Power over me

It was a little over three weeks since she had broken it off with Ace, and even though it had been her decision, it hadn’t been easy. The first night she had come home, she could see there was nothing left of him in the space; she had cried. It had been like all air had been sucked out of her lungs, and she could hardly breathe. Sitting in the shower just letting the water wash away her unhappiness at least each day became a little easier, and she knew it had been the right decision. Sometimes loving someone was knowing when you had to let go and move on, and she knew that he would find someone to open his heart again to; maybe he had already found her, but he hadn’t been able to before meeting her, who knew.
Then there was her new job, which kept her occupied enough to keep her mind drifting.

It was around midday, the clock had called to recess, and she was yelling at some kids running out of the classroom but with a smile on her lips as she packed her things together and started walking towards the teacher's lounge. Then she heard people yelling and cheering, something about a fight. She quickly pushed her way through as she saw a young blond girl, more or less kicking the shit out of three boys. Now, if it weren’t for the fact that she needed to be a responsible adult who shouldn’t condone violence, she would have been cheering on the girl. “That’s enough! Cut it out!” she yelled with a steadfast voice that made the entire crowd shut up, and some even started to run off to not get in trouble. “You four! You are coming with me!” one of the guys was rolling around on the ground complaining about a broken nose; Selene came running and let out a soft sigh “what happened?” Hope looked toward Jasmine, knowing she might have most of the answers. “Take Mister Collins to the infirmary and get Asa to look at him” Selene nodded. “Now, the rest of you that can walk and talk, you’re all coming with me” she nodded and then ushered them to walk in front of her to the headmistress's office, where she got them to sit down. “All right, Jasmine would you like to explain why you felt the need to beat them up?” she asked with a lifted brow. One of the guys started to talk “, Shut it, I didn’t ask you; I asked Jasmine” then her eyes turned back to the blond girl that looked so much like her father that it almost hurt her physically.  

ATTIRE | Outfit
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Jasmine had tried to hold herself out of any violent activities, she had even gotten her father to cut a deal with the police that otherwise had made her feel like she had a sword hanging over her head waiting to drop. And things had been good, then things had been less good, not because she didn't like staying at her father's and Sariel's, but lately the tension had just been like a heavy blanket that affected all of them. So, she had mostly stayed in her room or went out on some walks with Katelyn and the dogs. Now, it all seemed fine, right? She was just minding herself not letting the anxiety of it all affect her school life, just minding herself like she always did, and then someone had talked to her. First she had ignored it. Second time, she had asked what their problem was. Then the things they had said just managed to boil her blood to a point where she had thrown the first punch. Then they had thrown the next, and before she had thought more to it, it had just been a rush of survival. Plain and simple, survival had been the only set her mind had managed to put itself in. And the tiger had been so close to just jump forward and defend her, if it hadn't been for the voice calling them to stop. She stopped, which only made one of the guys try to throw the last punch, which her massive good instincts gave her a chance to avoid.

Jasmine didn't speak, she didn't say a word, mostly because she believed no one would believe her anyways. It was always like that. It was how she had ended up in all the others situations over the years. Sadly, no one had ever really taking her side. So, Jasmine just sat down and waited her judgment, looking down at her knees and slightly red knuckles from, still able to taste the blood on her lip from the first punch she hadn't avoided. The rest she more or less had been able to avoid, thanking the training she and her father had done as well. Keeping her mind in shape while putting the focus on her abilities rather than just how you usually learned different fighting techniques. Jasmine looked up when her name was spoken, looking more like a deer caught in traffic lights. About to try to say at least something, she was interrupted by one of the guys who tried to complain. But where Jasmine was used to people just letting the guys to the talk and believe them, Hope told them to shut it. Jasmine's lips parted a bit, trying to form the words. "They were harassing me, even though I tried to avoid them, they kept going. And I realize I did throw the first punch - and I also know it was wrong, but they kept going. If I had done nothing, it would be me who was sent to the infirmary, that doesn't seem fair either," Jasmine responded and folded her lips a little bit. Because she did realize on the matter that her throwing the first punch had started the actual fight.

Hope nodded thoughtfully when Jasmine explained what had happened; now, it sounded very much like what she had heard about these particular boys.
“Okay,” she said, then looked towards the two remaining boys that looked stunned that Hope actually believed her, almost speaking in a synergy that they hadn’t done anything. “Yeah, no, I don’t believe you two, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this story, and frankly, Jasmine doesn’t have a track record of running around punching people that don’t deserve it,” Hope said with an unamused expression, Juniper came out her office and looked at the four people standing waiting for her. "What is going on?” she said with a soft voice, her eyes directed themselves to the bruises all children were showing. Hope turned to her mother, “a fight I broke up; should we take it between the two of us?” Juniper nodded and stepped aside so Hope could come inside and then closed the door, only leaving the receptionist or secretary sitting with her computer, keeping watch that nothing was going to happen.

It took around fifteen minutes before Hope came out “all right boys, Miss Aetós is coming to take care of the two of you, and Jasmine, since your person of responsibility isn’t at work today, I’ll be the one calling and talking with your father, nothing serious but we have to go through the formalities, you are all getting a detention, but we take the details between the two of us, okay Jasmine?” Hope said with a soft smile and then turned a stinky eye to the boys, who again complained; it was all it took before they turned silent. Then Hope guided Jasmine to her office. “Do you want something for your lip? I have some ice in my fridge” she asked, walking over and taking out a water bottle and handing it to Jasmine first, waiting for her to answer if she wanted some ice or not.

If the matter hadn't been this serious, Jasmine would have smiled to the fact that there wasn't any arguments that turned against her or around to give her full responsibility for the situation. Just sitting and waiting for Juniper and Hope to come back in, she got eye contact with one of the guys who just looked her dead in the eye, making her just look down once again and take a deeper breath in. Then Juniper and Hope reentered the room, making her look up again. I’ll be the one calling and talking with your father, she froze for the second, even if Hope said it wasn't serious. Jasmine didn't like the fact that her father knew she had been in a fight, more so she hoped that the boys parents weren't going to show up at the same time as hers, because she knew her father would make a scene. Jasmine wasn't blind to the fact that Hope knew her father, because well, she had around now learned a whole lot about the entire crazy family history. "Okay," she breathed out and licked her lips a little bit. Then she got up from her seat to follow Hope to her office, and once again sat herself down.

"No, its okay - its not that bad," Jasmine replied with a smaller smile and then took the water and opened the bottle to take a smaller sip. "I'm just happy I didn't trigger a transformation, hell that would have been embarrassing," she mumbled to herself and licked the remaining water of her lower lip while putting the lid back on the bottle. Now just waiting for Hope to call her father.

Hope couldn’t resist laughing. “Nah, I think that might have put the fear in those boys; between you and me, it was about time someone taught you a lesson, but since you were the one to throw the first punch, my hands are tied,” she said with half-smile before she sat down and picked up the phone and started dialling the number for Jamie.
She had forgotten that she hadn’t seen him since she had revealed to him that she was alive, well at least she had done that before having to call him now, or it would have been an entirely different awkward.
She let out a steady breath, trying to calm herself, knowing that Jasmine would pick up on the fact that she was a little uncomfortable with how her heart rate increased. But there wasn’t really an out here, so she leaned back and turned a little in her chair, letting her fingers glide through her hair, and for a moment, she wondered if she should kick off her high heels. “Hi Jamie”, she breathed “, It’s Hope” she licked her lips and looked toward Jasmine; now, this was harder than she had thought it would be. “I’m sitting here with Jasmine, sadly, she was in a fight, nothing too serious, but I need you to come in. Do you have time?” she asked.

Lesson or not, she found it utterly sad that boys still needed to be taught lessons. Sadly still many lived with the entire: boys will be boys mindset. So, she just listened to Hope how she spoke when speaking her father's name. How her entire voice seemed to somewhat change when speaking to him, indicating that there was something there - just not sure what it was.

Jamie had his day off, just sitting with Sterling and Frederik drinking a cup of coffee, talking about life and all when his phone rang. He pressed his brows a bit together, before lifting the phone and seeing who called him. For a second he just starred at the phone, then excusing himself and got up form his seat. "Hope," he breathed out and scratched the back of his head. Before he got to actually ask what it was about Hope was one step ahead of him, and said she was sitting with Jasmine. He pressed his brows when the fight was mentioned, "did she win?" Was his first question even if he sort of regretted actually saying it, well now he had asked. "I will be there, just need to sent the boys home. Sterling and Frederik are here," he took a deeper breath in and then hung up once he could. Jamie then went back to the living room and told the guys about what had happened, then getting out in his car to drive to the academy.

It wasn't a long drive to the academy, and it took even less time for Jamie to track the whereabouts even if he could have asked for directions - which Jamie never did, so why start now?

Hope had to fold her lips together so as not to start laughing because this was hardly a laughing manner. “Jamie”, she warned him with a hint of a smile “Good, see you soon,” she said, and then hung up before looking towards Jasmine, not knowing what to do while waiting for Jamie to show up. Then she got an idea and started opening drawers on her desk until she found what she was searching for—a deck of cards.
“Do you know how to play five hundred?” she asked, giving the young shapeshifter a warm smile as she took out the cards and started shuffling. Moving a little closer to the desk, she began to deal out the cards to them and centred the rest in a pile on the desk.
“So if you’re up for it, I’ll just teach you the rules while we play; it always works the best for me”, she said and then started playing with Jasmine, not that they would be finished when Jamie finally arrived. Still, it was better than just sitting and staring, and she had found people usually felt more at ease if they were doing something rather than just sitting.

She looked at the deck of cards Hope pulled out and folded her lips a little bit. "To be fair I'm not that good at playing cards, but I'm willing to give it a go," Jasmine responded. Well, it wasn't like Jasmine knew of cozy days with her mother just watching a movie or do things like playing a game of cards. The only cards she had played was the ones the crews she had been hanging around with had done, which was usually in a shape of something that included money. Starting the play, which was fun, she enjoyed it. A sore loser really and showing quite the temperament whenever she got something wrong, or seemly lost - not as bad as her father, but close enough.

Jamie stopped outside the door able to hear the sound of Jasmine and Hope's laugh, making him chuckle a bit, and he felt the warmth spread from his heart out his entire body. Like the sound just brought him back into harmony and a sense of belonging, and he didn't even knock to go in, the scene folding for his eyes more or less just seemed like stepping home - if you could take out the entire setting of them being in Hope's office. "Hey," he said almost breathlessly looking at Hope, then Jasmine, then back at Hope again.

It was like sitting with their daughter, and it almost made her tear up. But it was quickly replaced with laughter as she poked a little fun in the fact that she didn’t need to get everything at once. But soon enough, she was the one in awe of how quickly the young girl seemed to get into the rules and knew just what to do. So when Jamie finally stepped into the office, Jasmine was leading at this point. Had she maybe tried to let her win a little? Yes, but to be fair, she knew that the girl needed a win or two, and she was more than happy to give it to her.

Hope looked up and gave Jamie a soft smile “hello, we were just making ourselves a little comfortable while waiting”, she explained, putting down her cards. “No peaking”, she pointed towards Jasmine as she got up from the chair. “Do you want some coffee? I was thinking of making myself one from the teacher's lounge, do you want anything from there? Maybe a soda instead of water?” she asked, looking over her shoulder; well, to be fair, it was a way to get Jamie on her own for a few minutes, which was dangerous, she knew, but just a few minutes couldn’t hurt, right?

Time froze for a small moment, not giving him any explanation to what was happening within him right now - but something was stirring making him unsettled in the best possible way. “Coffee would be nice, we’ll be back,” he gave Jasmine a warm smile, knowing Hope wouldn’t have let him leave Jasmine if she had any serious injuries besides, she looked better than the few vampires he had walked by out front. Then he followed Hope out of her office and gently closed the door after them, walking towards the lounge as if he knew where he was headed. Jack stopped for a second giving his brother a small nod, then not really interrupting but just turned around. Jamie grabbed Hope’a wrist before they entered the lounge and walked a bit aside. Every part of him knew he should ask about what had happened with Jasmine, yet standing here it was just like every single word left his mind. Leaving him to just look into her eyes and slowly exhale while feeling his heart beat speeding up.

She looked towards Jack and then Jamie; blinking a little, she understood that something was going on, but she didn’t get a chance before Jack was gone again. Just about to open the door, a warm hand folded around her wrist, pulling her aside. Her eyes blinked as if she was caught like a deer in the headlights feeling how her pulse started racing. Just like him, she was stunned for a moment before she looked down, clearing her throat. “Ehm, some of the boys harassed her, so she fought back, but since she, ehm, because she threw the first punch, we have to give her detention, but I’ll make sure that the boys are, you know, punished as well if not harder” she whispered looking up knowing she was stumbling over her words but had no idea what else to do right now. Why was it so hard, so, very hard?
Swallowing, she tried to rebound herself. “I broke it off with the guy I was seeing”, she whispered, not even knowing why she was saying it, what it would do other than make things even harder. “But you, you are still with Sariel, right, so, I mean, we should” had she moved closer? She had. Shit.

He listened to her, he did listen to what had happened, he also listened to the fact that Hope said that had it handled. Which if anything he knew she had if that was what she told him, he had always trusted her word - that hadn't changed. Then she said something else, and it changed his entire expression making him hold his breath. So, she had broken if off with that other guy, he caught himself in the thought the other guy, as if that guy was the only who had been standing in their way. "You did?" He managed to whisper back. It felt like his heart dropped a bit, and he had no idea if it would land safely or crush into pieces on the ground beneath it. "I am," he replied truthfully, because he was. Him and Sariel had taken a turn to their whole other level of complication. Both too stubborn to admit that perhaps things had changed, people they both had met again had changed what used to be between them. They knew this. Both of them knew this, and perhaps the only thing that kept them from not talking about it was Jasmine, knowing this wasn't what they had promised her. "But I love you," his finger rested underneath her chin, lifting it a bit in such a soft and shift movement, that Jamie barely could stop himself. It was true, he loved her. He hadn't stopped loving her. "It's not fair," Jamie whispered again, it wasn't fair for them to suddenly be pulled back together, but he would never want to do anything that wasn't fair towards Sariel either.

She nodded, giving him a sad smile; no matter how much she wanted to be happy for him, she couldn’t deny the part of her that had hoped he had said no. That Sariel wasn’t in the picture any longer and that seeing her had made him decide that he wanted to end things. But that hadn’t been a fair expectation, which was also why she wasn’t upset other than just crushed—crushed by her own idiotic behaviour. She knew this. If she had just stayed alive as McKenna, if she hadn’t left when their children had been killed, then maybe they would still be together. But there was also another part in her mind telling her that they wouldn’t be together any longer if that were so. They would resent each other, which was probably why they were able to fall into their old roles; because of the resentment, the wounds, they weren’t as raw as they had once been.
She swallowed as he let his finger glide underneath her chin and lifted it as he told her that he loved her. Her hand found his, not to pull it away but just resting it there. “I love you too,” she whispered, not making her expression any less sad.
“It isn’t”, she whispered, but then she took a step back and moved his hand gently. “But we can't change what has happened, and just because we can’t be together doesn’t mean we have to stop loving each other”, she tried, but her words just sounded hollow because it was still an unfair situation to be in. “You still want the coffee?” she asked softly, trying to change the subject.

He didn't know what he had expected by saying those words, because he knew it wouldn't change reality with a snap of his fingers or the like. Jamie needed to face his emotions head on, which was never the most common thing for him to do - or at least not the heavy ones. Jamie was almost relieved that she took a step back, and with that moving his hand away. He listened to what she said, and with all the things she had said within the past minutes, it didn't take long for his mind to rewind around the fact, that they could be together again - there was a path, where they could end up like that. Which made him realize as well why perhaps Sariel had been so silent, waiting. "Just a quick cup, and then I think I better take her home," Jamie exhaled a little bit. There was things he needed to talk with Sariel about, and he knew it could take forever before one of them opened up the topic, and he hated to be the first - but what else could they do?

Hope nodded with a small smile, one cup and then he better take her home. She agreed. Even though it was hard just to let him go now that he was here, but she also understood it was necessary. “All right, one cup and then you can take her home,” she said with a smile and walked into the lounge, making the cup of coffee.

When they finally walked away, she walked with them to the parking lot, looking at them go, and it was almost as if some cold hand gripped her heart. However, a smile stayed on her lips as she saw them drive away and then turn to walk back to her office, knowing that there was work to do, and right now, she needed the distraction.


Katelyn had learned not to question Sariel at this point, so she was sitting waiting out front for Jamie and Jasmine to come home because she had been asked if she could maybe take Jasmine with her to Nigel’s house and they could do something fun together. Which suited Katelyn just fine as she liked to hang out with her cousin that was around her age; besides, it wasn’t like Katelyn had that many friends when it came down to it, which was why she took great pride in keeping those she had.
As the car parked, she walked toward them with a big smile. Her eyes widened a little when she saw how Jasmine looked, not that she asked. She had, after all, bin a fight before herself. “Hi! I was wondering if you wanted to bake something with me. Mariella is out house hunting, and well, my brother is taking most of the attention from my father and Irina,” she said with a hopeful look.

Sariel was sitting by the dining table and drinking a cup of warm tea, now, she knew this had been a talk long coming, but it didn’t make it easier, not when she loved Jamie the way she did. But she also knew that if they were both going to be happy, this was what needed to happen, and what mattered most to her was that they could be just that instead of sticking together just because it would make it easier for Jasmine when the truth was that this might be harder on the girl than them splitting up.

Jasmine got out of the car around the same time her father did. Jamie gave Katelyn a big smile and a quick hug as a greeting, then letting Katelyn ask Jasmine to join her, to be fair Jasmine seemed to long for something that could distract her mind from what had happened today. "Yeah, that would be fun, what are we making?" She looked shortly towards her father if it was okay, and with a confirmed nod, Jasmine bounced with Katelyn. Happy to have found this side of her family that just had wrapped their arms around her like a warm blanket inviting her into their lives without too many questions.

Jamie took a sharper breath in, then headed inside. He found her scent to the dining room, where she was sitting with her cup of tea. His eyes found hers, and he knew they both knew. Making him take a deeper breath in giving her a soft smile before he sat down next to her. "So, this is it? This is that talk?" Jamie could see it in her eyes, and he knew it too. Not liking the unknown that was waiting, he didn't want Sariel out of his life, because she had after all had such a huge impact of him being where he was right now in both sense of whereabouts but also what state of mind she had helped him grow into. How they both had helped each other become the people they were right now.

“I was actually thinking of doing something grand! Like Victorian sponge cake or something like that, but I might have been shopping for multiple options, so we could look at recipes and see if there is one that we would rather make!” Katelyn said with a bright smile before she took Jasmine’s arm and walked inside the house.
Even though it was clear that Jasmine had a rough childhood, not that it compared to Maya’s, one could never really compare stuff like that; it still had the same vibe as when Maya first started getting to know her birth family. It took time, and you could see the constant worry whenever they did something wrong and were afraid of the consequences. But just like Maya, Katelyn had quickly come to love Jasmine and wouldn’t change it for the world that she had brought her home that day.

Sariel nodded when he sat down and asked if this was the talk. Pushing away from the tea, she turned and took his hand, giving him a small smile. “I think we were exactly what the other needed to become happy, and I’ll always be so grateful that you made me see that there was more than just revenge in my life”, she added, letting her thumb glide over the back of his hand. “But, what you had with Hope, what I have with Azrael”, she breathed and licked her lips. “That is not what we have; even though what we had was lovely, and I would never undo any of it, our time has come to an end, and us trying to stay together just because of a promise will only end up hurting Jasmine, even though we promised a stable family life, she can still have that with you here, and hopefully also with Hope” she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere; I’ll still be around, I’ll still love you”, she whispered, knowing he was afraid she would just walk away and not come back. “I have my family here, so I’m staying”, she said; even though it was tempting just to go back to New Zealand and hide away in a hut, she would find something here that would be able to give the same solitude.  

It wasn't like Jasmine was stupid or the like, she knew that Sariel and Jamie had some things they were trying to figure out. She also knew that things had changed the day Hope had visited. That she knew, because she could feel it and hear it in her father's voice as he had told her the story. And it had made her sad to know she had younger siblings she never would get to meet because they had been killed, a horrible tale of loss really. "Well then, lets get baking," Jasmine laughed a little walking inside.

Jamie held his breath as she took his hand. He knew where it was going, and it was both hurting, but also it in some ways did feel like it was the right thing to do. If she could be happy with that archangel of hers, who was he to stop her or be in her way? And the other way around. If they were just being together for the sake of stopping the other one in being happy, then what was the point. And like she said, they had been just what they needed for each other. Two souls filled with the need and long for revenge that had found peace in each other and grown - nothing was more beautiful than that. "She is a smart girl, sometimes I think she is just waiting for us to figure out if we were ready or not to let go of this," Jamie exhaled a little as she kissed his cheek. "Good, because I can't really imagine what I would do in a life without you in it," he confessed because it was true. Who knew if her and Azrael would travel across the world one day, he just liked the fact that she was sticking around. "How about we cook a big dinner for tonight, and tell Jasmine - and then we take it from there?"

Sariel nodded when Jamie mentioned that they should cook something nice and then tell Jasmine together. “I think that would be best,” she said with a soft smile, giving his hand another gentle squeeze before moving her hand back to herself. “I’ve already talked with Ayah, and I’m going to stay there for a while, at least until I find a place for myself” now, she knew it was happening quickly. Still, she was also a woman. When she finally took a decision, she didn’t dally and wanted things to be done in a certain way; besides, she found it weird to stay in the house after they had decided it wouldn’t be them anymore. Then she needed to get in touch with Azrael, but all of that could wait; now, it was more important to do this right.
“Maybe we should go out grocery shopping while Jasmine is with Katelyn?” she asked, taking a pen and paper and getting up to walk over and see what they had and maybe needed to make a feast. Somehow it almost seemed like a bribe for the news to go down more manageable, but as Jamie had said, Jasmine was a bright girl, and she probably already knew that something would happen. Especially since Hope had come back into Jamie’s life, she had thought she would be mad, maybe hurt? But she wasn’t; she was somehow relieved that things had turned out like this for all of them. And she somehow had a feeling that Hope would also be better at helping Jamie through what had happened with Theo than she could.

Sariel placed the potatoes on the table and looked at the cake she and Katelyn had baked together. It really did look like a feast, a smile was forming on her lips, and despite them having to deliver this news, it was like a pleasant atmosphere had begun in the house, the laughter had been back while she and Jamie had been standing in the kitchen helping each other, and the longer she had been in this realisation that they weren’t going to be in a relationship together, the more she felt like she could breathe again.

Jasmine sat down by the table, looking at all the food, since when had they suddenly decided tonight was going to be a feast day? Oh, now she knew. Jasmine had observed beforehand that people who often had big news or something they needed to share did a big gesture in one or the other way, to soften the blow or empower the excitement of it all. Even so, it was a rather pleasant feeling around them. Jasmine had talked about her theories with Katelyn knowing that at some point the house had ears, and if Irina hadn't overheard them discussing it - others had.

Jamie sat down himself with the last dish, and smiled at both Sariel and Jasmine. Then began to eat, which was a delicious meal. Jamie had insisted that they waited till they at least had gotten some food in their system, his own selfish way of starving and wanting food - but well. So, finally letting his fork down he let his left elbow rest on the table counter, "we have something we need to tell you - which I guess you've already figured out," Jamie started and took a sharper breath in. "Sariel and I, have decided to end or relationship - after long and thoughtful process on the matter," he looked to Sariel to show this was what they had come up with, but also giving Sariel and opening for what she would do from now on. Jasmine blinked a little, not surprised nor shocked, it was what she had imagined - but hearing it still made it very real rather than just a theory playing around in her head.

Sariel nodded when Jamie finally opened up the topic of why they were even doing this. Her eyes then followed the emotions that would happen within Jasmine and gave her a small smile. “I think the best way of looking at it is that this was a very successful relationship that only happened to last this long,” she said, folding her lips for a moment before parting them again “many things are happening, but this doesn’t mean I will leave or that you can’t contact me, I said I was here for you, and I still mean it, for the time being, I will move in with a friend at Grounds of Lily, and then I’ll find something to live in here, I already know you and Katelyn will love it, but we also understand it’s a lot to take in with everything else than been happening, but I think what is most important, is that none of us is angry or upset, it was just a hard decision, and that is why it took us some time to figure out just how to say it to the other and how to do it” she explained, knowing that it was the whole, what happens now that was important. It wasn’t that people suddenly stopped being with each other the way it was before, but the; are we never going to see each other again, is this the end and it will be like you never existed. She didn’t want that, and Jasmine deserved all the emotional support she could get, one way or another.

Jasmine nodded a little bit, if anything she would rather they ended a relationship both being happy about the idea, then the endless times she had seen her mother with her flings arguing and fighting - so this was to her rather successful, still not really sure what to say about it, but she listened however. "I will look forward to come and visit it," she however responded. Feeling like a child where her parents split up, which more or less this was, even if she hadn't known either parts for that long. "I just want the two of you to be happy, no pretending to be something you aren't." Jamie nodded a little bit and licked his lips a bit and then took a sip of his beer.  Jasmine knew it would hit later on, but for now she was okay with it. She could see it was beneficial for them to find something or someone else to perhaps actually bring that sparkle in their eyes that hadn't been for a while now. And seeing them here talking to her, she knew they had made the right choice. No matter how much it somewhat hurt or how confused she was because if it. "You alright?" Jamie asked which had Jasmine nod, giving him a warmer smile. "Yeah, it's just weird, but i'm okay."

Sariel observed and listened to what Jasmine said, both with words and what she said without expressing it in a sentence. Luckily it wasn’t an angry split where she and Jamie would part as two people that would spend the next lifetime using energy with how they disliked the other person. Of course, it was hard, weird even, but it was also the right decision, even if it meant that Jasmine would be affected by it in the end, but there wasn’t really anything that they could do other than make sure she understood it had nothing to do with her.
“I get that,” Sariel said with a soft smile taking her glass of water and taking a sip from it. “I don’t think either of us saw that coming,” she said with a smile and looked toward Jamie, and even though she felt love for him she knew something had changed even with the bond that they shared through her soul. “But that is life, and the only thing you can do is adapt” and that was what they were doing, adapting. Now she just needed to find her own place, and then she would call on Azrael.

Jasmine nodded, of course it hurt somewhere down the line and it wasn't something that surprised her - yet who was she to keep them together if they weren't truly happy? So, she accepted it. After all she had seen how Hope and Jamie had been starring at each other, you couldn't fake that. Jasmine exhaled. Jamie too, feeling like something had lifted from his shoulders. Then finished up eating, and once they had eaten and everything had gotten cleaned up. Jasmine had helped Sariel pack her things, said goodbye - even if she knew it wasn't a permanent goodbye, the young shapeshifter had no idea when she would see Sariel again. But for right now, she hoped it would be soon. She stood in the door next to her father waving goodbye as Ayah picked Sariel up, and watched them drive away together.
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out