Jai West (dareyoutorun) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2011-03-31 22:14:00

Entry tags:

firestorm, inactive - traya smith, jon kent, npc - don hall, npc - jai west

I've had some time to think...(Open to YJLA)
One week after his resurrection, Jai West arrived at the YJLA HQ, looking for someone he could speak to. He hoped Jon was here; it would be easier for him to talk to Jon about this, or maybe even Corrina. He had to inform someone, though, so that they could start looking for a replacement if necessary.

He passed the meeting room, with meeting table reserved for the core members of the League. Jai walked into the room, looking down at everyone's familiar symbols carved into the table. He'd heard that the JSA have a table just like this at the Brownstone, but he'd never seen it.

Anyone walking by would find him there.

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	neutral_ground 2011-04-01 03:12 am UTC (link)
	Don noticed Jai as he walked by. He stopped and looked in. Jai looked... distracted, perhaps? Something was definitely different about how he was acting. Not in a bad way, just... different. "Jai, is something wrong?" (Reply to this)(Thread)

	dareyoutorun 2011-04-01 03:20 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, hey Don. No, nothing's wrong, man." he lies, deciding not to thing about what's going on in his life. "Uh, is Jon around or anyone else? I need to talk to a team lead." Jai says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	first_son 2011-04-01 03:25 am UTC (link)
	"I'm here." Sometimes super hearing is a wonderful thing. Of course, sometimes its not. He can hear the tone of voice too. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2011-04-01 03:40 am UTC (link)

"All right. This works. I've got two of you here, so I guess this will work." Jai says.

"I've been doing some thinking and I realize that, at this point, I can't be a member of the Justice League. I was Kid Flash, but my sister has stepped up and earned that name. She does it well and taking it back from her wouldn't be right." Jai says, adjusting his black leather jacket as he looks down at the floor.

"The stuff I've seen and been through lately has really forced me to think about who I am and what I'm doing with my life. You guys are the best group of friends a guy could ask for, but I'm not in the right place, mentally, to contribute to the team.

I can go to Reserve status and help out when needed, if that's okay. If you guys want to bring someone else in, I totally get it.

I just wanted to tell you guys to your faces, rather than disappearing or something." Jai finishes.

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	first_son 2011-04-01 03:45 am UTC (link)
	Jon extends a hand. "What you call yourself or called yourself doesn't matter, and never did. But you being comfortable with where you're going... that always has to come first. Its been an honor, my friend, and I hope someday we'll get to serve together again." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

neutral_ground
2011-04-01 03:47 am UTC (link)

Don was silent while Jai said his piece. He was concerned, of course. But he couldn't tell Jai that he wasn't allowed to go reserve. Multiple others had done it for less.

"I understand," Don replied. "Jai, do what you think is best. I'm here to help if you ever need me. I'm sure I can speak for everyone else on that, too."

Although he wouldn't want to. He was just sure that he could.

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dareyoutorun
2011-04-01 03:52 am UTC (link)

Jai shakes Jon's hand. Jon didn't judge people or make them feel awkward; it was usually the opposite.

"Yeah, man. I'm glad to have worked with everyone. I'd rather think of this as a 'see you around' than a good-bye." Jai says.

He nods to Don.

"Thanks, man. I'll keep that in mind." Jai says.

He really couldn't expect anyone else on the team to understand what he was going through or why; he'd heard about how rough the team had things during the Dark Time. Jai doesn't know how he would have handled things, but he hopes he'd have made a good showing of himself.

"Well, I don't want to take up any more of your time, so I should go grab the rest of my things and head on home." Jai says, letting go of Jon's hand and turning to go.

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	first_son 2011-04-01 04:00 am UTC (link)
	"Jai... long before we were super heroes, we were friends. What we do... is about people. That hasn't changed. You're not 'taking up' my time, and I don't want you to ever look at it that way, and if you ever need anything from me or the league, don't hesitate to ask. You've done good work here, and for that, whatever your status, you'll always be one of us." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	neutral_ground 2011-04-01 04:22 am UTC (link)
	"I feel the same as Jon, Jai." He paused, and then held out his hand to Jai as well. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dareyoutorun 2011-04-01 11:42 pm UTC (link)
	Jai stops and turns to look at them both. "Thanks, guys. That really means a lot." he says, shaking Don's hand. "How are you guys doing, after...everything?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	tiny_tornado 2011-04-01 04:21 pm UTC (link)
	When Jai went to pick up the rest of his things, he'd find Traya waiting for him. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	dareyoutorun 2011-04-01 11:43 pm UTC (link)
	Jai walks over to his locker and...freezes in his tracks. He didn't expect to see Traya so soon. And, if he was honest with himself, he hadn't wanted to. "Uh, hi." Jai says, his hands going into his pockets. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	tiny_tornado 2011-04-01 11:52 pm UTC (link)
	Traya had been more than a little concerned that she hadn't seen him sooner. But she hadn't wanted to try and intrude on family time either, so... Well, here she was. "Uh... hi," she managed. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2011-04-02 12:15 am UTC (link)

With every passing second, the only thing Jai can think to do is make a break for it. All he has to do is turn and go, and Traya won't be able to catch him, not in an enclosed space.

"You look great." Jai says aloud.

Despite the fact that I tried to kill you and all. he leaves unsaid.

"I'm leaving the Justice League, Traya. You'll probably hear about it soon enough, but...yeah." he says.

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	tiny_tornado 2011-04-02 12:29 am UTC (link)
	"Thanks," she says, and manages a small smile. It's hard, to put aside the memory of the Black Lantern, taunting her, saying those horrible things, but she thought she had. She knows he wasn't responsible for any of it. "You're leaving? But... why?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2011-04-02 12:46 am UTC (link)

Jai takes a deep breath.

"I've got a lot to do to put my life back together, Traya. I've missed three /months/ of school. I'll be lucky if I can get caught up by the end of the year, even with super-speed. If I can burn the midnight oil, I just /might/ avoid having to do summer school." he says.

He pauses, gearing up for the /other/ thing he has to tell her.

"And if I don't have to go to summer school, then I'll be able to make the Young Journalists Conference in London this summer, along with visiting a few colleges." he says.

"I can't do all of that /and/ be available for the League. I told Jon I'll help out whenever I can, but I don't want to hold the team up." Jai says.

"Oh...and Iris is Kid Flash now. Wouldn't make much sense to have two Kid Flashes, would it?" he asks.

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tiny_tornado
2011-04-02 01:20 am UTC (link)

Well, she has to admit, that makes sense. She'd managed to balance college and League life, but she had to admit, sometimes it was kinda tough. Add in extra missed months...

"London?" she asks. "Good for you." She means it. It's not like distance matters much where super-powers are concerned.

"Sure it would. Plenty of regular Flashes and Green Lanterns and Wildcats and all, aren't there?"

She looked down, took a deep breath. "...what about us?"

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	dareyoutorun 2011-04-02 01:39 am UTC (link)
	And so came the dreaded question, the one he'd been avoiding since he'd returned and the one thing that had dominated his thoughts every waking moment of the day, and some of his sleep ones. What about us? "I...I don't know." Jai says, looking down as well. He really, really wished he could find an answer there. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	tiny_tornado 2011-04-02 01:59 am UTC (link)
	The floor is a really interesting sight, but eventually, Traya manages to pick her head up. "I love you, Jai," she says at last. "And I mourned you. Now... I... I don't know how to think. Even for people like us... you can't really be prepared for someone coming back to life." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2011-04-02 02:11 am UTC (link)

"No, you can't. /Especially/ if you're the one who comes back." Jai says, taking a deep breath.

"When I died, I...I was prepared to die. I knew I wasn't getting out and I honestly couldn't remember if anyone was supposed to come after me. I just knew I couldn't /not/ do something about what was going on." he tells her.

He doesn't really know what to say to her right now, shifting uncomfortably before her.

"I...we shouldn't do this right now. It's a bad idea." Jai says.

What's wrong, Jai? Can't stop seeing Michael's hands all over her?

Jai takes another deep breath and tries to block out that voice. He's not going to listen.

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	tiny_tornado 2011-04-02 02:28 am UTC (link)
	Traya feels tears moisten her cheeks and fall to the ground below. Her first real love. Her first real boyfriend. The one she'd given all she had to give to. When he'd died... she'd felt like her heart had been torn out from her chest. "I... Yeah..." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2011-04-02 02:40 am UTC (link)

He'd never wanted to make Traya cry. He'd never wanted to hurt her and now he was. Jai wants to walk over and put his arms around her, and tell her everything is going to be okay. He wants to tell her how much he loves her, but when he opens his mouth, the words die on his tongue.

If she loved you, she wouldn't have been all over your friend months after you died. Where were the tears then, Jai?

"I gotta go." Jai chokes out.

A rush of air, and Traya is standing alone again.

Left in Jai's wake is a strand of pictures from one of the photo booths at Coney Island from one of their dates last year. In the pictures, they're smiling, kissing and generally being silly with each other for the camera.

The pictures flutter to the ground, landing near Traya's tears.

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	tiny_tornado 2011-04-02 02:57 am UTC (link)
	Traya looks down, seeing the pictures and tries to quiet her sobs. She picks it up, staring at it for a good long moment, before crumpling it in her hand, shaking with both sadness and anger. She lets it fall to the floor again and walks away. (Reply to this)(Parent)

masterofmatter
2011-04-02 05:38 pm UTC (link)

What the hell am I gonna do, Ronnie?

You gotta talk to Jai, if its bugging you this much, kid.

Michael was pacing back and forth, just on the inside of the entrance of the YJLA headquarters. He wanted to go in. He had to find Jai (and Traya)and talk to him. If he didn't, this whole situation was going to knaw at him until something broke. It would have been like Briana all over again...

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	dareyoutorun 2011-04-02 06:28 pm UTC (link)
	Jai is on his way out of HQ when he very nearly runs down Michael. Literally. Jai manages to avoid knocking Michael down, but when he sees who it is, he wishes he'd have just kept running. "Hey, man." Jai asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	masterofmatter 2011-04-02 06:32 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, crap. Michael wasn't expecting this. "Now or never, kid." "Uh, hey, Jai. Good to see you back, man." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dareyoutorun 2011-04-02 06:57 pm UTC (link)
	"Yeah, thanks." Jai says, trying to ignore the voice in his head once again. Wow, look at him. You tell Traya it's over and he's /already/ here sniffing around. "Traya's around, if you want to talk to her." Jai says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

masterofmatter
2011-04-03 03:02 am UTC (link)

"Well that's cool, I guess. Not why I'm here."

"Good going. Don't stop now, Michael."

Michael shifted, the weight of the words he wished to say wallowing in his mind. He wanted to say something about what he was thinking about Traya. How it wasn't right, especially, now that he's back. that the guilt, as well as his feelings, were bugging him to the point of annoyance.

"So...uh...when are you coming back onto the roster. Could use a speedster."

In his mind, Ronnie hand his hand over his face.

"Smooth, kid. Real smooth."

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	dareyoutorun 2011-04-03 04:56 am UTC (link)
	"I don't know. I've got a lot to deal with and something has to give. I also don't have an identity, so to speak." Jai says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	masterofmatter 2011-04-04 11:13 pm UTC (link)
	Damn it, is Jai saying he won't be back in? Great. "Well, I'm sure you could get another one. I mean, there are plenty of synonyms with speed that are available. Velocity or maybe Tempo?" Michaels grasping now. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2011-04-04 11:30 pm UTC (link)

Jai was trying not to be angry at Michael, but something inside him just isn't allowing him to let go what he saw. Yes, he was a zombie killing machine when he saw Traya in Michael's arms, when he saw that there was something more between the two of them than just friendship.

But in some part of Jai's mind, /those/ two people /together/ was one of the worst things he could imagine.

"Why don't we just get to the point, Michael? You have a thing for Traya and she has a thing for you. Don't treat me like I'm stupid and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I /saw/ it." Jai says, trying to keep his anger in check.

"I don't like it, but...you're probably better for her anyway. You two are about the same age, you're both able to talk about things that she and I can't. So, if you want to be with her, that's between the two of you.

But I'm not going to stay here and watch it happen, okay? I don't want any drama. I just want to start putting what's left of my life back together." Jai tells her, shifting uncomfortably.

He's /totally/ going to go bone her after you leave, man. How many times do you think they did it after you died?

Ooh, better question: How many times do you think they did it while you were /alive/?

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masterofmatter
2011-04-04 11:47 pm UTC (link)

Was...was he accusing him of hooking up with Traya when he was dead? Did Jai just imply that Michael had betrayed his trust?

"For fucks sake, Jai, nothing, happened! She was broken up over you, Jai! All that time after and she still was! I was comforting her!"

The fire on Michael head flares.

"If you hadn't attacked us I bet you anything those magic eyes you had would have seen how much love she had for you! But no!"

Michael immediately turns, going out the entrance. Its not fast, but its determined. Michael had been accused by one of his friends that he had betrayed him, tried to hook up with his girl.

"Fuck this mess. I'm out of here. Hope you get your head on straight, Jai."

"Whoa, whoa, kid, don't run so hot! It's not good for the Matrix!"

You heard him! He accused me of getting together with Traya!

"But, don't you like the girl? As in have feelings for her?"

Michael didn't know how to answer that. He just kept walking.

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dareyoutorun
2011-04-05 12:29 am UTC (link)

"Do NOT lie to me, man! I /saw/ it." Jai says.

He'd seen everything. In fact, he couldn't /stop/ seeing it. He couldn't stop seeing what happened after that, either. He'd tricked Traya into letting her guard down and he'd tried to tear her heart out of her chest.

And if you're honest about it, Jai....you /enjoyed/ it. Every second. You enjoyed killing Din and you wanted to kill Iris so bad, you could taste it. Killing Traya the Mega-Slut would have been the icing on the cake, and Michael Can't-Keep-His-Pants zipped, too.

"Just...SHUT UP!" Jai screams, before blazing past Michael on the way to anywhere but here.

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	maidofmight 2011-04-06 01:45 am UTC (link)
	-(END)- (Reply to this)

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