Endless Nights [Jin]

[Kyla Monroe]

[Feb 11th, 2523 : Approx 230am]


Kyla was up and about, sleep hadn't come to her when she went to bed hours ago. She'd simply sat there on her bed hoping that it would kick in, well it hadn't. After a couple of hours it was clear it wasn't going to. It happened on occasion to the medic, but she hadn't let on about it to her sister. She had no idea why she couldn't sleep some nights, what was there to say?

So here she sat in the common area, at the bar where she had sat the other day near Jin while he drank. It was her turn though, something else her sister wasn't aware of. This was one of the only occasions she drank though, when there was no hope for sleep.

Kyla downed a third shot of whatever the first bottle she had grabbed was. She hadn't even read the label, not that it mattered too much though she didn't know anything about alcohol. After a few coughs that followed the drink she layed her head onto the bar with her hand still clenching the glass. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked through the bottle of dark liquid, the world behind it distorted.

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Outfit...sorta
[[Sorry it's a little short but I didn't want to put too much to start out with since there's not really a plan involved here, hehe. But let me know if I need to add to it <3]]

[Jin Caron]

Jin looked up at the ceiling, his mind wandering to all ends of his sanity and sometimes even venturing into insanity every now and then. It had been the first time in months that he had actually felt safe, yet he had the hardest time falling asleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, his memories of his service with the Alliance scared him awake. Sitting up in his bed, Jin took in a large gulp of air, calming his nerves ever so slightly. Waving his hands over the sensor switch on the small table next to his bed, Jin turned on his room's lights and spun to hang his legs off the edge of the bed. He let his eyes adjust to the light before standing up, making his way straight to the bathroom to wash his face. As the water hit his face, the cold water made his body shiver and woke him up completely.

After having dried his face, Jin sat down on the floor of his room and closed his eyes, trying meditation to calm himself down. His mind again began to wander again to his past, of the dark things he had dealt with and inflicted. Jin was unsure of what brought back these memories, but ever since he had escaped the Alliance prison ship he had begun to be haunted much more often by his nightmares. Feeling his nightmares returning, Jin opened his eyes and stood up, realizing that he would be lacking any sort of sleep that night. Opening the door quietly outside, Jin stepped onto the cold metal flooring of the ship, only the soft humming of the ship's engine echoing through the hall.

Turning off his room's light and closing the door, Jin walked out of the room and headed towards the common room, hoping to have a drink or two to help him sleep. As he got only a few steps away from the common room's door, Jin heard a soft high and the shifting of glass on a table inside the room. Instinct taking hold, Jin felt for his pistol only to realize that he had left his room unarmed. After his initial reaction faded, he felt foolish for thinking that such a sound could have been someone hostile, or even a person at all. Walking up to the door, Jin put his hand on the door and slid it open slowly, peeking into see whether anyone was inside. As his eyes scanned the room his eyes caught Kyla sitting at the bar dressed in her pajamas.

Forcing back a hot red flushing of his cheeks, Jin swallowed hard and took a step in. Kyla was a person, just as much as he was, probably even more so than him now that he thought of it. Jin had seen his fair share of girls wearing far more revealing clothes than Kyla was, but for something was different. He wasn't sure if it was the constant reminder that the captain of the ship that he was residing in could easily space him in a heartbeat if she even saw him in the same room as Kyla at such a late time, or if it was because he had not seen a girl wearing revealing clothing for a very long time, but Jin found it hard to take a step into the common room the closer he got to her. Finally stopping at the far end of the bar away from Kyla, Jin cleared his throat softly to get her attention without frightening her too much. "I hope you wouldn't mind me joining you?" Jin saw that the bottle that Kyla held was only half empty already, though whether the bottle had been previously open and drunk was unknown to him at that point, but he still knew whether or not she was drunk, Jin would have to make as much effort as possible to keep anything crazy from happening. He promised himself that he would not doing anything that night. As he took a step forward towards Kyla, his dam-like resolve cracked ever so slightly.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla was oblivious to the fact that the door had opened and someone had walked into the room. Not that anything was expected as far as hostile folks went. They were in space, she didn't feel there was any need to worry. Well maybe the medic did have something to fear; her sister. There was no telling how Kara would react to her sister keeping anything from her.

The voice did startle her, enough so that she nearly ended up with a bottle of liquid all over the bar. Once she was sure that the bottle was secure Kyla turned with widened eyes towards the source. Her face softened at the sight of Jin and she smiled. It seemed as though she wasn't alone in being unable to sleep that night, the fact that he was here made her a bit more comfortable. Kyla didn't really like to be alone on nights like this, it was a welcome change.

"Of course not..' Kyla paused a short moment as she glanced back over at the bottle then turned back, her voice a little more nervous now, 'So long as you don't mention this ta my sister.." Her smile became a little more shy and awkward, hoping he wouldn't mind. She pat the stool next to her lightly with her hand, "Come an' sit, I won't bite ya." An attempt to make sure the mood stayed light between them. While Ky waited for him to join her she went ahead and poured some of the dark liquid into the glass she had been using; pushing it closer to where he might sit.

[Jin Caron]

Jin chuckled as he sat down next to Kyla, her smile warming his heart. "Of course I won't tell Kara, I think she would probably shoot me dead for simply saying your name." Jin of course did not believe that fully, but there were doubts in his mind that believed it. Grabbing Kyla's cup, which had been filled up, Jin downed the liquor and placed the shot glass on the table, filling it up for Kyla and sliding it over to her. "We all have our vices, no matter how perfect we may seem."

Standing up, Jin reached around the counter and picked up another shot glass from the shelf under the counter top, checking to make sure the glass was clean and not chipped. Once satisfied with his inspection of the shot glass, Jin poured the liquor into his shot glass and raised it, facing Kyla. "To insomnia." Jin said jokingly as he downed the shot. As he placed down the shot glass, Jin looked over at Kyla and smiled, nudging Kyla on the arm ever so slightly with his elbow. "So how mad would your sister get if she found out that you drink? I couldn't imagine her laying a finger on you, she's so protective." As the words fell out of his mouth, he slowly realized how his question seemed so gloomy and depressing after having said the following statement. Jin just hoped that Kyla would understand that he was simply joking and not bring her mood down because of his stupid joke.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla was relieved to hear that Jin was willing to not tell Kara so easily. She laughed at his comment as he took a seat, "Don't ya worry, she won't really shoot ya Jin. An' if it'll make ya feel better I won't let her." The thought that her sister would shoot someone so easily and for such a unimportant thing worried her a tad. Though she didn't think Kara would actually do it, but part of her had to remember that she didn't know the woman that well. Sure they'd spent the last couple months together, but they were still strangers as much as they were sisters.

Taking hold of the glass that was passed over to her Ky waited for Jin as he grabbed a glass of his own and fill it. She mimicked him in raising her drink with his, laughing lightly as her smile faded only slightly to down the liquor. Like the last drink she had taken it was followed by a few coughs, drinking obviously not a common thing for the woman.

Her face flushed lightly as Jin looked over at her with a smile, he had a nice smile. The question caught her a little off guard, mostly because she didn't know how to answer it really. "I dunno truthfully, I don't see anythin' violent either from her about it...I jus, well like I said I dunno. I guess I haven't gotten ta know her well enough yet ta make a guess." Ky knew he probably didn't intend to bring down the mood, it didn't much. Just a reminder that Kara and her had a ways to go still with their relationship. Of course if the first half of her life wasn't a blank slate it probably wouldn't be such a chore.

Kyla looked over at Jin with a smile then grabbed the bottle to refill both of their glasses. "So, tell me somthin' about yourself. We already got a bit of insomnia in common after all." She shot him a wink as she finished with his glass and moved to fill her own.

[Jin Caron]

Jin chuckled as he waited for Kyla to finish pouring her drink before downing his own simultaneously with her. As he looked over to respond to Kyla's question, Jin realized that the woman was turning the slightest bit red, signifying her body's slow yielding to the alcohol. Putting down his shot glass, Jin decided to slow down on drinking to let Kyla's body process the heavy amount of alcohol and so that he himself could keep his head while talking about himself, lest he accidentally spill secrets he would rather keep a secret. "Well, there's not much to say about me I s'ppose." He was terrible at making small talk. "I come from a small town in Beaumonde, a few hundred clicks from New Dunsmuir. A quaint place, it's very quiet, unlike many of the planets I have visited. Not much happened in that small town, my family owned a farm, our neighbors owned farms, it was a farm town with nothing for miles and miles other than farm folk and farms."

Jin couldn't believe that language he was using. 'Quaint'? He had never used the word before in his life and as he kept building up his lies, the more stupid he sounded. Closing his mouth for a good ten seconds to think, Jin built up a false life for himself and decided he would stick with it. His hiding of his identity was not only for his safety in case this crew was a very well disguised Alliance team, but also for the safety of the crew if they were not Alliance soldiers. If the Alliance knew that the crew knew the person they were searching for, they would destroy every soul in the Rayya to get their answers and to make sure that no secrets were passed down to them. He had spent enough time with the Alliance to know their methods and way of thinking.

With his new story in place, Jin began to speak much more comfortably, "Well, as I was saying, the farms got boring for me really quick, so I took some money I had saved up and began to travel. I had moved around with all different kinds of people, some who were honest workers, some who were not as honest in their work. I learned a variety of skills from these different people as I made and lost friends in my travels. And that's where my life is right now I suppose to put it very shortly." Jin chuckled as he leaned his elbow on the counter and faced Kyla. "So why not tell me something about yourself? What's the story behind your sister and you? Any secrets that could possibly get me killed?" Jin joked on the last notion, not even for a second believing that such an innocent girl could be involved in any deep, violent past that is haunting her, yet he had also encountered much more unusual situations and so the notion that Kyla was not who she said she was did not disappear from his mind fully.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla knew she should slow down on the drinks, mostly because she wasn't alone like normal. Talking with too much alcohol could turn out poorly for her. She told herself mentally that was the last shot for awhile as Jin began his story. It was a bit surprising to her that he grew up on a farm, small town and all.

She nodded at his words every so often, genuinely interested in what he had to say. Though at the same time Ky started to feel some sadness cut through her. Cold and lonesome.

Of course it would be expected for her to share about herself now. She hadn't expected that Jin was going to give her a short back story into his life up until now though. Which made her feel obligated to share her own, but that was impossible.

Still Ky smiled at him, "Well ta be honest I can't tell ya too much about Kara an' me. I really only met 'er a little over a month ago.' She waved her hand lightly, 'Very long story that I haven't even heard all of yet myself. Sorry ta say though my history ain't as pretty as yours I don't think. Some reason or 'nother couldn't tell ya a thing about life before I was about..sixteen."

Kyla looked at him, hoping he could tell she wasn't looking for pitty or anything. Though now she worried she was going to bring down the mood herself this time. She tugged on one of her braids a bit nervously as she continued to talk. "I worked at an inn for a long time though, hearin' lots of stories from all the kinds of folks who came an' went. Made me all kinds of wanting to go out and fly in the skies myself, part of why I got these I guess.' She pointed to her tattoos for emphasis, the small stars that sort of lined around the corners of her eyes and temple. 'I get lotsa weird looks from people though, doesn't bother me any. So far as secrets, well they wouldn't be secrets no more if I told ya would they?" A playful smile and wink were sent in his direction.

There were secrets a-plenty, even ones she didn't know herself yet. She was fairly sure Kara had alot more to tell her when there was time for such things. Unless by some chance her memories returned and then there would be little need for her sister to fill in her history. It hadn't happened yet so Kyla didn't have her hopes up for that scenario playing out.

[Jin Caron]

As Jin listened to Kyla's story, he did feel sorry for Kyla's lack of memory, but also could tell from the look in her eyes that she did not want his pity. Putting a hand on Kyla's shoulder, Jin smiled reassuringly, "I promise to try and see if anyone knows about your past during my travels and I will keep in touch." Jin looked across the counter to the picture that hung on the wall behind the counter, depicting a romanticised artwork of a fictional planet surrounded by stars. "I know how it feels to look for answers to big questions. Sometimes you need some help searching, you know?" Trying to cheer up Kyla, Jin grinned as he poured himself another shot, restraining himself from pouring Kyla a shot to keep her from drinking too much.

Downing the shot, Jin exhaled as he put down the shot glass and coughed from the strong taste of alcohol down his throat. "I don't suppose you're a really big drinker are you?" Jin tease as he rubbed his face with his hands. There were so many questions that Jin wanted to ask Kyla, but he also knew that even if Kyla knew the answers herself, she would feel far too uncomfortable telling a stranger her whole back story, especially if there were secrets. So Jin backed off from the personal questions and decided that he would try and keep the small talk going, even though it was not really his specialty. Yet something about Kyla kept Jin happy to have small talks with her, having spent not only the current night, but the first afternoon on the Rayya simply conversating. Jin sincerely enjoyed Kyla's company and talking to her, and for the first time in years, Jin was able to truly let himself believe that he was safe.

[Kyla Monroe]

Ky was glad that the conversation didn't steer directly into the pity party she wanted to avoid. She had come to terms about her memory long ago, even though deep down she longed to have them back. The hope was kept that perhaps someday they would return, however after meeting Kara and hearing about some of the things that would be included in her past there was part of her that was glad for the lack of memory.

She was touched that Jin assured her that he would keep an eye out for anyone who might know her. There was also a slight somber moment as well, but it shouldn't have been a surprise. He was a passenger on the ship, not a permanent crew member. Kyla would be sad to see him go, the two had been getting to know one another. "So when do ya expect to be leavin' us, any particular planet you're wanting to stop at? Not that I'm tryin' to rush ya away or anythin' of course."

It wasn't lost on her that he didn't pour her another drink, not that she minded. It was a wonder though if he was just trying to keep her from having too much. Jin didn't seem the type to her to just not bother pouring a lady a drink without reason. Ky looked at him and grinned, "Not really no, only on nights I can't get any sleep...usually a few times a month I would guess.' She laughed a bit as she continued, 'I probably do it ta see if I'll jus pass out so I can get some rest ya know. No success yet though."

Kyla crossed her arms on the bar and placed her head on top but still kept herself facing Jin. "How often do ya have problems gettin' any sleep? I could try givin' ya a pill or somethin' if you want to give it a try." It was the least she could offer, being the resident medic and all. Though they hadn't worked for her it was possible that her body was just refusing the effects.

[Jin Caron]

Jin shook his head, declining the sleep medication, knowing from previous experience that sleep medication led to some very horrible nightmares. "I don't think a pill will do too much for me, I'm... Allergic." Picking up the shot glass Jin downed the alcohol, preparing himself to answer Kyla's previous, much heavier question. He had not really thought of when he would leave the Rayya, but he knew he eventually would once he was far enough from the Alliance and had confused them of his whereabouts enough. At the same time, he didn't know what he would do once he did escape the Alliance. He would have to keep running until they either caught him, or he had died. "I hope to be out of your hair as soon as possible. I know I am being a burden on you all being here and with not too much to offer for help." Jin felt that it wouldn't be safe keeping the Rayya crew around him longer than he already had.

"I'll be getting off at the next stop, I'm sure I can find my way around Ariel enough to find a decent job." He knew that Ariel would be one hard planet to hide on from the feds, but he also had escaped Alliance special operatives for a solid year while living in one place. Jin felt certain that he could avoid putting Kyla and the rest of the Rayya in danger while also avoiding it himself. It would require a lot more work on his end, but it would keep the Alliance from following an innocent boat to its death. He looked over at Kyla and felt his heart sink. Even though it had been a few days since he had met the young woman, Jin had delved more of his emotions than he had to anyone else and even told her more than he ever would have, not only to protect his identity, but to keep Kyla from thinking that he was a monster.

Looking down at his ring, Jin chuckled at the memories of Juliet. He began to realize that Juliet would not have wanted him to simply mourn for the rest of his life, but to move on, fight another day and beat the Alliance at their own game. Jin slipped off the ring and put it into his pocket, the cool, recycled air touching his naked ring finger. Juliet began to slowly vanish from his mind, his mourning period finally coming ever so slowly to an end.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla took no offense at his refusal of medicine for sleep, though she suspected that he wasn't actually allergic. Considering the many types of things she could have given him it wasn't likely, but she didn't bother to mention it. Instead listened as he continued to answer her other curiosity. Which was sadly not the response she was hoping. A slight look of confusion crossed over her features as she looked at Jin. "Thas nonsense, you made a deal with Kara to be a passenger on 'ere. Ain't no burden in that on any of us. An' I thought you said you didn't wanna get off on Ariel the other day?"

Part of her wanted to feel a little hurt that he had changed plans about his departure. Ky knew though that she had no place, so she pushed that feeling aside and just left the curiosity.

Sure the Rayya probably wasn't the best place for folks to hang around too long. So long as they avoided the core as much as possible, which brought up the concern that their first stop was Ariel. "There ain't no one tellin' ya that you gotta leave is there?" Still the curiosity remained, the possibility of anger was there now. As far as Kyla knew not anyone on the ship had any reason to want anyone else to leave.

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[[Mind went a little blank there at the end lol, sorry <3 ]]

[Jin Caron]

Jin shook his head as he stood up and stretched his legs. "No one is telling me that I have to leave, I just-" He closed his mouth to think before talking as to keep himself from accidentally spilling anything minute that could hint at ulterior motives. Having spent too much time thinking, Jin realized that Kyla would be suspicious of his reasons nonetheless, so he sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets, looking up at the ceiling. "Ariel will be hard for me to get by, but maybe I need that experience to grow. All my life I've been running around trying to find a nice to place to settle down, maybe my problem was I was too scared to try and actually make a serious attempt to settle down." Jin spoke to Kyla, but he slowly realized that he was also speaking to himself.

"Maybe if I can make a good life there, I can make up for the mistakes I've made in the past..." Jin slowly quieted down as he finished talking, realizing how real his words sounded at this point. Turning to see Kyla's reaction, Jin walked back to the counter, filled up his shot glass with more alcohol and downed the shot. He really wasn't sure what to say to Kyla. He wanted to stay and hope that the Alliance would not find him, he slowly came to realize that he was pretty fond of the Rayya in that they had not tried to shoot him just yet. But he wondered if they really could outrun the Alliance for long..

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla tilted her head to the side when Jin paused mid-sentence. Though she was glad to hear no one was trying to make him leave, there was the feeling that he was trying to make up a reason on the spot. Since she'd asked and everything. She decided not to say anything else at the moment but to let him finish.

"Well, a place like Ariel, it can be hard I s'pose to get along there. I tend to think so about most of the core though..' Her words trailed off carefully before she continued to speak poorly of the Alliance. She couldn't be sure of course about his loyalties and she couldn't afford to take any chances with the possibilities. 'Sounds nice, makin' a good life an' all. If ya don't mind my saying, doesn't take livin' on a planet to say your life is good though."

Truth be told Kyla wanted that, a nice planet to settle on and live her life. She'd come to terms with her situation though; that wasn't an option for her anymore. The Rayya was home and it would be so long as they could keep one step ahead of anyone who might want to capture them. Her look had gone a little distant as she thought about the things she used to dream of, but it only took a moment for her to return back to the room.

"Of course it's your decision to make Jin, I got no place to argue or debate it with ya. Not tryin' to be disrespectful or nothing, I apologize if it sounded that way." Kyla offered him a sincere smile just as her words were sincere. She took the small glass in her hand and after rolling it between her fingers a moment held it towards Jin, silently asking for a refill. The woman couldn't fathom what mistakes he thought he needed to make up for. While she was indeed very curious, for now she'd keep the questions to herself.

[Jin Caron]

Hearing Kyla suddenly trail off at the end of her sentence, Jin realized that she was definitely not a loyalist. Had he met her years ago, he would have her arrested on the spot for suspicion of Independent affiliation, but now that he was on the other side of the Alliance's big guns, he knew just how she felt. Jin did not risk acknowledging her feelings about the Alliance, in case she would start to worry that Jin was a loyalist. As Kyla spoke, he realized that she was right and that Jin had not thought that his being on a ship would offer much protection from the Alliance. Yet if he was on a ship, he would always be on the move, always running while not running. How come he had not thought of it before? Jin looked over to Kyla to see that she seemed to long for something, something she was imagining. Before he could figure out what it could have been, Kyla explained that the decision was ultimately his and then proceeded to hand Jin her shot glass to fill.Jin obliged in filling up the woman's cup and then filled up his own, downing the drink and filling it up again immediately after.

With this new realization that he did not have to settle down on a planet, a wide array of opportunities opened up to him. Jin realized that it could truly be possible to stay away from the Alliance while living a full life. But he knew that the crew he would have to fly with would have to be convicts or criminals that make it their top priority to avoid the feds as much as he does. As far as he could tell, the Rayya was not that ship. Though he was happy that the Rayya was not a ship full of criminals as far as he could tell, he was also disappointed that the ship was off of his list of possible new homes. Yet Jin wasn't ready to call it quits on this ship already, he had only just met the crew, maybe he could find a reason to stay on after all.

Downing the second shot, Jin put down the cup and faced Kyla, placing his hand on her shoulder. "How about this, I won't get off on Ariel, but I will keep travelling with you guys until I can find a nice planet out there were I can settle down and relax." Jin grinned as he removed his hand from her shoulder, looking around the common room as he began to remember every part of this room. He felt oddly safe in the room, he almost didn't want to ever leave. "Plus, I feel that your sister wouldn't be too happy if I changed my mind on her so last minute. And if we can afford it, we can go sightseeing on Ariel!" Jin knew that if he was to go sightseeing on Ariel, he would have to disguise himself well or avoid main attractions, but he could also sense in Kyla's voice that she had never really visited an inner planet for vacation, further solidifying his assumption that she was not a loyalist. From his own experience with growing up on an inner planet city, Jin knew that Kyla was missing out on a lot of beautiful sights, and he would find a way to show her at least some of its beauty.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla smiled in thanks to Jin as her glass was again full, which didn't last too long as she drank it. Again followed by a few coughs. Perhaps next time she would try mixing the alcohol with something else.

She was a bit surprised when he put his hand on her shoulder again, but his words made that shock fade quickly. Her smile widened, glad that perhaps something she had said changed his mind. It didn't really matter what had triggered the change though.

As Jin continued Ky's delight only went up, sightseeing on Ariel? It sounded wonderful! Though she'd spent a little over two years on the planet it didn't really count in her mind. One year she was in a coma, the next she was recovering and once she was all better her nurse helped her get off the planet. Then Hera was her home for the next several years. There hadn't been much time for her to just be a tourist in the city.

The excitement Kyla was feeling took over, in a matter of seconds she had hopped off of the stool and with a gleeful squee hugged Jin like no tomorrow. "That would be great! I would love to go!" Her voice wasn't so loud as to let anyone else know they were here but the happiness was clear. She loved to see the sights, even if she got lost it was all part of the adventure and fun of it. That was one of the things Ky did after the Nico was decommissioned. Just traveling, granted none of the places she visited were as spectacular as the core planets.

After a few moments the memory hit her, the one where when Kara had told them they were going to Ariel it had been clear that she wasn't supposed to leave the ship. Kyla pulled back from the embrace enough to look at Jin, her face less happy now; though her cheeks began to fill with blush from a bit of embarrassment. She'd just hugged the man, one she hardly knew him yet and two he possibly didn't want to be hugged. It wasn't as if she'd asked. "Kara..she doesn't want me to leave the ship while we're on Ariel though.." She was clearly unhappy about it now as she had been when the indication was given from Kara. There would be no changing her sister's mind about it, and no way Jin would want to risk the woman's wrath by sneaking out to go anyway. Kyla sighed softly as she started to break the embrace fully and move back to her seat.