Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Nine | Jasper

After sharing his breakfast with Killian, Jasper had gotten dressed for the day and holstered all of his assorted knives, along with his gun, and made his way downstairs. Harley and Chris were already awake, talking with Darren and Aubrey. Casimir and Samantha were headed outside, more than likely to go out hunting. To his surprise, Jasper noticed Casimir nod to Killian, "Hey kid, where'd you see that herd of deer headed?"

With a quick glance at the other man, Killian's dark brows knit together. Jasper could almost feel the tension in the man's voice as he replied, "Farther in the woods past the river. There's a glade about a half mile from some old rabbit warrens." Casimir nodded once and then made his way outside, quickly followed by Samantha, who gave Killian a grateful half-smile. Killian was stunned, his eyes widened a small bit as he looked up quickly at Jasper.

Barely holding back his own smile when he saw how Killian's hazel eyes practically glowed from the polite encounter, Jasper ruffled the other man's hair. "Alright Boy Scout," Jasper said, "Let's get to talking with Chris, Harley and Aubrey. They might have something to say before we leave tomorrow morning."

Frowning, Killian quipped, "Don't tell me what to do." Jasper couldn't help but feel relieved. Lately Killian had been too tired to be rude, but now it looked like things were getting back to normal--at least, normal for Killian. Jasper had started missing the other man's sharp tongue and quick temper. It was a strange thing, missing being insulted or being delivered a stinging retort. Thankfully, it seemed like Killian was beginning to gain his self-confidence back.

Sitting on the soft cushions of the couch across from Harley, Chris and Aubrey, Jasper greeted them with a friendly nod. Killian joined him, sitting to his left, while Darren sat to his right. Darren wasn't part of the raiding party, but Jasper knew his friend would more than likely still want to be included--he might even be a bit jealous that Jasper had agreed Aubrey could come but hadn't chosen him to come along as well. "Alright team," Jasper said, clasping his hands together so they made a light clapping sound, "What've we got? Any new ideas for how we're going to go about this?"

"Well, I was thinking we should stick closer to the main roads so we don't get lost," Aubrey said, then her sharp eyes glared towards Chris and Harley. "But these two think we should stay in the woods. Do you know how easy it would be to get lost in the woods? Especially at night? With biters everywhere it'll be hard to navigate. Lord knows how long it would take to get through all of those thorns and brambles-" Division, Jasper thought. That's not good.

Meanwhile beside him, Killian was just staring at the map on the table. Without a word, he reached forwards and scooted it closer, before just taking the whole thing from the table and standing up, pacing around the room and observing it. Jasper raised a brow, though he could practically see the gears turning in Killian's head. Whatever the other man was thinking, he was thinking hard. Jasper, unlike some of the group, had seen how clever Killian could be--especially when it was just the two of them. Whatever he was thinking about might be worth listening to.

Killian, Jasper could only think, was nothing short of handsome. They younger man's intelligent hazel eyes studying the endless lines and confusing pathways on a piece of paper that Jasper would struggle to read. His brown curls tousled, bouncing a bit as he walked around. The confidence, the way he held his chin up and the sharp determination hidden behind his set jaw. He could see the other man's lithe muscles through his shirt as he paced, the very slight sway of his hips...

"Hello?" Aubrey said sharply, waving her hand in front of Jasper's face. Annoyance twisted in Jasper's gut as the woman interrupted his gandering. 

Sharper than he intended Jasper snapped, "What?" Aubrey blinked a few times, but Jasper managed to sort himself out and clear his throat before re-phrasing, "Sorry, I was spacing out. What'd you say?"