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 Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:11 pm
Chel rolled and buried herself in Jack's side. "M'never gonna get it right," she assured Jack. "I'm tryin' my best, I am. I really am." It always came back to not being enough.
She glumly used Jack as a scapegoat. "What do you think I should do? I know I like takin' to Halloween people, but s'not really productive to the cause or whatever if I dont' want to sell 'em out. S'death division s**t. Ain't one of those backstabbers." Chel was scraping the bottom of her barrel for ideas. But she had thought about what Jack had said about making her connections useful. She was trying.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:24 pm
She couldn't see, but the frown he made entered his tone. "Stop ********' saying that, would you?" It was starting to hit uncomfortably close to home.
He turned his head and considered Chel's silhouette buried against him for a few moments. Hesitating, he winced and lifted that arm and then, hesitating more, he let it around her in an uncertain one-armed hug.
"I already told you my suggestion. It's up to you to figure out the rest, alright?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:48 pm
"I just can't think of a way I can keep the information to myself. Unless I become like a ********' Halloween pokedex." The reference made her smile. Jokes were always her gut reaction.
She didn't move in his hug, afraid that movement might make him second guess and move again. Instead, she let him feel out what he wanted to do. Like always. It didn't mean she wasn't comforted immensely. "You ever meet Allan? Division leader guy?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:54 pm
"That's not a bad idea, honestly." Still cautious (almost shy even), he let his hand press into the contour of her back. "No, I haven't really met him. I hear he's insane, though. Like anime translated into real life insane."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:04 pm
"He ain't insane just ..." She tried to think of a good word for it. "He's like Abbi on crack. Literally doesn't stop talkin' 'bout friendship ... says a bunch of words in Japanese I think- no ********' clue what any of 'em mean still."
Still, Chel didn't dislike Allan. She was just extremely weirded out by him. "Way better n' Simon anyways. You'd like Simon I think." She figured that was explanation enough. "Probably have a better time pitchin' it to Allan I think ..." She took a deep breath and blew it out across Jacks' skin. "But how am I supposed to do that if I can't even get off the island."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:11 pm
He hummed in thought. "You've met with more than a few of them, haven't you?" Jack asked. "Compile what you have into a report for later. Focus on good behavior for now. Do tasks for people and keep your head down until that thing's off."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:28 pm
Chel cringes at the word report, her body tightening. "Yeah ... maybe get Chris to write something out for me ... I'll think of something." Dyslexia was hard. It wasn't just frustrating to write a full length report, it was impossible.
She nodded, careful not to move her head in a way that would impact his bruises. "I been tryin'. Wearin' jackets and s**t. Duckin' outta sight when it beeps. M'gonna dye my hair later when I got time." She look up at him with her wide raccoon eyes and said, "You think I'd make a good brunette?" Because ******** if she was going to be blonde again.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:35 pm
He tried to picture Chel as a brunette and then immediately regretted it, because the image kept twisting back into Arwen or Lina or Charlotte, and he couldn't seem to stop it. His precious moment of complete lucidity was gone and the exhaustion was starting to take hold again. "I like a good brunette," Jack said casually, "but it was weird enough seeing you in blue and green. You having completely normal hair would be just..." He couldn't think of another word. "Wrong."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:40 pm
"I think that's why it makes sense. Brown hair blends into a crowd. Less attention that way. Layin' low~" She smiled and said, "Could always get Abbi to teach me the ways of the ginger."
Her thumb began to move lightly along his sides, tracing the faint scars absently. Not in an intentional way, but as a way to keep her mind busy. "Black hair'd make me look emo as ********. Blonde's out."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:47 pm
"I mean more than wrong, just--"
He stopped originally because the idea of Chel as a ginger was horrifying. then he stopped because he had to suppress a chuckle as she touched his scars (small, insignificant things now, barely of worth in his mirror inspections). He could not, however, stop his foot from twitching, and he sincerely hoped Chel didn't notice she'd found his ticklish spot.
"For the love've humanity, don't go ginger," Jack continued quickly. "I'd rather boring brown than that."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:54 pm
"I'm kidding I'm kidding I-" She then noticed Jack was twitching very oddly. Not his usual kind of tense but-
"Are you ticklish?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 10:57 pm
"We need to sleep," Jack said rather pointedly. It was at that point that he decided the awkward one-arm hug time was just about time, and he began to slide his arm off and conveniently try to put it back in place between himself and Chel.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:05 pm
Chel felt him detaching himself as always, but she was smiling instead this time. Of all the things she'd learned about Jack tonight, somehow knowing he was ticklish was the most satisfying thing.
She let him go and said, "Awright Beanstalk." She pressed her forehead into his arm and said, "Do me a favor though? You got a sweet a** guitar yeah? Play it when you're better for me, will you? Never actually heard you play it. Wonderin' if you're shitty or not." That was indeed a challenge, because Chel knew Jack would only rise to challenges.
Challenge or not, she folded herself back onto the pillow. They hung in a very strange balance, but she didn't dislike it. She was learning to respect herself.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:11 pm
"Pff." If there was one thing he was confident in, it was his guitar skills. "Maybe if you're a good girl," he replied as he adjusted his pillows and gingerly laid back down. "And maybe if I'm Nice Jack. Barbara's got class, I don't want you tryin' to ruin that."
It was easier to shut his eyes now. His body was starting to feel like a lead weight.
"Do me a favor too. Owain's been wantin' t'talk to you for a while, so...whenever you get a chance or somethin'."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:17 pm
Chel blinked a few times. Owain? Her?
She opened her mouth to say a long string of words, but then considered Jack's tiredness. "Sounds good to me. Love that guy," she said with a long yawn. Her own eyes closed and she patted Jack's arm. "Night Beanstalk."
Sleep still didn't come quickly, but it did come eventually. That was an improvement.
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