NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: Nobody is Bleeding!
Before he even knew it, the winter break had arrived. Vorden was extremely on edge about it because he was bringing Jade back to the Blade Complex with him. This would be the first time that Vorden had ever brought a girl home to meet his family, for obvious reasons. He wasn't too concerned though. Perhaps before Raten had met Cassie, but since they began their whirlwind romance, Vorden felt much more confident about it. In some nightmares Vorden had daydreamed Raten would immediately see the situation as a competition. Not that Vorden wasn't confident in his own relationship, but the headache that would ensue could prove quite bothersome for both Jade and him. He wanted to show her the better side of what remained of the Blade family.
She had already met Sil a couple of years prior, when working on her degree at University. Of course Jade was especially excited to get another chance to meet with the famed Blade brother, especially now with the deeper insights that she had gained through Vorden. Her excitement only made Vorden slightly jealous. Very slightly.
Their relationship, going on a little over three months was holding solid. They spent every weekend together, and the comfort they shared when in each other's company was akin to a mature, and healthy relationship, despite the unusually fast pace at which their romance had been progressing.
As things looked from Vorden's perspective, this trip was a critical milestone for them. He was eager to both get this hurdle out of the way, as much as he hoped to enjoy the time away from the academy, with Jade.
Vorden didn't have much to pack, he still had plenty of clothes back at home, and didn't need to bring any uniforms with him, so a small bag was all he had prepared. He took one last turn about the room to double check nothing had been overlooked. With that done he set out to traverse the campus, making his way to the landing strip from which he had first arrived to the island, but first he had one last stop. On the ground floor he knocked on the door of Jade's apartment and was greeted warmly by a bright and excited smile almost as soon as he knocked. They exchanged a kiss or two in the doorway, with some practiced self control and an insermountable level of restraint Vorden was able to pull himself away. He didn't want them to keep the transport crew waiting for too long.
Most students and much of the faculty had already left for wherever they were headed to, for the week of vacation. So the campus seemed vacant and peaceful. Vorden and Jade approached the sleek, compact transport vessel that awaited them on the tarmac. The craft, designed for both atmospheric flight and short-distance space travel, gleamed under the hangar lights, its aerodynamic form hinting at speed and agility.
As they neared the boarding ramp, the familiar crew came into view. The co-pilot, Gilfoil, stood by with his characteristic wide smile, his dark brown hair peeking out from beneath his hat and headset. His pudgy cheeks dimpled as he greeted them warmly. Beside him was the pilot, known simply as Chip. Tall and composed, Chip's sharp features and neatly gelled chestnut brown hair gave him a quintessential pilot's demeanor.
"Welcome aboard," Gilfoil said cheerfully, gesturing towards the open hatch. "Shiro sent us to bring you home for the winter break, sir."
Vorden nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Gilfoil. Jade, this is the crew I told you about."
Jade smiled, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you both."
Chip gave a curt nod, his professional demeanor unwavering. "We'll be departing shortly. Please make yourselves comfortable."
Inside, the vessel's cabin was compact yet comfortable, with seating designed for a small group. As they settled in, the hum of the engines grew louder, signaling the imminent departure.
Through the viewport, they watched as the military base's island, encapsulated under its protective dome, began to shrink from view. The vast ocean surrounding the island shimmered under the sunlight, creating a mesmerizing tableau. As the craft ascended, the curvature of the planet became evident, with the deep blue of the ocean contrasting against the soft whites of scattered clouds.
The journey spanned several hours, during which Vorden and Jade conversed, sharing stories and laughter. Occasionally, they would glance out the window, observing the transition from the planet's atmosphere to the star-speckled expanse of space, and then back again as they approached their destination.
Upon arrival at the Blade family complex, the vessel smoothly docked in the private hangar. The boarding ramp lowered, and as Vorden and Jade disembarked, they were greeted immediately by the sight of Shiro, Sil, and Raten, all waiting eagerly.
"Welcome home, Vorden!" Shiro called out, a broad smile on his face.
Sil and Raten stood beside him, their expressions reflecting his excitement.
Vorden grinned, pulling his bag over his shoulder. He offered his hand to Jade as she went to step down from the ramp carrying her own small bag. He waved his other hand at Shiro, and as they walked closer he replied with "It's good to be back."
Shiro, stepping forward, was the first to greet Vorden. He gave Vorden a warm hug and patted him on the back affectionately. Vorden turned around quickly, finding where Jade was standing. He beamed when his eyes fell on her, and he stepped aside to make space for her to be next to him. "Everyone, this is Jade." He couldn't contain his pure joy as he said those words.
Jade waved, a hint of nervousness in her smile. "Hi, it's great to meet you all." Before she had fully finished her sentence Shiro had already gone in for another hug. She was surprised by the sudden embrace but welcomed it all the same, blushing a bit but smiling a great deal from the extra warm welcome.
Raten smirked, nudging Sil. "Looks like Vorden's been busy." He smirked as he spoke to Sil under his breath.
Sil rolled his eyes but stepped forward, offering a hand to Jade. "Welcome to our little slice of heaven Jade. It's wonderful to see you again, of course." They shook hands but Sil ended up pulling in for a hug as well, glad to see that Vorden wasn't being left in the dust by Raten. "Not sure how you put up with this knucklehead though..." Sil winked at Jade before he lost his composure at the sight of Vorden's shocked face. Melting into a warm and full bellied laughter that honestly filled Vorden's heart with joy to hear. He turned to face him as he laughed, embracing his first and dearest friend, his brother, with a great big bear hug. "I've missed you brother, you look good."
Vorden's happiness at the current situation was unimaginable. At least, it was more than he ever could have imagined. Sil and Vorden both each gave the other a few pats on the back as the stepped back, both men with enormous smiles plastered on their faces. The sight of them together was something strange to Raten and Shiro, less so to Jade. An outsider may have mistaken them simply for father and sun with the uncanny resemblance, of course with Sil looking far more advanced in age than Vorden, they easily could have passed for such.
Vorden cleared his throat as he straightened his posture and turned to face the last of the three. "Raten, glad to see you haven't blown yourself up or anything." As the two came closer to one another Raten's fist went flying through the air, landing on Vorden's upper arm. His diabolical smile was shining brightly as he administered the 'love tap' as he called it, to Vorden's arm.
Raten had changed a bit since they last saw each other. He had been spending a lot of time in the gym clearly. His arms and upper body that once were litterally identical to Vorden's own were noticably larger now. Vorden's muscle tone was nothing to sneeze at, he maintained a balanced training regimen to keep his physic in peak condition, but Raten was a monster. He was a gym rat of sorts. Much of his free time was spent lifting weights and working on building up his body.
"Owe, damnit Raten, what the hell?" Vorden couldn't help but to growl as he automatically grasped his now dead arm, rubbing vigorously where Raten had just landed his assault.
In response Raten threw his head back and laughed loudly. Then he raised both arms open wide and before he could get away, Raten scooped Vorden up into one more giant hug. He squeezed him tightly while he continued. "Glad you are home little brother."
Vorden's face grew red with frustration as he shook off his brothers arms. He grumbled as he motioned towards Jade. "Jade, Raten. Raten, Jade" calming his anger as he spoke, he gave a halfhearted smile to Jade when he looked her direction.
She made another little wave with her hand towards Raten, visibly confused by the interaction between Vorden and him. She forced a smile and held out her hand to shake Raten's. "It's great to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you."
Raten laughed again, this time the evil intent was thankfully, less present. "All gross character misrepresentations I am sure. You can't believe a word that guy says! Trust me, does this look like a face that would lie to you?"
Jade's face contorted into an expression bordering on a look of horror as she simply looked back and forth between Vorden and Raten. Her mouth opened and then closed. The silence was finally broken when Raten resumed laughing boisterously and nudged Vorden in the ribs with an elbow sharply as he passed by him, sweeping Jade into yet another full two armed bear hug. "It's great to meet you too. You are ALL this pinhead talks about these days, so good to know that you're real! Haha!"
Vorden's pained face was vibrant red yet again. Partly from fury, and partly due to embarrassment. He had switched from rubbing his bruised arm to nursing his sure to be bruised ribcage. He looked as if he wanted to fire back at Raten, but when he caught a glimpse of Jade's now smiling face, he was taken by her angelic peaceful expression and decided not to drag it out. He felt all the anger just melt away and a slight smile returned to his own face. Disrupted intermittently by small grimaces from pain as he moved. "Jesus Raten, what have you been doing while I've been gone, practicing with hardening abilities? I think you bruised my ribs."
As they gathered up their belongings, the crowd began to migrate towards the elevators. Shiro led the way with Sil by his side. He made a quick glance over his shoulder at the other three. Raten's wide smile was even more visible as he walked with his chest slightly puffed out. Jade was holding on to Vorden's arm while he carried both of their bags. The various faces of pain were almost unnoticeable. If he didn't know him so well, he probably wouldn't even have noticed. Turning back he leaned in close to Sil and said in a quiet voice so the others couldn't hear, "Well, that went better than I expected, don't ya think?"
Sil's mouth turned up at the corner and he grinned silently while he gave a clear nod to Shiro. "Indeed. Nobody is bleeding!"