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]

< It's not me, > she protested immediately. < Wasn't my dream, not my memory. >

"Aren't we a fine pair, then?" she continued aloud, letting her thumb play over his fingers. Just enjoying the contact. She was curious, truth be told, but she wasn't going to push too hard on this.

"Although I'm rather glad you're blind as a bat - telepathically, I mean - so that you didn't get caught up in the mess. Have you noticed that most of the psis at this school are female? I wonder if that means something."

[bitten_notshy]

"You're more evolved then we are, of course," Jack said immediately, and not terribly seriously. "More in touch with your emotions and the earth, all of that."

The banter helped to center him, and he exhaled and inhaled the heavy, spicy air.

"Maybe not you, but it was me, once," he said, apologetic. He was having a hard time keeping enough focus to think at her. "Not for long, but -- any is enough, really."

[icecoldfrost]

Emma was going to indulge in a rare spot of PDA and scoot her chair closer to his so that she could lay her head on his shoulder.

"They took my brother away," she said finally, closing her eyes. "My father despised him for not living up to his expectations, he didn't like that Christian liked drugs or art or pretty boys, so he had him committed to a mental asylum. And not the type you get better at, either. The kind where the rich throw their problem children to disappear permanently. No one cares what happens there."

"Same place he tried to send me, because of the voices in my head. Only I ran."

[bitten_notshy]

What could Jack do except snuggle closer and drop his arm around her waist?

"I'm sorry," he said. "Is Christian -- is he living?"

[icecoldfrost]

"It broke him," she said simply. "He killed himself rather than keep enduring it. Christian never was any good at long-range planning." Emma always had been the brains of the pair.

Screw being in public. Snuggling for this was good and needed, for both of them, and Emma liked the way he felt warm and reassuring against her. "You got away, though. That makes me happy."

[bitten_notshy]

"It was his choice." A choice Jack hated, and not one he had anything terribly comforting to say about, so -- he snuggled in.

He was speaking almost into her hair when he said, "Barely, and all Sebastien's doing. I didn't talk much for years." And he still didn't really trust anyone, but that wasn't unique to him.

[icecoldfrost]

"So another reason for me to give your Sebastien flowers," she joked. "And now you don't stop talking."

[bitten_notshy]

Amusement flickered through Jack's eyes. "You've seen me be quiet," he said easily.

[icecoldfrost]

"Only when you're sleeping, or you're mad at me," Emma replied cheerfully. "That doesn't count."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack grinned into her hair, pulling back a fraction since the moment of greatest need seemed to be past. "I haven't been mad at you in months," he said. "You're slipping, Emma."

[icecoldfrost]

"Or maybe I have something nefarious up my sleeve, and I'm worming my way in to your affections for my own wicked plans," Emma pointed out. "You never know."

[bitten_notshy]

"You might," Jack said. "Would you really prey on me, though? There have to be more deserving targets."

[icecoldfrost]

This was much more familiar territory, but Emma was far too comfortable to untangle herself from Jack, although she was relaxing as the tension drained from her body. The Perk staff was just going to need to tolerate their affectionate behaviour.

"Deserving targets? Of course. But if they've really annoyed me, I usually just demolish them," she laughed. "And you've never complained about getting caught up in my plans before."

[bitten_notshy]

"Your plans are fun," Jack said. "Go to a party, talk to some people? It's hardly the worst work in the world."

[icecoldfrost]

"So that means I get to plan our birthday parties, right?" she asked, a calculating glint in her eyes.

[bitten_notshy]

"I wouldn't dream of co-opting the honor," Jack promised. "You're thinking about that already? Mine's not for weeks and weeks."

[icecoldfrost]

"Something Chuck said at Homecoming made me think of it," Emma admitted. "Most of the students here haven't ever been to a real party, so I'm considering throwing one."

"We'll see if I make it all the way to December before I loose interest, and simply drag you off to New York instead."

[bitten_notshy]

"You don't need to wait for December to drag me to New York," Jack noted. "But I think it's a plan either way."

[icecoldfrost]

"Mr. Priest, are you advocating that I steal you away for a weekend of unrepentant and unnecessary hedonism?" she teased, batting her lashes. "You know, if you're that interested in looking up that darling boy from last time, simply say so and we'll be off."

"You'll just owe me good gossip later." And ice cream, if he was going to go off gallivanting with someone pretty that wasn't her. Emma would most likely sulk -- she didn't always like sharing -- but she was rather easily bribed.

[bitten_notshy]

"Pick a weekend and hedonism is ours," Jack promised. "I don't think I'd need some boy to amuse myself with -- unless you had social plans of your own."

Which was always a chance, with Emma. That was the one downside of sharing.

[icecoldfrost]

"No social plans," she promised, turning her head just enough to press a chaste kiss against his shoulder in silent thanks. "I haven't exactly felt social this week -- " for obvious reasons "-- but I never want to presume upon your company."

If you kept your expectations low, after all, then you didn't get hurt.

[bitten_notshy]

"It's not presuming if I want you to do it," Jack said, meaning it. "... Andy might mind, but he can be bought off. You can come see me anytime, count on me anytime."

Anytime he wasn't with sebastien, but he figured she knew about that asterisk.

[icecoldfrost]

"Well if you want me to do it..." Emma teased, running her fingers along his wrist. "I feel as if I ought to take advantage of that fact. Have you seen Arsenic and Old Lace yet? I think we could use a movie night."

Popcorn and curling up together was sounding fantastic to Emma right now, especially if they could bribe Andy to disappear for a few hours.