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Steadfast
If there was one trait about Jet Black to be admired, it was how steadfast he was. He was the Black Dog that bit and didn’t let go. He was a pillar of stability in a world constantly in flux. He was the stern father figure that his crew so desperately needed (even if they fought him on issues where he was obviously in the right).
He had a strong moral code and he stuck to it, dammit. He’d do what was right regardless of how it might hurt him in the process. It had been the downfall of his career as a cop but that was because the police force wasn’t as concerned with justice and fairness and honor as it ought to be. If he’d realized that sooner… well, maybe there was more he could have done from the inside. Realistically though, the rot was so pervasive that it was kind of a surprise that he hadn’t been caught up in it too.
Well, perhaps to a degree he had. There were things he’d noticed, little details he’d filed away, and that had given him a healthy amount of blackmail against quite a few folks on the force. And those were the ones he considered good guys much akin to himself.
So he wasn’t exactly perfect himself. But dammit, he was steadfast. He had a job and he did it well. He always looked out for civilians and did his utmost to ensure the people he brought in were in fact guilty of the misdeeds for which they were wanted. And sure sometimes he let people go… there were plenty of relatively innocent folk who got caught up in something over their heads… plenty of people struggling to make ends meet and provide for their families. There were lots of reasons to let a bounty slip through your fingers.
If Spike gave him a knowing look… if Faye smirked like she was in on a joke… if Ed clapped her hands and danced around in celebration… well, they just knew that he was in the right. He was their moral compass after all. He had a code of honor and they respected that.
He had taken in a bunch of strays who often skirted the law or downright ignored it and he was continually inspiring them to think deeper, to do better, and to make the right choices for themselves in life. It was an admirable position to be in and he tried hard to make sure that he was setting the right example for all of them. Even himself. Sometimes even a steadfast man like Jet Black needed to remind himself of how to be a good man, how to perform your duty in a world that fought back against what was righteous.
The others needed him to be just. To be firm. To hold their family together and provide for each and every one of them. He did it gladly. Fixed their ships, mended their clothes, prepared their meals. It was the little things that mattered. It was the crucial repairs that kept them going. It was Jet that glued their entire home together.
And he always would, no matter how many times they ducked out or traipsed off or bailed. No matter what they took or how long they were gone. He’d keep the ship in working order and keep setting a place for them at the table.
He was steadfast and he had built a home to last.