The Long Walk Home [Jersey]

[Jersey]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Peter Parkman> Peter nodded and stared at Jersey for a beat or two; it calmed him to think about her, rather than himself. To think that she has this whole history she didn't know about; that she had a bad feeling about her brother. There had to be some conspiracy some reason she had no other contacts and no other photos. Maybe he'd actually left to start from scratch and fate had conspired to make it absolutely possible. He nodded again. "Yeah, it will," he said. And then she'd probably be whisked away anyway, back to where she came from. He chewed on his lip and glanced out the window; he didn't bother finding a seat, as they only had to get off at the next stop.


<Jersey> She stepped closer to him to avoid being bumped, her hand lightly grasping his shirt so she wouldn't fall over while she waited lightly for the train to start moving. "Tell me what you're thinking about?" She asked as she caught him chewing on his bottom lip and lifted her eyebrow lightly.


<Peter Parkman> Peter turned back to Jersey, looking down at her while he held on to one of the overhead handles to keep them both balanced. "Only that you'll soon get all your memory back and you'll find out where you're from and where you were going, and who you love, and you'll leave," he said, the words rumbling in his chest and from his lips in a low, matter-of-fact tone.


<Jersey> She lifted her gaze to him once more, studying his features quietly as she wondered about it eternally. Would she? She didn't think so, she didn't hope so and the thought was clear in her eyes while she glanced down afterwards. "I think that's one of the things that scare me the most about all of this." She didn't want to leave Peter and the dogs, she liked her job and her nice boss, Mora.


<Peter Parkman> Peter shook his head and offered a comforting smile. "But you'll be happy. Whatever life you've gained for yourself here will be so small in comparison to the one you already have. I'm sure the relief will make up for the regret," he said, always striving to find the optimistic point of view, rather than the doom and gloom.


<Jersey> "And what if I was running from my past and this is a blessing in disguise?" She asked softly while she reached up and lightly tapped his nose with her fingertip, falling quiet on the subject as she considered it all once again before, "Would you miss me?" slipped out and she lifted her gaze to meet his once more.


<Peter Parkman> "I think I probably would," he said, frowning even as he said it. The concept of missing someone was new to him. He missed plenty of people from his own past, but he had come to terms with the fact that he could never have it back. This new life that he had made for himself was one bereft of people who he could miss - until now. It took being turned into a damned vampire to form bonds with people who he might miss, were the to disappear. "And well, if your past came looking for you, then, and you didn't want it to, we'd just have to hide you, wouldn't we?"


<Jersey> Despite his frown, her lips lifted into a gentle smile while she gave a soft nod of her head and she relaxed while waiting for the train to stop. "Mm, yeah, we would." After a few moments, as if finally releasing her hold on him, Jersey let go to move her hand back to his arm. "And it's a comforting thought that you'd help."


<Peter Parkman> "Of course I would help," Peter said, as if there would be any question about it. He'd helped thus far, as much as he could without giving away his secrets, hadn't he? There was a very large voice of reason telling him he never should have to begin with. But that voice was completely overwhelmed by emotions that he hadn't felt for a very long time. Foreign emotions that he couldn't indulge, for fear of retribution. The breaks of the train squealed and screamed as it pulled into the station - the one that he and Jersey would have to get out at.


<Jersey> Her fingertips curled lightly around his arm so she wouldn't end up falling over on the train, the sound making her cringe a bit before she shook out any and all thought. Screaming brakes, she'd noticed, still occasionally set her nerves on edge. "I'm glad that you would." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, waiting beside him quietly. Once the train itself stopped, she released his arm and lightly flexed her fingers together as if she'd held on too tightly.


<Peter Parkman> Peter waited until the majority of the rest of the crowd had filtered out before he followed suit. The touch of her lips on his cheek had become a permanent memory, one that he didn't think he'd forget seeing as she did it so often. He had discovered that Jersey was a very touchy-feely person. He knew that he was not a touchy-feely person, but he did not mind all the same. As soon as they set foot on the platform they were once again accosted by the cold. It wouldn't be long until they reached the hotel, and Peter could escape to sate his thirst and soothe his nerves. "What do you plan to do tonight?" Peter asked casually; really, he just wanted to know that she would stay indoors.


<Jersey> Back in the cold, she crossed her arms underneath her chest lightly while they walked and gave a light incline of her head in wonder. What was she going to do? "I might stay in, watch a few movies and go to bed early. Despite you carrying me most of the way here, I'm kind of tired." She gave a soft chuckle and looked up at him afterwards, "I forgot to get a cup of coffee so my caffeine intake today is at a zero."


<Peter Parkman> "Good," Peter says, perhaps a bit too quickly. He tried to hide his haste with a grin. "I'd hate to think you were one of those extroverts. You know, constant parties and social events," he said with a continued smirk. "Movies are your friends more than friends are, in my opinion," he said. Though he didn't really watch TV. He preferred to read.


<Jersey> "Hell no," She looked up at him with an uplifted eyebrow, "too loud, too many people. I don't know if old me was like that, but I'm not now." Internally, she actually dreaded that idea. "I'm more of a stay home underneath a warm blanket, watch a movie, read a book and fall asleep on the couch type." She was perfectly happy with only a small group of people she came in contact almost daily other than customers, anyway.


<Peter Parkman> Peter grinned a stupid grin. He was far too happy about the fact that they seemed to think alike, at least in that one aspect. He had this sudden image of the two of them curled up in the cabin in front of the fire, in comfortable pyjamas, both reading a book, completely happy in each other's silence. A comfortable scene, a serene scene, and one that, given Peter's tendency to panic, probably wouldn't come to fruition. "You forgot the fire. There needs to be a fire. And the dogs of course, all curled up at our feet," he said, swallowing hard as he realised he said 'our', as he finished that thought out loud.


<Jersey> To say that she wasn't caught off guard when he said 'our' would be a lie, but the small grin that played across her lips showed that she didn't mind the idea at all and she gave a nod of her head. "That sounds like a perfect evening to me, Peter." Jersey reached up and gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Because of how panicked he got occasionally, she didn't question him about it though, a wider grin playing across her lips while they walked.


<Peter Parkman> "Mmmhm," he mumbled, the low rumble of agreement the only sound he made. He had a tendency to disappear into his head; although he could talk a lot when he wanted to, he hadn't actually practiced social interaction for quite some time. He could see the hotel up ahead. He didn't dare look down at Jersey; didn't dare witness the expression on her face, whatever it might be.


<Jersey> She walked in the silence for a while, glancing up to see the hotel drawing closer and closer with a slight amount of disappointment in the pit of her stomach. Noticing Peter having fallen quiet as well, she looked up at him under her lashes. "Penny for your thoughts?"


<Peter Parkman> "Again?" he asked. "Nope. I want to know what you're thinking, this time," Peter said. He hadn't really been thinking about anything specific; just a whole bundle of things all mixed up and incoherent. He wouldn't be able to tell her what he was thinking about, not really, not without confusing the hell out of her.


<Jersey> "Well," She pushed her eyebrows together slightly as she looked down at her feet quietly, "I was thinking about the conversations we've had, work, the fact this place is... beautiful but so strange." She looked about, showing she meant the city before giving a soft smile, "but I've gotten some pretty good friends out of it."


<Peter Parkman> "All decent things to be thinking about, I suppose," Peter said. Though he wondered about the specifics, exactly. Yes, the place was strange, but what had she noticed? The conversations they'd had - well, some of them were great, but some of them Peter was quite certain he'd botched completely. So he didn't want to ask about those, either. "What were you thinking about work?" he asked. Yes, that was a safe topic.


<Jersey> "Somethings just stick out more in my head, it can get pretty confusing." She chuckled quietly and gave a soft shake of her head, thinking quietly about everything before she blinked and looked up at him once more. "There were a few guys that came into the shop today, hit on me." She might've been wanting to see how he'd react, "And then there was this little girl and her grandmother. Some of the customers are just wonderful."


<Peter Parkman> Peter frowned. It made sense that people ought to hit on Jersey; she was quite beautiful, with her golden hair, those green eyes, and lips that were full and utterly desirable. Peter should encourage it, of course. He should encourage her to form relationships with normal people. Instead, he asked: "Oh yeah? What did you do? With the guys that hit on you...?"


<Jersey> "Played stupid," She answered honestly, thinking about it while she gave a faint shake of her head, "which, it's actually harder than you'd think to play the stereotypical ditz." She looked up lightly in thought, "Although it wasn't until one of them, the cutest of the group asked for my number I gave them any notice." Her green eyes moved back to him, "They were the jocky kind... loud, obnoxious."


<Peter Parkman> "The worst kind," Peter said. He dealt with those assholes all the time in class; those who took history because they thought it would be a breeze, when in actuality it was not. "I hope you didn't give it to him. No brains in their heads, those types," he said, shaking his own head, almost completely oblivious that he was doing something that he never did - judging someone before even meeting them.


<Jersey> "And if I did?" She questioned, stopping as she carefully hid a sly smirk that threatened to play across her lips as she looked up at him innocently. She was certainly pleased of his reaction. "The cutest one wasn't as idiotic as the others. At least, he could keep his eyes off my chest for more than two minutes between sentences." In reality, she hadn't given it a second thought at all. None of them had been her type or the man she liked - even if he was relatively difficult sometimes.


<Peter Parkman> The hand that Peter had shoved into his pocket clenched of his own accord. He had to blink, baffled by his own reaction, and by just how strong it was. If only he had been there...oh, if only. Jersey would have seen a completely different side of him. But he hadn't been there. "If you did I hope..." I hope you did it out of pity and won't actually use it. He forced his tightened jaw to relax. "...I hope you make the most of it, and don't...do anything you regret," he said, even though he regretted his own actions. He should maybe sometimes take his own advice.


<Jersey> She gave a slight inclination of her head, crooking her finger at him for the man to lean down a bit. While Jersey wasn't short, the blonde wasn't his height either. "And if I flat out told them that I wasn't interested in them?" She questioned curiously, taking note of the tightened jaw before she glanced over his body language lightly before lifting her gaze back to his features.


<Peter Parkman> Peter did lean down, though hesitantly. There was a wariness in his eyes; he had suspicions about what Jersey might have planned. But he did so anyway. After she spoke and the suspicions were banished, Peter straightened up again, licking his lips and telling himself not to smile too much. "I'd tell you that you were a smart girl," he said.


<Jersey> Jersey leaned up lightly to his ear once he replied, a grin playing across her lips, "And I'd tell you that you are very alluring when you appear to be jealous." She whispered before pulling back and grinning up at him with amusement glittering in her green eyes.


<Peter Parkman> Sometimes, Peter wished that he was more confident than what he was. He wished that he didn't wear his emotions on his sleeves; he wished that he knew how to be suave, rather than awkward and panicked. He physically blanched as Jersey whispered in his ear, a flood of goosepimples erupting across his arms and causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. He cleared his throat and took a step back. "Yes, well," he said. "I ah...." he cleared his throat again. "Isn't this your hotel?" he asked, gesturing to the looming building, just down the road. He knew perfectly well it was her hotel. But a change of topic was required.


<Jersey> Jersey looked at him, clearly unimpressed as she lifted her eyebrow and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Yes, and that was a poor change of subject." She gave a small shake of her head, chuckling, "I should probably head up though, get out of your hair..." She pulled on her bottom lip with her teeth, "so you can do your errands. Call me later? Or send another text?"


<Peter Parkman> Peter just blinked at her, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. In reality, he was balking; he did not know how to respond. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "Yes, sure. I can do that," he said with a weak smile. "Go up and get warm and uhm... take care of your tailbone," he said with a cringe. As far as exits go, he was again doing a rather bad job of it.


<Jersey> "Oh," She blinked, unzipping and shrugging out of his jacket after a moment, moving close to him once more, "And thank you, for walking me home and keeping me warm." Her smile was soft and gentle as she looked up at him, "I'll talk to you soon."


<Peter Parkman> Peter took the jacket reluctantly. He was tempted to let her keep it. There was this small voice that told him to take it, however - he could wear it. And it was now saturated with that vanilla, sugary scent of hers. "Any time," he said, before nodding awkwardly, and continuing in the direction they had been walking in. He'd round the next corner and make a bee-line for the Asylum.