Blind Justice

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"Your heart stopped." Clint told her. "When we were there in the lake, I could feel everything around me. The men in the airship, this rascal I dragged back-" Clint paused to chuckle at the nip he felt on his back, but his face dropped as soon as it has risen up. "-but, Tessa, I thought you were gone."

"Hey, hey!" Clint all but slapped his hand along the side of Tessa's face. Her skin was pale, ice cold and she was beginning to be unresponsive. "Tessa, you gotta wake up, you hear me?"

He wasn't about to lose anyone else, not while he could still do something about it. Clint pulled her close to his chest, eager to get her warm again despite the grim fact of the situation. Tessa was dying.

Clint shot out of the cradle and into the ship once they were close enough and the pup jumped away. He wanted to be on solid earth, even if that meant fabricated boards of a Republic based airship. The pup didn't know the difference. Solid wood was solid enough.

"Don't fall asleep." Clint ordered her. He pulled his jacket away and wrapped it around her chest. Keep the vitals warm. "Somebody get me a goddamn medic, now!"

Clint held his hand flat against her chest, being careful not to be too obtrusive with the spread of his fingers so near to her breasts. His reach went into her vitals until it picked up the subtle blush on her cheeks, her heart beat in a steady flow at his touch. The hand on her chest stayed put, anxiously feeling for each steady beat. Thump, she was alive, thump, Tessa lived and breathed just like any other man, thump, she'd been so close to dying. With each pump and push of the muscles in her very core, Clint could breathe a sigh of relief again. Blood and tissue amounted to little if they weren't in a proper, functioning system, where lungs, a heart, and all other things were necessary components for human life. She'd been a drop away from being a corpse.

"Your heart..." He repeated. "...stopped."

Clint leaned forward and placed his head on her shoulder. Never did he attempt to remove the hand placed on her chest, for each second she breathed, he wanted to know that she was still with him. Fear ate him alive when she'd nearly died, and now it continued to gnaw even when he knew she was alive and well just before him. Is there no end to this worry? Tessa is alive, right here, breathing. Clint thought.

"It seems even death knows about our little arrangement." Clint sighed into the crook of her neck. "That I can't be rid of you just yet."​
 
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Her fingers went to his hair, hands cradling his head against her shoulder. She was really glad she was alive. Tessa wished she could say that the experience was terrifying, something she'd never want to repeat again... but in all honesty, she couldn't remember most of it. She remembered Clint, and his voice, but everything else was a strange static. Like background noise.

"Well, trust me. I'm not going anywhere if I can help it." Not for as long as she could sit here, and hold him. Just hold him. So why were her hands cupping his face. Why were her lips drawn to his. Too difficult to hold back, too difficult to breathe- her breath stuttered in her lungs, her eyes fluttered shut.

"You saved my life. Three times now, but who's keeping count." That was only if she counted the last four horrifying days. How could four days be so terrible, and so right all at once.​
 
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"You." He chuckled against her neck with a hearty grumble of his chest. "You're keeping count."

Clint nuzzled his nose against hers at the touch of her hands. She hadn't pushed him away, at least not yet, so he felt comfortable with their faces pressed close together. He traced his hands away from the rest of her body and brought them up around her back, holding her in place with a gentle amount of pressure.

"Tessa..." He sighed.

Clint closed his eyes, pressed his lips against hers with heated need, and Gods did he need her. This was the first time they'd been alone, in top shape no less, since falling straight out of the sky. There was untold emotion in their hearts, and while Clint wasn't ready to let it all out in a sappy confession. He wasn't ready for that kind of proclamation. For now, he was intent with the taste of her lips and the warmth of her skin under his hands.​
 
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4th month 16th day
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Dael was at a loss. No matter how many times he turned the problem over in his head, he just couldn't think of a solution. It didn't help, of course, that at every turn he was distracted by the object of his thoughts. It was the small things he noticed; the way the rain slid down her nose, the way the smallest corner of her mouth etched into a smile when she was being mischievous. Her strength, her resolve and the utter and absolute fact that she was the bravest person he had ever known.

Every time he tried to set himself to thinking about question of the crown, he recalled their night, dancing in the caves. The curve of her waist under his hand, and the smell of her hair on his clothes. Memories he never wanted to let go- save that he was always thinking of them in inconvenient places.

Luckily now was not one of them.

He had the chance, now that they were alone, to notice the curl of her hair against her cheek, to reach out and brush it behind her ear. To look into her eyes- infinitely blue- and give her a small secret smile. A smile full of promises.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are?" He'd definitely told her before. If not, then he was an idiot. He was also an idiot for letting himself get distracted again. With Quinn still in the med-bay, and Hewlett off on his job... it was up to him and Jessie to figure out the crown and it's secrets. It was a terrible idea.

"Because I feel like I should. Tell you, that is." Amusement lit his eyes. "You're beautiful."​
 
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Jessie caught his gaze and looked away with a grin lighting up her face. It wasn't the first time he said it, and it wouldn't be the last.

She was dressed up in full military attire, back to tight corsets and shining silver buttons now that she was in her prime. The standard black uniform had become a part of her daily life now, and Jessie rather liked the tightness against her chest, keeping her whole after the countless injuries she'd sustained pretending to be her sister. The only comfort of home she'd been allowed now were her boots, with the hidden runes deep in the soles which allowed her to float in the air at will, black and tall, contouring to the slender lines of her legs in a pleasant way. One which a certain Captain seemed to admire.

"Sometimes I think you talk too much." Jessie teased. She winked and casually strolled up to Dael to plant a kiss on his forehead. Pacing had become somewhat of a comm practice for the girl now, and as soon as she'd kissed the man, she was back to walking from side to side, her blonde hair following her every move.

"Aren't you bothered though?" Jessie blurted. She threw her hands out at her sides, groping at the incomprehensible matter of the crown. It haunted her, knowing that something so fierce could simply dissolve into a few shined spikes and call it a day. Part of her was now coated in the liquid crystal, and she had yet to discover what it meant.

"We don't know anything about this thing, it nearly killed us all, and Dael, Dael! My bones are made of the stuff. What if it, I don't know, gets angry? What if we let this thing out of the caves, and now it's going to wreak havoc on the world?" Jessie stopped pacing only to stare intently at her hands in thought. She quickly resumed her stride. "We need to focus, Dael."​
 
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Dael sighed. It was a melancholy sound, not because he regretted actually having to do work, but because... well, even her pacing was tempting him to close the distance between them and sweep her off her feet. But this was important.

"Right. Well, what we know about the crown. Obviously it's capable of taking multiple forms. It has some kind of sentience, if not a terribly complex artificial personality..." The memories of that night were ones he wished he could go without. It still hurt to think of Jessie dying in his arms, being unable to do anything to save her. And on that thought, Dael was propelled to his feet. He spent far too much time only capable of watching from a distance.

Her just needed to feel her in his arms. Just to confirm that she was indeed standing there in front of him. So he scooped Jessie up, one arm hooked under her legs, the other supporting her back, and cradled her to his chest. Much better.

"It also abhors lying. And has the ability to heal. Maybe one of us should try wearing it. I don't want to risk it, but it might be our only chance of finding out what the thing does"​
 
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"D-Daelron Christopher!" Jessie couldn't even finish scolding him through her laughter. "Put me down, why do you always have to be picking me up?"

She squirmed under his hold, but the Rebel girl knew better than to try to get away from his hold on her. Every day, every damned day, Dael had come to visit her while she was stuck, yet again, in the medical bay of the ship. It wasn't enough to see her, Dael would climb into her bed and make sure she was warm, or that she'd had enough to eat. The man couldn't get his hands off of Jessie, not that she was one to complain at the physical touch. She just wasn't used to having so much affection thrust upon her.

"I'll do it." She offered up. "I don't mind, really, what worse could really happen?"

Jessie had been beaten, bloodied, and near death a hundred times since joining up with Dael. Another hit wasn't something she couldn't take, and her headstrong attitude certainly coincided with her desire to figure out the mystery of the crown. Dael would probably refuse, even so, Tessa wanted to try.

"If anything, nothing will go wrong."​
 
Dael held tight to his wriggling captive, not bothering to hide his smile as he swung her around in a brief circle- using the momentum to adjust his grip, of course. With her still in his arms, he crossed the room to the crows resting place on his desk. It was then, that he reluctantly put her down.

"I'd rather not risk it, if we can. Let's try a few thing just holding the crown first." He couldn't believe how...innocuous, the artifact looked. It could have been any piece sold in an antique store, and yet supposedly had more power the entire state combined. Remarkable. Dael plucked the crown from the desk, and held it between them with a contemplative look.

"So, I don't like the idea of either of us injuring ourselves, to see if it can heal. What if it's only a one-time thing? And given it's propensity towards violence, I don't exactly want to try waking it up again."​
 
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"Well, do you feel any different?" Jessie asked.

It was the obvious question as he held the crown in his hands. If there was going to be some effect, now was the time. Jessie only let her hands hover around Dael's, not wanting to disrupt whatever was supposed to happen. This crown was of a long standing legend, surely it wouldn't amount to just a decorative piece of crystal in the end? There had to be something, some kind of effect on Dael that Jessie couldn't see with her eyes.

"Well, try lying." Jessie encouraged. "It seems to know, in the caves, when we lied. Say something."

Jessie wasn't at all worried about waking the entity up. They'd already conquered the crystal room and so it knew all their secrets, at least it was satisfied with the answers given. If the being decided to come alive again, Jessie was sure they'd be able to quell the problem before it turned into anything severe.​
 
Did he feel any different? Dael adopted a serious expression, as he lifted the crystal crown up to eye level. He felt nothing, aside from a slight buzzing at the tips of his fingers- like he was touching a live wire, with very little electricity left.

"Alright. My name is-" The crown thrummed in his hand, as if in warning. Dael couldn't choke out the words. His brows knit together in fascination. "My name, is- is-" It warmed, until holding the spires of crystal, as innocuous as they seemed, became painful to hold. Dael quickly dropped it on his desk, where it sizzled. Burning a perfect circle into the wood.

"Of all the- My name is Daeleron Christopher Cooper!" The heat stopped, though the acrid smell of smoke that rose into the air was no better. The tips of his fingers, every bit of skin that had been touching the crown, stung uncomfortably. It wasnt the first time he'd had a burn, and it wouldn't be the last. But it was certainly the most fascinating one he'd ever managed to accrue.

"Well. That's fascinating."​
 
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"What the hell?" Jessie exclaimed. She instinctively reached for Dael's hands to examine the extent of his injuries, the smell in the air gave her reason to suspect his hands had been burnt off, but they were surprisingly less scorched than she would have imagined.

She looked back at the crown, where it had fallen onto the desk and etched a circle into the wood. So there was indeed some kind of power acting from within the crystal, but was that all it could do? Telling lies seemed to upset the crown, just as it had the entity in the caves, and resulted in harm to the one holding on. With that kind of power in Republic hands, there'd be no telling what kind of information they'd be able to pull from the lips of traitors and rebels alike. Jessie dared not think on it a second longer.

"I'm no Doctor... but I can try to patch that up if you like." Jessie offered. Her bioalchemy wasn't nearly as perfected as Clint's, or as powerful as Doctor Freemont's.

Nevertheless, she closed her hands lightly around Dael's so as not to cause further pain to his fingers. She lifted the tips to her face and gently kissed just below Dael's burns on the first few of his fingers, keeping her eyes low to conceal the slight bit of embarrassment she felt at the loving act.​
 
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"I'll be fine," It was true, the burns certainly weren't life threatening. There was no need for her to spend her strength on something that would merely cause him some discomfort. "Truth be told, I manage to burn myself quite often. I have to say though, this is the first time I've been burned by glorified jewelry."

It probably wasn't wise to goad whatever sentient thing resided inside the crown, but Dael wasn't feel particularly ambient towards the artifact at the moment. He might have been downright annoyed, but Jessie's embarrassed blush easily railroaded his more murderous thoughts. An effect she would likely retain no matter what state she was in. Unless of course she was injured. But right now, she was gloriously injury free, her actions so achingly sweet that he wanted to wrap her in his arms again.

He settled for brushing his free hand against her cheek, and pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.

"Well, now at least we know one of its abilities. I'm glad you weren't wearing that. We just got you out of the medical bay."​
 
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"Maybe it's different on your head." Jessie suggested. "You were only holding it, so you had the chance to drop it. Just imagine if it had scorched all the hairs off of your head."

She leaned in quickly to his hand before it left her face, keeping a light hold on his fingertips. They were red, and looked rather sore, but she denied them any healing touch. Dael said it wouldn't be worth it, and she believed it to be true. No use in healing a simple burn when he could let it fade away easily enough.

Jessie sighed. It had been a shame, having to come back to the ship. The caves had been a nice break from all the scrutinizing looks of the outside world. She was back to the ruse that was named Theresa Astor, only she spent much more 'private' time with the Captain. It earned her a few sultry looks from some of the crew, but she swore it off as Captain's training and no one questioned her. Quinn had been out of commission since his return, and now Hewlett was gone. It only left Thatcher to wonder what was truly going on.

"It's nice in the med bay though. Less people paying attention to when I screw up." Jessie mumbled. "Someone is bound to notice I'm not Theresa, sooner or later. Who knows when she'll come back, or if I'll ever get out of here."​
 
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Dael was torn. Torn between reassuring her, as was his first instinct, and denying her words. He didn't want to think of her leaving, nor did he wish to see her distressed. Complications that of course only served to further his irritation; irritation at himself, and the situation they found themselves in. He still had so much work to do if he was going to... take care, of his father.

"All we can do is play it by ear, and be careful. Of course, the situation isn't exactly... ideal, but that doesn't mean we can't make the best of it." Just like they were doing now, taking solace in each others company while trying to figure out the mysteries of the crown... or perhaps he was only taking solace in her company. The thought gave him pause, and then forced him to take a step back to observe the situation.

"So now we know the crown still hates lies... but does it require us to be holding it? And I'd like to avoid a test while wearing it... my hair is quite fine where it is right now...." It didn't strike him that his abrupt return to the previous conversation might be seen as a dismissal of her worries, not until after the words had already left his lips. Dael scrubbed his face with his uninjured hand.

"Sorry... Old habits die hard." He refrained from pulling her into his chest again. At some point he would have to let go, after all. "No matter what happens, I will not let anything happen to you."​
 
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"I trust you." Jessie smiled. "I know. We'll...it'll be alright in the end."

She turned away from Dael and lifted a hand to conceal the side of her face, feigning an itch that wasn't really there. It didn't need to be said that Jessie was still worrying about how she was supposed to avoid the chopping block. Her head was wanted by every top official in the Republic, and many of them were well aware of her current situation. The only thing which kept them from clawing onto Dael's ship was that her sister hadn't yet returned, or died, that and the current mission held the utmost importance. Delaying the matter of the crown over one rebel would be worthless.

Still, how long would it really last? The peace she felt in her heart was only a shadow before the larger problem.

Jessie turned back and forced herself to be cheery again. After all, she'd had most of the afternoon to spend with Dael without the watchful eye of the crew. What reason did she have to be so gloomy? Besides her impending death, the crew treated her well, she had Dael watching out for her, she had all the same liberties as her regular life.

"So, Mr. Cooper." Jessie smirked. "Aren't we supposed to be training, or was I mistaken?"

She hoped her attempts to distract Dael from the problems at hand would work, at least for another hour or two.​
 
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"Training?" Dael arched one eyebrow, amusement brightening his expression. Amusement, and the sharp joy at her admission. She trusted him- and that was all he could ask for. They'd come a long way from the girl who was curled up on his couch, with tears in her eyes. "I suppose I could find something to teach you."

Dael tried to hold back the urge- he really did. It didn't take long for him to throw his resolution to give her space out the window- figuritively speaking of course- when she was insistent on looking tempting. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. Nevertheless, it didn't take long for him to snake his arm back around her waist for another brief hug.

"It's a good thing you're familiar with being a captain. Otherwise I fear we'd be in some trouble. Now, do you want some actual training, or some fun? It's unfortunate, but there's really not much to do grounded as we are. Unless, you want to learn how to file paperwork." He didn't even need to look for confirmation- Jessamine just didn't seem the type to be excited by the prospect of paperwork. It was a chore he wished that he could ignore, and wouldn't force anyone else to suffer through. That didn't mean he couldn't tease her with the idea. Something he did with an absurd waggle of his eyebrows.

"Paperwork could be fun. You never know."​
 
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"I suppose we could do that." Jessie's brows furrowed. There were other, more tempting things she was interested in. For instance, getting to know Dael Cooper a little better, that was always on her mind in one form or another. Be it a casual note of the grease on his hands from cleaning his weapons, or another bruise from a training exercise gone awry. Getting to know her Captain meant more than just the touch of his lips, it also meant getting to know the man on the field she fought side by side with.

She leaned into the touch of his arm around her waist, smiling briefly at the interaction. It was short lived, however, she could sense that Dael was holding back every urge to pick her up in his arms and hold her there for all eternity. At least then she'd be safe from the republic tyranny.

"So I suppose this needs a signature..." Jessie picked up a part of the stack on Dael's desk just beside the crown. "And this needs approval, supervision. You're right. This is boring."

Still, she was grinning ear to ear. Jessie picked up a pen and held her hand just above the parchment. Technically, her approval meant little. Signing off Theresa's name was forgery in itself, and the uppermost tier of the Republic forces would've known it was really Jessamine's signature. To see her name there on the paper might have been amusing, if the consequences for any wrong move wouldn't have been death.

"Now come on, show me what to do so I can help you out." Jessamine hopped up on the desk and patted the wooden framework with her palm. "Then we can do something more interesting later, yeah?"​
 
Dael chuckled at Jessie's eager offer, his smile widening the longer he looked at her. It was silly, but the image of Jessie sitting on his desk, patting the wood as though offerring him a seat beside her, was absolutely enthralling in a way that Dael couldn't quite wrap his mind around.

"Sorry. There really isn't anything else to do aside from paperwork. They are determined to drown me in it, for 'comandeering' the crown.. in their delicate terms, of course." Dael gave the crown another long look of contemplation, weighing options in his mind. He would have to come up with something, lest they keep him grounded until someone with the authority to demand he hand it over arrives.

"Although I haven't been able to make my rounds, as is my normal routine. How would you feel about checking in on the rest of the ship? It's rather easy, just drop by and ask if they have anything to report. I'm fairly certain that everyone knows who you are by now, so you shouldn't run into any problems." Of course, by that he meant that everyone would recognize her as the girl being trained for the rank of captain, Theresa Astor. Others might be concerned letting Jessamine go off by herself... but Dael trusted her to be smart. She wouldn't have made it this far without the ability to adapt quickly- and she had good instincts.

"If you do, feel free to throw my name around. Or them. Whichever you prefer." Dael winked, cementing his joke. Not that he doubted Jessie was capable of it. No, she'd proven that much the day she'd literally caught him as he fell. But he had a hard time seeing Jessie throwing anyone around for a lack of respect, or acknowledgement. Worst came to worst, she could always hide out in his office, or the medical bay, for some respite.​
 
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"I'd be more inclined to throw them around, but, I get this sinking feeling that Theresa would uphold her dignity before losing it to her superiors. No?" Jessie sighed and hopped off the desk. She'd been rather hoping that Dael might allow her to stay inside his quarters if only for a little longer if only to avoid the inevitable drag to her death.

"I'll make the rounds for you. No problem, sir." She added the formality with a teasing grin. "When I get back, how about you put down the paperwork. We could study my skeleton or something, I'm a curiosity now, didn't you know?"

Jessie smirked and grabbed a clipboard from the back of his desk. If there was anything worth reporting, she'd want to make a note of it somewhere. At the same time, it made her look busier than she actually was, able to look down if she wanted to avoid eye contact, when the truth was far from what it appeared. The girl only had one simple task, one round to make, and then she'd be back to the slow droll of her usual day. It started with menial tasks, and ended with a firm plop on her bed. With the real Theresa far away, there was hardly any real training going on, which meant all she had to do was save face until, well. She didn't want to think about it any more. Jessie stepped out the door, but not without saluting her superior first, wanting to add any playful touch she could but resisting now that she was outside the safety of the room.

She made a point of making it to the deck first. Jessie and Tessa were both fond of the open air, even hundreds of miles apart it was a habit they both couldn't cease. Not the time for that. Jessie reminded herself, and slowly, she began her casual stroll around the ship.​
 
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Dael couldn't help but shake his head at Jessie's retreating form. He just couldn't understand... No, it was no use thinking about it. He wished he'd met her ages ago. She could have made life that much more interesting- and laced with an edge that was anything but bitter. But he hadn't, and all he could do was enjoy her presence now... and think.

What was he going to do when she left?

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To be honest, he'd been expecting her on the deck much sooner.

Some of the crew had taken to questioning why the normally recalcitrant Thatcher was spending so much time on the deck. If anyone asked, he'd simply say that he missed the fresh air, being cooped up in an office with a broken arm. His bones were too old- they'd started to become resistant to bio alchemy. It was easier to just let it heal the old fashioned way- and take to desk work for a while. It was true- but only partially. A broken arm wouldn't have stopped him from getting his job done, but a suspension from the captain on board would.

He still couldn't get over his suspicions about 'Theresa Astor'. There was something off about that girl- and now it was obvious that whatever it was, the captain knew. Not knowing wasn't something Thatcher was used to, and quite frankly, it was an irritation that just would not go away.

There were so many clues he just had to piece together- many of which only came into being after their excursion into the caves for the crown. Obviously a telling of teh truth had to be involved. There was no other way Hewlett would have given him away. He was a good man- but he held his secrets close to heart. So, given his present punishment (delayed by this damned grounding) Hewlett's 'suspension without pay' and the strange look the newbie- Quinn?- got on his face whenever he encountered the Astor girl...

It was all just too curious.

So, Thatcher waited on the deck. Wittled away at the hours by thinking, and throwing small odds and ends off of the ship. A rock someone probably dragged in on their boot. A bit of spare string. A piece of broken glass. A loose screw. It couldn't compare to skipping rocks... but it would do. Finally, however, Theresa was on deck, and alone. Now, it was only a question of what to say.

"Miss Astor..." Thatcher stopped a good conversational distance from 'Theresa', tipping his imaginary hat in her direction. "I wanted to apologize for my earlier transgressions. Will you hear me out?"​
 
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