scene 38: strange how I find myself so often on a distant shore.

[charmedillusion]

[Sarah stirs in her sleep, consciousness taking its time in coming to her. She shifts slightly, her progress impeded by a strangely comfortable weight holding her quite fast, not letting her move very far. Drowsily, she half-opens her eyes - not to find herself in her own room, with Ginny nestled comfortably in her own bed a few feet away, but to

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[thexgoblinxking]

[Waking up a sleeping Jareth, particularly one sleeping off the effects of being cursed into suburban submission, is unfortunately easier said than done. Sarah's quiet attempts to wriggle out of his grip don't cause him to stir at all. His response to her first pleas to wake up is to make some kind of muffled noise and try to pull her closer.

When she raises her voice, however, his entire body flinches, eyes squeezing shut against the sunlight filtering into the room. The Goblin King does not believe in alarm clocks, (or indeed, in waking up on any schedule but his own), and being harangued awake by a young woman, no matter how desirable, is not going to change his mind.

It should be no surprise that his first glance at her is a slit-eyed glare through strands of pale hair. The Fae is half-sensible at best at the moment, and sleepy logic doesn't require him to question her presence in his bed--it's too busy trying to put together why she insists upon shouting at this hour of the morning.]

...What.

[charmedillusion]

[Utterly, completely exasperated - and still very much stuck - Sarah remembers yesterday well enough to understand why she is where she is, but that does not make her any less indignant. She tries another unsuccessful move, and settles for an accusatory glare of her own.]

I can't move, and I need to. I'm not supposed to be here.

[thexgoblinxking]

[All he does in reply is stare at her...for a few moments, at least. Things fall into place in his mind fairly quickly, and it's not long before Sarah is faced with the Jareth she knows, lips curling up into a lazy smile. He props himself up with his free arm; the other remains draped over her, sans the possessive clutching.]

No...no, you're not, are you? Did you sleep well?

[charmedillusion]

[But now this is too much for her, and her already worn down patience evaporates. She pulls away again, and since he is finally awake, her attempt is at last successful. Her first thought is to go home straightaway - but then she realizes, crestfallen, what a horrible idea that is. She would be seen by everyone on this floor running from this apartment to her own, and in her nightgown, no less. The embarrassment threatens to burn her cheeks a very visible shade of pink, before she orders herself to remain calm and find another solution.

Still stuck, though in a different way, she mentally reviews yesterday's events, finding one oddity which jumps out at her more than the others. Glancing over at the nightstand, she confirms what she recalls - there's the picture from the tea party, nicely tucked inside the frame she bought. At length she looks back over at him, not answering his question and posing one of her own.]

You kept it. Why did you do that?

[thexgoblinxking]

[He lets her go, shifting so that he's sitting up comfortably--still not at all pleased at being awake but at least in a most interesting situation--watching her as though he can read her thought processes. No such luck, of course, but the way she pauses in her little escape gives a tantalizing hint to what must be going on in her mind.

Sarah wonders and questions, yes--but considering the timing of this particular query, he can't help but wonder (and guess at) what's motivating her to stay in his room, when moments ago, she seemed desperate to leave. Letting his own gaze fall upon the photograph, he shrugs, matching question for question in the closest he gets to a pleasant tone within five minutes of a rude awakening--there's only a little bite to his voice.]

Why shouldn't I? Did you expect me to throw it away?

[charmedillusion]

[She shakes her head, beginning to respond without fully planning her answer.]

I thought -

[What did she think? She doesn't know. She can't tell. She begins to feel a slight increase in her already awkward situation, if that's possible, knowing he is waiting for a response she isn't equipped to give. If she is going to be stuck here, at least until she can think of a better plan, she may as well try to make the best of it. After a slight pause, during which she wonders if she should ask first, she decides she is at least entitled to a glass of orange juice after the morning she's had, and promptly disappears to the kitchen to pour herself a glass

[thexgoblinxking]

[She thinks, she looks lost and perhaps flustered, she leaves the room. It's nothing new, and he's left feeling...strangely empty in her wake. Which he ignores, naturally, in favour of curling back up in the now-slightly-colder bed and going back to sleep. He lies there and waits for the inevitable sound of his front door shutting. He gets instead the sound of hysterical laughter echoing from his kitchen.

Sarah couldn't have come up with a better way to capture his attention if she tried. He's out of bed and moving toward the noise far more quickly than he normally would have been on a Friday morning. Swiftly as a cat and just about as silent, Jareth finds himself standing behind her, hands on his hips. (He's a bit of an amusing sight himself--his hair is both tangly and less voluminous, and the curse's passing has seen fit to leave him with that set of striped flannel pajamas, gee willikers.) He may or may not be going for a stern tone, but the hint of bemused laughter in his own voice, along with that smile, leave him less

[charmedillusion]

[She can't answer right away; she shakes her head helplessly, holding her hand over her mouth as though she could try to make herself stop. After a moment or two of intense attempts to stop, she manages to breathe enough to make herself coherent.]

Everything! I made cookies for people I don't know, I cleaned the house while wearing high heels...I even made curtains, for goodness sake. And you...!

[She has to stop her narrative as the laughter takes her again, but she overcomes it, suddenly extremely curious to see if the curtains are still where she hung them up in the dining room. Turning in that direction, she flings open the door to find - ]

Oh my God.

[ - a complete mess. There are clothes - no, an entire wardrobe - in here. Sarah stares, dismayed, not sure what to think before she idly notes that yes, her drapes are indeed still there.]

I had this table polished so perfectly I could see my reflection in the wood, and now I can't see the table at all. What is this?

[thexgoblinxking]

[And it all is mildly amusing, particularly when told through bursts of laughter from a pretty young woman--even the suggestion that his behavior was as ridiculous as hers isn't particularly nettling.

He's about to question her further when she opens the door to his dining-room-cum-walk-in-closet...and that wouldn't normally keep him from badgering her a bit more about the previous evening, but she seems oddly displeased with the state of the room, enough so that he's momentarily distracted.

Jareth can't imagine why she feels the need to take such a tone over the state of his clothing; the standing racks of clothing are neat enough, though there are a few lost feathers marking the carpet. The piles of gloves and other accessories have begun to cover the table in a more haphazard way than probably suits them (and the same with the boots on the floor against one wall), but he can find what he needs with ease. He speaks more soberly, arms crossed in front of him in a warning gesture.]

It's my wardrobe. You didn't expect it to

[charmedillusion]

You have an entire apartment to yourself. There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to have everything fit nicely in its own space.

[Turning again, she starts making a neat little space between the hangers in hopes of at least spotting the dining table - ah, there it is - before her mind is made up. This is ridiculous. This must be fixed.]

There is more than one closet; this can all be moved. How on earth do you eat, anyway?

[thexgoblinxking]

Things do fit. I've simply rearranged.

[Sour expression, sharp-voiced reply. Someone is not happy about the criticism, not to mention the heavy-handed way in which it's being delivered.]

The kitchen is perfectly serviceable...as you made yourself aware last night.

[charmedillusion]

[It takes her a few moments to process the information that he doesn't want it to be arranged in a better, neater way, which effectively makes little sense (doesn't everyone want things to be arranged in the best, neatest way possible?). It's hard to take his vexed expression and tone seriously, though, especially since he vaguely resembles a dishevelled candy cane, and try as she might, she can't get rid of the amused smirk she's wearing. She turns her head slightly to glance at the pairs of gloves he alluded to back in January, then looks back at him with a knowing smile.]

Okay. If you say so.

[It's absurd, but nothing to stay upset over (but if she ever gets cursed into cleaning his apartment again, this is the first room she's attacking. She walks back to the kitchen leisurely, calling over her shoulder.]

You should tell me if there's anything you prefer for breakfast, or else you're going to get stuck with chocolate chip pancakes.

[thexgoblinxking]

[He follows her, because really, what else is he going to do? She's walking around his apartment as though it's her own, and he's just the littlest bit flummoxed at what to do with that. After months of being at each others' throats (more or less) and a day of playing what must have passed for the model mortal family, being treated as a friend is disorienting.

Disorienting is dangerous when it's not on his terms, not to mention that the sudden camaraderie is suspicious, and when he pauses at the threshold of the kitchen, his arms are crossed once more. He raises an eyebrow, giving her that condescending smile of his.]

Breakfast, Sarah? I thought you weren't planning on...staying.

[charmedillusion]

[Normally she would ask before using someone else's kitchen, but since she spent so much time organizing and cleaning yesterday, she feels more than entitled to use it. She starts taking down the items she needs as she answers.]

Yes, well...

[She pauses, having to measure the water mentally since she can't find a measuring cup.]

...I'm not especially thrilled with the idea of having everyone see me leaving your apartment in my nightgown. I can't call my roommates for a change of clothes because they've left for work already. That means I have to wait for Lestat to wake up, which won't be for..a while.

[She mixes the ingredients together, looking up with an innocently blank expression.]