No need. This is enough, Jin’s whisper made her smile sadly before she shoved the emotion away, not wanting it to taint his experience.
Jin stayed with her until she finished the drink, leaving Kira with a soft “thank you” before withdrawing.
The connection dampened, stretching until it was gossamer thin, and they were each alone in their own minds again.
For a moment the sensation of aloneness felt strange. Wrong. As if the rug had been yanked out from under her, leaving her to feel as if she was in free fall. Nothing to catch her.
She resisted the urge to reach out to him, knowing it would prolong their confusion.
Kira steadied herself against the table, sinking into the physical sense of touch. The cool feel of metal under her fingers. The way her muscles flexed as she lowered herself into the chair, re-learning what it was to be her again.
Kira Forrest. The Phoenix. And now, daughter of Roake.
As was always the case, the re-acclimation was brief. A handful of seconds until she felt stable enough to resume their conversation.
From the outside looking in, no one would be able to tell anything out of the ordinary had happened. Kira would simply be a woman enjoying a cup of tea. Jin silently watching.
“Your turn,” she told him.
Jin made loops in the air, unable to stay still as he worked through the same sense of disconnection on his end.
“Remember how you asked me to identify the owner of that ship? The one whose timing oh so conveniently allowed the bog’s hag to be attached to the Wanderer’s hull without us noticing?”
“You’re telling me the people on that balcony are them?”
Kira’s blood heated at the knowledge that her quarry was so close. A railing and a few feet of space were all that separated her from her maybe enemy.
“That’s not all. Those two who challenged Joule first are from the same House.”
In other words, they were targeting Joule. Because of Kira? Or another reason?
Kira leaned an elbow on the table before giving up and sprawling across it.
The entire conversation was conducted in Japanese since the likelihood of the Tuann knowing an ancient language of old Earth was small.
Japanese, along with many other languages, had fallen into disuse once humanity reached the stars. While not considered a dead language, the number of people who knew how to speak it was quite small.
The reason Kira and Jin were among them was entirely due to Himoto’s influence.
“Before you ask, they’re not House Danai. They don’t share the smallest affiliation with them. Outwardly, at least.”
Kira’s gaze sharpened as she eyed the balcony next to theirs with renewed interest. “Who are they?”
Jin switched to their comms. “A House called Votair. As far as I could tell, they share no ties to any of the major five Houses.”
That was quite a feat since most of the Houses were arranged in a type of pyramid. The major Houses at the top and many affiliate Houses making up the bottom levels of the pyramid.
“No idea why they’re targeting Joule, then?”
“No. Not yet.”
Knowing him though, he wouldn’t rest until he’d uncovered the rest of the mystery.
“Those challenging Joule aren’t all from that House,” Kira observed.
“Good eye. You’re right. Only the woman and Notus were from Votair. The last was a man from Terot, a sub-House of Danai. Spreading the challenges among Houses like this is a smart tactic. It makes it look less like a single House is bullying Joule.”
Kira tapped a finger against the table, lost in thought. “How did you stumble on them?”
