Post by Jet Somers on Aug 28, 2009 22:05:18 GMT -5
The guilty smoke drifts unhurriedly toward the ventilation system over the kitchenette in the small hotel room, belying the urgency of it's smoker to have the toxin fully dousing her lungs. After the tragedy of stumbling out of the shower and upon Havyn watching, wide-eyed and almost sickly fascinated, a recap of Dragon kidnapping her mother, Sherry has put off this Camel enough, and she just hopes the confused child won't smell it over the incense burning on the stove. All she needs is a preaching, wide-eyed and innocent, about her health, when Jez's health really is on the line.
Sherry glances toward the partition window that separates the kitchenette and living area. Havyn is sleepily reclined, half-watching Jeopardy and clutching her Pokeball like a security blanket. As sleepy as she is, as worried as the poor tyke has been the last few days, she probably is too out of it to realize--
"Aunt Sherry? Why are you burning that stuff? It smells nasty! It smells like roses smoking a cigarette!" Havyn calls in a suddenly alert voice.
Sherry smiles and chuckles a bit, dousing the butt in the sink and putting out the incense.
"Sorry, babe!" she calls in reply.
"I'm not Babe! I'm Havyn! H-A-V-Y-" her spelling lesson is suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. Havyn, who was drifting on the edge of Nod moments ago, leaps from her perch and makes for the door. Sherry feels an icebath of panic cascading down her spine.
"Havyn, no! Don't answer that!"
But, the intrepid girl is already pulling the door open. A screech that chills Sherry to her soul drags her almost instantly to the living room, and she realizes it was a screech of glee, not fear.
Sherry almost feels like screeching herself at the man framed in the door way, kneeling like a subject before his king. One arm is behind his back, and although Havyn is backing away slowly, this scene isn't half the menace it represents.
Havyn reacts first, tossing her Pokeball, "Chikorita, I choose you!"
Something that looks like a My Little Pony that has been subjected to experiments by Dr. Moreau rolls out, a perfect three inch high stuffed animal, with a wide grin.
Jet's arm comes forward, rolling three Pokeballs to the carpet, he says in a deep, overly-dramatic voice, "Regigigas, Cresselia, Giratina, I choose you!"
The balls roll, and out pop three more three inch high mutant monsters. For a moment, poised over the 'battlefield' like a stunned Goddess, Havyn simply stares at the Diamond and Pearl Pokemon, a smile starting to crack her features. She looks up at her uncle, face lighting with joyous surprise. But, children's emotions are fleeting, and it's only a split second before Havyn's eyebrow comes up, a smirk replacing the grin. Her arms cross in indignation.
"Uncle Jet, you can't play three Pokemon to my one. You know that," she scolds him.
"I know, but I wanted to surprise you all at once. Did you have these?" he looks a little nervous.
"Hell no, mommy doesn't know Pearl from Blue. I have three Jiggly Puffs!" she huffs.
As Sherry scolds Havyn for saying hell, Jet just chuckles and comes to his feet. He hugs Havyn and shares a serious look with Sherry, indicating that he has come here under strained circumstances.
-------------
Havyn is safely tucked into bed. Sherry stands outside the door, watching as I kiss the tyke's forehead. She seems to be coping well, despite knowing that her mother is in the clutches of a madman. Children are funny sometimes. Things don't hit them the same way all the time, and definitely not the same way as adults. Sherry has been smoking, I could smell it when I stepped into the room. But Havyn is almost numb; I could bet that she hasn't even asked Sherry for an explanation, the explanation Sherry is sucking cancer to avoid having to tell.
As I back away, and follow Sherry back into the living room, she suddenly lets a hand fly to her mouth, and excuses herself to the restroom. I hear water come on, and I suppose she's doing the womanly thing, covering up the sounds of her urination in the presence of a male.
I take a seat, budging over the Hello Kitty slippers that carelessly slipped from the feet of my niece while she dozed earlier on the couch.
Those animals. First, they can't think clearly enough to guess that all Dragon wanted was some puppetry in return for making a fool of him. It was predictable enough, being challenged to fight against 'allies' for Jezebel's freedom. As I had suggested, all they had to do was talk to Dragon, hell, it was Dragon who asked us for a chat, and now we only have to dance for him a little. It's all games with these people, and Salem, KvK and Korpi would have tried violence to get her back, violence on their former friends and partners. Violence only begets violence, and Jezebel could have been harmed more for their antics. Hell, this way, Dragon gets his satisfaction, Jez gets her freedom, and even I will get a little fun when I get to knock these reprobates around a bit."
-------------
Sherry comes out of the bathroom in a refreshing cloud smelling of Close Up toothpaste, Listerine Wintergreen, and a hint of Clinique Happy. Jet can only guess that for some reason she wanted to hide the fact that she was smoking, even though the small apartment reeks of it. She smiles sheepishly and sits on the couch next to Jet, starting to scoot in closer, then stopping herself, quickly glancing at his face to see his reaction.
Jet hasn't even noticed. He's holding one of the Hello Kitty slippers.
"All we have to do is hold on, pray, and hope for the best," he tells her.
"Are you sure we can trust Mickey to give her back once one of you face him at Battleground?" Sherry asks, suddenly serious.
"What choice do we have? I honestly think it's just his pride that's hurt, and he has to get some sort of retribution for it. After I knock those idiots around a bit, I'll face Dragon in a respectable fight and hopefully soothe his ego a bit," Jet explains.
"Ya know, Jet," Sherry explains,"Salem and KvK aren't all that bad. Even Raenius has helped Jez more than hurt her."
"Is that right?" he seems a little peeved at her defense of these 'friends' of Jezebel's. "How many of these 'not so bad' guys have come to check on you and Havyn to see how you're coping? Jesus, that poor child in the other room has lost her mother to a psychopath. God knows what's going through her little mind. Do these animals care? No! They're so damned selfish! They would have tried to win Jez back through attacking and brutalizing an already unstable man without first negotiating her whereabouts. They have one track minds. They're inhuman, I swear."
Sherry remains silent for a moment, letting Jet get his frustrations out.
"I'm glad she has someone like you in her life, Jet," Sherry tells him. She begins to move closer, puts her hand on his leg. "You're a real good guy. Not like a lot of guys... you're... nice."
Before Jet can respond, a little voice: "Uncle Jet?"
The sleep-heavy voice causes Jet and Sherry to snap their heads around and catch Havyn, clutching a pillow and leaning in the doorway.
"Yes, princess?" Jet starts to get up.
"You won't let the bad man hurt mommy, will you?" she rubs her left eye then looks up, expecting an honest answer.
Jet glances over at Sherry, for the first time since we've seen him, a little unsure. Sherry nods.
"No, princess, I won't let the bad men hurt mommy. Not at all. I promise."
Sherry glances toward the partition window that separates the kitchenette and living area. Havyn is sleepily reclined, half-watching Jeopardy and clutching her Pokeball like a security blanket. As sleepy as she is, as worried as the poor tyke has been the last few days, she probably is too out of it to realize--
"Aunt Sherry? Why are you burning that stuff? It smells nasty! It smells like roses smoking a cigarette!" Havyn calls in a suddenly alert voice.
Sherry smiles and chuckles a bit, dousing the butt in the sink and putting out the incense.
"Sorry, babe!" she calls in reply.
"I'm not Babe! I'm Havyn! H-A-V-Y-" her spelling lesson is suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. Havyn, who was drifting on the edge of Nod moments ago, leaps from her perch and makes for the door. Sherry feels an icebath of panic cascading down her spine.
"Havyn, no! Don't answer that!"
But, the intrepid girl is already pulling the door open. A screech that chills Sherry to her soul drags her almost instantly to the living room, and she realizes it was a screech of glee, not fear.
Sherry almost feels like screeching herself at the man framed in the door way, kneeling like a subject before his king. One arm is behind his back, and although Havyn is backing away slowly, this scene isn't half the menace it represents.
Havyn reacts first, tossing her Pokeball, "Chikorita, I choose you!"
Something that looks like a My Little Pony that has been subjected to experiments by Dr. Moreau rolls out, a perfect three inch high stuffed animal, with a wide grin.
Jet's arm comes forward, rolling three Pokeballs to the carpet, he says in a deep, overly-dramatic voice, "Regigigas, Cresselia, Giratina, I choose you!"
The balls roll, and out pop three more three inch high mutant monsters. For a moment, poised over the 'battlefield' like a stunned Goddess, Havyn simply stares at the Diamond and Pearl Pokemon, a smile starting to crack her features. She looks up at her uncle, face lighting with joyous surprise. But, children's emotions are fleeting, and it's only a split second before Havyn's eyebrow comes up, a smirk replacing the grin. Her arms cross in indignation.
"Uncle Jet, you can't play three Pokemon to my one. You know that," she scolds him.
"I know, but I wanted to surprise you all at once. Did you have these?" he looks a little nervous.
"Hell no, mommy doesn't know Pearl from Blue. I have three Jiggly Puffs!" she huffs.
As Sherry scolds Havyn for saying hell, Jet just chuckles and comes to his feet. He hugs Havyn and shares a serious look with Sherry, indicating that he has come here under strained circumstances.
-------------
Havyn is safely tucked into bed. Sherry stands outside the door, watching as I kiss the tyke's forehead. She seems to be coping well, despite knowing that her mother is in the clutches of a madman. Children are funny sometimes. Things don't hit them the same way all the time, and definitely not the same way as adults. Sherry has been smoking, I could smell it when I stepped into the room. But Havyn is almost numb; I could bet that she hasn't even asked Sherry for an explanation, the explanation Sherry is sucking cancer to avoid having to tell.
As I back away, and follow Sherry back into the living room, she suddenly lets a hand fly to her mouth, and excuses herself to the restroom. I hear water come on, and I suppose she's doing the womanly thing, covering up the sounds of her urination in the presence of a male.
I take a seat, budging over the Hello Kitty slippers that carelessly slipped from the feet of my niece while she dozed earlier on the couch.
Those animals. First, they can't think clearly enough to guess that all Dragon wanted was some puppetry in return for making a fool of him. It was predictable enough, being challenged to fight against 'allies' for Jezebel's freedom. As I had suggested, all they had to do was talk to Dragon, hell, it was Dragon who asked us for a chat, and now we only have to dance for him a little. It's all games with these people, and Salem, KvK and Korpi would have tried violence to get her back, violence on their former friends and partners. Violence only begets violence, and Jezebel could have been harmed more for their antics. Hell, this way, Dragon gets his satisfaction, Jez gets her freedom, and even I will get a little fun when I get to knock these reprobates around a bit."
-------------
Sherry comes out of the bathroom in a refreshing cloud smelling of Close Up toothpaste, Listerine Wintergreen, and a hint of Clinique Happy. Jet can only guess that for some reason she wanted to hide the fact that she was smoking, even though the small apartment reeks of it. She smiles sheepishly and sits on the couch next to Jet, starting to scoot in closer, then stopping herself, quickly glancing at his face to see his reaction.
Jet hasn't even noticed. He's holding one of the Hello Kitty slippers.
"All we have to do is hold on, pray, and hope for the best," he tells her.
"Are you sure we can trust Mickey to give her back once one of you face him at Battleground?" Sherry asks, suddenly serious.
"What choice do we have? I honestly think it's just his pride that's hurt, and he has to get some sort of retribution for it. After I knock those idiots around a bit, I'll face Dragon in a respectable fight and hopefully soothe his ego a bit," Jet explains.
"Ya know, Jet," Sherry explains,"Salem and KvK aren't all that bad. Even Raenius has helped Jez more than hurt her."
"Is that right?" he seems a little peeved at her defense of these 'friends' of Jezebel's. "How many of these 'not so bad' guys have come to check on you and Havyn to see how you're coping? Jesus, that poor child in the other room has lost her mother to a psychopath. God knows what's going through her little mind. Do these animals care? No! They're so damned selfish! They would have tried to win Jez back through attacking and brutalizing an already unstable man without first negotiating her whereabouts. They have one track minds. They're inhuman, I swear."
Sherry remains silent for a moment, letting Jet get his frustrations out.
"I'm glad she has someone like you in her life, Jet," Sherry tells him. She begins to move closer, puts her hand on his leg. "You're a real good guy. Not like a lot of guys... you're... nice."
Before Jet can respond, a little voice: "Uncle Jet?"
The sleep-heavy voice causes Jet and Sherry to snap their heads around and catch Havyn, clutching a pillow and leaning in the doorway.
"Yes, princess?" Jet starts to get up.
"You won't let the bad man hurt mommy, will you?" she rubs her left eye then looks up, expecting an honest answer.
Jet glances over at Sherry, for the first time since we've seen him, a little unsure. Sherry nods.
"No, princess, I won't let the bad men hurt mommy. Not at all. I promise."
