[Too bad for Jack, that knowledge... On a few levels, at least. But Zelos probably needed those kind of people in his life. Especially in moments like these, where he's very much set on avoiding the actual serious part he intended of this conversation as much as possible. It'll come up eventually...
But he doesn't know quite how to approach it anyway. And it's so much easier to duck behind a few racks of coats as he hears Jack approaching and the door open with a jingle. Still in his signature pink outfit for now, he does stand out like a sore thumb, so he doesn't wait around too long in Jack's wandering inside to swing out from behind something and slip a hat right on his white-haired head.
It was a pretty fancy hat, he thought. Turns out there was one on his own head, as well! Zelos couldn't be kept from a little dress-up. At least he didn't go all out and change in the store.]
Hey, Jack! [A cheery greeting brought him out completely with a grin, one of his arms sliding to rest partially on the stand of clothing nearby. Of course, said cheery greeting was meant to distract from any worried thoughts that had carried Jack here so quickly, the hair catastrophe that he hoped only he noticed (and it was likely if that was true, seeing as it was just like one chunk of hair was short with some of the others in the front there) as well as a faint line of a wound or two still healing on his arms.]
Check it out, you're ten times cooler already! That's appealing, right? [Cooler? Get it???? Dropping his arm from the rack nearby, he takes a few overly animated paces past Jack to investigate a suit he had spotted, eyes locking on that, rather than anything else.]
[Zelos does indeed stand out brightly in the middle of countless rows of uniform black suits--which is something Jack notes after the guy's already gone and appeared out of nowhere from behind, attacking with--]
[--a hat--?]
[The initial surprise is enough to have Jack whipping around a bit quickly, hand automatically going up to snatch at the sudden weight on his head...fingertips close on fabric, and he pulls off the hat, blinking from it to Zelos.]
[...Is this a fedora oh come on--]
...Swing and a miss there, sorry. I don't do hats. [He travels a lot, the things never stay on!! But Jack shifts it around on the hand not closed around his staff as he arches his eyebrows a bit wryly at Zelos's words, turning to watch as the guy drifts over to the nearest suit.] That's the twenties for you, though. What you think of as tacky now was all the rage back then, y'know? --Well, but you're not even from Earth, I guess...
[The opening had been sufficiently distracting, at least--Zelos moves quickly enough that Jack doesn't have time to notice the cuts on his arms or the slight difference in his hair just yet...and that besides, it's a note of lightness that does somewhat ease the tenseness that had already starting to build up somewhere in his chest over the course of his quick journey to the shop. But it's still not entirely gone--far from it--and Zelos's actions right now aren't quite enough to dispel it either...]
[He knows a diversion when he sees one--if only because this kind is almost one that Jack might have gone for himself...shifting, he paces over the few steps needed to stand beside Zelos himself working for some sort of eye contact even with terribly distracting suits considered.]
You found everything you were wanting yet? M'not exactly a lot of help when it comes to this kind of stuff, so I'm not gonna be able to do much for you if you wanna talk about that. [IS THAT SUFFICIENTLY NOT-BLUNT ENOUGH FOR YOU BRO give him points for trying at least okay...!]
[He tosses a glance back briefly as Jack removes the hat so quickly (man, no fun at all), but he only laughs in an energetic sort of way that almost comes out nervous. It's the way he is when he talks a lot sometimes, laughing between everything and not really meaning it at all.]
Not all of it is bad! I mean, it's no Meltokio top line of fashion, but compared to those hick towns we were running through all the time? [He pulls out a darker, simple suit, holds it up to Jack as if he's checking to see how it'd look.]
Some of these aren't half bad!
[That one's okay, he guesses, and places it back at the front of the rack to once again turn his back to Jack with focused avoidance. Though he very much picks up on that totally blunt in its own way nudge... How to react to that?]
Hm? Oh, right, right, talk... [He raises a hand and waves it dismissively.] There's no way it'd be about fashion tips! Don't worry, I've got that much covered. I figure I can take home a few things here and it'll be warmer than what I have now...
[A beat.] Hmm, but what was it... Oh. Have you ever run into Vriska before?
[Jack only arches his eyebrows at Zelos's short laugh--there's a kind of suspicious nuance to it there, indeed--and he takes an according step back when Zelos holds up a suit to him, as if he's making a comparison for some inexplicable reason--]
Well, suits are still a thing in the modern day and age for a reason, I guess... [Jack had never paid too much scrutiny to those particular areas of fashion, though, and the words are almost mildly despairing in their objectiveness. He only goes for the most common trends, not the highest-end ones--they were a lot easier to get a hold of without crossing too many thievery lines, for one thing...]
[The generally circular way Zelos goes about actually getting around to answering Jack's question has a frown already forming up on Jack's part before he even gets there, especially when Zelos turns away from him to preoccupy himself with the clothing racks like that again. Restlessly tossing the hat up and down in his free hand, Jack sticks it on a nearby rack's knob after a few moments, and is on the verge of a slightly sharper reply--]
[But then Zelos cuts to the chase around the exact same time, and the abruptness in combination with the casualness of the question has Jack's frown deepening quite promptly, whether Zelos bothers turning around to see it or not.]
[Here they're finally getting to the bottom of things--but that doesn't mean Jack has to like it any more than he does.]
...No, pretty sure I haven't. What happened? [Tone sharper anyway, if only due to an edge of concern, Jack takes a quick, circling pace around Zelos's rack, in an attempt to get to the other side and face him properly; a cooler draft of air follows him and lingers, starting to spread into the room somewhat.] --She better not have tried drowning you again--
[ well. he can tell that Jack's about had it with his avoidance with a reply like that. he was going to get it out eventually, just-- ]
Not drown. [ his lips tighten as he turns away, fingers running up the sleeve of a nearby suit. his free hand removes his own hat, tossing it across the shop. ]
She picked up some backup and tried to kill me the good old fashioned way-- a sword and an ambush.
[But that's not really any consolation at all, because the point sucks, and the point's also rather alarming on several different levels. Jack stops on the other side of the rack, though the movement's proven futile anyway as Zelos turns away like that...it leaves him shifting in place, puffing out a sharp breath before he moves a bit further down the aisle to try catching Zelos's eye again anyway.]
[While thoughts churn all the while--not drowning, maybe, but an attempted assassination the old fashioned way isn't exactly any better--]
And when did this happen? Cant've been on the--it was here, wasn't it? But it hasn't even been a full two weeks-- [So maybe he's more than a little irritated on Zelos's behalf about this!! (And 'irritated' might have been putting it lightly...)] Are you--
[That question falters and cuts off, at least, as Jack tries to get a better look at Zelos for the first time, and...ah. Those--cuts on his arms, there--]
[Jack hums distractedly, a brief sound--glancing at the rack right in front of him, he leaps up onto the bar easily enough, poises on there in a crouch and folds his arms over his knees across from Zelos. If he hadn't been frowning before he certainly is now, at any rate...question shift:]
[That concern didn't go away, it only got worse, and now Zelos is hesitating so much on replying that it's likely noticeable in the space of their conversation. He'll grant him a brief bit of eye contact, at least, before he leans forward over his own rack across from Jack, chin on his hands and eyes going everywhere else far more often than his company.]
Don't worry, don't worry! I'm still here, aren't I? [Chuckling just a little to try and brush off the seriousness of it, he stands back up straight and rolls back on his heels with a shrug, unable to really keep still.] I'm always going to have enemies. Just so happens she recruited a girl who hates my guts and is just the right amount of violent to do something about it.
[He drops his arms and looks to Jack, now, stepping in a casual walk to semi-circle around Jack's perch there.] Now, they're gonna try again. I don't doubt that. But what I care about is if they bother to bug Enma anymore-- well, Vriska, specifically.
[She seems to have a Thing for it. Slowing his steps to a halt, he allows a very small frown at the end here.] It'd be kind of counter-productive if I were the one to keep checking in on him for that, you catch my drift?
[That hesitation is pretty noticeable, and does nothing to help Jack particularly relax about this situation in any real way. Zelos does stop moving, at least, opting to lean on a rack and kind of face him...which is probably an improvement, as Jack reminds himself even as he fidgets restlessly in place on his perch. Beggars can't be choosers and all that, especially with something like this--]
[Zelos does speak at length, after all. And that's the important thing, right? ...Not that the words allay things any more than the gestures have, but Jack forces himself to sit through it for the meantime without objecting right off the bat...and that ends up paying off, in a way, because then the conversation segues into talk of Enma, and the way Jack perks up warily is probably quite visible.]
--Shouldn't stop you from checking on him anyway. ...But yeah, I see what you mean there. If they haven't bothered him yet, then it'd best stay that way. [Jack returns Zelos's frown with his own still in place, though there's a different edge to it now. Less concern and more grim disapproval, towards a mutual enemy.] Don't worry about that. Consider it done.
...What I'm worried about is how you're gonna deal with all this, though.
[And with that addendum, after a slight pause before it, Jack draws upright and to his feet, balanced perfectly on the rack and jamming a free hand in his pocket as he looks down at Zelos.]
This--can't keep going on like this, can it? You got hurt this time. [A pointed glance to those arms there now, oh yes.] I'm sure you don't want something worse the next time any more than I like the idea of it. Are you sure there isn't some other way we could deal with this?
...I dunno. It's not really my thing. [Checking on Enma, that is. By which he means he's not good at it. He just brings bad fortune wherever he goes, and he's kind of wondering at this point if he should be avoiding people...] I'm more of a mess around and pretend there's nothing to worry about kind of guy...
[Well if that isn't the most honest thing he's said today... But he waves it off, frowning up at Jack and standing up straight himself when the other points out the marks on his arms.] And for the record, these are fine. I'm the Chosen, remember? This'll be gone in another day or so! I didn't get to healing it as fast as I would have liked is all.
The only thing hurt is my pride. Did you see what they did to my hair? [Lifting said sloppily chopped-shorter lock pointedly, he flips it with the rest of his hair and sighs.
He's really not good with the worry on him, okay!]
What am I supposed to do? And don't say talk it out, because trust me, I've tried. These chicks hate me-- and if I kill them it's only going to cause even more of an issue! I guess it's a good thing I'm good at running away...
[That particular admittance in the beginning, right there...it is surprisingly blunt, with the entire roundabout nature of the conversation up to now considered, and it earns an odd glance from Jack as Zelos says it.]
[...He's almost tempted enough to remark on it, for a moment, but--he doesn't. And instead he settles a bit more on the rail, for once, fidgeting finally letting off a bit in favor of wry eyebrow-arching as commentary moves to battle wounds instead. The arm-scarring is still moderately concerning...but Jack has a feeling pursuing that point wouldn't really get anywhere either. And so, instead:]
...Your hair, huh? Can't really tell the difference at all, actually. [It's a very mild sort of humor to interject (and surely he ought to get points for trying, at least...) Jack still finds that his heart isn't really into it, though, and after that he's sombering again.]
[He can let all those other matters slide, after all, but this particular one...]
I don't know, I'm not--gonna try telling you what you're supposed to do, no. But something's really gotta give here. You know the longer this goes on, the more people there are probably gonna be in the line of fire, right?
[Jack knows it for a fact, anyway. It's what always happens, when it comes to things like this. (You get enough people to dislike you in a three century lifetime, and you figure out that sort of thing.) Puffing a sigh of his own, he props an elbow on a knee and plants his chin in a palm, frowning again.]
You shouldn't have to always run away. S'not gonna fix anything either...but there must be some way. Killing isn't an option, you're right about that, so-- [posture curls, then unfolds--and Jack's back on his feet again, leaning back on his heels and then starting a slow tread down the rest of the length of the rail] --we'll just have to think of something.
[At the hair remark, it's notably lifeless compared to other joking, but Zelos still grants it an offended expression for a brief moment.
But then everything turning back into such a dark tone, and he has to abandon the goofy faces.]
Yeah, I know, all right.
[That the longer it goes on the more people get in the line of fire. He's known that since he was a kid. ...But that bitter thought aside, he holds back a sigh and watches Jack fidget around again and start walking. He turns a bit himself, matching the guy's steps on the rails with his own on the ground of the floor (like a normal person gosh).]
Now you're just sounding like Lloyd. [Which isn't a bad thing, but he only wishes he could think along those lines for long enough to come up with any ideas... All he can think is there's no way anything's going to change unless he dies and they get bored of it. He stops walking and turns to cross his arms over the rail Jack was so slowly treading along to stop him in his tracks, staring up at him.]
It was easier to deal with this sort of thing when I had my title, my money, my reputation... [People were easy to change with the control he had over the world, usually. But here? Different story.] Maybe I should just let her do it.
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But he doesn't know quite how to approach it anyway. And it's so much easier to duck behind a few racks of coats as he hears Jack approaching and the door open with a jingle. Still in his signature pink outfit for now, he does stand out like a sore thumb, so he doesn't wait around too long in Jack's wandering inside to swing out from behind something and slip a hat right on his white-haired head.
It was a pretty fancy hat, he thought. Turns out there was one on his own head, as well! Zelos couldn't be kept from a little dress-up. At least he didn't go all out and change in the store.]
Hey, Jack! [A cheery greeting brought him out completely with a grin, one of his arms sliding to rest partially on the stand of clothing nearby. Of course, said cheery greeting was meant to distract from any worried thoughts that had carried Jack here so quickly, the hair catastrophe that he hoped only he noticed (and it was likely if that was true, seeing as it was just like one chunk of hair was short with some of the others in the front there) as well as a faint line of a wound or two still healing on his arms.]
Check it out, you're ten times cooler already! That's appealing, right? [Cooler? Get it???? Dropping his arm from the rack nearby, he takes a few overly animated paces past Jack to investigate a suit he had spotted, eyes locking on that, rather than anything else.]
Some of these are kind of tacky, though...
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[--a hat--?]
[The initial surprise is enough to have Jack whipping around a bit quickly, hand automatically going up to snatch at the sudden weight on his head...fingertips close on fabric, and he pulls off the hat, blinking from it to Zelos.]
[...Is this a fedora oh come on--]
...Swing and a miss there, sorry. I don't do hats. [He travels a lot, the things never stay on!! But Jack shifts it around on the hand not closed around his staff as he arches his eyebrows a bit wryly at Zelos's words, turning to watch as the guy drifts over to the nearest suit.] That's the twenties for you, though. What you think of as tacky now was all the rage back then, y'know? --Well, but you're not even from Earth, I guess...
[The opening had been sufficiently distracting, at least--Zelos moves quickly enough that Jack doesn't have time to notice the cuts on his arms or the slight difference in his hair just yet...and that besides, it's a note of lightness that does somewhat ease the tenseness that had already starting to build up somewhere in his chest over the course of his quick journey to the shop. But it's still not entirely gone--far from it--and Zelos's actions right now aren't quite enough to dispel it either...]
[He knows a diversion when he sees one--if only because this kind is almost one that Jack might have gone for himself...shifting, he paces over the few steps needed to stand beside Zelos himself working for some sort of eye contact even with terribly distracting suits considered.]
You found everything you were wanting yet? M'not exactly a lot of help when it comes to this kind of stuff, so I'm not gonna be able to do much for you if you wanna talk about that. [IS THAT SUFFICIENTLY NOT-BLUNT ENOUGH FOR YOU BRO give him points for trying at least okay...!]
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Not all of it is bad! I mean, it's no Meltokio top line of fashion, but compared to those hick towns we were running through all the time? [He pulls out a darker, simple suit, holds it up to Jack as if he's checking to see how it'd look.]
Some of these aren't half bad!
[That one's okay, he guesses, and places it back at the front of the rack to once again turn his back to Jack with focused avoidance. Though he very much picks up on that totally blunt in its own way nudge... How to react to that?]
Hm? Oh, right, right, talk... [He raises a hand and waves it dismissively.] There's no way it'd be about fashion tips! Don't worry, I've got that much covered. I figure I can take home a few things here and it'll be warmer than what I have now...
[A beat.] Hmm, but what was it... Oh. Have you ever run into Vriska before?
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Well, suits are still a thing in the modern day and age for a reason, I guess... [Jack had never paid too much scrutiny to those particular areas of fashion, though, and the words are almost mildly despairing in their objectiveness. He only goes for the most common trends, not the highest-end ones--they were a lot easier to get a hold of without crossing too many thievery lines, for one thing...]
[The generally circular way Zelos goes about actually getting around to answering Jack's question has a frown already forming up on Jack's part before he even gets there, especially when Zelos turns away from him to preoccupy himself with the clothing racks like that again. Restlessly tossing the hat up and down in his free hand, Jack sticks it on a nearby rack's knob after a few moments, and is on the verge of a slightly sharper reply--]
[But then Zelos cuts to the chase around the exact same time, and the abruptness in combination with the casualness of the question has Jack's frown deepening quite promptly, whether Zelos bothers turning around to see it or not.]
[Here they're finally getting to the bottom of things--but that doesn't mean Jack has to like it any more than he does.]
...No, pretty sure I haven't. What happened? [Tone sharper anyway, if only due to an edge of concern, Jack takes a quick, circling pace around Zelos's rack, in an attempt to get to the other side and face him properly; a cooler draft of air follows him and lingers, starting to spread into the room somewhat.] --She better not have tried drowning you again--
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[ well. he can tell that Jack's about had it with his avoidance with a reply like that. he was going to get it out eventually, just-- ]
Not drown. [ his lips tighten as he turns away, fingers running up the sleeve of a nearby suit. his free hand removes his own hat, tossing it across the shop. ]
She picked up some backup and tried to kill me the good old fashioned way-- a sword and an ambush.
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[Now they've gotten to the point, at least.]
[But that's not really any consolation at all, because the point sucks, and the point's also rather alarming on several different levels. Jack stops on the other side of the rack, though the movement's proven futile anyway as Zelos turns away like that...it leaves him shifting in place, puffing out a sharp breath before he moves a bit further down the aisle to try catching Zelos's eye again anyway.]
[While thoughts churn all the while--not drowning, maybe, but an attempted assassination the old fashioned way isn't exactly any better--]
And when did this happen? Cant've been on the--it was here, wasn't it? But it hasn't even been a full two weeks-- [So maybe he's more than a little irritated on Zelos's behalf about this!! (And 'irritated' might have been putting it lightly...)] Are you--
[That question falters and cuts off, at least, as Jack tries to get a better look at Zelos for the first time, and...ah. Those--cuts on his arms, there--]
[Jack hums distractedly, a brief sound--glancing at the rack right in front of him, he leaps up onto the bar easily enough, poises on there in a crouch and folds his arms over his knees across from Zelos. If he hadn't been frowning before he certainly is now, at any rate...question shift:]
Backup?
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Don't worry, don't worry! I'm still here, aren't I? [Chuckling just a little to try and brush off the seriousness of it, he stands back up straight and rolls back on his heels with a shrug, unable to really keep still.] I'm always going to have enemies. Just so happens she recruited a girl who hates my guts and is just the right amount of violent to do something about it.
[He drops his arms and looks to Jack, now, stepping in a casual walk to semi-circle around Jack's perch there.] Now, they're gonna try again. I don't doubt that. But what I care about is if they bother to bug Enma anymore-- well, Vriska, specifically.
[She seems to have a Thing for it. Slowing his steps to a halt, he allows a very small frown at the end here.] It'd be kind of counter-productive if I were the one to keep checking in on him for that, you catch my drift?
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[Zelos does speak at length, after all. And that's the important thing, right? ...Not that the words allay things any more than the gestures have, but Jack forces himself to sit through it for the meantime without objecting right off the bat...and that ends up paying off, in a way, because then the conversation segues into talk of Enma, and the way Jack perks up warily is probably quite visible.]
--Shouldn't stop you from checking on him anyway. ...But yeah, I see what you mean there. If they haven't bothered him yet, then it'd best stay that way. [Jack returns Zelos's frown with his own still in place, though there's a different edge to it now. Less concern and more grim disapproval, towards a mutual enemy.] Don't worry about that. Consider it done.
...What I'm worried about is how you're gonna deal with all this, though.
[And with that addendum, after a slight pause before it, Jack draws upright and to his feet, balanced perfectly on the rack and jamming a free hand in his pocket as he looks down at Zelos.]
This--can't keep going on like this, can it? You got hurt this time. [A pointed glance to those arms there now, oh yes.] I'm sure you don't want something worse the next time any more than I like the idea of it. Are you sure there isn't some other way we could deal with this?
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[Well if that isn't the most honest thing he's said today... But he waves it off, frowning up at Jack and standing up straight himself when the other points out the marks on his arms.] And for the record, these are fine. I'm the Chosen, remember? This'll be gone in another day or so! I didn't get to healing it as fast as I would have liked is all.
The only thing hurt is my pride. Did you see what they did to my hair? [Lifting said sloppily chopped-shorter lock pointedly, he flips it with the rest of his hair and sighs.
He's really not good with the worry on him, okay!]
What am I supposed to do? And don't say talk it out, because trust me, I've tried. These chicks hate me-- and if I kill them it's only going to cause even more of an issue! I guess it's a good thing I'm good at running away...
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[...He's almost tempted enough to remark on it, for a moment, but--he doesn't. And instead he settles a bit more on the rail, for once, fidgeting finally letting off a bit in favor of wry eyebrow-arching as commentary moves to battle wounds instead. The arm-scarring is still moderately concerning...but Jack has a feeling pursuing that point wouldn't really get anywhere either. And so, instead:]
...Your hair, huh? Can't really tell the difference at all, actually. [It's a very mild sort of humor to interject (and surely he ought to get points for trying, at least...) Jack still finds that his heart isn't really into it, though, and after that he's sombering again.]
[He can let all those other matters slide, after all, but this particular one...]
I don't know, I'm not--gonna try telling you what you're supposed to do, no. But something's really gotta give here. You know the longer this goes on, the more people there are probably gonna be in the line of fire, right?
[Jack knows it for a fact, anyway. It's what always happens, when it comes to things like this. (You get enough people to dislike you in a three century lifetime, and you figure out that sort of thing.) Puffing a sigh of his own, he props an elbow on a knee and plants his chin in a palm, frowning again.]
You shouldn't have to always run away. S'not gonna fix anything either...but there must be some way. Killing isn't an option, you're right about that, so-- [posture curls, then unfolds--and Jack's back on his feet again, leaning back on his heels and then starting a slow tread down the rest of the length of the rail] --we'll just have to think of something.
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But then everything turning back into such a dark tone, and he has to abandon the goofy faces.]
Yeah, I know, all right.
[That the longer it goes on the more people get in the line of fire. He's known that since he was a kid. ...But that bitter thought aside, he holds back a sigh and watches Jack fidget around again and start walking. He turns a bit himself, matching the guy's steps on the rails with his own on the ground of the floor (like a normal person gosh).]
Now you're just sounding like Lloyd. [Which isn't a bad thing, but he only wishes he could think along those lines for long enough to come up with any ideas... All he can think is there's no way anything's going to change unless he dies and they get bored of it. He stops walking and turns to cross his arms over the rail Jack was so slowly treading along to stop him in his tracks, staring up at him.]
It was easier to deal with this sort of thing when I had my title, my money, my reputation... [People were easy to change with the control he had over the world, usually. But here? Different story.] Maybe I should just let her do it.
[He's... mostly joking...]