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[fourthsaken]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, JADED. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 005.04.008.13 *** CHARACTER NAME/ALIAS has joined 005.04.008.13 <JADED> hey, you've reached Jade. <JADED> leave a message or whatever and i'll get back to you. <JADED> God, I hope this shitty thing actually works.

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[fourthsaken]

[Jade gives him a soft smile. She's not sure she believes him, not entirely, but she can try. She leans against him slightly, shifting to tuck her feet beneath herself and get more comfortable on the couch.]

I just wish I could figure out how to stop getting myself into those kinda messes. You wouldn't believe the last thing I remember happening back home.

[allucinator]

Tell you mine if you tell me yours, yeah?

[Carefully-- a little nervously, honestly-- he puts an arm around her. It's meant to be comforting, platonic-- he'd do it with any one of the guys, but he's never had a female friend before. Doesn't want to send the wrong signals. But she needs a hug, god knows.]

[fourthsaken]

[Jade nods, leaning into the touch. It's nice and she's grateful for the comfort. Jade doesn't know why her friendship with Jack's so easy, when most of her relationships are such a mess, but it is. Jack may not understand everything Jade's gone through, but he tries and that means a lot to her.]

Yeah, okay. You go first.

[allucinator]

[He lets out a little hah, because he walked right into that one. Idly his fingers drum against her shoulder as he tries to think.]

I think . . . so we won the strike, yeah? We were all celebratin', me an' Dave an' Katherine an' Crutchy an' all the boys. Everyone was. First time anythin' like that'd ever happened, you know? An' . . . she an' I went off to be alone, I remember that. I remember . . .

[It's blurry, honestly, those last few days. He remembers going off with her, kissing and laughing, teasing both of them. Remembers thinking to himself that he better savor it, because surely they wouldn't last. Rich girls might like slumming it, but eventually everyone went back to their rightful places. He wouldn't even blame her, when the time came. What could he offer her, poor and uneducated as he was?

Anyway. So: celebrating with Katherine, late into the night, and then . . .]

I think . . . yeah, I went-- I met up with Dave, afterwards. He came to the lodgin' house an' we talked for a while. Til it was near mornin'-- yeah, cuz I remember thinkin' we'd be exhausted the next day, but it didn't matter. We fell asleep, and then-- all this.

[fourthsaken]

[Jade smiles, tries to hide her own jealousy. All that sounds so nice. So normal and happy and safe. How could she not be a little jealous? She sighs, awkwardly rubbing at her neck with one hand, copying the rhythm he's tapping out on the arm of the couch with the other.]

God, I'm gonna sound really crazy now. Last thing I can remember is being tied up in the basement because Guillaume and Jun needed a virgin sacrifice or whatever to bring back Hisao. Uh, he's Guillaume's boyfriend and Jun's twin brother

[allucinator]

Jesus.

[A beat. He adds:]

Were you-- I mean-- somebody was comin' to rescue you, yeah?

[fourthsaken]

Casey.

[Jade cringes slightly at how fast that answer came, how reliant she is on Casey. She'd been trying to move past that, and yet it's the first thing she thinks of when finding a way out of a terrible situation.]

I mean, I hope she's coming. Rescue missions are kinda her thing.

[allucinator]

Sure she will.

[She better, he thinks, and tries not to think about how very little he can do about the situation. They're stuck in a limbo right now, not moving forward; no point in fretting.]

She's your best friend, yeah?

[fourthsaken]

[Jade nods immediately, with no hesitation.]

She's pretty much my only friend. If you listen to Ike she's not really my friend, but I know he just says that shit to be a dick.

[allucinator]

Yeah, well, Ike can go fuck himself, all right. Tell me what she's like?

[fourthsaken]

God, she's amazing. I wish you could meet her. If she was here there's no way we'd be stuck here long. She'd figure it out or like, overthrow the gods and make them turn us back. That's just what she does. She saves people and fixes things. She's like, a fucking genius too. I wouldn't be surviving physics without her help. And she... She's not afraid to fight for what she wants. I don't think there's much she's afraid of at all. She can lead people, I don't know how she does it, but she inspires them. She's the only one who can get us all working together. Plus, she knows how to make tear gas and beat up jerks.

[Jade sighs, leaning back against the couch.]

It's totally selfish, but I wish she was here. I miss her so much.

[allucinator]

[He shrugs.]

Ain't that selfish. Not like you're actually bringin' her here. She sounds great, though. How'd you two meet? I mean, in your school, but--

[fourthsaken]

She's one of my roommates. The, uh, one that doesn't try to kill me or complains about me.

[She pauses, just for a moment, picking at a stray thread on the couch. Maybe that's all she needs to say. Saying too much might make Jade look even weaker, but the words come tumbling out, against her better judgement.]

I get these nightmares now, ever since the nurse injected me with that weird shit. When my nightmares got really bad, Casey wouldn't let the guards cart me back to Nurse Nine. She'd sit with me until I fell back asleep. It was, uh, nice. Way better than dealing with them alone.

[allucinator]

Do you still get em?

[He can't say he's noticed-- but he sleeps deeply, once he finally gets there, and they usually have two closed doors between them. Jack glances down at her.]

[fourthsaken]

[Jade's made sure Jack didn't notice, mostly sleeping during the day when he was out. She can nap at night, the nightmares are never as bad if she doesn't sleep long. She tucks a stray hair behind her ear, avoiding eye contact.]

Uh... Yeah. I still get them most of the time.

[allucinator]

You, uh. You get back to sleep afterwards?

[He hesitates, and then--]

You could always come wake me up if you can't, you know. Not like I work much anyway, I don't need much sleep.

[fourthsaken]

Not al-- [The offer catches her off guard. She'd thought about waking him up before, when they'd gotten really bad and she'd relived the car accident again and again, almost on repeat, in her dreams, but she'd stopped herself. Thought it'd be too weird. That Jack would be annoyed.]

... If I can't get back to sleep I usually come out to the couch to watch TV or whatever. I, uh, wouldn't mind company.

[allucinator]

Yeah. Wake me up next time, yeah? You still gotta introduce me to, you know, what's good on television, all that crap.

[He offers her a slight smile, uncertain but pleased.]

'S always better not to be alone after shit like nightmares.

[fourthsaken]

You can wake me up too. I mean, not that I think you have nightmares, but if you ever do. Or if something else is bugging you. Or whatever...

[She trails off with an awkward shrug.]

[allucinator]

Yeah. Yeah, I will.

[He offers a slight smile.]

I, uh . . . I'm not . . . so good at emotional junk, but.

[fourthsaken]

[She bumps his shoulder lightly with hers.]

Don't worry. I won't make you talk about your feelings too much.

[allucinator]

'S why you're the best roommate, yeah?

[fourthsaken]

I've also never tried to stab you. I should get points for that.

[allucinator]

Yeah, but we've only been together less'n half a year. Give it time, you know?

[fourthsaken]

[Jade laughs, shoving him lightly with one of the tendrils on her back.]

You sure that's a good idea? I'm some creepy ghost thing now. I dunno if you'd win that fight.