Wednesday Afternoon, Center of Town

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Jarod stood outside, in the middle of the street, arms spread wide. The wind blew through his hair and the rain poured down on and around him.

On his face was a look of ecstasy. He hadn't felt the rain on his skin in fourteen years.

[ooc: Come, splash in puddles!]

Comments

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Best. OOC note. Ever.]

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

After classes, Jack wanders into town, and sees someone he doesn't recognize standing in the streets. In the rain. Getting soaked. Smiling.

Since the silly grin on the new guy's face matches Jack's, he figures that they're both nuts, so he goes up to introduce himself. "Hey. Is this a private rainshower?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Private? No, not at all," Jarod replied, grinning. His clothes were sticking to him and his hair was plastered down to his head. "It's just so wonderful, isn't it? Better than jellybeans."

"I'm Jarod."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack turned his face up to the rain and had a sudden silly impulse to catch it on his tongue. So he does. "Better than jellybeans. But not better than chocolate. I'm Jack. Harkness. There are a lot of Jacks around. Nice to meet you." Jack grinned and stomped a puddle so it splashed onto Jarod's legs.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Jarod tipped his head back, letting the rain pelt his face. "No, maybe not better than chocolate," he conceded as he straightened. "Nice to meet you too, Jack. Are you a student?"

The water splashed up on Jarod's legs. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. Once he got the idea, he found another puddle and stomped down in it so that the water got all over Jack.

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Yup, a student. You work in town?" Jack laughed and sputtered with mock-anger (and the small amount of water that made it that high). "You're good at that."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I do," Jarod grinned, the pride in his voice obvious, and perhaps a little over the top. "I've never stomped in a puddle before--must be beginner's luck."

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

From a safe distance away, beneath her parasol, Inara watches Jarod and his friend splash at each other and smiles, thinking it's nice to see Jarod so relaxed.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

In the midst of conversation with Jack, Jarod turned around to point at The Fourth Sin. He caught sight of Inara standing under her umbrella and waved, grinning.

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

Inara waved back. The rain, in spite of being, well, wet, did inspire a certain playfulness.

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Cool. I live in town now. At least for a bit. Where do you work? How come you aren't in school?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Where in town are you living? I work at Caritas on Monday and Wednesday nights, at Deb's on Thursdays and over the weekends, and at The Fourth Sin on Tuesdays and Fridays."

He turned around to point out the building and noticed Inara. (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomtownies/356407.html?thread=14403639#t14403639)

[[ooc: OMG, I know. Plus, they're all wet and stuff.]]

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack blinked at the list of workplaces. "Wow. That's a lot of work. And The Fourth Sin? Wait... isn't that what they renamed Aphrodite's Apple too? You work in a brothel?" Jack wass amused. "Then again, I live in a blue box in the park, so I'm hardly one to talk."

He followed Jarod's pointing finger and noticed Inara. He waved back at her. "You work with her? Talk about job benefits."

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

When Jarod's companion waved, Inara paused before walking over. It would be impolite not to at least say hello.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

[ooc: I got the e-mail notification, but whether it actually posted is anyone's guess. Sorry for the slow response, but I was on my way home from work.]

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Well, I've got to do something to keep myself busy. I don't know what they renamed it from, or if it was renamed. It was The Fourth Sin when I applied for the job, though."

"You live in a blue box in the park? How does that work?"

Jarod's gaze sharpened and he visibly tensed. "She's not a benefit. She's a person. And the ladies at The Fourth Sin were nice enough to rent me a room when I had nowhere else to go. I almost had to spend the night sleeping in the park."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack slicked one hand back through his hair, considering the question about the TARDIS. "I have no idea," he said finally. "It's bigger on the inside than the outside. I mean, I know the basic fractal space theory that makes it possible to have more space inside of a specific paremeter, but the TARDIS is... something else entirely."

He glanced at Jarod and noticed that he'd hit something painful. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. From here, I didn't know anything other than she was beautiful. Now I know that she and her coworkers are generous, too. I'm glad they took you in, Jarod. Having nowhere to go sucks."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"That's...neat," Jarod smiled, pulling his wet shirt away from himself, not like it did any good. It was pouring and he was soaked. "Bigger inside than outside and fractal space theory? Sounds complicated."

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" He glanced over again. "She's also very nice. I don't like to see people treated as less than human, though. It...bothers me."

He nodded firmly. "I have somewhere to go now, and that's what's important."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Going home not exactly an option, huh?" Jack could understand that. He'd cut his ties and didn't regret it... but if CJ hadn't taken him in he'd be stuck.

"It should bother you," Jack said quietly. "I'm sorry that's how it came off." He shivered. "Okay, I think I'm officially freezing to death. Time to make for dry land."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Well, going home would probably be an option, as soon as he found out where that was. He smirked. "No, not exactly."

"It's okay," Jarod replied. "I'm sorry I read an implication into it that wasn't there."

Jarod realized he was cold, but was enjoying the sensation of the rain too much to head inside yet. "I think I'll stay out here for a while longer."

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

Inara saw Jack jogging off towards the TARDIS as she came up to Jarod.

"Hey, Jarod," she said, smiling. "Your friend had to go?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Inara," he smiled, "Yes, he was getting cold and wet. I admit that I am, as well, but I didn't want to go in yet. How was your trip?"

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

"The trip was excellent. Some lovely shows and parades, the client was charming and the weather was sunny and warm all weekend."

She makes a face as she regards the rain, then looks back at Jarod. "Unlike today. And no wonder you're cold and wet - you're soaked through! Haven't you ever seen rain before?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad you had a nice time."

He looked up at the sky again, letting the rain fall on his face. "I've seen rain before, but not in a long, long time."

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

She has a feeling he doesn't mean he's been living in the desert.

"It's very refreshing, isn't it? And the sound of it's so soothing..." She tilts back her parasol and lets a few drops spatter her face. "I haven't played in the rain in years."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"It's very invigorating," he nodded. He flicked a little bit of water off his fingers towards her face. "You should play more. It's good for you."

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

She flinches away. "I should," she says speculatively, one hand cupped under a dripping edge of her parasol.

Then she tosses the handful of water at Jarod.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

He was so wet by this point that a little more water didn't make any difference. He grinned. "Were you on your way somewhere?"

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

"Only back to the Fourth Sin," she said.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

He offered her his right arm, the way Sydney had taught him years ago and that he'd offered to one other girl since. "May I?"

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

Inara smiles. "I'd be glad to."

Except the parasol is going to drip on him if she leaves it up.

She hold up one hand. "Wait a minute." Folding up the parasol, she squints up into the sky, then takes Jarod's arm with a grin. "Let's go."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Also grinning, he happily began to squish his way back towards The Fourth Sin. "Do you have many more trips planned?"

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

"Back home? Not really," Inara says. "Unless someone requests my services and I like the offer. I still have a few clients who send me offers every now and then."

She glances at him. "On Friday, you seemed surprised by the 'space' aspect - your 'verse doesn't have space travel, then?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"We do," he said, looking up at the sky and almost tripping over the curb, "But we're still in the beginning stages. We've made it to the moon, but not much further."

He'd simmed being an astronaut once. That had been fun.

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

"That was the way my people started reaching for the stars," Inara says. "So your people will probably get there, too.

"Would you like to go into space? I understand there are a couple of people in Fandom who have space-capable craft."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"I'd love to go into space," was the immediate reply, "but I think I'd like to get used to things around here first." He smiled shyly. "There are so many beautiful, wonderful things that get overlooked or ignored because they're seen every day."

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

"Like rain falling on the town?" Inara asks. "So ordinary, and yet...gleaming, glistening, coating everything with gloss, all shiny."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," he replied, as they approached the door. "Each drop is this tiny, perfect prism, breaking light up into all its different beams and colors."

"No matter how many pictures you see, how many movies, how many books describe it, there's nothing that can really capture how it feels when it falls on your skin, when it weighs down your clothes, when it drips from your hair..." As he spoke, he cupped his palm to catch the rain, then turned it over and let the rainwater fall to the ground.

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

"There's nothing that can describe human experience in such a way that the recipient actually experiences it," Inara murmurs. "At least, there isn't in my 'verse. And even if there was, I can't imagine the simulation being anything like the actual thing."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"No, simulations...they don't even come close." Suddenly pensive, Jarod held the door to The Fourth Sin open for Inara.

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

Inara noted his pensive mood, but didn't comment on it. "Thanks for the walk home, Jarod," she said as they trailed in, dripping slightly. "It was...damp," she laughs.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"You're very welcome," he bowed gallantly to Inara, then dripped his way across the foyer and headed towards the stairs.

[serra-inara.livejournal.com]

Inara hurried up to her room before she left stains on the carpet. A warm bath would be just the thing.

And Jarod was right. She should play a little more often.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

_{[ooc:...I'll be in my bunk.]}

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

[ooc: *snickers*]