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 Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 12:35 am
The new year and the ability to use portals again did not mean that the cafeteria had good food. Jack learned this the hard way when he was rewarded with another MRE instead of something fresh. The guy said the first shipment that had come in the morning was all out, buddy; try again for the early bird special ******** you, too.
At least he had his coffee. Jack had all but monopolized the one in the Life Labs lately now that he knew it existed, and if the world decided to s**t on him, fine. At least he had a cup of Joe. What he didn't have, however, was the proper amount of sleep: his eyes were starting to sink into his face and give him a hollow look, and his hair was starting to feel oily again. Hell, his shoes looked scuffed, that was inexcusable. After the coffee, he told himself.
Right before his inattention made him bump into a rather beefy looking hunter entering the cafeteria, spilling hot coffee over his hand and shirt.
A litany of curses left him. Grumbling past the offender, Jack slapped his MRE on the nearest table and began searching for napkins.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:56 am
Despite--or perhaps because of--everything that had happened, Eva fell back into the routine she had been following even before her encounter with Otto. Most of her time was spent in her room, venturing out only a couple of times throughout the day so that she could grab a bite to eat from the cafeteria. If she had duties to fulfill that she couldn't get out of, she'd obediently attend for the absolute minimum time possible before escaping back to her room.
It was not a very enjoyable way to go about her days, to say the least. Eva didn't like moping, but when she isolated herself like this, the only thing to keep her company--besides Chara--were her own negative thoughts.
As she lay on the bed, her stomach suddenly let out a low, plaintive grumble, a sound that was starting to become irritatingly familiar to the young woman since it was the only sound to ever break the silence of her room. With a sigh, she sat up, haphazardly pulling her long hair back into a ponytail in what was probably a futile attempt to neaten herself up. She knew that she probably looked like hell, but she didn't have any intention on conversing with anyone anyways. Just keep you head down and walk, she told herself.
...At least, that was the plan until she walked in just in time to see an accident that ended with no apologies and a man covered in coffee. Her first thought was to walk away and continue with her day--it wasn't really her business, right? And it was just a spill--but Eva found herself moving on her own. Snatching a handful of napkins off to the side, she made her way over towards the unfamiliar face.
"Are you okay?" She asked, faintly cringing at her scratchy and uncharacteristically subdued voice as she offered him the napkins, "Didn't get burnt too badly, did you?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 11:35 am
God ******** damn it, on his good shirt too. Coffee stains, coffee stains, coffee stains. Jack literally felt a muscle near his eye twitch as he surveyed the work, blindly groping for something to dry himself off--and when he did, he also touched someone's hand as well.
Visibly recoiling, he jerked his head towards the voice. "No," he replied with a frown, and he would have added more choice words about not needing help had the woman not looked so bedraggled herself. It wasn't the untidy look so much as . . . something else, something unspoken. He'd felt it when dealing with a grieving Ian as well.
(( You are sympathizing, dear one! )) Owain was all but cooing. (( Contrary to your rough exterior, you have a heart of deep waters and powers of intuition! Oh, how romantic~ ))
Wrong. It's most likely sleep deprivation.
Delicately, Jack lifted the napkins from her hand without causing further unnecessary skin-to-skin contact and began dabbing at himself. ". . . You look like you need some caffeine yourself."
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 12:21 pm
The sudden brush against her hand made her flinch, eyes widening as she very nearly dropped all of the napkins. Fortunately, she had managed to compose herself at the last moment, letting out a low, shaky breath in an effort to calm herself down. Gods, something really was wrong with her, wasn’t it? Since when had she—someone who was prone to throwing her arms around strangers at a drop of a hat—so…nervous from a little touch? The young woman shook her head, lips pressing into a thin line.
Get it together, Eva.
The man didn’t seem like the most chatty of hunters, but she didn’t mind so much. The less interaction, the better—she could just eat her food and then go. However, instead of leaving, she instead found herself lingering awkwardly in front of him, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she watched him dab futilely at the coffee stains that had already soaked through his shirt. When he spoke, her skittish gaze darted up to his face, brows creasing in hesitation before she let out a short, clipped laugh. ”Maybe you’re right. I don’t know if it’ll make me feel better, but maybe it’ll at least help me clear my mind some.”
Eva smiled at him then, but it was an awkward, lopsided smile that lasted only a few seconds before gradually fading. ”I don’t think I’ve actually seen you around. I’m Eva—and you are…?”
Although she had initially wanted to get in and out of here as quickly as possible, another small part of her was clinging at the chance for company, if only for a few minutes.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 12:41 pm
She flinched too; now that was interesting. It was starting to turn a little familiar to him.
A soft noise of frustration left him as he dipped a napkin under his shirt, feeling sticky, dried coffee on his skin. Food, laundry, shower, shoe polishing, work. God, that messed his schedule up by at least an hour. "Jack Hawthorn," he said in passing as he calculated what could possibly be sacrificed to maintain balance. Replace shower with water and paper towels, grab a new shirt on the way to the labs, leave laundry for the night, eat on the go.
Hmm.
He surveyed Eva for a moment, his naturally narrowed eyes lending it more intimidation than he meant. "Came in a few months back," he continued, tossing the used napkins away. "Still don't think I know even a fifth of the population on the island. Do you take coffee?" He lifted his mug with a wry smile. "I was just thinking of getting a refill."
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:44 pm
Despite her uneasiness, Eva was actually taking some comfort in the fact that she was out here and actually talking to someone instead of shutting everyone out. This wasn’t to mention the fact that this someone was one of the many new faces whom she had seen in the passing as well. After returning from her patrol from the outpost, the girl had honestly been a little…shocked to see so many new trainees. On one hand, it gave her the opportunity to meet and befriend new people, but on the other hand, she had felt uncharacteristically shy and out of place among the sea of unfamiliar faces.
Well, hopefully that changed, starting with Jack. She offered him another smile—one that lingered slightly longer this time—only to shrink a little beneath his gaze. She wasn’t sure if he was glaring at her or if that was just uh, well…his face, but she found herself shuffling her feet nervously.
”I think I might have seen you around, but I only just got back about a month ago. I was stuck on patrol duty, so…” Trailing off, she clasped her hands together and fidgeted uncomfortably.
”I don’t usually drink coffee, but maybe I’ll give it a go today. ” Eva answered, the corners of her lips pulling upwards, ”Maybe it’s about time I learn what this addiction is about.” Hopefully he wouldn't mind the company either--as she was right now, she almost felt like a lost puppy, eager to trot after and follow whoever would be willing to humour her for the time .
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 2:22 pm
"Addiction is the right word," he admitted without shame, eying her curiously still. "Don't blame me if you get hooked, too. Hell, though, it's good stuff. You could do worse."
Clasped hands, shrinking stature, fidgeting, hesitating and lingering smiles, nervous about physical contact. Submissive. Small. Sensitive. Broken bird posture.
(( Something has made her sad, )) Owain put in, sympathetic. (( Do be gentle. ))
Hmm.
"You might've seen me in the library or in the labs; those are my usual haunts. But I would definitely remember seeing a pretty face like yours." His smile appeared a little more genuine, the intensity in his eyes lessening. "I won't push away civil company, least of all over coffee. Come along, then: it's getting too noisy in here anyway."
He snatched his MRE off the table, gestured for Eva to follow, and made to leave the cafeteria. "You mentioned patrol duty?" he prompted along the way, careful to keep his strides shorter than usual so that he did not lope ahead.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:45 pm
He seems nice, Eva decided, ducking her head in embarrassment at his compliment, And it might be nice to spend some time with one of the new trainees. Which was in large part because he probably didn't know that she was--...had been, rather--in a relationship with Otto, so he probably wouldn't ask her about it. Maybe Jack would eventually succumb to curiosity and ask her what was wrong--she could hardly blame him when she looked like this--but until then...
Until then, she would just try to forget. To relax and enjoy this rare opportunity to chat with someone.
She followed him obediently, keeping her hands clasped close to her chest as she moved to match his pace. "Mmhm. Patrol duty for a few months at one of the outposts. It was...about as fun as you'd imagine." Eva wrinkled her nose as her lips curved in a frown, "Just the same sight, day in, day out...though I guess I was lucky not to run into anything."
Her blue eyes flickered up at him and then away as she kept her eyes on the ground. "What about you? How are you settling in with life here at Deus Ex?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 5:13 pm
A few months? Jesus. "Be thankful you got off easy: I heard some of those outposts have gone completely dark thanks to horsemen," he informed her. "But yes, you missed the insanity titans, no power, no portals, infested basements, and these." Jack wiggled the MRE with fake enthusiasm. "Terrible shame. I heard they just opened portal use back up, though, so hopefully we'll be upgraded from absolute shithole to small hole in the mud pretty soon." There was an odd amount of optimism in that statement.
As they exited out the hall, Jack turned them towards the main building. The common room had a machine, and he decided that directing them to the labs would be too clinical an environment--plus he was getting a little sick of seeing the white walls at the moment. Or maybe that was the budding frustration headache from little sleep and pent up grievances like his good shirt being stained. It was a constant itch at the back of Jack's mind that his first impression with Eva was that of a man who was careless enough to let it happen, as all first impressions should be perfect.
She seemed to be preoccupied with her own issues, however, which helped.
"Eh, think it's going alright for the most part," Jack replied with a small, noncommittal shrug. He was realizing a light tone seemed best for the situation. "You make a few friends, piss a few people off, find a dead body here and there. Wasn't exactly ready for that alternate reality back on New Years but, well, what can you do?" He paused, then snapped and looked to her. "That might also be where you saw me?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:05 pm
"I'm disappointed that I missed all the chaos," She told him, a small smile creeping onto her face again, "Though if there's anything that my time here has taught me, it's that there are plenty of opportunities for all hell to break loose." From transforming into children to getting attacked by all sorts of horrifying creatures--Eva was honestly surprised that she was still alive at this point.
She was glad to have the companionship. Talking about such idle--by Deus Ex standards--things helped keep her mind off of all the worries that had been plaguing her. She might have even brightened up some, her eyes looking a tad clearer as she blinked up at him and listened to him speak.
Ah. The New Years thing, right. "That caught me by surprise too," She confessed with a small smile and a laugh, though she honestly wondered if there was anyone who hadn't been startled, "And you know what, you might be right. When I think back, I think I may have spotted you--"
She abruptly cut herself off, her expression freezing. As she searched her memories she could vaguely recall possibly having seen Jack there--his hair did make him stick out a little, after all--but there was also a specific blond in said memory as well. At the time her alternate self hadn't known him, but seeing him now...
Just as quickly as her cheer had appeared, it promptly vanished again, her lips pressing into a thin, tight line.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:55 pm
"That as well," he agreed with a small bark of laughter. Leaders ripping holes to deserts, insane clone-bugs, being yanked into random dungeons--and that was all in the past few months alone.
But Eva had grown quiet abruptly, and what cheer he had managed to coax out had sunk back down. To be honest, it was probably good timing--Jack did not like reliving those final moments of the alternate reality, even though he had already gotten past the fact that it did not and could not ever logically happen, and he liked the idea that people would remember and actually attribute any of that s**t to him as fact even less. Time to switch the spotlight off of him.
He let her have silence until they were almost at the front doors. "Not guessing you had a fun time there either?" he ventured casually as he opened the door and gestured for her to go ahead first.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:35 pm
When her mind wandered back to Otto, it was so hard to steer her attention elsewhere. The hands on her chest had tightened, fingers tangling in the front of her shirt as she tried to ward off the memories of what had happened the other day. She had already relived that fight since it had happened--she didn't want to think about it again, especially not when she was in the company of someone else.
Her eyes widened when Jack abruptly spoke, and she stared up at him a like a deer caught in the headlights. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. "Ah. No, well...it's not that. I just...remembered something that I didn't want to think about right now."
Lifting her hand, she rubbed at her temples for a moment before walking through the door. "A lot has happened, as you could probably guess. I apologize belatedly for what a mess I look like right now." Smiling weakly, she tried to find some other topic to grasp onto.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:55 pm
Owain began to helpfully chime in with theories. (( Ah, a spurned lover? Perhaps he was seen with someone else? Or no, wait! The dead! Oh, there must certainly be a lot of lamentation occurring, Jack, perhaps she is simply in mourning. The trigger appears to be that universe at any rate, so we should investigate-- ))
Jack struck the side of his head with the bottom of his palm and grumbled, physically and mentally. Shut up and let me think. Months in and he still wasn't used to this business of having a voice in his head.
"No problem," he told Eva with another shrug as the door closed behind him. "You're not the one resorting to hitting yourself to keep them quiet." Might as well try to play it off.
(( Physical harm to yourself does not technically harm me in the manner you are speaking of, BUT I do understand the sentiments. ))
You failed to understand the sentiments behind "shut up".
Jack rubbed the spot he hit and made a face. "Between you and me, there's a few things I wouldn't mind forgetting, too," he grumbled before taking the lead towards the common room.
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Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 12:14 am
And of all things, the sight of Jack smacking himself in the side of the head had been enough to startle a short, genuine laugh out of Eva. The noise--one that sounded so foreign after a day of crying--surprised even her, enough so that she slapped a hand over her mouth in shock. The first thing she felt was guilt at the fact that she could be laughing at anything after the previous day's confrontation...but at the same time, she was grateful for the fact that she could still laugh.
Trying to shake it off, the young woman shook her head. "I think most of us had a hard time dealing with having an extra voice in our heads," She murmured, absently lifting a hand to touch the hairclip that was Chara's unsummoned form, "It can be uncomfortably...intrusive, after all." Not that Chara ever had a tendency of popping up at the wrong times, but she couldn't say that everyone was as lucky as she was to have such a mellow partner.
She continued to follow his lead, not even really bothering to question where they were headed to. She liked the company, and she liked the distraction--that was enough of a reason for her to stick by him until they had to part ways.
Eying him curiously, she let out a quiet "oh?" but made her attempt to prod him for further information. Instead, she let out a small sigh as a faint, wry smile touched her lips. "I guess we all have something like that. I suppose all we can do since we can forget is learn from those mistakes."
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Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 12:43 am
Yeah: don't be a homo unless you want a ******** circle of fairies around you. Lesson learned.
"It's a hard time with one, yeah. I had a different guy at the party," Jack said, making straight for the coffee maker. "Very different. Had to assure my partner all day afterwards that I wasn't going to try and figure out how to switch."
(( I doubt that you could regardless, )) Owain sniffled.
"Yeah, yeah. Big baby . . ." He scrounged for cups for them both. "So! I don't mean to pry, but it's pretty clear something is eating at you. And if we're going to do this coffee-shindig-whatever, I like seeing smiles; makes the coffee taste better." Jack slid his cup first under the dispenser and hit the button, turning to Eva as the machine did its job. "Don't let the idiot act fool you," he assured her with a grin, leaning against the counter. "I'm damn good with advice."
Just ask the AU Otto.
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