20 ❄ ( VIDEO )

[wintershepherd]

[ Jack's voice is quiet, nearly monotone and there are dark hollows under his eyes. ]

There's something you should know about the snow in the open areas between the domes. Some of the snow I make has magic in it, and what it does is make people more open to loosening up and playing around in it. It has to do with my center being Fun, it was never intended to hurt anyone but... it did.

Even though this time was an accident... it was also in the big snowfall last March. If you spent a lot of time outside that weekend, you probably got at least a little dose of it. A couple people already knew about this but I'm the one who should have said something before this. Long before, I was just--

I've already tried to break as much of the effect as I can between the three main domes, it should be mostly clear now and back to regular snow.

[ Which might explain the ill effect it seems to have had on him; he's been literally trying to undo the very essence of himself he expended into it. He takes a breath as though to add something else then apparently thinks better of it, reaching over and turning the console off. ]

Comments

[angermanaging]

[For a moment, the dilemma catches in him, no one side winning out over the other. Is it selfishness vs. selflessness? Is it isolation vs. connection? Bruce has no clue. There's a lot tied up in his refusal to allow others to help him, and it's so much more complicated than wanting to be alone or fear of hurting others. He doesn't understand it any better than he imagines anyone else could if he tried to explain it, and eventually, after a few seconds, he gives up entirely.

His hand slides up from his neck to rub at his eyes, mind strained at the internal conflict.] I just don't want you to get hurt, [he settles on. That's certainly true enough.]

[wintershepherd]

[ Jack smiles at that, though it seems far older and wiser than should be seen on a teenage face. He unfolds long legs from his seat and stands, heading for the kitchen and calls over his shoulder. ]

I'm going to get something to drink. You want anything?

[ Jack doesn't need anything but it's a polite way to give Bruce a few moments to get himself back to sorts without kicking him out of the suite. ]

[angermanaging]

[He sees immediately through to the real motive behind getting a drink, and raises his head to smile wryly at Jack, not denying that he needs that moment.]

Sure. Whatever you're having.

[wintershepherd]

[ Bruce remains forever the smart one between them and Jack just smiles to himself as he ambles to the kitchen. He keeps tea on hand for the frequent times that Zatanna drops by and that's the thing he has that takes the longest to prepare so by the time he returns with two mugs (one steaming warmly and the other, not) and sets the hot one before Bruce, it's been several minutes. ]

[angermanaging]

[Since he tries to avoid caffeine (it seems like a stupid risk to take) Bruce appreciates the tea. It’s relaxing, and he always needs relaxing. By the time Jack has returned, he’s gotten himself level again, almost imperceptibly different from normal and merely slightly more open.

He accepts the mug, idly toying with it as he waits for it to cool. Since he likes to take the conversation off of himself, he asks,] Feeling better? [That had been his real intent behind coming here.]

[wintershepherd]

[ Jack's smile is slightly rueful but he nods; though in truth it's more like, he doesn't feel worse. If Bruce has deemed that his magic could possibly help him, Jack will hold onto that. He feels better about that, though it is different from how he feels about himself. ]

Thanks, Bruce.

[angermanaging]

[He'll take that as mission accomplished. It's not his business if Jack has reservations he's not telling him-- it's only his business once he's told.]

No problem. [And he means it. Bruce distracts himself with his hot chocolate, sipping, mulling things over in silence with no apparent urgency to talk.]