(Untitled)

[tokilltherose]

He was going insane. That was the only thing he could think about

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[jack_inthegreen]

"Hi there," says a red-haired fellow further down the bar, who's balancing a baby on his knee. "Happy New Year."

[tokilltherose]

Steve looked up from his water to see who was greeting him, and gave him a nod. "Hey - yeah, I guess it is New Years." He'd actually kind of forgotten. Except for the time off.

[jack_inthegreen]

"Yep," he says cheerfully and holds out a hand. "I'm Jack, and this is Keiran."

[tokilltherose]

"Hello then, Jack, Kieran - I'm Steve," he answered, trying a smile.

[jack_inthegreen]

"Rough night?" He bounces Keiran a little, who just gums his fingers and stares. Babies do that a lot

[tokilltherose]

"Rough few months." Steve took a long drink of his water. "I'm not seeing it get much better, either."

[jack_inthegreen]

"I see . . ." He rests his chin on the top of the baby's head a moment, smiling down at him with the child wriggles. "Funny thing about life--the way it goes in cycles."

And now there's an apple in his hand. "Hungry?"

[tokilltherose]

"Uh. Kind of," said Steve, a bit amazed. "Where'd the apple come from?"

[jack_inthegreen]

"The universe," Jack says simply and hands it over. "I asked it to come and it did. Go on, eat. It'll make you feel better."

Metaphorically, of course.

Or not. If he's open to such things.

[tokilltherose]

Truth was that Steve was slightly psychic, but only conditionally. Unfortunately, that condition was getting more and more... powerful.

"Well. Thanks," he decided, and accepted the apple to take a bite. He'd almost forgotten what apples tasted like.

[jack_inthegreen]

Jack leans his chin on his hand. "You're welcome. It's what I do.

"You know, the bar has a much more varied menu than just water, and if you need a supplemental income there are a lot of odd jobs around."

[tokilltherose]

"I've got a job - finally. I'm just trying to save money, pay off a few debts." Steve shook his head. "Less money I spend now, more money I have later."

[jack_inthegreen]

"That's very true. Being able to save is a sign of good self-discipline."

[tokilltherose]

"And paying off familial debt is a sign your family ran themselves into the ground." But he was feeling better. An apple meant food in his stomach. "But yeah, I might just make it."

[jack_inthegreen]

"Oh, I see. Family responsibilities." He nods. "You're the last of your line, then?"

And there's another apple on the bar. The universe has an endless supply of them. And doesn't it smell fresh and sweet?

[tokilltherose]

"Mmhm," sighed Steve. "House ate everybody but me."

Oh, hey. Another apple. After nibbling off what he could from the core, he started on the second. That was good.