That coulda gone better... (Jack) - Jack's Attic

If his window was open a small strange hawk would land on the sill and peek inside. If it was closed the hawk would peek at the window insistantly.

As it was, he often kept one window open to get some (semi) fresh air in. That night was no different as Eve would find him working out. Actually working out, head out of the gutter, doing push ups and having built up a sweat that suggested he'd been at it for a while.

He was barefooted, sweat pants and little else, which left the tattoo that covered most of his torso visible along with the assortment of scars that already flawed his body.

Scars were good.

The bird landed and transformed into her feral girl form. She didn't interupt him, she took a seat and looked to be thinking, looking down at the floor.

The sound of bird's wings caught his attention, but while he looked up to check on her, he didn't stop the set.
"That's a thoughtful look" Jack commented. "Bad news?"

"I don't know what the fuck the situation is with Abigial. She is like on loan or something to Oriella while other people wait for Chase to stop being dumb I guess. So I don't know what the fuck that is about or who her real domitor is."

"I got angry and confused and yelled at Oriella and Abigial calmed me down and we worked out a plan. The whole thing stinks though."

He finished the set he was doing and turned so he could sit on the floor, resting his arms on his knees.
"You don't lend out people like they're a piece of furniture..." fuck that.

"I know, that's why I got angry. It's a good thing it didn't come to blows, I woulda murderlized that witch."

"I'm not convinced that Orie won't use you and Abigail to try to fuck me. So... you're gunna hate it but I was thinking of leaving ya."

"So basically I told Abigail that is was up to her. She has two weeks to decide if she think Oriella is a cool chick for me to... well stick around, with you. I don' wanna make you chose between me or your mate, so I'd be the one to go. You mad?"

Mad?
"No, I'm not mad" he couldn't be mad at that. Though, worried? "You'll have given me a month I might've otherwise not had.." Jack sort of smiled there he sat. "But... where does that leave me? I mean... would they try to get rid of me or something? I don't particularly like the idea of getting... I dunno, recruited or what you wanna fall it" not after the things Eve had said, and not after the way it sounded like Abigail was getting treated...

Eve looked relieved, "You are a much better guy than my last ghoul. He woulda fucking freaked."

"I could forbid them to recruit you and they'd listen. They don' wanna fuck with me and the person they sent made that clear by how she acted. If you really don' want recruited by them. I could find you a different domitor if it came down to it and you wanted it."

"But I gotta be honest, I don' wanna give you up if you're choosing to be a ghoul. I wasn't looking to ghoul anyone, but now that it happened and I'm getting to know you, I think you got the balls for this. This added complication with the butt fuckery with poor Abigial shouldn't ruin this shit and I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't."

"If needed be that you dump me, I can live with that if you tell the others to back off" at least he could live with that for as long as his heart would allow it. "I'm not sure I'm up for having another erhm, domitor. Another weird word by the way"he felt he needed to point out. Still, ghoul ranked higher as far as horrible things to call someone though.

"I'm still hoping things will work out somehow though. Abigail..." he sighed, brushing a hand through his hair and brushing a bit of sweat from his brow. "She seems to be getting the short end of the stick in all of this. And that bothers me a whole lot. So I just... let's give it the time you said and see where it leaves us?" Jack smiled gently. "If your kind lives forever, then a few weeks, months, it's but a drop in the sea"

"Yup! So in two weeks, she and you need to talk and see how she feels about this Oriella person. If things are going good for her and they haven't asked her to do woogie shit or spy on you and me and you decide to take the second drink, then we will start training ya."

"A month of training then I'm gunna talk to Abigial an' see how things are going again and then you decide if you take the third drink if things are all on the upa nd up."

"What bothers me about Abigail's situation is she's not sure if Oriella is gunna stay her domitor. She don' wanna go back to Chase."

He smiled, sort of as he looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers for a moment.
"Am I shit person for saying I really hope she doesn't go back to Chase?" he looked up at Eve. "I mean, it has to be her choice, if she rather be with someone other than me I'll respect that. But..." he shrugged. He had to admit he'd prefer it if she rather have him...

"Nah, I don' want her to go back to Chase, or stay with a Tremere witch, to be honest. You aren't bad, Chase is bad news. He must be real bad if she doesn't want to go back to him when she's blood bounhd to him. Shows she has a strong will."

"That's good then at least. Her having a strong will I mean. Not that he's bad news. I could be okay with her being with him if he treated her right, I just... yeah heh" he had feelings for her, hard to deny that.

"Ya, don' worry. The Tremere witch seems to not like Chase. She said he fucked up by ghouling Abigail and he was an idiot and stuff. I don' think she wants Abigail to go back either."

"Oriella has no problem with you and Abigail and has given blessing for your relationship."

He couldn't help but laugh, the awkwardness of it perhaps lost on Eve but not on him.
"It's tragic-comical isn't it? She's lost her dad and yet I'm having to deal with her 'family' giving me their blessing and permission to see her" he leaned back and lay down on the floor, hands tucked behind his head. "Fuck"

Eve laughed, "Ya, I guess so."

She got all serious and held out her hand as though she were a priest. "I give your relationship my blessing!"

Then she laughed.

He really managed to stay serious for all about three seconds before he started laughing.
"Oh, God this is so weird..." so incredibly weird.

"Haha, ya, I bet it is. But this is good! You're both ghouls, you don' gotta keep secrets and you can live forever! I mean, that's fucking cool. Your heart don' bother you anymore and you get neato powers and shit."

He untangled a hand from under his head and scratched his chest above his heart, his breathing causing the phoenix tattoo to move slightly.
"My heart hasn't ached a single time since that night. It's quite nice to be honest..." Jack smiled. "And we'll see about me and Abby. It would be nice if it worked out" he drummed his fingers on his chest.

"Yup! Forever is a very long time to spend with someone. It don' always work out. You gotta focus on the good times now, cause you're going to live long enough to see everything you love go away."

"Sometimes people can't handle it. But you always get new things and people that replace the missing ones. So it is a little sad when things go, but while they were there, they made you happy and there will always be new things that will make you happy even when the first things are gone."

"Does that make sense?"

Eve's mind was a tangled mess.

A tangled mess indeed, but, some of it made sense.
"Hold onto the good memories because in the end, that's all any of us have" he knew the philosophy, he lived by it a lot of times."Having new people in your life that you can be happy with doesn't diminish the memory or the feelings you had for those that came before them" he tapped his fingers on his chest again.
No ache.. his heart felt so different now simply because he didn't feel the way he'd always done before.

"Forever is a long time... I still think I'll have problems living differently, taking one time at a day, you know?"

Eve nodded a big grin on her face, "Yes! I think you're gunna be just fine. Enjoy Abigail now. Enjoy life now."

"That" he pointed a finger at her while he smiled. "Depends on whether or not she wants to see me again"

"She begged me to keep ghouling you so you'd continue to live. So I think she does." Eve winked.