Devil's Nest, Monday, 1/27

[bitten_notshy]

"I'd be more afraid of OH GOD HORSE WHY DID YOU LET ME GET THIS DRUNK?"

The voice that greeted Jack as he took his place behind the bar sounded a lot like Bo, but he couldn't see or smell her anywhere. But a phantom conversation between Bo and -- somebody, Jack didn't know the voice -- kept playing out in scraps throughout the early afternoon: something about whiskey, humanoids, and a seven-pointed star, whatever that was.

And behind it all there was the hysterical laughter Jack had to assume came from the horse on the dance floor he kept glimpsing out of the corner of his eye. On a normal day, he'd question whether horses could laugh, but adding in a chuckling stallion wasn't much when he was already hearing ghosts. (Or ... not ghosts, he supposed, given that Bo was very much alive, but Jack didn't know what else to call it.)

He got the DJ to put on even louder music than normal and focused on restocking the bar shelves, willing the shadows to go away.

[OOC: Open bar, no OCD, wayback machine dialogue used with permission of nookiepowered]

Comments

[justlurkinghere]

"Bit loud in here." At least it wasn't Mariah Carey, ear splittingly high pitched music?

[bitten_notshy]

Jack sighed. "It keeps me from realizing I'm losing my mind," he said/shouted, then signaled the DJ to turn it down.

Which he did. A tiny tiny bit.

[justlurkinghere]

"Hormones?" Derek drawled, glaring at his nemesis, the DJ.

[bitten_notshy]

See, that was just going to make the DJ mad. He glared back and turned it back up.

"Seeing and hearing things," Jack said petulantly. "There's been a stallion on the dance floor on and off all afternoon."

"The hormones weren't fun, either."

[justlurkinghere]

DAMN YOU, DJ!

"That's happening to you too?" Derek asked, head turning fast enough for some whiplash.

[bitten_notshy]

"Oh thank God, I'm not just going insane," Jack said, intensely relieved. "No. I've been hearing Bo talking to -- someone or other. I had no idea why."

[justlurkinghere]

"That doesn't sound that bad."

[bitten_notshy]

"Except for how it's not exactly a treat to start hallucinating -- no, it could be worse," Jack conceded. "Why, what did you get?"

[justlurkinghere]

"A conversation between my and no mother when I was fifteen."

He could even pick the day it happened! TRAUMA.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack winced. "That's much worse than a dancing horse. Are you all right?"

[justlurkinghere]

"Stiles was there." So, no. "Remind me to hide next time we turn into women."

[bitten_notshy]

"Okay," Jack said, gamely enough. "Why?"

It wasn't as though it got any more humiliating after the first time.

[justlurkinghere]

"Because it's terrible."

And he looked like his moooooom.

[bitten_notshy]

"It is, but it's never any worse than it was the first time out," Jack said. "-- at least, for me it isn't."

[justlurkinghere]

"How many times has it happened to you?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack's eyes went slightly unfocused as he tried to remember. "I think it's four. Enough that I'm bored with breasts, I can tell you that much."

[justlurkinghere]

"Might want to keep that a secret from your girlfriend."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack snorted a laugh into his fist. "I'm sick of my breasts. Emma's are a thing of beauty and a joy forever, and she'd throw something at my head if I implied otherwise."

[justlurkinghere]

Derek smirked at that. "The next moon is on Valentine's Day."

Maybe buy her some nice chocolates to make up for it?

[bitten_notshy]

"Oh," Jack said, clearly annoyed by the news. "Too bad."

Emma would understand. Eventually. It was that eventually that promised to be hell, Jack thought.

Brightening, he added, "At least you'll have every excuse to let Stiles stay at your house that night."

[justlurkinghere]

"That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen." Because their lives. Oh. Their lives.

[bitten_notshy]

"Probably, but the whole moon on valentine's day bit was one to start with," Jack shrugged. "Think he'd leave you alone?"

[justlurkinghere]

"...no." Hence the disaster. "Just as long as it's quiet, everything should be fine."

Because they'd have a perfectly normal morning after. Perfectly. Normal.

[bitten_notshy]

"If I can do anything about it, we'll have a quiet night," Jack said. "Not exactly a fantasy valentine's for any of us, I'd imagine."

[justlurkinghere]

"I'll try to make some carob cupcakes for you." Oh, dog jokes. Not cool, Derek.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack tilted his head.

"Was that a dog joke, Derek Hale?", he asked, sounding more amused than offended. "I never would have expected it."

[justlurkinghere]

"I'm trying new things." Also, there was that pesky trusting Jack... thing.

[bitten_notshy]

"As long as you don't take up chasing cars," Jack told him. "Oh, that reminds me -- how goes the therapy?"

[justlurkinghere]

"Two sessions in. It's... helpful."

Between the dragging up trauma.

[bitten_notshy]

"Good."

If Jack was surprised Derek had made it as far as two sessions, he kept it to himself.

[justlurkinghere]

Derek nodded in agreement. "Water?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Of course," Jack said, and went to fill a glass.

He remembered the lemon wedge, too.

[justlurkinghere]

You spoil him, Jack!

"You still in school?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack nodded. "Last semester of undergrad," he said. "All I really have left is my thesis. But there's still law school to go. I may be in school when I'm 30."

[justlurkinghere]

"Nice to know a lawyer at least." This was him being supportive apparently.

[bitten_notshy]

"I'll try to keep my friends out of too much trouble," Jack promised.