05 ▌action ; wonderland district

[creepinginmy]

[It's been almost three weeks since it happened. Since the little creature made a panicked announcement across everyone's seals with the discovery of the blood Jack and Cerbos left behind. Jack has been avoiding the Wonderland District from then on, too terrified of being seen and found suspicious for some reason or another. Little to no people

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( action )

[eventhegood]

[ Teagan has been exploring with mild bemusement the area since her arrival (and probably with less actual caution than she ought to have), particularly wandering the Wonderland District, as she was housed here and all. Although everything looks ... quaint and cosy, she can't help feeling a little trapped, like she's in a large glass dome. Back home, she always knew that she could run for miles and miles if she needed to. Here, she feels like there are considerable limits to how far she could go. Still, the oddities of this place quickly distract her from thinking about it too much

[creepinginmy]

[He turns quickly at the sound of the girl with a little jerk of his shoulders. Jack becomes an easy target when his mind wanders into a deafening silence at times. It's easy to rely on Cerbos to warn him when danger approaches and always an unpleasant surprise when he doesn't.

But there's a reason for the monster's own silence.]

[Well, would you look at that.]

What?

[eventhegood]

[ She starts a little at his sudden movement, a small, surprised smile crossing her face purely out of habit. Shrugging, she gestures absently, affecting a more relaxed stance. If he's really a monster, or something like that, he'll be able to tell what she is - she's counting on the reaction to that to help her decide whether to avoid him or not. ]

You were just standing there, staring, so I thought I might check that you were okay and all. [ A little pause. ] I'm sorry if I disturbed you, I didn't mean to.

[creepinginmy]

[Jack is still distracted when he hears Teagan speak again. The question was directed at Cerbos in a complete slip of his attention, quickly remedied by her answer.]

No. [He releases an exhale. 'What did you mean, Cerbos? Are you going to tell me?'] It's alright. I just let my mind wander for a moment.

[eventhegood]

[ A more good natured smile crosses her face, naturally, her thoughts drifting away from her uncertainty. Of course, the scent is still there, but he doesn't have that awful, predatory mannerism that most monsters have. Maybe he's not dangerous, just some strange anomaly. It's a little hypocritcal, though, she thinks to herself, worrying about someone else being dangerous. ]

Easy to do. I'm glad you're alright, though.

[creepinginmy]

[There are neither signs of hostility nor hospitality in Jack's expression throughout the conversation, but something seems to drop from his gaze when the monster speaks again. He can practically hear him grinning in the back of his mind.]

[We got ourselves a friendly little hybrid, Jack. Ask her name.]

[He doesn't do so right away, of course, as is usual. Some amount of shock brushes on his continued, silent stare, until he remembers to attempt to rid himself of it. There's always some reluctance and introspection whenever the monster shares some demands along with revelations that Jack would have never even suspected about without his help.

And help is always a strange word to associate with Cerbos.]

... Yes, well. [He takes his hands out of his pockets, crossing them, one palm sliding up and down his arm uncomfortably without finishing the sentence. Jack glances away to think of some way to ask for her name without making it too sudden, finally turning his attention back to the girl, still taking a moment to establish eye

[eventhegood]

[ He's a little strange, Teagan thinks, with his pauses and slightly distant looks. She says nothing, though, slowly relaxing further. Relaxing too quickly, but then that's a terrible habit of hers. Her mind always searches for positive, if not far-fetched, explanations for otherwise inexplicable situations. Though she has made a point of meeting as few monsters as possible throughout her travels, the few she has met have never acted like this man, or tried to win someone over through posing as innocent or a little ... absent minded. She can't really get a read on him, yet, but she's starting to wonder if she even cares about that anymore. ]

Yeah, I'd be surprised if you had. I only just arrived here recently.

[creepinginmy]

I see. [It's glaringly obvious that this man is not used to carrying out conversation, much less along the lines of smalltalk. He barely bothers to exchange words with Cerbos as is.

Despite all his quirks, the line of his mouth remains perfectly neutral. Maybe a bit forced. His tone, however, is very much genuinely dry.] Sorry to hear that.

[eventhegood]

[ She utters a small, light laugh, her expression turning somewhat sympathetic. ]

I take it you're not a local then, either. [ She already knows the answer to this, but it doesn't stop her from saying it. She steps forward, a little closer, stretching out a hand, harmless and friendly. ] I'm Teagan, by the way.

[creepinginmy]

[He looks down at that hand. Everything tells him not to take it, ever so abhorred by physical contact, but there's something pushing him to at least try to act with the slightest bit of normalcy around her, lest she suspect of something.]

No. I'm not. [His own hand finally lifts to take hers, barely and a bit pathetically, like he's forgotten how, quickly folding his arms again. Cerbos has her name now, at least.] Jack.

[eventhegood]

It's nice to meet you, Jack. [ Even though Jack's grip is loose, Teagan's is firm and companionable. Her own hand falls back down to her side, resting lightly and casually on her hip as she glances around them, briefly. She wonders, briefly, how she might be able to extract information about his world without being blindingly obvious or suspicious. As far as she can tell, he has no idea what she is... and that makes his scent seem even stranger. ] Have you been here for long?

[creepinginmy]

Long enough. [but that isn't a very helpful answer, is it.] A few months.

[eventhegood]

A few months? [ She's caught off guard, her mouth falling open a little. ] I thought days, maybe weeks...

[ The sentence trails off quietly. She didn't expect this place to hold people captive for very long. ]

[creepinginmy]

Afraid not. [The shadows under his yes seem to grow for a moment as he moves his head, scratching the back of his hand beneath his jacket's sleeve. He doesn't offer a lot of comfort or hope.] But you might get lucky.

[eventhegood]

[ She frowns a little, thoughtfully. ]

What do you mean by that? [ It's not accusatory or demanding, just curious. She still isn't familiar with how this world works. ]

[creepinginmy]

People disappear. [But that doesn't sound very comforting, does it...]

It's generally assumed that they go back home when that happens.