"If you need to have your own brand for it you have invented, classifying it by your lonesome, I don't think that you can call it sarcasm," Alek points out innocently, not that he's getting worked up about this at all. He's just a smart ass a lot of the time, and pointing things out is how he rolls.
Not that he really doubts she has her own brand of sarcasm.
It's just not distracting him from the heart of the matter.
Which is that he totally caught her contradicting herself.
"I'm a risk taker, so don't mind if I do," he says, sliding off the jacket and placing it over a chair nearby. It doesn't let him move as freely around the pool table, and she's good, so he has to step up his game.
Alek raises his eyebrow right back. "Not for me there isn't. There's what you make happen, and what you're stuck with," he says, and he's not sure he'd call it fate.
Cards being dealt, maybe, but fate has much too nice of a ring to it.
"No, yeah, I understand. I've caught you at the tail end of the night, you already scared the rest of them away, I'm not judging," he says, but he does look a little amused.
Once it's his turn, he'll just keep on sinking balls into their respective corners, left and right.
Jess can tell that he's being a smart ass, but she doesn't really mind that either even if she'l make a big deal about it as if she does. She squints at him, pointing at him with her cue stick. "Hey, what would you call it then, huh?"
She places a hand on her hip, looking at him as if she is waiting for his answer here.
It had better be a good answer too.
Because Jess' Brand of Sarcasm is kind of perfect here and it gets her free from admitting the truth.
"Yeah, I'm sure you are with your sarcasm knowing and your sense of things," she says as she leans against the pool table, shaking her head. Jess' jacket was already off since she more than warmed up after the number of games that she's had.
She nods at him. "I like the sound of that. I never actually put all that much thought into it all, but I kind of like that viewpoint, think it's accurate."
But again, she hasn't really analyzed that enough to know. It's kind of whatever's convenient to her at the time when teasing. In some ways, maybe she believes in a 'way things are', but. That's not really fate either.
"Okay, okay, as long as you keep that in mind, I suppose I can handle this less than absolutely, 100% stellar performance here," Jess says, smirking sideways at him.
Damn. He is good.
"Thanks, I know." And she laughs a little. "Y'know you're just about as amazing as I am when I'm at the top of my game."
This turn of hers is not as stellar as his, but she is tired from all those previous games after all, and she'd be cool with losing this one since he is a worthy opponent here.
"... Your completely evading the fact I'm right?" Alek asks with the faintest smirk, subdued in its nature, less than it would be any other night, but it's still there, remains when he looks down at where she is poking at him with the cue stick. He lifts both hands to his sides as if making some innocent gesture.
Spoiler: there is nothing innocent about him.
"Something like that," he says with a quiet laugh, as he's not about to deny that he's got a tendency to use sarcasm more often than not.
But then, the same could be said about a lot of people.
Alek scratches the side of his face lightly. "I tend to not put much thought into things either, but you'll find that's something people talk about a lot. Whether things are coincidence or they're luck or they're something else entirely," he says, and maybe it's just because they're all looking for answers at the end of the day.
Even if there aren't answers to be found.
Either way, he doesn't really analyze it much either, and it's not because he's the kind to focus on what's convenient to him, so much as he always acts before he thinks, before it can all catch up to him.
Whether it's the supernatural in him or just Alek to act with instinct instead of slowing down, there's really no way of saying.
"I'm going to have to take your word for it, since I didn't see this 'top of your game' thing for myself," Alek says, a small smile in place when he leans over the pool table once more when she says it's his turn.
"Don't mind if I do."
He is pretty much going to... just sink every one of the balls into the corner pockets until he's done with his and all that's left is the eight ball.
"Right, that. I'm not anything like that at all," Jess says with a smirk of her own as there's really nothing innocent about her either especially when it comes to this. She can only deny it for so long, and it's pretty clear from her expression that she was absolutely aware of what she was doing.
Innocent is overrated, Jess feels. Far overrated. It never lasts long in this city anyway.
"Ah, okay. Something like that. I will keep that in mind from here on out," she says with a small smile, shaking her head.
It could. Jess uses sarcasm quite a bit herself so she's all for it in her opinion. It's a fun thing to do. A great way to troll! Ahem.
Jess looks over at him at his response, and she nods in agreement. "Yeah, it's true. People do talk a lot and everyone has their own theories, which is just fine," she says as she slips a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, people will believe whatever they need to believe."
Even if there aren't answers to be found, they'll find some. They'll make some of their own.
It's what they need sometimes, and Jess is happy people have what they need even if it isn't always the truth. Truth is important, don't get her wrong, but sometimes there aren't any answers to be found.
They don't exist so you believe whatever you need to believe.
"Yes, you will. My word is a very good word by the way so be sure to take it," Jess says, smirking at him and folding her arms across her chest.
She leans against the pool table, watching him play and groaning as she sees him score each and every time. WHAT IS THIS. Damn, he is incredibly good.
"Ffff, does this mean I have to keep up my side of the bargain?"
Jess is only complaining for the sake of complaining. She can totally keep up her end of a bet. Totally.
"I'll let you win this one," Alek says with mild amusement, since he's pretty sure they both know by now that she's totally deflecting, but it's not a point that he absolutely has to make her accept. They did just meet, and he's not at the top of his own game, at least where the sarcasm is concerned.
It never does last.
He doesn't remember a feeling of innocence or if he does, it was a long, long time ago, long enough he can't dredge up what it felt like or what it meant, and he's fine with it. You get thick skin and sometimes it makes you cynical, but at least you learn to survive.
It's important to have those survival instincts when you live in Chicago.
If you remain sheltered for too long, it'd be all but impossible to make it.
"Yeah, it's fine with me, too. People can believe whatever they want to believe, and I believe what I want to believe, and if it's not the same thing at the end of the day?" he says with a small shrug, smirking back at her when she does so first. "Different strokes."
It's not like he's going to pretend he has any idea how the world works or why it works the way it does.
Alek's not that philosophical.
"If you want," he says with a small laugh as he moves over to place the cue stick back where it belongs. Alek picks up the jacket from where he placed it earlier and turns back to her. "I'm not in the habit of actually forcing out apologies on people, Jess."
Apologies in general are something he takes with a grain of salt.
When it really counts, people are rarely sorry.
"Thanks for the game, by the way," he adds, and his voice is something close to sincere.
It did provide a distraction, after all, when he thought nothing would distract him from what happened earlier today.
"You will? That's generous of you, not that I need any generosity," Jess says quickly with a firm reminder, narrowing her gaze at him. Even though, she would definitely need that generosity, yes, because he completely caught her.
No, innocence cannot last in Chicago. It doesn't belong in a city that's dark like this one. There's no room for it, and it gets smashed out fairly quickly for the most part.
It's really too bad, but it's just the way of the city. Even people who can hold on to their optimism, they're kind of a rarity in the city too, because all this disaster and death around everywhere. It's hard to continue to be 'glass full' type of people.
Innocence can be dangerous. The city is like a lion, and everyone in it is potential prey. It's a bad way to think about it, but it's just kind of how it is.
"That's the same way that I like to think about it. Different strokes for different folks anyway. People have to believe what they need to to get through or what they feel is right, good on them," Jess agrees, tiny smirk as she nods in agreement.
She has her own beliefs... but not many, not as many as Rachel has for instance, and it's why she usually goes to her for advice. Plus, she feels like her own wants and desires and beliefs get mucked in with the demons.
Which is bad. Some of them might be hers too, it's just hard to tell.
"Be that as it may, it was the bet and I'd expect you to hold up your side of the bargain," Jess says, smirking at him as she reaches for her own jacket to slide it on. "I am very, very sorry for hurting your feelings earlier. It was my bad, my bad, I take full responsibility."
She holds her hands up on either side of her.
And well, she knows she didn't really hurt his feelings so this apology isn't really sincere either.
"You're welcome! Anytime! And I mean that, sometime when I'm at the top of my game again and you can witness the badass," Jess says as she steps away from the pool table and looks back at him with a small smile. "Have a good night, Alek!"
Oh, she has no idea how his night will go and who will be involved in that (small world for real), but she does mean that sincerely as she steps away and heads out of the pool hall to find her way home.
Not that he really doubts she has her own brand of sarcasm.
It's just not distracting him from the heart of the matter.
Which is that he totally caught her contradicting herself.
"I'm a risk taker, so don't mind if I do," he says, sliding off the jacket and placing it over a chair nearby. It doesn't let him move as freely around the pool table, and she's good, so he has to step up his game.
Alek raises his eyebrow right back. "Not for me there isn't. There's what you make happen, and what you're stuck with," he says, and he's not sure he'd call it fate.
Cards being dealt, maybe, but fate has much too nice of a ring to it.
"No, yeah, I understand. I've caught you at the tail end of the night, you already scared the rest of them away, I'm not judging," he says, but he does look a little amused.
Once it's his turn, he'll just keep on sinking balls into their respective corners, left and right.
"You're good, though."
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She places a hand on her hip, looking at him as if she is waiting for his answer here.
It had better be a good answer too.
Because Jess' Brand of Sarcasm is kind of perfect here and it gets her free from admitting the truth.
"Yeah, I'm sure you are with your sarcasm knowing and your sense of things," she says as she leans against the pool table, shaking her head. Jess' jacket was already off since she more than warmed up after the number of games that she's had.
She nods at him. "I like the sound of that. I never actually put all that much thought into it all, but I kind of like that viewpoint, think it's accurate."
But again, she hasn't really analyzed that enough to know. It's kind of whatever's convenient to her at the time when teasing. In some ways, maybe she believes in a 'way things are', but. That's not really fate either.
"Okay, okay, as long as you keep that in mind, I suppose I can handle this less than absolutely, 100% stellar performance here," Jess says, smirking sideways at him.
Damn. He is good.
"Thanks, I know." And she laughs a little. "Y'know you're just about as amazing as I am when I'm at the top of my game."
This turn of hers is not as stellar as his, but she is tired from all those previous games after all, and she'd be cool with losing this one since he is a worthy opponent here.
"And your turn, sir."
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Spoiler: there is nothing innocent about him.
"Something like that," he says with a quiet laugh, as he's not about to deny that he's got a tendency to use sarcasm more often than not.
But then, the same could be said about a lot of people.
Alek scratches the side of his face lightly. "I tend to not put much thought into things either, but you'll find that's something people talk about a lot. Whether things are coincidence or they're luck or they're something else entirely," he says, and maybe it's just because they're all looking for answers at the end of the day.
Even if there aren't answers to be found.
Either way, he doesn't really analyze it much either, and it's not because he's the kind to focus on what's convenient to him, so much as he always acts before he thinks, before it can all catch up to him.
Whether it's the supernatural in him or just Alek to act with instinct instead of slowing down, there's really no way of saying.
"I'm going to have to take your word for it, since I didn't see this 'top of your game' thing for myself," Alek says, a small smile in place when he leans over the pool table once more when she says it's his turn.
"Don't mind if I do."
He is pretty much going to... just sink every one of the balls into the corner pockets until he's done with his and all that's left is the eight ball.
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Innocent is overrated, Jess feels. Far overrated. It never lasts long in this city anyway.
"Ah, okay. Something like that. I will keep that in mind from here on out," she says with a small smile, shaking her head.
It could. Jess uses sarcasm quite a bit herself so she's all for it in her opinion. It's a fun thing to do. A great way to troll! Ahem.
Jess looks over at him at his response, and she nods in agreement. "Yeah, it's true. People do talk a lot and everyone has their own theories, which is just fine," she says as she slips a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, people will believe whatever they need to believe."
Even if there aren't answers to be found, they'll find some. They'll make some of their own.
It's what they need sometimes, and Jess is happy people have what they need even if it isn't always the truth. Truth is important, don't get her wrong, but sometimes there aren't any answers to be found.
They don't exist so you believe whatever you need to believe.
"Yes, you will. My word is a very good word by the way so be sure to take it," Jess says, smirking at him and folding her arms across her chest.
She leans against the pool table, watching him play and groaning as she sees him score each and every time. WHAT IS THIS. Damn, he is incredibly good.
"Ffff, does this mean I have to keep up my side of the bargain?"
Jess is only complaining for the sake of complaining. She can totally keep up her end of a bet. Totally.
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It never does last.
He doesn't remember a feeling of innocence or if he does, it was a long, long time ago, long enough he can't dredge up what it felt like or what it meant, and he's fine with it. You get thick skin and sometimes it makes you cynical, but at least you learn to survive.
It's important to have those survival instincts when you live in Chicago.
If you remain sheltered for too long, it'd be all but impossible to make it.
"Yeah, it's fine with me, too. People can believe whatever they want to believe, and I believe what I want to believe, and if it's not the same thing at the end of the day?" he says with a small shrug, smirking back at her when she does so first. "Different strokes."
It's not like he's going to pretend he has any idea how the world works or why it works the way it does.
Alek's not that philosophical.
"If you want," he says with a small laugh as he moves over to place the cue stick back where it belongs. Alek picks up the jacket from where he placed it earlier and turns back to her. "I'm not in the habit of actually forcing out apologies on people, Jess."
Apologies in general are something he takes with a grain of salt.
When it really counts, people are rarely sorry.
"Thanks for the game, by the way," he adds, and his voice is something close to sincere.
It did provide a distraction, after all, when he thought nothing would distract him from what happened earlier today.
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No, innocence cannot last in Chicago. It doesn't belong in a city that's dark like this one. There's no room for it, and it gets smashed out fairly quickly for the most part.
It's really too bad, but it's just the way of the city. Even people who can hold on to their optimism, they're kind of a rarity in the city too, because all this disaster and death around everywhere. It's hard to continue to be 'glass full' type of people.
Innocence can be dangerous. The city is like a lion, and everyone in it is potential prey. It's a bad way to think about it, but it's just kind of how it is.
"That's the same way that I like to think about it. Different strokes for different folks anyway. People have to believe what they need to to get through or what they feel is right, good on them," Jess agrees, tiny smirk as she nods in agreement.
She has her own beliefs... but not many, not as many as Rachel has for instance, and it's why she usually goes to her for advice. Plus, she feels like her own wants and desires and beliefs get mucked in with the demons.
Which is bad. Some of them might be hers too, it's just hard to tell.
"Be that as it may, it was the bet and I'd expect you to hold up your side of the bargain," Jess says, smirking at him as she reaches for her own jacket to slide it on. "I am very, very sorry for hurting your feelings earlier. It was my bad, my bad, I take full responsibility."
She holds her hands up on either side of her.
And well, she knows she didn't really hurt his feelings so this apology isn't really sincere either.
"You're welcome! Anytime! And I mean that, sometime when I'm at the top of my game again and you can witness the badass," Jess says as she steps away from the pool table and looks back at him with a small smile. "Have a good night, Alek!"
Oh, she has no idea how his night will go and who will be involved in that (small world for real), but she does mean that sincerely as she steps away and heads out of the pool hall to find her way home.
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