video

[backwordscompatible]

[Zatanna almost didn't go through with the announcement.  She was tired of them.  Of having to go on the public network and tell everyone about the disappearance of yet one more person close to her.  After three years...and more discussion on the subject than she ever wanted to have again...]

[But then she found his scrapbook.  The one he had started all those years ago, trying to record as many memories and notes of people that had come and gone.  A way to honor their memory.  After a time, it had become a shared project of theirs.  He'd shown her the entries for Dick and Kyle and Pepper and Finnick and so many others.  Now she had another name to add to it.  As it was, the book could just barely be visible behind her, sitting on a chair with the beginnings of a new entry already jotted down at the top of what she knew would wind up being several pages long:]

Jack Frost is gone.

[To her credit, her voice was steady.  Her face was freshly washed, hair combed.  There were no signs of the tears that had fallen upon realization earlier.  No evidence of her heartache.  Only the slightest hint of reddened eyes from when she'd had to speak to some of the local children earlier.]

[Jack's children.  The ones he used to play with in the park.]

[Her eyes lowered to a twin set of figurines sitting on the edge of her table.  Two little turtles.  Hand carved.  After a long, contemplative pause, she turned the two of them so that their noses touched.  In between the empty space formed a small heart.  A Secret that had taken her far too long to figure out.]

The Welcome Center will continue on as normal.  In case anyone was wondering.

And before anyone asks--[because she knows they will]--I'm fine.  I'm...almost used to it by now.

[One of the biggest lies she'd ever told.  She could deal.  She could carry on.  But she would never get used to it.]

Comments

video

[avianesque]

[Milo is clearly distressed by this news.]

He's gone?

[Was it because he challenged Jack to use his power to leave?

More to himself than Zatanna:]

I should have given him worship.

video

[backwordscompatible]

[...worship?]

[Her mind immediately pictured a little shrine devoted to the winter spirit, with people offering little snowballs and telling him stories of their latest pranks as tribute...and it was enough to make her crack a smile.]

He's not dead, you know.

[...wait.]

Okay, so he is. But not like that.

He just went home, is all.

Re: video

[avianesque]

Yes, I know what you mean. But I told him to do so. I think I might have angered him and driven him out.

If I had said a prayer to him, perhaps he might have blessed us before leaving.

[Milo, pls.]

video

[backwordscompatible]

[Oh.]

[Oh, no.]

[She was in serious danger of laughing. Except then her first thought was how much Jack would have loved to hear about all of this, and...the laughter went away.]

Whatever you said or did to him...I can guarantee you, that isn't what happened.

He would never have left on his own. It's just a thing that happens. Over...and over...and over again...

[Bitter? Yup.]

Re: video

[avianesque]

But didn't he wish to leave? Doesn't everyone wish to leave?

video

[backwordscompatible]

Eventually, yeah.

But...well, we had a chance to leave before. After we defeated Malicant and ended up in the Dream Realm. Everyone here was given a choice if we wanted to go back home, or stay a little longer. Jack and I chose to stay.

Re: video

[avianesque]

I'm sorry. You were good friends.

[A moment's hesitation suggests he's reluctant to ask what he does next, but he just can't help himself.]

Are you a Spirit, too? You've walked in the realm of dreams.

Audio

[redlightgreenlight]

I'm sorry, Zatanna...I know what he meant to you.

[She knows that Zatanna isn't fine.]

Audio

[backwordscompatible]

[That obvious, huh?]

Yeah.

Fortunately, so did he.

[redlightgreenlight]

Feelings like that don't go away.

[She would know, losing Dante still hurt sometimes.]

And I'm certain that he remembers them.

[backwordscompatible]

...no. He won't.

[It was a nice enough sentiment. She wanted to believe it. Although she wasn't sure if that would help or make the hurt even worse. Knowing that Jack still remembered everything about their time together...even remembering her...and yet was more than a world apart. Unable to see or even talk to her.]

[No, it was probably better this way.]

When people go home, they don't remember. Everything goes back to the way it was before they came here.

[redlightgreenlight]

I don't believe that...what you feel for him, what he felt for you, that's something unforgettable.

[A pause]

Even if he doesn't remember Keeliai, the feeling of your love will linger in his heart, even if he doesn't understand it.

[backwordscompatible]

Oh, believe me, I won't forget it as long as I'm still here.

And who knows? Maybe he'll come back. Maybe he'll still remember, even then.

[She wasn't going to hold her breath, but she knew that there was always a possibility.]

[action?]

[pushtheboundaries]

[he's not bothering to ask or offer sympathies.

instead, he'll be dropping by the welcome center with a thermos of coffee, and trying to hunt her down]

[action?]

[backwordscompatible]

[True to her word, she wouldn't be hard to find because the Welcome Center was open for business as always. And she looked...pretty much exactly as she did over the network. Though her eyes were slightly less red at that point.]

Hey.

Did you need something?

[action?]

[pushtheboundaries]

Just felt like stopping by. Here.

[he'll just be setting this down on the counter near her with a thin smile]

Thought you could use a drink. [beat] It's just coffee. [SHE IS, AFTER ALL, UNDERAGE...]

[action]

[backwordscompatible]

[Hey, she was legal to drink in Italy, okay?]

...really? [She did seem genuinely surprised by the offer. Though no less gratitude.] Uh...thanks?

You didn't have to do that.

[action]

[pushtheboundaries]

[good thing this isn't Italy, then!!!]

I wanted to. [besides, his own 'drink' upon someone leaving had been copious amounts of alcohol. maybe this is his way of 'ensuring' it won't happen.

or just...who knows. his smile turns awkward, and lopsided.]

Look, I won't say 'I know' or anything, but- it is what it is. [and even if he doesn't say it in words- his tone does offer sympathy.] And, as they say, 'it bites'.

[Callaghan, 'they' is from your childhood. don't make yourself seem older than you are.]

[action]

[backwordscompatible]

[That was an easy enough explanation. Even Zatanna couldn't argue.]

[Not that she had any intention of doing so. In fact, she'd already twisted off the top of the thermos, pouring some of the steaming hot liquid into the mug-cap. Very aromatic. She'd already brought it up to her nose to catch a good whiff before he continued on with his words of sympathy.]

...yeah. it does.

[With little else to offer on that subject, she blew on the mug before taking a sip. Mmm. It tasted as rich as it smelled.]

This is good stuff. Where'd you get it?

[Avoiding the subject? Only because she could.]

[Audio]

[solo_patria]

[He's not been into the Center for his shifts, recovering from his injuries during the earthquake, so Enjolras hasn't even SEEN Jack recently, and he cringes when he hears the news. He had thought that, well, certainly that he would see him again at some point soon.

Anyway. He's wincing at the news, and thinking that he sees in Zantanna's attempts to be strong something of his own attempts when Combeferre vanished. He's swallowing hard before starting a reply.]

I am so sorry to hear that. I will miss him. Very much.

Do you need anything?

[Audio]

[backwordscompatible]

{Zatanna didn't quite know the entire story as to why Enjorlas hadn't been around, but she was still more than a little relieved to hear him sounding well. Despite the forlorn circumstances.]

I think I'm alright for the moment. Business has been slow. Most people are still trying to recover from the earthquake.

How're you holding up, by the way?

[Audio]

[solo_patria]

[It does feel good to speak to her, considering what he's just heard. At least SOMEONE is still here and safe, right? It's a feeling that's not entirely good, but it could also be worse.]

I can certainly see how that might happen. It's held me up a bit myself. On the downside, I've got a bit of a recovery, even after they did the spellwork. On the other, they will be letting me go free soon.

[Audio]

[backwordscompatible]

Good. That's...good to hear.

[Forgive her for not sounding more enthusiastic. It wasn't anything personal.]

We managed okay over here. Minimal damage. One of the windows cracked, and there was some minor stuff with the roof, but the structure held up.

Jack's renovations a couple months ago really did the trick.

[Audio]

[solo_patria]

[No worries. Enjolras doesn't take it that way. He's been a bit caught up in other things himself, so he understands how it can happen. And losing people, even at the best of times, particularly quite important people, does have a way of superseding everything else.]

I was rather lucky myself. I certainly do not intend to take things for granted from now on.

Now THAT I am very glad to hear. The renovations served things well then. I...has anyone else been hurt? Things in the cafe that I visit did NOT go particularly well. In that case, at least it was not a terribly busy day.

It's good to hear my other friends have not suffered as well.

[Audio]

[backwordscompatible]

I'm not sure. Reports are kind of fuzzy. It's not the kind of thing people go around announcing publicly, you know?

If there were, I hope it wasn't anything too serious.