Faci and Jess
A look of confusion struck Daniel hard, and then one of curiosity, when he caught sight of the bizarre creature Jess was holding. “Odd, indeed, but Jess… I don’ think even magical hedgehogs are colored like that. No where, in this world, are hedgehogs colored like that.”
The hedgehog’s actions further shocked him. It reminded him too much of the time that he’d had to turn Clopin into a mouse and he’d somehow found his way into Jess’ dress. Little jingly bastard was still yarking on about it. Daniel couldn’t help but wonder if Jess knew the extent of her new little friend’s deceptive cuteness.
It wasn’t until he’d gotten over the shock of seeing the new addition to the Rabbit household that it hit him where she said she’d gotten him. As a deal maker, and magic user, and once-upon-a-time father, he knew precisely who she meant.
“Jess, what did he make y’all pay for that? He’s dangerous, an’ y’all shouldn’ be messin’ with him. At all. He’s like… Mal dangerous, but he’s sooner t’ stab y’all in the back than she is. He only keeps ya around for as long as ya can give him what he wants, or what he thinks he needs from ya. After that, y’all may as well consign y’allself t’ bein’ dragon fodder.”
Jess looked over and smiled as she set the little creature down on the counter. She patted his head absently and handed him a carrot as she sat down on a stool beside him, and shrugged,
“He said I wouldn’t have to pay him anything. Said that..” She paused, wrinkling her nose as she remembered, “I had..Paid him with my compliment. I had asked him to think the deal out with me, before we struck anything serious.”
She twisted the ring on her finger. It had not been what she had offered him, and she had been glad he had refused it, but it was still a little strange situation. Still, with the house as quiet as it was, she looked down at the ring with a bitter sort of sorrow, before looking back up at the porcupine fondly. She smiled,
“But, Stanley’s here now, and he’s nice company. Quiet, doesn’t ask much. Almost like a child in that he’s no way like one in the least.”
She dragged the porcupine off the counter and sat him on her lap. Stanley coo’d, and snuggled against her, looking up with doe eyes. She smiled warmly, and bent down to kiss him on the cheek, inadvertently smothering the little thing, which only coo’d louder as she was painfully oblivious.
rootintootinrowdycowgirl replied to your post:ooc -
ooc: kjfnvkfjgnb ROGERS GONE?? ;;Yes! D: And not a word on the account or on DRP’s. I’m a little sad. I liked writing with him.
Not sure what to do with Jess atm. I think she’d be devastated but there’s been enough Jess-Devistation going on. Erf. I’m afraid to pile it on too much.
ooc: God…that sucks. :/ Well, if you don’t wanna do that, perhaps you could do something like-he’s just on a business trip?
ooc - WOW I HATE OPERA. Clears my posts EVERY time. Anyway!
Yeah, him being at ‘the movies’ or ‘filming’ or ‘adventuring’ with Herman has been sort’ve my constant fallback. Oops! Didn’t actually think the conversation Jess and Faci had about her being so damn lonely would come to fruition, but here we are. »;
rootintootinrowdycowgirl replied to your post: ooc -
ooc: kjfnvkfjgnb ROGERS GONE?? ;;
Yes! D: And not a word on the account or on DRP’s. I’m a little sad. I liked writing with him.
Not sure what to do with Jess atm. I think she’d be devastated but there’s been enough Jess-Devistation going on. Erf. I’m afraid to pile it on too much.
Incidentally, I suppose, if you’re looking to write with someone who writes too much and adores Jessica/Roger fluff and nonsense, uh, message DRP. >_> <_<
Faci and Jess
“Jus’ makin’ sure. An’ I’m not so sure I wanna ask ‘bout the phone booth thing. I heard about that Doctor, an’ I’m kinda glad I ain’t got nothin’ t’ do with it. Time travel ain’t my thing anyways. I’d end up pushin’ a button an’ blowin’ somethin’ up that I shouldn’.” Facilier rolled his eyes at her and watched her, staying on the floor. He wasn’t sure why he stayed down there, he only knew that it was where he thought he should stay.
“In public, y’all can call me either one, but I’d much prefer it if y’all would call me Daniel when we’re either on our own or among friends that’re familiar with my name. It’s more personal, I think.” He shrugs, “Consider that payin’ me back, even though y’all don’ have t’ do so.”
Jess flashed him a fond smile and chuckled gently to herself,
“Can do, Daniel.” She paused, then giggled to herself, “It’s funny I hadn’t considered calling you that before! Of all the things- I’ve known you for so long, too.”
She shrugged and returned, slippers squeaking across the floor. The little ears bounced as she walked and she paused to examine them before smiling gently, then gasping, “Oh! Oh my goodness, I almost forgot!”
She beamed, “I have to go get him, he’s in the garden! The little dear loves to explore. A strange little wrinkly, goldish man gave him to me!”
She hurried and rushed out the back door, where she knelt in the garden and scooped something up, cooing at it softly before turning around to bounce back inside, giddy to share her new friend.
A slightly larger than average hedgehog yawned in her arms and blinked sleepily at Facilier. He wrinkled his nose, and the little ball-cap on his head sat slightly crooked. He waved faintly and smiled, a gummy sort of grin with tiny, sharp teeth. He was.. For some reason, lilac, and his ears were a size too big. She smiled and coo’d, kissing his head and ignoring his spikes,
“I think he came from some place strange, since he’s so oddly colored, but isn’t he precious? He loves to root around, and nap, and run in circles, and hide in the mailbox, and eat vegetables, and curl up on me when I’m asleep, and..”
She trailed off, hugging the creature. It grinned, and while she wasn’t looking, gave Daniel two thumbs up and a wink.
Faci and Jess
Happier, seeing her calmed, he returned each of her embraces with a friendly warmness in his heart that he only could hope she could feel when his arms closed around her. He shushed her apologies and simply shook his head at her mention of repaying him
“Hush, Jess. Y’all ain’t gotta repay me a bit for this. Not a single bit, darlin’. If ya feel like ya have t’ repay me, though, well,-” Facilier paused to think, raking his mind for something she could do. He’d not ignored how she continuously called him Doctor, and he felt confused; he thought he’d once told her his given name.
Brow raised, he instead thought to ask first, “Jess, did I not ever tell y’all my given name? All I ever recall ya callin’ me is by my title.”
She paused, then grinned and nudged him in the shoulder, “Yes, Daniel, but Doctor amuses me. It’s like you’re going to hope in a phone booth and travel through time- Or, you know. Do Doctory things.” She wiggled her hands, and tried to bite back another grin. She failed.
She shrugged and chuckled, “Besides, there’s an air of mysteriousness when I refer to you as the Good Doctor! Spreads the word.”
She moved to clear the table of clutter, glancing back to him, “But if you’d like me to stop, I’d be happy too.” She placed her cup in the sink, and searched her drawers for some gloves to scrub the tea stains out.
Faci and Jess
Facilier’s heart broke then. Painfully. He felt tears welling in his own eyes at her sorrow and pain. He did know and he remembered how hard it was for her to even begin to tell him what had happened. It was why he had wanted her to so badly be a part of their family’s life; to be another motherly figure to help when the two were simply unable to keep up.
Carefully, he stood and pulled the crying woman from the chair and he lowered her to the floor, where he sat with her tucked between his long knees, held against his chest. He didn’t shush her or try to tell her it was okay, because he knew it wasn’t and she wouldn’t take kindly to him trying to quell that sorrow with a false sense of hope. Instead, he’d just let her say what needed so badly to be said, and he’d let her cry on him, hit him, shout at him… do whatever she needed.
He gently ran his fingers through her hair and ran his other hand up and down her arm, rocking them back and forth as he waited for her sobs to abide, hoping, on some small chance, that it would help, instead of possibly triggering things even further.
“I know it hurts, love, I know. I know so very much that it does… it hasn’t had time t’ heal yet; hasn’t had time t’ smooth over. It’ll never go away an’ it’ll just scar over. But you have t’ actually take the step forward t’ staunchin’ it’s bleedin’ before it can begin t’ heal.”
Sighing, he just held her even tighter against him, with eyes shut tight and his heart pounding painfully from the constriction it felt from the heart break he was sharing with her, but his from seeing her so very broken. All he knew to do was to press a tender kiss to the crown of her head and rest his cheek there, still doing the best he could to calm her.
“You don’ have t’ do this alone, Jess. It’d be better if you took those first few steps with someone you trusted. It don’ have t’ be me, an’ it don’ have t’ be Roger. It just needs t’ be someone you trust enough with that deeply personal type of wound. In time, when you’re truly ready, you’ll get that person, and you’ll start takin’ those steps t’ heal. I know you will. I know you’ll succeed in it. You’re a strong woman, Jess. A damn fine an’ strong, beautiful, gorgeous woman with a heart o’ gold an’ a will t’ match it. You can do this. I promise ya that ya can. An’ I’ll be here with ye. Every step o’ the way. I promise y’all that. With all my heart, I do.”
Jessica exhaled carefully and wiped her eyes rapidly. Swallowing hard, her face broke into a sort of smile as she repressed hiccups and tremors, murmuring, “T-thank you. Thank you.”
She hugged him tightly, and sniffled, “G-gracious, I’m sorry— You’re a wonderful friend Doctor. I’ll have to consider that… it will certainly take a while, but, it’s something to work towards, isn’t it?”
She smiled sadly and pushed back her hair. She hugged him again, and pulled away, patting his hand affectionately, “Thank you, so much. I’m not sure how to begin repaying you.”
OOC - Next week!
I won’t be able to be as active next week! I work nearly every week day 1-9 PM and will probably be pretty tired.
I also turn 21 on the 24th. So uh. That may be interesting. o_o
Just a heads up. Love y’all.
Faci and Jess
He watched her carefully as she spilled her own tales of woe and never allowed his gaze to leave hers; a sign that she did have his full attention indeed. His smile stayed, but it did, obviously, sadden over the tale. He could not, however, help from shaking his head when she began to imply that she could sound ungrateful, or that his problems were worse than hers.
Regardless of how unsure he was of how she’d take the act, he set his tea cup upon the table, stood, and knelt down at her side, taking her hands into his own. He’d never been quite so good at comforting, or being a good friend really, but this was how he knew how, and it was his safest bet, “Jess… my problems are no more hard or tryin’ than yours. Your husband is gone so often an’, honestly, y’all could try t’ hide that hurt from me all you want, but I’d still see it plain as day.”
He took a moment, closing his eyes to gather his thoughts to continue, “An’ you’re right, it doesn’t stain forever, but it does leave behind permanent memories that leave permanent stains on the heart an’ soul. I am not a good man, Jess. It’d be foolish o’ me t’ say I was. I’m just one that has made some o’ the most God awful mistakes he could. Some o’ which involved you, an’ put y’all in danger on the occasion. Even so, you listen t’ me, Jessica Rabbit, when I say that you are very well loved.”“Yes, the month is horrible, and, more so, yes the amount o’ folks that are ignorant t’ everythin’ is even worse, but that don’ mean y’all can’t find a small source o’ joy in it, too. I understand, perfectly, that you’re lonely, an’ that y’all miss your husband, but, Jess… you’ve got t’ find yourself an individual source o’ happiness that lets you desire t’ frolick about just as much as the silly princes and princesses do. Y’all are so very, very deservin’ o’ happiness, Jess. You’ve done more for me than anyone else in this entire world. Gave me shelter when I was still straightenin’ up, helped me through the loss o’ a child I loved, an’ even pulled me through the loss o’ my heart.”
Realizing he’d kept his eyes closed the entire time, he opened them and that sad smile returned, but it held the undertones of a thankful, loving friend. Of a man that, no matter how far gone he became, would always remember how much he owed to the loved one in front of him, “You helped me all that time… an’ now, if I can, I’d like y’all t’ let me help ya, too. Whether it jus’ be with your garden, or the odd happenin’s that’s goin’ on in the world… I’ll do anythin’ I can, an’ all ya have t’ do is ask it o’ me. I swear it.”
Her face twitched and her chin trembled, and she sniffled, “Oh- Oh, dear.” She hiccuped slightly, and flushed, befuddled. She moved one hand away from his and squeezed with the other as she reached for a napkin to dab her eyes, laughing nervously,
“I- I’m sorry, I don’t know whats come over me. It’s just-” She took a shakey, uneven breath, as she looked away and to the stairs. Her brow furrowed and though she sat straight previously, she slumped a little now and her hair fell back over her face. She wrinkled her nose, but otherwise showed no signs of noticing it as her voice dropped slightly,
“I- I almost had that. An individual source of happiness.”
She fussed with her napkin before crumpling it in an unsteady hand, continuing, “I mean, you- You know this, of course. You’re one of perhaps two or three people who do, but.. Still, it was- It’s been so hard.”
Her shoulders bunched slightly, as if trying to hide inwards from herself, from her own words, or the brutal truth of things. She exhaled shakily and shut her eyes briefly, shaking her head, “I’m sorry, I- I shouldn’t. It was just that-” She bit her lip, eyes flickering briefly to force tears away, failing. Her voice was now dreadfully unsteady and she clutched the napkin while her other hand felt cold and clammy beneath Faciliers, vaguely anxious as she tried to force out words she had locked away for so long.
“I went to dust the nursery yesterday, and I just- I almost couldn’t do it. There was so much in there, so much waiting for me, and for Roger, and- And he was going to come home to us.”
She ripped at the napkin quietly, “I took such a shine to you when you succeeded where I had failed… Everything went through but the end. It was months of paperwork and court dates, filing and talking. We got the green light for him t-to come live with us, a-and-“
She had to cover her mouth now, then her face as she slumped, trembling with sobs that spilt over and burst out like a vase overflowing. Her stomach rocked and ached, heaving with each hiccup as she shook her head, unable to find further words, the thoughts just beyond her grasp in a sea tumbling with fervid waters and anxiety. She could only shake her head and weep.
