Welcome to Gaia! ::

Jerry stared at his work, feeling like a mad scientist standing over the table where his franken-creation was just stirring. It was feeble. It was probably not going to stay in tune. He would be amazed if he could get it in tune at all. But the neck was solid, the makeshift little wooden box body cut to the best of his ability, and the replacement string secure to the salvaged tuner. It was the fattest gauge fishing line he could manage to bribe away from what remained of the quartermaster's supply- the Hunter in charge had given him a stern look and a warning about actually trying to fish in these parts, but he assured him that wasn't how the string would be used.

He lifted it up to his ear with bated breath, plucking the string. He closed his eyes, hummed the correct note, turned the tuner and plucked again.

"IT'S.... ALIVE!!!!" He gasped, fighting the urge to cackle maniacally as he rolled backward onto the floor of his dim room and managed at least a gleeful giggle.

A joyous gleam in his eye, Jerry rolled onto his feet, eagerly rushing to throw the door open, and strum excitedly on his self-repaired ukulele ready to gush at whoever had been unfortunate enough to come to his door at just that moment- "ROBERT!! LOOK I FIXED IT!!"

"W-with portals down, I had to do a lot of improvisation but... but this is better than no ukulele at all, right? And god forbid something happen to my guitar, I don't know what I'd do with myself ahahahaha!" He beamed, "I managed to salvage most of the parts from the one Otto gave me last Christmas- I KNEW it was a good idea not to throw it out! It got ravaged by those little shadow things and my last one got possessed and all so- oh, heck, I'm sorry I'm so excited- come in! Come in!" He stepped out of the way and motioned to the couch and crafting-supplies covered coffee table.

"That's why I liked the ukulele. It's so small and portable, you know? And this one WAS in my room when it got gobbled," He huffed and flopped on the couch himself, happily trying to remember his fingering. Making the shift between it and guitar always put his head through a spin, but it was a welcome, easy to deal with spin he enjoyed and missed. A few familiar chords and his strumming slowed as he remembered what had probably prompted this visit.

"So... er. What er... is up?" He hoped that was delicate enough, but he had to admit he was curious as hell what the deal was with the rumors he had heard and talk he had seen on their chat system. Best to let the man explain himself, although already he could feel his mood shifting warily.

It had to be a misunderstanding.

Jerry stared. That was not something he had expected. He opened his mouth and closed it again, but at least had the decency to stop playing.

"... oh?" He managed, still slightly in shock, although his body stiffened as he sat up a bit, his grip on the neck of his repaired instrument tightening.

Petra was like a sister to him- a Zeta Sister, and the person he had technically known the longest in this place. Longer than Jordan or Robert. But as long as he'd known her as HER, it had always been Petra and Robert. Robert and Petra. Hell, they weren't out of the pods a few months and the wedding day had been set. It was surreal. What had Robert done to mess things up this badly? "What like... forever?"

Jerry bit his lip, eyes locked on the scraps of sandpaper and left over nuts and bolts on his coffee table for a few moments, "Was... did it have anything to do with that rumor about you and that Mimsy girl?"

Jerry stared long and hard at Robert. He knew the guy was a good person, even if he was brash and often quite terrible. Maybe no where near Rep levels of terribility but there were times the man had proven to be as equally cruel as he was kind. But cheating on his wife? When he was lucky enough to HAVE a wife at all? His stomach clenched as he tried to fathom it, tried to put himself in Robert's shoes. He knew Petra wasn't around very often- sent away on missions, always the hard worker. She could come across as cold and reserved, but never around Robert.

"Why?" Was all he managed.

Something in the back of his mind stirred, shifted, rattling the unseen lock, and his hand went to his chest with a soft noise as he shook it off, not quite understanding what it was he was feeling.

"Just... just like that?" Jerry's knuckles were white on his repaired uke, but he kept his breathing even, trying to will himself to calm down. "So... what? You'll fall in love with the next girl, and then the next and just... just keep hopscotching along? Do... do you know how lucky you are? And you just threw it away?"