#bug fables jayde

in the right plACE THSI TIMEAKJSDHGKJHSFKJSCREAMING

Jayde taught Hoaxe to read while he was in the hive.

They mostly practiced on Bug Ranger comics, but she found some other things to read too. Most of them were fiction of some variety that she already had. Eventually she got some other stuff from the library.

They only got through some of it before Hoaxe just. Vanished.

She was the closest thing he really had to a friend, but their friendship never grew because he outright wasn't sure how, nor did he really have any grasp of being social short of what he could mimic from her or other wasps.

Part of the reason he's so caustic and angry is because that is in fact what most of the wasp hive taught him was normal. That's not the only reason he's caustic and angry, there's a lot more underneath that, but the hive didn't help.

Jayde was one of the few counterbalances to the above.

As we know, Vanessa gave Jayde the pendant that kept her safe from the crown's call. Whether Hoaxe was ever aware of this, neither is quite sure. Either she flew under Hoaxe's radar, or Hoaxe let it slide.

Hoaxe remembers Jayde. Jayde remembers Hoaxe. When he returned to the hive, they caught a glimpse of each other. Hoaxe recognized Jayde; Jayde did not recognize Hoaxe. Not with the crown, not with the robe, not his demeanor. Hoaxe told himself it was for the best.

Jayde is the one to connect the dots on who this usurper was, after everything was already resolved. Team Snakemouth described the mimic fly during the fight, and it clicked for her. For the briefest of moments, Jayde was the only living soul who knew Hoaxe's name.

She was able to retell what she remembered of Hoaxe's time at the nest. Needless to say, Vanessa II and Team Snakemouth were… a little conflicted at the revelation. Vanessa had never even known Hoaxe - she had no occasion to happen across him. She might've heard the initial report from the patrol that brought him back, but didn't necessarily do much follow up.

The kingdom at the time of Hoaxe's living there was in a bit of an awkward, restless point. Vanessa I was aging and clearly reaching the end of her days, and she had her heiress. There was some controversy over this new, mild-mannered heiress.

The wasps went much quieter for a bit when Vanessa II came to power, due to the whole "shift of queens" process. Vanessa II was crowned after Hoaxe had left.

When Hoaxe returned with the crown, Vanessa II was still a very freshly crowned queen. She had knowledge and lessons, but not a lot of experience. When Hoaxe swept in, she wasn't prepared or even sure what to do. This was not the sort of thing she'd had a contingency for, and this was her first true aggression to deal with outside of just managing her own kingdom.

The wasp kingdom as a whole was far more militant and aggressive under Vanessa I. Vanessa II was far more peaceful and in the process of trying to reform this. (For a small comparison, think Duchess Satine of Mandalore - the Duchess was a pacifist and Vanessa II is not, but they're both dealing with a people who have a history and heritage of war.)

forgot to post this here LOL