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Still alive, Jack?
[ johnny looks tired, a little worse for wear, but let's actively not deal with shit right now.
[ johnny looks tired, a little worse for wear, but let's actively not deal with shit right now.
[ arriving by rex the wee but plucky little bandersnatch is a neatly wrapped package. rex refuses to let anyone take the package, and instead waits until jack appears before trotting up to him, presenting the following:
1. a sleek black cloak that is charmed to be fire-resistant, a note in Johnny's handwriting explaining it
2. an ornate pocketwatch on a chain, obviously handmade, encrusted with blue sapphires with diamonds ringing the outside. behind is engraved in elegant, flowing script: J.B.
3. a dagger
4. ten royal blue roses held together with a silver ribbon, and a written invitation. christmas day, 12pm, outside mair. tie silver ribbon to rex's neck if yes.
rex noses at jack expectantly. ]
1. a sleek black cloak that is charmed to be fire-resistant, a note in Johnny's handwriting explaining it
2. an ornate pocketwatch on a chain, obviously handmade, encrusted with blue sapphires with diamonds ringing the outside. behind is engraved in elegant, flowing script: J.B.
3. a dagger
4. ten royal blue roses held together with a silver ribbon, and a written invitation. christmas day, 12pm, outside mair. tie silver ribbon to rex's neck if yes.
rex noses at jack expectantly. ]
[Jack's crouching beside Rex, petting him as he reads the invitation. He has no idea what Johnny's up to - that's part of what he likes about him.
He tucks it into his pocket, smiles at the roses and then at the bandersnatch.]
You've come a long way. Wouldn't you like a snack first?
He tucks it into his pocket, smiles at the roses and then at the bandersnatch.]
You've come a long way. Wouldn't you like a snack first?
Sorry for leaving so early this morning. Got a couple of things to attend to. There's breakfast on the table for you when you wake up.
Edited 2015-05-11 00:12 (UTC)
i think you should see other people
[ better he says that first than have it be said to him when the inevitable happens. Johnny's been absent and uncontactable for the past day or so. ]
[ better he says that first than have it be said to him when the inevitable happens. Johnny's been absent and uncontactable for the past day or so. ]
won't be back until really late. we're not doing anything tonight, right?
[ Their fight is over, this much he knows, but while Johnny would usually be pleased by the fact that Jack's no longer viciously angry with him, his heart isn't in it this time around.
He's quiet the entire trip home, withdrawing into himself; Cearul doesn't terrify him as much anymore, not when one of his worst fears have come true.
When they arrive at the spire, Johnny makes his way back to their shared room first. He tries it a few more times: nothing. Are his powers slowly but surely draining away from him? If it does, how does he protect the people he cares for, especially Jack?
He's shedding his clothes, heading over into the bathroom. A tank of water is waiting for him, having gone cold, but it takes him only a few moments to warm it up: small comfort. Jack's welcome to join him, if he wants. ]
He's quiet the entire trip home, withdrawing into himself; Cearul doesn't terrify him as much anymore, not when one of his worst fears have come true.
When they arrive at the spire, Johnny makes his way back to their shared room first. He tries it a few more times: nothing. Are his powers slowly but surely draining away from him? If it does, how does he protect the people he cares for, especially Jack?
He's shedding his clothes, heading over into the bathroom. A tank of water is waiting for him, having gone cold, but it takes him only a few moments to warm it up: small comfort. Jack's welcome to join him, if he wants. ]
[Jack trails after him, close but not too close, giving him both privacy and support. He can only imagine how he must feel, the quetstions and thoughts that must be going through his head. They're going through Jack's too.
He leans in the doorway when Johnny tries and fails with his powers, and it's such a fucking painful thing to watch. He must be scared, angry, humiliated, and nothing Jack could say will make it better right now. He does join him in the bathroom, but doesn't make a move to undress or get in the tub with him yet. Jack rolls up his sleeves instead, kneeling behind it.]
Let me.
[He'll wash him, move the water and cloth over his skin with something akin to religious devoutness.]
He leans in the doorway when Johnny tries and fails with his powers, and it's such a fucking painful thing to watch. He must be scared, angry, humiliated, and nothing Jack could say will make it better right now. He does join him in the bathroom, but doesn't make a move to undress or get in the tub with him yet. Jack rolls up his sleeves instead, kneeling behind it.]
Let me.
[He'll wash him, move the water and cloth over his skin with something akin to religious devoutness.]
[ It's just another night after the unseelie feast -- they haven't had that in awhile, and although the influx of new people are promising (namely, Thor, Poison Ivy, and a few others), something's been bugging Johnny in ways he can't quite put his finger on.
It's been bothering him subtly, quietly when he and Jack had gone to bed, and although it's not a bad thing he's been trying to figure it out -- but it's only when Johnny jolts awake in the deep of night when Jack's breathing is even (rising and falling under Johnny's arm that's been draped over his waist, bare skin warm and comforting to the touch) that he realizes what it is.
Johnny's always been used to having different people in his bed, transient and forgettable -- and all of them women -- but now, for weeks, months, he's only had one, and the important thing is, get this: that he likes it. He's not looking for ways to say "I'll call you sometime, okay?" or "It's not you, it's me." or any other variation of the excuse that he'd have cooked up by now.
No. It's deeper than that. It's more important than that, and Johnny realizes just why he hadn't paid the beautiful Poison Ivy's chest more than just a fleeting glance. ]
Jack? Jack, babe. Wake up.
It's been bothering him subtly, quietly when he and Jack had gone to bed, and although it's not a bad thing he's been trying to figure it out -- but it's only when Johnny jolts awake in the deep of night when Jack's breathing is even (rising and falling under Johnny's arm that's been draped over his waist, bare skin warm and comforting to the touch) that he realizes what it is.
Johnny's always been used to having different people in his bed, transient and forgettable -- and all of them women -- but now, for weeks, months, he's only had one, and the important thing is, get this: that he likes it. He's not looking for ways to say "I'll call you sometime, okay?" or "It's not you, it's me." or any other variation of the excuse that he'd have cooked up by now.
No. It's deeper than that. It's more important than that, and Johnny realizes just why he hadn't paid the beautiful Poison Ivy's chest more than just a fleeting glance. ]
Jack? Jack, babe. Wake up.
[Something is also bothering Jack - namely, Johnny. The feast had been interesting enough, Jack just wonders how long it will be before their next one. But that wasn't nearly enough to keep him awake after a night of sobriety followed by Johnny's body, radiating just enough warmth, no need for clothes or anything more than a sheet. Jack grumbles when he tries to wake him, rolling onto his side but notably keeping that arm around his waist, pulling it back into place. He does even bother opening his eyes.]
Twice was enough, Johnny. Let me sleep.
[Because what else could he be wanting at this ungodly hour?]
Twice was enough, Johnny. Let me sleep.
[Because what else could he be wanting at this ungodly hour?]
I almost feel grouchy at givingthe awesome orgy in the Unseelie court a miss.
First the orgy room. Then orgy town. Now this. Johnny Storm is destined to never be in orgies.
[ but he has you, and that's important. Johnny's just amused with himself. ]
First the orgy room. Then orgy town. Now this. Johnny Storm is destined to never be in orgies.
[ but he has you, and that's important. Johnny's just amused with himself. ]
You are invited! You and a +1 are invited to the opening of The Oasis. The Grand Opening will be on the 26th and will last until the 28th. Come prepared. Accommodations available in town or the Spire. Consider it part of the VIP treatment. |
[You're welcome to answer here or at the post -- here]
babe, i got an invite to the oasis, it sounds pretty fun. wanna come with me?
hey, babe. i'm off to leathann for a few nights.
it's the butt thing.
it's the butt thing.
Edited 2015-07-19 04:59 (UTC)
To the Herald with Taste -
As my little venture expands, I find myself in need of new talent. Since your occupation has you moving and shaking all over the map, how about we make a little deal? You find me appropriate entertainment and I'll reimburse your time and effort with another weekend VIP pass. I'll even sweeten the pot with financial recompense. If you find something useful, send it my way with a note to let me know it's from you. If you have questions, reach me via locket.
- Baron Salvatore of Raven's Wing.
As my little venture expands, I find myself in need of new talent. Since your occupation has you moving and shaking all over the map, how about we make a little deal? You find me appropriate entertainment and I'll reimburse your time and effort with another weekend VIP pass. I'll even sweeten the pot with financial recompense. If you find something useful, send it my way with a note to let me know it's from you. If you have questions, reach me via locket.
- Baron Salvatore of Raven's Wing.
I'm craving your dick and a microwave pizza
also sexting you is killing my work productivity but it's okay because I'm self-employed
also sexting you is killing my work productivity but it's okay because I'm self-employed
Babe. I'll need you to take charge of the Spire for a few days. I'm doing something for Harry.
[ End of the day.
It's past midnight and they mourn quietly over Saber, her death and what it means to them, the loss of someone so admired and loved. Johnny adored her, and her fall is hard to swallow. She believed in him before anyone else did, had taught him her tricks and whipped him into shape, made him good at the sword, made him dangerous.
And then there is Vanessa, but at least she'd married someone who doesn't seem like a bad guy (Johnny will be so, so wrong). And Jack is much more quiet than usual, brooding where Johnny cannot reach.
They go to bed after a late dinner -- Johnny takes the night off, finding no heart in his Spire tonight, wanting to be with the man who holds it. He climbs under the covers beside him, fighting to be the strength Jack needs. ]
Talk to me, babe.
It's past midnight and they mourn quietly over Saber, her death and what it means to them, the loss of someone so admired and loved. Johnny adored her, and her fall is hard to swallow. She believed in him before anyone else did, had taught him her tricks and whipped him into shape, made him good at the sword, made him dangerous.
And then there is Vanessa, but at least she'd married someone who doesn't seem like a bad guy (Johnny will be so, so wrong). And Jack is much more quiet than usual, brooding where Johnny cannot reach.
They go to bed after a late dinner -- Johnny takes the night off, finding no heart in his Spire tonight, wanting to be with the man who holds it. He climbs under the covers beside him, fighting to be the strength Jack needs. ]
Talk to me, babe.
[The timing of events provided some cover, a death and a wedding at once. Jack might argue that there's not much difference in these circumstances.
He doesn't know much about the baron, but he does know that look on Vanessa's face when she delivered the news. It's unfair to her, no matter what their misunderstandings in the past.
But it troubles him more for personal, selfish reasons.
He wants to protest Johnny taking the night off, because suddenly it's even more important for Johnny's spire to flourish. But could that be a double-edged sword? If Johnny's too good, if Morla sees in him what Jack does, he might then become a strong match for another. He has to find that balance.]
...What?
[He blinks out of his thoughts before shaking his head at his lover.]
I'm just anxious for more news on Saber's death.
He doesn't know much about the baron, but he does know that look on Vanessa's face when she delivered the news. It's unfair to her, no matter what their misunderstandings in the past.
But it troubles him more for personal, selfish reasons.
He wants to protest Johnny taking the night off, because suddenly it's even more important for Johnny's spire to flourish. But could that be a double-edged sword? If Johnny's too good, if Morla sees in him what Jack does, he might then become a strong match for another. He has to find that balance.]
...What?
[He blinks out of his thoughts before shaking his head at his lover.]
I'm just anxious for more news on Saber's death.
[ Johnny crawls into bed where Jack is when he comes home, and the weight on his shoulders and his heart has never been heavier. He thinks of home, of Jack, and wants nothing more than to curl up with his lover to feel less alone, to gain a measure of comfort.
They're going to lose, and he doesn't know what that means, only that he has to keep Jack safe and to keep fighting. He'd offered a terrible, terrible thing, a monstrous, awful thing that he feels a steady, slow-burning horror for, and in the midst of his anger and determination and misery he's... uncertain.
He doesn't want to hurt anyone, he doesn't want to kill scores and scores of people. But what if in this he lets his loved ones die?
He wraps his arms silently around Jack and buries his face in his hair, quietly desperate. He doesn't know what to do -- he just wants Jack. ]
They're going to lose, and he doesn't know what that means, only that he has to keep Jack safe and to keep fighting. He'd offered a terrible, terrible thing, a monstrous, awful thing that he feels a steady, slow-burning horror for, and in the midst of his anger and determination and misery he's... uncertain.
He doesn't want to hurt anyone, he doesn't want to kill scores and scores of people. But what if in this he lets his loved ones die?
He wraps his arms silently around Jack and buries his face in his hair, quietly desperate. He doesn't know what to do -- he just wants Jack. ]
[Jack isn't asleep when Johnny comes back. If he pretends to be, it's only to reinforce that the responsibilities of being a baron are Johnny's alone.
It isn't really true. A weight on Johnny's shoulders is a weight on him, for reasons that Jack still doesn't define. Johnny is never really alone.
There's something different when he wraps his arms around him, more than just fatigue from a long day. Johnny's energy is almost bottomless. There's something in the tightness of his arm, the weakness that Jack feels in his shoulders and spine when he slides his hand along them. He knows every inch of Johnny Storm's body, and something's wrong.]
Tell me.
[He says it quietly, his arms going around him in return.]
It isn't really true. A weight on Johnny's shoulders is a weight on him, for reasons that Jack still doesn't define. Johnny is never really alone.
There's something different when he wraps his arms around him, more than just fatigue from a long day. Johnny's energy is almost bottomless. There's something in the tightness of his arm, the weakness that Jack feels in his shoulders and spine when he slides his hand along them. He knows every inch of Johnny Storm's body, and something's wrong.]
Tell me.
[He says it quietly, his arms going around him in return.]
[ someone's at the top of the highest mountain and looking down at the outcropping of castle underneath. It's a very familiar castle. It's Jack's castle, hundreds of feet below. ]
Babe! I want to show you something -- whoop --
[ The owner of that voice breaks off abruptly before the locket reveals that said owner is falling very, very fast. ]
Babe! I want to show you something -- whoop --
[ The owner of that voice breaks off abruptly before the locket reveals that said owner is falling very, very fast. ]
[It only takes him a second to realize where he's seen that rooftop - from Cearul's back, just before they touch ground.]
Johnny, what are you - Johnny!
[He starts to run, shouting and pushing people out of his way, heart in his throat when he knows that he'll surely be too late.]
Johnny, what are you - Johnny!
[He starts to run, shouting and pushing people out of his way, heart in his throat when he knows that he'll surely be too late.]
[ When Johnny comes back home that night, he doesn't even bother with a hello. No, there are far more pressing matters on his mind, and at the foremost of them, besides the metal beasts with shard for eyes and the fact that it's coming for all of them, is Jack Benjamin.
He hears things from Hiro, things that make his stomach turn cold and his resolve more intense (and deep down inside he's afraid -- not for himself, but for the man he's come to love). He wants him safe and away; Jack might be strong and agile, deadly in his own way, but these are monsters they're talking about, larger than life and metal-driven, powerful things that even he doesn't know if he can defeat. Death is coming for all of them, and Johnny Storm intends to hold it at bay for as long as he can. ]
You're not going out there against those things.
He hears things from Hiro, things that make his stomach turn cold and his resolve more intense (and deep down inside he's afraid -- not for himself, but for the man he's come to love). He wants him safe and away; Jack might be strong and agile, deadly in his own way, but these are monsters they're talking about, larger than life and metal-driven, powerful things that even he doesn't know if he can defeat. Death is coming for all of them, and Johnny Storm intends to hold it at bay for as long as he can. ]
You're not going out there against those things.
[There's no point in being afraid, at least that's what Jack tells himself. But it's hard to fight the sick-sour taste in his mouth, and more than once he thinks about trying to wash it down with the scorch of a drink. He wants to live, more desperately than he ever has in his life, but Johnny's at the heart of that desire.
If death does come, he wants that to be for Johnny too.
He's wiping his hands when Johnny come in. They're numb by now, damp and dripping. He's been practicing, focusing on forming small things like arrows and daggers. If these things have a weakness at all, it's going to be small too, something overlooked. Jack sighs and lays the towel down.]
No, Johnny, you're not going against them. [The waters need to be tested first, and to risk a baron at that stage would be foolish.] You should be forming evacuation plans, one for shardbearers, one for everyone else. Keep them separate. You know what these things are coming for.
If death does come, he wants that to be for Johnny too.
He's wiping his hands when Johnny come in. They're numb by now, damp and dripping. He's been practicing, focusing on forming small things like arrows and daggers. If these things have a weakness at all, it's going to be small too, something overlooked. Jack sighs and lays the towel down.]
No, Johnny, you're not going against them. [The waters need to be tested first, and to risk a baron at that stage would be foolish.] You should be forming evacuation plans, one for shardbearers, one for everyone else. Keep them separate. You know what these things are coming for.
[ He can hear it, the roars in the distance, the lighting up of the machines, the chaos that would come for them soon -- like a ticking time bomb that will end on their laps. But here in the castle, there is a stubborn quiet, the calm before the inevitable storm.
Johnny's getting dressed, having cleaned up after his hour of intimacy together with his lover; they both have places to be, and Johnny had wished that this moment hadn't come, that the end isn't so clear for them all. He will keep pushing it back in his new stance as traitor to the Unseelie cause; or rather, the perversion of it. The monstrosities of both sides is something he cannot abide, and he knows, neither will Jack.
He had spoken to him about the Baron conclave, about the plot to poison so many -- and all of them include women and children; and that had been when Johnny had turned away from them, knowing how wrong it was, how wrong this war has become, and that there should have been another way to stop it.
His Jack, advisor and sound counsel; and his heart aches when he leaves his warm embrace and the memory of heated kisses, the passion that burned so hot between them, desperate and clinging, marking each other with words they couldn't bear to say. He leans forward to kiss his forehead briefly, and his smile is tight.
They leave soon for the battlefield, and Johnny tries so hard not to think about whether this would be the last time they see each other. ]
You know where I am. Come back to me alive.
Johnny's getting dressed, having cleaned up after his hour of intimacy together with his lover; they both have places to be, and Johnny had wished that this moment hadn't come, that the end isn't so clear for them all. He will keep pushing it back in his new stance as traitor to the Unseelie cause; or rather, the perversion of it. The monstrosities of both sides is something he cannot abide, and he knows, neither will Jack.
He had spoken to him about the Baron conclave, about the plot to poison so many -- and all of them include women and children; and that had been when Johnny had turned away from them, knowing how wrong it was, how wrong this war has become, and that there should have been another way to stop it.
His Jack, advisor and sound counsel; and his heart aches when he leaves his warm embrace and the memory of heated kisses, the passion that burned so hot between them, desperate and clinging, marking each other with words they couldn't bear to say. He leans forward to kiss his forehead briefly, and his smile is tight.
They leave soon for the battlefield, and Johnny tries so hard not to think about whether this would be the last time they see each other. ]
You know where I am. Come back to me alive.
[Jack has never been more proud of Johnny. He's also never been more afraid for him. Johnny is a self-made baron, brave and impulsive, but a hero at his very core. They would have him become something else, die a murderer with innocent blood on his hands.
No. Sometimes doing the right thing, being a better man, ironically requires betrayal. Jack learned that lesson at David's trial. He dresses quietly, putting on the mesh shirt that Johnny gave him under the rest of it. If they die, they die fighting, but not for a court. For each other and also for themselves. Who they are and, in Jack's case, who he wants to be.
There are other things to deal with first, and his thoughts are in a million different places when the touch of Johnny's lips brings him back to the here and now. Jack smiles at him, gentler and easier than Johnny's. He draws him closer by the waist.]
I'll join you as soon as I can.
[Another kiss, soft and to the lips.]
Don't flame on unless you have to. Draw as little attention to yourself as possible.
No. Sometimes doing the right thing, being a better man, ironically requires betrayal. Jack learned that lesson at David's trial. He dresses quietly, putting on the mesh shirt that Johnny gave him under the rest of it. If they die, they die fighting, but not for a court. For each other and also for themselves. Who they are and, in Jack's case, who he wants to be.
There are other things to deal with first, and his thoughts are in a million different places when the touch of Johnny's lips brings him back to the here and now. Jack smiles at him, gentler and easier than Johnny's. He draws him closer by the waist.]
I'll join you as soon as I can.
[Another kiss, soft and to the lips.]
Don't flame on unless you have to. Draw as little attention to yourself as possible.
[ It's delivered by raven, spelled so only he can read it: the bird refuses to let anyone else take the paper and taps insistently at anything nearby Jack until he does it, then takes off. Ariadne's seal is obvious, red wax with the curved, bull-like horns of the Devourer of Light pressed in. ]
Jack,
You told me once that I reminded you of your sister. I've always been an only child. I never wanted to take anyone's place, but many of us have found a family here, bound by strange twists of fate even more than whatever court has claimed the shard in our chests.
I don't know what Johnny told you after the conclave, but you're not stupid. We're running out of time. And if this is it, then I don't want to die with things unsaid.
I would be your sister, if you wanted; I would have you for a brother, if you were willing. I would even let you bully both of my new spouses a little, if you wanted to test them (yes, I got married -- it was quick but worth it, and I haven't told many others -- and yes, spouses plural, I have two husbands, Leathann does poly-marriages) though I think you may just approve based on looks if nothing else. And if you didn't want to, I would understand, but I wanted you to know.
You are cared for. You are loved. And I would absolutely still rip anyone who has ever hurt you limb from limb.
Be as safe as you can be.
All my best,
Ariadne
P.S. I've also sent gold to the girls at Devour for aid in the earthquakes. Hopefully it helps.
Jack,
You told me once that I reminded you of your sister. I've always been an only child. I never wanted to take anyone's place, but many of us have found a family here, bound by strange twists of fate even more than whatever court has claimed the shard in our chests.
I don't know what Johnny told you after the conclave, but you're not stupid. We're running out of time. And if this is it, then I don't want to die with things unsaid.
I would be your sister, if you wanted; I would have you for a brother, if you were willing. I would even let you bully both of my new spouses a little, if you wanted to test them (yes, I got married -- it was quick but worth it, and I haven't told many others -- and yes, spouses plural, I have two husbands, Leathann does poly-marriages) though I think you may just approve based on looks if nothing else. And if you didn't want to, I would understand, but I wanted you to know.
You are cared for. You are loved. And I would absolutely still rip anyone who has ever hurt you limb from limb.
Be as safe as you can be.
All my best,
Ariadne
P.S. I've also sent gold to the girls at Devour for aid in the earthquakes. Hopefully it helps.
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