Supernova || Amelia and Jim
This was probably the twentieth hallway he’d turned down. His hands were buried deep within his pockets as he glanced over the proudly framed photos that hung on the wall. They all seemed so pleased with themselves. He still held a deep resentment towards the true puppeteers behind the Etherium. Yeah, he blamed the royal navy for a lot of this mess. With what went down back at the academy, it had to be their fault. Someone from the inside must have leaked information to the clan. How else could they have accessed and infiltrated the system? Nah, he didn’t buy it. He didn’t trust anybody in this place.
Nobody, except for her. Finally, he found her office. ‘Captain Amelia Smollet’, read the metal plate on the door. He felt dread knot in his stomach and turned the opposite way. He paced the outer corridor just trying to wrap his mind around what he would say. I mean, what could he say? Words seemed out of reach. Nothing sounded right. ‘Hey, sorry I haven’t said a word to ya in like, four years. So uh, the school blew up and how long had you known my dad?’ Not a clue what to say; but he’d wasted more than enough time loitering their hallway. Eventually he’d be kicked out for wandering aimlessly. He wasn’t supposed to be back here anyway. Rolling his shoulders forward, he headed straight for her door and rapped twice. He didn’t wait for an answer before barging in and shutting the door behind him. With his hand still on the knob, he peered over his shoulder. Man, she hadn’t changed. Not in appearance anyway. “—Long time no see, cap.” Jim’s eyes fell away from her figure as he stepped away from the door. His face seemed forcibly straight as he tried to maintain a cool attitude. He approached one of the seats in the middle of the room and plopped down. “Nice office. Seems like they fixed you up real good in here.”
All those years ago, after discovering the corruption within the ranks of their government, Amelia had been certain that she had gotten out for good. Her and Arrow had made their vows to take their ship and do right by the universe. Mr. Arrow was always a good man - he had practically raised her, after all. He was loyal, brave and honest , and his loss was still something that haunted her. But young Mr. Hawkins… well, there was hope for him yet, even with all of the drama that had sprung up at the Academy. That was one mess she was not looking forward to cleaning up. Seeing him again brought the faintest hint of a smile to her face, though she maintained an air of professionalism the entire time. He was a sight for sore eyes, for sure, and she wanted nothing more than to leap out of her seat and wrap her arms around the boy, but she knew that was unacceptable. No matter what their previous relationship, she was required to maintain an air of professionalism at all times. “Mr. Hawkins - James. It’s, well, a pleasure to see you again.” She knew exactly why he was there. It was obvious. But she did not want to address it. Not yet. They were both avoiding the issue, but they couldn’t do that forever. Still, she would stall as long as she could. Letting out a sharp chuckle, Amelia twisted her feline features int a wry smirk. “Why yes, it certainly is lavish, fit for a high-ranking Admiral such as myself. Though I had to twist an arm or two to get the plate to read Captain and not Admiral. I much prefer my old rank. Suits me a little bit better, don’t you think?” Pursing her lips, Amelia eyed the boy before her. Did she want to bring up the issue first, or allow him to introduce the topic? She supposed that, as the person in authority, she really should bring it up, but he was indeed the person who had come to see her. “So what brings you to my office today?” They both knew the answer to that, but asking was a formality, one she was obligated to engage in.
