifted by his hair, with a two hundred pound plus man kneeling on his back with a knife at his throat. He could feel the knife leaving a thin line of pain across his throat and he felt sure there was blood trickling down his neck.

When the woman commands the man to stop the young man wasn't sure that the man on top of him would. It was a relief when he felt the man slam his head into the floor. Even the pain of his nose breaking couldn't alleviate that. Then he passes out.

The crunching of the idiots nose was the only sound heard throughout the diner. Everyone was watching the man and holding their breath. They could feel his anger, it was radiating so strongly. When the man gets off the young man they all take a deep breath of relief. They didn't know what is happening, but they realized the worst was over. For now at least.

Kadance watching the trepidation of those in the diner decides to take action. She turns to the idiot's friends and tells them, "You better get him out of here. He'll need to have his nose set, so take him to the hospital." Looking at the idiot before her Kadance adds, "He's lucky that Sgt Jayse is in a forgiving mood today." Knowing that their friend had insulted a warrior they take heed of her warning and quickly leave with their friend.

Seeing Jayse fighting for control Kadance throws down some money to pay for the meal and slides out of the booth once the young men are gone. Once they are gone Kadance turns to Jayse and says quietly, "Let's get out of here. I know a place where you can be-well, you can just be."

Jayse allows her to lead him out of the diner, past the scared and silent patrons and out the door. He tolerates her helping him into a conveyance that is too small for his large frame but he remains silent. He is still battling his anger. He doesn't say anything as they drive away from the city and head out for about twenty minutes. The farther away from the city the more easily Jayse can relax.

He hears the sound of the waves long before he can see the beach where they are heading. The smell of the ocean helps him to center himself once more. The sun is low in the sky by the time they reach the seashore. It still gets dark early this time of year.

Kadance pulls over to the side of the road. This is her favorite spot and the beach is easily accessed from here. She turns to Jayse, "I'm going for a walk. You're welcome to join me or if you prefer time alone that's okay as well. But I find that walking on the beach helps me more than anything else to calm myself." So saying she gets out of the conveyance and walks around the back of it. She opens it up and removes a jacket that she keeps there for just such times as now. Even though she saw Jayse fighting Thompson yesterday it still startles her at how fast Jayse moved in the diner. One second he was sitting in the booth the next he had the kid on the ground and all but killed him.

Kadance closes the door to the conveyance and carefully makes her way down to the beach. The wind is brisk and cold so she puts on her jacket. Once her jacket is on she faces the wind and lets her stress fly away in the wind. She closes her eyes and lets the sound of the waves relax her tensed up muscles. She breathes deep and finds her center once more.

The ocean waves are loud as they crash against the rocks and covers all sound. Yet still some sense tells her when he joins her and so she isn't surprised when he speaks at her side. But she is surprised at the harsh tone he takes with her.

"You stopped me from killing him," Jayse says almost accusing. Kadance believing this to be a statement makes no reply. Facts are facts after all.

"Why?" Now his tone is openly hostile and she opens her eyes and turns to look at him. The anger and violence is there but he is still managing to hold it in check. Barely.

She's tired and not thinking very clearly so she answers him in kind. Same tone and with anger and violence barely held in check. Had she time to think about it she would be horrified at this approach. After all less than half an hour earlier he'd nearly killed someone.

"Why what?" She couldn't help the snideness that entered her tone.

"Why did you stop me?" He hesitates then adds in confusion, "How did you stop me?"

Kadance couldn't let it go like that, "Stop you from what Jayse?" She forces him to recognize the action that she stopped him from doing. Her look is intense as she forces him to say what he'd been avoiding.

"Stop me from killing him. Stopped me from going suicidal. You shouldn't have been able to stop me, yet you did. How?" Jayse is total confusion right then. He's never heard of anybody being able to stop someone from going suicidal before. Especially not as they were starting their rampage.

Kadance shrugs as she answers, "You are a soldier trained to respond to commands. So I gave you one." Her tone is matter of fact and devoid of any emotion that he could take offense at.

Still the idea of a civilian giving a warrior a command angers him. "You're just a civilian and have no right or authority to give me commands." The very idea angers him all over again.

Kadance marvels at her nerve as she smirks at him and replies, "And yet you responded."

Jayse is now pushed over into irrationality explodes, "You had no right!"

At which Kadance responds adamantly, "No right? I had every right. Had I not stopped you, you would have killed not just that man, you would have destroyed the whole city. By your own words you would have. Does not a civilian have the right for self defense, for the defense of her city and even planet? You told me moments before that idiot came in that you were already planning how to destroy the city. That you would do so in a manner that hundreds of thousands would die if not millions. I HAD EVERY RIGHT!"