Chương 698: Day Six Hundred And Ninety-Six

Dear Diary, I gotta say, I'm kinda worried about Jack. Seriously, he seems like a half decent guy, and if those old stories are correct, he wasn't all that different from me. Just some dude who wound up in some really weird places in life, rolled with it the best he could, and wound up with all kinds of wacky powers based on his wacky hijinks.

Starts out with just being a quick, lucky dude, then pivots to 'grows magic beans and kills giants', which is kinda weird but okay, one way to kill giants is to be the quick little guy, like in that old Star Wars movie from the late nineteen hundreds where they're flying little bitty fighters against big tanky things. Actually that's kinda a theme with those, little dude flies up against monster station or tank. Never quite realized that before.

At any rate, then he apparently gets married, he eats all the protein, I'm guessing to get those gains, while his wife is downing all the fatty foods, which just makes sense if you can afford it. Fat's where the flavor is. Which reminds me, I need some of that and some grain maybe in that stew I'm cooking. At any rate, they go up a hill to get their drink on, they fall, he smashes his head, and winds up a dullahan with a pumpkin for a head.

Then he parlays that into becoming a winter spirit who paints on windows with ice crystals.

Yeah, I get it, none of that really makes a whole lot of sense, but I'm a poor brown girl isekaied into the body of a young Linda Carter via high velocity brain piercing, who decided to get a degree in ass kicking in order to satisfy my carnal urges for power, then wound up getting married to somebody whose lust for power makes me look like a fuckin' ascetic nun and shit, after which I conquered the eastern seaboard, got married again to the Queen of the Murderfuck Cult, and did all of it in the most Heroic, altruistic way possible because I wanted to impress my too good to be true nurse Concubine and provide a good example for my ever growing horde of kids, whom I adore.

I have exactly zero room to point fingers when it comes to 'makes no fuckin' narrative sense'. But then, sometimes life doesn't. Thing is, I've only known Jack for like a week. He could absolutely be playing me. I don't like thinking like that. I really don't. But this is a dude who has somehow managed to keep an entire City free of the influence of all the Atlantean and Europan Pantheons, all by his lonesome. He's dangerous, and he's obviously got Adrienne tied to him somehow.

If she weren't my kid's beloved big sister, I might just say fuck it, because she's a big girl and can take care of herself. Maybe. Because he's also clearly neighbors with a couple local Spirits I'm friends with, and I don't want them somehow getting fucked over because he gets a bug up his ass or something. Then again, I'm pretty sure the folks in Boltophsberg think the same of me. Shit, Jack probably thinks shit like that about me as well.

Which means I gotta talk this shit out with him, and that means I gotta get his ass talking. So, in the time honored tradition of everything I've ever done, I put that shit off. Okay, sort of. I'm getting better at dealing with shit like an adult. I don't like it, but I am. So after story time yesterday, I brought home some really savory stew I made with Marie in the Academy kitchen, but I'd started it with some of the stock from the pot down in Jackville.

Came out a little simple, but with a nice savory base and some solid bite to it. Nothing super spicy, just enough to warm the belly. I also had plenty of eggy cheese sandwiches and sweetened rice, not to mention each of the other girls' favorite paninis. The sweetened rice was totally my secret weapon; all our kids like sweet as much as any kid, and a couple of them are absolute gluttons for it, which meant they packed that shit away. Warm, full bellies make sleepy kids.

Once we had all of them bedded down, with Siobhan and Marie lying in the middle and Mister Slither wrapped around the base of the bed, I looked at Jack and Adrienne and said, "we need to talk." He kept his response quiet, which I appreciated since we hadn't left the bedroom yet.

"That's not ominous at all." I smiled, then waved for them to follow. I took Saffron by the hand and led them to the Bore. About halfway down the kids' hall, she hopped up and wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, and I slipped an arm under her butt to carry her. Okay, yes, feels were copped, but nothing super overt, just station identification and enjoying the squish and the way she squeaked super quiet when I did.

When we got to the roof I left the Bore and walked out under the stars, turning my head to her to claim a kiss.

"I hope that's not what you brought us up here to talk about." Jack's words could have been offensive, but I heard the laughter in them.

"Because I'm not really the sort to, uh, share." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I laughed.

"Oh, hell to the no. I mean, yeah, I can see why Adrienne's into you," I ignored her squeak of protest and drove over it.

"But she is into you, and her mother and I have done the deed, and probably will again, so I'm not copacetic with the idea of doing anything with Tallulah's daughter, or her potential son-in-law. Which if she's my daughter's sister, and you two hook up, that would kind of make you my son-in-law too, and while we do a lot of freaky shit, and I am understating both 'a lot' and 'freaky', but I'm just not down for incest."

"It's not like that!" Adrienne protested.

"But you'd like it to be," Saffron quietly countered. Adrienne's mouth opened, but nothing came out. I looked at Jack.

"Meanwhile it's pretty clear you'd like to as well, but something's stopping you." He got a booger look at me putting his stuff out there, but we were pretty much alone on the roof. He also didn't contradict me.

"Something about your... no, not 'ex-wife'." I paused, but couldn't think of the right word. Okay, I could, but it would be mean and crass to say 'dead wife'.

"You're a widower, aren't you?" He nodded, looking both deeply uncomfortable and just a little bit angry. Before he could say anything, Adrienne jumped in.

"That has nothing to do with it." I just stared at Jack, raising one eyebrow. Saffron snuggled into me as the temperature dropped. I wondered if that was just 'night in the mountains' or a Jack Frost thing. Eventually, though, my quiet patience paid off. He reached out, touched Adrienne on the hand, and said, "that's not quite true." She turned to him, mouth dropping open. Before she could say something they both might regret, I asked, "can either of you tell me about it?"

He raised one hand, palm down, toward Adrienne, a gesture requesting her patience, her silence.

"Why?" I sighed.

"Because my daughter Ria dotes on your... friend Adrienne here. Her sister. Her favorite sister. She's obviously connected to you in some kind of way." I had a sudden suspicion, but kept my yap shut.

"Also, you've managed to keep at least four, maybe five Pantheons out of Jackville, which means you've got some very real Power, and for all intents and purposes we're neighbors. I'd rather not have some weird secret about you come back to bite me in the ass. In part because I'm not fond of ass biting..."

"Liar," whispered Saffron. I rolled my eyes, "okay, I'm not fond of getting bit on the ass in a non-sexual setting, and we've already talked about why I don't want to do that. But the other reason I don't want that biting me in the ass is because I don't know how the two of you are connected, and when I get bit in the ass I tend to bite back, and I'd rather not have to explain to Ria why her favorite sister is missing important bits after I accidentally bite them off." Jack sighed.

"I... Would you take it the wrong way if I said I don't feel comfortable telling you my secrets here, in your place of power?" I shrugged.

"Would you feel better if we were in Jackville at Johnny's place?" He snorted.

"Next you'll tell me you'd follow me into the marshes to talk."

"If that's what it takes? Yeah. I will."

"Brave." I sighed. Held out my hand, the one with more scars on it.

"I didn't get these from being smart. Or cautious..."

"... but you're still around." I nodded, letting him know he'd gotten the point. He slipped his fingers around Adrienne's forearm, squeezed gently, then dropped his hand.

"I... I might feel safe telling you then."

"What if we talk somewhere down in Jackville, spot of your choosing, with Adrienne and I both providing privacy?" She bristled.

"You offer my services rather freely." I looked at her, then back at Jack.

"But you'd do it for him if he asked." She winced, but didn't argue.

"So. What's it gonna be, Jack? Do we talk this out like adults, or do we get stupid at some unspecified future date?" He turned to Adrienne, opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just stared at her with a look I'd seen on Loki's face. On Larry's. Fuck, I'd probably had that look now and again myself. I think I might have seen it on Saffron's face, and Siobhan's, and maybe Marie's, although she was hard to read.

"Tell you what. You've got to return to Jackville Thursday, right?"

"We do."

"Both of you, and that's not negotiable, is it?" He shook his head.

"Okay then, but I failed to specify when on Thursday. So you've got about twenty three hours, maybe twenty two, before Thursday starts, plus another twenty four before you turn into a pumpkin." He winced, opened his mouth, and I cut him off.

"Figure of speech. Sorry. But tell you what. Why don't you guys take some time. Talk this out. I'll play with the kids like normal, tell them Adrienne will say good bye before she leaves. Hopefully I'll be able to tell them she'll be back at some point in the future, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He winced again.

"Sorry, another figure of speech. But for the next twenty four to forty eight? Why don't you two have a talk. About what you're gonna tell me. About shit that maybe you should have told each other a long time ago. About what both of you want to do going forward." I waited a moment, then looked at Adrienne.

"Also, before you go, I think your mom would like to talk to you. Maybe brunch on Thursday? You, me, her, Jack, Saffron, we can all hit D's place in Phileo. Or maybe Drivers."

"So... you'd watch over Jackville while the two of us... talk?" I nodded.

"Well. That's more than generous. I assume you'll keep the party going in our absence." I smiled.

"Shit yeah. You'd have to go back if the visit was over, right?" He nodded.

"Okay then. Go. Talk. Maybe celebrate Ria's birthday by making her an aunt." I laughed at the looks on both of their faces.

"Okay, I was kidding about that, but maybe you two ought to talk about that a little too." He opened his mouth to say something, but this time her hand on his arm silenced him.

"Please?" He looked to me, and I nodded back to the Bore.

"Use my office. Top of the steps."