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Rin had no personal investment in Hyuga's and Akatsuki's training, so she didn't hesitate to interrupt it by running to announce that Jabi had received word. Tsubasa excused himself with instructions for Rin to stay there until he returned. Ignoring her calling to him, he went to find out what news had been sent.

Rin was almost old enough that she would soon be receiving summons of her own but, as she had just demonstrated, five years of training had not broken her habit of rushing in without a moment's thought. This was something that he felt was at least partially Jabi's fault. He considered students a reflection on the master; his own apprentices, despite their failings, were disciplined, obedient and eager. If anything Rin seemed to have become more and more stubborn, and so any absence of her mentor might at least give him another chance to get through to Rin. He didn't waste words as he reached Jabi, "What is it?"

...Rin. A tiny sigh escaped her mouth before Jabi turned to face Tsubasa. Perhaps she ought to have taught Rin to at least be discreet when it was necessary, but a part of Jabi had always scoffed at the thought. All lessons outside of training as a Makai Priestess should be under Tsubasa's care as Rin's older brother; manners being one of them. It's not as if she's claiming all right to the child, after all.

"News does travel fast, doesn't it?" she said easily, a hint of a mocking smile on her face. She waved her hand, as if to dismiss that thought. "It's Kouga. He's requesting for my aid."

Tsubasa decided, a fraction later than he would have liked, to ignore this little slight to his authority over his sister, "give him my regards. I'll let Rin know." As far as he was concerned, Rin's formal training was over and she would now learn by herself or with his own apprentices. No amount of instruction made a Makai Priestess if she couldn't stand alone and on that score he wasn't as confident for her as he would have liked to be. She needed to be able to replace a fallen Knight or Priest at any instant.

Here Jabi raised a brow at him, and placed a hand on her hip. "Let Rin know what?" It wasn't often that the Makai Knight was around, actually, and she couldn't help the urge to have the slightest fun at his expense any chance she gets. Five years and that hadn't yet changed.

"I'll tell her you're leaving, of course. She can train by herself from now on." Kouga wouldn't ask for Jabi unless the situation was dire and, even if it weren't, Tsubasa did not see a reason for Jabi to come back. He would deal with Rin's tantrums later.

"Eh? You're certain of that, Tsubasa?" She had entertained the thought that she could take this chance to leave Rin and Kantai behind, perhaps set a new path for herself. Rin was an exceptional student, and had learned more than what she should for a priestess-in-training; Jabi's job as her mentor was basically done. However, Tsubasa's attitude now all but made her think twice about this.

The more he insisted that she leave, the more she actually considered coming back. "And here I thought you knew about Priestess Garai's request to have me stay and train Rin for longer."

"No one told me anything." He wouldn't put it past Jabi to say such a thing even if Garai hadn't given that instruction but, he had to admit, he was certain that if he raised the question with Garai she would say Jabi was to stay. He didn't need another reprimand, "I think Rin needs to spend some time away from you. She can't expect you or me to be around for her forever." He wasn't referring to, nor was he prepared to think about, any circumstances of his own.

Edited 2012-09-27 15:01 (UTC)

True, the elder priestess hadn't said anything of the sort, but it wasn't as if she was itching for Jabi to leave them the way Tsubasa seemed to.

Here she crossed her arms in front of her. Outwardly her expression hardly changed; she seemed unfazed by his words, but her thoughts were tumbled. Rin needs to spend some time away from you. What a curious thing to say. "You may not realize this, but Rin doesn't expect any of us to stay around forever just for her sake. You of all people know that that's why the young and the inexperienced undergo training." She took one step closer, and in a nonchalant voice, added, "Besides, it's not as if you have been around her lately, have you?"

"I'm there as her brother. As a Makai Priestess she's on her own." Tsubasa took a moment to compose himself to keep from raising his voice, "I won't deny that she's a gifted student, and you were a competent teacher. But the Makai Knights are under threat. She could be called upon any day now."

He couldn't pretend to himself that he wasn't affected by the suggestion of him neglecting Rin. He would not want to die with her thinking that he didn't care; but his personal concerns were secondary to his perception of duty. Tsubasa wasn't prepared to back down either physically or in his argument, so he didn't move away as Jabi came closer.

Competent. Jabi wanted to laugh. From him the word sounded more like an insult rather than a compliment.

But she restrained herself, knowing that what he said was true. Despite her age Rin was talented enough that she could be called tonight and she would do what was asked of her without failure. Jabi was not one to be proclaim her skills as a mentor, but she was proud of how much Rin had progressed under her care.

"What do you know? About this threat." The fates of the Knights and the Priests were irrevocably intertwined, after all. And she couldn't leave so easily if her help was urgently needed here.

Edited 2012-09-27 15:46 (UTC)

"No more than you know. That a curse exists and only Makai Knights have been affected. If anything has happened to those near us, they are keeping their silence." That was also true of himself, so he didn't consider himself to be lying, "it shouldn't be a reason for you to stay here. Isn't it why Kouga sent for you?" He wasn't honestly asking for details. Kouga didn't freely give them and, if he was summoning Jabi, must need her more than anyone did at Kantai.

Edited 2012-09-27 16:18 (UTC)

She wasn't at all obligated to answer him any more than he was obligated to answer her, yet Jabi felt charitable enough to reply, "No. Kouga's summon said nothing about the curse." Jabi paused, wondering if she should even divulge this much, then went with the affirmative. "It seems that Zaruba isn't well." And apparently, even Kouga's new Makai Priest partner wasn't enough to heal him.

Jabi felt oddly pleased with that.

Tsubasa was sure there was more to it than this. He had heard of a Makai Priest assigned to Kouga already, so thought that Zaruba was probably a pretext to call in Jabi for something else. It wasn't Tsubasa's business and, either way there was nothing more he could do about the seal upon his chest, "if anything urgent happens of course you'll hear." Telling Rin that Jabi wasn't coming back may not be a good idea, in case one of them spoke to Garai about it; but he didn't intend any more communication with Jabi except as a last resort.

"Of course," she parroted, raising her chin without thought. It was likely, however, that the summon was about Zaruba and Zaruba alone; Kouga wouldn't have any need nor use for pretenses, as far as she knew.

But there was no use speculating about it now, and especially not with Tsubasa as her company. "I'll leave at the break of dawn tomorrow," she told him. The distance between Kaitan and Kouga's mansion was considerable, and she wasn't about to ask any Makai Knight to accompany her in using the route only they knew. Jabi was sure she'd reach her destination on the third day, at the earliest.

"Don't do me any favors by telling Rin about me leaving - you'll only make it sound like I won't be coming back."

"Fine." He would work out later what to do about the question of her coming back, and he didn't intend to let Jabi provoke him into another argument just when she was about to leave, "she won't ask. She has more than enough to concern herself with." He was painfully aware of how Rin would react if she thought that Jabi wasn't coming back, but an absence of a few days or weeks would encourage her to train harder in the hope of impressing Jabi on her return. Even that much was something he considered a distraction from Rin's duties, "A short time away from you is better than nothing."

"...there you go again," she said. Jabi was about to let the matter go the first time he mentioned it, but after repeating it like that, she found out she just couldn't. "What do you mean by that, anyway?"

"She takes it for granted that you're there. While you're away, she will keep asking when you'll come back. She needs to focus on her responsibilities and not on other people." He swallowed as a way of taking a moment to reflect. No matter what he thought of Jabi's disciplinary style, there was no doubt that she had been a very successful teacher. He didn't want to come across as insulting her to her face, "We are grateful for everything you've done for her. But she's a Makai Priestess, not just your student."

A part of her had been prepared to be insulted to her face; this was Tsubasa, after all. The one who accused her of being dead as his way of greeting her when they first met. Thus, Jabi was unprepared for this - a seeming declaration of gratitude from such an unlikely source.

Had it come from someone else, she would have doubted their sincerity - but this was Tsubasa and he was someone who had little time for words, much less empty ones. Jabi raised a brow at him, then shook her head. "Perhaps you need to stop seeing her as the little girl she was, and start seeing her as the Makai Priestess she's become," she said, a tad gentler than the tone she often used on him.

Tsubasa had expected her to boldly remind him that her influence over Rin was stronger than his own, or at worst to suggest again that he wasn't interested in being part of Rin's life. Jabi didn't. Her voice was softer, somehow, and any response he might have formed seemed inadequate now, "A Makai Knight or Priest is always prepared for death. If you or I were to die tonight, could you honestly tell me that Rin would not need anyone?"

He knew at some level why this was. Rin, like Jabi, was able to view someone as a person with their own dreams and feelings outside of being a Makai Knight or Priest, while Tsubasa was not. Dan the Midnight Sun Knight was the beginning and end of himself and no seal on his chest could take that from him.

Edited 2012-09-27 18:13 (UTC)

"Needing others isn't a crime, Tsubasa," she reminded him - though Jabi knew her words would fall on deaf ears. He was set on his ways and so was she. While often preferring to work alongside those who would not slow her down, Jabi was also very willing to work alone - and most of the time she did, which was where Tsubasa's words rang the loudest. "If you and I would die tonight, I'd be lying if I say Rin would be strong enough to bear it outright. But she would. She would go on without us, because she's strong enough to do that." And that, she thought, was something he really needed to see for himself.

Perhaps her being gone from Kantai would be good for Rin, as well as her brother - just so he could witness just how strong his little sister had grown to become.

Edited 2012-09-28 01:37 (UTC)

"It's not necessary. Our world doesn't allow for that level of attachment." He was fairly certain that Jabi's influence was a large part of the reason why Rin had never listened to him when he had tried to lecture her himself, "Hyuga and Akatsuki understand this. They're disciplined. Why is Rin different?" Tsubasa's belief was that students trained faithfully would show equal commitment to the code of the Makai Knights and Priests, no matter who the teacher had been.

"You think Rin isn't disciplined?" Here, Jabi gave in the urge to laugh. She could choose to take that as an insult - the child was under her wing, after all - but ultimately Jabi thought not to. Tsubasa was only being stubborn and close-minded, after all. "You're a fool if you think either of us take our lessons halfheartedly. You can think whatever you want about me - you already do, don't you? - but don't belittle your sister that way."

"I am not belittling Rin. She's stubborn, not disobedient. She refuses to listen to a word I say, can you explain that? She doesn't get it from me or my apprentices." Tsubasa had been prepared to possibly concede that Rin was closer to a full Makai Priestess than he had hoped for; but the accusation of his deliberately undermining Rin had sent him straight back to the defensive.

Jabi's eyes widened, and here she laughed again. "She doesn't? You're certain you don't know where she gets her stubbornness?" How interesting. Perhaps it was true - it was easy to see others' fault but not one's own. It was certainly what was happening now, with Tsubasa blind to his own shortcomings.

"Not from anyone here. I wasn't so thoughtless at her age, and I hope that neither were you." Tsubasa was conscious that he wanted to stop short of outright accusing Jabi of being a negative influence on Rin, "while you are here, she won't pay attention to me. Maybe after you leave I'll stand a chance of getting through to her."

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