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 Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 2:58 pm
Oh, now that was a story Jett could feel himself anguishing over telling. How do you say, 'some little girl practically forced me?' and not sound like a complete pushover?
"I was at work and a friend came in. She needed a lift to the grocery store so she could pick up some cans and, you know. I got looped into her shenanigans. Besides," he shrugged and let out a relieved sigh when the light turned green. Thunder was rolling and it looked like the sky was going to tear open any minute now.
"She said food and clothes, though, and mom's been nagging me to clean out my closet for a few years now. This seemed like a fair enough cause. I'm surprised you'd be donating anything, though. Shouldn't you, I don't know. Maybe save up for yourself or something?"
...You don't get anywhere in life if everything you do is for others. You had to look after yourself, first and foremost--worry about other people later. When it didn't cost too much sacrifice.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 3:47 pm
Eric was big on self-sacrifice. He'd given one of his two ties to a girl in the surrounding, and hadn't even tried to get it back when she didn't need it anymore. He was the kind capable of giving almost anything he owned away to someone he thought needed it.
"Well, If I was fundraising for the poor I would get stuff I wouldn't get just playing normally. And then of course it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep any of it."
He shrugged.
"I'm eating, I've got a roof over my head, it’s not that bad. I can afford to give to others, and it feels bloody good doing it. You know?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 4:22 pm
Uhm. Nooooo. Jett didn't know. He, in fact, was almost a tad bit angry that he'd taken so much out of his own wallet to help these strangers he didn't even know. He had seen many sides of homeless people--he'd seen the ones that squandered their lives away, that were down on their luck because of gambling addictions, drug problems--alcohol.
He had seen his fair share of people who deserved every last little bit of nothing that they had. Jett knew that not every homeless person in the world was some sort of villain--but it was hard to see that there were good ones when every night he could go out and find plenty of them hitting the bottle.
Still, Millicent had made this sound like it was going to go towards deserving families and Jett hadn't been able to argue.
"...I guess that makes you pretty special. Don't you have any aspirations, though? You know, getting married, settling down--having a family and supporting them? Anything like that?" he asked as he pulled into the parking lot of the library.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 6:21 pm
Eric shrugged.
"Yeah... eventually. But it’s not like I'm running out of time. Besides, everything will be easier once I get my big break. I've just been in a bit of a rut lately. I'll make it big soon."
He slumped down a little bit. He had been saying that for a while.
"I got a gig at a party a few weeks from now, and the guy who hired me's a big wig or something. So maybe that'll be my big break. Who knows?"
He smiled, forever hopeful.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 7:00 pm
Jett cast a look at Eric and nodded as he pulled into a parking spot and turned off his car, pulling out the keys. He had significant doubt that Eric would make it big--not because he didn't have faith in the man's skills, but because he was a practical man who believed in business.
He didn't think that telling that to Eric was going to bode well, so instead he unbuckled himself and said, "Well, then! I'll wish you all the luck in the world. But you have to promise, if you make a few bucks, make sure you get yourself a good place to live, all right?"
Jett really didn't want to hear that Eric had gotten killed in the park or something--especially after the man had confessed that he'd been willing to donate anything he made to charity.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 7:27 pm
Eric nodded.
"Of course, there’s no way I’d stay living with my mate when I make it big. I’ll get a little house somewhere so that I can get that family you were talking about started."
He smiled thinking about it. He fiddled with the door for a moment before he got it open.
"What about you? What are your long term life goals? You planning on staying in the antique business, or move into a different line of work? Maybe get a little house and a family of your own?”
Eric stepped around to the back of the car to help Jett carry his donations.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 7:47 pm
If Eric hadn't been standing there, Jett wouldn't have thought to pass him a box, but Jett figured if he was going to stand there like that, he might as well be of some use. After he climbed out of his car, he pulled out box and handed it to the redhead.
"Little house and family of my own?" he repeated, though it was obvious that it was rhetoric. He pulled out another box from the back of his car and held it in his arms. It wasn't that heavy given that it was just clothes, but he wasn't going to stack all of his boxes up and risk dropping them all over the parking lot.
He closed his car door by bumping his hip against it and then answered, after the slight delay, "I don't really want to have a little house. I want a big one. So far as family...?"
He was quiet--for just a moment, and then shrugged. "...I probably wouldn't make for a good father, so, no. Probably not a family."
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 8:42 pm
Eric raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Really? No family? I would have had you pegged as a family man, Jett. I mean, look at you. You're here helping the homeless; you're helping keep an eye on the senshi. You're protecting the world for Christ’s sake. And you’ve got Raven."
He smiled.
"You say you don't want a family now, but when you get older, when you get out of school and your life is starting to come together, I think you’ll find yourself excited to settle down and start a wee little family of your own."
With very blond children, though Eric resisted the urge to say that last bit out loud.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:51 pm
Pegged him as a family man? Eric must have been delusional. Jett had neither the patience nor the self sacrifice needed to properly tend to children--even if they were his own. "When I get older, maybe. People change. But I don't anticipate a desire for children. Besides. Raven and I haven't been dating for too long. Whose to say we won't decide to call it off one day? ...You can't predict the future, so why bother? If a woman's too much trouble--kids, on top of it?"
Eric's perception of Jett seemed a bit off; he had listed only the positives and seemed to be ignorant of all the negative aspects of Jett's actions. Jett wasn't going to bother correcting him.
He shrugged and started walking towards the library. "Maybe I'm just not meant to be a family man. Apparently it doesn't run in the family, anyway," he said, tone undeniably sour.
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 7:21 pm
Eric bit his lip. Now THAT sounded like a sore subject. Something must have happened to Jett today to get him in such a mood, he was down today. Maybe he just got out on the wrong side of the bed, but it was clear that a change of subject was necessary.
"Well... then. There’s that. You know future. Hard to predict. So how are your holidays going? Have any big plans for Christmas or new year’s eve?"
That was a subject sure to lighten his day, everybody loved Christmas. It was just a festive time of year in general.
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 7:55 pm
"Honestly, no," Jett shrugged. "Spending Christmas with Mom, don't have plans for New Years. Thought I might hang out with Raven, but," he shrugged. "Kind of depends on her plans. She's been spending an awful lot of time with that dog." Jett offered a very slight laugh, though it was clear that he was almost vaguely bitter about it.
Jett was a jealous soul, and if he had to abduct that dog to get Raven to pay attention to him, you'd better be damn sure he would.
"What about you?" he asked as he continued to cross the parking lot. "You have anything awesome going on?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:09 pm
Eric shrugged, attempting to not jostle the box too much when he did.
"Ah no, not really. Maybe I'll give Candice a call for New Year ’s Eve or something, but mostly I'm just going to be taking advantage of all this good will towards men to get a few more tips on when I play on the corner. Most of my family either lives across the pond or is visiting family across the bond. I can’t afford a ticket so I’m staying for the holidays."
He looked up at a thought.
"Oh! But Steve is leaving for the holidays too, so Ive got the place to myself until January third. So that’s good, no more sleeping on the bus if he gets lucky."
He knew he hadn't told Jett about that but it was a funny story, maybe Jett'd ask about it?
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:53 pm
Jett once again found himself thinking that it was a bad idea to interact with people he knew as both Jett and Remarque given that he nearly slipped up and gave away that he had already once caught Eric sleeping in the park because of Steve's little escapades. He bit his tongue for just a second before he prompted, "Sleeping on the bus? Doesn't sound like a healthy past time. Aren't you worried somebody'll mug you or something or am I the only one that seems to worry about things like that...?"
Sleeping in your car was one thing--you could lock the door and, hell, you'd probably wake up if someone was stupid enough to try and rob the car with you in it, but--the bus? That just seemed to be asking for trouble.
He got to the library and pulled open the door, holding it open for Eric as he waited. "...You definitely need to get a better place to stay for those nights your friend is getting lucky..."
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:58 pm
Eric nodded.
"Oh aye, usually I know enough ahead of time to just find a room with another friend, but sometimes I can’t find somewhere to crash or I don't know far enough ahead of time to try and plan."
He shrugged.
"It’s not really that safe, especially since sometimes I nod off in parks or the like, but I honestly don't always have an option. If I could afford a place of my own I'd have one in a heartbeat, but I don't. So I don't worry myself too much about it, its just the way things work sometimes."
He shrugged again.
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 9:13 pm
Jett just shook his head, seeming surprised. "You're crazy. You're absolutely crazy, Eric. Is everyone from Scotland that outright mad, or are you an exception there, too?"
The question was rhetoric, and after Eric entered the library, Jett followed after him and started towards the donation drop off box. He kept his voice a bit softer now, but went on, "You don't worry about danger, live day by day, will give up your hard earned money for the homeless when you probably need it just as much as they do--I just don't know what to do with you. I feel like I should be donating these to you!" he said of the clothes he held in his arms. His tone was teasing--and yet he spoke--at least partially--the truth.
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