Calamity Jane

Jane Winchester, with her vibrant red hair framing her face, paced restlessly within the confines of the Outcast base. Her unusual crimson eyes almost began glowing as her temper spiked. Her father was still radio silent and she couldn't wait for him to come back – alongside that traitor, Kento. She was going to make them regret the day they were born.

"They seriously ditched me," she pouted. She knew that she lacked abilities for now, but it wasn't as if she was useless. Yeah, she couldn't freely manipulate aether but, somehow, she was constantly reinforced by it and was more resistant to magic than the average Outcast. Moreover, as a side effect of her bizarre condition, she was strong. Superhumanly strong. Could go blow for blow against a vampire strong. Sure, her hand-to-hand combat skills were a bit lacking, but she could definitely handle some mages.

"For fuck's sake, all it'd take would be one punch," she said.

To add more fuel to the already smoldering fire, Jane was also worried; her 18th birthday was coming soon and, every year, they always held a ritual to smooth things over in case she experienced a second Reality Break; her first awakening wasn't complete, since she was a child at the time, so a second one was definitely on the way. Usually, she wouldn't have to worry until she turned 21 but every year on her birthday, her powers became erratic which worried Marcus a lot. It wasn't unheard of for regular Outcasts to go through a second awakening, after all. For someone like Jane, it was almost a certainty. And, this time, she was feeling weird flare ups of aether and had small lapses of consciousness; she would never admit it out loud, but she was afraid, and she wanted her father to come back.

Things were changing way too fast. Marcus going on a long mission, Kento assassinating a mage in The Underworld – just what was he thinking?! Walking inside the Mage Association yelling "Hey, I'm an Outcast!" would be less dangerous. And then there was this Constantine guy, the enigmatic rookie who got abducted; just who the fuck was he to make her father and Kento go to such lengths to save him? Jane couldn't help but wonder about his story and the role he might play in the future. Was he an anomaly like her? Was he a threat?

Jane paced the Outcast base, her fiery hair swishing behind her; she was incredibly frustrated.

"This couldn't get any worse," she thought. She was wrong. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and in walked Darryl Jones, a familiar face with a mischievous grin that reached all the way up to his hazel eyes.

"Look who's here," Darryl announced, flashing a smirk at Jane.

Jane rolled her eyes, already bracing herself for Darryl's antics. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone edged with annoyance.

Darryl shrugged casually. "Just thought I'd drop by and grace you with my presence," he quipped, his sarcasm flowing like honey.

Jane huffed in exasperation. She knew Darryl liked to push her buttons, but she couldn't help but rise to the bait every time.

"Great," she muttered, trying to hide her irritation. "Just what I needed."

Darryl chuckled, clearly enjoying getting under Jane's skin. "Oh, come on, Janey," he teased, using the nickname he knew she hated. "You know you love having me around."

Jane scowled, resisting the urge to give Darryl a piece of her mind - or fist. She couldn't deny that he was good at what he did, but his cocky attitude grated on her nerves like sandpaper on skin.

Darryl leaned against the wall with a smirk. "So, Janey, your dad asked me to train you while he's away," he announced with a giant grin on his face.

Jane's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He fucking what?!" she exclaimed, caught off guard by her father's decision.

Darryl chuckled at her reaction. "Language, missy. You better play nice, you'll be stuck with me for a while," he said, his grin widening.

Jane sighed, resigned to her fate. Despite her annoyance with Darryl, she knew that her father wouldn't have entrusted her training to just anyone. If Darryl was good enough for Marcus, then she supposed she could tolerate him for a little while longer.

"Fine," Jane replied, her tone begrudging. "But don't expect me to go easy on you."

Darryl laughed, clearly unfazed by Jane's threat. "Wouldn't dream of it," he replied with a laugh.

With a nod of agreement, Jane and Darryl made their way to the training room, ready to spar. As they faced off against each other, the tension between them melted away, replaced by Jane's fierce determination to prove herself and Darryl's even fiercer determination to have fun at her expense. Not that Jane was any better; for her, the opportunity to take out her frustrations on Darryl was too good to pass up. She didn't wait and charged at him with a punch, but he smirked and dodged it, immediately counterattacking. With each strike and parry, she poured all of her pent-up energy into the fight, her movements fueled by a burning desire to win.

"Come on, Janey, put some muscle into it!" Darryl taunted, sidestepping a blow from Jane with a smirk.

Jane growled in response, her frustration mounting as Darryl effortlessly danced around her attacks. "Stop dodging and fight me head-on!" she snapped, her voice laced with irritation.

Darryl chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Why make it easy for you when I can keep you on your toes?" he retorted, darting forward to deliver a swift jab to Jane's side.

Jane winced at the impact, gritting her teeth against the pain. She swung back with a powerful uppercut, aiming to catch Darryl off guard, but he anticipated her move and gracefully ducked. As they continued to spar, Jane's frustration grew with each passing moment. Despite her overwhelming strength, Darryl's agility and precision seemed to give him the upper hand. She couldn't understand how he managed to evade her attacks so effortlessly.

"Enough with the dancing around!" Jane exclaimed, launching herself at Darryl. "I'm going to pound you into the ground!"

Darryl grinned, meeting Jane's charge head-on. He expertly deflected her blows, his movements smooth and calculated.

"You'll have to catch me first!" he laughed, delivering a series of lightning-fast strikes that left Jane struggling to keep up.

But Jane refused to back down. With a primal roar, she unleashed a flurry of punches, each one fueled by her now seething anger. Darryl dodged and weaved, his movements like a well-choreographed dance as he countered Jane's attacks with ease. As the intensity of their sparring reached its peak, Jane felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins. She was determined to prove herself, to show Darryl - no, all of them - what she was made of. She focused her energy and felt her body getting stronger, reinforced by aether as she quickly lunged forward with a mighty swing. However Darryl's form seemed to blur, and he effortlessly sidestepped her attack. Jane's frustration mounted as Darryl's movements became increasingly elusive, his ability to manipulate probability allowing him to escape her every blow.

"That's cheating!" Jane growled, her voice edged with frustration as she attempted to anticipate Darryl's next move.

Darryl grinned, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "It's not cheating if it works," he quipped, darting in to deliver a quick jab before dancing out of reach once more.

Undeterred, Jane pressed forward, her determination unwavering despite her growing annoyance. With each dodge and parry, she felt her frustration boiling beneath the surface, but she refused to let it get the best of her. As the spar continued, Darryl's ability to evade Jane's attacks became increasingly apparent. Time and again, he slipped through her defenses with uncanny precision, leaving Jane struggling to land a solid hit.

With a frustrated growl, Jane launched herself at Darryl with renewed vigor, desperately trying to break through his defenses. But no matter how hard she tried, Darryl seemed always to be one step ahead, his movements fluid and unpredictable. As the spar reached its peak, Jane couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat creeping in. Despite her best efforts, Darryl was toying with her.

With a resigned sigh, Jane conceded defeat. "You win," she admitted grudgingly. "But don't think this means I won't catch up. I'll kick your ass soon enough!"

Darryl chuckled, extending a hand to help Jane to her feet. "Just keeping you on your toes, Janey" he replied with a grin.

She looked at Darryl, wiping the sweat off his mahogany – hued skin with a towel. "At least I pressed him," she thought. She had a lot to learn from Darryl's skill and finesse, and she was hell-bent to rise to the challenge. To be useful to the others and to never be left behind again, she had to become the best fighter she could be. Besides, no matter what happened, Jane would never back down from a challenge, no matter how difficult it may be.

Darryl walked up to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You did really good, Janey," he said. "You even forced me to use my powers; that last hit would've taken my head off if I haden't dodged it. That temper of yours with that strength is a mean combo, kid," he said with a smirk. Jane scoffed.

"Just between us," Darryl leaned in a conspiratorial whisper, "The others have started calling you Calamity Jane," he finished with a chuckle. This was half - true. They did call her that, but he was the one that had started it.

"THEY FUCKING WHAT?!" she roared.

Darryl, barely controlling his laughter, swore to himself that he'd keep messing with Jane until the day he dies - probably by her hand, he admitted, amused. He messed with her because he saw her as family. And, despite her demeanor, he knew she cared about him too. They banter, bicker, help each other get stronger and always have each other's backs.

That's what family is.