Werkin' It Out

Theme song: Major Lazer - Powerful

**Saturday, May 4th, Tarin**

Ghosts drifted silently through the aisles of the Nex Sacramentum, the library of ledgers secreted away in Mini's Sanctuary. The trio of work tables in the center of the room stood silent, unmolested by angry spirits thanks to the circle of protection inscribed upon the floor. Suddenly the candles on each table sprung to life, casting a warm glow to contrast the cold blue gloaming given off by the ghosts. The air rippled like desert haze, and with a unceremonious pop, a pair of lithe young figures were deposited into the center of the magic circle. A number of ghosts perked up and took unsavory interest at the arrival or warm, living bodies.

Jaime’s head ached. Something about the energy from the Tarinian had them buzzing, more than usual. Residual energy was restless underneath their skin, a swarming army of bees.

Being magically transported into a place with about a thousand pissed off ghosts, just radiating fury, didn’t help either. At least they had warning this time. Maybe it’d kill Mini if she gave the team even like, half a second of warning. Maybe that’s part of her shit.

Jaime groaned and stood. Then a wave of dizziness hit, their newfound migraine seized and they sunk back to the floor, putting their head between their knees in a recovery position.

Even like this, collapsed on the floor, they towered over Mini, who had been watching them with sharp eyes. She might be concerned.

“Wouldn’t happen to have, like, a truckload of aspirin down here, would you?” they groan.

Mini smirked at her towering teammate, and floated up so she could reach their head. She brushed some hair out of Jaime's face and kissed their forehead. It was a bit like Tinkerbell kissing Peter Pan.

"Aye, pobrecito! Don't you worry, I got something better. Legit island brujeria. Sit tight while I fix it for you."

She was mocking Jaime a little, but she also genuinely felt bad for them. Mini made her way over to one of the work benches and busied herself with a mortar and pestle, and a collection of roots and seeds. She tried to make conversation to distract Jaime from their discomfort. And all the ghosts.

"So. Space. Alien worlds. Not what I thought it would be. I figured we'd get stuck in a flying metal box together, breathing stale air and eating paste out of tubes."

Jaime couldn’t help wrinkling their nose at the sudden tenderness. It wasn’t something they received much of, even these past few months. But they knew enough of Mini to know she was teasing more than anything.

“I wouldn’t put it past the League to send us kids up on a mission without warp drives, or whatever. But I think I prefer GAIA’s ship to the portal. At least that feels like you’re traveling to space.”

"Huh. I haven't been before. I think I'd prefer that to portals too. But yeah... ill informed and underprepared seems to be the modus operandi for most of our deployments."

Mini mashed away at the ingredients, staring off into the reaches of her vast library. Her leg jiggled nervously as she sat on the edge of her work bench.

“It’s not like we were there for weeks, but.... it definitely felt more like going to space. And the way this conflict is going....I’m sure there could be more interstellar adventure in your future, if you want?”

Jaime stretched out, rolling into their side as they watched Mini work. It seemed exactly like she knew what she was doing, and that was....comforting to Jaime in some respects. At least they could expect her to do what’s right when things came down to it.

“Are you, uh, alright?” they offered, a bit weakly, noticing her agitation. But it seemed like the right thing to ask.

She chortled at the question, but didn't take her eyes off the library. Still, a little smile graced her face, appreciative of the concern.

"No, but thanks for asking. The fate of this world literally depends on what we do in the next hour. Maybe less. No pressure, right?"

Mini turned back to the bench finally, and began adding water to her mash. She looked over at Jaime with an appraising look, then added a little more before putting it all in a jar and applying heat to it.

"Soon. Wasn't sure how much to compensate for your new size. I'd rather underdose you to be safe. Let me know how you feel in ten minutes. It should work that fast."

She was distracted by her kitchen witchery, so she couldn't maintain her typical snarky hardness. Her voice was soft rather than clinical. It would be almost motherly if she wasn't so clearly nervous about the mission.

“Fate of the world in our hands? Feels like Tuesday.” Their sarcasm was brittle with the pain and nausea. And it was true, their missions hadn’t exactly been mundane. It made them feel so, impossibly small and unsure.

When Mini proffered the jar, they took it, grateful. They grasped it carefully, mindful of the glass and their unknown strength. It would be a pity if they accidentally squeezed too hard and smashed it. They tipped its contents into their mouth. The brew is bitter, but nothing terrible. They’ve had plenty worse. Almost immediately, at least some of the pain dampened, even if the buzzing and hyper-awareness doesn’t go away completely.

“I know I’m kinda overloaded right now, but if you uh, start feeling tired, like weird tired, let me know?”

Mini let out a humorless little laugh at Jaime's crack. They had a point though. For all the help the League was supposed to be rendering, things only seemed to be getting harder.

"Good. I was afraid you were gonna be a big baby about drinking this."
“Not the worst I’ve had to drink,” they shrug.

She levitated the jar away from them, and took a seat right next to Jaime, hugging her own legs to her chest.

"I couldn't be tired right now if I tried. But don't worry. I'm pretty sure your powers don't effect me, no matter WHAT the "Peligro Parlor" says."

Mini pointed out at one of the ghosts as it drifted around the corner of a bookshelf.

"You gotta get through all of THEM first."

Jaime wished they were better at languages. For all they were made to study them, it felt like they should know what Mini was saying. They get enough essence, though.

“I can touch you,” Jaime said, nudging Mini gently. “Can feel you both in there.”

Mini smirked, and nodded.

"You could. Maybe that would cut down on some of the resistance from the ghosts. But I don't think so. Besides, you're not gonna hurt me. You'll get stuck in here if you do."

She swatted at Jaime's arm playfully.

"And even if you did, I can take you. I'm not scared of your punk ass!"

She giggled a little, showing her gap toothed smile as she shook her head.

Jaime cocked their head, staring at Mini. Their grey eyes are sharp and measured. “I mean, it’s easier for me to make sure I take what I-“ they pause for a moment, trying to find the words. “Only what I need. Or want. When I can touch.”

But then, something itches at them. “Do you think I’d hurt you?”

Could seems out of the question, even with Mini’s power. It radiated off her, no doubt amplified being here, in her private space, surrounded by the ghosts.

She looked up at them, brows raised in a pensive expression. It was something between wounded and remorse.

"No, Jaime. I was only kidding. I just meant that I've fought your duplicate in the Danger Room enough times to not be worried. I'm pretty sure the simulation is bugged, and that my "powers" negate yours. But I don't think you'd ever REALLY try to hurt me. I'm sorry if it came off that way."

She held out her hand to them, palm up.

"You can try. I'm not scared. Maybe it'll help you shrink back down to normal? Or at least put a little color back in your cheeks?"

She grinned at them impishly, and giggled again.

"Grey is nice for your eyes, but not for your face. The Tarinians have done a REAL number on you, kid!"

“Sometimes it’s hard to tell,” Jaime says. Mostly because this was a bit of a sensitive spot. “You’re always so serious.”

They took Mini’s proffered hand, their thumb resting neatly in her palm.

“You’d think topping me off like that would have me bouncing off the walls. But at least I can think straight. And watch who you’re calling kid.”

When Jaime focused, they could feel everything. They’ve learned to turn this sensitivity down, else they’d have a migraine like this all the time. Everyone’s vital energy, their life force, it was always there, an aura that Jaime attracted. It was easy enough to pull indiscriminately, but Mini was a dark tangle. An endlessly complicated knot.

There was her bright fire, the emptiness of whatever she held in there... Jaime wasn’t always the best at delicacy or accuracy. There’s a reason Honey would always set up as sniper But something feels different about right now.

They took a deep breath, and tried to detangle her, just a little bit. Loosening the knot. They thought it must help that they’re so full of energy right now. Usually it was hard to keep it from pouring into them, but now they’re full, so it was easier to focus beyond stemming the tide.

"That's fair. I know I must seem like a monster most of the time. Especially back in those abandoned tunnels. I just... none of the adults seem to take this shit seriously enough, you know? I can't help but have a game face on. It's our asses on the line out there."

Mini sat there, visibly unphased by Jaime's sapping of her energy. She watched them, curious if anything had even started yet. Her placid exterior did not match the seething wellspring of energy Jaime was able to draw from though. It was as if Mini's own energy was cut off completely, and some other source walled her in. In this instance it was a shield, insulating her from potential harm. In most other cases it was a prison, and Mini was both it's warden and it's captive.

"You know, during training, the computer simulates your power as causing fatigue. So it increases gravity in the room, and turns up the temperature. And of course, the strength of your double increases. But I have serious doubts that's what it would actually be like if I had to fight you. There's a lot of nuance the Danger Room computer seems to miss. You know what they say, the Devil's in the details."

They’re snapped out of their focus a bit, by Mini’s description of fighting them. It was close enough. At least for the essence of it. “Honestly, I’m not sure what that room does. I’ve pulled from the holograms before, maybe that’s the reverse?

Mini looked from her hand, up to Jaime, and back again, and couldn't help but ask...

"So... you doin' the thing, or nah? Coz I can't tell."

“I wasn’t taking anything, yet, no. You’re a bit of a mess inside there. Just want to be sure I’m pulling at the right threads, if they can be pulled at all.”

They paused, closing their eyes again and really focusing. If only they were better at fucking meditation or visualization or whatever bullshit was supposed to make this easier.

Slowly, they tugged a bit on what they were sure was Mini, herself. It didn’t move much, but it moved enough. The barest fraction of an inch, a tiny creak. Almost immediately, the wild, chaotic forces came rushing in to compensate, throwing Jaime off balance.

The nausea came back in a sick wave, and Jaime probably looked more grey than they did before.
Mini scowled a little, but let Jaime concentrate. She eyed them, and waited to feel... something. Anything. It took a little while, but eventually Mini heard it. She never did quite FEEL it, but Alastor made his displeasure known to her in his typical charming fashion. He was almost certainly resisting Jaime's efforts.

"Ok, you got it Doctor Acula. Whatever you're doing pissed off my passenger. Cool it now."

Once the experiment was complete, she pinched Jaime and swatted at their arm again. "And for your information, telling a girl she's "A bit of a mess" is NOT a classy fucking move."

Mini waited a beat before nudging them in the side and looking up with mild concern. "Need a little more brain descrambler? I can whip up some more."

Jaime pulled away when Mini asked, her hand already falling a bit slack in their grip.

They shrug a bit. “Never been a good flirt.” They put their hand to their temples and focused on breathing. The nausea did eventually subside, but it the bees were back in full force.

“That’d be great, yeah. Must not be fun having that inside all the time.”

"Oh no. It's a barrel of laughs once you get used to it. Nightmares are exciting. Who needs a good night's sleep?"

You could cut the sarcasm with a knife. Mini stood up and went about brewing another tonic for Jaime. After a moment of silence passed between the two, she mused aloud at them.

"Y'know, at least we learned something. You have to really try to hurt me with your powers, and even then I hardly noticed. If not for the canary in the coal mine, I might not have known until I was already asleep. Maybe we can use that?"

She drifted back over to Jaime with a new, smaller dose of island root medicine.

"If you need a ready supply of energy, I can be like your back-up battery. And like, since you can't drain ME-me unless you really push... try to relax a little. I know a thing or two about always being on guard. If nothing else, not being so tense will help with the headache."

“The headache is new. I think it’s mostly their fault,” they say, gesturing to the ghosts pacing.

A handful have taken particular interest in the circle, pacing as if they were testing for a way to get in.

But now that they’re feeling better... “So you think you can take me?”

Their tone is light, teasing, trying to break at least some of the tension. Not that there’s any between them, it just feels like their circumstances make it palpable.

Mini smirked at the question, and fumbled around in her messenger bag.

"What's it worth to you to find out? The Danger Room is only 2000 light years away. We could be back there before dinner."

“I think we’re meant to be. But if you’re not worried about me normally, what about me like this?” They grinned, even though it felt a bit awkward, gesturing to their torso, which was approximately their normal height.

Mini played along, glad for the distraction. "Meant to be, huh? I'll admit, that's original. I've never met anyone corny enough to think that was cool to say."

She finally found what she was looking for in the depths of her bag, and offered them over. Two oranges, pitifully small in comparison to Jaime, but it had to be better than nothing. She gave them a sheepish little grin.

"No more tonics for you. It'll turn your stomach inside out. Vitamin C is the best I got now," Mini said.

Jaime eyed the oranges apprehensively. “D’you think you could peel those for me? Don’t want to squish ‘em. And uh, thanks. For the help. And the ride.”

They watched Mini deftly peel them, before taking the proffered fruit and popping them in their mouth. It was like a fresh, fruity skittle. The burst of sour and sweet helped clear their head a bit more.

She chortled at that, and kept half an orange for herself.

She giggle-snorted at Jaime. She was genuinely amused, and maybe even a little embarrassed, even though her tone was challenging. She rolled her eyes at them.

"I guess I shouldn't expect much from someone who thinks being called a mess might be endearing. But no, a 10 foot tall you is far less imposing. You just present a bigger target. So maybe you'd better wait ‘til you shrink back down to size before letting me embarrass you in the Danger Room."

She munched on her orange slices, and looked Jaime up and down once. It was hard to tell if she was sizing them up or checking them out. Probably both.

Jaime flushes, stuttering, their voice catching a bit in their throat. Mini was cute, yeah. Most of the Big Team was cute. "That's- um. That's not what I meant," they said a bit weakly. "Home before dinner s'what I was trying to say."

Home. Huh. They hadn't called the base that before.

"S'pose you're probably right," they say. They got bigger, but their swords didn't. What usually stretched the length of their arm when they were extended. The weight felt off. Jaime knew it wasn't their fault, just the perception. "But I got a lotta steam to blow off until then."

She flat out laughed now, amused in equal parts by Jaime's tragic choice of words as their flustered response. She munched another orange slice and gave them an exaggerated wink.

"That? That was precious. Thank you for that, I really needed it. You got it though, big guy! Take all the time you need to get back to normal. I'm in the D.R. most days lately anyway. There'll be no shortage of opportunities to, uh... show me your stuff."

She smirked at them, twisting the knife a little, as it were. She popped the last orange wedge she had into her mouth, and folded her arms across her chest. She still wore an amused expression, but clearly she was trying to get her game face back on. Gwen and Wren HAD to be getting close to the sub-orbital by now.

At least she was laughing? Jaime wished, like they often did, when they seem to stick their foot in their mouth, that they could just melt into the floor. Mini always seemed to keep them on their toes, even just talking. It was refreshing, infuriating, endearing... But they should probably shut up and not say the thing they so desperately wanted to. That they..... get it. That feeling. Or having someone so entangled in you you're not really sure where you end and they begin. Though their situations weren't similar at all. It was still easier for Jaime to have freed themselves.

"That's kinda where I was thinking of expending energy. I'd rather fight than run a marathon right now. We could do it together? Or, um. Would that throw off your data."

She quirked a brow at them, and shook her head.

"MY data? No, mijo, you can't throw off my data. It isn't mine. It's all of ours. It's just been collected without our knowledge or permission. I've been trying to put it to good use is all."

Her brow furrowed, the moment of levity crushed beneath the weight of reality. But she wasn't mad at Jaime for the reminder. Her expression hardened, but her voice softened.

"Seems like a running gag for me in particular. Nothing I do is just for me. It can't be, anymore. Someone is ALWAYS watching. Judging. Taking."

Mini turned her gaze to a collection of ghosts that had clumped up by one section at the circle's edge. She sneered and waved her hand at them, yanking a dozen books off the shelves to pelt them with. They groaned and dispersed angrily.

“So you weren’t taking your own notes as you fight? I’m not gonna be this tall forever....I hope. But if it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure that data can be corrupted.”

It seemed like they were ships, passing in the night, constantly missing each other’s meaning. Jaime watched the ghosts disperse. Mini’s aim had a degree of precision that should be impossible.

“I wasn’t able to do anything for me, for a long time. Still feels like I can’t. My.... former leader, he just fuckin teleported into my room like it was nothing. Kinda feels like they let me go. On purpose.”

She stomped angrily at the ghosts for effect. They were already meandering away. Then she turned back to Jaime, her expression soft again. Sorry.

"I know what it is to feel trapped, Jaime. Maybe more than you know."

She levitated over to them and looked them over. Her expression went from scared, to annoyed, to amused in seconds. She pointed up at them.

"You know what sucks about how big you are right now? There's no easy way to hug you. I'm not hugging your ankle, so you're going to take a fucking rain check."

She chortled to herself, and floated up to sit on Jaime's shoulder. She patted them consolingly.

"But yes... I have my own notes. Let's work off all this BICC Tarinian energy you got, make you a cute little smol again, and I'll show you what I collected if you want. Maybe we can even figure out how to keep old acquaintances from showing up in your crib unannounced."

“I’ll prepare myself accordingly,” they said, leaning on Mini. It was comforting, in an odd way, at the end of it. They could tell there was never really malice behind her words, even when she snarked. Except when people really deserved it.

“And I think that can be a mutual hug. At least I was able to get them mostly out of my head. And if there’s anything my skill set can help with....let me know, yeah?”

"Awww! Lookit you! Making two dates with me in one day. Better slow down, heartbreaker, or a girl could get attached."

She mussed Jaimie's hair playfully, and winked.

"I appreciate the offer. Maybe we'll discover some secret aspect of your power that sucks up demons like a vacuum, and flushes them into the toilet of the universe. I wouldn't say no to THAT. But for now, let's save an alien planet. Then we can wrasstle in the Danger Room and hug it out after."

Jaime flushed, again, with Mini’s flirting. They felt a bit tongue tied, actually.

There’s a small part of them, too, that’s glad Mini doesn’t mention the other part of their skill set. The one that sometimes feels more dangerous. But not always. Not today.

“Yeah,” they said, quietly, trying to hide their pink cheeks. They knew it was going to be useless. “Sounds good.”

\*\*\*

**Saturday, May 4th, Sometime Later**

Jaime took a deep breath, flicking their wrists so their swords unfolded with a soft snk. A twist of the dial started the edges glowing bright blue, and the blades hummed softly in their hands. For a second, they were just Jaime. This was just an exercise. They weren’t ten feet tall, they didn’t just come back from space, they weren’t trying to impress a small and cute and terrifying girl.

They felt lucky the Danger Room gave them faithful representations, because otherwise they’d be at severe disadvantage. “Can you scale them up?” Jaime asked, opening their eyes and examining the scenario Mini had set up for them. A quiet street. Awnings to scale. Rooftops, not too far to jump, alleys to drop in behind.

A few things flickered and the simulation shifted, warping and twisting so Jaime was at their usual proportions, instead of eye level with a rooftop. They took a deep breath, and closed their eyes again. Listening. Waiting. Until- There. The barest shift, scraping on cobblestone. A sharp breath, a soft grunt. Jaime focused some of their energy into their legs, dropping into a crouch and then jumping.

A blade whizzed by where their feet just were.

Mini sat in the control room, Grimoire out and open on the desk next to her. She kept her eyes on the computer screens, having gotten good at reading the various exercise data in the previous weeks. Her hand hovered over the page, and multiple lines of notes and data formed there, scorched into the pages telekinetically.

"NBA sized environments and ninjas, comin' right up!"

She didn't need to adjust the simulation, GAIA heard and understood on their own, but Mini broadcasted into the Danger Room to let Jaime know the changes were incoming.

"GAIA, please highlight environmental changes cause by Jaime's powers. Ambient temp, air pressure... the works. Also suspend simulation if their heart rate goes over 160 beats per minute."

The computer made a polite little beep as GAIA adjusted Mini's feed. Just in time to catch a heart rate spike as a holographic swordswoman appeared, trying to take Jaime's foot off at the ankle. Another two ran across nearby rooftops, a barrage of throwing stars and knives imminent.

They arced through the air, landing softly on the roof of the simulated cafe. They ducked, rolled, and crouched behind some nearby HVAC units, giving them a semblance of cover. Here, they had a strong vantage point, and could confirm their suspicions.

Three ninjas, one seeming to prefer a katana, the others dashing along the tops of the roofs, a glint of metal in their hands. The one on the ground would surely have their own projectiles as well. Which means they have seconds, most likely, and this metal isn't likely going to be good cover for long.

They eye the swordswoman, listening for the barest footfalls of the rooftop assassins before making their move. They spring, taking a running leap off the rooftop and tossing one of their short swords into the sword woman's chest. They leap behind her to catch her as she crumples, pulling it out and turning to where the others should be. They're just barely able to fully deflect the incoming barrage of throwing stars, neatly slicing through them with the heightened energy edge.

One slips through and, slices a gash through their thigh. They wince, focusing a bit of energy to that spot to stem the virtual bleeding and dull the pain. It's quite realistic, actually. They're playing things a bit reckless, knowing that they need to push more than they usually would against a sim like this, actively trying to use up this energy. Jaime glances up to the Control Room and gives Mini a brief smile, wondering if there's anything else she has in store. Reckless means waiting out here, in the open. Reckless means letting the two ninjas creep behind them. Reckless means letting them get into melee with them, turning the edges down, just a bit.

They spar with them, clearly controlling the fight, even as they let their enemy have opportunities. None of the blades or stars hit them with more than a glancing blow, they move around too quickly, leap too acrobatically. But it is pushing them slightly, to think, to be aware, to not make any mistakes. They keep funnelling the strength of the Tarinian energy through their body, making it quicker, their blows harder, their body more resilient. They wait for their opponent to tire. To slip. And eventually they do. It's not difficult to give them killing blows, two quick swords to the chest.

Jaime pants, eyeing the small street that they stand on. No significant damage, that was good. They seem a bit shorter, also good. And no significant injuries.
Mini mostly kept her eyes on the data. She did feel Jaime look up to the booth, and looked out at them to smile. This test was bullshit. Calibration, really. Hopefully it was at LEAST a little bit fun for them. The third time Mini had to manually clear an "excessive force" warning, she addressed GAIA directly.

"GAIA, please turn off deadly force failure state for all future simulations."

GAIA complied, and asked a question of their own.

"Threats neutralized. Restart simulation?"

Mini grinned mischievously and shook her head.

"No, no. Keep it going. Simulate opponent, Lancellot, Knight of Mirrors, at 50% power."

GAIA made a happy squeak, and begun generating Elle's duplicate in a nearby building.

"No, not that one. Confuse Jaime. Do the Elle with the tuxedo and the rose in her teeth."

GAIA made a series of happy sounds as they processed the new simulation. If an AI had an "UwU" sound, this would have been it.

"It is always a pleasure to work with you, Minerva."

Mini made a kissy face at the air for GAIA, although if Jaime looked up at this moment it would be easy to think that was meant for them.

There’s a half moment to breathe, now. But Jaime’s sure the simulation isn’t over. Nothing about the environment has faded or shifted at all, but they wouldn’t put it past Mini to throw that into the mix.

Wait, what was that...?

Strolling out from between the alley is....Elle? Her hair is pulled back into her complicated braids at the crown. She has a tux on? A rose between her teeth?

“The fuck?”

They knew this was the Danger Room, but this Elle didn’t appear to be in armor, or have her sword. Not that that mattered when everything was magic anyway. There’s a brief flicker across Elle’s body, and Jaime realized it was a hologram.

Alright, so Mini wanted them to fight Elle. Okay. No big deal. This is fine.

Holo-Elle turned dramatically toward Jaime, her hands raised up in an unusual pose, toe pointed out in front of her in an odd stance. Was that... a Tango step?

"GAIA, you're a monster." Mini giggled to herself and shook her head. "I can't believe you got ME with this horse shit. This is my favorite part though!"

Holo-Elle yanked the rose free from her teeth, shook her hair out, and swiped the rose forward forcefully. The rose grew instantaneously to the size of a sword, and a wave of energy rippled forward from the thorny blade. A couple of nearby cars upturned, smashing into storefronts, their alarms blaring noisily. Elle posed again after the energetic swordstroke, a sparkle of light shining off her dashing smile.

"It takes two to tango! Don't leave the lady waiting!" Mini called out over the loudspeaker, between laughs. This simulation was absolute nonsense. But maybe that was the point?

Jaime sighed, before scouting around. They knew that tangoing with Elle was never going to be a good idea, unless their sword was very, very far away. Which was rare, considering it was essentially part of her. Face to face, they didn't really stand much chance, though it would at least be good exercise. Thing was, Jaime wanted to win. Whether it was to prove to themselves they could, or impress Mini, they weren't thinking about.

At least this fight is going to be interesting.
They took a running leap, dashing across the tops of the overturned cars. Elle slashed her sword again, the wave of energy flying through the air. Jaime leapt, twisting their blade's energy up and flicking their wrist so they revealed a more hook-like shape. They slammed both arms down, driving the hooks into the side of the brick building, legs scrambling for half a second of purchase. Quickly, they scaled the side of the building, up to the roof, using the hooks for leverage.

They knew it was a simulation, that the projection knew exactly where they were, because the room knew exactly where they were. But it would give them the element of surprise. They dashed across the rooftops, using a burst of energy to leap across the road and crash, shoulder first into the window. With this new location, perhaps Jaime can gain at least some of the advantage.

The sound of concrete and glass breaking could be heard from below. Holo-Elle was destroying... something. Many things. Hiding from her was an advantage for sure, as long as she kept making noise. There was a long series of rhythmic crashes, that was very likely Elle blasting through a small office space with her sword thrusts.

"I did that too, my first time fighting her. And my second. And my tenth. She always finds you, y'know. Better to do the unexpected, which I guess for you is the expected? Coz, y'know, you're sneaky, so she wouldn't think you'd just... ANYWAY! You got this! Lookin' good out there, champ! Woooo!" Mini blew a kiss into the mic before turning it off again, and continued burning fight data into her spell book.

After a couple more slams and crashes, the Danger Room went silent. That was infinitely more frightening than a noisy, rampaging swordmistress. The lull dragged out for what felt like forever. Elle was waiting.

Jaime rolled their eyes at Mini. But out logicing a sim is going to be impossible. Anyway, winning would just be a fun bonus, even if they wanted it. What was more important was the burn. They just needed to be sure Elle wouldn’t overpower them immediately. You know, for their pride’s sake. They were pretty sure they couldn’t take them.

The simulation shifted, giving more weight to the inside of the office building Jaime had crashed themselves into. The street faded, and Jaime darts through glass-lined hallways, until they find a nice section of cubicles, with a wider coworking space in the center. Plenty of cover. Plenty of obstacles. Wonderful. They kept an ear out for Elle crashing through. And then the silence. She must be close. Jaime took a breath, and then they could sense her.

“Don’t simulate the transfer of energy, just me pulling it, thanks GAIA,” Jaime muttered quietly. It’d defeat the purpose if they just fake-took Elle’s energy, but how else were they supposed to defeat her?

Jaime snuck along the side of the room, keeping themselves a careful distance from Elle, closing it quietly. And then, they struck. Their sword whizzed through the air, slicing a gash across Elle’s sword arm and embedding itself into the wall, knocked off course with a sudden, reflexive blast of energy. That didn’t matter, though it was annoying. They’d just hoped to distract.

Jaime closed the distance, coming from a hopefully unsuspecting angle, second sword flipped to a hook, prepared to grip Elle’s sword and deflect it.

Elle had brawn, strength, and brute force. Jaime has a few ways of dealing with that.
Their fight was not pretty, or particularly well done, from a technical standpoint. But Jaime held their own, for a lot longer than they had honestly expected, all things considered.

Elle was a well-trained warrior, and Jaime almost missed having the challenge.

They deflected her sword for the third time, sending it clattering to the floor again, before eyeing the simulation, and panting. They’d shrunk significantly, just a bare handful of inches taller than normal. Winning didn’t matter so much now that they were sweat-stained and tired.

“Truce?” Jaime asked. “I think we all know you’d kick my ass.”
If it had been the real Elle, she would have accepted. If it had been the real Elle, this fight probably would never happen in the first place. But simulations don't call truces. The dapper, Holo-Elle spun with a flourish, her giant thorny rose blade rematerializing in her hands. The two-handed overhead stroke came down like an executioner's axe, but the moment before impact the simulation froze and greyed out.

"Test failure. Mortal wound received. Subject mortality rate: 97.33%. Tabulating scores."

GAIA's voice read out a stream of statistics as they appeared holographically before Jaime's eyes. From the operator's seat Mini was highlighting certain scores to draw Jaime's eye. 4th longest survival time, which was nothing to be ashamed of. B- overall performance rating. Low marks for property damage... she was poking fun at them for that one. Overall though, a record to be proud of, and Mini hoped that they were.

"Alright champ! Bring your ass back up here. You deserve a break, and you owe me some sweaty hugs. Good work out there."

Mini left the simulation running, but paused, just in case Jaime wanted to run it back when they got to the control room. A glowing line appeared at Jaime's feet to lead them out of the tangle of simulated buildings by what was theoretically the quickest way possible. Of course, this didn't account for just being a badass and scaling walls or running across rooftops.

Well, not bad, they thought. All things considered... They’d almost purposefully avoided training directly against teammate’s sims. But it was reassuring to know they’d at least get some good blows in against Elle, worst comes to worst. And that she was a good sparring partner. Or that Mini was good at avoiding property damage.

Jaime followed the glowing line for a bit, before deciding to burn off a bit more of their remaining energy by the good old way the assassin flies.

That is, until they got near the control room. They leapt down, breaking their fall with a roll across a convenient awning, and we’re summarily tackled around the waist by a much more proportionally-sized Mini.

“Was the tuxedo your touch, or GAIA’s?” they ask, returning her hug, though it wasn’t very sweaty at all.

"Oho, you liked that? I fuckin' LOVED it the first time I saw it!"

Mini giggle-snorted, and covered her mouth, pulling Jaimie along with her other hand on their back.

"GAIA dropped that one on me my 10th time getting my ass kicked by Elle's copy. I think they were trying to cheer me up. But also, I'm sure GAIA amuses themselves in some way with that version of Elle's duplicate, and listen... Tuxedo Elle is a LEWK!"

She laughed, leading Jaime into the control room. She handed them a bottle of water that was sitting on the control console next to her spellbook. It looked damn cold, judging by how much condensation was on the bottle. Mini stepped over to the control console and pulled up her own fight history against Elle. It was, in a word, abysmal.

"Here, you earned a good laugh along with your bragging rights. Lookit this shit!"

“It’s is a look, yeah.” Jaime says, gratefully taking a swig of water. Even if their body wasn’t depleted of energy, it was a mentally exhausting fight. “And it’s fun to see Elle not quite so....serious. Though you’d have hoped the lack of armor was an advantage.”

Mini’s fight history scrolled past. Jaime wasn’t quite adept at reading out the absolute mountains of data that GAIA provided, but they could see that it, well, wasn’t great. One fight lasted barely more than a minute. Several less than five. But one stood out to them, in particular.

“See, there’s your problem,” Jaime said, pointing to the feed and a few of the highlighted numbers.

“GAIA? Replay Session 428, Minerva Smalls v Lancelot-Less, thanks. Be prepared to pause”

"Loading simulation."

The simulation playback deconstructed the hard light city street of Jaime's training session and replaced it with an open dirt arena. It was tactically featureless, surrounded by bleachers filled with cheering civilians, and decked out with mock medieval banners and accoutrements. Elle once again appeared wearing a pristine tuxedo, wielding an oversized rose as a sword. Two pineapple sized rose buds hovered at her shoulders, representative of her mirrors, ready to deflect the energy blasts and projectiles that Mini had no choice but to use.

"Pffft! I swear she wasn't in Tux mode when I fought her this time. GAIA is just having fun now."

Mini stepped aside to let Jaime step in front of the console and critique the playback. At the start of the fight Mini instantly wreathed herself in blue hellfire, partially to dissuade Elle from getting too close, but mostly to access her more potent abilities. A familiar looking bubble of apparitions locked her in with Elle, although it was evident that wasn't her goal this time. She was protecting the crowd from what would surely be copious amounts of collateral damage. Holo-Elle didn't wait for Mini to refocus after conjuring the barrier, and lunged forward with her blade by her chest, parallel to the ground. Mini spent the entire fight on the back foot, launching herself backward or hopping to the side, and conjuring ghostly barriers that Elles sword cleaved through like tissue paper. She'd managed to scorch the ground, turning much of the sand to glass, but Elle's copy hardly seemed to notice.

“Can you blame them?” Jaime asks, laughing a little. “GAIA, pause.”

Elle’s sword was deadly close to knocking Mini back with the flat of it. Mini was panting, the fury in her eyes mostly overpowering the glint of fear.

“Look, Elle is going to overpower you in, like, a second. I think she could snap you in half without her sword. Why are you engaging her like that? Even you can’t just out righteous-fury a swordsman in one-on-one combat.”

Jaime turns, stepping up to the console and typing in a few things. The simulation changes and, Mini shifts, replaced by GAIA’s simulation. This Mini gets knocked back, stumbles, but is able to shoot herself backwards, and upwards, out of Elle’s reach.

“You didn’t give yourself many advantages, but you gotta use what you can. Sometimes that’s breaking the rules of the tournament.”

They tap a few more keys and Mini’s ghostly barrier dissolves, leaving her floating above the arena, Elle still on the ground.

“This was distracting you. You couldn’t keep focused on overcoming your opponent and it automatically put you on the defensive. Likely, the people weren’t in any significant danger, even from you. Even if they were real. Then, getting space. So you can think of a way to get that sword away from her.”

Jaime knocks Mini’s shoulders. “You gotta fight smart Mini. You gotta fight like you have a chance at winning, even at a disadvantage. Not just going in guns blazing and getting decimated. What good does that do anyone?”

Mini doesn't watch the monitor when Jaime steps in and reconfigures the playback. She watches Jaime. She nods passively at their advice, too impressed to be insulted in the moment. When Jaime turns to nudge her, and question her logic (which rightly deserves to be questioned), she leans in close to get access to the control panel again. She keeps here eyes on Jaime's, a kittenish smile on her face.

"Fair... but I disagree about the crowd not being in danger. Still, I DID have a plan... I was trying to get her to come close enough for me to take her sword."

Mini reached for the progress bar on the playback, and slid it back to before Jaime altered the simulation. She never took her eyes off of theirs.

"Look again. I reached for my book before getting hit. You're right, it was reckless, and it clearly didn't payoff... but her mirrors just send back everything I throw at her. I had to try to lock her biggest advantage away in my pocket dimension. Then at least my barriers would be useful and I could trap her."

Mini poked at Jaime's ribs playfully, and giggled.

"Look at you, though... all take charge and commanding. Protective even. A girl could get used to that."

Jaime swallowed at Mini’s intense looks. That, more than anything put them off their guard. Analyzing combat, discussing strategies... that was easy.

“Maybe you should try not throwing something at her? You’ve got agility on your side, and she’s coated in metal.” Jaime bit their lip, before they continued. “Using your book was a good idea, I’ll give you that. I just don’t want you rushing in somewhere and hurting yourself. And that seems to be one of your go-tos.”

Mini's eyes moved to Jaime's lips as they bit them, and she turned away. That was flustering even for her. She gave Jaime back their personal space and sat back down, nodding.

"I'm not all that quick, really. But you're right, I do need to be more careful. It's been a while since we've fought anything together but... I remember how much of a mess I was in the tunnels. I promise I'm not that bad anymore."

She made eye contact again, her expression soft now, a little smile on her face.

"You're sweet. Thanks for lookin' out."

“You’re small, and that’s something. It’s not all about speed. More quick thinking,” they said.

Jaime didn’t know how to take Mini pulling away, like that. This was all....well, fucking confusing.

“You could always get that bad again,” they said quietly. “Fate of the worlds on our shoulders and all that. Could be enough for anyone to break down.”

It was almost like there was a crack in Mini’s brash exterior. Jaime just didn’t quite know how to break it open.

“I just know what it’s like to feel... like your existence is gonna hurt people. To do stupid shit to try to protect everyone else.”

Her smile faded at that, and her arms slowly crossed over her chest. She was closing off, but not out of anger or resentment. She nodded thoughtfully, so it was clear she agreed. Her expression grew pensive.

"Yeah. What idiot put us monsters in charge of saving the world. SEVERAL worlds, now?"

She let out a humorless laugh. The weight of the day came crashing down behind her eyes. Training didn't turn out to be the distracting release she hoped it'd be.

"I'll be more careful... I won’t fuck up like that again, I promise..."
“I-“ Jaime sighed. This wasn’t what they wanted. “...Fuck, Mini...”

Jaime takes a step towards her, before hesitating. Their presence isn’t often the most comforting thing. They aren’t the most comforting thing.

“I don’t think you’re a monster,” they say, softly, hoping maybe, this time, this is the right thing to say.
She nodded, but this time it was dismissive. She let out another humorless laugh.

"Yeah... I know."

She avoided eye contact. More than that though, she was... listening? To something. She wasn't just being evasive, she was distracted, seemingly out of nowhere. Her knuckles whitened as her fists clenched. Her mouth moved to form words a couple times before she just surrendered them to oblivion.
Jaime stepped closer, reaching for Mini’s shoulder to shake her out of it.

“You’re not.” they say, a bit more firm. “Whatever your… passenger... is saying… you’re not a monster.”

She looked up at them startled, and for a moment it was like she saw Jaime for the first time. Her eyes welled up, but she blinked it away, shaking her head as she found her resolve.

"Don't do that... You don't know what it's like... I have to be..."

She swallowed her words as her voice became brittle. It wasn't resolve. It was denial. Shame. She shrugged her shoulder weakly, trying to retreat from Jaime's touch.

Jaime just squeezed her, reassuring. They weren’t going to let anyone else go on thinking this. It tore them up for such a long time. Still will, if they’re not careful.

“No, you don’t.” they said. “I felt you, Mini. Just you. You’re not a monster.”

If Mini was a monster, Jaime didn’t want to think about what that made them.
Mini shot up out of her seat, her timidity and mortification replaced with explosive anger. An invisible force shoved Jaime backward, but Mini stepped right in to close the gap. She got in Jaime's face, jabbing a finger at their chest.

"You don't know that! You CAN'T know that! FUCK you, Jaime! Don't you fucking tell me who I am! I'm a GODDAMN timebomb is what I am! A disease! And you'll fucking catch it if you aren't careful."

She could have sold her self-righteous indignance if she'd just kept her distance. Her voice was hard and cold. There was something caustic building up inside her, something hurtful to make Jaime abandon her. But she was just too close. Her eyes were filled with desperation and panic. The most fragile parts of her, barely visible under all the fire and petulance, wanted to believe Jaime. But hope was such a costly thing for her.

Jaime couldn’t help wincing at her sudden outburst. But they didn’t back down. They’ve told themselves much worse things.

“I do.” Jaime says. If only they could show her what she felt like, her life force. Brilliant and beautiful and strong. Maybe that’s what scared that thing inside her. “I know it. I felt it. And I won’t catch it, just like I can’t kill you.”

They could almost feel Mini starting to crumple, so they reached out again, trying to wrap her in a reassuring hug.

She swatted at them as they pulled her in and held her. Mini wasn't strong to begin with, but this flailing was half-hearted and feeble. The death throes of a diligently constructed lie meant to protect everyone else from herself.

"Fuck you, Jaime! GO TO HELL!"

She shrieked into Jaime's shoulder as she collapsed against them. Despite herself, she wrapped her arms around their neck and held on for dear life. Then she grew quiet, the screaming giving way to sobbing.

Jaime just held her, squeezing gently, and rubbing her back in what they hoped was a reassuring manner.

“You’re going to have to make me. And that’s not gonna be easy.”

They let Mini sob herself quiet against their neck, not letting go. This is what they needed, all those years ago. Someone to stand by them, no matter how they pushed and fought and ran. Not what they had found instead.

Mini's shame and regret and fear played out in tears over several minutes. Eventually she grew still and quiet, except for the occasional sniffle. Her face stay buried in Jaime's neck, some semblance of peace forming across it. One of her hands found Jamie's face, and held it affectionately, her thumb gently brushing their cheek.

"...I was supposed to beat YOU in the Danger Room."

That was all she had. She clung to them quietly. At first it was out of hurt and desperation, but now it was out of warmth and appreciation. Her physicality said "Thank you," even if she hadn't managed to find the words just yet.

“Eh, there’s plenty of time for that.” they said, leaning into Mini’s hand.

It was different, to not have to worry about being so close to someone. At this point, it was almost reflexive. But they could just let go, and enjoy this moment of intimacy. This moment of Mini without any of her walls. Of them getting through to someone. Of them maybe making up for some mistakes.

They waited for Mini to extricate herself, to break the hug. As much as Jaime needed it, she needed it so much more.

She nestled there for a long while. Longer than she probably had any right to. Finally though, she leaned back just a little, and pulled Jaime's face closer to hers. She kissed their cheek tenderly, then looked looked up at them.

"You didn't have to do that... but I'm glad you did. You... you're not a monster either, okay? In case there was any doubt..."

That was ineloquent even for her, but it was sincere. Mini lingered there, close, breathing her words at Jaime.

"...We should probably... get back to it... you know, the uh..."

She couldn't find the words. She pulled away a little, paralyzed by vulnerability.

“It took a while, yeah, but I know.” Jaime’s cheek felt hot where Mini had kissed it. Their eyes flick from hers, to her mouth, so close to their own. They could do something, if they wanted. Be brave and reckless, and take a risk—

Jaime bite their lip, instead. “Playback?” They try to finish her sentence, awkwardly. But words and potential hang in the air, and Mini could grab it if she wanted.

Jaime did that lip bite again. Mini flushed, and looked away, awkward. She took one step out of Jaime's arms, but tugged at their shirt a little as she went. The push and pull was almost unbearable.

"Uh... yeah... no! Fuck that! Let's just..."

She snapped out of it finally, pushing lightly on Jaime's chest as she made her way to the control room exit. She began pulling her hair back out of her face.

"GAIA. Load Camelot Park, King Arthur Memorial. No bystanders. Subjects Jaime and Minerva. Freeform combat."

She paused at the open door to give Jaime a smoldering look, and then took flight to the center of the Danger Room, where a statue of King Arthur now stood.

“So neither of us are going to go easy?” Jaime asked, a little bit teasing. Now that the tension was broken, they could slip more easily into whatever this was. Shove that charged moment out of their mind, for now. “Or should I try to give you pointers?”

It felt, almost, like sparring on the team was, near the end. When things were settled, more, before their final assignment loomed.

Mini, for once, had the height advantage, but there were plenty of things around that Jaime could use to even that out. The only thing they were really worried about was getting set on fire...

"The only points you should worry about giving me are at the ends of your swords. This ain't the comic books, this is real life!"

Mini set down on the South side of Arthur's statue, giving Jaime a chance to take the field. There were plenty of trees nearby, and the lake wasn't far off. But immediately around the statue there was only space and opportunity. Mini paced like a caged tiger until Jaime got within striking distance. She grinned at them mischievously.

"You ready?"

“As I suppose I’ll ever be.” They say, eyeing her up. They turn down their swords, so they’re blunt edges. This is a sparring match, not a deadly encounter.

Nothing about her usual strategies gave them an idea of what to expect, only the unexpected. And probably some ghost barriers. And fire. But what the hell, they’ll let her take the first shot.

She waggled her brows at them, and stood. When it became clear they were waiting her out she shrugged and took the initiative. A ghostly blue barrier appeared before her, blocking her partially from Jaime's view. A bright blue glow enveloped her accompanied by the woosh of hellish flames.

"Aww! Ladies' first? How sweet!"

A wave of ghostly hands erupted from beneath the holographic soil, trying to grasp at Jaime and pull them down, or yank a sword from their grasp.

Jaime jumped and sliced at the grasping hands to make them retreat, while they pulled energy from them.

Here, controlled, it didn’t make them grow. It just enhanced them—sharper, stronger. Mini radiated such power, it was easy to just skim off the top, even without touching her themselves.

“I’m always polite.”

They knew the barrier wouldn’t be a problem, now just to cross it. They dashed across the opening in the field, ducking and rolling to quickly change direction, and then scale the statue themselves.

Mini followed Jaime's movements, creating shimmering fields of ghostly energy in their wake, and hemming them in. Typical reckless Mini though, she cluttered the air, leaving herself an obstacle course to fly through. She couldn't easily get away if Jaime ever closed the gap.

"I guess opposites really DO attract, then!"

She dug deep, and shouted that syllable for emphasis, as a cluster of wailing ghosts erupted from the side of the statue to try and launch Jaime off of it, in her direction.

Well, if Mini insisted on making their job easier...

It wasn’t too difficult to course correct, shifting their weight and using the force of the ghosts to propel them towards Mini. They quickly tossed a sword, hopefully fast enough that Mini doesn’t have the chance to deflect it, and it can throw her off balance or knock her closer to the ground.

The wailing, while disturbing, faded to background noise. Everything was just a distraction. With a mission, they could focus.
Mini was in the midst of erecting another energy field, but it fizzled as her concentration broke. Jaime's sword shattered the first barrier she created and just narrowly missed her as she stumbled out of the way. She didn't fall, but she had her flank exposed as she began to regain her balance.

Jaime hit the ground hard, rolling quickly before launching their other sword up at Mini’s newly exposed flank.

They made a quick dash to recover at least one of their weapons, and eyes her for her next move.

As soon as she heard them hit the ground, she giggled. The sword sailed right at her, and she made no move to evade. As it struck her, she turned to ash and crumbled to the ground, the blade cutting right through to clatter against the base of Arthur's statue. A pop and a woosh of flames coming to life gave away her new position overhead.

"Took you long enough to commit!"

Mini walled Jaime in with their sword by conjuring another ghostly construct. They wouldn't hold, but they would certainly slow them down. By the looks of it that's all she wanted. The time to focus her energy on something else. And focus she did, a shimmering haze forming around her.

Jaime had underestimated Mini. Or perhaps they underestimated the accuracy of the Danger Room’s simulations. Or just the fact that she was stubborn, and mentioned fighting them… a lot.

Jaime hadn’t fought Mini at all.

It wasn’t hard to hack through the barrier and bust their way through. It wouldn’t have been hard to dash over to the base of the statue and grab their fallen blade. But instead of engaging her, they darted away, heading for the cover of the trees.
"Fuck!"

That was a move she hadn't expected. Dragging things out would definitely favor Jaime though. She released the energy she had gathered to end the fight on the treeline instead. A jet of blue hellfire screamed over head, and the trees caught like kindling. The flames wreathing her body petered out, her otherworldly power spent for now. The trees would provide no cover, but now Mini lacked a closing gambit. This could get dangerous. She smiled.

"Y'know, your simulations are much more aggressive. I'm used to having to wait you out so you don't over power me. I wasn't expecting you to wait ME out."

She levitated Jaime's second sword off the ground, and spun it over to them, setting it down harmlessly at their feet.

"Nothin' beats the real thing."
Jaime shrugs, bouncing on their toes. “You’ve just been making me stronger. Maybe shouldn’t have showed me how much I can take without you noticing earlier.” They smiled, then bent to pick up their blade, eyeing Mini all the while.

“Mano a mano? Or you’re just going to light me up?”

"I wouldn't burn you! Even if I wanted to... all outta juice."

She smirked and levitated just a couple feet off the ground. She crossed her arms in front of her, a barely visible shimmer appearing around each hand.

"You're not getting me to surrender to you twice in one day, though. You're cute, but you're not THAT cute!"

She watched Jaime closely, enthused but also appraising. All she wanted was a single opening. Truth be told, that's probably all Jaime needed too. She drifted slowly towards her right, trying to take away Jaime's back hand advantage like a Southpaw boxer. Otherwise she kept her distance.

“Worth a shot, wasn’t it?” Jaime grinned. All in all, it was a fun exercise. An interesting learning opportunity. Maybe, one day, they’d see how Mini did if she needed to be subtle. If she even could.

They noticed her slight drifting, but if Jaime had to initiate, they would. “Better not be bluffing...” they muttered, before pushing some of their energy into their legs.

They closed the distance between them, and leapt into the air, attempting to tackle Mini to the ground and pin her by the neck.

As soon as she saw Jaime spring, Mini landed and planted her feet. Her stance was wide, far too rooted to maneuver anywhere. She had every intention of taking whatever Jaime had planned head on. Her gaze hardened with determination, and she punched out at them, an invisible wave of force striking out toward the center of their rib cage. She couldn't fight Jaime like a witch anymore, so she tried to fight them like a fighter, and knock the wind out of them.

Jaime reeled from Mini’s blow, but their years of training and their extra energy let them push through and shrug it off.

They leapt at Mini, sweeping her legs to break her stance and toppling her to the ground. Jaime puts the point of their sword to her chest and raises an eyebrow.

Mini went down without so much as a modicum of grace. She squealed, and probably would have hit her head if not for a reflexive cushion of telekinetic energy. She winced, though likely more from a bruised ego than anything else. It took her a moment to regain her focus, and her eye caught the tip of Jaime's blade pointed at her. She followed the sword all the way up Jaime's arm to their face, and smirked defiantly up at them from the ground.

"Well... that's ONE way to sweep a girl off her feet."

She sat up, just the inch or two it took to have Jaime's blade touch her collar bone, and kept her steely gaze locked on them.
“Are you going to reconsider?” they ask, knowing the likely answer.

They kept their blade still, knowing Mini was essentially pinned. An easy flick and—

Jaime took a deep, shuddering breath, panic starting to blink at the corners of their vision. They tried to hold themselves strong, but Mini could sense the shift.
Mini stared them down as the question came. This was a game to her at this point, but a girl had her pride. She felt the shudder run down their arm and into the blade touching her chest, and her brow furrowed with concern.

"Jaime...?"

She lay there, still, some small part of her remained determined not to be intimidated by some scare tactic.

Jaime ducked their head before sheathing their blades. They took a few steps back, turning away from Mini and giving her some space.

“I’m fine...” they said, but their voice cracked. It’s obvious it’s a lie.

She lay there for a moment, confused and scared. Jaime had been absolutely dauntless today. In the face of haunted libraries, strange physiological changes and alien politics; of combating holographic knights and ninjas, and even Mini's own personal traumas. What changed in the last few moments to unnerve them so? Mini dismissed her logic, which was to move slowly and speak softly, and let her instinct take control.

"Jaime?! No, no, no... talk to me, baby, please!"

She was on top of them before she could remember standing up. She hugged Jaime from behind, placing one hand over their heart.
Mini’s weight was comforting on their back, a surprisingly grounding presence. Her concern was enough shock for them to shake away the impending panic attack.

“I’m-“ They wanted to say they were fine but then thought better of it. Mini deserved at least some of the truth. “You know what I did before I came to the Big Team? My, um. Instinct started to kick in.”

Mini nodded, her cheek pressed against their back. She wasn't taking any chances.

"GAIA, reset simulation. Increase ambient noise by 20%."

GAIA cleared away the carnage of the burning treeline and the blasted statue. The sounds of birds in the park and a rolling breeze rose up around them. Mini levitated herself just high enough to put her chin on Jaime's shoulder. She spoke softly to them, calmer now that she knew they were going to stay verbal.

"It's ok. You're not there anymore. You're here with me now. Breathe with me. You didn't hurt me. I'm ok."

Jaime closes their eyes, leaning against Mini, trying to sync their breath with hers.

“I know,” they said, barely a breath. “I know.”

The weight of everything, not just today, but everything. Their past, Ruenn’s offer on the Risganjan ship, the near uselessness they felt- And how easy it would have been to tip their blade up and slash down. She barely would have felt anything. How for a second— even the barest second—they wanted to. Not because it was Mini, but because she was trapped. Because they were trained to pounce.

It terrified them. Maybe more than anything else.

Her hand pat softly, rhythmically over Jaime's heart. She took slow, deep breaths, so Jaime could feel them on their back.

"You found me. I don't know how, but you did. Through all the noise, and the dread, and the lies... I'll find you too. It might take me awhile, but I won't give up on you."

She leaned in, kissed their temple, and began stroking their hair. Her voice became brittle, but she kept talking.

"I'm not a monster. You said so. You're not a monster either. I'm sorry I pushed you. You didn't hurt me. You CHOSE not to hurt me. You aren't a weapon."

“I know,” they said soft. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t do this to me. I just... I could have... you know? Normal people don’t think like that”

"We're definitely not normal people though, are we?"

She let out a mirthless little laugh and disentangled herself from Jaime just long enough to float around in front of them. Mini cupped their face in her hands.

"But fuck normal. Different doesn't mean wrong. Whatever this was, you beat it this time. You'll do it again. We'll do it again. You hear me?"

She searched for Jaime's gaze, her eyes welling up, but still determined and fierce.

“Yeah, but....even for us...” Their voice trailed off.

Maybe that’s why they hadn’t fought Elle to the end either. A subconscious avoidance of this panic. The fear that maybe one day, they wouldn’t be able to stop themselves. The anxiety resting in the binary between mercy and death. On both ends rested guilt.

Jaime eyed Mini for a long time, heartened by her passion. Her confidence. They broke the moment by pulling her into a tight hug, face pressed to her neck.

"Please don't judge yourself by the things you almost did. Look at all the amazing things you DID do today. You helped save a whole fucking planet. You helped save me..."

She held them tight, nuzzling and caressing Jaime's hair. It was her turn to be strong for them. For a long while she whispered sweetly to Jaime about how resilient they were. How compassionate. How amazing.

“Yeah... yeah, I should.”

Some of the things Mini was saying, it was hard for them to believe. But it wasn’t disheartening, oddly. It made them more determined, to be that person that she saw. They gave her a final squeeze and pulled away. “Thanks.” they said, a small smile on their lips. “You did incredible stuff today too.”

It was Mini's turn to bite her lip now. She briefly averted her gaze as her face flushed pink.

"Yeah... I suppose I did..."

She put her eyes back on them, chewing at her piercings nervously. It wasn't the words. Jaime had said sweeter and more encouraging things today. Even though Jaime pulled back, she found herself leaning forward into them.

“No, you did. All that stuff on the video, that was all you...” they murmured.

Jaime eyed Mini, the way she chewed her lip, the way she was leaning in—

Something swooped in their stomach. Maybe it was the vulnerability, maybe it was the potential, maybe it was feeling like someone, somehow, “got it” a little bit. Something stirred in them, and they closed the distance, pressing their foreheads together first, giving Mini the opportunity to stop them.

Mini nuzzled her nose to Jaime's and smiled a little smile up at them. She closed her eyes and curled her arm up around their neck, pulling them in gently. She pressed her lips to Jaime's tenderly, and melted against them.

Jaime wrapped their hand around Mini’s waist, pulling her close and opening their mouth for her. They hoped it didn’t show just how inexperienced they were. They could count the number of people they’ve made out with on one hand.

After a bit, they pulled away, flush and breathless.

“I, um-“ Real fucking eloquent, Jaime. “Yeah.”

She giggled, looking up at them with veiled eyes. She pulled them back in for one more little kiss. Ok, two. Ok, three. She finally found the self control to lean back and look up at them, with an expression that showed both appraisal and wonderment.

"God... where did you even come from..? And how did I get so lucky?"

Mini didn't actually care for the answers to these questions. She caressed Jaime's cheek affectionately, finally disentangling from them, however reluctantly.

"So, look... I know sometimes a kiss is just a kiss. And that's ok... like, no pressure. I don't fucking own you. But... I hope this is the start of something... more?"

She gave Jaime a hopeful little smile, but tried to play it cool.

“I....” They took a breath. “Maybe? I, uh, don’t really know how any of this works. Like, uh, you know... dating?”

Mini looked really, really cute when she was trying to play off her feelings.

“Is this when I’m supposed to like, ask you out?” they asked, caught between genuine confusion and flirtiation.

Mini's brows turned up instantly, and she covered her mouth to stifle her gushing. She was worried that might embarrass Jaime more than they could stand in this moment.

"I... kinda just asked you out... well, I mean... I was asking if you WANTED to be asked out. But... if you wanna ask me instead..."

She shrugged. It wasn't typically so easy for OTHER people to overwhelm her, but Jaime managed to do it thrice in one day. She took a tiny step forward, adopting a pigeon toed stance that was every bit an indication of how off balance she was on the inside. She reached a hand out for theirs timidly, the other hand still covering her mouth.

“You can ask me out then.” Jaime said laughing. They ducked their head and ran their fingers through their hair. “I didn’t mean to steal your thunder. But we can....see where it goes?”

Jaime takes Minis hand in theirs, twining their fingers together.

She nodded, sheepish at first, but when Jaimie deferred to her it flipped her switch immediately. She locked fingers, and smoldered at them. Depending on your point of view, that could either be attractive or scary. Both is a healthy response too.

"You wanna go out some time, Jaime? Coz, SURPRISE, I think I like you... but no, really... you surprised me... and I love it! So, yeah, you should let me kiss you again sometime. Maybe we can get food and stuff too, who knows?"

She laughed, mostly at herself and her stupid jokes. She probably felt every bit as awkward as Jaime did, but somehow she just cut through it and got to the point. She pulled Jaime's hand up to her lips and kissed the back of it, waiting for a reply mostly as a formality.

“I think it surprised both of us,” they said. And the whole thing did, really. The day felt like a whiplash of strong emotions. Having someone there, though. That made things better. ”But we can do that. I’d really like that.”

She gave Jaimie a big, bright smile, threw her arms around their neck, and smooched them on the cheek.

"I'm glad. I'm looking forward to it."

She gave Jaime back their personal space, but made eyes at them the whole way back to the control room. The simulation digitized in their wake as they planned, flirted, and gathered their belongings. The light in the danger room went dark after they left, and the chamber sat quiet for a long while. Eventually though, GAIA made a tinny little tittering sound, and generated two tuxedo wearing holo-clones with roses in their teeth. Holo-Jaime and Holo-Mini snapped their heads to look at each other dramatically. They ripped their roses out of their teeth, tossed them over their own shoulders, and whisked each other away, dancing in the glow of projected hardlight.