Chapter 10 - Ultear

Like a rabid beast that hadn't eaten in days, Jin devoured a chunk of derebear meat cooked over the campfire. Even without seasoning, it reminded him of the wagyu beef from his mother's tea house, but with a more gamey flavor reminiscent of venison. While eating, he glanced at the giant tent he helped Ultear and Meredy set up before dinner. Rather than a tent, it looked more like a hut made of thick dark green tarps. To make things better, it had partitions inside that split the interior into six individual sections larger than the tent he had brought with him. Even while savoring the taste of the meat, he wondered if he would be able to obtain one for himself for later chat group missions.

"Pft. Your face looks hilarious right now," Meredy noted. Seated next to him on a log they had dragged over to the campfire, she watched him with an amused smile while slowly nibbling on her own chunk of meat.

Jin briefly glanced at her. She sat close to him, but not close enough to intrude upon his personal bubble. The glow of the crackling flames danced and illuminated her face, which she finally exposed in front of him only minutes earlier. Ever so slightly, his heart raced upon making eye contact, but his old soul quickly calmed his young body's reaction to her beautiful pink eyes. He considered retorting to her statement, but then shook his head and resumed eating. Meat juices dripped from his lips as he thought, 'Can't recall the last time I experienced a cozy atmosphere with people outside my family. It's nice. Maybe I should find a few people to go camping with back home sometime. Could maybe invite that Fuutarou kid or Masao. Oh, maybe I could even try to find and befriend Urahara. He'd definitely make for an amusing conversation partner.'

Seated on the opposite side of the log from Jin, Ultear crossed her legs and quietly nibbled on a small piece of meat. Like Meredy, she also pulled back her hood. Her face looked stern yet gentle, and her auburn eyes reflected the glow of the campfire like polished mirrors. A warm smile remained plastered on her face while listening to Meredy occasionally poking fun at Jin, but she still maintained some distance from him for some reason.

Eventually, a golden glow hurdled through the air toward them and careened onto the ground several meters away from the campfire. A cloud of dust swirled around Jellal as he walked toward them while waving dust away from his face.

"Welcome back," Ultear said.

Both Jin and Meredy waved since their mouths were full.

In response, Jellal smiled. After reaching the fireside, he handed small pouches to each of them and said, "Here's the reward split four ways."

The two women nodded and stuffed the pouches into their travel pouches that functioned like containers with expanded space inside. In contrast, Jin frowned, lifted the pouch toward Jellal, and said, "I didn't really participate, so you can take this back."

Jellal casually waved his hand and retorted, "Just hang on to it. It's only a small amount of Jewels, and our main goal isn't the money anyway."

"I still feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

"Hmph. Just take it," Meredy said, shoving his hand holding the pouch against his chest.

With their faces inches apart, Jin stared back at her with a raised brow. Her cheeks blushed, though it was hard to notice with only the light of the campfire. Tearing his eyes away from her cute expression, Jin looked down at the pouch of money and said, "I'll hang onto it, but let me know if you need any of it later."

Both Jellal and Ultear smiled at his statement, but left the conversation there. Afterward, all four of them ate their fill before entering the massive tent and sleeping in individual rooms. Jin clonked out almost instantly since he had already stayed awake several hours longer than normal and exhausted himself far beyond normal today.

* * *

Almost an hour after everyone went to bed, Meredy tiptoed toward the partition zipper leading to where Jin was sleeping. She quietly unzipped the door and peeked through. Upon seeing Jin snoring without a care in the world, she sighed and whispered, "I wanted to talk with him more, but I guess he's too tired. Maybe next time."

* * *

At daybreak, Jin woke up and stretched. Despite the rough ground, the thick floor of the tent allowed him to sleep more restfully than normal without the nighttime city ambience to disrupt it. Exiting the tent, he encountered Ultear sitting on the log and roasting some more meat on a spit over the fire.

"Mornin'," He grunted, his voice an octave lower than normal.

Hearing his raspy voice, Ultear glanced at him with a curious expression before nodding and returning the greeting.

"Good morning. The other two tend to sleep a bit longer, so it might be a few minutes before they wake up."

"Gotcha," Jin replied while plopping down on the log a feet away from her. The warm embers relaxed his muscles that initially felt tight because of the chilly morning air.

For a few minutes, he watched Ultear prod the small flame from time to time and enjoyed the calm atmosphere and natural beauty of his surroundings. To his surprise, Ultear broke the silence first with an unexpected question.

"Jellal previously mentioned that you were a Sage with a lot of knowledge, but how much do you know, exactly?"

"Depends what you mean. I might know some things, but I'm nowhere close to omniscient."

"...Then, does that mean you know our pasts?"

Jin observed Ultear for a moment with a curious gaze. She met his eyes without flinching. Since he didn't see hostility there, Jin answered, "Some of the more notable moments, yes."

"Like what?"

"Like what happened between you and your mother or how you manipulated Jellal in the past."

Averting her gaze, Ultear prodded the fire with a stick a few times before mumbling, "I see…"

"Why do you ask?"

Ultear remained silent for a moment, but then asked, "Your eye power makes people witness their past, right?"

Furrowing his brows, Jin pieced together what she was hinting at.

"You want to watch your past?"

Ultear slowly nodded and said, "I'd like to see my mother again, even if it is only a memory."

"Since I've yet to figure out what could make somebody lose themselves in the geass, I'd be hesitant to use it on you right now."

A smile appeared on the woman's face, and she replied, "After learning a little about you and that power of yours, I believe it won't harm me if you don't want it to."

Jin snorted and replied, "I find that hard to believe."

"Trust is a magical thing, you know?"

"...In this world, I can kind of believe that."

"Then let's try it."

Jin mulled over it for a minute, then finally replied, "Maybe some other time. I'd rather not risk it until I have a better handle on the ability. As far as I can tell, I'd only be able to show you those memories once, so let's put a rain check on it."

Ultear frowned briefly, but then she shook her head and said, "You're probably right. I guess I was being a little impatient." She briefly fell into silent contemplation, but sent a gentle smile his direction and said, "Maybe you really are a Sage. You're quite wise despite how you look."

"Pft. Wise? You think too highly of me. My Sage title really only comes from how many years I've lived."

"You look even younger than Jellal and Meredy, though."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"That's certainly true. They do say wisdom comes with age, though."

"Well, sure. The longer you live, the more wisdom life will force into your brain whether you want it or not."