The Stubborn Ones

He wasn’t sure why, but Jason had figured that his quest encounter less… petty issues. His allotted week traveling with the goddess he trailed had come and gone with no success in persuading her of the wisdom in allowing him to travel with her. His brother monks had informed him that he might encounter such issues, but he had allowed their concerns to fall to the wayside. He knew well enough that she felt that his traveling with her would be a danger to him, that by pushing him away she would save him from a grizzly end or a life of suffering. And for all his patience, the obstinacy was beginning to grate upon his nerves, regardless of the benevolent reasoning behind it. It was almost impressive to him that the small girl-form goddess could match him in stubbornness; at least, it would have been were it not for the annoyance he felt.

Very well, two could play this game.

At the end of his allotted week, Jason had waited on the edge of the forest until his goddess was a respectable distance away before continuing after her. He kept her well within his sight—of course—but he was never far from her to easily render his aide should she need it. He prayed that it wouldn’t even as he realized that an issue requiring his attention arose would hopefully convince her to allow his presence. However, it was an unlikely outcome given that the goddess’s mood was influencing the surround plains, driving away most—if not all—potential threats. Even he could feel the quite the force of her ire blanketing the area like a shroud. Still, he closed the distance when the small goddess began tripping over unseen rocks. Was it strange that he felt a he felt so instinctively paternal to the being that his faith taught him was his mother? Most likely, but it didn’t change the fact that he felt the need to run to her side—an urge that he resisted with great difficulty.

The smile threatening to grow upon his lips all but died when his goddess redirected her focus onto him along with a question and a blast of air magic. He’d not know exactly how to react and the hesitation gave more than enough allowance for the blast to hit him square in the chest. The man stumbled backwards several steps before finally managing to steady himself—a task made far more difficult by the military-style rucksack strapped to his back. A low growl and a narrowing of the eyes were the only signs that he might have been the tiniest bit displeased with his mistreatment.

“Forgive me, my goddess,” Jason began, voice low and words measured. “I haven’t exactly been following you. It only appears that way because we appear to be traveling in the same direction.” He wasn’t normally one for snide remarks, but his growing frustration needed an outlet and sarcasm seemed the best one available to him. He supposed that his goddess would be less than amused; he on the other hand was.

Word Count: 518

OOC: Sassy Jason. ^-^

It amazed Jason that Ari somehow found a way to make herself seem little more than an adorable child. An incredibly powerful and unusual child, but a child none the less. The sentiment would’ve been cause for him to chuckle for a few moments, perhaps crack a smile. This, however, was not a time for chuckling or smiling, and he was less than amused by the absurdity of it all. What made it worse was the fact that he was being lectured as though he were nothing more than a child. After all he’d been through, after all he’d suffer and experienced and overcome, he was being lectured! That it was from his patron goddess and the being that those of his faith would call their mother did nothing to detract from the sting to his pride.

“Yes, you may not be a little girl in anything but appearance, but your manner would suggest otherwise,” Jason said. The frustration that he’d been feeling at having his purpose denied him was beginning to show through now. He knew that the fallen goddess was merely concerned for his well-being, but it changed nothing regarding his own view. She needed someone to protect her from the dangers of the mortal world; his brothers had told him of how often the goddess feel ill and he saw evidence of that upon first meeting her.

His eyes shifted to the twister forming around them before falling back upon his companion, his only other reaction to manipulate the earth beneath his feet to better anchor himself to the ground. “You’ve not gotten your way, so now you lash out like a child throwing a tantrum! Not even my cousins will approach for fear of your wrath! And this little display of yours does nothing but attract attention that neither of us wish to garner! What will you do one of the Huntress’s faithful notice the sudden twister!?” He was forced into a shouting match with the wind and he had no intention of losing to it; not when he had something that needed to be said.

“And did I not tell you upon our first meeting that I have the strength to see this task done?! You are powerful, yes, far more so than I or any of my brothers and sisters could ever hope to be! But you are not invincible! My brothers told me off your many illnesses and how they affect you! What will you do if one of the Wolves finds you in such a state!? How will you defend yourself!?”

Word Count: 429

OOC: Hope this is alright. voice sample

The winds were growing in their ferocity in conjunction with the goddess’s rising temper. Jason grit his teeth against the rising volume and the sudden dip in air pressure. He lifted his hands and the earth leapt to his command, wrapping higher and higher on his legs until a large mound of topsoil buried him up to his knees. He felt his ears pop painfully as he struggled to keep his feet even with the very earth itself cradling him like a lost lover. There came a point where he began to fear that not even his reservoir of personal strength would fail him and he would be lifted skyward.

It was to his relief when Jason noticed that his words—cruel thought they were—were finally beginning to reach his patron. The flames licking at the ends of her hair were extinguished and her simple gesture banished the growing disaster as though it were nothing; perhaps it was for her. Jason dug into both ears with his pinkie fingers in a futile attempt to silence the ringing brought on by the abrupt silence that dominated the area. He used the time that it took to free himself of the earth to listen to what his goddess had to say and—more importantly—to ponder his next few words. The time for disrespect had passed with the violent tornado; now was the time for measure responses.

Jason allowed himself a moment more to breathe deeply through his nose and case his gaze skyward. The sweet scent upon the air helped to calm him further as he closed his eyes and the shower of petals alighted on shoulders and upturned face. Then, the earth magi moved towards his goddess, his mother, and slid to one knee before her.

“Perhaps you do not die as I do,” he began. “And, yes, perhaps you are capable of withstanding that pain when the occasion requires it.” Jason paused to shift a few rogue strands of hair from Ari’s face before allowing his hand to come to a rest on her shoulder. “But the fact remains that I have set myself upon this path and I will not turn away. In the face of seeing you to safety, my sacrifice is nothing. And if my life is to come to an end, then I will make it such an end as to be worthy of the love you have filled me with all my life.

“You may not need any protection that I can offer, but I will still give you my strength because I feel that I may be able to give you something you desperately need.” Jason wrapped his arms around Ari and drew her into an affectionate hug. “I may be able to give you hope.”

Word Count: 464

OOC: ya scribbles here voice sample