(( //Jade noises/ )) It felt like a long time since he last saw her. Jade could've sworn he was never going to see the Marshal ever again, but here they were... “I never thought I’d see you again.”
//::Insane Marshal noises::// Elizabeth looked up from her desk at the sound of the familiar voice, the lone candle illuminating a soft halo of golden light around her. She squinted into the darkness outside of her tiny ring of illumination. She could have sworn she had heard Jade’s distinct baritone, which surely was nothing more than her imagination, as she had disappeared quite some time ago. Even though she had recently returned, she hadn’t called on him, figuring he had forgotten about her.
As her vision focused, she saw a faint outline in the darkness. “Jade?” She pushed her reading glasses up her nose. “Is… is that… really you?”
magnificentmarshal:
Elizabeth stiffened for a split second after she felt his arms come around her. “Jade…” She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears that had welled up in her eyes. But it was futile and they quickly made their way down her cheeks. “Oh Jade,” Her own arms came around him. “I’m so happy to see you again.” She buried her face into the side of his neck. “I thought you’d be furious and never want to see me again.” She sniffled as her embrace tightened. “I’m so, so sorry for just disappearing like that. I should have told you.”
“I’m sure you had reasons for not informing me, as I’ve been in the same situation a number of times. Or have you already forgotten? There have been some assignments where I had to be deployed almost immediately without warning, so even I am at fault for not letting you know where I’ve been.” [Jade responded, giving off a sigh.]
“You don’t have to apologize, Elizabeth. You’re fine. I’m just glad that you’re back safe and sound…” [He petted her, then rubbed her back. It didn’t matter how long they’ve stood there, but Jade never gave it a second thought to even consider what she was doing before he came in.]
“…I didn’t interrupt you, did I?”
The Marshal shook her head, hugging him tighter. “No, you’re not interrupting anything. I just finished this last report.” Despite his understanding, she still felt terrible about leaving without so much as a note goodbye. “And thank you, Jade, for understanding. You’re right; sometimes you’ve had to leave quickly and without word. That’s the unfortunate nature of our work, isn’t it?” But the guilt she’d been harboring still managed to bubble up to the surface.
“Still, I should have said something, left a note or...” Elizabeth pulled away slightly, “anything... to at least explain myself to you and tell you... how I feel about you.” She sighed. “I just...” She paused. No, he deserves to know, “didn’t want you to worry and to spare you the pain if something happened to me.”
