I`m afraid I had to post a wee bit early this week! (But I`m sure nobody will be upset by this....) This week`s prompt is: Persecute Now show us an example!

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Oh...LOL. Love it, CW. Love it.

LOL, Chris! Don't you just hate it when you know the word you want and it isn't the one you used? Poor Jinpei!

And here's my little offering: "All right then.  Since it is such a nice day, I suppose we could do with some fresh air and exercise."  He turned and opened the door to the car. "So what are we doing?" Jun asked, going around to the passenger side. "I was thinking we take a look at those falls that Madge mentioned.  She seemed pretty enthusiastic about them." "She was enthusiastic about you," Jun muttered under her breath as she slid into the car.  He gave her a sidelong look. "You think so?" Jun's eyes widened in horror.  "Don't even go there.  Besides, isn't she married?" "I thought so, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't be open to fill the void of her empty life in exchange for a few hours of happiness." Jun clapped a hand over her mouth, then removed it.  "That's just so wrong, on so many levels." Red Impulse laughed out loud then, startling her with its sound -- rich and deep -- and the genuine smile transformed his face, with the crinkles at the corners of his eyes and a dimple that she had never noticed indenting one cheek.  It made him look years younger than she had thought him to be. It made her want to make him laugh again; to see that complete transformation once more.  It made her want to make him happy, so that he would stop frowning and be lighthearted like this all the time.  It was, she realized with a start, the same feelings that she felt with Ken as well.  To see that smile that seemed to light up the room, to hear him laugh instead of merely shake his head with a sad sort of look.  To see that sparkle in his blue eyes.  Then again, she could say the same of Joe, too. What was it with these men? Why did they all wear a look as though they were being constantly persecuted by their thoughts? It is the lot that falls to women, to be the pleasers; a natural instinct to make those around them like them and be happy. Her teacher's words came back to Jun so loudly, she could have sworn the woman was sitting in the car with them instead of only being a memory.  She had resented the woman's words back then.  Jun wanted to be her own person, and she was.  There was no one to please -- no demanding parent and, certainly at the ripe old age of seven, no boyfriend -- only Jinpei and his wants were few enough.  A ball to play with, food to eat and a warm place to curl up to sleep were all he required. But then came Nambu Hakase and his demands -- could she do this?  Would she want to train hard enough to get to the level he needed her to be?  Would she be willing to put everything else aside, perhaps even her life if need be, if it meant she would be a part of the team that would save the world? That, she thought as she watched the countryside slide by as Red Impulse headed the car away from the Old Mill, was where it started.  Then came the guys, and now, to here.  When had she stopped wanting to do things for herself? When she joined the team, she answered herself.  She glanced over to Red Impulse, his face impassive once more as he concentrated on driving.  Was it the same for him? "Why did you join the Red Impulse team?" she asked, her words sounding very brash in the small space. "I didn't," he answered.  "They joined me." It wasn't much of an answer, but Jun was surprised he had even bothered to answer her at all. "Was it a long time ago?" A corner of his mouth lifted as he flicked a glance over to her.  "Very long.  You might even say it's ancient history." Jun smiled at his attempt to lightened her mood.  "No, seriously.  How did you ...."  Her words trailed off as she tried to frame the question, but Red Impulse answered the question she felt rather than spoke. "Our team was formed by Nambu Hakase, same as yours, though our main objectives were to be in espionage first, and then when your team was put into action, to become a fighting group, to offer back up support and protection, while your team took on more of an investigative role, doing reconnaissance, gathering information, that sort of thing." "But that's not what happened." "No," Red Impulse said, sighing out the word.  "The theory worked on paper, but in practice, things just evolved differently than even Nambu Hakase could have foreseen." They rode in silence for a few minutes, Jun turning over his words in her mind, braiding them together with what she knew from her side. "Is that why he had agreed to you guys giving us that extra training, then?  Even though we had had our own extensive training before all that?" One of Red Impulse's shoulders shifted in a shrug.  "One of the reasons, yes." Another long silence before Jun spoke again. "Do you guys resent the fact that we just took that over from you?" "Resent you?"  Red Impulse gave a small laugh.  "Hardly.  The way I see it, you are all soldiers now, and you all need to learn how to fight your own battles, because some day, you might be all you have to fight with.  If you don't learn how to do that now, you won't be able to fight then.  Besides, your team becoming independent frees us up to continue doing this sort of work.  Between the two teams, we're now covering twice the area than if it was just one team alone." Jun gave a small gasp when she saw that he had brought them back to the inn.  He opened his door and turned to her. "Stay right here," he ordered.  "I'll just be a few minutes.  I just need to get something." "Not Madge, I hope." He laughed that expressive laugh once more, his dark blue eyes lit with his amusement.  "No, although I believe that could be arranged if you really want." "No!" Even with the car doors closed, she heard him laughing all the way into the inn.

Originally posted by RIgirl LOL, Chris! Don't you just hate it when you know the word you want and it isn't the one you used? Poor Jinpei!

Poor Jinpei, many of us have done this to him over the years.

RIgirl: Aw, I really like this conversation. Both of them opening up a little and being real. (Yes, Jun's asking questions, but they're questions that reveal what's going on in her own head.)

That's perfect, Chris! It reminds me of a couple of years ago when we had the 'dyslexia' theme for a bunch of these prompts...

We're so mean to the little guy!

Originally posted by ChrisW We're so mean to the little guy!

Hey, it could have been a whole lot worse!

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Oooh, someone's in trouble now!!!!!

Ugh... I hope he doesn't fall for this 'sympathetic' view of Julia! She needs to go away for a loooong time...

Uh oh ... someone better start running ... fast!