fourthsaken | IC inbox!

[When Jason's gift arrives, Jade's tempted to send the courier away. She's still upset with Jason, not just because of what he said about her store, but the way he's been acting since. She never thought their fight would go on this long, that Jason would choose to ignore her shift after shift instead of apologizing or at least trying to talk to her. Jade's the teenager and she was right. She shouldn't have to be the mature one.

But she sees the gift as the peace offering that it is, an almost apology and likely the closest thing she's going to get to one from Jason. She accepts it, and smiles fondly every time she uses it though she'll never tell Jason that.

During the next shift they have together (because they still have shifts together, Jade can handle two jobs, just like she told Jason), she arrives a few minutes early. She sets a ginger ale out on the counter along with a box wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a black piece of ribbon. She's hoping it's a gesture that Jason will understand. She's ready to greet him when he enters the store, trying to look calm and confident despite the fact that she's so anxious and afraid of continued rejection that she can barely keep her solid form.]

... Thanks for the gift. I, uh, I really like it.

[Jade is friends with a man whose hobbies include writing hate mail to local newspapers and throwing rocks at pigeons. She will always have to be the more mature one.

He slips in through the front door for his morning shift, hanging up his hat and coat. It's drizzling outside, a humid August mist, and he rubs a towel over his face to try and clear up the unpleasant dampness. That's when he notices the box next to the ginger ale, which he hastens to because his stomach is empty and nothing but blood and acid for a morning won't end well.

He doesn't touch the box, but instead takes stock of her, the evident nerves, and somehow he knows they'll be alright. Whatever odd friendship they have has survived the storm. It brings him relief he didn't know he needed, like some muscle in his back has suddenly unspooled from its tense knot it's been holding for half a month now.]

I'm glad. You know that since it's embossed, that means I can't get money back if you want it returned, right? [He reaches over and touches the box and ribbon, but doesn't pick it up.] Is this tit for tat or is it some Ryslig national holiday?

[Jade sighs, rolling her eyes, because of course Jason has to make this difficult. He can't just accept a gift or a thank you.

But this is a normal part of their friendship. It's almost reassuring that not much has changed for them despite the two weeks where Jason chose to ignore Jade and Jade failed valiantly and pretending she didn't care about him. Their friendship is weird, Jade knows that, but it's back to being weird in the usual way.]

I'm working on a couple new designs for the store. They're like, prototypes or whatever so I feel weird selling them. I thought you might like this one.

[Jade's pretty proud of the lie she's come up with, an explanation that she thinks will allow Jason to take the gift without feeling as if she's damaging his pride. He might even get to critique it, which Jade knows he'll enjoy.

Of course, the lie falls apart as soon as Jason opens the box to find a coat inside. A coat that is nearly identical to the one he wears, though it's of better quality material and, most importantly, it'll actually fit his slimmer frame.

Jade watches him open it nervously, bracing herself for a critique she knows is likely coming. She half expects him to throw the entire box to the ground, refuse to wear the "scraps of clothes" that she makes.]

[He doesn't cast it to the ground. Instead, he pulls it out, and looks at it with a pang because it stings to acknowledge how much he's shrunken and withered. He doesn't accept things easily. He never has. It's been nearly twenty years and he still has difficulty saying that his father is dead out loud.

But while usually shame makes him angry, now it just makes him feel sad - and cared for. Because Jade noticed, and she bothered to do something about it.

He slips it on, and it strikes him that this is the first article of clothing he's gotten where he hasn't been keenly and painfully aware of its dollar value. He should ask her how much she'd sell it for. He doesn't. It fits perfectly. He runs his hands over the fabric on the front, fondles one of the buttons around the middle, feels the inside.]

You should put this design on one of those mannequins in the storefront.

[Jade lets out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, smiling slightly as Jason inspects his new coat. She's still waiting for his judgement on it, whether it passes some test Jason has for what makes a piece of clothing acceptable or not.

When he puts it on, her smile turns to a grin, pleased that it fits him. And even more pleased that he seems to like it. The hours of work she'd put into it, making sure it was almost an exact copy of his coat were worth it.]

Yeah? You think it's that good? Uh, I can alter the back when your wings grow back in. The holes might need to be bigger. And I left the seams big enough so that I can take it out later if I need to.

Sure. My coat cost me forty, and this stitchwork looks better. And the material's sound. [He slides it off, not because it's uncomfortable but so he can hang it up on the rack, which he does so with a faint sort of pride akin to a child at Christmas putting their prized toy on the mantle for other kids to covet.

And then he settles into the routine their morning shifts together have, him setting up the drinks counter and loading the cash register from the safe - Enjolras hasn't quite revoked that task from Jason's purview yet.]

I don't think my wings will be coming back any time soon. Not that it matters, much. I reckon my posture's better without them weighing me down.

[Having already finished and put out her morning baking, Jade sits up on the counter while Jason works. She has one of Pandemonium's account books balanced on her lap. She's been trying to help Enjolras with the accounts more, taking one thing off of his very full plate. Enjolras may insist on looking over it later, but at least Jade's help makes sure he works less.]

Do they mess with your balance?

[He snorts.] No. I'm naturally this graceful. [In truth, the wings are less of a problem than the fact that he insists on shaving down his whiskers, which makes coordination more difficult on top of his natural clumsiness. Jade's probably witnessed more than a few times where Jason's hipchecked a table, tripped over a chair or knocked into a doorway on his way out.]

Oh. That reminds me, I have something for you. [He wanders back to the coatrack and goes through his old pockets before pulling out a glossy paper brochure, and then he sets it next to the account book she's working on. It's the class catalog for the upcoming quarter. Jason's already gone through it and highlighted the classes he's going to sign up for -- all vocational, agricultural -- and circled ones for Jade that relate to literature and all.]

Oh my God!

[Jade practically gasps when Jason sets the course catalog down beside her. She immediately abandons the account book, in favor of the catalog. She flips through it excitedly, smiling softly.

It doesn't take her long to realize that Jason's circles those classes she'd mentioned she'd be interested in taking. It surprises her, and she's more touched by the gesture than she'll ever admit. She didn't think Jason would even remember to bring her the course listings after their argument, let alone take the time to mark courses for her.]

Dude, this is amazing...

[Jason snorts again, heading back to the coffee machine, but he's smiling. He's clearly quite pleased with himself. He feels at ease again, certain, as if in his friendship with Jade they've both been adrift and floating but now he can feel his feet touching the bottom.]

It's a course catalog, not the Dead Sea Scrolls. [The catalog itself mostly advertises courses at the entry level for each discipline, with a scattering of "advanced" courses and a few remedial ones.]

[Jade rolls her eyes, searching the counter for a spare scrap of paper and pencil. Beginning classes are reassuring, they make her feel at least somewhat confident that she could take them, she could belong in a college classroom. It's weird to her how quickly something that had always been an abstract vision for her future that she was afraid would never happen can become a reality.]

Shut up. This is so, so cool. Look at all the classes they have!

Right, you could take English One or English Two. It's really a stunning variety. An outright menagerie. It's a miracle they fit it into one brochure.

[As sarcastic as he is, he's still smiling, glad to have pleased her in such a way. He does so as he sets aside a cup of espresso for himself, the caffeine to fight off any headaches he's prone to get.] You want a cup?

[She flips him off casually as she continues to leaf through the pamphlet. Sure, the variety could be better, but she's used to high school. She was told what classes she had to take there. She will not let anything dampen her excitement.]

There's a couple literature ones too. And, uh, sure. Thanks.

[Anyone else would be tempting a fit of rage to fly that finger at him, but he shrugs it off with Jade, the same way he does her foul language. He pulls out a cup for each of them.]

Literature, hmm? Is Jade Ellsworth the next Sherwood Anderson?

[She keeps flipping through the course catalog, swinging her feet against the counter as she searches for any courses that interest her. It's a sign of how at ease she is, that you can hear each time she comes in contact with the counter, a steady rhythm of thunks as proof that she's having no trouble keeping her solid form.]

Who's that?

An author. He sells pretty well. I hear he's alright, but I don't have much patience for books. [What exactly Jason does with his time off work seems to be a bit of a mystery even to him. Sleep. He sleeps a lot. And stares into space.] My father had a library of them, and what I say is he could have at least had the foresight to put a few manuals about business in there. Or at least a copy of The Union Single. It might have given him some useful ideas.

[Jade makes a face, scrunching up her nose, he confusion clear. How could Jason not like any books? It's a foreign concept to her. Reading and writing has always been an escape for her. One of her healthier ways of coping with her shitty life.]

Wait, wait. You seriously don't like books? None of them? Why not?

[Perhaps that's why Jade's managed to keep herself sane while Jason's never evolved past his stunted, miserable adolescence. He hasn't had escape. He hasn't allowed himself it.]

I don't have patience for fantasy. And that's what most of them are, aren't they? Fantasy or some author talking about themselves at length. If I want non-fiction I just read the paper or listen to talk radio.

[Jade jumps off the counter, shaking her head. She tucks the course catalog into her messenger bag that she has stowed under the counter, keeping it safe for later, as she continues her debate with Jason. It's nice that they're actually talking to each other again.]

Okay, but there's all different kinds of books. You don't have to like all of them, but there's gotta be some that you think are interesting. And who cares if it's not real? It's way better. If all I read back home was our local paper I'd go crazy.

[Jason twitches at the word crazy, the way he's been trying to dodge it all his life when both his brothers so easily invited it into their crumbling home.]

I care if it's not real. I don't want to waste my precious time on it if it's all just daydreams or concotions. Like I say, I read the paper, and I listen to radio and occasionally help myself to a dictionary when I want to learn something.

[Jade rolls her eyes as she begins to divide her attention between Jason and making sure all the pastries and other baked goods are ready for the morning guests. She shifts over a plate of blueberry muffins, making sure they're not blocking customers view of the lemon scones and croissants.]

But reality's usually so boring.

And you just have to live with that. [Sometimes it's better when it's boring. At least then it's predictable. Jason gets the proper change in the register and makes sure the creamers are set out (non-fat, whole milk, skim, even dairy-free - options he didn't know existed back in 1928).]

Of course, our reality now has us stealing souls and turning into beasts, so your mileage may vary on how boring that is. Although I reckon it makes sense that even that would get mundane after a while.

[Jade frowns slightly, realizing she has to admit that Jason has a point. Their lives right now are crazier and more intense than most books she's read. She imagines that if someone were to write it, audiences would think it was too unbelievable and yet, it's her life now.]

... I'm guessing you really don't like poetry and stuff.

[He shrugs. Poetry, like so many of the purviews of erudite, educated men, stirs a kernel of resentment in him. It reminds him of his father, locked away in the library with volumes of Homer and Ovid and a bottle of liquor they'd outlaw a decade too late, in Jason's opinion.

Or his brother, rotting now at the bottom of a river in Cambridge.]

If you can find me a poem that isn't some tedious mulling over mythological figures or the measure of a man's soul, it might be alright. But I wouldn't say I'm keen on it. Why, do you write it?

[Jade's silent for several long minutes, seemingly lost in the task at hand, though one wouldn't think stacking clean mugs would be such a thought intensive job.

She sets the last mug down with the smallest of nods and for a moment it's seems as if she'll stop there even if Jason hadn't noticed her confirmation. But she realizes, Jason probably wouldn't ask if he didn't care about her answer.]

... Yeah. Sometimes. Uh, nothing like, for other people to read or anything like that.

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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