Jesus Christ. If anyone actually figures out how to get these stupid hearts to stop floating around your head, I'd really appreciate it if you told me
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Hayley had gotten into the casino easier than anticipated. The cupid had assaulted the guard at the back door, who had easily let her in (along with offering to buy her dinner). She had ditched him pretty quick and, with the money Wichita had given her, was eager to get to drinking and gambling. What better way to spend the worst holiday ever than engaging in self-destructive activities, free of wardening and debt?
The girl opted for the "Lovers Quarrel" because it sounded the safest of all of them given the location. She recognized a few people from the Barge, looking around, but none she knew well enough to speak to. Instead, she sat down to a game of random cards, trying to figure out how to play.
Someone in particular caught her eye, however. A man she knew to be from the Barge-- Harvey's former warden, in fact. Normally she might not have given him a second glance, but there was something about him that made her keep looking. Next thing she knew, she couldn't help but stare occasionally. She really wanted to talk to him, but she had no idea what she would say, really. And so she just kept glancing over, hoping he might notice her.
Jack was getting into the drinks a little more. He'd been a bit worried at first that they were going to be love potions or something ridiculous, but the ones he was buying just seemed to be getting him sort of drunk. This, in Jack's opinion, was a good thing.
Luigi was around somewhere, and Jack wasn't too worried that he couldn't actually see him. This port really wasn't his inmate's scene, so it was unlikely he'd be wandering the streets. He was probably still in the casino. Whatever. He wasn't about to go outside. That cupid thing had been too close, and the girls in the bar didn't seem to be taking any particular notice of him anymore.
Except... there was a prickly feeling in the back of his neck. It felt just like someone was watching him. He looked around, trying to figure out who it was.
Spam - Can this be day 2 of port? Or late day 1?victimofnooneFebruary 13 2010, 06:02:33 UTC
Downing the rest of her drink for that alleged "liquid courage" ability it was meant to bestow, she finished up her round and then made her way over toward the man, probably not being as subtle as she should have. But hey! Four out of five doctors agreed she was actually crazy.
"Hey." She smiled at him as she approached, sliding her hands into her jacket pockets. Rather than take a seat beside him, she simply stood and loitered near him in a way she had often used to seduce the men of her past. But this was different. Hayley didn't want to hurt him. She had to get to know him. That was all. "I don't think we ever met. You were Harvey's warden, right?"
Spam - Sure thing. Whenever you want.psychosnowflakeFebruary 13 2010, 06:16:36 UTC
He spots Hayley just as she's coming towards him. She's an inmate, right? She looks young. A frown crosses his face. Why would she be watching him? They've never talked before. He's definitely seen her around, but he can't quite remember who she is.
"Uh, yeah, that's me." He pauses awkwardly, trying to think. Then he remembers. Harvey's pretty good friends with her. "You're Hayley, right?"
Spam - Day 2 it is. Thanks! <3victimofnooneFebruary 13 2010, 07:10:25 UTC
"Yeah!" Hayley was thrilled that he knew who she was, though she couldn't entirely justify that joy if she took a minute to think about it. Not that she did. The girl stretched out a hand in greeting, trying to act a little more sophisticated than usual. It was weird, trying to be pleasant with someone she didn't know well; she was kind of used to being snarky and nothing else on the Barge. Surely Jack would understand her, though. "Hayley Stark."
"It's really nice to meet you," she continued with a smile. When a waitress meandered over, the girl agreed to the purchase of another of whatever she had had before; it tasted pretty damn good. "Mind if I join you? I mean, Harvey talked about you a lot and you really did a lot for him. I always wanted to meet you."
Spam - No worries bb. c:psychosnowflakeFebruary 13 2010, 07:23:46 UTC
"Nice to meet you too." He shook the hand she held out and nodded at her. This was a little odd, her just coming up him out of the blue, to but whatever, he was happy enough to let her sit down. He had a drink and he was loose enough to talk to her without really thinking about it. "Sure thing, I don't mind," he said in response to her question and gestured to the seat beside him.
"I'm Jack, but I guess you knew that already..." The sentence trailed off at the end. Harvey had talked to her about him? That was kind of nice, but also a bit worrying. What if he'd said something about Tyler? Nah, that was unfair. Harvey wouldn't have just told anyone about him. He smiled at Hayley, taking a drink before saying, "You're pretty good friends with him, aren't you?"
In truth, Harvey did little more than mention Jack, though the few things he said were good. But any trust that her best friend could give to anyone would carry over; she would trust them too. It meant the fact that she was really wanting to trust and talk to him? Totally justifiable. He really wasn't bad looking either.
"Thanks!" She offered him a grin and took a seat beside him, leaning forward a little to show that she was interested in what he was saying. When the waitress brought her drink, she paid and then took a sip and set it aside. "Yeah. We're really close, actually. I mean, I don't really tell anyone this? But he's the best friend I've ever had. And any friend of his is a friend of mine."
Hayley let her arms drape in a casual way where they were not yet touching but closer to doing so. She just wanted to be near him was all. To feel safe and protected. "So tell me about yourself, Jack. Where and when are you from? Why is an eligible bachelor like you hiding out in the casino?"
"That's good, he's a great guy." Jack smiled some more. He was really good friends with Harvey these days. It was nice. "He said he didn't want to go home when he graduated cause of you." And Prefect and Jack himself, but that would have been awkward to say.
And then Hayley went on. Whoa, what? Jack shifted back away from her slightly. Talking was one thing, but that sounded like flirting. He covered his confusion by taking a drink, then decided that no, no, she couldn't have meant it like that. "Uh, you know, this whole full-on love thing, it's not really my deal- I just wanted a place to get a drink," he said. He cleared his throat, his discomfort showing just the tiniest bit. He rushed to move on to a different subject. "So, I'm from 1996, uh- Delaware, but I travelled around the States a lot. What about you?"
Hayley had been entirely oblivious to the reasons of that decision of Harvey's to stay. She was too busy being angry with him to ever ask him about why he had gone back or why he hadn't left permanently. Remorse and guilt festered somewhere in the back of her mind. But right now, she was more interested in enjoying the present. She could talk to Harvey later.
The inmate realized she was flirting about the same time Jack did and sat back a little in response to his hesitation. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like-- I just.. You should be enjoying yourself, is all I meant." She was joking when she said eligible bachelor. Of course she was.
"Er, yeah. I'm from California. 2009. I was a, uh, a student." Now Hayley was nervous and she wasn't entirely sure how to recover. It wasn't the idea of flirting with him that bothered her, but the notion that he might not be keen to it. She obviously had to be more subtle. He just liked to move slower. She was okay with that. The girl took another couple sips of her drink and forced a small smile. "And, I know what you mean. Love is totally overrated. This place is definitely the best to get drinks."
"No, that's- It's cool. Don't worry," Jack said, feeling awkward but trying not to show it too much. He didn't want to embarass her or anything. And he was totally reading too much into the whole thing anyway. She had just been making a joke, right? After all, what the hell would a kid like that want with him? It was just a stupid mix-up. "At least we're away from those priest guys in the street, right? Love is one thing, but getting married is just a step too far."
He tried to laugh a little at his own really bad attempt at a joke, more because of the tension than anything else. Right. Uh. Moving on. Jack steered the conversation back towards what seemed to be a safer topic. "So, um, a student? What were you studying?"
Hope was restored when he continued to speak to her. She laughed a little at his joke, mostly because she genuinely agreed. A break from the priests and cupids was much needed because she didn't want to fall in love with some guy she didn't know or like. Jack was the real deal and the idea of feeling fake love for anyone else disgusted her. "Yeah, totally! Marriage like this is ridiculous. If you really love someone? You don't have to prove it."
Hayley took another sip of her drink, becoming vaguely awkward again when he asked about her. It wasn't something she normally shared, but she trusted Jack to keep her secrets. "I didn't actually make it into college. I was planning on majoring in psychology, maybe? But I died in the summer between high school and college. What about you? What did you do before coming here? I mean, really, my life's pretty boring. I want to know more about you."
"Oh, I'm...sorry?" Jack didn't actually mean it to sound like a question, but it was hard to know what to say when a teenager just casually said that she'd died before she could get to college. Right, moving along, to a safer subject. "Uh- I used to work in product recall, for cars. It was pretty boring too. I got to travel around America a lot, I guess. That was alright."
He took a drink, not really looking at her. He flicked his fingers against the table, wishing he was smoking a cigarette right now. At least he'd be more relaxed. This was weird. He continued, "Uh, I don't know what else to tell you. I didn't have the most interesting life."
Hayley took another sip of her drink. She wasn't really good at talking to people and this was getting more awkward. Even she could tell that. Product recall was.. well, it could be interesting. Somehow. "I'm jealous that you got to travel. I only left California a few times, and never for like, any extended period of time."
Turning to face him suddenly, Hayley dropped her hands to her lap. "Look, I know this is kind of weird, but.. I'm desperate. Is there any chance you would be my date to Wichita's wedding? I need to go with someone or it'll be really weird. And I'm the maid of honor, so you just have to like.. show up with me and sit through it? Then we can talk a little bit more? I have to get going soon, so.."
Spam - sorry this took so longpsychosnowflakeFebruary 17 2010, 15:23:39 UTC
"Uh-" Jack spluttered through the drink he'd been in the middle of taking. Yeah, that caught him off guard. What on earth did he know about weddings? "Me? I don't, um... I'm not that good with weddings, and besides..."
He trailed off, about to say something like 'can't you find a date your own age' but realising that that was a fairly harsh way of putting it. If she was the maid of honor, she'd be busy almost the whole time, right? Maybe it'd be okay. Slightly weird, sure, but not unbearable. It wouldn't be nice to say no. He frowned at her and finally asked, "Do you really want me to come?"
Spam - Same here! <3victimofnooneFebruary 19 2010, 06:16:46 UTC
"Yeah, I really do. I don't know anything about weddings, but I have to be there and it would be like, really nice if I didn't have to suffer through it alone. The only other guys I might invite are busy or already going or whatever." The girl mostly meant that. There was no one else she would rather invited except maybe Harvey and she hadn't heard from him at all. Jack was better than the rest, though, even if she hadn't seen it originally.
"Please." Hayley offered him a small smile, having to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. She liked him so much it was almost painful and she felt like her heart was pounding in her head at the fear of rejection.
"I-" Jack stopped and thought about it for a second. She was a little intense, but she was okay. It would be mean to say no. "Yeah, okay. Sure. Why not?" Jack tried to smile, but he felt too self-concious, and it came out looking almost like a grimace.
"Sure," he repeated, trying again to smile at Hayley. He took a long drink and looked back at her. This would be awkward, but whatever. It would be worse not to go.
The girl opted for the "Lovers Quarrel" because it sounded the safest of all of them given the location. She recognized a few people from the Barge, looking around, but none she knew well enough to speak to. Instead, she sat down to a game of random cards, trying to figure out how to play.
Someone in particular caught her eye, however. A man she knew to be from the Barge-- Harvey's former warden, in fact. Normally she might not have given him a second glance, but there was something about him that made her keep looking. Next thing she knew, she couldn't help but stare occasionally. She really wanted to talk to him, but she had no idea what she would say, really. And so she just kept glancing over, hoping he might notice her.
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Luigi was around somewhere, and Jack wasn't too worried that he couldn't actually see him. This port really wasn't his inmate's scene, so it was unlikely he'd be wandering the streets. He was probably still in the casino. Whatever. He wasn't about to go outside. That cupid thing had been too close, and the girls in the bar didn't seem to be taking any particular notice of him anymore.
Except... there was a prickly feeling in the back of his neck. It felt just like someone was watching him. He looked around, trying to figure out who it was.
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"Hey." She smiled at him as she approached, sliding her hands into her jacket pockets. Rather than take a seat beside him, she simply stood and loitered near him in a way she had often used to seduce the men of her past. But this was different. Hayley didn't want to hurt him. She had to get to know him. That was all. "I don't think we ever met. You were Harvey's warden, right?"
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"Uh, yeah, that's me." He pauses awkwardly, trying to think. Then he remembers. Harvey's pretty good friends with her. "You're Hayley, right?"
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"It's really nice to meet you," she continued with a smile. When a waitress meandered over, the girl agreed to the purchase of another of whatever she had had before; it tasted pretty damn good. "Mind if I join you? I mean, Harvey talked about you a lot and you really did a lot for him. I always wanted to meet you."
Reply
"I'm Jack, but I guess you knew that already..." The sentence trailed off at the end. Harvey had talked to her about him? That was kind of nice, but also a bit worrying. What if he'd said something about Tyler? Nah, that was unfair. Harvey wouldn't have just told anyone about him. He smiled at Hayley, taking a drink before saying, "You're pretty good friends with him, aren't you?"
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"Thanks!" She offered him a grin and took a seat beside him, leaning forward a little to show that she was interested in what he was saying. When the waitress brought her drink, she paid and then took a sip and set it aside. "Yeah. We're really close, actually. I mean, I don't really tell anyone this? But he's the best friend I've ever had. And any friend of his is a friend of mine."
Hayley let her arms drape in a casual way where they were not yet touching but closer to doing so. She just wanted to be near him was all. To feel safe and protected. "So tell me about yourself, Jack. Where and when are you from? Why is an eligible bachelor like you hiding out in the casino?"
Smooooth.
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And then Hayley went on. Whoa, what? Jack shifted back away from her slightly. Talking was one thing, but that sounded like flirting. He covered his confusion by taking a drink, then decided that no, no, she couldn't have meant it like that. "Uh, you know, this whole full-on love thing, it's not really my deal- I just wanted a place to get a drink," he said. He cleared his throat, his discomfort showing just the tiniest bit. He rushed to move on to a different subject. "So, I'm from 1996, uh- Delaware, but I travelled around the States a lot. What about you?"
Reply
The inmate realized she was flirting about the same time Jack did and sat back a little in response to his hesitation. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like-- I just.. You should be enjoying yourself, is all I meant." She was joking when she said eligible bachelor. Of course she was.
"Er, yeah. I'm from California. 2009. I was a, uh, a student." Now Hayley was nervous and she wasn't entirely sure how to recover. It wasn't the idea of flirting with him that bothered her, but the notion that he might not be keen to it. She obviously had to be more subtle. He just liked to move slower. She was okay with that. The girl took another couple sips of her drink and forced a small smile. "And, I know what you mean. Love is totally overrated. This place is definitely the best to get drinks."
Because he was fantastic company.
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He tried to laugh a little at his own really bad attempt at a joke, more because of the tension than anything else. Right. Uh. Moving on. Jack steered the conversation back towards what seemed to be a safer topic. "So, um, a student? What were you studying?"
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Hayley took another sip of her drink, becoming vaguely awkward again when he asked about her. It wasn't something she normally shared, but she trusted Jack to keep her secrets. "I didn't actually make it into college. I was planning on majoring in psychology, maybe? But I died in the summer between high school and college. What about you? What did you do before coming here? I mean, really, my life's pretty boring. I want to know more about you."
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He took a drink, not really looking at her. He flicked his fingers against the table, wishing he was smoking a cigarette right now. At least he'd be more relaxed. This was weird. He continued, "Uh, I don't know what else to tell you. I didn't have the most interesting life."
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Turning to face him suddenly, Hayley dropped her hands to her lap. "Look, I know this is kind of weird, but.. I'm desperate. Is there any chance you would be my date to Wichita's wedding? I need to go with someone or it'll be really weird. And I'm the maid of honor, so you just have to like.. show up with me and sit through it? Then we can talk a little bit more? I have to get going soon, so.."
Because that wasn't awkward at all.
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He trailed off, about to say something like 'can't you find a date your own age' but realising that that was a fairly harsh way of putting it. If she was the maid of honor, she'd be busy almost the whole time, right? Maybe it'd be okay. Slightly weird, sure, but not unbearable. It wouldn't be nice to say no. He frowned at her and finally asked, "Do you really want me to come?"
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"Please." Hayley offered him a small smile, having to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. She liked him so much it was almost painful and she felt like her heart was pounding in her head at the fear of rejection.
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"Sure," he repeated, trying again to smile at Hayley. He took a long drink and looked back at her. This would be awkward, but whatever. It would be worse not to go.
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