Fake. That was all Jake could think described the room, the woman, the entire situation. Fake. A small room with plain, maybe even annoyingly plain faded yellow walls. Pot plants scattered all around, a small wooden desk and chair to the side, two large cushy chairs set facing each other, random paintings that some would call art but he just called splatter and a woman smiling brightly at him. Her lipstick was such a bright shade of red that it acted as a beacon drawing ones gaze to the gaudy colour and was plastered on so thick he could probably scrape it off and make a full stick of lipstick. Her hair was platinum blond but from the mousy brown roots he could tell she dyed it. Her eyes were covered with contacts, not the kind that helped you see but the kind that changed your eye colour. And her fake long, lethal looking nails painted a gross orange colour tapped against the clip board in her lap. She just smiled, also fake he was sure, until he sat down in the chair.
"So, Sugar Cube, how are you feeling?" She asked in a pleasant tone. Jake weighed his options, snark or sarcasm?
"Like if you call me Sugar cube again I'm gonna hurl." He replied teenage snark for the win. Her smile faltered and she wrote something down before looking up.
"Council tells me you've been through a pretty rough experience." She continued. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No not really."
"And why is that?"
"Because I've talked to my parents, my friends and the council about it. I'm officially over that topic."
"How does talking about it make you feel?"
"Oh, I love 20 questions."
"Answer the question please."
"Agitated. Bored. Uncomfortable."
"And why is that?"
"Because I'd rather just forget about it. Do I get to ask a question?"
"I'm sorry what?" She looked up from her notes a little surprised and Jake smirked.
"Well, you've just been firing out question after question. Don't you think it's my turn?"
"Do you even have a relevant question?"
"Depends on what you deem as relevant." Jake leaned back into the chair, it had become a game to him. To see if he could turn the therapy around into something less soul searching.
"Fine. Ask away."
"Why do you do this?" He said. She blinked as if that'd make the question any less odd.
"To help-"
"Bullcrap."
"Excuse me?"
"You have no interest in actually helping me. You're spouting textbook therapy questions and you keep looking at your watch. Haven't got time for a half blood that you're not getting payed for, hmm?"
"How dare you!" She snapped.
"Yeah, sure how dare I. Let's go with that. If you've finished making your little notes can I go now. I have better things to do than sit here and play troubled teen." Jake scoffed. Her eyes practically shot daggers of rage at him.
"Oh and what would that be?"
"Try to stop a pandemic of Tic's from exposing the magical world with no idea who the culprit is. Yeah, my job. More important than yours. See ya later." Jake slammed the door, exhaled and smiled. "Gramps was right, therapy does work. I feel better already."
---
Jake was sitting under an old oak tree when Councillor Blomkov found him. "We just got report from therapist back." He said sitting down across from Jake and handed the boy the paper.
Doesn't like informal terms directed at him. Example: Sugar Cube.
Is reluctant to talk about problems.
Subject avoids questions with snide remarks and distractions.
Is a rude little brat.
"Well she's to the point." Jake mumbled handing it back.
"What happened?" Blomkov asked. "She said you insulted her and left."
"I called out her robotic 'therapeutic' activities." Jake answered with a shrug. "I have no time for self proclaimed 'people here to help' wasting my time when there is an issue larger than my feelings going on right now. I shouldn't even be here. These Tic's are out of control and the council expects me to sit here, sip tea and converse with that witch of a therapist like a good little boy. Well I'm not a good little boy. I'm a world dragon and my home is under attack." Blomkov listened to Jake's outburst and smiled.
"You remind me of myself when I was young." He said.
"Were you a complete failure too?"
"Jake you are far from failure, I've never seen a child, dragon, human or anything else, as dedicated as you. If you haven't found anything there is likely nothing to be found." Jake flinched at the word. Nothing. He'd come to hate it.
"Thanks Councillor Blomkov. I guess I call you Mr at school still though. Seems like a downgrade to me." Jake joked earning a smile from the large Russian man.
"Yes perhaps it is. But if we should cross paths outside of Council meetings and school feel free to simply call me Ivan." He chuckled. Jake smiled and nodded.
"Since we're all buddy buddy, you can call me Jake." The two laughed for a moment and then fell silent.
"How long you going to be on the island for?" Ivan asked.
"Mm, dad wants to have a look around and gramps is catching up with old friends. Probably another day or two unless Fu calls with something he can't handle. Haley will probably want to see Sun Park or something. Why?" Jake glanced sideways at the thoughtful expression on Ivan's face.
"Perhaps, since your grandfather is busy, you would like to train with me for a day or two." Ivan offered. This peaked Jake's interest, the large man surely had a fighting style very different to his own.
"That would be sweet!" He said.
---
Haley was a bit miffed, the only dragons her age were immature brats who called themselves pure bloods and threw dirt at her. A yellow dragon turned up and shooed them off, introduced himself as Fred The Australian Dragon. "You're Jake's little sister ain't ya?" He said. She nodded brushing off the dirt. "Rude little buggers they are, raised by their purist parents to think they're better than everyone else."
"It's stupid. There are so many families with mixed blood. They can hardly say they are better than the majority of the population." She mumbled.
"You're a smart one." Fred pointed out.
"So is Jake when he actually has focus." Haley replied.
"Is it just me or is there something more than just this Tic business gnawing at his brain?"
"There's more, but Jake has a habit of pulling the burden into himself for as long as he can so no one else has to suffer. I use to think I could read him like a book but he's become really distant." Haley sighed.
"Don't let it get to you, he'll come out with whatever is bothering him eventually." Fred assured her. "Where is he anyway?"
"Um... With a Therapist I think."
"Oh... Council's idea?"
"Yeah. I don't think he'll feel like talking to a stranger."
"Yeah, that councillor is a purist. I wouldn't be surprised if he gives her trouble."
---
"I'm surprised someone of your size would have a move like that." Jake said sitting dazed on the ground.
"How big you are and how strong you are doesn't matter in a fight." Blomkov said helping the teen up. "It's how smart you are."
"Yeah but... You just clapped in my face and then hit me with a stick." Jake mumbled.
"It got you didn't it?" The man chuckled. "It only works if you've got two weapons but it is a technique that shatters concentration and creates an opening you wouldn't otherwise have."
"Oh! So it's like, a move against the unbeatable that would give you a chance to turn the fight around."
"Precisely."
"Sweet. Could I learn it?"
"That's why I showed it to you. You're not always going to be able to fight in your dragon form and foes that know a dragons weakness are a force to be wary of. With this move and everything else I'm going to teach you in these two days, you'll learn how to fight with the strength of your human side."
---
The Long family ended up staying for 3 and a half days, Jake was surprised to learn that Fred had been teaching Haley some moves and his father had so much fun that he completely wore his mother out. Lao Shi had some down time to himself and looked rather refreshed and relaxed when Jake and Ivan walked over. "Hey Gramps." Jake said looking way more comfortable with his surroundings than when they first arrived. He seemed to be like his usual cheerful self again. Lao Shi gave Ivan a confused sideways glance and the larger man simply smiled knowingly. He definitely knew the bombshell Jake was about to drop on his grandfather. "Alia and I want to stay here for a while longer."
"What?" Lao Shi never thought he'd hear the day Jake wanted to stay in the presence of the councillors.
"I haven't asked mum or dad yet, I thought I'd run it by you first. Well, no that's a lie I already got permission for Sun to take over in America for a while, you know for that new perspective stuff." Jake explained.
"But. Why?" Was all Lao Shi could manage to say.
"Well... Iv- I mean Councillor Blomkov, has agreed to do some heavy training with me. Fighting styles that are different to how I usually fight and just general knowledge he has." Jake continued. Lao Shi caught Ivan grinning at the elder dragons shocked expression. "I'm not saying your training isn't good enough, I just think any edge in battle will help."
"That's very wise of you, young dragon." Lao Shi said slowly. "And you've already organised a replacement. Very responsible."
Jake grinned sheepishly and admitted that Ivan had told him he should organise that. So Lao Shi agreed. If his parents allowed him to he would stay and train with Ivan.
---
"6 weeks?!" Susan screeched when Jake proposed the idea to her. "No. I just got you back. No way."
"Mum. He's going to teach me to defend myself when being a dragon isn't an option." Jake explained. "The guys that took me knew what I was and how to control that. I need to be more prepared." Susan wanted to say no, to scream and demand that her baby boy stay with her, stay safe and sound where she could see him. But their home wasn't safe, that was where he'd been taken from. And deep down she knew he needed this. Time away from it all while working to defend himself. She could see it in his eyes. That fire in his soul that had dimmed to a flicker when she finally got him back, it was burning fiercely again. Maybe even fiercer than before. As much as she wanted to shut him away so no one could take him again she knew, she'd have to let him stay.
"Alright Jake. But we're going to be visiting every Sunday." She announced. He grinned. He wouldn't have it any other way. So he waved as they left and watched for a while the spot he'd last seen them. He knew they'd be okay, they were Longs, they were made of tough stuff. Ivan found him later under the tree again and he seemed to be sleeping. But when he drew near his eyes snapped open almost startling the older dragon. As if picking up on the older dragon's momentary shock Jake smiled and Alia came into view.
"She keeps tabs on everything for me." He said with a yawn.
"Just what one would expect from a guardian fairy." Ivan said making her glow green with pride. "I finally got the other council members to approve me as a secondary teacher. So now, you can request my help at any time and the council can't say anything."
"Sweet." Jake said oh so intelligently.
"I warned you earlier and I'll warn you again. I won't go easy on you. I have six weeks to drill as much as I know into your head and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Early mornings. Late nights. Aching body. Rain or Shine. You will be trained as if you were at a military camp. I will settle for no less than 100% effort." Ivan warned.
"I know." Jake said absently making the older male want to slap his own forehead. Did he really or was he just saying that. And then fierce Amber eyes locked onto his own brown ones and there was silence. Ivan broke the stare first, unsettled by the sheer determination hidden underneath that careless exterior.
"We'll be ready!" Alia said excitedly.
"Oh no, you won't be training with us little miss." Jake said with a grin as her glow turned a shocked orange colour. "The council has organised for a fairy guardian to come and train you in the basics and give you an offical license." Her colours changed rapidly as she was conflicted. She wanted to train with Jake but this would help Jake in the long run.
"Oh alright." She huffed. "But only cause you insist." He smiled and Ivan couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's heartwarming seeing two races that are so different get along like family." He said when they gave him funny stares. They beamed at him in unison and Ivan thought he might need sunglasses from the brightness of their smiles.
"We start at 4am tomorrow." Jake announced. Ivan spluttered. Early, like sunrise, okay he could do but as much of a military like training plan as he had starting at 4am wasn't part of it. He liked his sleep. He though Jake did too but apparently he was willing to forsake that to train.
"Best head to bed early then." Ivan sighed.
---
AND DONE.
Not exactly the shortest but not the longest either and still kinda boring I guess... sorry guys. But I finally got off my butt and updated so please don't hate me.
;-;