Empty plates on the bed are all that remain of breakfast. Yan Sun is sitting cross-legged and leaning forward on the edge of the bed, having abandoned her previous, more relaxed position next to Jessica as the vid started to near its end. It's one of the first entries into a long running fantasy series. Yan Sun has been sporadically providing snippets of no-doubt vital backstory over the course of the vid, regardless of whether
#YanSun'sRoom – May 16, 2018
Jessica has shown any interest. As the hero, a dedicated young knight on a quest to stop the mysterious force that has been attacking the kingdom, marches into the enemy camp for a duel with their leader, Yan Sun reaches back to prod Jessica repeatedly as if making sure she's paying attention to what is no doubt the climax of the movie.
Jessica has mostly tried to feign disinterest in the movie, returning Yan Sun's tidbits of lore with blank stares and eyerolls, but her attention has been suspiciously glued to the screen. She pushes back idly at Yan Sun with her foot to wave off her prods as she plucks a leftover chunk of meat from her discarded and mostly empty plate that once held a full serving of varren meat and rice. "I am watching!" she complains. "Why she
Jessica is just going to walk right in?! Gah. She is stupid! They should just kill her. There are many of them and only one of her. Is easy kill!" she groans.
Yan Sun gains a knowing grin at Jessica's comment, remaining silent as her attention turns back to the movie without comment. The knight stops when she reaches the center of the camp, face-to-face with the enemy leader, a scarred elf clad in black leather armor, with spear in hand. Her soldiers have started to converge from around the camp, surrounding the two. They're all elves, faces hidden beneath hoods and masks. The knight's
grip on her sword and shield tightens, armor clanking as she readies herself. "Is this the part where you go back on your word? Send your soldiers at me?" she calls out. Yan Sun glances back at Jessica as if to say 'See? They thought of it!'
Jessica furrows her brow, absently reaching for another piece of leftover meat from her plate and popping it into her mouth, her good eye locked on the screen. When the elves begin to close in around the pair, she switches positions, sitting cross-legged and sitting upright to better watch the action that's sure to ensue. As Yan Sun looks back, Jessica briefly sticks her tongue out at her, revealing a half-chewed chunk of varren
meat. "You see?! She is stupid for going in! Now they are going to kill her to death!" she says, paying more attention to the vid than what she's saying. Her hand reaches out for another piece of meat, but finds only an empty plate.
Yan Sun notices Jessica's reaching hand coming up empty out of the corner of her eye, and grabs her own plate, holding it in front of Jessica. There's a lone bit of leftovers there for the taking. On-screen, the elf leader shakes her head, the camera focusing on the uneasy motions of the knight as the elven soldiers stop closing in, forming a circle around the two. "When I give my word, I honor it, human!" she calls back, readying
her spear and dropping into a combat stance with a flourish. "Besides, I don't need an army to beat you!" The music grows in intensity as the two of them clash, the knight on the defensive from the start as her foe weaves around her, ever out of reach. Yan Sun's attention is immediately brought back to the screen even though she's very obviously seen the vid before.
Jessica accepts the plate with an appreciative hum and immediately begins picking at it with her fingers. Forks are for losers. Her brown eye remains on the screen, however. Her reaction to the elf's response about honoring her word is a confused furrowing of her brow and a confused: "...Why? She has more people! If they just-..." her thoughts are cut off as the action begins, causing her to trail off and lean forward in place.
Yan Sun puts her plate away after Jessica grabs what's left of the food, her attention remaining glued to the screen, although Jessica's comment elicits a slight snicker. The duel continues for a time, and it becomes increasingly clear that the knight is outmatched. Her fatigue is obvious, and soon she makes a blunder, her sword knocked aside. A moment later she's swept off her feet with the spear, landing on her back and bringing
up her shield to protect herself. Rather than going for a stab before the shield goes up, the elf steps on it, pinning it against the knight's chest, and pinning the knight against the ground. An armored gauntlet desperately tries to reach for the sword that's just out of reach, the other hand stuck beneath the shield. "G-... gah! The-... the others will defeat you! You'll-... you'll nev-... gukh... " is all she manages
Jessica's elbows move to her knees as she continues to lean forward and take in the struggle. Each time the elf's spear clashes with the knight's shield, Jessica's body tenses and, despite her best efforts to hide it, it's not hard to see that she's invested in the vid and, oddly enough, the honorable knight's well-being. When the knight goes down and it begins to seems as though all hope is lost, Jessica scoffs loudly. "Gah! Dumb
bitch..." she mutters. "I hate elfs. You see, kitty cat?!" she asks with a gesture towards the screen, "This is why you are never should be fighting fair! If you are not cheating then you are not trying!" she says, a scowl returning to her face as she imparts her great wisdom onto Yan Sun.
Yan Sun 's gaze is drawn to Jessica as her investment becomes obvious, causing a small gring to cross her lips as she pats her nearest hand with a snicker, dividing her attention between Jessica and the screen. The conversation remains one sided as she offers no comment on Jessica's astute observations. In the vid, the elf scoffs. "I'll never what? Do you even know what we want, hm? What we're after?" The knight's armored
fingertips are trying and failing to get a grip on the hilt of her sword as she replies. "I know what you've done! You have to be stopped! The others-" The elf suddenly sighs and removes her foot from the knight's shield, and the latter immediately scrambles for her sword, only to have it knocked aside by a swipe of the elf's spear, which is then brought to the fallen knight's throat, blade pressing against the skin of
her neck. "Just kill me! Do it!" she shouts defiantly, but there's fear in her eyes. The scarred elf just stares at her for a moment before shaking her head. "No." She suddenly flips her spear around, and as the blunt end impacts the knight's head the screen goes black. After a few seconds of silence the title screen appears: Knights of Calmare II: A New Threat.
Jessica continues to watch intently, tensing up as the blade of the spear comes in contact with the honorable knight's neck. She's probably not nearly as up to speed with pop culture as Yan Sun, but she's seen enough vids to know that something has to happen to get the hero out of this predicament, but when the the elf cracks her over the noggin, she flinches. As the screen goes black, she waits in silence. It's only when the
title fades in that she speaks up with an annoyed: "That is it?! Fuuuuuuuck that!" Her scowl softens as something occurs to her, causing her to uncross her legs and jab a foot at Yan Sun's back to give her a few pushes. "You have the next one, yes?" she asks, seemingly invested enough to give up her attempts to feign disinterest at this point. "If you make me watch these stupid movies and are not having an ending for me, I
Yan Sun 's grin widens as she breaks into laughter, nodding while scooting to avoid Jessica's foot after the first few pushes. "Yeees, I've got the next one ready to go!" she promises as she adjusts to sit facing Jessica, legs still crossed. "What'd you think?" she asks enthusiastically, arms resting on her knees as she studies Jessica with lingering traces of amusement over her reaction to the ending.
Jessica's scowl slips away entirely as Yan Sun confirms that she has the next entry in the series. A small nod and a satisfied: "Mmm." is her only response at first. When Yan Sun questions her opinion on the vid she furrows her brow, considering it for a moment before shrugging dismissively. "It was very stupid." she says simply. But she's only able to maintain a straight face for a moment before a smirk resurfaces and she gives a
small snicker. "It was okay!" she admits. "But why the hero in these vids is always so stupid?! And the dumb elf?! Just stab the bitch in the neck and you win! Mmm?! That is what I would have done."
Yan Sun snickers slightly, giving an exaggerated shrug. "Maybe you'll find out why in the next one!" she exclaims, scooting closer and leaning in to press a quick kiss against Jessica's lips before slipping out of bed and heading off towards the bathroom as the credits roll on screen. She's still wearing the clothes she slept in, alhough she's added a pair of light gray pajama pants and some socks. The combination of Jessica next
to her and easy access to blankets has meant the winter chill hasn't been much of a concern. Although the day before still lingers in her mind she seems to be in a good mood, and it's not hard to tell that she's missed Jessica. A couple of additional messages have trickled in but they seem to have slowed as her birthday has passed.
Jessica rolls her eye, but her smirk remains as she returns the kiss. "Mmm. Yes. I know, I know. They are going to team up and be friends and blah blah blah. I am not stupid, kitty cat." she assures, "Is not my first vid." She's still dressed in her loose-fitting white tanktop and the black pants she slept in that she put right back on when she returned from getting their food. When Yan Sun steps away, she begins to clean up her
breakfast mess from the bed. Spending time with Yan Sun has been a welcome distraction from the events of the past week, but even so the harrowing ordeal remains at the forefront of her thoughts. Still, she's made no attempt at bringing any of it up since her breakfast run. Whether she simply doesn't want to talk about it or due to a desire to keep things light in order to make up to Yan Sun after her stubborness nearly
Yan Sun frowns as Jessica accurately predicts the premise of the next movie, her only come back a slightly flustered "Shut up!" before she disappears into the bathroom. It's not long before she re-emerges, jumping right back into bed and activating her omni-tool, a screen projecting in front of her as she catches up on some news blurbs and checks her messages for the first time since the movie started.
Jessica gives a snicker at Yan Sun's reaction as she finishes throwing out her plastic cutlery and styrofoam plate- the life of living out of a rented room. Once finished, she rejoins Yan Sun on the bed and moves up behind her. "What you are looking at? Mmm? " she asks, scooting right up against Yan Sun's back while on her knees. She wraps her arms around Yan Sun's midsection and leans forward to rest her chin on Yan Sun's right
shoulder, peering over it just to be nosey and look at whatever is on the screen. Undoubtedly doing her best to be annoying, as per usual.
Yan Sun glances to her right as Jessica's head comes to rest on her shoulder, looking slightly self-concious as she snoops on the contents of the screen. Sender: AllEyesOpen - Subject: RE:RE:RE:A favor - Body: I'm still trying to see what I can dig up. House Bara'don are colonial, but they still have clout. They're pretty active outside the Hegemony. Should make things easier, but also makes them more dangerous. Might be a while
before my next message, I need to lay low for a bit. A lot of paranoia going around lately. More than usual, I mean. Later, Blue. Yan Sun types up a response under Jessica's scrutiny: Thanks, Eyes. Stay safe, okay? I owe you one.
Jessica makes no attempt to hide the fact that she's reading, her head slightly turning from left-to-right as she scans across the message. Once finished, she lifts her chin and opens her mouth, biting down playfully- annoyingly- on Yan Sun's shoulder. "Why you are trying for getting information about batarians?" she asks curiously once she releases her bite. "Mmm?"
Yan Sun squirms a little as Jessica bites down on her shoulder, the side of her head pressing against the top of Jessica's, and her shoulder rising as she lets out an indistinct noise. "Gh... I'm just trying to... help someone." she says, rubbing her thumb back and forth across her shoulder after closing her omni-tool projection.
Jessica cocks an eyebrow as she tilts her head to the side to look at Yan Sun. "Help someone? By digging around for information about-..." she glances back towards the omni-tool interface to try and get the exact wording, but as it dissipates she frowns. "...About a batarian house that haves clouds? Mmm?" she misquotes, "I don't know what that means, kitty cat, but I am knowing what 'dangerous' means. Do not be stupid and get
yourself involved in other people's bullshit, mmm? Not when it involves batarians. They do not fuck around." she warns.
Yan Sun sighs quietly. "It's fine, I know what I'm doing. I'm not gonna do anything stupid." she assures, leaning back against Jessica after the holographics disappear and her cybernetics fade. "It's the girl the works in the kitchen." she says after a moment, scooting down a little while still sitting in front of Jessica, back of her head leaning against her chest now as she looks up at her. "The one with the brand on her
forehead? Escaped slave. There's a bounty on her. I'm just... poking around a bit. Seeing if I can do anything."
Jessica remains on her knees behind Yan Sun, looking down at her. She draws in a deep breath at the mention of the girl in the kitchen. She's seen the brand. Not the first she's seen. She hadn't bothered to look into the brand herself, assuming the girl belonged to a batarian in town and was working to bring in some additional credits. "And she is just walking around with the thing on her head...?" she asks in confusion, a snort
following. "Maybe she should help herself. Somebody is going to turn her in if she is keeping that brand." After a brief pause, she asks: "...How much the bounty is, mmm...?"
Yan Sun frowns slightly at Jessica's comments. "She is getting rid of it. Probably takes some effort to cover something like that up." she responds. "It's-..." the last question prompts a shrug. "I-.. I don't know? Uh... 10k, I think..." she says as she sits up a bit more, using a hand pressed against the bed to prop herself up as she turns to look at Jessica.
Jessica's frown deepens. 10k credits for a phone call. Picking everything up and moving across the galaxy to Hong Kong certainly isn't going to be cheap. There's a lot they could do with ten thousand credits... A thought crosses her mind- not exactly the proudest of thoughts- but it's immediately drowned out as Nathan's words come flooding back to her. 'Selfish, heartless psycho.' he had called her and it causes a bit of guilt to
settle in at having even entertained the idea. Her gaze lowers slightly, darting towards the bed as her thoughts occupy her attention for the moment. When she looks back to Yan Sun, she gives a couple of small nods. "Do what you can to help her, kitty cat." she says softly. Fuck Nathan. It doesn't matter what he thinks about her. He doesn't know her, as much as he'd like to smugly sit on his high horse and think that he
Yan Sun nods slightly, flashing a faint smile. "I won't." she assures, glancing towards the screen where credits are still rolling before looking back at Jessica, falling silent as she studies her for a few moments. She furrows her eyebrows as she tries to form a question, her gaze focused on the sheets as she picks at a wrinkle in them, eyes only darting up to Jessica's face once or twice.. "I was meaning to ask if... you wanted
to talk about... you know, the mission, or... anything..." It's a fumbling attempt at best to prod, and to show that she's not trying to just ignore everything that was said the night before.
Jessica raises an eyebrow as Yan Sun stammers towards her question. Once she gets her question out, however, Jessica's gaze lowers once more. All of the concerns and worries brought on by the past week come storming back once Yan Sun has breached the subject, bringing it front and center in Jessica's mind once more. It causes her to fall silent for a number of moments, absently tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth. Refusing to
allow the thoughts to linger, she looks back to Yan Sun with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders. "What is there to talk about? Mmm? A bunch of stupid fucking bugs try to kill me. And now a bunch of stupid fucking bugs are dead and I am not." she says, "What more there is to say?" Despite her words being a far cry from the open concern she displayed previously, it's not hard to see that the events weigh heavily on her mind.
Yan Sun should speak 'Jessica' well enough to know that this is little more than her way of saying 'I don't want to talk about it'.
Yan Sun gives a few small nods. She doesn't seem intent on pushing the issue. Just a prod. An attempt at making sure she knows she can talk if she wants to. "I j-... yeah, okay." she says, a hint of a faint smile tugging briefly at the corner of her lips before fading as she nods again, reaching over to give Jessica's hand a squeeze. She leans in to press a soft kiss against her cheek before crawling back a little, leaning
Yan Sun against the wall as she activates her omni-tool. "I'll start up the next vid?" she suggests, hoping to provide an easy out.
Jessica forces a small smile as Yan Sun gives her a peck on the cheek. The intent isn't lost on her, and it's pretty obvious there's a lot on her mind. But despite everything she's survived- everything she's seen- everything she's lost- narrowly clawing her way off of that alien ship was unlike anything she had experienced. Unlike anything she had ever expected to experience. These weren't batarian slavers, or krogan
Jessica mercenaries, or turian drug dealers. They weren't gangsters that could be reasoned with. They weren't a rich, entitled brat with a whole lot of credits and a chip on his shoulder. They were Collectors. They made no demands and didn't care to negotiate. Their motives were their own and they had an army backing them. A real army. And, if she was being honest with herself, they terrified her. No, that's not something she's
Jessica ready to face. Not willingly. She gives a couple of small nods as she scoots over to take a position beside Yan Sun against the wall. "Mmm." she confirms, eagerly taking the easy out.
Yan Sun presses a button on her arm interface, and the screen switches to black. Soon enough production company logos start to flash along the screen. A lot of them, each logo seeming longer than the last. She doesn't bother skipping past, taking the time to grab their pillows for back support, scooting down into a lower, more relaxed position and leaning against Jessica as she pulls the covers up over them for warmth.