update: going to be making the blog more mobile friendly via turning character abouts into posts rather than desktop pages (when I get time). some details are bound to change when I do so, and some pages may be missing while going through the process
About:
mun is approximately 30
been roleplaying here for over a decade, and roleplaying in other places before that
generally nonselective
love love love ocs
due to how popular abandoning rp blogs is, I may not follow back until we have an active thread And I feel like it will keep going
my main is a personal, so your blog says that you block personals then I might not follow back at all to avoid being accidentally blocked
all my muses here are adults
heads up that this blog may have heavy topics on it at times
if I’m aware that you need or prefer to avoid certain topics, I will avoid them while interacting with you. additionally, I do try to trigger tag things when applicable
please send me an im if you want to talk ooc. the inbox is reserved for the muses and ask memes
Rules / Guidelines:
please do not interact or follow if you’re a minor
no explicit smut here. we can do fade to black if the thread goes to that
no controlling or killing my characters without permission
I have terrible vision. Because of that:
- I don’t use images or gifs in my replies
- I may not interact with you if I cannot read your blog/pages (font size And contrast are important. cannot count the amount of times I’ve run into a blog where the text on their pages is practically the same color as the background)
- I generally don’t use the small text, but if you are then I will follow suit
Regarding Faceclaims:
I generally don’t use faceclaims (not something that really appeals to me)
when I do list faceclaims, it’s in the sense of ‘this is an actor who I think would do a good job portraying my character’ & are more theoretical than anything else
I don’t keep up with celebrity lives or news (kinda live under a rock I guess), so if someone’s done something horrible or whatever, odds are I don’t know about it
if you think someone should be removed from the faceclaim list for a reason, please lmk instead of assuming i know everything in the world
on the flip side, if you have a recommendation for a faceclaim you think would fit one of my characters please feel free to send that in too
Muses: (will be adding more characters as I’m feeling it. will add links to full about pages once I make those)
Jack Burnier
23 | gay man | thief | tutors french to college students
Vincent Burnier
28 | straight man | criminal of some sort (varies between threads) | may or may not be dead depending on the thread | Jack’s older brother
faceclaim: Craig Olejnik (as he appeared as Toby Logan in The Listener)
Daniel Griffin
27 | bi man | works at a bar, possibly owns it
Simon Kozlowski
60s-80s | man. could be straight or bi, idk | “retired” trauma surgeon
Devin Coffey
28 | bi man | detective
faceclaims: Yannick Bisson (as he portrayed William Murdoch in Murdoch Mysteries) & Ben Bass (as he portrayed Sam Swarek in Rookie Blue)
Charlie Leroux
32 | straight man | head detective | divorced
faceclaim: Adam Macdonald (as he appeared as Steve Peck in Rookie Blue)
"Honestly, both." It was a delicate balancing act to describe how this worked. She was flicking the spinner again just to keep her hands busy as she watched Jack. His 'no' seemed to be softening. "I think she's okay. If she is, he'll let things go." She thought so, anyway. "If he doesn't, he'd be ruining her life, too. If she's not okay, then it's kinda important for something to happen at that point."
As little as she wanted to risk Devin in that endeavor, she wouldn't feel right begging him to back off if a kid was in actual danger.
"Like I said, I think she's okay, so nobody has to do anything. I just can't prove it on my own."
Mari glared at Mitch, wishing she could cause one hell of a scene right then. Sure, she left the car, whatever. What she didn’t do was anything to tip off the guards. More importantly, how was that other gang or the doors being locked on the inside her fault? Was she supposed to wave a wand and make things ideal? She dug her nails into her palms to keep her hands by her side as she spoke. “I am more than willing to wait in the car while you march your happy self in there without me, jackass.”
Mitch crossed his arms. Honestly, that would be less stress on him, but that didn’t get them any gems. “Depends on what kind of locks are on those doors.”
Mari raised her chin. “Mortise.”
And Mitch hissed out a curse. He had no idea what those were off the top of his head. He could rake his way through a pin-and-tumbler lock if he got enough time, but he didn’t know if that would work at all with mortise locks. “Fine, but fucking listen from here on out. Got it?”
Mari stared Mitch down for a few more seconds before looking down and muttering, “Got it.”
Mitch turned his focus to Jack at that point. “Did you see anything else while she was back there?”
(regular reminder that this entire thing would have taken place in french / not in english.
cw: head injury)
“I was thinking about bringing Aaron into my jobs.”
Jack looked up in surprise.
It had been a quiet day so far. He’d been sitting in an armchair at home, not doing much aside from looking out the window. Julien’s voice had brought him out of his fog.
Vincent was sitting on the couch with a book in his lap. He looked over to Julien, who was standing at the opposite end of the couch. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Julien gave an exasperated shrug. “It’s the best idea I have right now. What else would you suggest?”
Jack sat up. “Wait. What are you- Why…?”
Vincent and Julien both turned to look at him with blank expressions.
“Jack…” Julien began.
“He landed you in the hospital.” Vincent stated.
“What?” Jack froze for a moment as he tried to process what Vincent meant. “Wh? Why would Julien…?”
“He’s not working with us anymore.” Vincent continued.
“Because the accident?”
Julien grimaced. “If you can call it that…”
Julien’s words went over Jack’s head, and for a moment he was simply happy that, in a situation where Vincent had decided to cut one of them out, that Vincent had chosen him over one of his friends. Then a pang of concern hit him. He looked to Vincent, “You sure you wanna do this?”
Vincent frowned. “What, stop working with him? Jack. He split your skull open.”
“That’s… a bit much,” Jack said. Sure he had a concussion, but ‘splitting his skull open’ was a bit of an over-exaggeration in his eyes. “Besides. It was my fault too…”
Julien crossed his arms and his head gave a slight shake ‘no’. “What do you think even happened?”
Jack shrugged. “Vincent told us s-stop goofing off. But. We didn’t listen. Then I fell.”
As Jack was recounting that, Vincent was grabbing a scrap piece of paper to use as a bookmark, and closed his book. He didn’t respond.
Julien continued. “He literally lured you-” he paused as Vincent got up, and watched as he walked past and left the room. Julien returned his attention to Jack. “He lured you up there because he thought it’d be funny to slam the window on you.”
“He probly didn’t think I’d fall.”
He couldn't remember too much of the incident himself, but he could remember enough. The lot of them – Vincent, Julien, Aaron, and himself – were at the warehouses by the docks for some reason. Vincent had told them not to play around, but he was distracted talking to Julien about something, so when Aaron had pointed out a window on the third floor of a building and bet him he couldn't climb up to it in under 30 seconds, Jack figured he had enough time to do that real quick.
Aaron went up to that window from the inside, and was going to use his phone as a stopwatch so they'd know how many seconds it took for Jack to climb up there. He didn't remember climbing up there or even the fall itself. Maybe he remembered the surprise of the window slamming closed on his hands, and the sound, and wood snapping and splintering apart. Then Julien's voice trying to talk to him and Vincent yelling in the background. Everything dark and spinning and hard to breathe. But it wasn't like Aaron had planned that – for him to get hurt. They were just both being stupid and playing around when they knew that they shouldn't.
Vincent leaned against the wall in the hallway, just out of sight, and listened to Julien and Jack argue for another minute more. Julien was right, but Jack wasn’t going to accept that, and Vincent couldn’t help but think it was his fault. Not just any one part, but everything about the situation they were in now and the way they lived. It seemed like everything was always somebody’s fault, and today, and lately, it was his.
One hand held his book, the other reached up to pull at the chain under his shirt until he held a cross in his hand. One of the last things he had of his dad. Usually he tried not to think about it, but sometimes he couldn’t help but think of how either heaven and hell didn’t exist and he was never going to see them again, or it did exist and he was still never going to see them again. He wasn’t going to end up in the same place as them.
Everything he did, everything he’d done, everything he’d… he just wanted to keep everyone safe. Jack, Julien, and even Aaron even though he couldn’t stand to see the man right now. Everything he did, though, no matter his intentions and what he tried to protect them from, everything he did always seemed to lead them down bad roads. All they were ever doing was digging their holes deeper.
Everything was always somebody’s fault, and maybe Jack’s fall was largely Aaron’s fault, but everything that had lead them here to this day was his own fault, Vincent was sure. He was sure of this ever since delivering Jack to the hospital, watching as they cut the shirt off his unconscious body to make way for an IV, and then seeing the cuts on his arms before Julien pulled him away to the waiting room. Everything he had tried to protect them from. He had failed, he was failing, he was always failing.
Vincent took in a breath and went to his room.
The day of the incident had started off rather mundane. They had gone down to the docks to pick up some supplies. He'd warned them when they got there not to goof off. He knew how impulsively Aaron could act and how Jack rarely thought for himself so he was prone to go along with anything; it made the two of them annoying to look after sometimes.
Vincent had been trying to talk about why they were there and what they needed to get, only to realize that Aaron and Jack had charged ahead, as they were wont to do in familiar situations. He'd been left behind with Julien.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Those clowns," he muttered as he locked his car and started making his way to the buildings. Julien walked alongside him.
Julien grinned. "Those are your clowns from your circus."
Vincent shook his head. "I must be one of the clowns too for putting up with them."
Julien laughed at that, but his laugh was cut short by the sounds of some sort of crash right in the direction his two clowns had disappeared in.
He and Julien ran to where the sound had come from. Jack was on the ground, laying on some broken wood pellets, and blood. Aaron stood on the other side of a window a few floors up directly above Jack, his eyes wide. A second later he disappeared, making a run for it. Vincent went after him.
Vincent jumped at the touch of a hand on his shoulder. He was sitting at the desk in his room. He looked up to see Julien, who had already removed his hand and was showing his palms as if to say he hadn't meant to startle him. Vincent kicked himself internally for flinching, for how his heart was racing. Nobody needed to see him like this. Afraid.
Julien didn't comment on it, however. He leaned back against Vincent's desk, crossed his arms, and watched the door. He didn't say anything. He let Vincent recollect himself in peace.
As Vincent's heart began to calm, he looked up at Julien. He, Julien, and Aaron had gone through so much together. They were some of the first friends he'd made after his parents had died and they'd had to move to Canada, and, amid all the fighting with his grandmother and his conflicted feelings about Jack back then, they had become his family. For a while, until he was reunited with Jack, Aaron and Julien were the only family he had, and he'd dragged them into this. He'd dragged them all into this. The three of them now with Jack. They were all he had.
Julien took his attention away from the door to look at Vincent in turn, his brows furrowed inquisitively and with concern. Vincent wasn't sure when it had happened, but something about Julien had changed during their time here. He couldn't place it exactly, but Julien had become calmer maybe? Smarter? More mature?
Maybe they'd just grown up.
Whatever it was, Vincent was glad that he was here. Even though they didn't always get along, Julien had a grounding presence to him. He could see that Julien was trying to look out for them too. And, maybe, he would have done a better job at it. He didn't know what he'd do without him.
Vincent looked down at his hands. "Julien... if something were to happen, would you look after Jack for me?"
"Of course. Are you expecting something?"
He shook his head. "No..."
Julien stayed silent where he was to let Vincent finish explaining.
"Maybe none of this would have happened if I weren't-"
"You can't possibly think that Jack's fall was your fault."
Vincent looked up at him.
"Jesus Christ, Vincent-"
Vincent put up a hand to stop him. "Okay. But did you see his arms?"
"His arms? What about his arms?"
"He's been cutting himself."
"What?" Julien stood up for a second and swayed toward the door, as if he was about to run out to Jack on reflex, before he stopped himself. He looked down at Vincent.
"Are you going to tell me that I had no part in that as well?"
Julien exhaled through his teeth as he tried to temper his anger. "So what? You're finally starting to feel a little bad for the shit you've done to him? You know there's a simple solution to that, right? Just start treating him better."
"It's not that simple."
"It really is."
"Do you think I do this for the heck of it? I'm trying to keep you all alive." Vincent put a hand on the back of his chair to get up, but Julien shifted his weight to block him, keeping him in his chair. Towering over him. Vincent scowled. "Besides, it's not like you had nothing to do with it either. Don't act like you're better than me."
Julien lowered his voice. "Do you hear yourself, Vincent? Why are you bringing this up to me, acting like you feel bad, only to turn around and try to justify yourself after I tell you the solution." Vincent opened his mouth to answer, but Julien cut him off.
"No. It's because you don't want to do better, you just want someone to tell you you're right and there's no other way. But that's just not true and I'm not gonna stand here and lie to you about it to make you feel better about yourself. Either treat him better or don't, but don't just sit around acting like you feel bad when you don't plan on doing anything about it."
"What can I even do about it? You've seen him out there, he can't make his own decisions without potentially getting himself killed, and it's not like easing up on him will undo anything."
"It's not about undoing shit. It's about letting him be happy for once while he's still breathing. Everybody dies some day - you're not making us immortal. Just let us make our own decisions for fucking once."
"Even if it kills him?"
"Even if it kills him."
"Even if it kills you?"
"Even if it kills me."
Vincent held his glare up at Julien, but Julien's gaze didn't falter. Vincent turned back to his desk.
"I don't know how I feel about you looking after Jack."
"Of course you don't."
Vincent kept his eyes on his owns hands as he listened to Julien step away. He heard Julien's steps stop at the doorway, and expected him to say something else, but after a moment of quiet hesitation Julien's footsteps resumed again down the hallway. Gone.
Julien shoved his hands in his pockets and made a beeline for the front door while he still had the willpower to not strangle Vincent. He hesitated when he saw the back of the armchair Jack was sitting on, however, and made a detour over to him.
He approached the chair from behind. Jack was looking out the window again, apparently unaware of his presence. Julien reached out and put a hand on the bandages on Jack's head. Jack immediately ducked down, caught Julien by the wrist, and twisted to look up at him. Julien grinned.
"With these bandages, maybe you'll go bald before I do."
Jack scoffed in fake offense and pushed Julien's hand away. Julien, however, took the chance to rush his hand back down to ruffle the hair on his head that was still showing. Jack hissed and swatted at him with both hands until Julien retreated. Jack watched him carefully, actively, obviously, trying to hold back a smile of his own.
"I'm heading out," Julien told him. "Prends-soin, frérot."
Jack loosened up, but stayed silent. Julien made his way to the door.
"À la prochaine."
Jack echoed him quietly as he shut the door behind him.
Julien dug his hands back into his pockets as he walked away. Down to the city streets. Golden sunlight filtered through silver clouds. It felt almost deceptively beautiful. He wished he was in the mood to enjoy it, but as he walked his mind went back to Jack's injuries, and Vincent's words. The things he had participated in and enabled himself, the ways he'd also hurt Jack. He still hadn't made up for it, had he? Not that he could, but was it worth it? Staying here? Watching Jack in silence and never quite stepping up to the plate. Not to the degree he should.
It had been an overcast day. Internally, he had been wondering if they were going to be able to make it back before it'd start raining. Externally, he had been joking around with Vincent to help keep the tension down and pass the time.
And then the crash.
Jack was laying on the ground, not moving. Vincent ran off. Julien dove to his knees beside Jack, clearing away some of the broken, rotting, pieces of the wood pellets as he did so to not hurt himself.
He grabbed Jack by the shoulders. The kid had some shards of wood caught in the back of his shirt and splinters in his hair. He called Jack's name and shook him, but the kid didn't respond. Something about his breathing seemed weird, but Julien couldn't place what it was or if his mind was making it up. He wasn't a doctor. His heart was racing, threatening to leap out of his throat, the kid needed to wake up.
He took Jack's head in his hands, at which point he felt it, at which point he noticed it. The blood on the ground, the blood on his hand, in Jack's hair. His body almost gave out on him. This wasn't-
He tried to reassure himself. It could be a cut from the wood; Jack was seriously going to need a tetanus shot from this. He wasn't responding, though. He wasn't responding.
Julien looked up to find Vincent some distance away, holding Aaron by his shirt collar and his gun under Aaron's jaw. Cursing him out. Julien called out to him. They needed to go to a hospital. Now.
Vincent looked back at him for a moment, long enough for Aaron to squirm out of his grip and start running. Julien pulled his sweatshirt off and held it to Jack's head as Vincent raised his gun in the air and fired a warning shot for Aaron. They didn't have time for this.
Vincent returned. They carried Jack back to the car. Julien sat in the back, holding Jack's head in his lap. He twitched and stirred occasionally, as if trying to wake up, but couldn't quite make it. Julien held onto him and tried to assure himself it was going to be alright. He didn't notice if Vincent had said anything. The radio was meaningless noise.
It was all a rush. He didn't quite remember getting to the hospital. He remembered being inside, holding onto Vincent to keep himself standing, and pulling him into the waiting area with him so he could sit down before he might pass out. Vincent sat down next to him. And they were silent.
"None that are subtle. Or can know about it." The nature of the ask locked most of her options down. She scoffed, "Hell, a few would tell me it's not even my business and let it go."
Which it wasn't, but she hadn't accepted that as a reason before.
"I really don't have a lot of people to ask this time." She shrugged a shoulder, sinking down into the booth dramatically. "I figured I'd at least ask you before giving up."
Some of Jack's anxieties from earlier melted away at that. It wasn't that he was disposable or something like that, Mari had brought this to him because she didn't have anyone else to turn to. Even though he wasn't sure of how 'subtle' he was either, and he also agreed that this whole thing was none of her business and she should leave it alone. Not that he was about to say that to her now.
Jack crossed his arms, half hugging himself, and his gaze faltered in thought.
"So... is this about the kid? Or your dum-dum friend?"
That was a hopeful change. Mari cocked her head, watching Jack more closely. How far could she push it without him calling her on bugging him about it? "How would you fuck it up?" It wasn't easy, but she didn't think Jack was incompetent.
Mitch was easy to pick out from a distance, towering above the well-dressed crowd in casual clothing and tattoo sleeves. God, who decided that people needed to dress up at a preview? Wouldn’t they save that for the auction the next day, or were they that concerned with how they looked? She hadn’t grown up with as much money as these people would be throwing around, but she couldn’t say she missed the way people would talk around the neighborhood in Midland.
Somehow, the judgement she got now was easier to bear. Maybe she just grew up. She couldn’t be sure. The only thing that mattered now was that she was a target, and all three of them stood out. She made a beeline for Mitch. They had already been seen together, anyway. It wouldn’t matter.
Mitch waited until she was close before he spoke to her at all, sparing a glance for Jack just to keep track of him. “Well?”
Mari grimaced. “I can unlock it from the inside, but not the outside.”
“So, we have no way in back there, a pack of rivals to worry about, and guards that are locked on you already,” Mitch summed up, scowling. “Well done.”
Jack fell a step or two behind Mari as she went to Mitch, half watching what was going on with them, half preoccupied with looking out to the building and his own thoughts on the situation. He wished he knew more.
He was starting to get warm, especially since he had zipped up his jacket on their way back, but ignored it for now. He kept his hands in his pockets.
Jack grimaced at Mitch's words, feeling secondhand embarrassment for Mari even though Mitch was right.
Mari suppressed a curse as her stomach dropped. That was about what she figured. She nodded, nudging the spinner. "It's fine."
It wasn't fine, but she said she wouldn't push it. Not that she could make Jack do anything he didn't want to, but it would be convenient if he could be agreeable.
The corner of her mouth quirked up. "I'll figure something else out or something, maybe. Or just stop talking to the guy. Or hope, I guess. Somethin'." She shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it."
A weird feeling crawled over Jack at her reaction that he couldn't quite place or understand. He did understand one thing though: that it wasn't okay, even if Mari was trying to put on a brave face about it.
Mari didn't know what to do with that point. Or, well, she did, but she couldn't explain it to Jack. As little faith as she had in CPS to do anything right, police would be involved. More than that, Devin would be involved. It wouldn't be her trying to stick her nose where it didn't belong to fix the situation...mostly.
She had faith that Devin could put pressure on his colleagues to handle the situation somewhat competently. She couldn't get Delia or Mitch to help her with it, anyway. Not without wild lies and the real threat of them figuring things out.
"I wouldn't be the one trying to get her out," Mari answered. She couldn't smile as she met Jack's eyes. "You're just going to have to trust me when I say it will be handled as safely as it can be." It wasn't fair to ask that, but it was all she could do. She sighed, glancing at the fidget spinner. "Would now be the time to tell you that you can say no, and I won't push it?"
A cold air washed over him at the mention that he could say no, equally relieving and numbing. Could he actually? Jack was quiet for a moment, stunned, until his mouth twitched with what he wouldn't say.
Was it actually alright? He was glad Mari wouldn't get into it herself, but if anything happened to that kid she cared about or her friend, wouldn't that still hurt her? He didn't want her to hurt.
At the same time, why would he think that he's even capable of pulling it off himself? What good would saying 'yes' do if he failed and people Mari cared about got hurt anyways.
Jack's mouth settled into a frown. "...Would that be okay?"
"He's on the radar already. If he backs off, it can still go away." Mari scowled herself, now. "That was the only 'make it work' that got through to him."
She flicked the spinner harder than necessary as she went on. "He doesn't think like us. He thinks he'll be saving others if he does this." Now that she was venting, it was as unstoppable as an avalanche. She leaned forward slightly. "Like, he doesn't even have to know them or anything. He'll just do it. It's like he wants to die or some shit, and I just...." She scoffed, throwing up her free hand for a second. "It's stupid."
There was another important aspect to it Mari failed to mention that Jack wanted to point out, but his thoughts stopped for a moment at the words 'It's like he wants to die', and he grimaced by reflex.
The irony of her bringing and venting this to someone who actually did want to die, even though she didn't know, hit him like a train. Sure it was different these days in that Jack wanted to die by his own hand – a situation he himself would be in control of – rather than by someone else doing it to him, and also that he wasn't feeling it right this very second, but still.
He opted to let it go and looked away awkwardly as he failed to relax. "It is stupid," he agreed quietly.
After another moment, Jack's gaze returned to Mari. His brows were still furrowed, but the bitterness was gone. In his chest, it almost felt like he was apologizing to her, but that wasn't quite it.
"...but, um. It's not just about him," Jack continued. "If he's right, and the guy finds out someone's onto him..." His heart skipped for some reason; his arms felt cold. "You could put her in alot more danger. Trying to get her out."
Mari looked up as Jack sat up, himself. The whole thing was stupid, but there was nothing else for it. She raised an eyebrow. "If I thought lying would work, I would've done it, don't ya think?" She shifted in her seat. She didn't want to lie to Devin much. Besides, his whole job involved sussing out liars.
"Because I care about his dumb ass," Mari scoffed. There wasn't anything else to it. "It'd be easier if I didn't, but...." She shrugged, sighing as she looked down to watch the spinner. "I can't make him take my word for it, but he seemed like he might." It wasn't fair to ask Jack to get involved with this, but it wouldn't be fair if Devin died pursuing it, either. "It's worth a try, is what I figured."
Jack watched his cup as Mari talked. Narrowed his eyes at it as he thought. The 'caring about his dumb ass' was a problem, and, unfortunately, Jack could relate.
"I used to have a friend like that," Jack muttered as he tapped a finger against his cup. The ice shifted. Jack pulled himself back up into a proper sitting position, and leaned back into his seat. He looked at Mari.
"Honestly, this whole thing's stupid. You should lie to him."
The 'why' of it was where the details needed to stay vague. Mari picked up the spinner again to flick it while she talked. "He made a reasonable argument," Mari started slowly. "I think the kid's fine, but...I just want to be sure. And, if I'm right, he won't do something stupid about it." That was the hope, anyway. She focused on Jack. "He's...kind of stubborn. I have to prove she's okay before he'll take my word, and I can't do it myself."
Jack scoffed as he pulled his water cup closer to him.
"How're you supposed to prove it? If he won't take your word..." He leaned onto the table again, practically hugging the cup, practically hiding behind it. "If he wants to be stupid, why not let him."
Jack knew the answer to that, and it bit at him, but he kept it down. Just because it didn't feel right didn't mean that it wasn't.
Jack looked about as pleased to be asked this as she was to talk to Devin about it in the first place. She sat back fully as the server came returned. She needed a few seconds to figure out how to convince Jack to help. "Thanks." She flashed a smile, picking up the menu and spouting off the first thing she saw. She barely paid attention to what she was asking for.
She would find out what she picked, later. It was a sandwich of some kind, judging from the picture on the menu.
Jack ordered the same as Mari, whatever it was. He didn't care enough to actually pick something at the moment. He handed the server his menu, and after they collected both of their menus the server left.
A dozen questions swarmed in Jack's head. Why was she looking into this? Why did she care? Why did that one person's suggestion matter so much to her if she'd never suspected it herself? Why was she always sticking her nose into other peoples' business? Why was she asking him of all people? Why not the person who'd suggested it to begin with? Was he expendable? Why was he–? Why did it even matter? What did she think she was going to do if something was wrong? Would she ask him to deal with it? Was that what he was here for?
Jack shook his head in an attempt to stop the spiral, and then returned his attention to Mari.
Mari followed Jack to the back of the bus, glancing at the few faces that were on it. She couldn’t make out anybody she knew in the dark, though. Sitting by Jack, she sighed and smiled again, leaning back in the seat. “Thank god, I live in a city. Dunno how much of a pain life would be without busses.”
Mari nodded, shrugging a shoulder. "Someone...might have suggested that she's not safe. That he's mistreating her, specifically." She shrugged again. "She always seems fine when I see her, but...I can't can't check on her often. They live a ways away, and Cor - Boss Man won't let me spend time watching." She winced, sitting back. "He wants me here where I can make him money. But...you...." She trailed off, watching Jack for any reaction.
It wasn't hard to piece together what Mari probably meant to ask there, but Jack held his tongue on a response. He was growing irritated with how they were speaking about it here, maybe about something else too. His immediate thought had not been a nice one; he kept it to himself.
Luckily, the server returned with their drinks. Jack sat up as the server placed their drinks on the table in front of them along with a couple of straws.
"Here are your drinks," they said as they did so.
"Thanks," Jack exhaled as he received his.
"Are you two ready to order or would you like a few more minutes?"
Mari gave a wry smile. "They probably aren't the worst ones to hear it." She hadn't seen anybody around that would take word back to undesirable ears, but she didn't know everybody. "The rest sounds pretty normal, though." She cocked her head a bit. "That daughter - I want to know she's safe, yeah?"
So Mari did feel safe enough to talk about it here. Jack's serious frown relaxed into something more tired. If that wasn't an issue, then it left uncovered a deeper reason that Jack didn't want to talk about it here.
Jack's gaze slid away, into the room, as Mari spoke. Jack came to this place fairly often, but none of them knew what he really was aside from a French tutor. This was one of the few places he could pretend to be a normal person; he didn't want them to know.
He didn't want to be like Vincent, though, caring more about his image and reputation than other people. He could suck it up.
His gaze slid back to Mari as she finished talking.
"Safe?" he echoed.
