Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Yes," she was still crying. She wasn't even ashamed of it at this point. The past few days had started out so well. She'd had so much fun at that festival (Halloweeny or not), but it seemed so long ago. The crazy insanity times at the house overwhelmed everything else, and then Armagnac was silent, and now... She was tired and frustrated and she still just cared too much.

"I think I get it," she sniffed, wiping at the tears again. "Something terrible happened. I can't even imagine how badly you've been hurt. But I'm not sure I understand why you think you are such a bad person to be around.

"Don't get involved with someone like you? It's not worth it? What exactly make you so bad to hang out with? Jake, look around," she looked up at him and gestured to the island, "I'm going to die someday. So are you. And it's not going to be peaches and cream and peaceful. It's probably going to be painful and bloody and horrific." Like those times when she'd been certain she been dead. "I can promise you one thing. If you go before me, I will be sad, and I will cry for you.

"So you see, I am stupid. Stupid for thinking it might be nice, and therefore worth it to spend some time with you while you are still alive and stupid for thinking you might actually enjoy some company."

She sniffed again. "I don't think you're a bad person. Bad people don't feel regret. Bad people don't give two thoughts about anyone else. Honestly, when you are not trying to hurt my feelings, you don't seem that bad. I just don't--" she stopped and looked at him.

"If I asked you a question, would you give me an honest answer?"

And then it seemed like he was angry again. She knew she should have stopped talking. See, Armagnac, this is why I don't talk. Because I talk too much. Armagnac would have told that was a silly idea, but she was still just silent.

He's right, I don't- and then he just seemed come apart.

Sherry listened. She really didn't know what do, what to say. Talking had gotten her this far, and what was this? Just more pain? Still, it did prove one thing to her. He wasn't completely bad. Just...she didn't know. Really sad on the inside?

"You know what you don't get? That it's going to happen. One day, you won't come home. And if I'm not already dead, I'll notice. So tough." It was her business now. Had been from the first moment she told him in that haunted house that she was gonna keep an eye on him. You don't forget people.

She sighed a little, and scooted closer to the death trainee once again. "Yep. You are totally weak and useless. I suppose I might have survived that wolf thing on my own, but we'll never know, will we?" She stopped. What more could she say?

"Jake," Sherry sighed, "It's not all your fault." Against her better judgment, the life trainee reached out, and put one arm around Jake's shoulders. She just didn't know what else to do.

"Some of us can't help but notice," her free hand wiped the last of her tears off her cheek. It seemed liked she'd stopped crying for the moment. Worrying about others seemed to bring out the tougher side in her. The feeling, the ties to others, that was what drove Sherry forward, gave her the strength to fight.

And that was why she just couldn't understand.

"Explain it to me. What makes it easier to be alone? Why are you such a bad person to be around? Convince me that it's better for both of us, and I might go away and never talk to you again.

But. I would still notice. And I would still watch your back."

"Then why even fight? You told me you have nothing left to protect," she stopped there, remembering the why behind it. "So why? Why even continue?"

She pulled her hand away from his. "I just don't get why it's easier. Isn't it harder to make yourself not care? Do you just not care naturally?" She pointed her finger at him. "And if you don't care, then why am I not wolf chow? I bet you regret that. But I wasn't your responsibility, so why did you even bother?"

She was beginning to float somewhere between tears and anger again. Maybe both. It was just so frustrating. He was. She couldn't just walk away though. She knew herself better than that. She'd wonder, and she'd bloody damn well care.

"You just--" her phone buzzed. Dammit. She pulled it out even as she continued talking, "you just don't seem to get it. I care. I'm going to. Until you can convince me that I shouldn't. That it's not worth it." She glanced down. A summons. Not a mission, since her weapon was out, but a summons all the same.

"Give me your phone."

Sherry rolled her eyes. It was clear that they were at an impasse of sorts. Normally, she would just back down and walk away. Ok, not normally, but before. That, and the text she'd just received had done a bit to focus her mind. Really, Sherry should just stay in mission mode all the time. It was much more efficient.

So, Sherry had rolled her eyes, and just looked at Jake for half a moment, pointedly ignoring half of what he said. "Apparently I am a masochist," she sighed.

"Your phone," she held hers up. "You know, you should have gotten one when you got the coat."

She really didn't have time for this. She slipped her phone back into her pocket.

Armagnac would be asking Sherry why this mattered. Why she cared. Why she was wasting her time since he clearly didn't want any of it. Though, she might be impressed by the fact that Sherry hadn't backed down or given up yet. Sadly though, Armagnac was not here to talk any amount of sense into her hunter.

And Sherry just really didn't have time for this. "Your phone," she repeated as she got to her feet, sounding very much like it should be the most obvious thing on the planet.

To be fair, she didn't really give him time to respond again. She was suddenly very close to the death trainee, looking him dead in the eye, a very serious expression on her face. One hand reached out to grab his shirt and hold him in place, while the other began to poke and prod at him, quick as she could. Yes, Jake. She was touching you. Because if you couldn't find you damn phone yourself, then she would.

It wasn't the first place she checked, since she considered the front pocket to very personal space, but she hadn't noticed anything phone-like on the back end so, she slipped her hand straight into one of those front pockets. Aha!

She took a step back and pushed him away, clutching her prize. "This," she said, holding it up for him to see. Then she flipped it open, and sent a single text to herself.



Snapping it shut, she held the phone out to him with a little smile.

She rolled her eyes again, but the small bit of triumph she obviously felt still showed on her face. "Yes, this is what I was after," she arched an eyebrow. "Why? What did you think I was asking for?

"This," she gave the phone a small flourish, and took step towards him, "is your phone. It is one of the most important objects you own now, kiddo. You'd best be keeping it, since it's how the higher-ups like to communicate with us. Our orders usually arrive in the form of texts, like the one I got a minute ago."

Since he didn't look like he wanted to take the phone, Sherry figured she'd best help him with that, too. Without warning, she reached out and slipped the phone back into his pocket. "So," she continued with her advice, "if it buzzes, you might want to check it." She gave the pocket a small pat.

"And, I'll just take that as future permission to assault you. But for now, I have somewhere to be." She turned to walk away.

She wasn't finished with you, Jake. She just didn't have time right now.