Reunion [Jhin and Nightingale]

Xastristan was always busy, forever buzzing with life and technology. Never mind the time of the day. Nighttimes were just as alive as the days. This was so for the whole city, except a few exceptions. Family-friendly areas will close around the dark hours. One of these areas was a lone building lodged between a bakery and a dentist's office, clear white letters saying Nightingale's Library. A plain, simple name for a plain, simple structure.

With a flick of a finger, the bright lights outside turned off. Nightingale sighed. Everyday seemed just like the last, but carrying a tiny, growing life in her belly made a day seem torture. She always wanted to eat potatoes for some reason, and all of a sudden lemons made her turn her nose. That was strange, since Night always loved eating the sour yellow fruit. She was also more irritable, especially when she was hungry and it was near the end of the day. That wasn't something the woman was proud of. She was often meek and shy. Her beloved pet, Pixel, was there too, but now that the sun was gone he no longer wanted to lay near the window. He, like his friend, wanted to return home.

But first, chores.

A long sigh escaped Nightingale's lips as she began to sweep the floors. Suddenly, the door swung open. Night often unlocked her doors when she was cleaning up in case a customer was late and wished to ask a question or return a book. She was always happy to help. These men, however, didn't have novels on their minds. There were three of them, and all of them were menacing. Dark clothes, along with ski masks. Nightingale dropped her broom. Why would they choose to rob a library? Of all places? Did they just see a random place and go like, "yo, that one"?

"Hey. Where's the register?"

His voice was raspy and intimidating. Nightingale stammered, and couldn't help but notice their hands resting on their belts. She didn't know what they were, but it was obvious. Weapons. In case she refused.

"Cat got 'ya throat?" The short one smiled wryly.

Well damn. At least the windows were still alight, so if anyone were to pass and pay attention, they would see. But. . . At the moment, that chance seemed very slim...

Jhin hummed to himself, the guns gently hitting the side of his leg as he, rather casually, continued to walk down the road. The streets were almost deserted, the hour late as the dusk of night would slowly encroach on the space around him. He smiled a half smile behind the newly replaced mask, amusing himself as the it almost was like the darkness that his cloak gave to him. Something he preferred. To hide away where no one could see him. Jhin's head turned slightly, hearing something in an alleyway to his left. A cat, no bigger than his hand crept across the cold pavement, the starving kitten struggling to walk forward. He could tell that it was abandoned. Jhin, heartless as he was, took out one of his gun, doing the right thing with a single gunshot.

Or he was going to, until two voices sounded from a nearby building. Keeping the gun in his hand, he turned back to the road which he walked, a frown pulling on his face. He paused just before the glass started and peered inside. It was still bright inside, illuminating their forms with ease. He almost snorted, the dark appearance that they gave destroying what he had tried so hard to gain. An image of horror.

"Sorry 'bout this." He said gruffly to himself. Screw using the door. His hard shoe connected with the window, his cape covered arm hitting it at the same time. The glass shattered with ease, the noise drawing attention to him from the three people near that poor female. With his thumb, he flicked the barrel of the gun. Thankfully, he already had a few of his killing shots prepared. He raised the second gun, as he stepped in, a fluent and natural movement that would make viewers jealous. In a reign of exactly three bullets, before the others could react too much to his presence, the sound of impacts were released into the air.

Three hits. Two to incapacitate, but the third wasn't so lucky, the shot grazing his chest instead of striking it. The other man retaliated, drawing his gun out and firing. Jhin grunted, the force of the shot tearing through his arm stinging with a pain which he seldom received. This is why I prefer assassinations... He thought gruffly, before flicking the barrel again, swapping the rounds. An explosive round went off as the fired bullet hit their chest.

Like an eagle, Jhin swept forward, taking advantage of the new cover. His elbow slammed into their nose before he cracked another strike on their groin. As they were, rather naturally, recoiling from the strike, he would raise his knee and strike their forehead. The force was enough to send them reeling onto the ground, groaning in pain.

The darkness would last a little longer and he would sigh, nudge the victim with his boot before he raised his head to, approximately, where the female was.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

Nightingale assumed she was close to being done for. There she was-- a baby bird who was alone, trapped by cats. She had never been robbed before. . . Thus, she didn't know what to do. Telekinesis was a thing, but what would that help? Would Night just thump a book harmlessly on a guy's head with the oh-so-mighty power of her mind? She could, but that would only agitate them rather than spook them off or even injure them. Nightingale knew she would get a lesson taught like in the movies where the bullies crack their knuckles and say "you're gonna learn a lesson!". But, this time Night probably won't be harmed. If she gave up.

"N-"

That was when shards of glass went everywhere, flying in all directions. In terror, Nightingale had fell to her knees in her power. . . To duck from the glass, and. . . Although it might not have been such an excellent choice if she newcomer turned out to be hostile, Night also kneeled to hide. However, there was nothing to hide behind. She was vulnerable. Like, as said before, a baby bird.

But the newcomer had let her under his wing. . . However, only for a few moments.

There were loud, deafening gunshots. Three of them. Then a fourth. The first few seconds Nightingale spent covering her face, shaking as if she were in the cold. Thuds were heard as two fell to the floor. It was the last few moments of the skirmish that the meek librarian uncovered her pale yellow eyes. A blur of black, dark as the latest hours, was all she could see of the new guy. He was moving so fluently that she couldn't keep up with his movements. In a blink of an eye, the last robber was on the floor with his companions. Were they dead. . . ?

Nightingale looked up to see her savior, who had just spoken to her. She inhaled sharply, suddenly engulfed with emotions. Fear. Sorrow. . . but also joy. A pinch of anger, but a huge overdose of one thing: love.

"Jhin. . . ?" she said, her voice hoarse. "Is that you. . . ?"

It had to be. That voice. Oh, and his attire! Nightingale blinked once, then again. He was still there. She wasn't dreaming. Rubbing her misty eyes, she staggered to her feet. Now that she was standing, she could see how amazingly tall this guy was. Jhin . . .

Jhin waved away the darkness, cursing the darkness that billowed from the pellet which he had fired to gain himself the cover. He sighed. Typical. Sometimes he wished that he was able to just cast it aside and get rid of it, just so that he could see normally again. He internally sighed. But the voice called out to him, a gentle whisper against the wind.

Instantly, Jhin walked towards her, clearing the darkness to see her form. After stepping forward, he blinked as she recited his name. But how? The man had never laid eyes on her before. A frown deepened behind his mask, a deep frown that conveyed his confusion. "I am Jhin, that is correct."

As she started to tear up, the crystal drops trailing down her soft and rosy cheeks. The younger female was certainly smaller than he was and he partially tilted his head to the side. The head tilting was mainly to hide how awkward he felt, unable to recognize the emotions which were written across her face. He cleared his throat, trying to catch her attention and to allow her a short pause with the tears.

"Are you alright, Miss?" He asked again, not having the answer to his question for the first time. Humming a little, his thumb would spin the barrel of his gun as he threw in an already made sleeping dart before shooting the third one. He groaned quietly, before falling silently.

"The moans were annoying me. Also, sorry about your window." Jhin apologized with ease, before he would look over to the bodies, raising his hand to scratch the back of his cloaks cowl. He still needed to figure out what to do with those kids... "I'll take them in a little later, Miss, if that is what you want."

For a moment Nightingale fell silent. Her brain was wrought in confusion. A pain ached in her chest. Heartbreak. There Jhin was, right there before her. He had been gone for so long, only to return to rescue her and her library (well, minus the broken window) and he didn't know her. She didn't want to pause to ponder if this really was her lost spouse. He had the same black shroud, same ghoulish mask, the same voice, and his eyes were just as crimson as they had always been. It was all too right to be a mere coincidence. It was Jhin. Her Jhin. What are the odds that this was just a random dude in a cloak?

Nightingale rubbed her eyes bitterly once more, sniffling. "Jhinny, I'm okay. . ." she said quietly. When Jhin suddenly fell, her breath was caught in her throat. Surely he was okay?  She was always the one to fret over his injuries, and that habit of hers didn't fade when he was gone. Nightingale was told that Jhin was dead, struck down during a mission. All this time, she had assumed she was the mercenary's widow, fated to be a single mother. However, Jhinny wasn't gone. . . He was never gone in the first place.

We'll talk about this later.

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Night merely nodded. "Sure I- It's all fine. . ." she replied to him. She had stopped tearing up, but she still felt as if there was a gap in her chest. "Are you okay. . ?" She wanted to be sure. Jhin was a tough guy, but he had his weaknesses. And of course, there was still the discussion of, well. . . Everything. They couldn't have a chat when he was in pain. Where had he been all this time? He was claimed to be dead, but he wasn't? Why didn't he return? Was he brainwashed or something? Why was he pronounced deceased in the first place? And, the most important question Night was dying to know the answer to:

Will he stay?

Jhin, for a few moments, had forgotten about the arm which had been damaged via the bullet. The blood had welled up, slowly trickling down his arm. The man would sigh a little behind the mask, the pain flaring from the injury. Slowly, he would nod to her answers, slowly considering her answers to his rather sudden and rough questions. Although he had tried to be relatively kind to her about asking them, he felt a small amount of frustration bubbling up in his chest. This lady seemed to know him, the way that she stuttered. He would lean his back lightly against a nearby pillar, his hand slipping under his cloak. A series of click later and he would remove an armband.

"Damn gunshots..." He muttered angrily under his breathe, examining the damaged piece. He sighed, noticing the amount of blood which was present. Waste not, want not... Taking out an empty vile with his hand, he slipped it under the cloak before returning his attention to her. "Of course I'll be alright. It's just a wound. It'll heal. I've had much worse."

Jhin hid a frown behind his mask, his eyes never leaving her as he worked, although his mask would be positioned in a downwards slant so she wasn't able to tell that he was looking to her. It almost seemed that this girl wanted him to do something for her, but what... He didn't know. He had no incline to do anything more than he had to. After all, he just finished a task and now he was paying for it. Jhin withheld a sigh.

Despite his gruff and rather rugged expressions towards her, he had noticed that a certain look which was dancing across her face. Something of... Regret? Was it regret or something else? Jhin wasn't able to tell, it was an emotion which he never had experienced in the past. Gingerly, he would take away the black vial of blood, swaying it side to side. The crimson liquid almost spilled out the top and he quickly used a cap to close it and he stored the vial before using the robotic arm to hold the skin of his injury together. Although, unless she could hear the slight whirring of the gears, there would be no way for her to tell that his arm was robotic.

The staring was getting unnerving.

"Seriously, why do you keep staring at me? I do not recognize you."

Pale yellow eyes followed Jhin's movements. He acted so. . . nonchalant. Nightingale watched the poor man's every move. Once he leaned on a pillar, she quickly looked away, forgetting that she was staring. However, she couldn't stop gazing at him. She was too shocked, and couldn't believe her eyes. It was a few seconds before she looked back at him. The librarian wasn't sure what he was doing-- she was much too inexperienced in the knowledge of combat and the aftermath of it --but she watched him anyway. The young woman would flinch in shock at his question. He seriously doesn't remember. She wasn't sure what her strongest emotion was. . . All of them were overpowering. It was all just a cluster. For a mere second, Night was angry. I can't believe he doesn't remember. . . After that one thought, she felt guilty for thinking it.

He can't help it. . . Oh, Jhin, I'm so sorry. . .

"Jhin. It's me, Nightingale. Your wife." She slowly took a small step forward. It didn't bring her that much closer to the mercenary; she pitied him, and was afraid of overwhelming him. He didn't remember her, but now she was just like "hey I'm your wife pls notice me!". It must be a lot to take in. What if he didn't believe her?

Suddenly she had an idea.

"One second," Night peeped suddenly, and she would move towards her desk at a steady gallop. She grabbed a slick, black picture frame with haste, and there it was. It was a photo of her and her husband, taken before he left for his mission. She always had it on her desk, along with a copy upstairs for her home. Putting a hand over her belly, the woman returned to Jhin with the frame in hand. This time, she kneeled at his side and handed it to him. "See. . . ?" She tapped on the two people in the photo. "That's me and that's you." Pixel had been hiding underneath a bookcase ever since the glass shattered, and now his snake-like head was poking out. Dark blue eyes blinked in curiosity, but he didn't move any closer. Night couldn't help but wonder if he recognized Jhin as well, either by scent or by sight.

Jhin was rather taken aback by what this miss claimed that he was. Slowly, he would stand again, returning the armpiece to where it was, clicking it in place. "Miss, you're in shock from just being attacked. I can understand you making some rather ridiculous claims, but please, take a seat and just try to relax while I deal with those three." Jhin said easily, trying to get this... Woman to take a step back and have a decent look at him. He was a murderer, an assassin, almost looking like he was a freak.

Plus he had other things that he hid from people - like the fact that he has incredibly pale skin, red eyes and he is freakishly tall. He was an albino! How could someone love something like that? Surely this . . . girl was just being over the top.

However, his words seemed to fall on deaf ears when she left and came back with a picture. Jhin tried to suppress a sigh, her desperate attempts to get him to acknowledge that he was her husband. He almost snorted at that idea. It was simply stupid and outlandish to him! Jhin shook his head, moving away from the crazed girl. "You have me confused with someone else, sorry, Miss. I need to be going." He said rather gruffly, ignoring the image that he had seen in her photo. It was incredibly like him, save one thing.

His arm.

Nightingale was hoping for something like in the movies when there is this epic reveal of a thing completely mindblowing and everyone is freaking out while dramatic music played in the background. However, much to the girl's disappointment, reality was way different than fiction. She was sad. But, at the same time, she was getting frustrated with herself. She knew this was her husband. It was too perfect. It can't be a random dude in dark attire who had the same name, same voice, and. . . well. . . Same everything!

Something suddenly nagged at the back of her mind. . .

"I'm not confused." Nightingale's meek, mellow voice had become firm and determined. She paused as Jhinny moved away from her. What could she do to convince him to believe her? She never argued, but she loved Jhin too much to let him go by allowing him to think that she was crazy. Nightingale had to be stubborn with this. . . "Stay, can't you. . ?" Her yellow gaze quickly flicked to the three unconscious men on the floor. "Or. . ." She released a shuddery sigh, blinking. Dammit, she couldn't get emotional and teary in front of him. "Jhin, c- can't we just talk? A- After you deal with them, o- or. . . Whenever."

Jhin's ears almost stung at the begging nature of this woman. She was stubborn, refusing to acknowledge that he wanted to just deal with the people and be gone from here. The man wouldn't sigh, instead, raising his face to look at the ceiling. The lights which flickered dully caught his attention, the intricate design making him smile. Small, flower-like images were almost ingrained against the glass, their colour pale pinks that were a beautiful compliment to the roof. He blinked a little, realising that he wasn't really paying attention to her. But he could guess her request.

For him to stay.

The request was almost too obvious. Jhin ignored the request, walking over to the bodies of the two men. He quickly knelt down, his arm slugging under his body. With a small grunt, he half threw the body onto his robotic arm. He would then walk over and, testing the limits of the robotic arm, he would throw the next body over his arm. Jhin glanced to the female, "I think that you are confused. After all, I'm sure that the person who you think I am couldn't carry this much weight on one arm." Jhin said coldly, his attitude unforgiving and partially annoyed at the nagging.

At this point in time, he would almost do anything to stop her from pestering him. Jhin sighed, glancing at the third unconscious man. Getting his gun out, his thumb would rotate the barrel as he knelt down. He placed the gun against the man's skin, before pulling the trigger. A sleep dart lodged in the mans neck. "That'll keep him down for a little while." He mumbled quietly, before looking up at her.

"Alright. Look. I'll deal with the bodies and come back for half an hour or so. Then I'm leaving. Deal?" Jhin sternly said, his eyes partially narrowing behind his mask. This was a one time offer and he would not budge. After all, this woman owed him more than he owed her.

Nightingale felt as if her pleas were falling upon deaf ears. She always tried her best to be slow to anger, but. . . Well, her frustration was bubbling up faster than it should be. She was so used to cuddling her husband, and here he was. Acting so tough!! Well, okay, maybe he wasn't just acting. The petite (yet weighty) woman clenched her fist briefly in anger to relieve her stress. She was positive that if Jhinny saw her do so. . . Well. . . He wouldn't be threatened in the slightest. Oh goodness gracious! Pregnant midget! I hope she doesn't, er, bruise me or anything!

Pssh, yeah right.

Altogether, she was just relieved when he agreed to stay for a short time. Nightingale let a wide grin stretch across her face. She would bounce in joy if she could. Despite his arguments, she knew it was her Jhin. She was doubtful for a second when he brought up the topic of his arm. After all, he was strong, but not that strong when Night last saw him. People change. . . I just need faith. . .

"Perfect!" Her smile didn't fall. She managed to persuade him to stay. "I'll be waiting."

~Boop that time skoop~

In the time Jhin was gone, Nightingale managed to sweep up the glass that was shattered to avoid hazard. Pixel was coiled on top of her computer keyboard, gazing down at her with interested blue eyes. It was moments like these the librarian wished her slippery friend could help her with chores. She knew she should be thrilled to have her spouse back-- and she was. But there were many more emotions strangling her conscience: anxiety. This was her chance to persuade Jhin to stay(or at least consider). Next emotion: Fear. What if he was nothing like the man he once was? What if he hated her despite all her efforts? The third sensation: Sadness. She--

Stop concentrating on your feelings, she ordered herself. He should be here soon.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of worries, Nightingale poured two cups of coffee for the two to enjoy and talk over. Of course she wanted Jhin to feel comfortable with her. . . But maybe he will remove his mask to drink the beverage. And then she'll be sure. Or, more sure than she already was. . .

((sorry for crappy post, my writing skills are rusty ;-; )

His suggestion was met with a certain spark in that females eyes. Psh. Right. She was partially delusional with her claims and now she wanted to get to know him better? Did she know how dangerous that randomly knowing strangers could be even if she apparently, somewhere along the lines, managed to meet him? After all, having people around like him wasn't exactly something that she should be fond of. However, she seemed to accept his proposal to some certain extent. A stiff nod of his head and a few minutes later, Jhin had gathered the last few things he needed before he walked out of the library.

It didn't take him long to dump those sorry excuses into the prisons where they had belonged. However, his thoughts were elsewhere, off thinking about other things that were more important to him. Just how did his look-a-like meet this girl? And why was she so insistent that he was that one in the picture? After all, there was something tugging at the back of his mind. That guy shared the same partial scar across his body. But still, how did she manage that image? Perhaps it was thrown together in a pile, perhaps it wasn't. If it wasn't though, then why on earth didn't he remember? After all, Jhin did tend to have a habit of remembering all of the people that he had met. It made no sense for him to have forgotten what people would consider their most prized person in their life.

Jhin shrugged to himself, rather awkwardly, before making his way back to that library.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon returning, the man was rather surprised to actually see that the glass was already cleaned up. A smile touched his face underneath that white mask. She did know how to work quickly, even if she were pregnant. Although the smell of coffee reached his nose, Jhin decided not to act upon the delicious scent that was drawing him closer to it. Even if he really wanted the coffee, there was no way he would be able to just snatch it up so readily. Instead, he walked over to her, gesturing to two of the chairs nearby. If she chose to sit there, Jhin would join her, sitting down on one of the chairs, his masked face looking to her with almost an expectant gaze.

"Well...?" He asked, leaning back in the chair. If she were to offer the beverage, he would decline it with a shake of his head. His face was badly scarred, melted from that girls fire so long ago. The wound was still somewhat fresh and healing, so he didn't want that on display so readily. "Your half an hour has started- but yes, I am actually timing it, even if it doesn't seem like I am..."

Ergh, he just wanted this conversation over with. It was only luck that he even came here to help her out of her dire situation anyway...

Taking a seat with the cloaked man, Nightingale suddenly realized how she had nothing. She really had nothing to prove her facts. Her blood ran cold. How was she supposed to convince this dude that they were actually married and had a daughter? It was obviously true that Jhin wouldn't just change his mind at Nightingale's pleas, so the smolibrarian had to think of some other way.

. . .And she had just wasted a minute panicking. Twenty-nine minutes left now.

"Damn," she muttered under her breath, then rose her yellow eyes to meet Jhin's gaze. He really did forget her. There was no use in denying it. It was time for Night to stop whining over it and start doing something about it. "Okay, okay. . ." As she spun through some things in her head that could possibly jog his memory or at least prove her right, Nightingale said, "Hey. Uh, we can go upstairs. That's where we lived together. Maybe you'll see something familiar."

That was her first move. Nightingale had quite a few in mind. If Jhin agreed to go upstairs, she could pull out their marriage applications and show him their signatures. And if that didn't work. . . She had another idea. It was very extreme and crazy, but if he didn't believe her by the end of the 30 minutes, she would have to suggest it. But let's hope it didn't come to that.

There was one other thing Night wanted to do. . . She wanted to remove his mask. She really just wanted to see her spouse's face again. . . His actual face, not some ghoulish mask.

Impatiently, the man tapped his foot repeatedly on the ground before him, watching from behind his white mask. A frown pulled on his face as he raised an white eyebrow behind the face, red eyes narrowing. The gentle red glow from the mask mimicked the gesture, slightly narrowing as he looked at pregnant lady. The look which he wanted to pull was that of annoyance as she stood there for several long moments. The man had enough time to become incredibly comfortable in the chair as he looked to her, waiting for her to act.

But, it seemed as though fate wasn't going to be on his side this day. Those long moments soon dragged into a minute before she finally decided to get her act together and do something about it. The lady finally decided to request something of him. But, that request would mean that the man would actually have to leave the comfort of the chair that he sat at. However the seat was more like a sofa in that regards, due to the sheer comfort it provided.

True to his word and agreement, Jhin stood from where he originally was sitting, giving a muffled sigh of despair as he stood from the soft cushions. With a nod, he gestured to what seemed to be the staircase which was tucked away behind several bookshelves. "Alright, but I will need you to really lead the way as I don't know my way around this place like you seem to think that I do." Did this female not know that Jhin was a mildly busy and somewhat important in the grand scheme of things? With agitation, the man gracefully flicked the gun from its holster, picking up one of his vials to continue to replenish the supply of ammunition which he had burned through with the defense of the poor girls library earlier.

Admittedly, Jhin didn't exactly know what the girl's plan was, however, he highly doubted that she would have enough evidence to even remotely suggest that he was her partner. After all, what sort of man which got himself caught up in a collapsing tunnel remotely had the chance to have a partner of any sort? It didn't take the man long to replenish his supplies before he spun the gun around his finger and slid it back into the holster. Yes, he had had a lot of practice with that little trick to accomplish it properly.

However, he waited for her to lead him.

Partially impatiently, his foot craving to start tapping in annoyance once more.

The tapping of her husband (or ex-husband)'s foot spooked Nightingale a bit. She recalled that when they first met she was slightly afraid of him, but as their relationship progressed she began to trust him and saw him more as a big, fluffy teddy bear. But that was when they were familiar with each other. Now, this man was different. The librarian was afraid of him all over again, but that didn't stop her from narrowing her eyes at Jhin as he stood to his feet. She could tell that he was annoyed with her (wasn't he from the start?) but that was fine. She felt slightly exasperated as well, but it was more directed towards herself.

Dammit Night, stop being a baby and get on with it.

Sighing, she stood to her feet. Her hands twitched slightly, moving slightly towards the mercenary, like she was about to grab his hand. . . But Night thought better of it and pinched the sides of her dress with her fingers, glancing to her feet before leading to the staircase Jhin had gestured to. "Okay, up here." The woman walked up the stairs slowly, grunting at nearly every step she had to take. The heavy weight of her baby dragged her down, and a task which used to be trivial is now a chore. Not to mention her sore knees and ankles. But, she made it, thank God.

Nightingale unlocked the door and stepped inside her home, sighing in relief. It was a plain-looking place-- rather small, but the neutral colors of tan and white in the interior gave it a cozy feel. The librarian did a good job of keeping the place neat and tidy, folding all of the clothes doing chores. The entrance of the home was the kitchen, which was small and merely consisted of a sink, dishwasher, microwave, fridge, and stove and oven. There was a tiny island used to do the cooking on, but that was it. There was a small doorway that lead to the livingroom, which one could see small boxes and crates scattered around. The woman still didn't know where to put those. Nightingale held the door open for Jhin as she flicked the lightswitch.

"Well, this is the kitchen," she spoke, gesturing with her hand. "Are you hungry? I think I have granola bars. I think." Yeah, she had to go shopping soon. She'd been trying to avoid it. The grocery store was a few miles away from here, and Night hated riding the bus (even when it went all vroom vroom). She had to stand since she was always slow getting there, and who likes standing on the bus?

When Jhin came in, Nightingale would shut the door behind them, locking it tight. She sighed, stretching a little in relief. It felt good to be home. The woman got a lighter from a drawer under the island and proceeded to light a candle.