[RL w/Jacky; Don't worry, big brother's here.]

[shovel_sick]

To say Shuraiya was angry was an understatement; it took every fiber of his being to not call out Kratos on the community and outright destroy him for treating Jacky so cruelly -- the boy didn't know or care the extent of it nor whether or not his sister was at fault, but the fact of the matter was that he left her.

He fucking left her. Any

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[xx_bloody_jack]

The night before was barely accessible to Jacky. How much had she drunk at the Pig and Whistle? She had wanted to comfort the Doctor but she also wanted to chase away the demons that haunted her own mind. Memories of lost friends suddenly brought to the surface, the pain of being unable to help Yuan, and the fear that she had caused too much trouble for Kratos. It was ironic... she had drank to relax, and that had been what chased him away.

God, she had really screwed up.

Jacky lay curled up on the bed, flowers resting in front of her as she stared at them. It was the only thing keeping her from losing it all over. She didn't want to break down in front of Shuraiya. He had already heard more than she wished he had. She should have controlled herself better... but... Kratos...

The pounding at the door caused Jacky to jump slightly. Hearing Shuraiya's voice, she quickly uncurled herself from the bed and went to let him in. She still looked as broken as she felt, but she tried to smile for his sake. "Thank you, Shuraiya," She said

[shovel_sick]

"You look like hell," He shook his head, her sad smile doing nothing to assuage the anger and concern he felt for her. Ducking to avoid the doorjamb, Shuraiya stepped inside and roughly pulled her into a tight embrace, propping his chin atop her head, both arms 'round her small shoulders.

[xx_bloody_jack]

It sort of surprised Jacky when Shuraiya suddenly pulled her close to him, but she wasn't upset by it. It was so comforting to have someone there with her now. Especially Shuraiya, who was more like a brother now than anyone else in her life, even other members of her Brotherhood. And she loved her brother so much.

Without hesitation, Jacky wrapped her arms tightly around Shuraiya and buried her face in his chest, taking in as much comfort as she could. She bit back her tears as well, afraid that if she started crying again she wouldn't be able to stop.

[shovel_sick]

Shuraiya was shocked at himself for so readily embracing her, but memories of his childhood when Adelle was hurt or upset bubbled up inside, reminding him of how he used to comfort her like this. True, a broken bauble or scraped knee was nothing like the pain Jacky was going through now, but the inherent need to protect was the same.

He remained there a long time, saying nothing -- he didn't have the right words, only could hold the sister he'd grown to love until she decided to pull away. Gently, he stroked her hair as he once had done for Adelle, threading calloused fingers through the blonde waves -- it had been so, so long since he had been able to let himself be this tender, to anyone.