Jyn took a calm, asured sip from his drink as he stared blankly at the empty fire pit. Not wanting a repeat of his previous drinking fiasco, he was limiting himself to the single drink he’d been nursing for the better part of an hour. Ava sat next to him, keeping him company while also monitoring him at Kell’s behest. Jyn was fully aware of the fact but didn’t mind. He was just glad for the company.
Since the Tribunal’s official victory announcent, Jyn found himself with nothing to do. There was no place for him with the military, not now that the war was over. All that was left for him were bitter mories and permanent trauma. Society would rebuild, but Jyn didn’t know what that would look like, nor how he could contribute. After all, he was nothing more than a broken man living in a broken world.
Nobody needed soone like him.
A heavy sigh loosed from his lips without him even realizing. Ava looked towards him, eyeing him carefully. “You’ll find your answer eventually,” she said cryptically. After stopping Jyn from ending his life, she’d felt oddly responsible for the man’s wellbeing. It was a strange feeling she didn’t quite understand, but she knew she would with ti.
“You don’t even know what I’m thinking about,” Jyn scoffed.
“It doesn’t matter,” Ava replied. “Whatever it is that’s bothering you, you’ll make your peace with it when the ti is right.”
“I’d rather the right ti be now instead of later,” Jyn said with another sigh. He took another swig of his drink. “I feel like all I can do is wait for sothing to happen.”
“And what would that be?” Ava asked.
“I don’t know,” Jyn said with a shrug. “And that’s the problem. I’m expecting sothing to magically solve my problems for when I’m the one that has to do so myself. Except I don’t know how to go about that. So, I’m stuck.”
“I don’t think being stuck is a bad thing,” Ava said. “Life has finally gifted you the ti you need to heal. Take it. Not everybody has that chance.” When her code had glitched, only Irric had truly been there for her, and even then it was in a professional capacity rather than out of true concern. Ava considered Jyn lucky to be able to heal during tis of peace instead of during the war.
“You’re right,” Jyn said eventually. A small breeze swept through the clearing, bringing with it scents of grass and the forest that surrounded them. Jyn closed his eyes and took a mont to take it all in, enjoying the feeling of simply being. “It’s been a few weeks since they announced the end of the war,” he continued eventually. “You said things would change but nothing truly has.” His tone wasn’t accusatory, for he wasn’t mad Ava that her prediction hadn’t co true. Rather, it was detached and clinical, rely stating the fact that he was exactly where he’d been weeks ago.
“Your people suffered the bloodiest conflict they’ve ever known,” Ava said. “Infrastructure was destroyed, supply lines decimated, and bodies still rot in the streets. Right now, your Tribunal is focused on cleaning up and holding society together. I don’t envy them their monuntal task. It’s going to take ti for a new normal to establish itself.”
“How long will that take?” Jyn asked, frustrated. He knew she was right. That didn’t an he had to like it, however. “I’m stuck here in the middle of nowhere, while others are out there helping. I feel useless. There has to be more to healing than sitting around wasting away.”
The last few weeks had been a frustrating test of his patience. The team had been ordered to remain at the safe house, aning he had no choice but to stay put, away from where he might be able to contribute.
“How would you help?” Ava asked pointedly.
The question caught Jyn off-guard. “What do you an?” he asked.
“Exactly what I asked,” Ava replied. “You talk about these grand plans of helping rebuild society. So, what would you actually do to contribute? You’re not an engineer, ready to design infrastructure nor are you a tradesperson ready to build said designs. Your logistics are currently being handled by the military, of which you are no longer a part of, and you have no other skills apart from killing things, of which there’s nothing left to kill. So,” Ava said bluntly, “what would you do?”
“I’d help out the best I can,” Jyn stamred. He hadn’t actually thought about what he would do exactly. Ava’s question had co so suddenly that he had no idea how to react. “Surely, there must be sothing I can do,” he said. “Maybe I could help clean?” he proposed. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to be reminded of the toll the war had taken on his people so soon.
Ava noticed. “Do you feel ready for that?” she asked pointedly. Jyn couldn’t answer the question, his silence damning evidence for what Ava already knew to be true. “Face it,” she said, “the best thing you can do is heal.”
“I hate feeling like so fragile doll made of glass,” Jyn said bitterly. “Everybody treats differently since you told them what happened that night. They walk on eggshells around whenever they speak or so much as breathe in my general direction.”
“That’s because you are fragile,” Ava said gently. “It’s not a bad thing.” When Jyn was about to protest, Ava raised a hand to stop him. “You’re concerned about everyone treating you differently than before. That’s normal. You’re growing into a new person, changing every day. Your song showed everybody that the old you was dead and that a new person would erge. One who would be fundantally different than before. They’re hesitant around you because they don’t know who you are yet. Not because you’re weak and need to be coddled.” She wisely left out that the group was still concerned over his ntal health.
Jyn mulled over Ava’s thoughts on the matter. “I don’t even know who I am anymore, so how could they?” he said as he had his epiphany. “I’m so focused on the person that died during that mission that I’ve lost sight of who I want to beco.”
“What does that version of yourself look like?” Ava asked.
“A person who isn’t all the things I hated about myself before,” Jyn said. He sighed again. “I guess I’m afraid I’ll fall back into the sa patterns and make the sa mistakes. If I do that, then everything I’m working towards will be for nothing.”
Ava smiled. “I don’t think you have to worry about that happening,” she said. “You’re already aware of those flaws and the impact they had on your friends. That already makes you far more empathetic and self-aware than the old you ever was.”
“I’m still not where I want to be yet,” Jyn huffed.
“I can’t change the way you see yourself. That will co with ti,” Ava replied.
An excited squeal from inside montarily distracted both of them from their discussion. They turned their heads towards the windows and saw everybody gathered in the living room, giving Reya and Adrian warm hugs.
“That’s odd,” Jyn said.
“I’m sure we’ll find out about whatever it is that happened soon,” Ava said. Several minutes passed, with both of them peering inside curiously. Rann looked like she was crying, which would have normally been cause for concern if it hadn’t been for the excited scream from Tassie. Not long after, Reya and Adrian made their way towards the back door and ca outside.
The couple held hands as they made their way towards the firepit. They gave off a nervous energy, further confusing Jyn and Ava. Ava scanned them quickly but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary with either of them. The couple stopped right in front of Jyn.
“Is everything alright?” Jyn asked, concern bleeding into his voice. “We heard the scream from inside, but nobody looked like they got hurt.”
Adrian flashed a smile. “Everything’s just fine,” he said. “Reya and I had big news to share with everybody. That’s why they were acting that way.” He felt Reya’s grip tighten and he gave her a gentle squeeze back. “It’s actually why we’re here right now. We wanted to be the ones to tell you ourselves.”
Jyn’s brows furrowed, lined with confusion. “I’m glad everything’s fine. What’s the news?” he asked.
Reya took a deep breath and then spoke. “Adrian and I are pregnant,” she revealed, bracing for the worst.
Jyn froze, his mind racing as he processed the news. He looked between Reya and Adrian for any signs that it was a joke, only to realize that they were entirely serious. His gaze landed on Reya’s stomach and tears welled in his eyes. Wordlessly, he rose from his seat and gave her a gentle, warm hug.
“Congratulations,” Jyn said with a glowing smile as he pulled back. “Both of you are going to make wonderful parents. I can’t wait to et the little one.”
And for the first ti, he truly ant it. It was at that mont that Jyn knew for certain just who he wanted to be. Hope blossod in his chest as he looked towards the future. One where Reya and Adrian would have a new challenge that they would face together. But Jyn wasn’t worried, for he now knew the truth of things.
Together was where Reya and Adrian belonged.
And Jyn couldn’t be happier.
The Genesis Saga End
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