A premonition of fate.
Caz looks behind him as an older kid from school leaves the park. Something about that guy looks familiar, but he can't place it.
It's probably nothing.
Meanwhile, Kevin's family is still at the graveyard.
Jyo and Malcolm are long gone from that place. Malcolm doesn't mind if she complains about Kevin. He didn't let Kevin complain about her, of course.
What a stellar performance you had as a husband today. Great redebut. I could not have planned a better use for your pixels than you dancing on a few graves and then dancing in the face of your wife's fling while she broke up with him- ahem, anyways, you can never top that.
...and your hear is a mess. Who cares? I love you right now.
“WOO!”
...probably.
Oh hey, it's Wiggles! Making it possible for them to dance together.
They buy some tickets so they can go make out at the stadium after that. Go on kids, you've earned some alone time. With the thousands of other people in attendance during a game.
Jyo messaged Meg about finding Malcolm at some point in the afternoon, promising to tell her parents everything else when she gets home. Dustin makes drinks to celebrate, since he's something like level seven as a bartender for no reason other than he hates sitting still.
Meghan cheers him on, enjoying the moment. Her usual self would be full of worries and what-ifs, but for some reason Malcolm surviving just makes sense, after everything else that had come out and she had been secretly hoping it was all true, if for no other reason than the fact that Malcolm has survived means that Jiraya's doing better than they thought. “Can we hope for ...Emir, too?” She asks her husband conspiratorially.
“I know I do. Jiraya's been right about a lot of the things he saw.” Dustin remarks, remembering taking the boy to the courthouse to make statements and give testimonies a long time ago. He doesn't care about being the voice of reason lately and suppresses a cold shiver. The kids are alright, sorting themselves out against nearly impossible odds. “Just don't pressure them to give us an answer about that one.”
“Yeah...” She sighs happily into her drink. It's been awhile since she had a dream. Now, it's having her family come back together and being alive to see it.
“I did not betray you, I just didn't know about him?” Malcolm left after the game got out and Jyoti regrets answering the phone just because she was in such a good mood.
“No of course I had no idea he was working in the beachfront shops!
“...why do I have to explain so much to you? I'm not a liar, Kevin.”
“What do you mean if it weren't for Malcolm?! Am I supposed to pretend he's still dead? ...that's unfair.'
“Yes of course I have- had feelings, that's not the point-”
She finds herself still muttering out loud even after hanging up. She is not making a mistake, and nobody's going to convince her otherwise.
You are NOT sleeping here, dog. Get back to the home already! Your humans need you.
… not any more than they need each other.
Casimir manages to see himself home from the festival. Will either of his parents ever parent this kid? I think we know the answer to that.
When he wakes up he realizes that grandma thought painting was more important than picking him up off of the floor, so he heads off to paint, too. Might as well. He paints a bird soaring away from everything and flying free. It's not about him.
Jyoti's still wide awake and isn't ready to go home. There's too much to think about.
Luminous Salamander. Somehow fitting that there is also a unicorn somewhere off-screen behind her. Her life does not seem real these last few days.
… does this stuff all happen in real life?
Meghan painting one of my favorites from her. I'm glad she lived long enough to have more peaceful moments like these.
… which way was it, again?
Jyo is not literary at all like her brother is, so she had to buy this whole love letter kit to have any idea what to say. If there wasn't a suggested sentence structure, it would probably be made up of innuendos. 'There's a new leaf pile out front with our name on it'... was not one of the suggested lines in the kit. She tries to write her actual feelings... “I can never see you enough.” and then scratches them out as being sappy. In the end she goes through most of the stationary before deciding on a few simple statements. “Keep coming back to me. I'll be waiting for you.” Is most likely the tone of it.
Will it be enough to make Malcolm come to visit, or even to stay?
(A: No not in the near future, he'll be working ahhaha he's the same guy you married alright.)
She puts it in the post and is amazed. Look who finally made it home. She barely believed that was true either.
Jyo watches Leila stumble by her after what must have been a crazy couple of days exploring the city. For some reason, this make Jyo feel better about her condition. She is clearly a sort-of ghost, but able to still be exhausted, looking for her mat. She doesn't seem to be in any actual pain.
Just a little more floaty than usual. Huh.
How it feels to pet her and welcome her back is not easy to put into words. Both familiar and strange, warm and cold, near and distant. “Are you here to tell me that life is merely a long, strange dream?”
When Leila licks her face it still feels wet, though. “Maybe a very convincing dream...”
By the next morning Jyo is grateful for fall leaves, because there is plenty of time for self reflection in the clearing of them all. There are still moments of uncertainty and loneliness, and menial tasks make her appreciate that she doesn't have all of the answers. Maybe Malcolm and her are on a journey together, it's not as if there has to be a particular goal. If he needs time before he comes to stay, she begins to think that she can actually give it. To have a little bit more patience, although that would have seemed impossible a few hours ago.
With every scrape of her rake and every time she shakes new leaves onto the pile, she finds she can just appreciate what she already has.
“Aren't you glad we ran away together, all those chapters ago.”
“You didn't even have a clean outfit to wear, but I was secretly pretending it was date we were on, in that laundromat.”
“I knew it! Dustin Sparrow, you were stalking me from the very beginning.”
“Correction miss, you followed me, so I didn't have to stalk you.”
“So you're saying it wasn't off the table?”
He grins. “You know you would have been my friend no matter what.”
“Maybe...”
“Not maybe. Best out of three says I saved you as much as you saved me from a boring town life I didn't really want.”
“Okay but don't get mad at me if you pop out a hip.”
“Don't get mad when you can't win.” He counters.
She doesn't get mad and she doesn't win, either. Meg has never won against a 3 match against her husband. That's okay, she wanted to test him like usual. “You're still in pretty good shape...”
Casimir had an adorable wish to take Leila outside for a walk.
Which he toughs out because the sun on his skin makes him feel nauseous.
A friend comes over to play indoors later, which is nice.
Dustin is here inspecting (showcasing) the interior of the Sparrow Arcade of Arts and Sciences (SAAS).
These two were visiting together. I'm sure Ev was just in town for the opening of SAAS, and invited Emir along to see it. :D
/myheadcannon
Good to see you!
By the weekend Jyo decides to attend the Starlight Shores' expatriate Gooder Public School reunion. Lots of kids from her graduating class are in attendance.
It's hosted at the Chidori club, which has just opened up on the beachfront.
This guy's here too.
Jet's looking for a new direction for his work, now that the family is back together. There will certainly be more biographies of course, and he's hoping to convince Malcolm to share his story. He can't say he's not disappointed when it's clear that his sister's husband won't commit to some interview time or another. It may be years before Jet gets to write that story, but he will always be ready for it to come to life in written word.
Until then, Malcolm is going to be keeping many things to himself.
He's not feeling overly talkative tonight in general. The Chidori Club has a lot going on, and it's terribly awkward for him to be the center of attention just for being alive. Thankfully, he was always shy so his former classmates don't pressure him to be overly social even now.
Howard's here but gets Jet talking about some new kind of art or another so Jyoti dances alone at the back of the bar. His dad is present, along with Craig Elson, Christian's brother.
He greets her when she finally sits down. She doesn't remember him being this dorky looking as a teen, but at least he's dropped the spray tan.
“You look a little less like a brat these days.”
"You still are though." She grins. He hasn't changed at all.
She gives up on dancing for now and catches up with old friends at the bar.
And then darts off in the corner. There's really no decent romantic place at the Chidori Club, but it has a fresh, stimulating atmosphere and the sound of pleasant conversation flows over from the bar like white noise. It's a newer place in town, and not what Roaring Heights is used to as the music is not live, and nobody's there to greet patrons at the door or show them to a seating area.
Malcolm's distracted from their game, though. He isn't adjusting to the military as well as he'd originally expected to. It's a young man's trade and although he's not middle aged yet, he will be in a couple of years. Answering to some of the bratty officers that are nearly half his age as a cadet is a bit closer to being back in the labs than he would like. He does his best not to complain to Jyo, who he was secretly hoping he would get to work with one day. She's on the other side of the base and they will likely never see each at work, so his plan to spend time with her that way is backfiring. However he is unable to keep his annoyance a complete secret. He loves work in general, so there's gotta be a way.
“Not to be competitive, but you've missed the board on three of the last five shots.” She tells him conversationally.
He rolls his eyes at the dart on the floor. “Thanks Jyo, that's real helpful.”
“So what is it- it's not... the workouts, is it?”
He shakes his head. “I can handle that.”
She smirks. “The people...?”
“...partially.”
“You know you don't have to do this kind of work if it doesn't suit you, right?”
He knows. But it's too late to go back and do the kinds of things he dreamed of doing ever since he was young, right?
“I'll figure it out.” He assures her, giving up on darts for the evening. “It's just weird, being a functional member of society sometimes. Don't tell that to my Drill.”
“I'm sure he already knows.”
She's rewarded with a small laugh.
“Well don't mind if I smoke your score real quick before we quit.”
“Be my guest.” Malcolm says, deciding not to point out how she is standing way over the line to hit the board. It crosses his mind that there are probably things she's not that great at either.
He stifles the instinct to tease her about it. Watching her lose herself on a focused task has its benefits, too.
Soon enough Jyoti and Malcolm are done with anything that's not each other.
They get lost in the atmosphere, forgetting the other people around them. When they look around they finally notice that there are number of school aged children at the bar getting dinner... whose children are these? To be fair, they could have merely wondered in off the beach and been hungry. Also to be fair? The school is nowhere near this place.
As for the Sparrow children; Caz is at home as it's late, making this expression. Apparently the game he's playing has just taught him a painful lesson.
Or this girl did, as she is still over. I keep mistaking her for Caroline but it's not. Marlin Cassat or her sister, I'm pretty sure.
“...dancing isn't really your thing, is it?”
“I can break it down.”
“I see.”
They share the most intensely disinterested dance I've ever seen, if it wasn't this particular game, that is.
“Shake it baby.”
“Pfft.”
He finally gets her to break character and relax.
“This sort of thing isn't too bad... if it's with you.”
“Aww.”
Howard isn't getting a word in, and he's not sure if he wanted it, as it turns out he has changed. He hovers around his schoolmates hesitantly for awhile. He's become socially awkward as an adult, but that's not really how Jyo remembers him. He's struggling to become the superstar that he's always wanted to be, but his anger management issues seem to be holding him back as he's still just an amateur player despite his athleticism. Ironically, he also is a natural born performer, but it was probably wise not to pursue that line of work in this town bereft of major venues.
...This makes me wonder if socially awkward was his teen trait, and that's why he stood Jyo up for a work out date so long ago. He was the town brat as a child.
He also seems to have no idea if somebody needs to go an comfort Kevin, who hasn't talked to anybody the whole night.
Howard doesn't get the whole public emotional breakdown thing. Is he trying to lose whatever good reputation he had left?
Jyoti and Malcolm are still working out the military career path thing and haven't noticed his presence.
She excuses herself when she sees what's going on around her.
Malcolm takes a sip to be polite. He knows Jyoti is trying to break any tension between them all.
As she walks away he absentmindedly swirls the drink around in his glass, this isn't really his kind of thing, but Jyo did give it to him...
That fa(c)e.
His expression of displeasure are just... * chefs kiss *
I feel like I'm watching an episode of Big Brother, except this is better. Also that show is garbage anyways. Play the sims for entertainment, people!
...meanwhile, Jyo... Unnecessarily dramatic pose in some lightning why-not.
Malcolm finds himself alone with Kevin but also doesn't want to talk to him. Dude needs a cold shower...
...so do I, he thinks.
He watches his wife try to soothe him.
...and 'enjoys' the cocktail that he forgets the taste of as soon as it's down his throat. Simnation has become a weirder place than ever since he'd been away from it socially.
“What you did really broke me. You betrayed me. I'm teetering on the edge.”
Is that something to say with a smile? Jyo laughs nervously because he is laughing.
Kevin: She broke me. She betrayed me. My life is over.
His pasted on grin impresses no one as he had been crying loudly into his hands for the previous half hour.
“Let me get you a drink.” She says through clenched teeth when she can't look at him anymore.
He drops his smile the second she walks away.
“Sorry Malcolm, I feel bad, I'll be right back.”
Malcolm nods without looking over. He wants no part of whatever drama this is shaping up to be.
She's decided that nobody else but her can do something about vibe-kill Kevin.
Jyo returns with a pair of sorrow annihilators. “It's not much, but it's the least I can do.”
“The absolute least.” Kevin agrees, crashing his glass into hers and downing the drink in one gulp.
It seems they have nothing more to say to each other.
He leaves immediately, no longer holding out any hope for this. There are other fish in the sea.
(like your wife, just sayin'...)
Malcolm heads out after that as well. Jyoti wishes that he'd invite her over to his place, she wants him back fully in her life in the worst way possible- but he hasn't told her much about anything. Where he is living, or if he even lives alone, is a mystery to her. She watches with mixed feelings as he leaves, then orders another set of drinks.
As many things have changed between them, this much is true; he's either the worst person at dating that she's ever met in her life, or his strategy is to always keep her wanting more.
The Neon Breeze does not taste at all like its namesake.
Dustin waits up for her, he can tell that there's a lot wrong, lately.
She's greeted by her dogs when she gets back at an early hour.
Caz should be in bed, too. But he's got a lot on his young mind. How do people cheat death? Is it like in a game, where you just get extra lives? His grandpa's legend is that he cannot die, he even came back to life on stage at one of his shows. Now other people who were dead, are not. It's hard to make sense of the world right now.
“Dinosaurs used to be alive, now none of them are...”
“Do you want to play cavemen or not?” maybe Marlin huffs.
“Our dog used to be dead...”
So that's a no, then.
Jyoti returns to her (non-midlife crisis) punked out room to feed a fish nobody cares about that I can't remember the name of. Malcolm had given her these purple flowers though, which is awesome as it's kind of the family's colorset.
The event wasn't bad, and despite the ups and downs, there is finally a peaceful night at home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A semi-introvert artist at a nightclub.
...Jet's idea of a good time out is similar to mine. I like people, just not the whole party scene.
