[That day at the tournament, Sayo had been fully prepared to scatter the ashes of her love for Jessica to the wind. To see it glimmering in one last beautiful vista over the sea, before turning away from the ocean that would pull her under if she dwelled on it for any longer, and walking into the future for the first time in her life.
But the past reached back. Jessica saw— more than that, Jessica sought. She looked deep at Sayo's scarred soul and body, acknowledged the truth, and wanted to know more. To not turn away from the lingering darkness or to deny its existence, but to instead reach inside. A miracle that had only been achieved because Sayo had given up on seeking it herself.
And now, all that was left was to get to know the other again, without layer after layer of illusion and carefully-held distance. A task that Sayo found to be easier than she expected thanks to Jessica's eagerness to rebuild the bridge that had slowly decayed over the course of years, no matter how new and... unique its form may be.
(A new possibility, built over the old one that she had longed for so much that her heart had twisted. Sayo had also thought that it would never open again, but with Himiko being, well, Himiko with Jessica, and the talk they had-)
Sayo had forgotten, under all the dream's rubble, why she'd been friends with Jessica before anything else. Her earnest attempts to understand when Sayo's rambles went from "niche" to "nigh-incomprehensible," her gushing about the production of Chicago that she'd gotten all wrapped up in and the way she'd wildly gesture as she talked about the latest incident on set, her blazing passion turning to a comforting warmth on days where Sayo didn't feel up to animated conversation, the look of concentration on her face, one fang peeking out of her mouth, as she practiced her guitar... all the small details that had captivated Sayo once before, convinced her that Jessica was the sun itself, were coming into relief in a gentler, less fraught light now.
So much so that it's not Jessica's fault for once when a twinge of pain passes across Sayo's face at the mention of karate, but she laughs it off, focusing on something brighter instead.] Same here, with all the trouble with moving and whatnot... Forneus has refused to leave me alone, at least. I never expected to get so into knives of all things, but they're wonderful for magic if nothing else. [Yes, she still calls sleight-of-hand magic in a world where she can teleport and turn invisible by thinking about it hard enough.] Maybe we should look into Amaterasu's dojo together? As entertaining as the mental image of you crushing your enemies and driving them before you is, I doubt Terry Silver's style of mentorship suits you in the long-term.
I can help you with your classwork... if you do me a favor. [If her playful smile is anything to go by, Sayo would lend a hand anyways, but there's no harm in some light teasing like this.]
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But the past reached back. Jessica saw— more than that, Jessica sought. She looked deep at Sayo's scarred soul and body, acknowledged the truth, and wanted to know more. To not turn away from the lingering darkness or to deny its existence, but to instead reach inside. A miracle that had only been achieved because Sayo had given up on seeking it herself.
And now, all that was left was to get to know the other again, without layer after layer of illusion and carefully-held distance. A task that Sayo found to be easier than she expected thanks to Jessica's eagerness to rebuild the bridge that had slowly decayed over the course of years, no matter how new and... unique its form may be.
(A new possibility, built over the old one that she had longed for so much that her heart had twisted. Sayo had also thought that it would never open again, but with Himiko being, well, Himiko with Jessica, and the talk they had-)
Sayo had forgotten, under all the dream's rubble, why she'd been friends with Jessica before anything else. Her earnest attempts to understand when Sayo's rambles went from "niche" to "nigh-incomprehensible," her gushing about the production of Chicago that she'd gotten all wrapped up in and the way she'd wildly gesture as she talked about the latest incident on set, her blazing passion turning to a comforting warmth on days where Sayo didn't feel up to animated conversation, the look of concentration on her face, one fang peeking out of her mouth, as she practiced her guitar... all the small details that had captivated Sayo once before, convinced her that Jessica was the sun itself, were coming into relief in a gentler, less fraught light now.
So much so that it's not Jessica's fault for once when a twinge of pain passes across Sayo's face at the mention of karate, but she laughs it off, focusing on something brighter instead.] Same here, with all the trouble with moving and whatnot... Forneus has refused to leave me alone, at least. I never expected to get so into knives of all things, but they're wonderful for magic if nothing else. [Yes, she still calls sleight-of-hand magic in a world where she can teleport and turn invisible by thinking about it hard enough.] Maybe we should look into Amaterasu's dojo together? As entertaining as the mental image of you crushing your enemies and driving them before you is, I doubt Terry Silver's style of mentorship suits you in the long-term.
I can help you with your classwork... if you do me a favor. [If her playful smile is anything to go by, Sayo would lend a hand anyways, but there's no harm in some light teasing like this.]