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The fog was thinner than usual today, and Jordan had decided to take a walk, get some fresh air, maybe get some time to settle his thoughts. Talk things over with Ferros, maybe. But he hadn't gotten far before he heard his name being called.

He stopped and turned to see who it was, tensing slightly. But he relaxed again when he saw that it was Melvin. So far, his conversations with Melvin hadn't been stressful; he rather liked the Life hunter. Also, he noticed, Melvin had several minis on leashes. He raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Melvin," he called back, and waited for the other man to catch up.

"Just thinking about things," Jordan said. "It's a nice day for a walk. Want a hand with these guys?" He bent down to ruffle the minis' fur and ears. "Sorry, kids, I don't have any candies in my pockets."

"Do I seem the type for skipping? On second thought, don't answer that," Jordan said. "I'll just assume not, for my own peace of mind." He resumed walking, deftly managing the minis' leashes. After a moment, he gave Melvin a sidewise, slightly weary look. "You sure you want to know? Interpersonal conflict s**t."

"Everyone, huh." Jordan mulled that over for a moment. He'd really fallen out of touch. He didn't know much about the general mood on the island other than the obvious fact that everyone was touchy from being cooped up. The realization that he'd isolated himself had slapped him sharply in the face, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about it.

He sighed. "I don't know if you know about the - ah - feud Rep and Sasha have been having. That's the start of it, anyway."

Jordan's eyebrows lifted, and the corners of his mouth pulled down briefly as he realized that it was entirely possible that Melvin knew more about the matter than he had. "I talked to Wash this morning," he said. "Discovered that there were some things I hadn't been aware of." He shook his head, a flash of embarrassment and regret surfacing in his expression before he smoothed it away again. "Realized that I'd been ignoring some things because I didn't really want to face them. Also a small and idiotic fit of jealousy. It hasn't been one of my better days." He tugged one of the treats away from something unidentifiable and dubious-looking that it had been investigating beside the path.

Jordan looked pained. "Some of the things Wash said implied that there was a sexual element to the feud; Rep had been evasive about what exactly was going on and I didn't think Wash had a reason to lie to me. I wasn't fully alert yet, I'd woken up very recently, and I drew the wrong conclusions." He sighed. "It wasn't rational, no."

He gave Melvin a mildly annoyed look. "He's only recently gotten less touchy about not being straight, anyway."

At the last question, he looked away again, his shoulders slumping tiredly. "I've been isolating myself since the Lair. Not really reaching out to anyone, not paying attention, because if I did, I'd have to deal with unpleasant things. Old habits coming back to haunt me."

"Not yet, no." Jordan grimaced. "I just heard about this today, and I'm still sorting out what I'm feeling, so I don't overreact or jump to conclusions. If - no, when I talk to her, I need to be able to stay calm and not let personal biases override rational thought. That involves me figuring out what I actually feel about it first."

He smiled wryly. "I know he does. I do trust him." Then he angled an eyebrow at Melvin. "Harrison was the first guy Rep ever kissed," he said. "When he first got here, he insisted very loudly that he was straight. He and Rin had something going on for a short time."

He laughed a little. "Well, I'm talking to you. I've been pretty wrapped up in trying to avoid my problems the past couple of months. Not the smartest thing to do, and hell, I know that. I didn't want to acknowledge it. Guess I needed to be shocked out of it, as unpleasant as it is."