Jin nodded. "Yes, you are." He replied, kissing her forehead lightly. "No one should force you into doing something you don't want. No one. Not even if they are your mate, or a potential mate." He added, thumb gently rubbing her chin.
Miyaki looked like she was torn, torn between not quite believing that and wanting to believe him. So bad. But she'd worked hard to convince herself that it was normal, and something not to worry about. "I-didn't realize that….You're sure? Sure that's normal?" She worried, for a second, that she sounded annoying and like a broken record, seeking reassurance and confirmation over and over.
Jin nodded. "Yes." He replied. "Like last night. I gave you multiple chances to change your mind and say no, if you wanted to. You didn't. But I still gave you the choice to do so. That is what it's supposed to be like."
"So that's…if I were to sleep with someone else, they should give me that opportunity?" Miyaki tilted her head slightly, careful not to disrupt his fingers. It was still confusing to her. She had never been given that choice, not before Jin had, so the knowledge that she should have had it was strange.
"Yes." He replied simply. "They should." I can't believe she didn't know this. Did Alina not think it fit to teach her anything? He sighed softly, thumb gently rubbing her chin. "And if they try to force you, you are allowed to make them stop. That's how it works. Either they give you a choice, or you beat them up."
"I'm not-I wouldn't beat anyone up." She said softly, the corner of her mouth quirking up slightly into a tiny smile at that. "But I could leave? If I didn't want to? I could just…leave?" It wasn't Alina's fault she didn't know any of this. Alina had done her best with too much on her plate, and she had tried to teach Miyaki that her choices mattered.
"Yes. That goes for me, that goes for any other Fae. If they aren't giving you a choice, and you don't want to do it, then leave. Walk away." He replied softly. I wish someone had told my mother that it was okay to walk away. I wish I had said something instead of hiding like a coward. Instead of… He sighed softly.
“Walk away.” She repeated, her voice a whisper. Nodding, she stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around him in a quick and lingering hug. “Th-thank you. I didn’t-I don’t know how, but I didn’t know.”
Jin shook his head slightly. "You're welcome. And just keep that in mind." He replied, lightly hugging her back.
From the doorway, Morrigan cleared her throat. "Jin, there's trouble on the northern border." She said.
Jin sighed, and let go of Miyaki. "Is it the Cosina again?" He asked, frowning.
She gave a sharp nod. Her fiery hair was loose today, hanging to her midback, and her eyes seemed as black as midnight. "Indeed. Lanta is having trouble holding them back, even with Caedmon's help."
He rubbed his face with a hand. "Go back and take care of it, Mor. Use whatever force you need to, push them back across the border. I have to stay here for the negotiations." He commanded.
Miyaki jumped slightly when Morrigan cleared her throat, taking a step back as Jon released her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched the interaction, head tilted and eyebrow raised curiously. "Is something wrong?" She asked, the question open to whoever wanted to answer.
Jin looked at her. "Nothing you need to worry about. There is a wild group to the north of my court, and they often infringe upon the borders. That's all." He replied, then turned to Morrigan. "Understood?"
Morrigan nodded. "Yes. I will be back within a week." She replied easily.
"I know you will. Just help Lanta and Caedmon, alright? That's all you need to do." Jin said.
Miyaki nodded, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face as they continued talking. Pulling a small device from her pocket that looked half finished, she began fiddling with it, giving them a sort of semblance of privacy as she stepped towards the door. She should technically get going anyway.
Morrigan nodded. "Yes sir. And a word of advice? Watch your words. This is not your court." She added, then left the room as silently as she had come.
Jin sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew that. He knew it all too well. That he had to watch his words, all the time. "Don't open that mouth of yours unless you actually have something interesting to say, you brat! And keep family matters in the family. You don't want a repeat of what happened to Ekia, do you?" He swallowed, shaking away the remembered words.
Miyaki paused to let Morrigan pass, the redhead's words leaving an unsettled feeling in her gut. She turned to Jin, eyes bespeaking the truth to her words. "Your words won't leave this room, your Majesty. Not from me, at the very least." She promised softly, her entire face softening for a brief moment, the wariness and stoniness she carried around in her features gone for a second.
Jin's eyes flicked to her. "Okay." He said slowly. "Thank you." But can I trust her? She's part human; she can lie… He took a deep breath, shaking his thoughts away with a soft exhale. He swallowed, raking a hand through his hair. "We should…go. It won't look good if we linger in here for too much longer."
Miyaki nodded, opening her mouth as though to say something, before thinking better of it. Sweeping her hair over one shoulder, she turned, resuming her way out the door. "Right. I'll…see you, I guess." She lingered for a moment in the doorway, finding herself oddly wanting to stay by his side, before forcing herself down the hallway.
Jin nodded, watching her go. To hus surprise, he found that, well…he didn't exactly want her to leave. That he wanted her to stay with him, not leave him. He frowned slightly.
Still fiddling with the device she’d been working on, Miyaki made her way to the Northern tower, to meet up with Aster. He’d been given the top room of the tower to share with his brother, a room for inventing and testing those inventions. Pushing open the large wooden door with her hip, she was met with the loud Irish Folk music Aster loved, that he had heard while visiting the humans and had taken home with him. “Hey, any Evansians in here right now?”
Jin sighed, and left, heading towards the gardens. He had a meeting with Alina later that he had to go to. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to it or not. He hoped she wasn't going to bring up what he and Miyaki had done the night before. It had nothing to do with the meetings, and didnt need to be brought up.
((Skip to the meeting?))
(sure)
Alina sat at her desk in her study, papers spread neatly out on the desk before her as she read over them. She was dressed a bit less extra, a sample but elegant dress clinging loosely to her figure, various shades of gold and pink draped around her. Her golden hair was pulled up into a simple updo, out if her face, courtesy of Miyaki.
She didn’t look up as the guard inside the door alerted her of Jin’s approach, just motioned for him to open the door as she signed off on an ordinance.
Jin entered the room when the guard allowed him, taking a seat. "Good day, High Lady." He greeted calmly, eyes flickering over her. He himself was dressed like he usually was. Trousers the color of the night sky, and a white shirt that almost seemed to hold the stars. His black hair was nearly combed, save for a single strand that had escaped from the others, and curled down over his forehead. "What are we going to discuss today?"
“Good day to you as well.” Alina said, organizing the papers on her desk. “Do excuse me, my Court loves to decide on the exact same week to file various requests.” Once she was done organizing, she looked up at Jin, hands folded in front of her and a particularly knowing look in her eyes. “We do not have anything too important to discuss today, as it seems we’ve covered most of it already. I would like to talk about Miyaki, and what she’s been learning. You’ve been teaching her all you can think to about your Court, I hope?”
Jin nodded. "I understand." He thought for a moment. "Yes. So far I have not had much opportunity to do so, but i will continue meeting with her in order to continue teaching her." He replied. "I have done my best to give her an unbiased view, though if it is biased, then it can't really be helped."