[ OOC: This thread is for Fforde members to post all family interactions. Enjoy! ]
--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--
* Jesse Fforde is at the house, as promised. He hasn't been to the apartment much; it's almost as if he's trying to lure Grey out with his absence. So when not at work, he's at Larch Court. Of course he does other things, like breaking and entering (in order to make tomes for the family and gather crafting supplies for the family), but they don't take up too much of his time. Tonight, he's lounging around upstairs on one of the couches, his phone on the floor beside him, his feet up, and his sketch book resting on his knees. As per usual, when at home he's not all too formal, and thus is only wearing a pair of track pants and a plain black tank. There's a frown set over his brow. Anyone looking might have thought he was just concentrating, the charcoal wending heavy dark lines across the plain paper. But those in the know would probably realise the frown is due to something else entirely.
* Leyla walked into their home with a sigh as she made her way through the doorway, her laptop and school folder tucked under her arm as she walked in. When she saw Jesse she gave a gentle smile and wrangled both herself and her belongings closer to the man and took a seat near by his. "What are you drawling?" asking as she set her laptop and folder aside. It was hard to miss that the man was busy over there sketching something. There was a disappointed look about her face but when she looked at him it went back to her usual happy smile.
* Jesse Fforde says nothing. As Leyla nods in his direction, he nods back. And when she asks what he is drawing, he merely turns the book around and holds it up to her. Sometimes his work is fine, done with ink and watercolours. They're the tattoo designs. Sometimes, however, he likes a bit of greywash. Just black and white. The image shown to Leyla is of skull, which is all harsh darkness and shadows. From a crack in head, however, and out of the eyes and mouth, he has drawn flowers; a myriad of roses and carnations. The drawing is incomplete, and some of it are still just hashed lines that haven't been filled in yet. Just a doodle, really, rather than anything too important or telling. It was something he'd started before the foul mood set in.
* Leyla looked at the drawling and smiled as her eyes gazed over the intense skull. Her head tipped and her curls bounced some as she did, her hand reaching up to sweep hair from her face. Unlike when she first got here- she's all dressed up. Her hair done, make up on her face, pretty preppy clothing with matching heels. Everything about Leyla seemed to have brightened back up with her acceptance. The hand moved from her hair to wrap slender fingers around her lanyard, "I wish I could drawl like that, Jesse." a fang nibbled then at her lip before she simply sighed. "Talk to me?" she asks, her eyebrows raising gently. She knew he was upset and she felt like she would burst with both her concern and her growing intuition. It had been obvious online and even more obvious in person. It was hard to describe but she was slowly starting to get lazy jingles. A little tug of feelings when she got too close too someone who was feeling consumed by one emotion than any of the others.
* Jesse Fforde isn't really one for talking. If he can get by without it, he does. Most of the time. He doesn't call people on the phone just to have a chat. Call it habit, after being mute for a decade. He's not giving anyone any kind of silent treatment; it's just how he is. He clears his throat--for example, this'll be the first time he's spoken all evening. When his voice does come out, it's raspy and cracked, never to really be whole. He puts the sketch pad down. "You could draw like that, if you really want to. Just takes practice," he says with a shrug.
* Leyla gave a sigh at the man's response. Men. Jesus. Leaning back in her seat she crossed her long legs and fixed her dress accordingly. "I suppose I could but I'm more wondering about how you're feeling?" she asks again, this time she hopes that she's clear as she gripped her lanyard and pulls it off from around her neck. She was no longer working now. No reason to keep it around her neck- she was sure most knew her name around here anyway. "I know a lot of your childre are upset with you.. and you them." she raised plucked 'brows at him. It would do him good to blow off some steam and she only knew how to do that with talking. She could be his ear, no problem.
* Jesse Fforde arches his brow. Again. For a few seconds he just stares at Leyla, confounded. It's pretty ******* clear how he's feeling, he thought. But maybe she hadn't actually read his small rant on the forum, yet? No, he's not the sort to spill his woes; less these days than he used to, anyway. He'd already been called too many names to recount because he thought people gave a **** about his feelings. He's wary to begin doing that again. "Last I saw, you were on their side," he says, cool and calm.
* Leyla tipped her head just slightly as he stared at her. Nothing mocking, just confused as to why he's trying to stare into her soul like that. For a moment, it makes her uncomfortable so she shifts in her seat before he spoke. Full pink lips pursed then at what he said before she smoothed her palms over the fabric of her dress. "Well, I suppose I don't actually have a vote on the account you're not my sire.." she looked at the man with nothing but respect even as she shrugged and discounted her own feelings. "I'm just not sure why you keep bringing all of these new childre when the one's you have are already unhappy with the numbers. I'm not sure it's helping anyone.. unless there's something I'm missing?"
* Jesse Fforde 's lips remain shut, too, for a moment. He's not the sort to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind - which in this case would have been that Leyla hadn't thought of her non-vote before she posted. But, he doesn't that because if there were to be any kind of vote, of course hers would be counted. "I may as well be your sire for all the attention your own has given you," he rectifies. That ought to make her feel included. "What's wrong with larger numbers? I like to be surrounded by family. How is it hindering anyone, exactly?" he asks. That's the crux of it, really. How exactly does it harm anyone if the numbers swell?
* Leyla would have agreed that she hadn't thought at all. Infact, she had been in the cyber Cafe after stalking about the City to just catch a glimpse of the cutie with the booty. She shrugged her slender shoulders, she wasn't about to fight his argument. He was right. He had taken her in and she always came to him with all of her thoughts and concerns. Even if she had been busy sticking her nose in her books and fighting zombies and of course, class. That hadn't left much time for conversation with him or really anyone else outside of her Uni. "I just think it makes them feel less to you." She said after a moment of thought. "I can only say that's what I'm getting from everything on the CrowNet. I would have to suggest that you speak to them further because I can't speak for them." Leyla smiled then at him, trying to be reassuring, trying to be there for him as he was always there for her.
* Jesse Fforde shakes his head. The more they talk about it, the angrier he gets. The more things he thinks of that just rile him up. "You were never a part of Andras, but it was a far larger family that we were once attached to. There was... drama. We are no longer in that family. While that was going on, I tried to get everyone to speak up, right? I tried to instill in everyone that we should be a family that tells each other when we're feeling crap about each other. Open and honest and up front. Sure, they'r letting me know they're unhappy but they don't explain why. They just ***** about it with their sarcasm..." he stops, and shakes his head. "Ishaq is never here. Never says anything. Just comes out of the blue to ***** about something he has no idea about anyway. Victor? I used to go to him all the time because he couldn't ever come to me, nooo. I'm the one who's always got to go to them. Where's this two way street everyone's always talking about, huh?" he breathes. He doesn't need to, but he does. He shakes his head again. There go those feelings, that he told himself he wasn't going to spill.
* Leyla gave a tiny shudder as she felt his anger build. Yuck, she hadn't expected all that but she was listening. Leyla was a great listener. As he spoke she would nod randomly just a soft up and down tilt of her chin. Just so he would know that she wasn't just tuning him out as she had before. Truly, her happiness brought her back to her former-self. Almost the girl she was before she got dumped on his stairs. If you asked her now, she'd tell Jesse that she was grateful that he hadn't left her. That she had the strength to look up into that warm yellow glow of the door opening to LC. "It's apparently buried somewhere." she wrinkled her nose before she sighed. "You know I don't completely understand because Felicity turned me yet- you're the one putting in the time with me, Jesse. I don't know why they won't meet you halfway but maybe they are not aware that that they're not?" she said this in a question. Who was she to know? She didn't know or even know them. Of course though, she would always try to see the glass half full than half empty.
* Jesse Fforde shrugs his shoulders. There's plenty more he could say. Like... would they all bite Felicity's head off when she came back? Why not? Why not be furious at the schizophrenic for doing something that she couldn't help? Jesse knows it, deep down. He's told them before. He can't help himself. When he sires someone, it's like a high. He'd literally nearly let Mickey drain him dry. But they call it ********. It's not something he's going to use as an excuse anymore. The last thing he wants is to make them angry, but he just can't ******* help it. His body is tense, but he doesn't say any of it. "Beyond bleeding myself dry and giving all the ******* clothes off my back, I'm not sure what I have to do to make them see that I do everything for this family. I sire because I feel the urge but I don't just fuckin' abandon people and make them fend for themselves," he frowns. He shrugs again. Sure, he looks furious. But it's really just a mask.
* Leyla stayed quiet for a few minutes before she managed to shrug her shoulders at him again. "You can't do anything else." She said the words and they made her wince. It was upsetting for her to see the man this broken up and this angry. She couldn't do anything about it. Not a damn thing and it almost made her feel helpless. The only thing she could think to do is try to focus more on him and her family and maybe just that much would help make him happy. When he spoke about his siring skills she nodded. "I know you don't abandon people. I'm here and I didn't die during my turning because of you." she gave him a warm smile- trying to at least show him that she was grateful for what he did for her. Everything else was out of her power.
* Jesse Fforde watched Leyla as she sat there on the other lounge chair, reassuring him. He had to stop doing this. He'd done the same thing to Clover. How long ago was it? He'd about as far as admitted that he had no idea what he was doing but it seemed to have gained no sympathy. But he rebelled at the thought of sympathy, anyway. Even Leyla's support started to itch. He's not supposed to be weak. He's supposed to be strong, for them. Play the part of leader. As much as he wants to be the kind of leader that everyone can come to with their problems, it's not going to happen. So maybe he has to be the leader that everyone hates. And so be it. "I can talk to them and find out what their problem is, exactly. But beyond that..." he shrugs. He'd deflated, somewhat, from that billowing fury. It wasn't all about him, after all. Their feelings shouldn't be illegitimised just because he didn't understand them.
* Leyla nodded at the man and finished his sentence for him. "You can't do anything else." Leaning back in her seat she re-crossed her legs and attempted another reassuring smile. "Jesse, it'll all work out in the end, I'm sure." She wasn't sure, actually. This was the first lie she told Jesse. Well, not a full terrible lie but enough of one that made her feel the pain of guilt right after she said it. It wasn't something she was sure of. It wasn't something that she could guarantee because it was up to him and his childre to come to a common ground or they would all stay at odds. The thought of all of them staying at odds made her head ache and her lips press into a thin line for a quick moment. To her, she thought they were all lucky to be picked by Jesse. He hadn't left them in a heap of a bloody mess on the ******* door steps and they all knew they could come to him. Leyla didn't have anyone else when and if Jesse ever left the picture.
* Jesse Fforde laughs. He doesn't think Leyla's lying. It's not a statement that can be called a lie or a truth. It's something people say. Something that optimistic people say, and he finds himself staring at Leyla again. But he's got that smile in his eyes that's neither sadistic nor creepy, as his smile can so often be. "You know, I'm glad it was you Felicity dumped on our doorstep. Rather than some depressed good-for-nothing hipster," he says. He is grateful for Leyla's cheer. And for Kaelyn's. So many of his family seem always to be depressed or upset, including his own fiance. Which he doesn't know how to solve. It doesn't make for a really welcoming atmosphere. "You should meet Marian. I'm sure she thinks everyone loathes her, at this point."
* Leyla felt her smile grow as she saw him smile. It made her feel better, really. "Really? Me too, actually." she laughed softly and leaned further back in her seat to relax. "I'm also far from a hipster." she said with a grand gesture of her hand to her pretty dress and her dressy high-heels. At the mention of Marian she nodded. "I'll introduce myself, certainly."
