The Perk, Thursday Morning

[bitten_notshy]

Jack idly flipped through a Russian grammar as he waited at a table by the window, stirring whipped cream into his mocha. He had coffee with Emma often enough, but Jack didn't need to be trained as a detective since childhood to know this had not been a good week for a lot of people on the island; he only needed eyes.

As such, he was very attentive as he scanned the street for his friend.

[OOC: For the telepath, but open coffee shop!]

Comments

[icecoldfrost]

And lo, there was a telepath, giving him a small wave through the window before coming in and placing her order, and making her way over to him.

Emma looked better than she had at rehearsal on Tuesday, but still slightly wan and tired. "Happy Thursday," she joked, taking a seat next to him. "What are we reading today?"

[bitten_notshy]

"The conjugation of irregular verbs in Russian," Jack said, setting the book aside and aiming a quick, genuine smile at Emma. "It's hard, by the way. I'd much rather talk to you, Miss Frost."

[icecoldfrost]

"It's Russian. I've heard a rumor that they're all quite mad, and were drunk when they came up with their language," Emma laughed. "So similar to, but not quite as incoherent, as Irish."

"Although you're quite right, Mr. Priest. It's much more entertaining to talk to me than read boring conjugations."

[bitten_notshy]

"At least with Irish I know the bloody alphabet," Jack groused. "And I'm glad you're so certain of your own value as entertainment."

No one had ever praised either of them for modesty.

[icecoldfrost]

"Well, I come with caffeine, which makes everything fun," Emma pointed out as she raised her own mocha to him in a toast. "How many languages do you speak, anyway?"

[bitten_notshy]

"You'd be fun even without caffeine," Jack said, echoing the toasting gesture. "I lost count. The ones where I can sound like a native are Czech, Hungarian, English, French, Spanish and German. Then there's Latin and Greek, and ... anything Sebastien could teach me, he did, at least to read."

[icecoldfrost]

"I understand enough Spanish to know when I'm being scolded and I can order food properly, and I had a year of French at my old school, but that's about it," Emma admitted. "I'm rather envious. It sounds like quite the head-full, but it must be incredibly useful."

[bitten_notshy]

"That was the idea," Jack said, shrugging it off. "We never knew where we might live. And I think Sebastien liked having someone to tutor."

"How have you been?" he added.

[icecoldfrost]

Emma grimaced. "Long week," she replied, giving him a tired smile. "I think rehearsal the other night was the most normal bit so far, and even then I had to deal with the lackluster replacement for the fairy king."

[bitten_notshy]

"... I never would have guessed," Jack said dryly. "Though, really, the looks you gave the poor fellow when he dropped his script would have made anyone forget his lines for the next scene."

"Where did the Greek fellow go off to, anyhow?"

Cal, Jack. He had a name.

[icecoldfrost]

"Who knows?" she said, waving one hand dismissively. "That would require me to care, and I don't, beyond the fact he left us in a lurch."

Because, clearly, everything was about Emma.

[bitten_notshy]

"You'll just shine brighter without having to share the stage with anyone who matters," Jack said, equally dismissive. "It was an odd rehearsal, anyhow. It seemed like half the cast and crew hadn't slept."

[icecoldfrost]

"At least a few of us didn't," she admitted, taking a big gulp of her mocha to try and perk herself up. "And I only got a few hours last night, too. Bad dreams."

Both her own, and other people's dreams bleeding over. Which wasn't uncommon, sadly.

She reached into her purse, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out her script. "Willing to help me with my lines? Since I lack anyone of quality to work with..."

[bitten_notshy]

"Tony said the same thing," Jack said. This was his way of prying without prying. "He was -- in one of his worst experiences, in it."

He held out his hand. "Where did you want to start from?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Mmm...did he now?" And this was Emma being nosy without outright poking. "I'm not surprised. There was an, ah, 'incident' the other night, and I wouldn't be shocked if people who were sensitive had troubled dreams for the next week or two."

"Act two, scene one? It will be nice having someone to work with that understands the language."

[bitten_notshy]

"It was a long time ago," And that was Jack shutting the door on the nosiness.

... and then indulging his own as he thumbed to the correct lines. "'An incident.' Was that why Karla looked half-dead and everyone kept whispering at her?"

[icecoldfrost]

Jack was totally not playing fair, and Emma wrinkled her nose at him over the rim of her cup.

"Karla and I were both up rather late Monday night, but I don't know what other people where whispering to her," she declared loftily. Which was a blatant lie -- telepath -- but if Jack wasn't going to share, then Emma was going to make him ask the right questions if he wanted an answer.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack was playing perfectly fair; Tony's secrets weren't his to tell.

And -- oh, fun, twenty questions.

"What were you whispering to her?"

[icecoldfrost]

"We weren't whispering!" she said, looking indignant. "Telepathic communication isn't so inelegant as to compare to whispering in class!"

That's totally what Emma used her powers for half the time, but she didn't have to admit it.

"And we were gossiping about how fantastic we are. What else?"

[bitten_notshy]

"You aren't going to tell me a thing, are you." It wasn't a question; it was a gambit. Without pausing, he bent his curls over the script.

'Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.'

[icecoldfrost]

Emma's mouth twisted into a bitter little smile. < Some of us went on an accidental trip the other night, due to some mixed-up memories, and met some monsters masquerading as men. Who thought pretty little girls were pretty little prey. >

"What, jealous Oberon! Fairies, skip hence: I have forsworn his bed and company."

[bitten_notshy]

"Tarry, rash wanton: am not I thy lord?" And Jack was glad he was just reading the line; he couldn't have acted that opposite Emma without laughing.

<Thank you>, he said. <For telling me, I mean. No one from here was hurt physically?>

It had never just been pretty girls when Jack was small. He wasn't letting himself feel anything about that.

[icecoldfrost]

< Physically, no. No one here. > But other people had been hurt; rows of real girls in another world. And and Emma had a few people besides Karla she wanted to check on here once her own numbness wore off.

Still, she gave him a half-smile, although it lacked most of her usual flirtation. "Then I must be thy lady..." she continued, "...and you come to give their bed joy and prosperity."

[bitten_notshy]

<That's good. And the little girls there -- they will grow up,> Jack thought, projecting ... more than a little, really. <They'll be all right. It never lasts forever.>

"Play's all obsessed with bedding," he observed in a low voice. Which he knew, he just didn't like it right then.

"....How canst thou thus for shame, Titania,
Glance at my credit with Hippolyta,
Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?"

[icecoldfrost]

Emma thought of the pretty demon-dead girl, then, and picked up her mocha to take a quick sip and calm herself down.

"These are the forgeries of jealousy," she whispered, looking blankly at her cup. That was one way to describe the twisted halls of Briarwood, she supposed.

< Have you ever met a ghost? >