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| Jinzhou City Hall — Living Quarters |
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(JEFF'S POV)
Warmth.
That was the first thing Jeff registered. Warm sheets.Warm sunlight bleeding through the curtains. And a warm woman practically wrapped around his arm like she had claimed it in her sleep.
Jeff blinked before memory came crashing back in vivid flashes.
Despite his Alzheimer's episode he forced himself to calm down and appreciate his surroundings.
Rover buried deeper against his side, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. Her hair was a complete mess now, spilling everywhere , some strands sticking to her face.
Jeff glanced around the room.
Clothes on the floor.
Blankets half hanging off the bed.
The air itself is still thick with sweat, perfume, and sex.
"…Jesus," he muttered under his breath.
Rover stirred awake.
Golden eyes blinked open slowly, heavy with sleep. For a moment she just stared at him blankly. Then awareness returned.
And with it—A faint blush on her cheeks all four of them.
Jeff grinned. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."
Rover squinted at him. "…Morning." Her voice came out rougher than usual, making Jeff snort quietly.
"You alive there?" he teased.
Rover rolled her eyes dramatically before immediately regretting it, groaning as she buried her face against his chest again.
"Rough night?" Jeff asked innocently. That earned him a sharp pinch on the side.
"Whose fault is that?" she mumbled.
Jeff burst out laughing.
Rover peeked up at him with narrowed eyes, though the corners of her lips betrayed her. "You're enjoying this too much."
"Can you blame me?"
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
Before she could argue further—
Jeff suddenly slipped an arm beneath her legs and another around her back.
Rover yelped softly.
"Jeff—!"
He lifted her effortlessly off the bed princess-style.
Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck.
"You can barely walk," he said smugly.
"I absolutely can."
The moment she tried moving her legs, they trembled slightly.
Jeff raised an eyebrow.
Rover looked away immediately. "…We're not discussing that."
"Oh, we're definitely discussing that."
She lightly smacked his shoulder while trying—and failing—not to smile.
"Put me down."
"Nope."
"Jeff."
"Mm?"
"You're insufferable."
"And yet you're clinging to me." Rover's face immediately reddened when she realized she absolutely was.
"…Shut up."
Jeff grinned victoriously as he carried her toward the bathroom.
---
After getting cleaned up—and after Rover repeatedly threatened violence if he made one more teasing comment they finally started getting dressed.
Jeff was buttoning his shirt when suddenly—
A sharp pulse spread across his hand.
His Tacet Mark glowed.
At the exact same moment—
Rover froze beside the mirror.
Her own mark shimmered with light. Both of them stared.
"…You seeing this too?" Jeff asked in disbelief.
Rover nodded cautiously.
Then—
A voice echoed directly inside their heads.
I'm hungry.
Silence.
Jeff blinked.
"…What the fuck?"
Rover immediately turned toward him.
"Did you hear that?"
Jeff pointed at her instantly. "I was literally about to ask you the same thing."
"So it wasn't my imagination…"
Jeff frowned and whispered. "…Abby?"
The air suddenly distorted beside Rover.
A tiny ripple of frequency energy spiraled outward—
And then—
"Whoooaaaaa—!"
A small white cat-like creature suddenly popped out from Rover's Tacet Mark midair, wobbling before floating face-first into the room.
Jeff and Rover both screamed.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
The tiny creature blinked innocently.
"…Food?"
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| Panhua's Restaurant |
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(JEFF'S POV)
The restaurant buzzed with its usual warmth and noise, steam curling from fresh dishes while conversations overlapped.
Chixia spotted them immediately.
"Over here! Been waiting for ya!"
Jeff and Rover approached the table.
Then Chixia narrowed her eyes.
"…Wait a minute."
Jeff immediately sighed.
"What now?"
Chixia leaned forward suspiciously.
"Why do you look more haggard than usual?" Her gaze slowly drifted toward Rover. "And Rover…"
Rover stiffened. "You look…" Chixia squinted harder. "Strangely…Refreshed."
Jeff coughed violently into his fist.
Rover nearly died on the spot.
A faint blush instantly spread across her cheeks as she turned away way too quickly.
"It's probably nothing," Jeff answered immediately. "Can we eat first? I'm starving."
Yangyang quietly hid a smile behind her tea.
Chixia gasped dramatically. "Oh my god."
Jeff pointed at her warningly. "Don't."
"I didn't even say anything!"
"You were about to."
"Oh, I absolutely was."
Rover buried her face in her hands. "Please stop talking."
Chixia cackled. Then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh right! Yangyang said you guys had a super cool little buddy to show us!"
Jeff rubbed his temple.
"Yeah… about that."
Rover awkwardly cleared her throat.
"We… don't fully understand how it works yet."
Chixia blinked. "…Did it really just pop out of your Tacet Mark?"
Right on cue—
"Mmm… smells good!"
The little white creature suddenly emerged again, floating beside Rover while staring directly at the food.
Chixia nearly fell out of her chair.
"THERE IT IS!"
The creature spun happily in midair salivating at food in front of it.
"Foodfoodfoodfood—"
Jeff sighed deeply and lied as naturally as he breathes. "Yep. That's, I don't know what that is."
Yangyang adjusted herself calmly before beginning her explanation. "Yes. This is similar to how it first manifested during the Norfall Barrens incident."
Chixia leaned forward immediately.
Yangyang continued. "Back then, while Jeff and I were fighting Tacet Discords, the statue released a violent surge of energy. At the same time, Jeff's Tacet Mark reacted."
Rover looked surprised. "Really?"
Jeff shrugged helplessly. " Apparently our Resonant energies are synchronized somehow."
He leaned back with a tired sigh. "And according to Academy records? It's pretty fucking unusual."
Yangyang nodded. "Two forces collided violently. Eventually one overwhelmed the other."
Her gaze shifted toward Abby. "General Jiyan and Rover later reported that this little one emerged and began consuming the excess Threnodian energy."
Chixia stared at the tiny floating creature. "This thing did all that?"
Abby proudly puffed itself up.
"Yes!"
Jeff snorted.
Yangyang continued carefully. "It reminded us of how Jeff and Rover absorb frequencies similarly to Tacet Discords. So we brought both of them to Baizhi for further examination."
She folded her hands neatly. "Apparently this creature is the 'Shared Space' or 'Organism' we previously detected within Rover's body… though now it seems Jeff is connected to it as well."
Jeff rubbed his face slowly.
"This shit keeps getting weirder."
And what the hell is my role in all this anyway? he thought grimly.
Yangyang continued. "It resembles an Echo processed by the Data Bank… except instead of existing within a Terminal, it exists within both of you."
"In simpler terms," she added gently, "without both Jeff and Rover… it cannot manifest."
Rover glanced toward Jeff instinctively.
Yangyang continued. "Baizhi also discovered another power source within both of you. Similar to the Crownless… but stronger."
The table quieted. "That power originated from the Tacet Discord defeated in Norfall Barrens. The energy Abby consumed redistributed itself between both your bodies."
Jeff frowned. "So we're basically sharing power?"
Yangyang nodded slowly. "Yes. Baizhi referred to it as… Convergent Codependency."
Jeff blinked. "…That sounds terrifying."
Rover tilted her head slightly. "What exactly does it mean?"
Yangyang hesitated briefly. "To simplify… the three of you are linked. Your energies, emotions, even physical conditions can affect one another."
Silence.
Jeff suddenly remembered last night.
…Oh.
Rover suddenly looked away too quickly.
That explains WAY too much.
Both immediately turned red.
Yangyang blinked, confused at their reaction. "…Did I say something strange?"
"NO," both answered instantly.
Chixia narrowed her eyes suspiciously again. "…Why are you both blushing?"
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
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Hello everyone, feel free to leave your collections, powers, reviews, and comments as you see fit. That's all; thank you for reading this fanfic, and I hope you have a good day.