vanillajello | Random Coffeehouse, Mainland, Sunday Afternoon

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Random Coffeehouse, Mainland, Sunday Afternoon

Yesterday, Kate had finally ended up at Zach's apartment after a restaurant date. The place was much like him: neat, tidy, mature. The kind of place that had made her glad for her desicion to wear the blouse that she had, and for the ability to block out any annoying commentary her memories may have provided about that not being her. She could be whoever she chose to be.

She hadn't stayed the night. No particular reason, really. She could've, she just hadn't felt like it. It wasn't because of that one awkward moment, that thing he'd done, not knowing there were apparently places you did not kiss without warning on girls with severe vampire issues. She'd explained her flinching away as her neck being ticklish and had tried not to think about it during the things that followed.

She'd left before it got to be too late, saying there was family stuff she'd promised to help with, and they'd agreed to meet up at one of the Yogohut places this morning, which they had. Free frozen yogurt, what a good way to start the day. She hadn't stayed long though, she'd left again, saying something about an extra shift at the movie theater.

And now she was at this random coffee place with a big cup of their best stuff, occasionally playing with her phone. Just didn't feel like going back to the island yet.

[ooc: NFB due to being off-island, but post is open should you wish to call/text/randomly wander in, yes.]

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Sebastien and Mitchell had taken off on ... some errand they were being annoyingly vampiric and mysterious about, which left Jack the free time to call Kate.

"I'm in Bristol," he would announce, as soon as she picked up the phone

Which was just an excellent way to get her all... well, not quite worried but alert as soon as she'd barely gotten to utter a 'hey'. Thanks for that, Jack.

"Why?"

Anytime, Kate.

"The usual drama," Jack answered, massaging one temple. "Not quite as bad as usual. Friend of Mitchell's went missing and he needed help finding him, so he called in Sebastien and I." In a slightly sour tone, he added, "He's turned up, so we're just ... wrapping things up, I suppose."

"Ugh." Well, wasn't that just the most eloquent response she could have possibly come out with? "So, no one's in an immediate danger of dying, at least?"

"No more than usual." Because that was cheerful. "The vampires are being all mysterious about what they're thinking. It's annoying."

"Mm, don't want the little humans to know what's up," Kate drawled. Hey, it was just them on the line, she could sound a little dry about all of that. "Like that's kept us out of it before."

"I think they've decided I'm not useful enough," Jack sighed. "But when they need us it'll be different. Of course."

It was just them, so he was complaining more than was strictly necessary.

Edited 2011-01-30 19:40 (UTC)

It was good to complain sometimes. Especially since they both probably knew they would drop everything and run to help when they were needed.

It was what they did, wasn't it?

"So, how's everything else over there?" she asked.

"Other than the case, it's not bad, actually," Jack had to admit, once he shifted gears from whining his head off. "Annie seems to be in a good place, George is George ... I think Mitchell wants a girlfriend. A specific person, not in general."

Kate had been about to ask about Nina, but that next thing showed that thought into the backl of her mind, and a disbelieving little laugh escaped her lips.

"... What?" Actually, that wasn't an adequate question. "Who?"

"Some curly-haired woman who works at George's hospital," Jack answered, sounding as if he didn't quite believe it either. "I didn't talk to her, just saw her, but I think he could do better."

"Who cares if he could do better? What matters is that he's... doing."

So, that came out poorly phrased, but that wasn't what had her pausing for a moment. A quick mental run-through of the things that had happened with Mitchell and women previously did.

"Okay actually I'm not sure whether I'm behind this idea."

"I don't think I am," Jack said, since what Mitchell needed was the approval of two teenagers who weren't winning any medals for Most Responsible Love Lives themselves. "She doesn't know anything yet. If she did, it might be different."

"Well, if it looks like something's gonna come out of it, he needs to tell her." Spoken with the conviction of someone's whose approval was totally needed, really. "I'm not having anyone else find out the way I did. On either time."

Which slipped out mostly because her trauma had been pretty close to the surface since last night.

"You were right that I should have told you," Jack admitted, eleven months too late. He missed the implication about that other time. "But I agree. If it's true love -- or something like it -- she'd stay, wouldn't she?"

"After a period to adjust, maybe," Kate shrugged, because she knew it was unlikely the woman would just accept it, didn't matter how gently it was broken to her. "Also, he should've told me, I mean earlier. But thank you."

Was there a really a gentle way to say 'I'm older than your great-grandfather, and occasionally I kill people and suck their blood'?

"He should've. But I wonder if he could just be open on the island," Jack mused, squinting. "I can't imagine much of anyone would care after the shock."

"Except maybe anyone with previous trauma with vampires," Kate replied, a little subdued. She wasn't opposed to the idea, just being her own glass-half-full self. "I mean, there's a vampire chick in one of my classes so I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but still."

"Which is perhaps half the island," Jack said thoughtfully, granting Kate's point. "There's another vampire student? I never understand why they do that."

"Maladicta? I can't remember if she was already here when you were." Kate hadn't exactly been paying attention. Or trying to find out more after she heard the introduction. "I don't get it either."

"I didn't meet her if she was there," Jack answered. "You would think the name would stick, if she was."

Edited 2011-01-31 00:41 (UTC)

"It's really that kind of a name," Kate agreed, tracing random shapes on the tabletop. "I don't know why but she weirds me out more than Mitchell does."

Well, okay, really she probably knew why.

"You know him?" Jack suggested.

And then there was that name, but that didn't really bear repeating.

"Yeah, I guess that's it," she sighed. "Like, I guess in my head he's a friend first and a vampire second."

Sometimes she didn't even remember he wasn't all the way human. Those were good times.

"Not a teacher first?" Jack asked, more curious than surprised. Mitchell had lost some of his adult status for Jack, too. He had a harder time forgetting the vampire thing, but that might have to do with where he was calling from.

"Oh please," Kate snorted. "The time where he was a teacher first lasted for about two months in the summer of 2009. 'Sides, it would be boss first, now, if I could think about it like that."

And she couldn't. Mitchell had pretty much zero adult status with her anymore.

"It's not that weird," Jack defended himself. Kind of. "Wait, what did he hire you to do?"

That was weird. And made Jack wonder if Sebastien planned to ask for a fee on this, or if they were working out of the goodness of their hearts. (Which was fine, especially considering they hadn't solved anything. Jack was just generally jittery about finances; a 1900 fortune only stretched so far in 2011.)

"I work at the movie theater now," Kate told him. "Wednesdays. He hired me a couple of weeks ago."

And had offered way earlier, but kind of on the condition that she give up her webcam business.

"It's good. Gives me something to do that isn't knife practice or staring at walls, even if we don't get too many people coming in."

"I don't think I got any actual clients when I worked in town," Jack commiserated, before he'd completely heard what she had said. "Knife practice?"

[I have too damn many blondes.]

"Uh, yeah." Kate couldn't help sounding mildly embarrassed, and like she was quirking a wry little smile. That little fact tended to surprise people. "I've got this one guy teaching me to, like, defend myself with this pretty cool bronze knife he gave me."

"That's just smart," Jack told her. "I'm not trained on knives, and I'd rather not fight if there isn't a reason, but knowing how to stay alive always helps."

"I'm really only looking to have something that'll maybe get Hannibal away from me if he shows up again," Kate replied, remarkably calmly, though it still hurt to say that name and mean who he was now. "Plus, this thing's special in that it'll only hurt monsters, in the ancient Greek sense of the word."

Okay, it could also hurt demigods and gods (and wasn't that something to think about?) but Kate was under the impression the resident demigods weren't quite in agreement about how public they should be about it, so.

"Sounds a bit limited," Jack commented, shifting a bit as he thought about it. "All respect to the Greeks, but I don't know if they knew what to do if some bloke in an alley asked for all your drachma."

"The guys that generally use weapons like this don't really need to worry about stuff like that," Kate replied mildly. "And at least I can't be hurt with it."

"I just wouldn't want to rely on ancient Greek judgment if I had a real threat," Jack said, because paranoia was a specialty. "But that's ... a very good start."

"Stop trying to make me paranoid, Jack." Because saying that would surely help. "I'm relying on the judgment of someone whose been fighting monsters since he was a kid. And anyway, my only goal is to get the fuck away from this real threat of mine."

"It's not paranoia to think there's more than one kind of threat in the world," Jack sulked. "But I don't have a shiny knife to give you, so never mind my opinion. Feeling safer about Hannibal is a start."

"If I think there's more than one kind of threat in the world, I am going to go insane," Kate replied without any heat in her voice. It was just something that... was. Sometimes she was impressed at her mind for not just caving in under all the pressure. "The world's not a safe place, I get that."

"Then I'm done lecturing." Even if he still thought a weapon that didn't work on humans was at best, a sad and limited idea. "Don't ... go insane on my account."

Well, in Kate's view his world was entirely fucked up, so of course he'd think that.

"I would rather not," she said. "But... thanks for calling, anyway. I like being up to date."

"No worries. I figured there was at least one other person in the world who'd understand why Mitchell and dating were an odd match," Jack said, more lightly. (Well. George would get it. But Jack always worried he'd say the wrong thing and George would lose his head entirely.)

"Besides, I'm bored and it was good to catch up."

"It was," Kate agreed, a little more wryly. "Even if it's largely bad stuff, though I'm sure I coulda gone even darker too."

At some point way later in the day, she would realize she'd completely failed to report she was dating again.

And then she would promptly ignore whatever implications that might have.

"We've had much worse conversations," Jack said, not sounding bothered by it either way. No one on Jack's end was at immediate risk of dying, and Jack had missed the email about Raven; by their standards, this was cheerful. "Bye, Kate."

It was probably sad what their standards were, but they made it work.

"Much worse. Bye, Jack."

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Random Coffeehouse, Mainland, Sunday Afternoon

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