He shrinks a bit under her gaze like a child that had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Though he supposes his only crime in this case was existing in a public space while dead. It wasn’t the most heinous crime, but he all at once felt weirdly guilty…and heavy. Of course, he would be feeling heavy right now.
Still, her smile makes him feel somewhat better, but it doesn’t remove the strange sensation entirely. She can see ghosts…lucky for him he supposed, but it did have him wondering if there was anything else she could do. Zoe seemed perfectly nice, but Jacob knew from first hand experience that not everyone who “seemed nice” had good intentions for you. He really didn’t want to get exorcized or something wholly unappealing like that.
“Well, you can tell him I have no plans on claiming this place for myself if it makes him feel any better,” Jacob replies, glancing in the direction she indicated before focusing his attention on his drink. He had thought he sensed something else weird in the bar, but he hadn’t wanted to investigate, his track record with other spirits having not be the best. “I’m not really one for a sustained haunting. More of a wandering spirit…that’s more…more my style I suppose.”
Wrapping his fingers around the glass, he enjoyed the solid sensation against his skin. For maybe a moment he felt normal again. This was just a bar, an unusual bar but a bar, and he was just a patron enjoying the professionally friendly company of a bartender…that could only see him because she could see ghosts.
Yes, this was perfectly normal. This was fine.
He allows himself a small smile as he looks back up at her, his nerves still present but fading to background noise. Risk or not, it just felt nice to be able to talk to someone, to not be isolated or feared. “Thanks, I’m trying to be more uh…pleasant in death. Self-improvement and all that fun stuff…” He picks up his drink, looking over his shoulder in case anyone was staring at a suddenly floating glass. “I’m glad I can be a good experience for someone at least.”
Zoe notices the touch of discomfort as she admits she sees ghosts, and she offers him another small smile. “Also, you’re totally safe here. If I haven’t done anything to the guy breaking shit, I’m definitely not gonna do anything to you. Even if he’ll hopefully,” she shoots a glare in the direction of the poltergeist, before continuing, “behave himself now that you admit you aren’t here to take his space.” She picks up a glass, cleaning it, and keeps an eye on the rest of the bar. Luckily, it’s quiet enough tonight that she can talk to him, and not too many people think she’s crazy.
“Also, death does has a way of changing you, doesn’t it?” Her voice is empathetic, and she leans against the bar a bit, giving him her full attention for the time being. “It happened to me too, but my status was a little less permanent, in case you couldn’t tell. I guess you could call it a business trip and not a residency?” An eyebrow quirks as she thinks what else she could call it, but then merely shrugs. “Best thing that happened to me, honestly.”
As another patron walks up to the bar, she starts to make a drink for them as well, temporarily interrupted in her exchange with Jacob before returning. “Honestly, things would be so much easier if I met more chill ghosts like you. Truthfully.”
She puts the glass she just cleaned away, and meets his eyes again. “So– classic question. Where are you from? I mean, obviously you’re from over the pond with that accent, but what part? Both sets of my grandparents and mother are both from England, which is why I’m curious.” Sure, she meets a lot of people from England in this big city, but still, it’s mostly just another way to get to know him, and to make him feel at ease, even if she’s pretty decent at telling the difference between English accents by now.