Jesse Fforde
Jesse rounded the corner, his sword dripping with the blood of his 'enemies', ash smeared across one cheek and smattered over his dark clothing. The castle was a great place to let off some steam -- even if Jesse wasn't filled with much steam these days -- and was one of the only places he found himself challenged. He liked a good challenge. Ahead of him was a Kaelyn. Whether it was THE Kaelyn he did not know. He approached it, swapping out his real gun for his paintball gun which he had taken to carrying on him for these such occasions. He lifted it and aimed, and pulled the trigger, sending pellets of brightly coloured paint in the Kaelyn's direction. He was either going to get shocked or shouted at. Either one would be entertaining.
Kaelyn
Kaelyn's back had been turned to Jesse. She hadn't heard him coming up on her. Nor did she realize she was about to be spattered in paint. She was in a castle full of baddies...the blonde should probably be paying more attention. Kaelyn felt something hit her and then two more repeatedly after. Her back and hair were now spattered in spots of paint. However, she didn't realize that's what it was. She turned quickly, her actual gun in hand and pointing towards her assailant. Finger almost pulled the trigger before realizing who it was. "Jesus, Jesse! Are you trying to get yourself shot!? What the hell was that!?"
Kaelyn
>.>
Jesse Fforde
Jesse glanced down at his own self - he opened his mouth to respond, laughter bubbling from his slightly parted lips, as he realised that by wearing all black he hid the amount of wounds he himself had sustained. Some mere scratches that had already healed and other bullet wounds given to him by the 'baddies' he couldn't defeat. There were still some of them around, and he was determined to best them. "... that was paint, Kae. Just making sure it was you," he said, putting the paint gun away.
Kaelyn
Kaelyn rolled her eyes at the male "I'm guessing you found my...dopples. I'm calling them dopples. One of my newest powers! Keeps my pockets safe when in here. Too many pick pockets." Even though she was in a castle, hunting and killing 'baddies,' she was still wearing a dress as usual. However instead of heels, she stuck with a simple pair of converse. A bit more practical. "Do you go around shooting all of my dopples?"
Jesse Fforde
"...maybe," he said with a vague shrug, reaching forward to smear a particularly large globule of bright green paint through the curls of Kaelyn's hair. Jesse Fforde was in a strangely good mood, for once in his cursed unlife.
Kaelyn
Her face wrinkled up as she felt the glob of paint being smoothed through her hair. This was going to take one hell of a shower to get clean. Eyes narrowed at the man a little. "Could you not have just like...shouted my name or something?"
Jesse Fforde
He smiled, that mischievous glint having returned to his bright blues. If one didn't know any better, they might have thought this was a Jesse stepped through some time portal from the past. "That would have been boring," he said. "You know me. I don't like to be boring. What have you been up to?"
Kaelyn
Kaelyn stared at him for a long moment. He was acting different. More like how he used to be when she first met him. "Very true....Umm not a lot has been up with me. Spending time with Stagger a lot. ...More like all the time. What about you? You seem quite...chipper."
Jesse Fforde
"There comes a time in one's life when you realise that complete and utter monotony is better than drama. There are things to be grateful for," he said with a shrug. He was still the same old Jesse who liked to hold a grudge, but it was more of a forgive but not forget type situation. Deep down he still harboured doubts, but he didn't allow them to be the mask he wore. "I'm surprised you two aren't married yet," he said, tone teasing.
Kaelyn
Monotony...Her life. She tended to do the same things every single day. Go to work. Go hunt. Go home with the Mister. She wasn't fond of lots of drama....granted some could give a bit of entertainment. "There definitely are things to be grateful for." A smile lit up her eyes at that thought. And then she laughed a little at the marriage comment. "It'll happen when we're ready. We've only been together a year and a half. And! I'm not even 20...It'll definitely happen though."
Jesse Fforde
"When he's got grey hair and you're still young and bouncy," Jesse said, though this time with teasing amusement and not the past teasing disapproval. This was the regular Jesse -- the one that liked to push buttons. The one who got slapped all the time, and who was able to laugh it off.
Jesse Fforde
[ TO BE CONTINUED ]
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This thread was submitted via a live roleplay chat in the Foucault Castle East area. Participants and rewards were: Jesse Fforde earned 690 RPP. Kaelyn earned 579 RPP.
Shock or Shout
-
Storyteller
- Posts: 454
- Joined: 07 Jan 2016, 16:29
Re: Shock or Shout
Kaelyn
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Kaelyn
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Kaelyn
Kaelyn rolled her eyes. He was pushing as usual. "Maybe. Maybe I like gray hair and saggy balls, Jesse." Did she really? Heck no! But...if he was going to push, she was going to push right back. They would definitely be married before he was...too old. And hopefully turned before then too. While yes everyone gets old...normally you grow old with your loved one. This was not their case. Granted she'd love Stagger, gray haired, saggy balls and all. She signed up for life...or eternity. The blonde's face did wrinkle at the thought of saggy balls though.
Jesse Fforde
Jesse chuckled. Something in his memory twinged, like they'd had this conversation before. He honestly hadn't expected the two to last as long as they had, but here they were. And they were still together. "You know I've come to realise it doesn't actually matter," he said, veering the conversation back around to a previous comment. "Whether you've been together a month, or a year and a half, or ten years. I used to think it mattered, used to scoff at people who got bound after only a couple of months because I'd seen it go *** up too often. And that binding, it sticks. It's not like marriage," he said with a shrug. "How long's it been since you two agreed on five years?"
Kaelyn
She raised a brow towards him. This was not how he spoke of it before. Wait before you get married. You're too young. He's too old. You don't know each other well enough. Etc. But now he seemed gung ho for it. "It's been like...one year I think." She started to try and pick the paint out of her hair. She could feel it drying to her curls. This was going to be a nightmare. "I've seen too many marriages fail. We'll marry when we are ready."
Jesse Fforde
"Which is smart. I'm just saying," he said with a shrug. What was he saying? He didn't really know. Words, they often failed him. They were never really friends of his. He'd gone so long without them. What was he saying? People change. They do things they once said they never would. They see the world through different coloured lenses. It was quiet now, in this part of the castle, and Jesse relaxed. "Should we walk and talk? Let's go sit in the grass somewhere..."
Kaelyn
Her shoulders lifted in a big of a shrug. She could use the fresh night air. Most humans would be asleep by now,so it should be awfully...wonderfully quiet out. "Sure, we can go walk. If we can find our way out of this labyrinth of a castle. I'm here almost every day, yet I still get lost."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse grunted. "You're telling me. I tome out and catch a portal in. I've never had to find the exit," he said, nudging his head in the direction he thought a door might be. A door that would lead to another section of the castle but... even if they just found a courtyard or something, the fresh air might be nice. "Have you been busy? Working or something...?" he asked, absently. She'd said Stagger was the only person she really spent time with these days, and he assumed there was a reason. Or maybe there wasn't. Maybe that's all she wanted to see.
Kaelyn
She had the option to tome in and out as she pleased, yet she for some reason didn't. She found the exit when she needed it. "I supposed I could do that too. Would make my life easier." Kaelyn followed after him, hoping he had a better sense of direction than she did. "Eh...I go to work, file papers and then head here. I go home with Stagger after. That's my life pretty much nightly. Unless Stagger has something else planned for us."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse nodded and arched a brow. He wasn't looking at Kaelyn -- he was keeping an eye on their surroundings, fingers ready to find his weapons if he needed them. "Sounds about right," he said. "Sounds the same as me," he laughed. This time last year he would have been bitter about it, the lack of 'fun'. But when he tomed back to Third Circle there was always someone there. Whether it was Clover, or Marisol, or Charlie. There were people around, and he always had Clover in his arms when he fell asleep for the day. Insomnia was a thing of the past. "But, as we agreed -- it's better than drama."
Kaelyn
Kaelyn was someone who thrived from being around others. Conversation, attention, affection, etc. She got that all from Stagger, which was obviously wonderful...but often she missed those she used to speak to all the time. Jesse, Clover, Victor....Doc. She definitely missed him. But she couldn't run back to things and she couldn't just forget everything. "Yupp. Quiet nights are better than drama filled nights." She looked around at their surroundings. Seemed Jesse had found a door...where it lead, they would see. "Your businesses are going well?"
Jesse Fforde
"Splendidly," he said, holding said door open so Kaelyn could go through first, and keeping pace with her while they traversed the small hall that led to a different section of the castle. When they got out the other side, he thought it looked familiar. He came this way often. It was near where the portal dropped him, and portal dropped him at the entrance. Maybe he knew his way around better than he thought -- a subconscious map in his mind. "Did you ever visit the gardens?" he asked.
Kaelyn
Her head shook a little as she headed through the door and then followed after him once again. "No, I've never visited the gardens here. I haven't explored a whole ton other than inside." Kaelyn's brow furrowed for a moment as she thought and then decided to speak. "How is Clover and everyone? Have you seen Spaz?"
Jesse Fforde
"No no, I meant Valhalla. One of my businesses. I bought a biodome..." he said. It was one of his favourite places, honestly -- laying in the dirt amongst all that humid greenery. It was like a rainforest, all to himself. "I haven't seen her, no. I haven't heard from her in... months," he said. "Clover is fine. Everyone... though did you ever meet Marisol? Charlie...?"
Kaelyn
Valhalla? Had she known about that one? She didn't think so. Her shoulders lifted up in a shrug "Not sure I knew about Valhalla...except it's like Viking heaven. Congrats on that business. I'm sure it's lovely." Lips pulled into a slight frown when he said he hadn't heard from her sister. Maybe she should try to get a hold of her. "Charlie is that human that worked at Serpentine, yeah? And Marisol? I don't think so..."
Jesse Fforde
"Ah... well when you ask 'how's everyone' I instantly think of the people I see most often. Charlie's not human anymore, got herself attacked by a fadebeast, she did. Marisol was Logan's thrall. Logan died, we got Marisol," he explained. They were his people now. "Rhett's around, ish. We've buried our issues, got past them. Raven's still a stark raving ***** when she comes around, which isn't often. "And you should come visit the gardens one night. I called them Valhalla because they are like a heaven."
Kaelyn
The frown pulled at her lips even more. "Logan, the Amish guy? ...He's dead?" Who else had died or disappeared? She had missed out on a lot apparently. But that was her choice...well both of their choice. Her own in the end though. "Raven will always be a *****. I shouldn't have shot her though." She over reacted. Got mad. She had a better control of herself now a days. "I'll come check it out sometime."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse laughed. "No, Logan wasn't the Amish guy. Langdell was the Amish guy. Is. He could be dead? I haven't seen him in months either," Jesse said. The disappearances had hurt him far more once upon a time, but now they were expected. Cosette, Marian -- they popped up every now and again, but were mostly independent. Aine was around. Axel and Grey were just... gone, he doubted they'd ever come back. He'd hoped Ursula would stick but she, too, had drifted. "We learn to appreciate what we've got," he said with a mild shrug and a gesture toward two large doors. The exit.
Kaelyn
The frown lifted a little. Langdell. Not Logan.Who the hell was Logan again? "Which one was Logan? Did I know Logan?" There had been so many of them over the years...sometimes it got hard to keep track of everyone. "Exactly. Which is why I'm content how I am, I guess." The blonde stepped through the doors after pushing one open and made her way out into the night air. She took a moment to herself to take it in. The silence of everything.
Jesse Fforde
"Logan... probably not. Maybe? He didn't come to much," Jesse said. In the end, Clover had been more torn up over the loss of Logan. She still loathed Marisol, blaming the thrall for the master's death even though it wasn't Marisol who'd pulled the trigger. Clover had spent more time with Logan, was better friends with him than Jesse had ever been. "You guess? You don't sound so sure," Jesse commented, letting the doors thud shut behind him as he took the broken old steps down to the earth, instinctively seeking greener pastures -- but keeping closer to the urban sprawl to as to avoid the attention of the fae.
Kaelyn
skipped down the steps a bit. Habit, probably. Rarely did she take a flight of steps like a normal person. She followed him towards the grass. "Yeah. I mean...sometimes it gets lonely. But I created my life. So I need to be content with it." Was she? She honestly didn't know at the moment. She went back and forth with those feelings a lot. She missed people, but was this for the better? At least she couldn't make anyone mad or upset if she wasn't talking to them...
Jesse Fforde
Jesse watched Kaelyn, listened to her as if trying to hear something she wasn't saying. This was the longest conversation they'd had in a long time without arguing and there were questions he wanted to ask but which he didn't, wouldn't, shouldn't. Because it would lead nowhere good. There was a large tree with a clearing around its base and Jesse tossed his weapons to the grass nearby and sat down, relaxing, one ankle crossed over the other. "You really were happy last time we spoke, though. You had what you wanted..." he said. He hadn't asked the questions, but they were there, laced into his words.
Kaelyn
Kaelyn chewed on her bottom lip as she took a seat in the grass near Jesse. He had tossed his weapons down, however she kept hers close and easily grabbable. She didn't trust the area they were in at all. Kaelyn had to think for a moment. Was she really happy the last time they spoke or had she been pretending...putting on a show. She wasn't sure. "Happiness comes and goes. I'm mostly happy I think. I"m very happy with Stagger. Things happen. Things change. I guess it affects things a bit."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse was given nothing else. She was happy with Stagger but she mentioned no one else, and Jesse wouldn't mention them either. It left a bad taste in his mouth and reminded him of things he'd prefer to forget -- with Kaelyn especially, and some of the conversations they'd had. Even if she'd lost what had made her happy, Jesse wasn't going to try to persuade her to come back into the fold. "Things do change," he said, pulling up his knees so that he could rest his arms over them, wrists dangling in mid-air. He'd killed an overlord the other day with no weapon on him but the paintgun, and since he'd gained a friend in the fae-Salamander, Mandy, he didn't fear the fae as much as he should, either. "You make it sound like Stagger is all you have..."
Kaelyn
She had killed a few Overlords...but with weapons and not many. She wasn't quite talented enough to overpower them yet. Kaelyn stretched out a bit, loving the feel of grass against the bare skin of her legs and beneath her hands. She wasn't giving him further information because she knew how the topic would go. She didn't want a fight. She didn't want to feel like ****. Jesse hated Doc. He would be happy with how things were for her right now. And that's not the stuff she needed to hear. "Well he kind of is all I have...and my pets."
Jesse Fforde
Was that really what Jesse wanted to hear? Maybe he should have stayed off the topic all together. It wasn't that he wanted Kaelyn to have only one person in her life when she'd so craved a family, but there was something deep down that enjoyed it. She'd ditched Fforde for someone she now claimed she no longer had. But he hadn't the heart to rub her face in it, to tell her it could have been different if she'd made other choices. He didn't want to hear her defend those choices, or tell him she'd make them all over again. Jesse was calmer than he had been but there were still certain things he wouldn't do to himself. "Huh," was all he said. An acknowledgment, because he wasn't sure what else there was to say.
Kaelyn
Kaelyn hadn't lost him per se....but they had hardly spoken at all since January. And their last conversation which just happened a couple days ago didn't seem to go too well. Faked happiness for news she shared. Then letting her know he had been annoyed with her and too busy for her. Hence why they dont speak. None of this she'd go into with Jesse. It'd all work itself out in the end....it had to, right? He was Papi and she was Chub. Then again she had lost everyone else. "Mm." was her response. What more was she supposed to say to that? "I"m thinking of buying a house or farm or something."
Jesse Fforde
"You should," Jesse agreed, nodding. "Create your own space. Learn the ritual, make yourself a tome to that space. You don't have to rely on other people for a home, make your own," he said. It's what he had learned the long way around. The authority he kept looking up to continued to let him down until in the end he decided it wasn't meant to be. Now that he'd loosened the strings a bit, he noticed the people coming and going from Third Circle. Make it a home and people would come, eventually. "I still think you should sire..." he said, head rolling against the bark of the tree so he could look at Kaelyn.
Kaelyn
"Stagger has his apartment I stay at usually. I've fixed it up a bit so I'm pretty comfortable there now. I also have my other apartment. Kane still lives there. We haven't spoken in many months." She didn't rely on anyone for anything anymore. She could take care of herself. She had plenty of money in the bank. Had a job. Had everything she needed. "I just thought it'd be good for Stagger and I to have a bigger place for all of our pets." Face scrunched up at the mention of her becoming a sire. "I'm not even 20...I am barely old enough to take care of myself, let alone someone else. I think I'd make a horrible sire."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse shrugged his shoulders. Real Estate. He had plenty of it himself -- that apartment, still, where he and Grey used to live together. He knew he should sell it, but he hadn't got around to it. Selling it meant he'd probably have to go there again. Should it matter? Should it still fill him with so much dread? He needed to get someone else to do it for him. Maybe he should send Grey the key, tell her it's all hers. Would she even want it? "A cabin then, probably. Somewhere you can build outdoor pens," he said. "I don't think anyone's a perfect sire, but I think you'd do just fine. You know what's what. You care about family. You don't really need anything else. Why do you think you'd be horrible?"
Kaelyn
"Because I ruin everything, Jesse. I make people mad and irritated and annoyed. I ruin relationships. You've seen all my familiar relationships and how they have all crumbled..Doesn't matter if I love family and want family...I'm not good at family. " She let out a long sigh and picked at some of the grass. She had never put that into words, but it was truth.
Jesse Fforde
"Then don't try so hard," he said with a shrug. And it wasn't a criticism against Kaelyn. "My track record is no better than yours and you know what fixed it, finally? I stopped trying. I stopped taking it personally. I focused on those that were there and didn't snap at those who were absent. I welcomed them back rather than demanding where they'd been. I stopped assuming their disappearance had anything to do with me because a lot of the time, I had nothing to do with it. Bitterness pushes people away," he said. It took him a long time to realise it -- people don't offer comfort if they don't realise the anger was born from a place of hurt. "Maybe family just hasn't been good to you."
Kaelyn
"Don't try so hard? I don't try...I just live. I just am. I act how I feel. And look where it's gotten me." He didn't get it. She hadn't tried for a family in a long time. Yet it still fell apart. She had Stagger though. He hadn't even hesitated with her in the slightest. He loved her. All of her. "Or maybe I'm not good for family."
Jesse Fforde
"Or maybe it's all just been a series of unfortunate events. Wrong place, wrong time, and you shouldn't let past failures stop you from trying again," he said. Jesse had enough, he knew that. He knew he shouldn't try to push for anything else because it had never gone so well in the past. But he'd been impatient. "I do sometimes wonder if you'd still be around if I hadn't got so angry all the time..."
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This thread was submitted via a live roleplay chat in the Foucault Castle East area. Participants and rewards were: Kaelyn earned 2113 RPP. Jesse Fforde earned 2584 RPP.
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Kaelyn
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Kaelyn
Kaelyn rolled her eyes. He was pushing as usual. "Maybe. Maybe I like gray hair and saggy balls, Jesse." Did she really? Heck no! But...if he was going to push, she was going to push right back. They would definitely be married before he was...too old. And hopefully turned before then too. While yes everyone gets old...normally you grow old with your loved one. This was not their case. Granted she'd love Stagger, gray haired, saggy balls and all. She signed up for life...or eternity. The blonde's face did wrinkle at the thought of saggy balls though.
Jesse Fforde
Jesse chuckled. Something in his memory twinged, like they'd had this conversation before. He honestly hadn't expected the two to last as long as they had, but here they were. And they were still together. "You know I've come to realise it doesn't actually matter," he said, veering the conversation back around to a previous comment. "Whether you've been together a month, or a year and a half, or ten years. I used to think it mattered, used to scoff at people who got bound after only a couple of months because I'd seen it go *** up too often. And that binding, it sticks. It's not like marriage," he said with a shrug. "How long's it been since you two agreed on five years?"
Kaelyn
She raised a brow towards him. This was not how he spoke of it before. Wait before you get married. You're too young. He's too old. You don't know each other well enough. Etc. But now he seemed gung ho for it. "It's been like...one year I think." She started to try and pick the paint out of her hair. She could feel it drying to her curls. This was going to be a nightmare. "I've seen too many marriages fail. We'll marry when we are ready."
Jesse Fforde
"Which is smart. I'm just saying," he said with a shrug. What was he saying? He didn't really know. Words, they often failed him. They were never really friends of his. He'd gone so long without them. What was he saying? People change. They do things they once said they never would. They see the world through different coloured lenses. It was quiet now, in this part of the castle, and Jesse relaxed. "Should we walk and talk? Let's go sit in the grass somewhere..."
Kaelyn
Her shoulders lifted in a big of a shrug. She could use the fresh night air. Most humans would be asleep by now,so it should be awfully...wonderfully quiet out. "Sure, we can go walk. If we can find our way out of this labyrinth of a castle. I'm here almost every day, yet I still get lost."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse grunted. "You're telling me. I tome out and catch a portal in. I've never had to find the exit," he said, nudging his head in the direction he thought a door might be. A door that would lead to another section of the castle but... even if they just found a courtyard or something, the fresh air might be nice. "Have you been busy? Working or something...?" he asked, absently. She'd said Stagger was the only person she really spent time with these days, and he assumed there was a reason. Or maybe there wasn't. Maybe that's all she wanted to see.
Kaelyn
She had the option to tome in and out as she pleased, yet she for some reason didn't. She found the exit when she needed it. "I supposed I could do that too. Would make my life easier." Kaelyn followed after him, hoping he had a better sense of direction than she did. "Eh...I go to work, file papers and then head here. I go home with Stagger after. That's my life pretty much nightly. Unless Stagger has something else planned for us."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse nodded and arched a brow. He wasn't looking at Kaelyn -- he was keeping an eye on their surroundings, fingers ready to find his weapons if he needed them. "Sounds about right," he said. "Sounds the same as me," he laughed. This time last year he would have been bitter about it, the lack of 'fun'. But when he tomed back to Third Circle there was always someone there. Whether it was Clover, or Marisol, or Charlie. There were people around, and he always had Clover in his arms when he fell asleep for the day. Insomnia was a thing of the past. "But, as we agreed -- it's better than drama."
Kaelyn
Kaelyn was someone who thrived from being around others. Conversation, attention, affection, etc. She got that all from Stagger, which was obviously wonderful...but often she missed those she used to speak to all the time. Jesse, Clover, Victor....Doc. She definitely missed him. But she couldn't run back to things and she couldn't just forget everything. "Yupp. Quiet nights are better than drama filled nights." She looked around at their surroundings. Seemed Jesse had found a door...where it lead, they would see. "Your businesses are going well?"
Jesse Fforde
"Splendidly," he said, holding said door open so Kaelyn could go through first, and keeping pace with her while they traversed the small hall that led to a different section of the castle. When they got out the other side, he thought it looked familiar. He came this way often. It was near where the portal dropped him, and portal dropped him at the entrance. Maybe he knew his way around better than he thought -- a subconscious map in his mind. "Did you ever visit the gardens?" he asked.
Kaelyn
Her head shook a little as she headed through the door and then followed after him once again. "No, I've never visited the gardens here. I haven't explored a whole ton other than inside." Kaelyn's brow furrowed for a moment as she thought and then decided to speak. "How is Clover and everyone? Have you seen Spaz?"
Jesse Fforde
"No no, I meant Valhalla. One of my businesses. I bought a biodome..." he said. It was one of his favourite places, honestly -- laying in the dirt amongst all that humid greenery. It was like a rainforest, all to himself. "I haven't seen her, no. I haven't heard from her in... months," he said. "Clover is fine. Everyone... though did you ever meet Marisol? Charlie...?"
Kaelyn
Valhalla? Had she known about that one? She didn't think so. Her shoulders lifted up in a shrug "Not sure I knew about Valhalla...except it's like Viking heaven. Congrats on that business. I'm sure it's lovely." Lips pulled into a slight frown when he said he hadn't heard from her sister. Maybe she should try to get a hold of her. "Charlie is that human that worked at Serpentine, yeah? And Marisol? I don't think so..."
Jesse Fforde
"Ah... well when you ask 'how's everyone' I instantly think of the people I see most often. Charlie's not human anymore, got herself attacked by a fadebeast, she did. Marisol was Logan's thrall. Logan died, we got Marisol," he explained. They were his people now. "Rhett's around, ish. We've buried our issues, got past them. Raven's still a stark raving ***** when she comes around, which isn't often. "And you should come visit the gardens one night. I called them Valhalla because they are like a heaven."
Kaelyn
The frown pulled at her lips even more. "Logan, the Amish guy? ...He's dead?" Who else had died or disappeared? She had missed out on a lot apparently. But that was her choice...well both of their choice. Her own in the end though. "Raven will always be a *****. I shouldn't have shot her though." She over reacted. Got mad. She had a better control of herself now a days. "I'll come check it out sometime."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse laughed. "No, Logan wasn't the Amish guy. Langdell was the Amish guy. Is. He could be dead? I haven't seen him in months either," Jesse said. The disappearances had hurt him far more once upon a time, but now they were expected. Cosette, Marian -- they popped up every now and again, but were mostly independent. Aine was around. Axel and Grey were just... gone, he doubted they'd ever come back. He'd hoped Ursula would stick but she, too, had drifted. "We learn to appreciate what we've got," he said with a mild shrug and a gesture toward two large doors. The exit.
Kaelyn
The frown lifted a little. Langdell. Not Logan.Who the hell was Logan again? "Which one was Logan? Did I know Logan?" There had been so many of them over the years...sometimes it got hard to keep track of everyone. "Exactly. Which is why I'm content how I am, I guess." The blonde stepped through the doors after pushing one open and made her way out into the night air. She took a moment to herself to take it in. The silence of everything.
Jesse Fforde
"Logan... probably not. Maybe? He didn't come to much," Jesse said. In the end, Clover had been more torn up over the loss of Logan. She still loathed Marisol, blaming the thrall for the master's death even though it wasn't Marisol who'd pulled the trigger. Clover had spent more time with Logan, was better friends with him than Jesse had ever been. "You guess? You don't sound so sure," Jesse commented, letting the doors thud shut behind him as he took the broken old steps down to the earth, instinctively seeking greener pastures -- but keeping closer to the urban sprawl to as to avoid the attention of the fae.
Kaelyn
skipped down the steps a bit. Habit, probably. Rarely did she take a flight of steps like a normal person. She followed him towards the grass. "Yeah. I mean...sometimes it gets lonely. But I created my life. So I need to be content with it." Was she? She honestly didn't know at the moment. She went back and forth with those feelings a lot. She missed people, but was this for the better? At least she couldn't make anyone mad or upset if she wasn't talking to them...
Jesse Fforde
Jesse watched Kaelyn, listened to her as if trying to hear something she wasn't saying. This was the longest conversation they'd had in a long time without arguing and there were questions he wanted to ask but which he didn't, wouldn't, shouldn't. Because it would lead nowhere good. There was a large tree with a clearing around its base and Jesse tossed his weapons to the grass nearby and sat down, relaxing, one ankle crossed over the other. "You really were happy last time we spoke, though. You had what you wanted..." he said. He hadn't asked the questions, but they were there, laced into his words.
Kaelyn
Kaelyn chewed on her bottom lip as she took a seat in the grass near Jesse. He had tossed his weapons down, however she kept hers close and easily grabbable. She didn't trust the area they were in at all. Kaelyn had to think for a moment. Was she really happy the last time they spoke or had she been pretending...putting on a show. She wasn't sure. "Happiness comes and goes. I'm mostly happy I think. I"m very happy with Stagger. Things happen. Things change. I guess it affects things a bit."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse was given nothing else. She was happy with Stagger but she mentioned no one else, and Jesse wouldn't mention them either. It left a bad taste in his mouth and reminded him of things he'd prefer to forget -- with Kaelyn especially, and some of the conversations they'd had. Even if she'd lost what had made her happy, Jesse wasn't going to try to persuade her to come back into the fold. "Things do change," he said, pulling up his knees so that he could rest his arms over them, wrists dangling in mid-air. He'd killed an overlord the other day with no weapon on him but the paintgun, and since he'd gained a friend in the fae-Salamander, Mandy, he didn't fear the fae as much as he should, either. "You make it sound like Stagger is all you have..."
Kaelyn
She had killed a few Overlords...but with weapons and not many. She wasn't quite talented enough to overpower them yet. Kaelyn stretched out a bit, loving the feel of grass against the bare skin of her legs and beneath her hands. She wasn't giving him further information because she knew how the topic would go. She didn't want a fight. She didn't want to feel like ****. Jesse hated Doc. He would be happy with how things were for her right now. And that's not the stuff she needed to hear. "Well he kind of is all I have...and my pets."
Jesse Fforde
Was that really what Jesse wanted to hear? Maybe he should have stayed off the topic all together. It wasn't that he wanted Kaelyn to have only one person in her life when she'd so craved a family, but there was something deep down that enjoyed it. She'd ditched Fforde for someone she now claimed she no longer had. But he hadn't the heart to rub her face in it, to tell her it could have been different if she'd made other choices. He didn't want to hear her defend those choices, or tell him she'd make them all over again. Jesse was calmer than he had been but there were still certain things he wouldn't do to himself. "Huh," was all he said. An acknowledgment, because he wasn't sure what else there was to say.
Kaelyn
Kaelyn hadn't lost him per se....but they had hardly spoken at all since January. And their last conversation which just happened a couple days ago didn't seem to go too well. Faked happiness for news she shared. Then letting her know he had been annoyed with her and too busy for her. Hence why they dont speak. None of this she'd go into with Jesse. It'd all work itself out in the end....it had to, right? He was Papi and she was Chub. Then again she had lost everyone else. "Mm." was her response. What more was she supposed to say to that? "I"m thinking of buying a house or farm or something."
Jesse Fforde
"You should," Jesse agreed, nodding. "Create your own space. Learn the ritual, make yourself a tome to that space. You don't have to rely on other people for a home, make your own," he said. It's what he had learned the long way around. The authority he kept looking up to continued to let him down until in the end he decided it wasn't meant to be. Now that he'd loosened the strings a bit, he noticed the people coming and going from Third Circle. Make it a home and people would come, eventually. "I still think you should sire..." he said, head rolling against the bark of the tree so he could look at Kaelyn.
Kaelyn
"Stagger has his apartment I stay at usually. I've fixed it up a bit so I'm pretty comfortable there now. I also have my other apartment. Kane still lives there. We haven't spoken in many months." She didn't rely on anyone for anything anymore. She could take care of herself. She had plenty of money in the bank. Had a job. Had everything she needed. "I just thought it'd be good for Stagger and I to have a bigger place for all of our pets." Face scrunched up at the mention of her becoming a sire. "I'm not even 20...I am barely old enough to take care of myself, let alone someone else. I think I'd make a horrible sire."
Jesse Fforde
Jesse shrugged his shoulders. Real Estate. He had plenty of it himself -- that apartment, still, where he and Grey used to live together. He knew he should sell it, but he hadn't got around to it. Selling it meant he'd probably have to go there again. Should it matter? Should it still fill him with so much dread? He needed to get someone else to do it for him. Maybe he should send Grey the key, tell her it's all hers. Would she even want it? "A cabin then, probably. Somewhere you can build outdoor pens," he said. "I don't think anyone's a perfect sire, but I think you'd do just fine. You know what's what. You care about family. You don't really need anything else. Why do you think you'd be horrible?"
Kaelyn
"Because I ruin everything, Jesse. I make people mad and irritated and annoyed. I ruin relationships. You've seen all my familiar relationships and how they have all crumbled..Doesn't matter if I love family and want family...I'm not good at family. " She let out a long sigh and picked at some of the grass. She had never put that into words, but it was truth.
Jesse Fforde
"Then don't try so hard," he said with a shrug. And it wasn't a criticism against Kaelyn. "My track record is no better than yours and you know what fixed it, finally? I stopped trying. I stopped taking it personally. I focused on those that were there and didn't snap at those who were absent. I welcomed them back rather than demanding where they'd been. I stopped assuming their disappearance had anything to do with me because a lot of the time, I had nothing to do with it. Bitterness pushes people away," he said. It took him a long time to realise it -- people don't offer comfort if they don't realise the anger was born from a place of hurt. "Maybe family just hasn't been good to you."
Kaelyn
"Don't try so hard? I don't try...I just live. I just am. I act how I feel. And look where it's gotten me." He didn't get it. She hadn't tried for a family in a long time. Yet it still fell apart. She had Stagger though. He hadn't even hesitated with her in the slightest. He loved her. All of her. "Or maybe I'm not good for family."
Jesse Fforde
"Or maybe it's all just been a series of unfortunate events. Wrong place, wrong time, and you shouldn't let past failures stop you from trying again," he said. Jesse had enough, he knew that. He knew he shouldn't try to push for anything else because it had never gone so well in the past. But he'd been impatient. "I do sometimes wonder if you'd still be around if I hadn't got so angry all the time..."
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This thread was submitted via a live roleplay chat in the Foucault Castle East area. Participants and rewards were: Kaelyn earned 2113 RPP. Jesse Fforde earned 2584 RPP.