~ Jaden desperately felt all around the panel one more time before giving up. There seemed to be only one thing to do. He said the safeword, "Kennedy", and his field of vision was flooded with white light. After a moment his eyes adjusted to it and he saw someone moving towards him.
"Way to go Jaden. Way to completely back yourself into a corner. If you'd waited in the room for two more minutes, me and Carlyle would have gotten to you and we might have won for once."
Jaden still sat on the floor, shirtless, drenched in sweat, waiting for Andrew to shut up. He was compact and lithe in build, longish hair dark enough brown that it was often mistaken for black, penetrating brown-green eyes rimmed by thick lashes. His features were memorable and on the strong side. Largish nose, full lips, high cheekbones, wide jawline.
Andrew was (in more ways than just physically) comfortably opposite. Tall, skinny, freckled, with red auburn hair, a long nose, and ice gray eyes. He stared down at Jaden for a moment.
"Well aren't you going to say anything?" Jaden raised an eyebrow in response.
"Not until you help me up, that's for damn sure." He held up a hand and Andrew took it and hauled him to his feet. Jaden walked over and retrieved his shirt from where it had landed across the empty white room.
"I don't regret it. I couldn't have known when, or even if, you'd get to me. I had to do something."
"Jaden, that's your problem. That's what's stopping us. You're part of a team now. You have to learn to trust your mates and remember that you don't have to operate alone anymore." Jaden nodded absently.
"Carlyle very angry?" he asked. Andrew shrugged his bony shoulders.
"Eh, no more that usual. Wanna get some lunch?"
Yes, Jaden decided that he did want some lunch. No reason to face up to Carlyle on an empty stomach if it could be avoided. He nodded again and pushed the dagger he'd been holding the entire time into the sheath on the back of his belt.
"Yeah, yeah actually I do." As they made for the door Andrew shot him the look that, without fail, foreshadowed a joke.
"Nothing like clockwork precision teamwork to give you an appetite, ey Jaden?" Jaden's mouth turned up in an awkward kind of grin.
"Well if that's the case, then I'm starving!" ~
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