1.43 Show and Tell

Jyoti has had this wish locked in for weeks. Maybe it'll happen at the dance-- even Malcolm can't be oblivious to such a romantic setting, right?

Jet, on the other hand, has no problems talking about what he wants with his girlfriend. Kind of a bold topic for the PG-rated summer festival, but she's not interrupting him or changing the subject.

She lets him ramble about it for a while and soaks up the attention before laying down some ground rules. It was going to happen somewhere fun, and be special.

The pier is apparently gorgeous at sunset. “We could go for a swim, you could pick out a good book of romantic poems, I'll bring us something sweet to eat and a bottle of nectar...”

“It doesn't have to be expensive, I just want it to be with you.” She says, relishing the feeling of the moment as she brushes some of the fluffy hair out of his eyes. "Unless you want to talk about it with your friends afterwards, in that case it had better be expensive."

“I wouldn't do that and you know it. You could always sneak into my room at midnight. That would be incredible.”

“Your parents are up at all hours and you don't have a window out.”

“Hmm, right. Well I'm sure we'll figure something out.” He says easily.

Bereft of the kind of human companionship she's been craving, Jyo adopts an adult dog named Tiger Lily, also a female.

And summer draws to a close.

Eugene was such a good guy in life, that it spills over into unlife.

Everet is kind of a softie too

Jyo does well on her schoolwork, but also her extracurriculars.

They built a fun nook in the kitchen, but people still manage to eat by themselves everywhere.

This is a rare morning where the adults are able to sit down together.

“So I'm running out of things to bribe him with after we got that computer desk for his room- not that we can fit much else in there.”

“Mmm.” Meghan chews thoughtfully. “He just needs to sit still for three seconds and he'd do better in school. If he didn't procrastinate so much...”

“I know. I guess I keep thinking back to our experiences in college and I can't really fault him for not being interested. Not that I expect for a second that he'll be joining me on stage.”

“The Sparrow Family Circus. There is still hope.”

“We'd probably have to have about four more kids for that to happen.”

“Oh yeah? Who're you having them with?”

“Oh well, I haven't stretched my legs in a while. Wanna spar for a bit, get some exercise?”

He does. Any excuse to hang out with his wife, really is enough for him. She still loses 2-1. He does physical things for a living though, so not really a surprise.

“I hate to beat up my own wife. Let me make it up to you.”

“Your place or mine?”

They disappear for twelve minutes.

Everyone is getting more real life action than our main character. She has resigned herself to kicking over lawn decorations for entertainment.

So imagine the excitement when Malcolm has a few minutes after work one Friday.

Did she jog over, see anything awesome in the sky lately? She can show him the early fall sky, it's dark enough right now.

They sit close and it feels natural, but a little exciting. Jyo talks about the upcoming dance, and wears the dress she wore last prom that he didn't get to see as he didn't attend. He finds that incredibly sweet, but is more impressed that she's willing to sit on the concrete in it with him.

“But if I didn't risk the dress, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the night sky, right?”

“I guess, I'll bring you a jacket next time.”

“I'm not that girly to care about a dress more than the time I get to spend in it, you know. Is that... weird?”

But Malcolm just smiles at her. “I don't find you weird at all.”

“Other girls might...”

“But I'm not dating other girls, I'm dating you.”

Her face flushes. “Right.”

They watch the sky together for a while in a rare moment of peace where nothing hectic was going on around them. In moments like this everything feels right.

Maybe they'll finally get a little bit closer, she thinks. It's just that, he's a quiet guy, but he rarely has time for her between school and all his part time jobs. She thinks that what she wants from him is so simple. A little more time. If she were to lean towards him, would something come of this perfect moment?

But at she's thinking that, he pulls away. “I can't stay, I'm sorry.”

“I have to head out for work, I'm running late as it is.”

She tunes him out. He's got some excuse. “I can't believe you're leaving so soon.”

“I have to work... It was nice watching the stars, maybe next time can be better?” He says, hoofing it out to a waiting cab.

Turns out this was a horrible date. Why'd he tease her with like, five seconds of his time? Why did he ever tell her he liked her in the first place?

Frustrated, she calls him at work and tells him that she's got a stylist appointment over the weekend and if he was expecting to take her to homecoming, he was going to be there to help her pick out a dress. He hears something in her voice, and tells her he'll get someone to cover his shift at the diner.

He blows through his homework while she's waiting for the stylist to show up.

He hasn't said anything about what looks good or what he likes, and she's not at all confident about how she wants to look.

In the end, she gets her hair cut and dyed, and set in the current style everyone is raving about in school. It's sporty and girlish at the same time, and more importantly, it's comfortable (thank you cousin Ev).

Everet's advice was surprisingly helpful as Malcolm cannot be relied on for this. It turns out his mother passed away, and he's supposed to be helping his dad plan arrangements this evening, but here is he is with her instead, not being able to focus.

She tells him it's okay, she doesn't need him to do anything. She'll figure it out herself and he can just go home, or whatever.

“I'm out here with you though- I just don't know anything about girl's dresses.”

She feels bad, and picks something out in haste that she doesn't hate, but doesn't quite feel like her. With her new hair though it's lovely, she just won't be able to run in it. What a foreign concept.

She knows his mood has nothing to do with her, but it's difficult for her to not internalize it. He doesn't want to talk about his mom, and he doesn't think to say something nice about her choices, and it feels like they are further than ever apart.

She should be excited for the dance, but she's having a hard time looking forward to it.

She leaves first today, wondering if he even noticed that she had left.

I find these awesome windows in the catalog from wherever and install them in the lab. Now when Meghan is working she'll be able to keep an eye on the main reception room and see who's coming or going.

Jyo gets home and discovers she just doesn't want to feel things anymore.

I like my new look, she decides. And I'm the only one who needs to like it.

She tells herself that, but... is she just reading too much into everything? Maybe she didn't need the change after all. The short hair is going to feel amazing as she runs, though. And it matches her eyes, she's going to keep it for awhile.

Still, nothing feels like an advancement. Surrounded by childhood accomplishments and trying to let them go to grow up, Jyoti just feels...

Lonely.

It doesn't help that the house is so big now that everyone in it seems to drift by one another as time marches on.

I'm calling this the existential crisis bath, because everyone who sits in it looks lost in themselves.

Maybe the windows are in the wrong place, after all.

The next days are filled with...

Chores.

Tail chasing.

Training.

A few weeks later is a school dance. Again.

Jet & Christian are getting along as well as ever.

Jyoti and Malcom... haven't spoken in a while. He still works several part time jobs and Jyoti hasn't wanted to be with someone who's half there most of the time. At least, in her internal narrative. In reality, it's been difficult for her to ask him out so often and get the obvious rejection in response.

It's quite possibly a difficult situation for him, too. Does she think homecoming tickets grow on simolean-trees? These things were expensive, so obviously he cares. Why is she being so cold and distant?

These limo rides are never good for anybody. They don't talk the whole way there. She's not going to fish for compliments and apparently he isn't going to offer her any.

(Her boobs oml why dress?! I have no idea how to fix that, it's just a bad mesh.)

Everyone seems to be in a bad mood on this rainy fall night as they wait outdoors in long lines for the privilege of entering their boring-ass school happy dance, or whatever. The pageantry in this city gets to be so tiresome for the residents as it never ends for long enough to be appreciated.

Howard Huanna flaunts his self confidence by wearing a hotdog costume. Going stag is messing with his head.

Alyss Khan, also dateless, wears more than artistically cut up jeans.

Christian got distracted by the dogs play fighting and missed the limo. Good job Jet, leaving your date behind.

Dustin plays a massive show that night, although for once even he can tell that there's been a more somber mood in the house than usual. A part of him wishes he had signed up as a chaperone, even if he knows he'd be horrible at that job.

Devoid of after-party plans and with their dates in bad moods (along with half the school for some reason), Jyoti and Jet just head back home together after the dance.

Malcolm danced with her a little bit, got her punch, and she was the Homecoming Queen along with five other people. There was still something rehearsed, non-exciting, and not enough about it all. He doesn't seem to dislike her, but she wonders where that spark went that she felt in the beginning? Weren't they just going through the motions?

She is too exhausted to work out that night. It's the last year of school for her and graduation cannot come soon enough.

Jet gets his learner's permit soon after, and Dustin makes good on his promise to buy him a vehicle when his grades improve. A refurbished jet black historical truck is added to the family's fleet of vehicles.

The green are the jogging track markers.

Not wanting to take precious time away from studies and college applications (another area of her life where she has no real goals), Jyoti takes to running closer to home or around the property.

Dustin plays more epic sets at the largest indoor stadium in town, but sometimes all he can see is the stupid proprietor flirting with people. He risks his life for a great show just in case there are more people behind the baking lights.

There they are.

Homecoming pictures arrive in the mail. It makes Jyoti wish things were going better, but really there's so much to do this year that the days keep flying by and he keeps working and she keeps running.

The makeover was a good idea, she thinks. She's lighter on her feet and feels like she can be sporty and a girl at the same time. She looks good in the picture. Happy even.

Not that there isn't loneliness, or longing. But she's young, and it's hard to say if that longing is for another person or for her future to begin.

She fills her days with busyness so as to not have to worry too much.

She finally decides to talk to her dad about it.

“Dad- Can I ask you a question? You're ancient. What was it like when you and mom were dating? How did you find time for each other, didn't you both go to college and study?”

“That's a lot of questions.”

Her dad answers in between bites of grilled cheese. “Basically, your mom had a final chance with me and she didn't blow it. She finally admitted her feelings... after choosing to live with a bunch of plants instead of people, and people that might as well have been plants for how good they were to her.”

Dustin's daughter takes a deep breath. “You know what, I'm sorry I asked.”

“I guess I'll just sleep with him and see how I feel about it afterwards.”

Dustin is now also sorry that she asked.

Jyo didin't mean it, of course, she doesn't think. She was just punishing her dad for not taking her questions seriously. She wasn't the type to ask for advice, so forget it.

The dreams that had been absent for another month, arrived again that night, but were somehow carefree again, back like they were in the beginning.

There were normal dreams too, that were actually pleasant. It was summer, Jet was alive, and leaving for college a grade early because he and written a hit play and was going to be famous before he was even 18. She was held back a year, and planning to coach kid's softball forever, adding nothing to the family name. It doesn't dawn on her until later that that one still wasn't great.

The fantasy dreams were always more recognizable because of how eccentric they were. She couldn't change anything in them, only watch and wonder why nothing could be strung together in a meaningful way.

I don't want... to lie to you anymore...

His words echoed in her mind as she awoke.

Malcolm, waiting outside for her. Choosing the right words to say before ringing the doorbell. Hoping in part that she never opens it. He can't mess it up if he doesn't have to say anything.

But he knows that something must be said. She's been avoiding him for weeks. They didn't see one another really over the summer and now that fall is fully upon Starlight, it's starting to look like they're not even together. Even he has noticed that something is very wrong with her lately.

She comes out to meet him, but doesn't invite him inside. It's not a good sign really. And he forgets what he wanted to say. He just wants to look at her. He has a problem of being tongue tied around her that's not gotten better over time.

Finally he manages to say something. “I wanted to come pick you up before our study date, I hope that's okay. I feel bad I haven't been able to hang out much.”

“My dad is always missing birthdays, parents are always too busy for anything. I'm used to being left alone.”

He winces. Ouch. “I'm sorry, Jyo.”

“Don't be.” She sounds too polite, as if it doesn't concern her. “I'm fine. Thank you for being concerned.” And she turns towards the door.

“I... am, though. I really feel badly.” He feels the distance between them keenly now and it makes him start to ramble.

“I thought you were too busy to notice anything.” She confesses. Before he can say much more she's already walking away from him. “I have to go sit down, I have a headache...”

“Are we still on to study later, at my dad's?” He asks her. It may just be study, but he had been looking forward to it. It's not like their schedules converge often that they had time together after school.

“I guess... it's out of the way, but I was going to jog through the graveyard first. You could always meet me at the graveyard before- if you think you can handle my kind of work out. Or don't. I don't care either way.”

“I could meet you for your workout. Do you want to let me know when you're there?”

His answer is the sound of the front door shutting her back in her house.

Malcolm waits for her to come back out, to clarify things with him, but she doesn't. No new messages on his phone either. Maybe he'll just have to send her one. He leaves, heads down the hill, but something feels off, he turns back.

He marches slowly back to her door, thinking of knocking again. Was that a yes on meeting him later, or not? The time was unclear.

What he sees instead stops him dead in his tracks.

She's back outside, and not alone. His first thought is that Jyoti has a twin sister, but he knows better, knows that's her on a cold frosty night, in the arms of an older man. Less than ten minutes after talking to him.

An unfamiliar feeling of fear grips him and stalls him for a moment. Doubt keeps him from acting. That can't be real. But as if his presence was felt more than seen, slowly the pale man turns to face him, and a chill runs up his spine at the eyes that flash in the moonlight.

The specter glares at him and he is rooted to the spot, legs failing to move closer or further away. They stand like this, unmoving, for several terse and possibly precious, moments.

When Malcolm eventually closes his eyes for a second, the couple is gone. Had Jyo gone inside...? He didn't see or hear anything.

He walks around the side of the house, thinking they left, and winds up thinking that he's just wrong, that he had imagined it.

...a mirage? There is no one there.

They did just have a conversation, didn't they? There's nothing unusual anywhere now. And, Jyoti isn't that kind of a girl in the first place. Right, calm down. He consoles himself, certain that she is not that kind of a girl.

Into the night seeps more inky blackness, falling deeper into itself. Folding away the light, compressing, tick after tock.

There are so many nights like this, when the dreams blended in with the time spent at home and she has no idea when she fells asleep and the dream had actually begun. Exhausted after working out, she collapses in her bed and falls asleep, and falls into his arms, over and over again.

Jyo doesn't have anything passionate, or even remotely clear in the mundane routine of her daily life. She clings to the moments when she is asleep. She clings to the sharp sensation when he drags his teeth over her neck, leaving a chilly trail in their wake. She feels... wanted, when she is asleep. Sometimes she feels more alive than ever.

Luke is more urgent that usual, tonight in particular. There's something of a desperation in his voice that she can't place and doesn't understand.

“We need to leave, tonight, Jyo. Everything could be lost. You have to believe me and take it seriously, this time.”

“I can't just leave with you, I don't understand why you think I should. I've told you no so many times.” She whispers. She doesn't want to hurt him.

He takes a step back, shaking his head. She was never going to understand. “I haven't shown you enough.” He decides.

He takes a deep breath, in and out. “Can you see it, can you try to understand, a little? We aren't the same kind, Jyo. I'm different from you, I can see what you cannot, partly because... I'm not even human, not anymore.”

She is somehow not surprised by this revelation, that he's not human. Lots of unrealistic creatures have appeared in her dreams, and her best friend has a secret like that after all (even if his is more hidden-in-plain-site). "Is that all?" She asks him, amused.

“I never knew how I should approach you, so all I could think of was to ask you to think about me, sometimes. Then it wasn't enough, I got to know you, in your dreams. The things you want, the things you wish you could have, I want you to have them too. You deserve better, I want to help you make your life happen again.”

“But, how old are you Luke?”

He smiles a gentle smile. “A little bit older than you thought. I wanted to wait, to let you see me as I am, without putting more pressure on you than I already have. Does it really matter now, when you're so close to catching up with me?”

She's not interested in his reasoning, she wants to see proof of this where it counts.“Can we meet, when I'm awake?”

“Soon- but you should know that, I'm not really Luke out there. My kind... we're in constant danger from those who hunt us, I'm not someone you can tell other people about. Please let me trust you with my true self when the time comes.”

“You mean, you don't look like this, either.”

He picks over his clothes and shrugs. “This is close enough.”

Somehow his answers fail to surprise her. It wouldn't really be a dream, if he could enter into her reality after all, would it?

Jyo wakes up outside, dazed. Feeling off. This doesn't happen a lot, but it has before. To clear her head, even though it's nearly a half hour before curfew is in effect, she heads out to the cemetery. It's cold, wet, foggy and depressing. Exactly the opposite of how it appears in her head space, and exactly how she expects it to look. She hadn't really been here for years when all this started, it's weird that so many of her dreams have occurred in it. She thought they were resolved so many times, only to find herself back here... with Luke.

Tension break while Jet goes off to visit Christian at her place. Her brother Chance is a good friend, so why does this greeting feel mildly threatening right now?

Jyoti doesn't know what to make of it, when Malcolm shows up. But he's more serious than usual (if that could even be possible really) and she gets the feeling that he's relieved to see her.

“Jyoti.” He begins the conversation gravely, “Something's been going on lately. What is it?”

“What are you talking about?” She doesn't for a second entertain the thought that her dreams at night had been spilling into her actual life to this degree. It's not like he knows what she's been dealing with internally all this time.

“I was just at your house, to see you, and you blew me off and didn't want to see me, that's what I'm talking about.”

“I think I'd remember you being at my house a few minutes ago.”

“Well you don't, because I was there and you answered the door before practically slamming it in my face. I went to go home after that, but something didn't feel right, and I went back. You were outside still, there was an older man, you were standing so close to him, Jyo.” he runs his hand through his hair roughly. “I don't know what I'm supposed to think about this.”

“What do you mean, I was standing outside? I was asleep.” Shes asks, dumbfounded. She feels a kick of fear though. It is true that she woke up outside. “Who was I supposed to be outside with?”

“He was tall, a blonde...” He frowns at her, but it's more of a scowl when he recalls the look on the older man's face. “He's not normal.” He says through gritted teeth. “Who is he? ...Are you dating him, too?”

She laughs, thinking this has to be some kind of a joke. “You can't see Luke, he's not like, not a real person.”

“That was a real person of some kind. Is he even human?”

She doesn't know what to say to any of this.

“Are you dating him, Jyoti? While you're dating me? I can't believe that's the kind of person you are.”

“No- I wasn't with anyone! And Luke is like, someone I've never met, like a pen pal... that's the only person I can think of who's blonde, but he's not even that tall...”

“Anyways Malcolm I'm not dating anyone else. I barely have enough energy to try to see you. I don't know what you saw when I don't even recall meeting you in the first place.”

He doesn't like this, she answered too easily, too confidently. It comes off honest but he has a bad feeling about it all. She's not a forgetful person. “If we never met, then how did I know you'd be out here?”

She opens her mouth to answer and snaps it shut. He's right. They must have spoken. “I-I don't know I haven't been sleeping well for a while. I guess I could've forgotten, or maybe we talked about it during the day at some point?”

She's fishing for answers that she doesn't have. He shakes his head. “We didn't talk during the day. I'm getting worried about you.” He knows what he saw, or thinks he does. “Don't you remember being outside?”

She shakes her head quickly. “No, not at all.” She lies while her mind reels. Was Luke really outside with her while she slept? Sounds super unlikely.

“I haven't really been as comfortable outside as I used to be,” she confesses. “Maybe if I'm out like this again, I can call you if I don't like whatever I encounter in the dark?”

“I'll come running.” He promises. “I'm sorry for doubting you, Jyoti- but we did talk, maybe both of us need to get better rest with everything we have going on.”

She sighs a sigh of relief that he's not going to pursue this. “Or just sleep in school so we can actually hang out.”

He smiles. “That would be nice even if it's unrealistic. And you'll come by after, right? It's late, you'll want to get permissions probably.”

“Sure.” She smiles and completes her retreat. "It'll be ...nice to spend more time together.”

“Okay, okay it's a date. I'll let you get back to your run.”

He departs just as quickly as he arrived.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Malcolm leaves every date within about three interactions. It turns out that the horrible date at the tavern was the best time-wise, if he hadn't sat on his laptop for most of it. >_>; After the one-interaction date where they only got to watch the stars after the introductory chat, and he left, I had Jyo call him to hang out at the salon and he immediately arrived there. Somebody explain that to me.

So his in game behavior is a big part of why I introduced blondie as I wasn't sure things would work out for them.

The pics from Christian's house all sucked. Except for the part where her dad peed himself and wanted Jet to watch. Eww.