Chapter 61 part 3

Such as the request she'd made, as a captain, to Tchisa, about building a tower that would help facilitate their efforts in patrolling the forest. Though, Jenn also hoped that it would disguise their efforts at rescuing the slaves and moving them to a location where they wouldn't need to worry about being made slaves again.

Yet, Tchisa instead sent her on this assignment. Which Jenn hoped was merely a test rather than what she thought of Jenn's ability in the first place.

Jenn then gave her orders: to set up camp around where the jackalope-kin was resting. Plus, they were to treat him like he was an important guest. Someone that they needed to protect, regardless of what happened to the rest of them.

Jenn had first mentioned that they should pretend that he was the guest of the Blue Rose, but didn't get much traction with that. Though, when she mentioned Tchisa instead, she was surprised to see how much better of a reaction she got with that name.

She supposed that these girls had more respect for Tchisa than for the Blue Rose, whom they hadn't truly met. Though, if they had, Jenn suspected they wouldn't be impressed, since they certainly weren't impressed with her up to this point, at least. When Jenn managed to beat Gishia in single combat, where it was clear what the difference between their skill level was.

The jackalope-kin was easy enough to make comfortable, though Jenn couldn't say what his reaction to waking up with being surrounded by strangers like he was. Even with clearly being shown care.

Jenn wanted to peek in his mind, but felt it wouldn't help her first meeting with him to know too much. She planned on asking him to look into his mind, but until he was awake, that wouldn't help any. After all, he can't agree to anything while he's unconscious.

When the others went to bed, leaving Gishia on first watch, Jenn thought this would be a good time to try and work out some of the differences between them. Where they could talk without worrying about the others having a negative reaction to what was said.

"How long have you been a mercenary?" Jenn asked, sitting next to Gishia while looking into the darkness of the forest.

Jenn felt Gishia glance at her more than saw, but didn't care. She expected as much. "Not that it's any of your business, but I've been a mercenary for four years."

"Has to be a rough life," Jenn remarked. "Never knowing if the next job you get will be your last."

"So what?" Gishia asked, sounding almost offended. "At least it beats some of the alternatives."

"Like being a slave?" Jenn asked wryly. She almost felt the situation was humorous with how she herself had been the slave. "Or are you talking about just being dead?"

"I guess, both really. Though, why are you so interested? Didn't you join Tchisa for the same reason as me?"

Jenn sighed. This was the point of no return. She didn't want this to come out like she was whining or feeling sorry for herself, but at the same time, she wanted the others to know just exactly what they went through, which is why she was asking them, starting with Gishia, what they'd gone through.

"Not exactly," Jenn answered. "Although, I guess you could say that she joined the Blue Rose after talking with her. The Blue Rose did save us from being slaves, after all."

Jenn hoped she wasn't laying it on too thick. She had no doubt those that she had saved from being slaves would, but she wanted to make it sound like it wasn't anything, but at the same time, like she was forever grateful.

That way she might be able to get them to understand some of the others without having had interacted with them. Or at least that's what her hope was.

"How did you get so good with the sword then?" Gishia asked, her tone telling Jenn that she was suspicious that Jenn was giving her a load of bull to either hide something or get one over on her somehow.

"Polelin trained me," she answered. "Though, part of it was that I had been taken by the Lost before I was a slave."

"The Lost?" Gishia echoed, her voice full of laughter and disbelief. "The Lost don't actually exist. Not only that, but even if they did, why doesn't anyone know what they look like? Or even how to find them? I'm sure they were made up to explain why some people with a poor sense of direction got lost."

"You know what?" Jenn asked, as if Gishia wasn't being so derisive. And they were merely having a casual conversation of no importance. "Tchisa was taken by them as well. You could aske her about the experience. Though, I can't say if she'll tell you if you ask about it."

Gishia's response started with a snort of derision. "How would you know about that?" she asked. "What would make her go after her but lease someone like e alone?"

Jenn had her ideas, but didn't say what they were. She had a feeling that if she did say something that t would either come out wrong or just get taken in the wrong way.

"You'd have to ask her yourself," Jenn replied. "I didn't ask myself, so you might need to discuss it with her."

"Whatever," Gishia sighed. "I don't suppose that you know what they look like, do you?"

Jenn merely shook her head. "I was there when they lifted the Blue Rose up, but I didn't see anything. It was like they were there but didn't have a physical presence or something.. Like they were there, but were just… intangible or something like that," Jen answered, feeling a little at loss for words as she thought about it. She wanted to describe the scene, but found that while she could recall what it looked like, that she couldn't find the words to describe the scenes. Or at least words that felt accurate enough to use.

Jenn felt Gishia's eyes on her again, though this time it felt more evaluating than anything else. "You sound like you have a front row seat to all of this," she remarked. "So, tell me, if you were a slave, would you show me what you looked like without anything on?"

Jenn felt herself turn her head to look at Gishia that she thought that she might have given herself whiplash. "Where did that come from?" she asked, not sure how else to respond.

Gishia merely shrugged. "I meant what I said," she replied, leaning towards Jenn. "I wouldn't mind you warming my bed."

Then before she could react, she found herself getting a small kiss on her lips from Gishia. Jenn felt like her brain had short circuited from that act alone. She wasn't able to process anything at all. Though, she might have considered going out with Gishia if she had reason to think that she and Alex weren't a thing anymore.

After all, she knew that relationships in high school went through all sorts of changes and she would be naïve to think that hers wouldn't do the same. Though, she hadn't thought of this before because she hadn't had a reason to even think about it, since her life on Earth always felt like it had been on hold. Like everything there was stopped in time, even though she knew that reality didn't get stopped, just because she and her friends had a means to return to the day they left after they returned. No matter how long that might take.

It wasn't until Rick had convinced her that she'd turned sixteen without even realizing it that she even thought about what might have happened while she'd been gone on Earth. Which made her wonder if Beth had the right idea about not being in a relationship with anyone when they left. That way she was free to do whatever with whoever while one this expedition.

Jenn opened her mouth to say something when Gishia apparently took her silence for assent and kissed her again. Though, this time she felt one of Gishia's hands begin to grope her breast during the kiss.

Jenn wanted to give in, but at the same time forced herself to push Gishia away. It had been so long that she could feel her body craving that kind of contact, so much that it was even overriding her usual reluctance to being touched in certain areas, like her breasts. She even could feel that she would probably accepted being touched in other places as well if she hadn't stopped what was going on.

"You're like that, huh?" Gishia asked, though she sounded more amused than anything. "Only like twigs?"

Jenn shook her head slowly, though she wasn't sure how well Gishia was able to see it in the light from the dying campfire. "It's not that," she said, a little surprised at how out of breath she was. "It's- it's that I have someone where I came from. I haven't seen her in almost a year, but I want to remain true to her, even if I can't be sure she's been true to me."

Jenn hated implying that Alex wouldn't remain true to her, but it was the best she could think of saying without mentioning the possibility of time travel. As if she broke up with Alex in the past year, there was no way she herself would know about it. So, unless she had a reason to, she had decided to assume that she was still going out with Alex. Which meant she shouldn't be having flings on the side like this.

"I see," Gishia replied, sounding almost disappointed. "Keep me in mind if that person ever lets you down, okay?"

Jenn nodded, again unsure if Gishia could see it. "Sure. I'll do that."

"That said," Gishia said, sounding rather mischievous. Then before Jenn could react, she felt Gishia kissing her again, though this time it wasn't pressing into her as much. It felt more like she was taking what she could get before Jenn fully had her guard up around the young woman.

When she broke from the kiss, she sighed happily. "There. Now I think I can let you go for now," was all she said.

Jenn wasn't sure how she should react, but figured since none of the others knew, that she should let it go as well. Otherwise she had a feeling that she might be creating more problems for herself down the line that she'd likely rather not have to deal with in any circumstance.

Though, she had a feeling she'd eventually have to deal with her. As she did say 'for now' which could easily mean that she'd try again later. Even though 'later' might not come. Depending on other things that were completely outside of either of their control. Such as if Jenn is able to somehow locate the griffin canyon that she'd been looking for.

Or maybe Gishia would find someone else to push her affections on.

Either were just a likely, so Jenn didn't see a reason to really worry about her. Not when there were other things that had a much more significant potential overall effect on their circumstances.

The conversation between Jenn and Gishia died down after that. Though, they still did talk and get to know each other a little more. Through this, Jenn was confident that she'd managed to win the respect of Gishia. Even if it came through a method she'd rather not have employed in the first place.

When the morning came around, Jenn was woken up ceremoniously by a bucket of water on her head. Not that he was surprised. Even if she'd won Gishia's respect, she still had the rest of her unit to work on. Although, as she got up, pretending that she enjoyed the water being poured on her head, she could see a number of her until who didn't look a amused as those who'd doused her in the first place.

When she was woken up, thee sun hadn't even started to light the mist above them. Which was what Jenn had told her unit that he wanted to do: have everyone get up and out of their beds before the sun was up and where they could be ready to head out at a moment's notice.

Which was also something she'd discussed with Tchisa about working some discipline into the silverthorns. Or at least the ones currently active, since some were left to occupy their 'headquarters' and assist in any recruitment that could be done outside of their otherwise planned method: Namely to recruit among the slaves they saved.

Jenn had thought that she'd have more time before the jackalope-kin woke up, but while she was just getting her breakfast, she heard a cry of alarm, which she could tell didn't come from anyone in her squad, since it sounded more like a high pitched squeak than what she would have expected from the girls around her.

Jenn carefully balanced her breakfast as she rushed over to where the jackalope-kin was resting. She could tell that he wasn't the only one heading towards their 'guest.'

When she arrived, she saw the jackalope-kin looking around, a look of terror in his eyes. No weapons were drawn, but it was clear that even with the kind treatment he'd received, he was still terrified from their sudden appearance.

"What're you here for!?" Gishia demanded, her hand on her sword, so even though it wasn't drawn, she still looked rather intimidating.

Although, it probably would have helped if the jackalope-kin understood her, since as Jenn could see it, he merely heard her angry tone and started to turn to run. Despite all paths being blocked.

"What's your name?" Jenn asked gently, holding out her own breakfast like an offering. As if that's what she'd brought it for.

The jackalope-kin stiffened. Jenn wasn't able to tell if it was because another voice spoke, if it was because she didn't sound angry, or the fact that he could understand it. Which Jenn supposed it could even be any combination of the three.

"I-I'm Nibbles," he replied, sounding as if he expected to get executed at any moment.

"Nibbles?" Jenn echoed, not sure what to make of the name.

"Yeah!" Nibbles replied, apparently brave enough to let his pride show over his name. "It was from the great Nibbles who was trapped under a fallen tree and surrounded by wolf-kin. He nibbled his way out without being detected and was able to escape without the wolf-kin finding him."

Jenn nodded, though she suspected there was more to the story. Though, she also had to admit that whenever the story came out, the 'Nibbles' in the story might not have even noticed that there was more going on, since she was pretty sure that if he had been surrounded by wolf-kin, that something had to have disguised his scent or something.

Otherwise Jenn was confident that even trapped, he'd have been found easily. Though, she wasn't sure if the jackalope-kin would get killed by the wolf-kin or if the wolf-kin treated them like slaves, or what the dynamic between them was.

All that he could be certain of was the fact that the wolf-kin seemed to be at odd, and potentially hostile toward the jackalope-kin.

"Alright then," Jenn said, not sure how else to respond. "My name is Jennifer. We were wondering where you came from."

Nibbles looked at Jenn, but didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked another. "Are you with the wolf-kin? Is that why I couldn't detect you?"

Jenn merely shook her head. "We haven't encountered any wolf-kin ourselves, so we wouldn't know what you mean."

"Stop pretending like you can understand him!" Gishia snapped, looking rather annoyed. "If he couldn't understand me, how would he be able to understand you?"

Jenn calmly looked at Gishia while trying to make a calming gesture towards Nibbles while her hand were full with the food she was still offering to Nibbles.

"You do realize that magic exists, right?" she asked dryly. In this world, magic seemed to be taken for granted that it existed, but Jenn supposed that there could be people around that refused to acknowledge that it did. Much like some people refused to acknowledge certain things on Earth just because someone said something else happened. Or how some people seemed to accept certain facts that had been proven for whatever reason.

Jenn only knew about people like that since she hadn't actually encountered one. So, she couldn't really say if there was anything that made someone like that stand out from the others.

All she knew was that she was probably going to have to juggled a few things at the moment with what was before her right then.

"Magic?" Nibble echoed. "That's real?"

"Yeah, it is," Jenn whispered to him a he finally took the food she'd offered. Which meant she might have to go without eating, since she couldn't be sure they'd let her get another helping, as she wasn't sure if they'd made some for Nibbles as well.

"Magic? When did you learn magic?" Gishia scoffed, looking at Jenn like the respect she'd started to feel for Jenn was fading away like a frost under the sun.

"I learned it before I was taken by the Lost," Jenn merely replied. "I can give you a demonstration, if you'd like."

Gishia merely rolled her eye. "I don't need you to blow something up with your magic just to prove you have some. We can deal with this after you handle him."

The way Gishia said 'him' made it clear that she really wanted to say 'twig' but probably didn't because Nibbles wouldn't have understood her. Though, Jenn supposed that he wouldn't have understood her anyway, even if they spoke the same language. As they certainly didn't have the same culture.

"Then go and do whatever it was you were doing and I'll take care of him, okay?" Jenn suggested.