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It had become a routine for Me Jiane.
A certain human would enter Oblivia. She would find out. Then she’d seek him out with her beamsword drawn.
The two of them met when her and a group of fellow Wrothian warriors clashed with a group of human warriors – BLADE, they are called. It was a bit of a misunderstanding. The Wrothian left the Ganglion recently, but word didn’t get back to her group or the humans yet. She was clashing with the one named Peter Parker. He left an impression on her. Despite how fierce the battle was, she couldn’t help but find the battle to be fun. The battle didn’t last too long. Before any side could get an advantage, Barnabas the Despot ran onto the scene. Both sides promptly retreated at the sight of the behemoth. Sometime after the treaty between New LA and The Wrothians, Peter sought her out to apologize. She pulled out her beamsword in response.
Ever since then, when Peter would enter Oblivia, Me would go find him and fight him – not out of a vendetta, but, as the humans would say, “for the love of the game”. And every time, Peter would indulge her. He was enjoyed fighting her, too. The two of them grew close. She didn’t find it odd – friendship through rivalry was not only common amongst her people, but even encouraged. But she started to notice that her feelings for him were a little different. There was a desire there that she couldn’t quite understand.
Once again, Me caught word that Peter was in Oblivia. She made a note to seek him out. However, her clash with him would wait. She had another task at hand.
Me landed her Skell on the Primeval Meadow. Her task was simple, but tedious – gather five spiked pomegranates and take it back to the stronghold. It sounded so simple, but finding one was a time consuming task in and of itself.
She supposed she could have paid the Dorian Nopon Caravan a visit, but she knew the price would be steep and she wasn’t in the mood to try haggling.
After the Skell kneeled, she stepped out of the cockpit. She looked around the area. Much to her surprised, there were a lot of slaughtered Saltats covering the ground. This was rather unusual. While it was far from uncommon to see a couple of them dead due to hunting, to see that many lying dead without any piece of their bodies missing made put her guard up. She drew her beamsword and activated it as she walked up to the one of the dead Saltats. That’s when her ears picked up the groaning. She turned her head towards the direction of the sound. She approached slowly, readying herself for some form of attack or ambush. She wondered which of The Ganglion it was going to be. She wondered if it was one of those cowardly Definians or Milsaadi. Just the thought of them was almost enough to make her blood boil.
She saw a figure sitting on the ground with their back against a boulder. The closer she got to the figure, the more they looked to her. That’s when she realized – it was Peter. He looked like he was in bad shape. Against her impulse, though, she didn’t rush over. She approached slowly until there was about eight feet between them. She took in his appearance. He was missing part of his right arm, with it being reduced to a burnt stump. There were deep cuts to his armor and his face was smudged with dirt and caked with blood.
Interestingly enough, where were two carrying cases next to him.
Slowly, Peter slowly opened his eyes. Me Jiane readied her sword.
“…MJ… is that you?” Peter asked. She was almost convinced that it really was Peter – no one else called her MJ. Still, she had to be sure.
“When we fought each other that one time at King’s Falls, what did we do afterwards?” she asked.
Peter slowly tilted his head. “You choose now to walk down memory lane?”
“Please indulge me. I just need to make sure I wasn’t led into a trap. Definians are known for that.”
After slowly nodded, Peter answered. “You know what? That’s fair. After we fought at King’s Falls, we went over to the Dorian Caravan. You shared some of your dried Suid meat and I shared some of kiweggs.”
“And what did you say to me that made me shove you into the lake?”
At that, Peter chuckled. “I said you’re my favorite redhead.”
Me deactivated her beamsword and sheathed it. “Yup, you are Peter.” She quickly closed the distance between then before she kneeled next to him.
“What brings you here?” he asked. Me Jiane glared as she narrowed her eyes.
“Foraging for spiked pomegranates, though that should be the least of your concern right now. What happened here?”
Peter scoffed. “Oh, nothing, just a stroke of my Parker Luck.” He sighed. “I went to Oblivia to get some spiked pomegranates, too. Apparently the scientists and the doctors back at the city wanted to see if they could make a shelf-stable coagulant out it. I know they’re a pain in the ass to find, so I tried negotiating with the Nopon at Dorian. All I got was a headache for my trouble. So, I took my Skell here. I was lucky to find about nine – six more than I needed. I was going to head back, but I got attacked.”
Me Jiane raised her eyebrows in surprise. “By who?”
“Not who, what.” With his remaining hand, Peter beckoned toward a direction. Me looked over to see the corpse of a dead Germivore. She bared her fangs in disgust.
“Lomoth the Beast-Easter,” Me said with disdain.
“Yup,” Peter confirmed. “I had to defend myself. So I fought it. I got too trigger-happy and ended up hitting the Saltats around me. So, I had a field day. I actually ended up losing an arm. So, I burned this stump with a beamsaber I found in one of those beasts’ bellies.”
Me nodded as she looked around. “And your Skell?”
At that, Peter laughed out. “Yeah, right when I was about to leave, a Ceto came out of nowhere, swooped in, and snatched it up. So, I’ve been stuck here since.”
Me Jiane shook her head. “You really do have the worst luck.” She looked back at her Skell before she looked back at him. “Come, I’ll take you back to New L.A. so you can get fixed up.”
“I’d be a fool to say no.”
Me scoffed. “You’re a fool still.” She smirked when Peter laughed in response. She then looked at the carrying cases. “And those are?”
“The yellow one is carrying the spiked pomegranates. When we get back to the city, you can take some for yourself if you want. Just leave three for me so I can finish the mission. As for the other case…” He trailed off. “…Just do me a favor and hold on to it until I’m better.”
Me opened her mouth to say something. Instead, she closed it and shook her head. “Fine.” After she said that, she helped Peter up to his feet. Standing at his side, she put his remaining arm over her shoulders as she wrapped her right arm around his abdomen. After that, she stepped forward, prompting him to walk.
“Thank you,” Peter said. “…And sorry we couldn’t fight this time.”
“Less talking, more walking,” Me admonished, ignoring her own disappointment in not having their usual clash. “You can make it up to me when you’re better.”
After they boarded Me’s Skell, Me flew straight towards New L.A. She ended up landing in front of BLADE HQ. The human warriors rushed out as Me carried Peter down. She reluctantly allowed them to take him. She knew that they would know how to treat him, even though she had the urge to stay by his side. One of the BLADE warriors questioned her about what happened. She told him what Peter told her. She handed over four of the spiked pomegranates before keeping the rest for herself. After that, she got on her Skell and went back home to Oblivia.
Later on that night, she stood on the balcony of the Wrothian Stronghold. She looked up at the sky in silence, thinking about the day’s events. She wondered if Peter was okay. She knew that the missing arm was no issue, knowing that the humans were blessed – and, perhaps cursed – with having their consciousness uploaded into bodies that were both mechanical and organic. Still, no matter how many times she reminded herself of that, she still worried. Knowing there wasn’t much she could do but leave it to the people of New L.A., she decided to retire for the night.
When she went to her quarters, she eyed the grey case that sat next to her bed. As she lay in her bed, she stared at it for some seconds. She was a bit curious to see what was inside. Deciding to wait until she saw Peter again, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Days went by as she waited on Peter. Me Jiane preoccupied herself with sparring her fellow Wrothians and going on missions. As days passed, she started to be afraid that worst happened. Fortunately, right when she made it a point to go to New L.A. to check on her friend and rival, she saw him walking up to the stronghold as she stood on the balcony one night. Her eyebrows shot up before she scrambled. She ran to her room, grabbed the case, and then made her way outside. She ignored the looks from the guards as she ran to Peter. Peter had the audacity to smile at her.
“Hey MJ!” he greeted.
Me Jiane bared her teeth, causing Peter to wipe the smile off of his face. “Don’t ‘MJ’ me!” Me Jiane snarled. “You had me worried for days, and now you pop up as if you weren’t missing an arm the last time I saw you?!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I wanted to see you as soon as I could, but I got slammed. There’s been a backlogged of requests for different missions. Every single time I thought I had time to go and see you, I get assigned another mission. I know I said a Curator’s work is never done, but it was getting ridiculous. The only reason I had time is because Rhapsodi and Frye from Team Elma helped me the last few times.” He smirked. “I ended up getting a nickname from Frye after the last mission. He called me Spider-Man.”
Me Jiane tilted her head in confusion and annoyance. “…Spider-… What?”
“Well, back on earth, there’s this bug with eight legs called spiders. They’re kind of like Scirpos. On this last mission, I ended up taking on a Scirpo barehanded since by weapons got washed away by a river. So, because of that, I’m Spider-Man.”
She wanted to be mad at his recklessness and carelessness. However, the ridiculousness of his story made her snicker. Snickering turned into full on laughter. After a few minutes, she got a hold of herself. She wiped away a tear before she looked at Peter with a smile.
“…I’m glad you’re okay,” she finally said. She lifted up the case. “So what is this about?”
Peter stared at the case for a moment before he remembered what it was. “Oh, that,” he replied. “It’s for you.”
Once again, Me Jiane was confused. “What?”
“I wanted to give you what’s inside the last time I was in Oblivia, but, you know…” He raised his eyebrows briefly. “Please, open it.”
She narrowed her eyes. She wondered what he was playing at. Still, she took a knee and placed the case on the ground. She opened it up and looked inside. She stared down at the items, a bit confused.
“What are these?”
She heard footsteps as Peter moved to her side and kneeled down. “Gifts,” he said. “I remember you told me that you liked looking up at the night sky, so I got you a stargazer. It’s great for looking up at the sky at night.”
Carefully, she picked it up with her hands. She looked it over before she looked at Peter. Peter gave her an encouraging nod. She looked back at the stargazer before she turned it and looked into it. Her mouth went ajar as she looked at the sky. The stars seemed a lot closer now. She could see the subtle differences in their brightness and color. She smiled as she lowered the stargazer. Her smile faded when she looked down at the case and saw the other item.
“And this?” she asked.
“A California Sunset,” Peter stated. He averted his gaze. “It’s for you as well.”
She placed the stargazer back in the case and picked up the large gem. She took in the orange hues. As she did, she recalled when Peter told her about his former world, and how he lived in a place called California. She wondered if the colors were like that of a sunset there.
“It’s beautiful,” she finally said. She shook her head and looked at Peter. “Why did you have me wait for so long?”
Peter slowly met her gaze. “I… I wanted to talk to you about something. And I figured that gem would be a good way to start talking about it.”
Once again, Me Jiane was confused. “Why would a gem help with that?”
“…I was told a gem could be a way to a woman’s heart.”
Me Jiane’s eyebrows shot up. She felt her face become warm. “What are you saying, Peter?”
“I…” He paused for a moment. “I want to date you.”
Me Jiane suddenly stood up as he eyes flashed in anger. She sneered down at the human. “You made me wait for these gifts because you want to know my age?!”
Peter looked up at her in confusion. Then he realized where the disconnect was. He stood up and shook his head. “No, MJ. What I mean is… I want to… court you.”
Me Jiane calmed down for a moment. “…Oh.” Her eyes then went wide as she realized what he was saying. “…Court… Court me?!” She bared her fangs. “Are you trying to make a fool of me?!”
“I’m not.” Peter held his hands up defensively. “I’m not.”
“You do remember that you’re a human and I’m Wrothian, do you not?”
“I do. And, honestly, I didn’t even want to say anything because I didn’t want to put you off. But, I’ve been thinking about you a lot ever since we first clashed.” He lowered his hands. “I felt like we’ve gotten closer every single time we’re together, and not just when we’re fighting each other. Would you agree?”
Me Jiane blinked slowly. “…I would.”
“And over time, I started thinking about you in the romantic sense.”
She shook her head. “But why me? Surely there’s another human who would gladly be your mate.”
Peter smiled. “I haven’t met a human like you. You’re strong. You’re brave. You’re cunning. You have a heart for people.” His smile became a bit wider. “And you’re beautiful MJ. I was only half-kidding when I said you’re my favorite redhead.”
Me Jiane was touched by his words. Still, she had reservations.
Romance was far from a foreign concept amongst her people. Wrothian who have grown close in that sense eventually become one soul, bound to each other for life – barring extreme circumstances, of course. However, a union between a Wrothian and another species was something that was unheard of. Then again, she never heard of one outside of her race being so bold to even suggest such a thing. Apparently, some humans didn’t have any reservations or fears about that – she remembered spotting a BLADE and a Prone sharing a kiss on a hill in New L.A.
“…I do enjoy our times together, and I do hold you dear but…” She trailed off. “It’s just that…” She trailed off again as she tried to gather her thoughts. As ridiculous as this situation was, she wasn’t quick to say no. She sighed. “Go home, Peter.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Did I offend?”
“No, you didn’t.” She frowned. “…I need to think things through. Once I’m ready to talk, I’ll seek you out.” Her eyebrows furrowed up. “You better not get yourself killed before that time, or so help me, I’ll find a way to resurrect you just to kill you again.” She smirked.
Peter smirked back. “Don’t threaten with a good time.”
Me Jiane tried to glare, but she ended up laughing. “Go, human! Please be on your way!”
He nodded. “Okay. You have a good night, MJ.”
“You as well, Peter.”
She watched as he turned and leave. She then picked up the items and made her way to her sleeping quarters.
For days afterwards, she pondered the thought of her being united with Peter. He was a lot of things she would want in a potential mate. On the field, he was bold and brazen. She saw that first hand when they first clashed and during the times the two of them would stand together against Ganglion forces who dared cross their paths. He was also kind and patient, often taking on missions that were rather inglorious yet were important all the same – and he did so with pride. He had a mind for science He also had a tongue as sharp as his blades, able to match wit with hers. A human he was, but that did little to stifle the appeal of them being more than just each other’s favorite rival.
“Strange things have happen on this planet every day,” Me muttered to herself one night as she held the California Sunset in her hand. “…Peter, you’re a fool. But perhaps I’m as much a fool as you.”
One day, Peter was back in Oblivia. Once she received word, she made her way to find him. She found him on the North Coast, standing ankle deep in the water as he looked out towards the horizon. She approached before stopping some feet away.
“Peter!” she called out. Peter turned around and looked at her. He smiled.
“Hey,” he greeted.
She nodded towards him. “Do you still want to court me?”
“I do!”
Me smiled. She then drew her beamsword and activated it. She got into her stance before she beckoned with her free hand.
“I won’t be bound to a weakling!”
Peter’s became wide in surprise. He then smiled as he drew his swords.
“You won’t be!”
Within moments, they rushed towards each other.
By the time they were done fighting, the sun was starting to set. Their clash ended in a stalemate. Neither of them cared. Instead, Peter lay on the sand and patted the space next to him. Me Jiane joined him. For the rest of their time together, they lay next to each other on the beach, their feet just touching the water as it ebbed and flowed. They stared up at the sky, not saying a word as they each other’s company. They looked at each other for a moment. They shared a smile once more before they looked back up at the sky.
During this, Peter’s hand found Me’s. In response, she laced her fingers between his and clasped his hand gently.