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 Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:44 pm
"My dad got laid off when I was really little. We weren't ever really good off to begin with, but when I was little we at least had money for like- games and s**t." She gestured to the spot where her black nintendo 64 had sat. "The one I brought here's the same one we bought back in ... ******** a long time ago." And she'd traded it for Lord of the Rings, if Jack was keeping score.
She was relatively ashamed of this part of herself, because it was something she'd been conditioned to be ashamed of. You always heard stories about families that recovered, sought help- not the Crafts. Her father had stayed lazy on unemployment and her mother had worked too many jobs. She ate cup of noodles for lunch most days (at best) and had only learned to cook because there were no brand foods in their house ever. Only the odds and ends they could hang on to.
"I don't mind blowin' my hunter money on other people 'cause I like milkin' these assholes for what they got and I love my friends, but s**t I can't even wrap my mind around that s**t for myself." She picked at the holes in her clothes rather poignantly and said, "Sorry..."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 8:56 pm
He figured the console had some history; according to the Gamestop guy, N64s were pretty old, and if there was one thing he understood about Chel, it was that the things that actually did remain a constant in her life had meaning. He lowered his arms and braced back against the couch as she spoke, appearing thoughtful.
"Why sell something if it has that much meaning?" he had to ask, not judging for once but just curious. "You could have waited for your next paycheck to get those movies."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:10 pm
There was a conflict in her eyes, but she flinched (no doubt from something Tenebrae had said) and with a blink it was gone.
"'Cause it was important to ya." Chel said it very plainly and put her fingers on the ones he'd put on the couch behind her. "Made you 'n Owain happy so." She shrugged. It still made her kind of sad (she hated thinking about that nerd's greasy fingers curled around her childhood), but Chel was not one for regrets. "I'll get another n64 someday no big."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:52 pm
"Important." He scoffed but it didn't have the same edge to it. "My expressing interest in a series of movies I could have easily bought myself is more important than something you had since you were a kid." It was clear Jack didn't understand. His objects held more intrinsic value to him than most people; how else could he have an entire collection of shoes and still not be rid of the rattier selections among them, after all? It didn't matter that another could be bought. If he tried to imagine replacing certain shoes with exact replicas, he knew it would have violated some unspoken principle.
Jack's glasses lifted as he rubbed his nose and then dragged his hand down with a sigh. The answer was obvious even without Owain's less than subtle prods, but he still wouldn't touch it. "Well, consider this a no big, then," he said after a moment, squeezing her fingers. "Or...whatever. Did I at least get good games? The Wii Sports one was part of the bundle regardless before you judge."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:00 pm
Chel's chest tightened with guilt as he brought up the games. Please just move on.
"I got no idea really. I only ever played like ... four games." She ran another nervous hand through her hair, loosing one side that now fell out of the bun. "M'sure we'll have fun."
She smiled more naturally and reached over to pull him into a hug with a kiss on his cheek whether he liked it or not. "Yer the best kinda not boyfriend ever," she told him with a laugh. It was easier to say without having to look him in the face.
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:34 pm
"The Brawl one looked promising," he said as he accepted the affection surprisingly well; no resistance was found as he was tugged in. He was quite content to lie against her, and his little smile agreed with Chel: indeed he was the best. Better this than exploring what made them both uncomfortable.
"Feel like trying it out?" The smile morphed into a crooked grin. "I bet I could beat your a** like I did at Mario Kart."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:49 pm
"I bet you'd like to beat my a**," she said with a laugh that moved them somewhere more comfortable. Despite what Chris and Tenebrae said, Jack was important to her because he made her feel relaxed and on edge at the same time. It was what someone of Chel's character needed.
She stood off the couch and took his hand with her, pulling him gently towards the door. "We can play later. We're goin' now."
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:58 pm
He snorted and retorted, "I bet you'd let me because you like it rough."
Like a slinky, it required the entire length of his arm to get drawn out before he was pulled up and along. "Where to do what?" If it was somewhere bright he needed to go fetch his sunglasses.
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 11:00 pm
"Somewhere dark and crowded..." Chel said with a snort.
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