[Introduction: Jack Benjamin] Escape from the living death

[true_n_the_dark]

[Spoiler (click to open)]He'd done it. Jack had asked his own father to kill him, to order his execution. Thomasina had said, "Your father wants for you a living death, to brick you into a wall with someone who loves you - who you can't stand the sight of... until you produce an heir, which Silas will take, and raise right this time

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[ichbinzillah]

Zillah may be organizing her lesson plans in the common room--there's enough space in there for her messy arrangement of papers, thankfully.

She's a little frazzled (the beginning of the year always does this to her!), so she's willing to be interrupted. Maybe she needs a break.

[true_n_the_dark]

Aaaaaand by the time Zillah is in Jack's vicinity, guess what? He is horribly, horribly hung over.

And so there will be a rather gloomy and doomy fellow walking through the common room. He may have passed out on a couch somewhere, or in whatever room he's been assigned by his rescuer, but now he's so very thirsty, it's not even funny.

So he's wandering in, with a carton of milk. Not even bothering with a glass.

He might glance at her expanse of paperwork on his way, and even forget himself, and stop to stare.

[ichbinzillah]

She looks up a moment, sighing, and perhaps catches a glance of him.

"Uh, hi," she says, sitting up a little. "Why the milk?"

[true_n_the_dark]

"Why not?" His tone is unfriendly, as if to say, what's it to you? Which is exactly what Jack intends.

He's not in any need of being friendly, doesn't feel like he even should bother with nicenesses, and makes it quite clear.

[ichbinzillah]

Zillah frowns.

"Uh, it's still summer here, and milk is generally kind of gross in the summer?"

[true_n_the_dark]

"Says who?"

Way to go, can't even have milk in peace.

Augh.

[ichbinzillah]

She raises an eyebrow.

"...Says practically everybody."

[true_n_the_dark]

Jack just eyes her, then takes a long gulp of milk.

"Good for them."

[ichbinzillah]

"You might get sick," she points out.

[true_n_the_dark]

"Who cares?" Pause. "Don't answer that."

It's rhetorical.

Nobody cares, and nobody should care... maybe.

[ichbinzillah]

"--People care," she says, almost apologetically.

[true_n_the_dark]

It's so alone at the top, Zillah...

He hates himself so much, too...

".... who?"

There's Lucinda, he knows. She doesn't count.

[ichbinzillah]

"I dunno, I try to care," she replies. "I used to care a whole lot about a whole lot of things, back home. So."

[true_n_the_dark]

"You sound like my sister."

Grumph.

He's not going anywhere, though. Zillah: one. Jack: zero.

[ichbinzillah]

"Is that supposed to be a bad thing? Or a good thing?" she asks.

[true_n_the_dark]

"A family thing," because Jack has honestly no idea whether it's good or bad.

"Never mind."