Fandom Island and Town

It seemed like the bulk of people had cleared off the island. Walking through town, the streets seemed emptier and a little less suffocating than before. It eased Jasper's tension slightly, made it a little easier to go outside without his eyes settling on potential prospects at every turn.

People are real. People matter.

That mantra had been hard to remember these past few days. He'd found his father's voice invading his thoughts more often, found his nightmares sharper and bloodier. It was definitely his hand around a knife and he'd cut something.

He'd cut something and Jasper was scared to death that he'd cut someone.

The ever present tension had brought Jasper down to the onsen today. The water was warm, almost hot, and he slipped in gratefully. It was still early so the quiet was nearly complete. Every so often he'd hear the chattering of a bird of the conversation of people off in the distance but it was mostly silent.

Jasper blew out a breath and tried to relax.

[Public place, open post. Feel free to bother him]

Jasper was glad to be out of the yurts. They'd just been too cramped and he'd been too close to other people for his comfort. Living with a roommate was hard enough but to be virtually sleeping on top of someone else had made him worry for his control.

Billy had supreme control. He could be the center of attention and not worry about snapping. Jasper worried that Billy's influence would explode from him at any point so he was constantly on guard for that. Constantly protecting others from the possible danger he presented.

Tonight, the park seemed as good a place as any to sit and think. It was warm out even with the sun going down. There wasn't a park in Lobo's Nod. It was brown fields and dense forests and a small town. He missed that.

You're disappointin' me, boy. All these people, these prospects and you're sittin' in a park? Did I teach you nothing?

"Taught me too much," he mumbled to no one. He rubbed one eye and slouched back on the park bench.

You're just waitin' on the right girl, ain't you? Or you could do a guy first, Jasper. Not my particular flavor but it'd do. It'd make me proud.

Jasper shivered and put his father's voice out of his mind. No more for tonight.

[ Open place, post ]

Was it cliche to go for a nighttime swim? If it was, Jasper didn't care. His whole life probably slotted nicely into a few different cliches. There were tropes and cliches created specifically to fit someone like him. And he continued to not care.

The heat of the day had made Jasper tired and the whole yurt thing was not really sitting well with him. He wasn't used to living so close to people, being able to reach out and touch someone if he so wanted. It made something in him turn, made him nervous and anticipatory all at once. He had to get away from that.

The beach was quiet, deserted for the moment, and would both give him space and a place to cool down. He stripped off his shirt and shoes, leaving them in a heap on the ground before wading in and diving without hesitation. Cool water washed over him, shocking him and waking him up. His thoughts cleared.

Surfacing, Jasper pushed his hair out of his face and wiped the water away from his eyes. One deep breath later and he thought maybe he could get through a few weeks of close living. It still didn't thrill him (save for deep down, in that dark place that was growing each day) but he could survive.

He swam further away from the shore before turning back and heading back to the beach. He walked out, sand sticking to his feet and sat down close enough that the water rushed up and around him. It was only then that he realized what today was.

"Oh, goddammit."

Well, that was a mood killer.

[ Open place ]

Jasper missed The Hideout.

It was nothing but four walls that didn't keep the cold out, a roof that leaked during heavy rain and didn't keep heat but it was something. It'd been a way for Jasper to escape. Here, he didn't really have that. Here, he had his room and some places in town but it wasn't the same. He felt open here even if no one knew him. Knew his name, his history, his anything.

It was comforting but horrifying all at once. Because it mean that he'd have to reveal it all instead of letting local news sources and the internet do it. That wasn't a very fun prospect.

He'd decided not to lurk in the preserve today since he'd already checked most of it out and found that it was fairly easy to navigate, pretty dense for its size and that someone could elude another person in there if they were skilled enough.

He was definitely skilled enough.

The beach was something relaxing. The smell of salt, the feel of sand underneath his bare feet and the chilly breeze off the water wasn't something Lobo's Nod offered. It was nice, it was different and Jasper allowed himself to smile. Genuinely and sincerely smile. It wasn't The Charmer, wasn't the smile he pulled out to manipulate.

He walked along the water's edge, kicking up sand and letting the cold water curl over his feet and ankles. It'd be so easy to just jump right in and try and swim away. See how far he could go before turning around and coming back.

It'd be a shock to the system, it'd be adrenaline and stupidity all in one and Jasper suddenly wanted to do it. He even got as far as pulling off his shirt and tossing it onto the sand beside him.

He took a few breaths and rubbed his hands together. "This is so stupid."

[ Open if you're around the beach area. For reference, Jasper has a few tattoos that you're welcome to notice: a flaming basketball with the initials CP (for Chris Paul) on his right shoulder, a giant Yosemite Sam on his back and a string of black Korean characters around his right bicep ]

Jasper woke up face down in the sand. It wasn't a very appetizing breakfast. He eventually rolled onto his back and had to hold up a hand to block out the sun. Squinting, Jasper sat up and tried to figure out how he'd gotten there.

He remembered this weekend and that he'd been older and...vague. He remembered the sea of older faces but he couldn't find anything about who he'd been twenty years from now. For him, it was far easier to dismiss some sort of weird time travel than to grapple with not knowing what he'd be in the future. Last night, he'd remembered walking in the shadows, watching...someone? Something? He'd been trailing someone, that was a definite, but he didn't know why. He remembered thoughts of exhilaration and relief but why? Had he -- ?

No. No, he wasn't going there.

Instead, he spit some more sand out and pulled his knees up. Maybe he'd just soak up the scenery and try and forgot that he'd possibly turned himself into Dear Old Dad. Billy would be so proud.

Damn straight.

And what the crap was this Jazz stuff? Ugh.

[Open place and post. Jasper didn't become any sort of killer this weekend but I kept it vague to freak him out and to not know how his canon turns out.]

Never had Jasper looked more like some tourist than when he'd finally gotten to the beach. Lobo's Nod did not have any water save for green tinged lakes and tiny creeks. He'd never put his feet in the sand and felt the chilly water rushing up around his ankles. He wiggled his toes and felt the wet dirt stick to the tops of his feet.

It tickled.

No rest for the wicked, Jasper.

Of course. Jasper closed his eyes and shut his father's voice out. He didn't deserve to be here. He didn't want his father looking over his shoulder, hands on his shoulders and giving him some morbid pep talk about leaving some girl on the beach because the water would take away all the evidence, make it look accidental until the dumb cops took a closer look.

No. One hand clenched, fingers digging into his palm and, eventually, his father disappeared. Later, he'd probably dream but he was alone now. The water had wet the ends of his rolled up jeans. Jasper knelt down and stuck his hand underneath the water, watching his fingers disappear.

What the hell am I?

Question for the ages. Jasper missed Howie. He even missed G. William. This place was so weird.

[ Open ]