Teeth clenched as Iseu forced a nod, his eyes darting at the slightest noise as he stood hunched before the doctor. Did he feel bad about sneaking in? Did he feel bad about the way his claws were tensed in an unspoken threat? A bit. But his nerves were still too frayed to consider doing things legally. His “owners” still felt too close at hand, despite the systems between him and the auction house.
“Do it,” he hissed. “They deactivated the tracking chips but I want them out of me.”
The Nemean sniffed lightly- partially to express her disapproval of the Ne'sein in front of her, but mostly to get a read on him without making it too obvious that she was scenting the air. Some might consider it primeval to use scent to distinguish and evaluate things and people, but her nose has yet to let her down.
She smelled fear.
and anger;
The salt-brine of blood and the sickly-sour of illness.
He had been running- that was probably the most obvious thing. You didn't break into a darkened clinic to have tracking devices removed if they were there for a beneficial reason, like to avoid kidnapping. No, this was... probably the more sullied aspects of intergalactic trade. Her nose and muzzle wrinkled at the thought, baring a yellow-white canine.
"Let's get you prepped." She said, tension bleeding from her shoulders. She gave them a soft roll, letting the wings stretch out a little as she turned, gesturing for him to follow her to the back, where things would be private, even if the staff started trickling in.
"It should not take long, but in the event it does- I am Yana. What should I call you? Little one? Guppy, perhaps?" She said with a cheeky twitch of a tail as she opened a closet door to pull out a coat to throw over her fur and a spare set of scrubs for the other alien to change into.
600 years away, Jaal Ama Darav was born with a scar across his hip and a weak Soul Sense.
While Aria was sleeping, Jaal was waiting, wondering; when would his Soul Mate appear?
Jaal x Ryder, Soulmate AU, Definitely no longer a oneshot. Oops. You guys win.
Also on AO3.
Jaal Ama Darav was born with a scar across his hip and a weak Soul Sense.
The scar was what his Mothers focused on, at first; it seemed strange, that a newborn would already have a Soul Scar, as though his Destined One had been in a great battle while very young.
Sahuna especially had fretted, concerned at what could leave such a mark on her future daughter-in-law; how could a baby already have such a scar?
Soul Scars only formed when the Soul Mate had been critically injured, after all; minor injuries did not replicate physically, only as a ghost of pain felt by the Mate.
It was something they all debated, eventually concluding that his Mate must have been slightly older, perhaps not even an infant.
Perhaps they are a teenager, already battle scarred!
Or even a child injured during the war; we’re no strangers to those.
They left it at that until Jaal was old enough to understand, vaguely, what he should be feeling, what a Soul Sense should be like.
But while he had felt the vaguest brushes of pain, Jaal felt nothing like what was described by teachers and familiar adults.
A tug at your very being, pulling you in one specific direction. An urgent need to find someone and never let them go. A need to take, to touch, to bond and be one, to reunite the two half’s of the soul. An all-encompassing desire, an instinct that cannot be swayed.
As a child he would only feel the pull, of course, not the desire that would come as an adult.
Yet Jaal felt neither. Not as strongly as he should have, in any case.
“I feel a small tug.” he’d quietly told Sahuna, looking down and upset - a look she did not like on her normally vibrant son’s little face, “I can’t tell where it’s going. Space.”
“Is something wrong with my Soul Mate, mother?”
I don’t know, she couldn’t say, hugging him close to her chest and making gentle shushing noises, unable to school her expressions in the face of his despair - because the thought hurt her, to.
“No, little one, I’m sure they’re fine,” Sahuna did her best to believe the words, to force them to be true, “Just far away, I believe. On another planet, perhaps.”
“Will I still get to meet them?”
“Of course, Jaal. Someday. When the time is right.”
Except the right time never seemed to come. Jaal grew up with no more tug then he’d felt as a child, still a vague pull towards space.
There was a brief period during his first Vesaal when Jaal believed he had found her, somehow.
The pull still came from the sky above, from space, but Allia’s scent drew him in, enticed him, and he fell hard and fast.
The fantasy was broken when his older brother arrived on Aya and Allia was immediately entranced, the scars on their right shoulders and necks matching perfectly. The scent Jaal had been drawn to turned out to be the lotion she used, one his brother asked her to stop using in respect for the confusion it had caused.
Jaal was happy to return to Havarl, once more left with his vague pull towards space and the frail hope that, somewhere, his Soul Mate was on her way.
He was less happy when his brother and Allia also returned to Havarl, with her officially joining the family as one of the Mother’s; he congratulated them nonetheless, knowing it had been his own fault for being so foolish.
Jaal mourned them alongside his family when they were taken by the Kett.
He joined the Resistance once he was old enough, fought his way as high in the ranks as he was able, busied himself with missions and tactics and his family.
Because that pull never changed; never weakened or strengthened, just remained a vague feeling in the back of his mind.
So Jaal threw himself into the War with the Kett, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
There was no warning. Just sudden, searing pain, making him shout in surprise and drop his rifle in the middle of the meeting, hand clasped over his right forearm.
The pain was followed by a sudden knowing, a clear longing to go, to follow this new feeling, this suddenly intense pull.
Jaal was grinning as he righted himself, lowering his hand as the pain faded into a tingle, expression telling Evfra exactly what had happened.
She was close. His Soul Mate was finally close enough for him to sense, she was near, she was alive - and while she’d been in pain, it hadn’t been anything life threatening, going by how quickly it had faded.
Finally, Jaal grinned wider, determination filling him, Finally, she is near! I must tell Mother-
His destined had to be one of the aliens now inhabiting the nearby station, he realized, and Evfra agreed with this belief, the two men staying in the command room to discuss Jaal’s situation.
“Has another ship arrived?” he asked, absently running his hand over his forearm - he hadn’t taken off his armor to inspect the area yet, but he suspected there was at least a burn - “Surely if she had been on the station from the beginning, I would have felt her before now.”
“Not at the station, no, but scouts did report seeing a non-Kett vessel further out in the Eriksson System.”
“When was this?!” Jaal demanded, the pull strengthening at the prospect of a lead, a starting point.
“A couple of hours ago, now-”
Jall sucked in a breath as pain seemed to splash against his body, holding out a hand to still his Commander’s approach, “I’m fine. Felt… like an impact, of some sort. No serious wounds.”
“Alright. We’d best plan, then. You’re not going anywhere without a plan.”
Much as he wanted to argue, Jaal knew better, and the two talked for over an hour, debating on how best to approach these strange new aliens - hoping, desperately, that they were not like the Kett.
Jaal had been just about to leave, intending to email Sahuna, when pain suddenly exploded in his skull, vision going blank and collapsing to the ground in agony.
He could vaguely hear Evfra shouting, registered a sharp jab at the back of his neck, and then it felt as though his heart stopped. Just for a moment - a terrifying, blinding moment - before he gasped and shot upright, vision returning and pain receding, staring up at a team of Resistance Doctors.
“She… she almost died.” Jaal managed to choke, forcing himself to his feet and swatting away the arms that reached for him, staggering towards the doors, “She’s alive, but… weak, so very weak. I need to go, I need to find her-”
“You need to rest, Jaal.” Evfra was quick to cut him off, motioning to the doctors, “Whatever happened to her clearly took a toll on you. You’re not going anywhere tonight.”
He wanted to protest - his other half was finally in reach! How could he keep him from going?! - but when another attempt to move forwards led to Jaal nearly collapsing once more, he was forced to agree.
At least, finally, she was near.
A month later found Jaal incredibly irritable and frustrated, stuck on Aya and unable to do anything.
A month of feeling the brush of ghost bullets and scratches, minor things compared to the near death he’d experienced when his Soul Mate had first appeared.
His right arm now bore a burn scar in a rough line, and Sahuna had confirmed he had a new scar on the back of his neck - both gained from whatever had happened to his other half in her short time in Heleus.
They’d been trying to decide how best to approach the ‘humans’, keeping an eye on their movements - currently focused on their station and Eos - and debating how likely they would be to attack first and talk later.
Then Evfra had gotten an urgent message from the docks and Jaal had been struck by a sudden wave of feeling, an urgent yank followed by need and excitement.
“There’s a human ship at the docks - they were on fire, but they don’t appear hostile-”
“She’s here.” Jaal all but hissed, cutting Evfra off, eyes darting between his Commander and the door. Every instinct was screaming at him to go, find her, protect her, take her-
Knowing arguing wasn’t an option, Evfra only stepped aside, grimacing, “Fine, go. But I want to see whoever’s in charge of that ship.”
Jaal didn’t acknowledge him, to distracted by the pull and the nearby, go go go-
Paaran had things under control, but his focus was entirely on the human female standing before her, the one it’s her take her-
“Jaal, I have this under control-”
“Evfra sent me to see what’s going on.” Jaal forced himself to move slow, nearly stalking down the steps to loom over the woman, holding himself back even as he crowded her, “Aya is hidden, protected… what do you want?”
Pride swelled as he watched her - clearly uncomfortable and intimidated but standing her ground, expression set into one of remorseful determination. She was no Angara - bright amber eyes, pale skin, red hair - and yet she was beautiful, stunning, perfect.
“I’m sorry. The way we arrived - unannounced, and on fire - was not part of the plan.”
Her voice is higher than an Angara’s, yet sweet, full of apologies. How would she sound if…?
“Good, because that would be a very bad plan.”
Jaal has to wrench himself away from her before he loses control, returning to the headquarters to give an air of formality, fighting every instinct he has.
She is a Pathfinder, Paaran had said, a leader. How fitting.
It’s not long before she arrives as well, and the first thing he notices is that she’s now keeping a hand over a space on her right forearm.
Right over the area where he has a burn scar.
“I am Jaal Ama Darav,” he introduces, realizing names are an important first step in what might be a much different approach to things as her own.
“Aria Ryder.” she returns, and already he likes her name, rolling it around in his mind as they walk, keeping his words curt and concise in an attempt to keep control.
Ryder doesn’t seem as affected by the Bond as he is, but maybe humans experience it differently - he does spot her swaying towards him at one point during their talk with Evfra, though she quickly catches herself and stands stiffly beside him.
He doesn’t need to say anything for Evfra to know; the look the other man is wearing says it all.
“Go, if you wish.” Evfra finally says, giving Jaal his official ‘leave’, “But be prepared when she tries to kill you.”
Jaal might have taken offense, had he been able to focus on anything but keeping control. As it stands, he can only return her stare, trying to open his mouth, to broach the subject, Do you know who I am? What we are to each other? Can you feel it as I can?
Why did you almost die? What happened?
After what feels like forever Aria suddenly swings her right hand out towards him, as though in a greeting gesture, “Welcome aboard, I guess.”
Jaal automatically goes to re-correct her stance, gripping her right wrist unthinkingly - and freezing when she gasps, seeming to shiver, heat flaring beneath his own skin from the simple touch.
Its that same spot.
He’s moving on instinct then; shifting his grip to yank her arm closer, baring the top of her right arm and staring at the intricate writing that seems etched into her skin.
Jaal Ama Darav, it reads, in his own precise hand, a language she could not have even known.
“Pathfinder…” he drawls, enjoying her surprised expression perhaps more than he should, “You have my name on your arm.”
“It’s…” He can see her swallow, eyes a bit wide and cheeks a bit pink, “It’s my Soul Mark.”
Soul Mark. A brand, almost, a declaration of who she was bound to, who she was meant for.
His name. His Mate. His.
“We Angara do not have such Marks, but there are other ways…” Jaal draws his words out, filled with elation and curiosity and something rather carnal, watching her expression, “I can, however, assume the purpose behind this. It… would seem, that we are…”
Aria sucks in a breath, voice barely a whisper, “Soul Mates.”
BROOKS: you sure you want me to do that over that over text
BROOKS: might be too hot for you to handle
BROOKS: you wanna come to me? or me come to you?
___________________________________________________
ROWENA: honestly, you should come to me because i'm pretty sure the last time i went to you
ROWENA: as for flirting over text, why not? it'd be hot ;)
