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 Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 11:31 am
The fight with the Mars Knight had left Gabby feeling tired and utterly irritated, and she made her way to the diner where she had gotten milkshakes with Jace and sat herself at a booth, sending the male a text message and hoping that he would answer.
Quote: Hey! It’s Gabby! Obviously. I’ve had a really shitty night, are you up for greasy food, gossip and milkshakes? I’m at our diner and I’d love to see you if you feel like coming on over!
She sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of her nose, and then rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. When she had waited a minute or so, she sent another text, fearing that she was being too demanding, and half wondering if that was still residual…whatever from that stupid magic.
Quote: No pressure if you can’t make it! Just thought it would be nice to have company!
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 2:31 pm
The fight with the Negaverse Agent had left Jace feeling tired and utterly irritated, but what else was new? Was this not simply just his natural state of being at this point in his life? Were things ever going to get better? It’s not like he had anyone to talk to about any of this, and he felt like he was just going to explode one of these days. Maybe today.
His phone buzzed with new text messages and he quickly read them.
Maybe tomorrow, actually.
They weren’t text messages from work and his skin didn’t crawl when he read them.
It was a person. Who wanted company.
He hadn’t been thinking clearly enough to text back; it would be faster if he just walked there. Especially since his cellphone dipped in service (wow, how wonderful).
The diner came into view before he had any bars back, so he stepped in and sighed in relief when greeted with the cool air conditioning. He could see Gabby already seated at a booth and made his way over to sit across from her.
“You’ve got good timing, I was just in the area. You okay?”
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 4:20 pm
Gabby had ordered two milkshakes, both cookies and cream because that was the kind of mood she was in, but now she was half wondering if he was going to show up. The milkshakes had been delivered and Jace still hadn’t texted and honestly, Gabby felt as though she might cry, and that was just utterly unacceptable. Twice in one night was far too many times to give way to tears.
With a sigh, she opened her straw and stuck it into her own shake, taking a sip and eyeing the cherry atop the one that was meant for Jace. If he wasn’t coming, she could steal it, couldn’t she?
Maybe she should steal it.
And just as she was moving to unwrap the silverware, he slid into the booth across from her and her eyes widened. “s**t. You’re here? You didn’t text back, I figured you weren’t coming…I was about to steal your cherry, and I hope you like cookies and cream.”
Reaching out, she slid his glass an inch or two closer, grinning suddenly. “...I’m a lot better now, honestly. Crappy a** night.”
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 6:15 pm
Jace released a half-hearted laugh and shook his head. “Take it if you want it. I’ll have anything right now, I don’t even care. I don’t usually like sweets, but. It’s one of those nights.”
He felt exhausted. Drained.
He didn’t even know if he had a mood, he was just tired.
“Sorry it took me so long to reply. My phone wasn’t giving me any service. I was just down the road so I thought I’d hurry over anyway. I haven’t been having a good run of things myself. Feels like I ran out of all my luck. Sorry to hear about your night, though. I hope it gets better for you. Thanks for the milkshake.”
He pushed his straw into it and just took a sip, trying to will himself to just relax.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 6:24 pm
Gabby hesitated and then pulled her spoon out, reaching over and taking his cherry without a second thought, plopping it on the top of her own whipped cream. “Well, we came together tonight to have a bitching and moaning fest, so let it out, Jace. If you keep bottling up your problems you’re going to explode like a shaken can of coke.”
She dug her spoon in and tried to eat the two cherries, though ended up almost inhaling the whipped cream and coughing, rubbing her face to attempt to dull the stinging of the cream going up her nose.
“Ah. ********. We’re a mess, Jace. We really should just start a club you and me. Messy…what. Messy folks getting late night milkshakes club.”
Wiping her eyes with the back of her arm, Gabby forced a smile, throat and nose burning. “...Too wordy?”
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 6:31 pm
“I don’t even know where to begin,” he admitted; he shrugged and stirred at the milkshake a bit with his straw. “I don’t know if I want to join a messy club,” he sighed, and caved just a bit. He let himself slump forward a little, let himself put his elbow on the table.
Who was going to see him here, anyway?
“You’re the one who invited me here, though. You should start off this bitching and moaning party.”
He had some milkshake to enjoy, anyway. He didn’t have any idea how he was supposed to talk and eat this; maybe he was just out of practice.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 6:58 pm
“Ah.” She coughed again, pleased that she could breathe more easily and shrugged. “I suppose it’s just. Feeling inadequate. I don’t normally. I’m usually brimming with confidence and pride in myself blah blah, but I guess. Tonight I just. Wondered if I’m really that great, you know? Just self doubts decided to come and visit and I didn’t invite either of them so they should leave as quickly as possible. Thanks.”
She forced a smile, not quite her easy, friendly grin but shrugged. “I mean. I know it’s just a funk, and I know it won’t last but damn. While it’s here I kind of feel…awful. I have a friend of mine that I haven’t seen in over a year, and I was supposed to be helping her out of a bad situation and now I’m like. Is she even okay? I have no way of getting in touch with her and I just feel. So damn useless right now. So I’m hoping that the milkshake will act like spackle and fill the holes for a while.”
Was it too much information?
Maybe but. It felt good to just get it all out.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 7:34 pm
He nodded as he listened, and found himself sympathizing with a lot of what she said. Not that he’d admit it. Not that he’d say it out loud.
“I’m sorry to hear about your friend. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re useless. I think,” he shrugged, and sighed. “...Sometimes people just grow apart. You can’t change their life choices.”
You could try. But then, what. They hate you? They resent you for getting in the way of living their best life?
His eyes were downcast for a moment and he pretended like he was more interested in the milkshake.
“It’s a pretty thick milkshake. It might do a good job. Just, um. Don’t let what somebody else does, or doesn’t do, get in the way of your own self-worth. Everyone’s operating on different wavelengths. Things aren’t always going to line up.”
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 7:52 pm
“Yeah well…still sucks. I know everything you say is true and it makes sense but like…I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it that hard or I think I might go crazy.”
Gabby hesitated and gently kicked Jace’s shin under the table. “Your turn. What’s going on? Bad case at work? Did you lose? Did some ex wife get upset that you didn’t win her her prized salt and pepper shaker collection and her horrible husband is going to keep them and throw them off the top of their former high rise to get back at her?”
It was quite a story, but even just thinking about it seemed to have lightened her mood a little and she went back to drinking her milkshake, watching him with some excitement.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 8:25 pm
Jace scoffed when she kicked him, however gentle it was. He made a face and shrugged, looking away for a moment. He didn’t want to talk about it, but only because he was perpetually afraid of someone using something against him. It was foolish to expect his mother would have paid someone off just to see if they could get him to whine or leak information to someone or something, but.
Well, no. She’d probably have done that if she really wanted to.
“No, it’s not even anything juicy. Just. Tired of watching everyone I care about leave.”
He shrugged, because it sounded so stupid when he said it like that.
“I tried so hard to do everything everyone expected of me, and I worked so hard, and–here I am, just sort of. Here. Alone. The people I thought were going to be in my life forever have drifted in other directions, and. I don’t know. They were the only good thing about my life, and now it’s just me and work. Which,” he shrugged. “My mother’s a workaholic, I inherited that from her. I’m just not as good as she wants me to be. Yet. So I have to put more work into it.”
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:03 am
Gabby frowned softly and nodded. “I get that. But…I don’t know…Jace…are you happy with your job? Like I know you say you’re a workaholic…but…I don’t know. Does it really matter? Her approval, I mean. Can’t you find your own path in life and not stay in her shadow? You say that your big rebellion is the kind of lawyer you are but…”
She shrugged. “Maybe this path isn’t a good one for you. Maybe you need to leave too…” Idly, Gabby chewed on her straw, half wondering if she should maybe invite him to the Negaverse…how that would work. They could be better friends that way, and maybe with him learning under her they could beat that stupid Mars Squire until he regretted ever messing with her.
“We should find a new hobby to start. Could be fun, and it’ll get you away from work all the time.”
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:49 am
Jace just shrugged because it didn’t matter if he was happy with his job or not; he’d pushed himself so hard to get here, he didn’t want to give up. “I’m too young to be thinking that I’ve already wasted all of my life, I’d at least like to do this for a little while. I mean. I think I could do good. I’m just still figuring things out. I’ve only been doing this for like a year.”
He sipped at the milkshake again, and even if he didn’t really have a lot of time for hobbies, he glanced up at her. “What type of hobby do you want to get into? I mean, if you could do anything?”
…What would he have gotten into? He didn't even know.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 7:56 pm
“Of course you can do good. I have no doubt of that, but…you deserve to be happy more than you should be forced to do good. As for my hobby…I don’t know. I’ve got a lot but…I might see if I can take some sewing lessons. It’s…not really my thing but…it’s a good, practical skill to have, and I bet I could make myself some fun shirts and things. Maybe a dress or two if I ever feel like wearing one in the real world.”
Honestly, Gabby was feeling better, and as she took another sip of her milkshake, she glanced at Jace and gave a small, almost shy smile. “...Thanks for coming here to meet me. You’ve done me good, and I don’t feel so crappy anymore. It’s nice to have a friend who’s got my back like that…I hope if you ever need me I can be there too.”
She would too. If she had the chance to pay him back…she would do so.
And hopefully…offering him the option to join the Negaverse would be a payment he would want to have.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 8:14 pm
Jace let out a long, drawn out sigh, and shrugged again. It was easier to listen to what she said and then try to shrug it off than to try and think about it.
“That sounds like a good hobby,” he admitted. It was practical. “You should look into it. I think…it’s probably really refreshing to make things.”
He knew it from experience but didn’t want to admit it. It wasn’t like he’d been making anything for a while.
…It wasn’t like he had anyone to make anything for.
He pushed the thought away and just smiled again. Tired, but honest. “Well. I can’t always promise I’ll be able to show up, but you should text me anyway. I’ll do my best. The next time I’m feeling lonely,” he hesitated and shrugged, “Maybe I’ll text. If I don’t get out of the office too late.”
He didn’t want to hold his breath, not when he’d been disappointed so much in the past, but…
This was a good start.
It was something to look forward to.
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