[zombieboyjack]

*Has totally been here the whole time* - OPEN

Of course the highly tattooed man was still around, no one saw him. But then, how could they? He was working in the local mall at a certain Santa’s grotto, of course! But alas, Christmas was over, and the tattooed man was sitting just outside the theatre, his nose in a worn edition of A Christmas Carol. 

'It was a shame Christmas didn't last as long,' he mused as he hummed a Christmas song, popular in his home country.

[genuinesourpatch]

Just don’t get into trouble, her father’s words echoed through her head as she huffed. She dug her hands further into her coat’s pockets and kicked at the snow stuck on the sidewalk. What was there to do then? She didn’t have any friends or friendly acquaintances from school- a certain blonde and her cohorts made sure of that. All there really was left was to roam around the town and look for small things to keep her busy. 

Maybe a movie then would be a good bet, the girl smiled as she came up to the theatre. Her plan went out the window when she saw a man with incredibly elaborate tattoos. And she was off. She sped walked up to the man. “Hi!” She grinned slightly and blinked. “Are those real?”

[zombieboyjack]

Jack was normally good at these things. But he was so engrossed in his book that he started when he heard the voice. He looked over his shoulder to see a pepppy teenager. Who then asked about his tattoos. Which of course, made the man grin widely.

"Why, yes they are! I've been working on it for a good four years now and I must say that I look the part, don't I? I totally blend in with everyone else, eh?" Of course, he was joking, as evident by his cheery tone and the smile.

[restlessragdoll]

Good Evening Mr.Bones

[restlessragdoll]

Sally smiled, she was fond of the over enthusiastic way Jack always seemed to move. It was very theatrical and well, peopled liked him. Despite his tattoos. It was reassurance to Sally that if he could choose to have tattoos like that, still make friends and still be happy, she could with her scars and everything. It was also quite fascinating she thought. She liked the tattoos… then again, even as a child before the accident she’d had a strange sense of humor. Never wanting to be a ballerina when she was little. She’d wanted to be a vampire, or a zombie, and her favorite costume was a raggedy ann one she’d had when she was 3, which she’d altered later to suit a darker sense of style this year. Sort of her own ragdoll look. “Yes, it is, considering I’m usually alone, it was nice.” She nodded.

"Oh-!" She laughed quietly. "I do like the DVD covers, I don’t mind carrying them. I just hope they weren’t too much trouble for you…" 

[zombieboyjack]

Jack grinned down at Sally when she mentioned about being home with her brother. He wasn't quite sure what their relationship was like, but she always spoke positively about her brother, so Jack guessed it was good. But... Was she normally alone? Jack wondered what the brother did for a living that had him away from the house so much, and decided not to pry at the moment.

"Oh ho, not at all!" he beamed. "I can carry them for you.  Beauty of rucksacks. They hold things~ Now... Where to?"

[zombieboyjack]

A New Year Reflection - Prompt #2

Time: January 8, 2014. 9.35pm

Location: Backstage, Storybrooke's Theatre

I wanna make magic I wanna breath fire on the stage I wanna make every single line Jump right off the page

I wanna make magic!

Another performance of the panto was over, and the audience were leaving. The tattooed figure watched them leave, but they couldn't see him. Simply because he had been helping backstage and had went up to the rafters when he wasn't needed anymore. From where he sat, he could see everything. A bird's eye view, really. And how he loved it. Perhaps it was the thrill of the height added with the view, but it reminded Jack of what he was supposed to do. What he wanted to do.

He wanted to make magic.

That sort of magic that the actor has, bringing the audience with them to another time, another place... And to do so with little effort? Oh how he wanted that. He knew he had the potential, he had shown it before. But it was just.... Proving it. Once and for all.

...

"Mommy? Can we come back tomorrow?"

"We'll see, dear."

Two voices caught his ear, and Jack lay horizontally against the rafter to see who was talking. It looked like a family still lingered. They looked happy... And that made Jack think of his family back home. He had only spoken to them briefly over a Skype call, which had him covering his tattoos and had them 5 hours ahead. It had been a long time since he had been at home, but it was too expensive to hop on a plane, especially with his limited funds.

Perhaps it was a mistake pinning his life to a dream. He rolled slightly, so that his legs were still hanging over the rafter, but his back was on the ground, as though he simply lay down from where he had been sitting.  It was a thought that had crossed his mind a lot. But... What could he do? He was here, wasn't he? If he hadn't left, he might still be at home, working day-to-day in a shop somewhere.

But... That was what he was doing right now...? Jack chuckled to himself. Seems he hadn't eluded fate after all. Little can be done about that, apparently. Same situation, different location.

"Uhm... Jack?" A voice called up, snapping the man from his thoughts. He clambered back onto the rafter and crawled over to the ladder, where he saw a familiar red-head. "You're needed down here... Crew meeting?" And then young Sally hurried off. Jack started down the ladder, a little smile on his face. But back home, he hadn't been welcomed as warmly as he had been here, and that was before he got the tattoos. He had actually managed to make a few friends, and he had been putting them second to his dreams....

Maybe he should consider swapping the top two priorities, if only for a little while. Maybe that should be his New's Year resolution?

[restlessragdoll]

Good Evening Mr.Bones

"H-hey Jack." Sally walked over to where she saw the tattooed man standing. "Sorry I didn’t get to you last night… I went home early my brother hasn’t been around much and he had last night off so I thought it would be nice to spend time with him." She smiled a bit. "I’d love to pickup the movies whenever you get a chance to bring them… the house is kind of… quiet so it’s nice to have something to watch." She ran her hand through her hair and looked up at him.

[zombieboyjack]

Jack had been admiring a partially completed backdrop when he heard a familiar voice. "A-ah, Sally!" Jack smiled warmly. "You don't need to worry. I figured something had come up when you had vanished during the evening. But I am glad you did that. It's always nice to spend time with family when you get the chance, right?" His shoulders moved as he lightly chuckled. When she mentioned the movies, his face lit up. "I thought you would say that, so I thought ahead and brought them with me! Hang on!" He twirled on his heel to bend down and pick up his rucksack, where there was a plastic bag carrying a fairly big set of boxes.

"I was going to put them in an easier-to-carry-CD-book, but then I thought you'd want to see the covers and so I put them in here." Breath, Jack. It is good to breathe so you don't choke on your words.

[zombieboyjack]

*Has totally been here the whole time* - OPEN

Of course the highly tattooed man was still around, no one saw him. But then, how could they? He was working in the local mall at a certain Santa's grotto, of course! But alas, Christmas was over, and the tattooed man was sitting just outside the theatre, his nose in a worn edition of A Christmas Carol. 

'It was a shame Christmas didn't last as long,' he mused as he hummed a Christmas song, popular in his home country.

[zombieboyjack]

formeralleycat:

Oliver wandered about the town aimlessly. There was no rhyme or reason to where he went, he simply just enjoyed being out. “What to do with all this free time I have? Wonder what everyone is up to.” 

Jack had his nose in a book. Well, it was actually a script, but it was a book form. Anyway, he was sitting on a bench reading said book when he heard a voice. He tilted his head back far enough to see a teenager musing to himself about having nothing to do. "You could swing by the theatre? They always need a helping hand. Plus there's usually something going on onstage that you could sneak a peek at for free." the tattooed man suggested.

[zombieboyjack]

Happy Hallowe'en!! - OPEN

"It is Hallowe’en and I have to spend most of my day in work. I should be bothered about that.. And can you believe I overheard someone saying it was because the manager didn’t want to hang a skeleton about the place." The living skeleton was sitting alone in the child minding section where he was usually found, talking to a skull that he kept on him. It was still early in the day, so the shop was mostly empty.

Keyword being ‘mostly’. Jack was unaware someone had walked up along that section and could hear him talking to no one in particular.

[ghostboyzane]

Zane suppressed a giggle when he heard Jack talking to himself, sneaking up behind him. He crept up until he was a few inches away, the shoved his back (though not forcefully enough to knock him over), shouting “BOO!” as he did. He grinned at his friend, waiting for him to turn around. It was Halloween, so he wouldn’t be too pissed off, but just as a precaution he stood there with T-rex arms, because it was wrong to kill extinct animals.

"Hey, Jack." he grinned, running a hand through his hair, "They told me to come to the toy section to find crayons, apparently they aren’t in art anymore." He made an exaggerated grimace, "Can you help me find one of the really big 64-crayon packs?"

[zombieboyjack]

Jack heard the "BOO!" and jumped. "You interrupted Sebastian." He huffed, knowing the other knew about the skull. At first he frowned, realising Zane had played the "I'm-extinct" card. But then he gave the other a light shove And quickly ruffled the other's hair.

Hearing the dilemma, his grin quickly dropped. "It depends on the kind of crayons you're looking for. The pastels are there, but -" he stopped when Zane asked the question. "Yeah, they're here now. Staff were getting annoyed at the children messing up the 'actual' art supplies. I tried telling them otherwise, but.." A brief pause with a shrug. "I don't know. Anyway, c'mon, they're over here." Scooping up Sebastian, Jack led Zane out of the child-minding area and toward the next aisle where the 'children's art stuff' was located.

[thisismy-lullaby]

"How is it, it’s barely been a week since Halloween, and already the Christmas decorations are out?"

[zombieboyjack]

"It is the sad truth about Hallowe'en, I'm afraid. They've been up since November 2nd here."

[zombieboyjack]

Happy Hallowe'en!! - OPEN

"It is Hallowe’en and I have to spend most of my day in work. I should be bothered about that.. And can you believe I overheard someone saying it was because the manager didn’t want to hang a skeleton about the place." The living skeleton was sitting alone in the child minding section where he was usually found, talking to a skull that he kept on him. It was still early in the day, so the shop was mostly empty.

Keyword being ‘mostly’. Jack was unaware someone had walked up along that section and could hear him talking to no one in particular.

[restlessragdoll]

Sally was out shopping for her own, she’d stopped trick or treating a few years ago, and her brother was working for the evening, allowing a few of the other doctors with children to have the night off. But Sally wanted candy, and she wanted to bake cookies or something to fill her evening. That, and she did need new fabric for some dresses and she’d ordered some to have it delivered to the store,as it was walking distance from her house, and cheaper going through them rather than on her own.

She was dressed up for the evening, having traced some scars, and added some markings of her own with costume make up on her arms and legs and in a patchwork dress she’d made. She carred her basket in front of her, she’d admittedly taken advantage of some of the sales and gotten herself some candy. She heard a voice talking and looked over giggling softly spotting Jack. “I bet you’re making quite a few children quite happy this holiday.” She offered quietly, shifting the basket almost in a manner to hide behind it without truly doing so.

[zombieboyjack]

Jack glanced over his shoulder to see the familiar red-head. He grinned widely and scooped up Sebastian under one arm, so he could stand up and walk over to her.

"My... Your costume looks amazing. D-did you make that? I've never seen such a pattern before!" Jack admitted, before shaking his head. "I mean, hello Sally! I would like to agree with you but as you can see: there are no children here. On top of that, I think I'm here most of the day. Which is a bit of a shame, as it was one of the few days I've asked off. Buuut, I suppose it will be quiet today, so there may be a chance to goof off. So how are you today? Getting ready for the festives?"

[zombieboyjack]

Happy Hallowe'en!! - Jack & Garret

"It is Hallowe’en and I have to spend most of my day in work. I should be bothered about that.. And can you believe I overheard someone saying it was because the manager didn’t want to hang a skeleton about the place." The living skeleton was sitting alone in the child minding section where he was usually found, talking to a skull that he kept on him. It was still early in the day, so the shop was mostly empty.

Keyword being ‘mostly’. Jack was unaware someone had walked up along that section and could hear him talking to no one in particular.

[noonelikegarret-blog]

Garret had been out early that morning down the store to stock up on eggs. He had been thoroughly confused when he found Jack talking to himself. Now, it wasn’t as if Garret didn’t sometimes mumble comments to himself, but Jack sounded as if he was having a discussion with an invisible person. Garret stood there for a moment, arms crossed as he regarded the odd man curiously.

"Honestly, Jack, you wonder why old ladies hit you. They probably think you’ve escaped from the loony bin." Walking around, he got a better view of what Jack held in his hand. He stared at it deadpan, "Is that a skull?" A stupid question really. It obviously was. He really shouldn’t have been that surprised when it came to the odd man. But carrying one around. "Have I.. interrupted something?"

[zombieboyjack]

Jack jumped at the voice. "Ah! G-Garret! I, uh..." Garret walked over, spotting Sebastian, and the shop attendant's head slowly sunk into his hands. Of all people to find him.. "That's Sebastian. He's my prop skull. It's completely fake." Jack decided to lift his head back up a little to look at the other. "It sounds crazy, and I'm sure you won't believe me, but I use that to work on my stage work, or my monologues. I-I have also gotten into the habit of sharing my thoughts." Jack decided it was best not to mention about the fact Sebastian was also a ghost.

[zombieboyjack]

Happy Hallowe'en!! - OPEN

"It is Hallowe'en and I have to spend most of my day in work. I should be bothered about that.. And can you believe I overheard someone saying it was because the manager didn't want to hang a skeleton about the place." The living skeleton was sitting alone in the child minding section where he was usually found, talking to a skull that he kept on him. It was still early in the day, so the shop was mostly empty.

Keyword being 'mostly'. Jack was unaware someone had walked up along that section and could hear him talking to no one in particular.

[haveacupofteaxindeed]

Welcome!

[zombieboyjack]

"Turnovers, you say?" Jack repeated, with curiousity on his face. "What are they, exactly? I don’t think I’ve had one before. O-oh, and if I could have a latte as well, that would be perfect."

[haveacupofteaxindeed]

"Well this ones on the house then!" She smiled widely. "Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Apple or…" She paused and lifted the sign to look at it. "Cherry. There’s Chocolate coming as well if that’s what you’d prefer." She laughed a bit.

"What kind of Latte? Black Tea, Green Tea, White, Oolong?" She said as she hopped off the stool at the front counter and moved towards the teas, awaiting his answer however.

[zombieboyjack]

So many choices! Jack froze for a second as he considered his options. "I think I'll try apple." He asid after a moment of deliberation. Her next answer made him freeze again, but for a different reason. This wasn't the coffee shop...? Oh dear... But the girl did not seem to notice his slip up, so he decided to improvise and play along.

"Hm... Th-that's quite the selection you have... I think I'll have some black tea. Strong, please."  He watched her examine the teas from where he was standing

[haveacupofteaxindeed]

Welcome!

"Welcome to Wander In Cafe, Can I get you anything? We’ve got turnovers on sale today. They’re fresh out of the oven too. Mum’s making more too. All flavors…"

[zombieboyjack]

"Turnovers, you say?" Jack repeated, with curiousity on his face. "What are they, exactly? I don't think I've had one before. O-oh, and if I could have a latte as well, that would be perfect."

[zombieboyjack]

Secret Agent Man - OPEN

[noonelikegarret-blog]

"Right, nothing.. strange or bizarre.." Garret repeated sceptically. Tattoos or not, they were certainly bizarre no matter how you looked at them. "But, who am I to judge? I’m marrying a bizarre woman. Though she doesn’t have any tattoos." Pausing for a moment, he quirked an eyebrow in thought, "that I know off.." Garret listened, nodding with a thoughtful look. Truth be told, he had no idea what Jack was rambling on about. Beyond appearances? What on Earth was there to look at past that? Garret was stunning, so why would he care for people to look past his appearances? Was the man just pain ugly under those tattoos? Must be, poor fellow.

Still, he kept nodding, smiling as if he weren’t considering the man’s mental health at the same time. “Really?” he questioned, suddenly amused. The thought of Jack being beaten over the head by a granny was amusing. “Well aren’t you the charmer with the older crowd?”

[zombieboyjack]

"You're marrying a bizarre woman?" Jack repeated, raising his eyebrow. "Surely you would learn to look past that, right? Or.. What makes her so in your view?" Garret was an odd man in Jack's eyes, which made him curious of his stance toward his 'fiancée'. Nonetheless, he didn't want to appear gossipy, so he refrained from asking more about the topic.

With a weak smile, Jack nodded. "Well... People aren't used to strange. Why do you think Hallowe'en is considered taboo to some people? Tattoos aren't a good thing in many people's books, but I don't mind anymore. It was my choice, not theirs."

[aforgottenheiress]

Things I Almost Remember || Open

[zombieboyjack]

Jack had a free day. He had been working a night shift in the shopping centre the previous night, and wasn’t needed for a rehearsal until the evening. After crashing for a few hours, he scooped up the script and decided to go on a walk.

This part of town was quieter than other areas, and Jack enjoyed the peace, which was highlighted by the chirping of birds and the odd crunching of leaves. Once he had recalled the scene in question, he slipped the book back into his jacket pocket and continued his walk.

He turned the corner to see a young woman standing in front of a large, abandoned building, with a confused expression. He walked over slowly, making enough noise to be heard, until he was close-by.

"It is quite a building, isn’t it? Looks pretty fancy too." Jack mused aloud, glancing at the girl.

[aforgottenheiress]

Abril was so consumed with fighting the blank wall in her mind that Jack’s approach did not register until he spoke. She whirled about, accidentally flapping him in the face with her scarf.  "Don’t scare me like that!” she exclaimed, socking the man in the arm.

She’d never liked being scared. When she was little, the older children in Madame LaRose’s house would hide around corners to surprise her, or scare her into running out of hide-and-go-seek early by speaking in creepy voices, saying that they were monsters that had come to eat her. She would run from her hiding place, yelling, and they would laugh at her fear and say that she’d lost the game. Then she’d hit them or bite them, and they would tell on her, and she would land herself with a highly unpleasant job.

So… yeah. She didn’t like being scared.

"I don’t know who you are, but you should maybe announce yourself next time! SHEESH.”

[zombieboyjack]

At the girl's outburst, Jack blinked in utter surprise, before being hit in the face by the edge of a scarf... And then punched in the arm. He wanted to point out that he had practically stomped the path over to her, but decided against it. He knew what it was like to be startled when deep in thought, but he had read the situation wrong. He thought she had been passing by an stopped to admire the building. But judging by her repetition of scolding, that was not the case.

"I-I...I-" he tried cutting in, but she appeared to be upset, or annoyed. A look of guilt spread across his face as he raised one hand in self-defense (the injured arm was a little sore right now). "I am sorry, I really am. I-I didn't do it on purpose, I assure you. It was a-an accident..."

[zombieboyjack]

Secret Agent Man - OPEN

[noonelikegarret-blog]

Garret relaxed for a moment as the man explained, though he tensed once again as he admitted to ‘teasing’. No one teased Garret. Not on his watch. Garret’s lips tightened, an obvious ‘I’m not impressed’ pout that usually had the men at the tavern begging for forgiveness. It didn’t seem to work on this man, however.

Glancing down at Jack’s hand, he considered rejecting, but decided against it. He didn’t seem that bad. “Garret Hunter. Always the hunter, never the hunted,” he took the man’s hand in a strong shake. It wasn’t until after he had the man’s hand in his own did he notice the ‘tattoo’ extended even to his hand. “Just to be.. clear. They are tattoos, right?” He slowly let go of Jack’s hand drawing his back to himself and eyeing Jack’s cautiously. “Any reason you decided to be a skeleton?”

[zombieboyjack]

Jack did make an 'uh oh' expression when he saw the other's reaction to being teased. However, he wasn't going to beg for forgiveness (especially after he did apologise already), so he paid little heed to it.

He nodded at Garret's introduction, liking the use of his surname to make it memorable. The handshake was brief, yet firm, and Jack smiled at the questions. "They are tattoos. Nothing strange or bizzare about them, only that it's taken me a few years to get it this far. And why a skeleton...? I suppose... I just felt drawn to it. The whole idea of looking beyond appearences to find out what someone is really like appealed to me, you could say. But you would not believe how many times I have been hit by handbags of little old ladies!"

[zombieboyjack]

Secret Agent Man - OPEN

[noonelikegarret-blog]

Garret’s brows creased once more, staring at the man in bewilderment. “What? You didn’t take anything out of me. A what?” Garret glanced down, checking to make sure the man hadn’t taken anything of his. What was a ‘mickey’? He patted himself down, trying to see what he stole. “Well, whatever it is, give it back.”

[zombieboyjack]

Now it was Jack's turn to be briefly confused. He took something...? Oh right!

"No, no, sorry, sorry. I didn't take anything from you. It's a turn of phrase we used back home. Simply put, it means 'teasing'. Sorry, I do forget to not use them..." Jack rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"Right, let's start over, shall we? Jack Bones, at your service." He offered a hand for the other to shake.