Jake wasn't really sure what to expect from this, Eileen's Challenge. Although two years older than the former Ace, he'd never bothered to Challenge in his own Suit; as long as he had his horses and his few good friends, all was right in Jake's world. Not Deck-born, he'd never associated Challenging with status, not the way others seemed to.
But he did understand that a Challenge was definitely a Big Deal, and when Eileen had stammered that hers was coming up, Jake had nodded quietly, then nodded a bit slower when she all but insisted that he didn't have to come if he didn't want. Which meant that she did really want him to come--he'd learned a few nuances of Eileen-Speak over the years.
So he arrived just as the first whistle blew, making him flinch just a bit at the harsh, loud noise. But it didn't take him long to find an unobtrusive, relatively hidden spot from which to watch, feeling a bit of a lump rising in his throat to see his girlfriend so focused on the enemy? in front of her, and noting with more than a bit of trepidation how expertly she handled those knives in her small hands.
Afterwards, when she'd won and others had approached to congratulate or comfort--he wasn't entirely sure--Jake hung back, not really sure what he was supposed to do now. He wanted to say something, to let her know she'd done well or something, but he just couldn't get the image of the look upon her face as she...hunted, that was the only word he had for it, her adversary in the Challenge ring. It was a look he really hoped he'd never see on her face again.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2016-03-22 01:28 am (UTC)But he did understand that a Challenge was definitely a Big Deal, and when Eileen had stammered that hers was coming up, Jake had nodded quietly, then nodded a bit slower when she all but insisted that he didn't have to come if he didn't want. Which meant that she did really want him to come--he'd learned a few nuances of Eileen-Speak over the years.
So he arrived just as the first whistle blew, making him flinch just a bit at the harsh, loud noise. But it didn't take him long to find an unobtrusive, relatively hidden spot from which to watch, feeling a bit of a lump rising in his throat to see his
girlfriend so focused on the enemy? in front of her, and noting with more than a bit of trepidation how expertly she handled those knives in her small hands.Afterwards, when she'd won and others had approached to congratulate or comfort--he wasn't entirely sure--Jake hung back, not really sure what he was supposed to do now. He wanted to say something, to let her know she'd done well or something, but he just couldn't get the image of the look upon her face as she...hunted, that was the only word he had for it, her adversary in the Challenge ring. It was a look he really hoped he'd never see on her face again.
Ever.