I Could Wash Your Berries

[Jett Tsar]

Jett hummed a single note which conveyed his approval. He liked it as much as anyone when another person took his advice. He certainly hoped she'd look into it. He admired the Protectors and what they did.

It took five steps for him to realize they weren't talking anymore. Being a bit ahead of the girls, he had assumed they would begin a conversation of their own which he'd be able to pounce in on. They were, however, silent. Jett turned his head. His eyes widened.

Neither of them looked unpleasant. But neither did either of them look pleased. If he didn't know any better Jett would have said Manisha was tense, while Bex looked disappointed. What was a man to do? He couldn't fathom what had crawled down their shirts, but he wished it would come out. Or maybe he should retrieve it...

Jett stopped and swung around to face them. His brown eyes pinned Bex down, and then slowly journeyed to Manisha.

"Adam goes to God and says 'Hey God, I'm really thankful for all you've given me, what with the animals and the garden and all. . .but I was wondering if you'd maybe give me a companion. You know, someone to make me dinner and wash my clothes and to give kisses to.' The Lord replied, 'Well okay, I can do that. But it'll cost you an arm and a leg.' Adam hesitated, looking uncertain, and then said, 'Nyuuh, what can I get for a rib?'"

Jett said it all with a face as straight as a wall.

[Vanquish Lee]

Bex had a lot of respect for the Protectors. If she didn't, that'd be horrible seeing as they had saved her and so many other Dreamers countless times. But the thought of working with Manisha set her partly on edge. As if the woman had to do anything more to Bex to make her become angry. Not that Manisha really knew what she was doing. Oh, this was all so confusing!

Bex looked to Jett with a puzzled look. Some of her anger was dissipating due to the silence and she wondered what Jett would say now. She mentally reconstructed her mutation's walls. She didn't want anything else blowing up. Then, the most random joke came out of Jett's mouth. She continued to look at him with confusion before a short burst of giggles passed her lips and a small smile broke on her face. The negative emotions were lifted from her, though she kept watch in case they came back. It seemed that she couldn't stay mad at Jett, but she wasn't sure if she minded.

She looked back to Manisha, the smile still on her face, wondering if the woman could laugh.

[Manisha]

It was beginning to become obvious, even to one as dense as Manisha, that her presence wasn't as welcome as had been claimed. The tense, awkward silence stretched out between them like a wall. It confused the army woman to no end. Why on earth would she be unwelcome? Especially after they claimed she was? Manisha took a moment to calm her mind and then think about things from, what she deemed, a logical military standpoint.

Why would someone claim friendliness and then not act appropriately for said stance? Perhaps they were her enemies for some reason and were merely attempting to lure her into an ambush with bad acting? Perhaps they just weren't familiar with how to treat an ally? Regardless, her military instincts told her it was most likely a trap. As such she responded accordingly. Manisha would not spring their trap just yet. She would wait and see what they had planned. With luck it would lead to discovering exactly why they were attempting such a thing.

Manisha remained straight-faced as Jett turned and told what she presumed to be a joke. It was lost on her. She was completely unfamiliar with whatever he was referencing for the joke and therefore it did not strike her as funny in the least. She felt the eyes of both Jett and Bex linger on her, though at different moments. Manisha tried to smile to indicate happiness to the two of them but it was a grim failure. Instead she ended up grinning awkwardly and then turned her head away from the two to stare at the river. At least then she wouldn't have to see them watching her. She chastised herself to remain vigilant as she watched the water. They could spring their trap at any moment. Best to be ready.

[Jett Tsar]

Jett blinked through the momentary silence following his story. When Bex began to giggle his face broke into a broad grin. He nodded,

"That was a good one, wasn't it? Indeed. My professor taught it to me." He chuckled and looked to Manisha, who was. . .was just looking at him. She flashed a less than convincing smile, one he tried to believe for his own sake. But there was no denying her reaction dulled the moment. Jett's smile slid off his face as he turned around once again, frowning for a number of different reasons, none he seemed to be able to fix.

He resumed walking. He could see the gentle portion of the river straight ahead. It wasn't too large of any area but it would certainly suffice. Without realizing it Jett picked up his speed in order to reach in sooner. The thought of clean and ripe strawberries on his tongue was delightful in itself. He couldn't wait to actually be eating them.

With Bex's friends. Of course. He was sure he'd enjoy their company, so without worrying, Jett stopped beside the river.

"Here we are!" Bending at the waist, he rolled up his pants legs above his knees. With the sack between his hands, he waded into the river, which at its height wet the bottom of his pants despite them being rolled.

"This is no task for the weak." Jett laughed, feigning a warrior's face. Oh, how he did enjoy his fun. Lifting the sack above his head, he plunged it into the water as easily as a man would slip a sword into a dead man's stomach.

[Vanquish Lee]

It felt like high school but Bex grinned when Jett did. Finally, a tiny thought of maybe her liking Jett crossed her mind.

Only to be pushed out by her rational that she had only briefly met him. But maybe that's why they were called crushes. Because they crushed you with the speed of their birth and then left you crushed when it was never returned, or not even noticed. Her head was cleared by Manisha's lack of obvious amusement and wondered what was wrong with her. Where did she come from? Her thoughts weren't exactly ill but that thought of high school came up when she got a faint feeling of triumph on being able to laugh with Jett. That made no sense.

"Hmm. You were in college? Where?" Bex asked as Jett picked up the pace. She wasn't really paying attention to the river. In fact, she never had been, she realized. She'd been focused on talking to Jett. Good thing he had been. She stopped when Jett exclaimed "Here we are!", looking at the small patch of gentle waters, wondering what caused them. She bent down and rolled her skinny jeans up so that they were about four inches above her knee.

Bex smiled with amusement. "Is it cold?" She asked, after playfully rolling her eyes at his little show. Her legs were already cold from the blowing wind and her arms had long ago grown numb. There was really no other point in asking the question, but for some reason Bex wanted Jett's opinion, no matter how obvious the answer would be. How pathetic.

[Manisha]

Manisha felt...the same way she had when she failed something during training. It wasn't a good feeling and she slowed down to let the other two be together. It was becoming evident that Manisha would not be able to properly associate with others for some time to come. Until then she would be better off watching quietly from the sidelines. To distract herself from this latest failure she set about looking at the surrounding area. Specifically she looked anywhere that Jett and Bex were not.

If they were in fact intent on ambushing her this would be a good spot and circumstance. She was slightly injured, that would handicap her ability to run away somewhat. Plus they were quite a ways away from any possible people that could hear if she were to call for help. Manisha's survey however showed her nothing. They were either very good, unlikely, or there was no trap and she'd been over reacting.

As she listened to Jett and Bex converse Manisha almost hoped that she'd been over reacting. To speak so easily with each other without seeming stiff or awkward seemed amazing to Manisha since it was a skill she didn't possess. She was determined to learn it though. Without her unit here to make up for her deficiencies she would have to find some way to compensate. The best way would be to learn the skills she needed herself. That way she would not have to rely on people of questionable intent and once she returned to her unit she would be even more of an asset.

[Jett Tsar]

Jett opened the sack and withdrew a strawberry, plunging it into the water and rolling his thumb against it's surface to clean it. He waded towards Bex as he did so, offering her the sack to do the same.

"I attended school in Florida. At the University of Miami." His struggle to properly pronounce the word 'Miami' was apparent. "I was regarded as an exchange student, of sorts. It's amazing how many scholarships you're able to get when you've grown up in Africa." He refrained from adding, 'And when you have a GPA like mine despite that'. Not because it would be bragging--he didn't think about that--but because that would lead them into an entirely new conversation all about his experiences and the like, which he'd rather not discuss at current times. Jett didn't want to recount some of the less desirable activities he first indulged himself in during the period of confusion from the culture shock he'd experienced.

Placing the strawberry back into the sack, he withdrew another, looking up at Manisha on the bank. He rose his voice to be sure she would hear as well.

"It's almost freezing." He turned his grin to Bex. "But no worries. If you're feeling numb in the toes afterward I'd be honored to give you a South African foot massage supreme." He winked, and, distracted, accidentally dropped the strawberry into the water. With a short cry of alarm Jett dove to get the fruit before it was taken downstream, but his reaction was not quick enough.

Instead he ended up wetting his arm up to the shoulder while reaching out.

"Ah, shoot. I'm sorry. I'll swim after it if you'll have me."

[Vanquish Lee]

Bex removed her shoes and cautiously made her way to the river bank. She eyed the water and knelled by it taking a strawberry from the sack Jett offered her and repeated his process. Her fingers gently swept over the plump berry's skin. "They look so good," she said, an excited grin on her lips. "I'm lucky to have run into you," she told Jett, her eyes soft.

Bex smiled gently at his pronunciation. He's so adorable, she allowed herself to think. If she was going to fall, she might as well fall hard. It's not every day you find someone who's actually happy to be in Freakopolis, someone you agree with almost one hundred percent. The only thing stealing Bex's thunder was Manisha. She felt Manisha behind her, wondering what the stranger intruder was thinking. She desperately wanted to know just how much Manisha and Jett were involved but there would be no way to find out except to ask and that wasn't happening.

Bex grimaced. Her crouch was becoming uncomfortable and she knew she would have to enter the freezing waters soon enough. "I may just have to hold that to you, Jett. Don't make promises you won't keep," she told him, giving him a sly wink before entering the water slowly. She looked back to Manisha, feeling a little guilty about how distant she seemed to be. "You'll help right. We'll make Jett and honest mean." She giggled before watching Jett as he dove for a dropped strawberry. She reached out and took his cold shoulder in her hand once he came up.

"Don't worry about it. It's just one. I wouldn't want you getting sick for me." She shook her head. " We have plenty more."

[Manisha]

Manisha came to the conclusion that she had been wrong. There was no trap. She just wasn't as welcome as they'd led her to believe. As such Manisha sat down where she was, a small stretch away from the bank and Jett and Bex. As she watched the two she sank quietly into her own thoughts. This was often how it was with her unit and so she'd suddenly become quite comfortable with the situation. When Bex addressed her she looked up from her contemplation to stare at her a moment before saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Why would we want him to be honest? Lying is often a highly useful tactic to use with one's enemies. As long as he is truthful to us then that is all that matters."

Of course Manisha could say such things because often times it didn't matter if someone lied to her or not. Having a power like hers meant that she could pry the truth out of someone's mind. Often it didn't even take much effort. People generally thought of the truth of a situation when they lied. All she had to do was be linked to them when they did lie and their mind would do the rest.

Perhaps Bex had had a different meaning to her statement in mind but Manisha didn't catch it. Such was the way of things for Manisha when she conversed with others. Being raised as she was she seldom understood the conversational conventions employed by those raised among society. Why they didn't just speak plainly was also a mystery. Not for the first time since she'd arrived her did she wish she'd been given a different assignment.

[Jett Tsar]

Jett enjoyed the heat Bex's hand on his shoulder emitted. It hinted at a deeper warmth no doubt circulating the rest of her body. It devilishly made his mind wander. Suddenly washing strawberries in a freezing river was a terrible idea. The thought of a soft blanket beside a crackling fire with a warm hand was much more alluring. He turned away, feigning interest in his work with the strawberry to hide his smoldering eyes.

"I always keep my promises." He protested meekly, still keeping his face turned to the water. From the corner of his eyes he spotted a fish traveling with the current. Fish and strawberries could be pleasant together. He resolved to take advantage of the next unsuspecting fish that might pass.

Jett's head snapped up sharply as Manisha spoke. Her voice still did that to him. There was something graciously alarming about it. Perhaps a bit unnerving, especially when she didn't sound friendly. Not to say she didn't sound friendly now, but he did suspect he tasted a bit of flatness in her words.

"A valid point, Lina." He proclaimed, lifting a finger in a scholastic manner. "And I assure you I am as honest as a red-breasted robin." He gave her a reassuring smile and then motioned towards the sack of fruit. "Come join us. There's more than enough unwashed strawberries to go around."

[Vanquish Lee]

Bex searched Jett's eyes for a moment before he turned away from her. She let out a small breath and dropped her hand from his shoulder, unsure of what he was thinking. She could at least tell he was thinking something.

"Do we just put the strawberries back in the bag once we clean them?" Bex asked, an eyebrow raised as she eyed her ruby red berry. Her mouth watered a bit but she refrained from taking a bit. She would have the strawberries soon enough.

"Well, I guess I'll see that then, won't I?" Bex teased, smiling widely. Her head turned to Manisha as she spoke and her eyebrows quickly drew together. She wasn't sure where Manisha was getting at, or what point she was trying to make. She bit her bottom lip and then moved on. "I suppose so," she said, no distaste in her tone but a hint of confusion.

Bex smiled at Jett. "Do you write poetry Jett?" She asked, wanting to no more about this man. "You certainly seem to have a way with words." She looked over to Lina with Jett's offer and playfully patted the water next to her, like one might pat the seat beside them, asking the person to sit with them.

[Manisha]

Manisha merely shook her head. Bex seemed clearly happier to be close to Jett without her nearby. It would most likely be beneficial to remove herself from the situation completely. Her shirt was sufficient dry now. She could take off Jett's pullover and return it to him. After that it would be a simple matter of returning to her abandoned things. She would have just enough time to cleanse and bandage her foot before she began patrolling.

The woman turned her back and changed garments quickly. The pullover was folded neatly. All that was left was to give the pullover back and leave. Manisha wondered if she'd ever be comfortable in a social situation that wasn't a mission briefing. For now people simply confused her. Everything they did was counterintuitive. Manisha stood and walked over to the river bank. She stayed still only long enough to lay the pullover down.

"I believe it would be best all around if I retire. I have patrols to get to in any case."

Manisha dipped at the waist in a small bow to the two of them before she turned and began to head back the way they'd come. Sure they could still call out to her but she found that highly unlikely. A term she'd heard the members of her unit use sprang to mind for her presence with these two: Third Wheel. Whether Bex had such designs on Jett or not was irrelevant. Manisha's presence had warped things. Plus there was always her patrols.

[Jett Tsar]

Jett cocked his head as Manisha blatantly refused to join them. He hadn't considered the answer to Bex's question--what were they supposed to do with the strawberries once they washed them?--so he didn't answer. He wouldn't until he had a logical one to give her.

Straining his neck, he called after Manisha's retreating form,

"I'll see you at the next stake burning then." With a chuckle he relaxed, glancing towards Bex, wondering if she would catch his inside joke. But then, why would she? She wasn't there. She hadn't known what had happened. For a sudden instant Jett fell unconnected with the woman in the water beside him. His thoughts drifted after the one walking away.

That moment was quickly over. He thought of Bex's bracelet, the one she'd given to the crone for the strawberries. He remembered his vow to retrieve it. And he would.

"I guess we should put it on the dry ground, eh?" His eyes sparked to life as an idea came to mind. "Here, we'll use my shirt. It's wet anyway, and since I have my pullover back and I just use that once we're done here." He was already wading towards his article of clothing. On the bank he stripped off his grey shirt and laid it on the ground. The strawberry between his thumb and forefinger was placed on it.

"There." He straightened, pleased with his work, and turned back to the water. "That is, of course, if you don't mind me..." He glanced down at his pale, hairless chest and then up at Bex. Women usually didn't mind when he decided to shed bits of his clothing. Perhaps she was an exception. If so he'd don his sweater quickly to save her eyes. Otherwise...there were strawberries to be washed.

[Vanquish Lee]

A startled look crossed Bex's face as Manisha left them. She was left momentarily speechless and didn't call after the departing figure. Who knows what she would've said if she could use her voice? Who knows if she would've said anything at all? Though no she was alone with Jett, a sick feeling of guilt washed over her, feeling she was to blame for Manisha's abrupt leaving. She clearly knew Jett better then Bex.

Bex's eyes flashed to Jett as he spoke to Manisha's retreating frame and her eyebrows knitted together. What was he talking about? She shrugged it off, leaving it as something she would never understand. She figured he was making some sort of inside joke, which was rude when around someone who wasn't in on the joke. She sighed softly, fiddling with the clean strawberry in her hand, her guilt still strong.

Bex bit her lip as he tried to work out a place to keep the clean strawberries. She blinked and then quickly blushed as he pulled his shirt off. She turned her face away, though she knew she couldn't avoid looking at him the whole time they would clean the berries, nor did she really want to.

She looked back to him as he spoke to her. She shook her head, a little too quickly. "It's not a problem." Her eyes took him in briefly but she quickly turned around and placed her strawberry on his shirt and picked up another one that needed to be washed. "So...come here often?" She asked, laughing gently, hoping to ease the tension that she felt she had created. Or at least, she felt an awkwardness. Maybe Jett didn't.

[Jett Tsar]

He didn't. Public expose was a part of his past. Being open and honest and putting himself out there in front of a woman--even if they were alone together--was a pastime. Jett just seemed to have a natural way with the opposite sex. Lucky.

"Actually, I do." He said, grinning down at Bex, picking up three strawberries to wash at the same time. His hands were big enough, why not? "Need to wash. Get clean, you know?" He put the strawberries on the shirt.

"I don't smell funny to you, do I?" Jett lifted an arm examining a hairy arm pit. Withholding laughter, he swiveled, coming at Bex's face with his underarm. "Tell me honestly, do I?" A grin stretched his face.