THE JARS THAT BLEED BEFORE THEY BREAK.

[glassjar]

Congrats! You've somehow stumbled upon the pocket dimension where five people with questionable morals (some more questionable than others) live and operate. Are you here on business? Do you have an appointment? Or are you here to see a friend? (Come on, don't make us laugh.)

Maybe you're here on accident due to some multiversal, magical, or otherwise supernatural nonsense? It's happened before, it was bound to happen again.

You can wander towards the house, see if anyone's home. Or you can explore the lush grounds, and maybe run across the wolfman groundskeeper who might try to usher you out towards the nearest portal, anyway. The world is your oyster, just try to be a good guest.

Comments

[ghostpranks]

[what]

What? No. [IONA WHY ARE YOU MAKING IT WEIRD] I just figured she was pretty old because my brother said as much. It’s not… it’s not like that. Jesus.

1/2 NOT HERE

[oren]

[If Oren had it in mind to groan audibly he would, but he's looking after the soup right now.]

[infusion]

[Iona sighs with relief!!]

Phew! So it's nothing huh? That's fine!

Oh, but it's totally normal for anyone and everyone to look at her and go, 'Wowza!'

[NO ONE SAYS WOWZA ANYMORE]

So that must mean you're super resilient. No wonder Grandma got so testy with you! [she gives jake a thumbs up 🙃👍]

[ghostpranks]

[Oh my god.]

No one says “wowza”. Believe me. She’s not my type.

[But. Hm.]

Don’t look too relived, though. Something tells me I’m not the one you gotta worry about.

[infusion]

[Iona was about to ask Jake what his type was but he has been saved by piquing her interest with the last remark.]

Hm? What do you mean by that?

[ghostpranks]

[If he has to suffer through this knowledge, then so, too, do you, Iona.

Bluntly:] I mean I think another guy in our group has a thing for her. He offered for her to “stay the night” once but she turned him down.

[infusion]

[In the kitchen, Oren has paused for a few seconds from stirring the soup... And resumes, he's used to it when it comes to Berna.

Iona on the other hand has a much funnier reaction. Her cheeks flush when she realizes what Jake means by "stay the night."]

Oh. Wow. Woooow.

[She cups her cheeks with her hands and glances to the side giggling nervously.]

Her game is sooo powerful, oh my gooood...!!

[It's kind of embarrassing to hear about and be inflicted with the knowledge sure, especially since Iona doesn't exactly ask about Berna's love life. She always had the impression Grandma just does what she wants in that field like everything else in life and with her age and experience as a witch, her standards are rather malleable not even touching whatever is between her and Oren.

But hol' up a minute.]

Wait. [Iona looks at Jacob, squinting.]

Who's this guy? Is he a scumbag too?

[IONA........]

[ghostpranks]

[MA’AM?]

…“too”, huh? [Now Jake’s going to be difficult and not answer the question!!] Can’t believe this is how you treat repeat customers.

[He’s not actually offended.]

[infusion]

[The young witch laughs and it's how anyone can tell she was definitely joking around. It's a joyful one, indicative of how she truly lives for moments like these with her customers.]

Sorry, sorrrrry. For that, the next drink is on the house, okay?

[And she cheekily adds while cupping her mouth with one hand as if whispering:]

That iiis if you tell me about this guy in your group. I know Grandma can handle herself, but you're just dangling delicious bait in front of me!

[ghostpranks]

[Jake actually smiles. It’s as faint as a ghost, and doesn’t last long, but it’s there. He’s amused, clearly. Plus, a free drink? No complaints here.]

Guess I’ll forgive you. As long as I get free shit.

[He leans forward…]

As for the guy, his name’s Thomas.

[And it’s not his place to relay Thomas’ story to just anyone.

Good thing Jake doesn’t care!]

He’s… been around for a while. Longer than any of us, at least. He’s from France, like, all the way back when Napoleon was a thing. He was a thief and a criminal in those days, so not much has changed, really.

[What a shining endorsement.]

He has a lot of power, too. Makes him loopy sometimes. Born with a janky soul and all that.

[A VERY SHINING ENDORSEMENT. This is still far from all the finer details, and he’s cutting some parts out, but this is fine.]

[infusion]

[He has Iona's attention with that backstory and she nods with each detail Jacob relays. Frenchman okay, that explains the bold flirtation (Berna does have nostalgia for France in the past). Back from the days of Napoleon, cool, cool, then he's got centuries on him, the age difference basically doesn't matter... Lots of power and loopy...

Hmm. Well, Berna knows what she's doing most of the time. Iona sure hopes so. But more importantly...]

Um. But is he... Well, is he nice? I know that's such a basic question but... Yeah.

[Iona leans forward on the counter to rest her elbows, thinking.]

... Never mind. You don't have to answer that.

[She does give Jake a small smile.]

He sounds interesting though. Definitely someone I'd like to meet at least once.

[ghostpranks]

…I don’t know how to answer that.

[If he’s nice. If any of them are “nice”. Some of them are sociable, yes, a far cry from what even Jake can muster. But there’s rarely anything nice about this work, and the kind of person you have to be to do it.

That aside, Thomas’ mood fluctuations so often…]

I guess you’ll find out if he ever swings by. To be honest with you, though? I’d rather deal without the extra complication this all brings.

[infusion]

[Iona is not so immature that she doesn't understand the implications so she nods along not needing further elaboration.]

In the end it's not my business.

And maybe we don't have to overthink about two really, really old people flirting.

[ghostpranks]

[He makes a face when she words it like that.

Then he teases, in his very deadpan Jake-like way:]

Aren't you gonna be a really, really old person someday, too?

[infusion]

[And Iona answers back just as seriously.]

I don't care about getting older.

I care about getting taller.

[Berna is tall while Iona despite being related is a neat 5'3...]

[ghostpranks]

[Pfft.]

And how old are you now, exactly? Sorry to break it to you, but you might have missed your window.

[infusion]

I'm only in my 20s so in witch years I'm still growing! And that means upwards too!

[Sure, sure....]

[ghostpranks]

Yeah... I dunno about that.

I think you've probably capped out, shorty.

[infusion]

Uuuggh...

[Iona comically leans against the espresso machine, dreams of height being dashed once again.

Before she forgets and let's Jake enjoy cafe ambience, the witch turns to him again.]

Er, change of topic but I wanted to ask you about your powers... Not what it does, but is it ok if I ask you anything else about them?

[Cause she's thinking about her boyfriend and how he discovered his powers in a tragic way...]

[ghostpranks]

[He's a little more relaxed now, at least. But whether that's a big leap or just a low bar to clear is up for debate.

He shrugs a little.]

Sure, if you want.

[infusion]

Hm. Without going into much detail, when did you discover you had powers? Or did you know you always had it?

[ghostpranks]

[Oh. Well. He supposes that's a question he should have expected.]

...No. I didn't know about them until later on.

[He sets his jaw, trying to think on how much he wants to say.]

Morgan knew about his powers ever since he was a kid. I was a late bloomer, I guess. But back when we were... getting into this business, really dipping our feet into the shady shit, things weren't easy. All we had was each other. No connections, no resources, barely any reputation.

[It was. Rough.]

Anyway, long story short: he almost died on a job, once. [Back when that was an issue.] My powers manifested then. I saved him last second.

[infusion]

[Iona listens to Jake without interrupting. There's a bit of an ache, knowing that Jake had his brother's back, never mind her opinion on Morgan himself.

Solomon wasn't there for her like that, not when it mattered most. It wasn't necessarily his fault; he wasn't in the right place at the right time. But he also had made himself separate intentionally, focused on his individuality, strong in his independence.

When Jake finishes his story, the witch nods.]

I see. Discovery under duress.

[She's clutching her right arm automatically.]

[ghostpranks]

Yeah. A real fun time.

[Sarcasm.

Not that he would do anything to change that moment. Jake and Morgan might disagree about a lot, stand on varying levels of moral ground, wish for different things at their core, but... he's still family. The only family he has left.

But sometimes he really wishes they could have found purpose in another way, though damned if he knows how.]

What about you? What's your story? [A pointed look down at her arm, which he of course notices the tell. He notices a lot.]

[infusion]

Me? Oh... Um.

[It would be easy, to play the cheeky and tricky hostess who laughed about her own grievances. But he had given her sincerity without giving all the parts. She could at least do the same.

When Jake glances at her arm, Iona releases it.]

I guess... Long story short, I blew up my arm. Under duress.

[A pause as she bites her lower lip slightly.]

I was kidnapped and I panicked. Up to that point, my magic hadn't awakened yet.