saving_sound | IC CONTACT

[She just barely hears it, having been snuggled deep into her blanket after a good cry. She's done that quite a bit lately; it's always been a bad habit of hers, but recently it's just gotten even worse.

Still, she can't just hide forever. It takes a bit, but she eventually shuffles her way to the door, opening it up just a crack to see who it is.]

J-Jack...?

[And just a crack is enough to make his stomach turn and the grip on his staff tighten. Fucking dammit, he should've stayed. Or why didn't he take her with him? Why?

He takes another deep breath, not wanting to get angry in front of her, then he kneels like he always does, Big Brother ready to do his job.]

Yes, Hibiki, it's me. Did I wake you up? Sorry. I wanted to check on you. [He wants to start firing questions, to take her in his arms and hide her from this fucking war. But that will only scare her more.] I brought some presents?

[She slowly shakes her head, opening up the door a little more. Not only is Jack a friend, but everyone is supposed to be back to normal.

So she should be safe, right?]

I wasn't asleep... It's okay.

[She rubs at her eyes a little. They've dried by now, but they're still on the puffy side after all the tears.]

Presents...? Is it from Va-- umm, Vanaheim?

[She's being careful, he can see that, and after the incident with Sandy he isn't surprised. It just makes him more angry inside: a kid like her shouldn't be feeling like this.]

Yup, let's call them souvenirs. There were lots of kinds of stuff there. [Including fancy clothes, it seems. Jack notices the puffy eyes, and before he can think about it, a gloved hand is moving to pet her head. Dammitdammitdammit...]

I wish I was here with you so I could help, though. I don't like seeing you like this... Are you hurt, Hibiki?

[Headpats always make her feel safer, whether consciously or not. It seems to make her relax some.]

I'm not... They healed everything at the castle, I think.

[Not that she... really remembers much of it. Everything was kind of fuzzy when she woke up there.]

[The petting stops and Jack gets tense as hell. The hand holding his staff tightens again, making his knuckles even whiter than they already are.

That castle. There's only one reason why she would be "fixed" there.

Jack gulps his anger, repeating himself again he can't get mad in front of her. But fucking dammit, this is so frustrating. He takes his hand away, it's trembling, and he doesn't want her to feel that either.]

So at least your body is ok. I hope we can do something about your mood, too. [Because he can tell.] Can I come in or you'd rather open your presents in the hallway?

[Whoops, headpats have ceased. She hopes she didn't say anything wrong...]

Oh-- I'm sorry! Of course you can come in!

[She seems a little flustered, having not offered it right away. But with things being the way they were for the past while, well... She'd gotten into a habit.

Thus, she'll open up the door all the way, already moving to fetch some tea for the both of them while her numerous pets look on in curiosity.]

[He follows her inside, taking a curious look at her pets. That's quite a collection there. But when he notices what she's doing he shakes his head. This girl is going to kill him some day, gosh.]

Hibiki, you don't have to do that. I'm fine. Unless you're thirsty... if not, come here and get your presents.

[He takes a seat at the nearest table without bothering to take off his cape, and takes out two things from his bag: a huge jar filled with all kinds of candy, and a smaller paper bag that contains a wool hat.

While waiting for her to return from the kitchen, he throws his head over the back of the chair and sighs. What he would give to have his fun amgic back and help Hibiki feel better now...]

((ooc: almost forgot! Jack will mention sometime in this thread (hopefully) the new place he got, and invite Hibiki if she wants to come by later. And I put up a log about that! So yeah, if she feels like coloring, you're invited to jump in. I know you're in hiatus but I'd feel bad not telling you. You can ignore or tag it in two months if necessary, I totally understand.))

Edited 2013-10-06 04:11 (UTC)

Er... you're sure...?

[She puts down the tea set with a little reluctance before walking over to the table, pulling up a chair for herself as well. Her pet gusk takes this as an opportunity to scamper over from her bed and up the chair, giving her an affectionate headbutt once it's reached her shoulder. Although she gives it a few pats on the head in return, she's quickly distracted by the presents Jack has laid out.]

I-it's so pretty! These are really for me...?

[She's gonna be even more psyched when she realizes what's in that bag.]

((OOC: I'm actually about to come off of hiatus soon, so I will try to tag in sometime tomorrow \o/ Thanks for the heads up!))

That's what I said, didn't I? Come on, open it.

[He's a little nervous, this isn't something he's done before. She said the jar is pretty, so that's a good start, right? Trying to distract himself from the current nervousness and the thoughts of what happened in Asgard, he offers his hand to the gusk, knowing it's best to let an animal accept you in their home if you plan to stick around.]

[She nods and obediently opens up the bag, her face lighting up as she pulls out the hat.]

It looks so comfy! Thank you, Jack!

[The gusk, for its part, will be curiously sniffing at Jack and more or less checking him out, trying to figure out if he is a safe person to perch on.]

You like it? Really? [Jack's face lights up too. Yay, approval!] Fall is here already and winter is coming soon. I hope I see you wearing it.

[The hat and that smile. Hibiki is smiling again, Jack already feels better, he's doing his job right. He can't make her forget what happened, but at least it's something. So sorry, mister gusk, Jack will take his hand away to ruffle Hibiki's hair.]

I'll miss doing this though.

[The gusk gives an unhappy squeak, scampering back to Hibiki's arm again. However, she seems happy at the hair ruffling.]

I was wondering what I should do! I never got a hat last year... I just had a scarf and jacket.

[She really should have, though. The cold really nipped at her ears then.]

Thank you so much! I'll definitely wear it lots!

[Her smile is still a little watery, but it's genuinely grateful.]

No problem. I'm glad you liked it.

[Look at how happy Jack is. He made Hibiki smile, hooray! A watery smile, but it still counts. Still wanting to make it better, he opens the jar of candy and drops some on the table for her.]

How... [-are you feeling? No, bad question.] Do you need anything? [Worried Jack is still worried.]

[She shakes her head.]

Mmm... I think I'll be okay for now.

[She takes one of the candies and pops it into her mouth, even though it's not like she's hungry or anything - it's hard to be after finding out the truth behind one's own murder. But it seems like the polite thing to do.]

...! It's so sweet!

Well, you're a sweet girl, so it fits.

[He ruffles her hair again. He can't help it. He knows she likes it, and since there's nothing else he can do right now, he goes for that. At least she seems okay, but still. Feeling useless as hell over here, thank you.]

If anything happens... or you just need to cheer up again, you WILL let me know, got it? I'm moving from the hells soon, to my own place. No side effects there, you can come by whenever you want.

[...Getting compliments is still weird, but she won't say anything this time because headpats are lovely and she's trying so hard as it is not to be negative.]

-?

You're moving? Where?

I got a... kinda like a shop, but not really that. It's a surprise, you'll see it when you come by later.

[It's not really surprising considering this is Jack, but oh well. Getting restless, he starts making some piece of candy float, forming shapes in the air.]

There's an apartment above it. I'm moving there, and Sandy is coming with me. Oh, and it's still on the Loki district. You can come by whenever you feel like, got it? You and your pets too, why not. Sandy has a thing for animals.

((omg Totally forgot to add! The hat also has the little card with a snowflake, so Hibiki can guess who gave her that plushie that other time, haha.))

A surprise?

[Why would a store need to be a surprise, though...]

...Then, I'll definitely be sure to visit! But it's really okay if I bring my pets along?

[There's... kind of a lot of them.]

Sure. They need to get out and have fun too, right?

[It looks like the chatting is really keeping Hibiki distracted, so Jack tries to keep it up. He offers his hand to the gusk again before asking.]

Does this little one have a name?

[She shakes her head.]

Uh-uh... I couldn't think of a good one.

[The gusk is sniffing at him warily again. You won't betray him again, will you?]

Edited (was not quite done yet) 2013-10-23 10:07 (UTC)

[As long as Hibiki keeps smiling, then no, Jack won't get distracted again. So this time he does go for the petting.]

Maybe they can ask the rest of the kids. Vote for the cutest name ideas or something.

[Aww yessss pettings. The gusk does love those.]

Huh? I-is it really okay to make it that big of a deal?

[Jack isn't very used to petting, but he tries his best! And he nods at Hibiki, always smiling at her cuteness. Gosh, this girl never stops.]

Why not? Your pet needs a name and the kids like animals. It's a win-win situation if you ask me.

But using the network for that sort of thing just seems kind of...

[...Flagrant misuse of power, perhaps?]

[Night of 334 | Action]

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