[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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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...]