The room fell into thoughtful silence, the levity of the previous minutes giving way to genuine concern.
"So what do we do?" Lio asked, finally standing up from his position by the door. "Just... hope for the best? Wing it?"
"We protect him," Niamh said firmly. "Like we always do. If people question his secondary gender, we deflect. If they push, we shut them down. And if anyone tries anything..." Her expression hardened. "They'll regret it."
"Agreed," Lio said immediately.
"I'll write to Kael," Selene said, her voice still slightly breathless but more composed now. "He can arrange for additional security. Discreet but present."
"No," Jade said. "No extra security. That'll just draw more attention. We handle this ourselves."
"Jade—" Niamh started.
"I'm not helpless," Jade said, his tone brooking no argument. "I can take care of myself. We just need to be smart about it."
Niamh looked like she wanted to argue, but after a long moment, she sighed. "Fine. But at the first sign of serious trouble—"
"I'll let you know," Jade promised.
"Well," Selene said eventually, a smile returning to her face. "At least the journey will be interesting."
---------------------------------------------------------
Three days passed in a blur of final preparations.
The morning of departure arrived cold and clear, Nexarion's artificial atmospheric processors creating a crisp dawn that felt almost natural. The private hangar bay at the edge of the Governor's estate was already bustling with activity—transport crews loading cargo, officials checking departure manifests, and a small crowd of people gathered to see off the tournament participants.
Jade stood near the sleek transport ship that would carry them offworld, his silver-white hair braided back in a practical style that Niamh had insisted on. He wore traveling clothes—well-made but not ostentatious, designed for comfort during the two-week journey ahead. A dark cloak hung from his shoulders, hood currently down but ready to be raised if needed.
Beside him, Lio was triple-checking his bags with the paranoid intensity of someone who'd been lectured extensively about forgetting essential items. Niamh stood calm and composed, her own luggage already loaded, watching the organized chaos around them with practiced ease.
And then there was Selene.
"I can't believe you're already leaving," Selene sobbed, clinging to Jade like he was about to walk into certain death rather than board a luxury transport. "Two months! Maybe more! How am I supposed to survive without seeing your face every day?!"
"Selene," Kael said gently, one hand on his mate's shoulder even as his own expression showed fond exasperation. "You're making a scene."
"I don't CARE about scenes!" Selene wailed, squeezing Jade tighter. "My boy is leaving! Do you understand? LEAVING!"
Kael's lips twitched into a smile despite himself—the expression of a man utterly besotted with his dramatic mate. He met Jade's eyes over Selene's head and mouthed 'sorry' even as his hand moved to rub soothing circles on her back.
"I'll be fine," Jade said, patting Selene's back awkwardly. "We'll be back before you know it."
"You'd better be!" Selene pulled back just enough to look at him, her emerald eyes red and puffy. "And you'd better WIN! Do you hear me? Win the whole thing! Bring back that trophy and make everyone acknowledge how amazing you are!"
"I'll try," Jade said.
"Don't try! DO!" Selene grabbed his face between her hands. "Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't take unnecessary risks. Promise me—"
"I promise," Jade said quickly before she could build up another head of steam.
Satisfied—or at least temporarily placated—Selene released him and turned to Lio, immediately pulling him into an equally crushing hug.
"Take care of my boy," she ordered. "Watch his back. Keep him safe. If anything happens to him, I'm holding you personally responsible."
"No pressure," Lio muttered, but hugged her back warmly. "I'll protect him."
A few feet away, Amara was having her own emotional moment with Lio, though hers was more composed. She fussed with his collar, checked his bags one more time, and gave him a list of reminders that he endured with good-natured patience.
"Take your vitamins," Amara said, her voice thick with emotion. "And actually eat proper meals, not just ration bars because you're too lazy to find real food. And make sure Jade eats too, because he gets distracted and forgets—"
"I'll take care of both of us," Lio promised, pulling her into a tight hug. "Stop worrying so much."
"I'm your sister," Amara said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "Worrying is my job."
Near the ship's boarding ramp, Gorvoth stood with his usual stoic presence, though his scarred face held something that might have been approval as he watched the farewells.
"Keep your wits about you," he said when Niamh approached. "Tournament politics can be as dangerous as the fights themselves."
"I know," Niamh said, then surprised him by pulling him into a brief hug. "Take care of the shop. And the apprentices. Don't let them burn anything down."
"I'll do my best," Gorvoth said gruffly, clearly surprised with the display of affection but not pulling away.
When Niamh moved toward Jade, Gorvoth caught the boy's eye and gave him a single, firm nod.
Jade nodded back, understanding perfectly.
The apprentices were gathered in a small cluster near the hangar entrance, fifteen young people ranging from fifteen to twenty-two years old, all of whom owed Jade their lives. Several were crying, others trying to maintain composure but failing as tears streaked down their faces.
Mira—now twenty-one and effectively managing the shop in Jade's absence—stepped forward as their representative.
"Come back to us," she said simply, her voice steady despite the tears in her eyes. "That's all we ask. Just... come back."
"I will," Jade promised.
The other apprentices surged forward then, a wave of hugs and well-wishes and choked goodbyes that threatened to overwhelm him. Jade endured it all with as much grace as he could manage, accepting their affection even as his old soul felt desperately awkward about the whole display.
When he finally managed to extract himself, he found the four other tournament participants from Nexarion standing off to the side, watching the proceedings with expressions that ranged from uncomfortable to disdainful.
All four were alphas—two male, two female—with the bearing of people who'd fought hard for their tournament slots and weren't particularly pleased about sharing transport with someone who'd gotten an automatic entry.
One of them—a tall male alpha with sharp features and cold eyes—caught Jade looking and quickly looked away, his jaw tight. The others similarly avoided eye contact, their body language radiating tension.
They didn't trust him. Didn't particularly like him. But they were smart enough not to cause problems. Not with Governor Varros standing right there. Not with Jade's reputation proceeding him.
Jade filed that away as a potential complication for later and turned his attention back to the farewells.
"All passengers for Transport Vessel Stellar Wind, please begin boarding," a mechanical voice announced over the hangar's speakers. "Departure in fifteen minutes."
The announcement triggered a fresh wave of tears from Selene, who launched herself at Jade for one final crushing hug.
"Be safe!" she sobbed. "Be careful! Write to me! Send messages! Call me! Let me know you're alive!"
"I will," Jade promised, gently extracting himself. "I promise."
"And Lio!" Selene grabbed him too. "Take care of yourself! And him! And each other! And—"
"We will!" Lio said, laughing despite the emotion thick in his throat. "We will, Selene. I promise."
Kael stepped forward as Selene finally released them, his expression warm. "Good luck," he said simply, offering Jade his hand. "Make us proud."
"I'll try," Jade said, shaking it firmly.
"And remember," Kael added with a slight smile. "You're representing all of Nexarion now. Show them what people from our planet are capable of."
Jade nodded, understanding the weight behind those words. Nexarion was considered a backwater, a dump, a place other planets looked down on. This tournament was a chance to change that perception—or at least prove they weren't to be dismissed.
No pressure.
Final goodbyes were exchanged, last-minute reminders given, and then Jade, Lio, and Niamh were finally moving toward the boarding ramp.
Jade paused at the base, looking back one more time at the assembled crowd—at Selene still crying into Kael's chest, at Amara waving with tears streaming down her face, at Gorvoth's stoic face, at the apprentices clustered together.
At home.
Then he turned and walked up the ramp, Lio at his side, Niamh behind them, and stepped into the ship that would carry them toward whatever the tournament had in store.
Behind them, Selene's voice rang out one final time, loud and dramatic and full of love:
"WIN EVERYTHING!"
Jade couldn't help but smile as the boarding ramp began to close.
He'd certainly try.
.....