Clean confrontation

"I'm telling, it's true!", Ace whined a little.

"Okay", comes an uninterested reply.

"You don't believe me, do you?", he pushes verbally.

"I do", another lazy reply.

"You don't seem so", he pouted his lower lip.

Precisely, Ace had been trying to feed Jay a story about a supernatural creature, which he had learnt from some spam online. Apparently, these creatures kill and collect the undead lost souls, who have escaped into the mortal realm and are living disguised as normal humans. According to Ace, if he finds one, he could persuade it to hire him to kill. Jay had stopped listening after he mentioned celestial creatures, but she dares not doubt him fully since he has got a perfect degree and infamous skill in hacking and technology. Not like it links, but such digital people would never follows fucked up rumors on the internet. Other times, she would let him have her attention, but sometimes he needs ignorance.

That's what she has learnt by herself from his company.

"It's growing late, I should scram", she had acquired weird vocabulary from a book Ace lent her a while back, still hopeless to use them at not so necessary situations.

He on the other hand, just chuckles at the innocence.

"Okay, I can allow that ....... Only if you believe me", he conditioned.

"I believe you", Jay said without a moment of pause.

Ace knew she was just trying to get rid of the topic. So, he just obliged and let her do it. But not before faking a pretend, a face that he was truly hurt. Jay looked away and release a mental silent groan. Now he is putting up on a cover.

He laughed a short one.

Somehow, he was glad that she has been expressing small emotions. Even if it means annoyance directed at him.

"I'll let you know tomorrow's plan, yes?", he suggested.

Jay nodded and turned around to leave.

Ace's voice reaches her from behind," See Ya love!".

Jay stumbled on nothing, unable to face him and confront about it.

.................................................

"What do you think you're doing?", a deep voice suddenly interrupted Jay.

She was on her way back halfway, when she was compelled to turn towards the alley only to find the guy leaning on to the wall, and taking a whiff of the cigarette. He seemed colder than usual, having seen him for a long while now. Puffing out the smoke, he looked at Jay. His expression disapproving sort of.

"Travis", Jay's voice faded away, she wasn't least pleased having ignored of her pleas last time. He hasn't shown up this whole time, only to pop up suddenly with an irritating tone of a question.

"Do you know what you are getting yourself into?", he asked tossing away the filter," I saw you at the café".

With that the confusion wiped off her face.

"Not your place to intervene", she snapped back to the surprised person before her.

What the hell did he do for her to turn out such? Jay used to have the voice of a deer, and just the influence is metamorphosing her.

Travis clenched his jaws and frowned," Not, if I didn't know who Ace is".

He didn't want to resort to knowing Ace so soon, but Jay was a tougher cookie. Having been confined within herself his long, she won't let second person have an influence upon her that easily. Ace was sure a different case. The unnamed relationship he thought they had, had been clean and open.

But Jay thought otherwise...

Jay flinched her eyes at him. That was what, called unexpected!!!

He knew him?

He knew Ace?

Does he also know .......

"Shocked?", Travis pressed mockingly angry," You have any idea who is he?". Openly expressing hatred for him. His aura spread venom, not trying to hide it at all.

Now it was Jay's turn to shock him.

"Well enough!", was her sharp reply, wearing a calm face.

Travis pretended to keep his cool, but couldn't help get a little taken aback. Judging her kind, it won't be strange if the two got along well. But he knew Ace, better than he knew Jay. That's what he thought. And he knew what he had done and he can do. If knowing all, Jay had made her decision, it can't be good! After all, they both were the same.

"You do, eh!", it sounded more like a spit," and YET you let him??".

"I need him", Jay stated at once with no hesitation. She has gotten bolder.

It cleared everything. She lets him, coz she needs him doing that. For her! It's her remedy? THAT is her remedy? It can't be! She's just not the type. It's unbelievable!

"He's not sane Jay!", he tries pleading this time," He's not in a right mind, never is".

Travis doesn't know what he is doing or why. Studying him over all, he is not the bad guy here. Just a little mislead. His past relationship with Ace, hasn't left him very sane himself after all he has lost. He thought he could cope well with him beside after Edrei's lose, but fate changed him. Changed them all.

Only after meeting Jay during his pitifully fucked up lifestyle, the unnatural force called instincts pressured him to do something for the kid deprived and devoid of life. Even if it took inflicting injuries upon her or a few smokes to a minor, if that could help her live, Travis would oblige. He knew he was wrong, but all he did because he was just driven by guilt like a maniac. Both towards Edrei and Ace.

Somehow those feelingless conversations, with no meaning in them in the darkest of the filthy alley between a girl with a broken life and body full of scars and an elder guy with a pretty useless life, struck his senses to do what he should have done earlier. And that's what he has been working for a while now. What Edrei had wanted.

To keep his promise.

To live.

Which he also wanted Jay to do.

"When was I, was ever I?", Jay said.

Travis continued gritting his teeth harder. Ace had surely brainwashed her," You're nothing like him Jay. By this association, he'll turn you like himself".

And he shouldn't have said that!

Ace had proved himself. He had proved that if possible, he'll take on a different way to fix this and not take the bloody walk-street. He had always declined her, whenever she had expressed herself to take on his work. He had barricaded her corrupted, not on his watch! He was never a monster, he is kind! He does, what Jay desires. He keeps her in check, gives her the company which she never had, protects her and treats her like ......a human! Which in actual, she doubts she is ....

"Better without him?", the sudden shift in her eerie voice caught Travis off guard. She has snapped," Better all beaten up like a bitch? While you just stay clean ordering your boys to fuck me up good and never touch me for your own sake of purity and sin?".

"You wanted that", Travis shot back," It helped you control it!!!".

"WHO IN THE FUCKING WORLD FEELS UNDER CONTROL ....being beaten ruefully?", the last words weren't low, they were full of silent thunderstorm, "And who knows what else in my veins which made me feel that high, deprived of any connection from the world. Travis just stared, unable to grasp her words. Did she ....... did she feel like that this whole fucking time, even though she took every hit so smoothly? Asking for more, begging if denied?

"Not him here, you're the monster", Jay stared icily at him," I think we are done". Her voice wasn't suggesting.

Travis just had a harder time trying to ignore the fact that she's the very one who had once said him that he's not a bad guy. Not anything more, but he was sure that he had cared for the kid otherwise. She had been different, and he's gotten attached. Like Edrei .... He cannot let her throw her life away like this.

She swiftly turned and started walking away.

"HE KILLED HIS FUCKING BROTHER!!!".

The steps stopped, hesitating a little. Did it affect her? She has witnessed so many murders now, one more death caused by him in his youth shouldn't make any difference, right? But Ace said his family is well and living. And he doesn't kill boys, not at least his family, right? Anything, anyone .... but he won't touch his own family. Jay doesn't do that. It won't make a difference though, it shouldn't matter to her who he's killing, it's his problem. But Ace, he isn't that sort of a person. He's not desperate. She trusts .... him. She will trust him!!!

Not Travis.

She looked at him, her eyes demonic and raging. His words, and her light moment of distrust was sowing guilt in her. How dare he! He just managed to set her up.

Travis succeeded. He suddenly started taking steps to Jay. He was hell set to stop her from interacting with him.

He was almost there, where Jay stood hugging herself unable to believe anything and fear still. She was against such a side of Travis. She can't. She wanted to believe Ace, but the dominant voice of the person and his cruel words before her was making her weak. She hates whenever she's this vulnerable. Ace had always guarded her from situations. She needed his protective barricade. But when it is just regarding him, can she do nothing by herself to protect her mind from distrusting him?

She wanted to protect him too....And she know she can't. Not anytime sooner ........

"NOT ANOTHER STEP TRAVIS!!!"

Travis paused and turned, the voice stinging familiar. His eyes changing at the dark-haired voice behind him.

Jay looked up from her trance as well.

"Not another, fucking step towards her...", Ace repeated, and his face with a new expression all over again, leaving Jay to wonder.