veronica knows lucivar wears the (ebongray) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2013-07-10 20:33:00 |
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Veronica glanced at the directions in her rental car’s GPS one more time before she came to a stop. It wasn’t that there were many mobile homes on empty stretches of land to choose from, but it would be just her luck to find any other metallic oasis out in the Nevada desert. Thankfully though, everyone was on her side, and she stepped out of her car and to the front door. To say she was nervous wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t going to pretend that she was completely at ease. It had been years since she’d seen Jack, and to find him there in Vegas, of all places, was strange. Lucky, some would say, but it was still early. Everything could go south still. Then again, she and Jack had never been a terribly bad thing. They grew close and then grew apart, parting on amiable terms with promises to keep in touch, and no bad blood when they didn’t. Which made her want for this night to go smoothly all the more. Finally at his doorstep, jeans and a black and white striped t-shirt, she shook her head, tossing her loose brown ponytail off her shoulder. One hand wrapped around the neck of the red wine she brought, she raised her other and rapped on his Jack’s door. Jack knew before he even heard the car pull up out front that she was there -- but only because of Spot who let out a quiet whine when he saw the car moving down their long stretch of road. "Yeah, that's Veronica, boy," Jack said as he checked out the window and gave Spot a quick pat on the head. Seemingly assured by this, Spot quieted and stilled, his nose pressed up to the window pane. Dressed comfortably in a pair of jeans and a green polo, Jack left him there in the bedroom and walked out to the kitchen. Was he nervous? It'd been a long time since he'd seen Veronica, but it would be good to see her again. Share some wine, eat the lamb chops he had marinating in the fridge. Those he pulled out, peeling back the plastic wrap on the bowl until he heard her knock. They wouldn't take long to cook outside on the firepit and unless he wanted to overcook them, he'd decided earlier just to wait until she got there to put them out. Spot beat him to the door. Laughing, Jack tugged on his collar and drew him back before he opened it. "Hey V." Stepping back and out of the way, he held the door open for her. "And this is Spot. He's more lover than fighter." “A love, huh?” Veronica reached her free hand for Spot, fingers up to let him sniff before she petted the underside of his chin. Sliding past him she tiptoed her way through Jack’s home before finally freeing herself from the tangle at the door, and spinning around to face him. “Long time no see,” she declared with a little wave of the wine bottle. Taking a moment, she glanced away from him and at their surroundings, her smile starting small but blooming quickly. “Very nice, though I think I might have to suspend judgment until after the grand tour.” The words she pulled out slowly, ending with a dramatic wave of her free hand, even if the tour consisted of a few corners and a few minutes. She tipped the neck of the bottle toward him with an easy smile. “Where shall I put this?” "Definitely a lover," Jack smiled. She looked different than he remembered, slightly older -- but then he was too. Older, hopefully wiser, but she was still just as pretty as she'd ever been in his memories. "Very long time," he murmured. There was no offering of a hug now, it would have been too weird, but at the wave of the bottle, he tilted his head towards the table that served as his dining room. "Go ahead and set it down on the table." He laughed at her mention of the 'grand' tour. A few steps this way, a few that way, and that would be all that she needed for the tour. The trailer wasn't big, certainly not as big as the apartment he'd gotten rid of, or the house that his father owned, but it was his. And, as far as Jack was concerned, it was just what he needed. "Not much of a tour, but I promise to show you around once I get the lamb chops on the grill." “Oooh, lamb,” she cooed, setting the bottle down on the table as he asked. Her hands suddenly free she turned back to Jack and found the nervous flutter in her once more. There he was, almost as she remembered him, and yet so much had changed. She’d been surprised when he talked about his new place and now she couldn’t help but wonder how much of him was still the man she once knew. “Let’s get these chops grilled then. I came hungry,” she laughed. At least her love of food hadn’t changed. “I promise that I won’t even interrupt. I’ll sit there and watch.” And some things had changed, though how much Veronica could control her own habit for meddling, especially when it came to food, was anyone’s guest. “You can tell me everything you’ve been up to lately.” "Well, I thought about steaks first, but then I thought lamb might be more interesting." And Jack liked to switch up his protein choices. Grabbing the bowl they were currently marinating in and a pair of tongs, he balanced the bowl in the crook of his arm so he could grab the lighter on his way out of the trailer. "I wouldn't dare ask you to be quiet," he said, grinning as he walked out the door and towards the firepit a dozen feet away from the front of his trailer. Only recently had he bought the two pine-gold chairs that were seated a few feet apart before the fire pit. The days were getting nicer and he knew that he'd want to be spending more time outside than he already did. The crate he'd been using in the beginning wasn't going to be enough, but the crate remained, between the two chairs to be used as a table. Jack pulled it out now to set the bowl on as he got the pit ready and finally lit it, kindling glowing red before it caught onto the charcoal beneath. "What I've been up to isn't that interesting. Mostly just work. The journals," he said cautiously, wondering if she knew who she had yet. "And getting used to living out here with Spot." “You’ll regret that later, I’m sure,” she teased as she followed him outside. Wine to loosen her tongue and good company to keep her chatting, asking V to be quiet would have been futile but that wasn’t to say she would have at least tried. Taking a seat as she watched him set up the fire pit, she relaxed across the back with a dream sight, maybe admiring the view from the back a little more than she would a stranger. But quickly she stopped her staring, all ears for his words and nodding understandingly as he spoke of the journals. “The journals,” she breathed with another sigh, this time amused and confused all at once. “I would have thought I was going crazy if it didn’t seem like there were a dozen or more people with the same problem. And that’s even touching the voice.” One slim finger rose to tap at her temple. “At least he’s not so bad. Lucivar and I get along so there’s that. I can only assume there are a few characters, no pun intended, in the bunch.” She cocked her head to the side for a moment to toss a small smile his way. “You? Does yours give you any trouble?” "Never," Jack said, laughing as he cast a glance over his shoulder to her. "It'd be good to hear something other than my own voice around here." He barely paid any attention to the feeling of a pair of eyes on him as he moved around, getting everything set up before he placed the lamb chops on the wire grill frame above the fire. "I've had to do a lot of reassuring because of those journals," he said quietly as he backed away from the fire and sat in the other seat, long legs draped over the footstool, the bottoms of his feet pointed toward the fire. "There are a lot of characters in the bunch. I had Prince Charming first, who was exceedingly Charming and not the least bit sincere." Then there had been the one whose name Jack never knew, but he remembered the sensation, the anger. Jack didn't miss that one at all. "I've had Aragorn for a while now. Sometimes I think he's trying to bring back his world a pound of dirt at a time," another smile as he glanced up at her, "but I like him. It's good that you get along with -- Lucivar?" The name didn't ring any bells for Jack. “You mean to tell me Spot’s no conversationalist?” The laugh spilled from the tail end of her words, growing faint as she cast a quick glance back to the trailer before turning to grin at the man sitting beside her. “And really, Spot?” Not that it was a terrible name, simply not what she was expecting. Then again, she had hardly expected Jack to end up so… delightfully domestic. “The Prince Charming?” The mirth and amusement faded and her face falling as he spoke of the insincerity. Well that was disappointing. It was fleeting, however, as his new alter ego was one that she was impressed by. “You’re kidding,” she laughed, unable to help the lean towards him, one hand gently swatting his knee as she shriek with surprise. “Aragon. Of all people! I’m jealous.” It wasn’t so much that it didn’t suit Jack, or that he was undeserving, but she hadn’t yet come across such grandiose literary figures. Not that she been asking around. “Oh, Lucivar, he’s…” she trailed off abruptly with a wave of her hand. How to describe Lucivar? “His story is this, erm, hm. Fantasy romance novel, really.” It was a bit embarrassing to say it aloud. Then again, she edited more than a few romance novels for work so truly, all her friends were used to her indulging the occasional bodice ripper and then some. Still, the voice in her head grumbled and snarled at her succinct description. She mentally nudged him quiet. “Good story. Brutal sort of world. But good balance of the romance and the fantasy.” Another mental snarl and choice curses that had her frowning before she turned her attention back to Jack. “But I can count on two hands people I know who’ve read them. So I was shocked you’ve got someone from Lord of the Rings series.” A thought struck her and her face lit up. “Are the others here?” He grinned at her laugh and shook his head. "Nope, not a conversationalist. He's good for snuggling, face licking and putting people at ease, but conversation? Not so much." At the mention of his name, Spot came over and nudged at Jack's hand with his wet nose, earning a quiet laugh from Jack. "And yes, that Prince Charming. Very charming, hopelessly insincere." It had fit in some ways, in others Jack was mostly infuriated by the man who couldn't seem to manage a sincere feeling for anyone. And then there was Aragorn. If Jack ever had a chance of picking someone to share his mind with, he would pick Aragorn again, without a question. "Not at all," he said with a quiet laugh to her shriek of surprise. How good was it to be able to see that kind of happy reaction in someone? He hadn't seen anything like it in months. "Except for the dirt --" Jack could only smile. It dimmed only slightly when she spoke of Lucivar. Jack didn't know the books that the man came from, but he'd barely known where Aragorn came from when he originally found out who he was. "What are they called?" Fantasy wasn't his genre of choice, but it seemed like a better idea to know where some of these people came from, much like he had with the Ranger. "And you aren't as surprised as I was. I'd never seen the movies." More important than the world, and what he knew of it, was the man that lived there and what Jack knew of him. The rest was simply details. "Sam and Frodo. Legolas was here for a while, but he seems to have moved away. His person here, at least," Jack added, thinking momentarily of Malcolm. The dirt. Veronica could only laugh once more, trailing off as he asked about Lucivar’s world and books. “The Black Jewels trilogy,” she intoned low and oh so serious tones before appending with a grin, “or series, since there are more than three. Decently popular though still unknown, probably both helped and hindered by the main characters having variations of names associated with the devil.” She shrugged, as it never bothered her but it had been an interesting twist since she first came across them. “He’s this big burly guy, with huge bat wings but total softie inside.” Her grin grew wider a moment later, as mental conversation (and huff) quickly transpired before she turned back to Jack. “It’s the truth but apparently you didn’t hear it from me.” Still the idea that he hadn’t seen the movies at least made her drop her jaw. “Clearly that should be remedied,” she declared, though maybe it wasn’t so bad not knowing everything. But the movies were good, and the books classics. This was still something to fix. “Though that begs the question, if you could have picked someone, who would you pick?” Her eyes brightened as he mentioned Sam and Frodo were also around. “Have you met them? Their persons? Or does it not matter much when you go through?” Though Veronica knew Lucivar’s family was about, she hadn’t yet reached out to their other sides, nor was she sure if that was the right thing to do. Jack chuckled at her description of him, all the way down to the big softie part. "His secret is safe with me." Sliding off the chair, he knelt down by the firepit to check the chops. They wouldn't take long to cook, but they could probably use another minute or two on the grill. Not much more than that though, or they'd be overdone. "I've got the books on my iPad, just haven't gotten around to reading them yet." There were times when Jack wanted a real book between his hands, the laminated cover, the feeling of the paper, the new book smell that happened the first time you opened one, but he had less space now, which meant more digital books instead of real ones. "I have no idea. Another doctor, maybe?" Jack mused. "Someone that wants to do good." Literary characters weren't his forte, but he knew some of the classic ones. He just didn't know which, out of any of those, he'd pick. "I'm glad I got this one, to be honest. Even if I haven't read his books yet," he said, flashing her a grin over his shoulder. "I've met Frodo's person, but I don't know who Sam has. "He's the first one I've had that really has friends. And it was... unique. I met Malcolm first but once Aragorn knew who he had, it was odd. Knowing their friendship, how he felt." Jack paused and glanced back to the fire. Almost done. "So, want to eat out here? Inside? Lady's choice." “Oh, iPads, if only they weren’t so convenient,” Veronica sighed. Perhaps it was her work that made her nostalgic for the days of actual books, not that they were completely over, but it spanned much farther than that. A childhood love of books gave way to her desire to write, and paved the way for her job. Physical books would always have a place in her old heart, a sentiment that she shared with Jack, even if he hadn’t voiced it, such similarities they had shared when they had dated. “Outside!” Her declaration pulled her to her feet, leaning back a moment once she was standing to look up at the sky. “You promised me a good sunset,” she reminded him, the sun just starting to dip and the sky above just starting to darken. She smiled up at them, the picture it was making sending a small thrill through her before she trotted up beside Jack. “Now that looks amazing,” she cooed, hip bumping against his as she stood beside him, admiring his handiwork. “You sound very lucky to have Aragorn. I think we both lucked out on ours.” Realizing there was something she could do, she fumbled around for plates before helpfully presenting them to him. “Have you been through the other ones? Or is that not allowed?” Veronica had dutifully only gone through the door her own key opened, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about the others. “Or that Prince Charming? How was going through that place? All talking animals and fair princesses?” "I did," Jack laughed as her hip bumped his and he had to resist the urge to reach out, tuck her up against him for the few seconds they had left to wait for the chops. The thing about having dated someone was that once it was "dated" it was no longer something that was happening, but something that had happened and was now over. Her comment about how lucky they were snapped him out of his own thoughts and he smiled over at her. "We are. If you wanna sit back down, I'll bring everything out to you." He could crack open the bottle of wine she'd brought, get the salad out of the fridge, get it all on a plate and be back in time to catch the last of the sunset with her. "The other ones, you mean the doors? No, but once when I was stuck on Aragorn's side, I invited one of my patients over," Jack said, remembering the fighting with the lions and his first time meeting Chay. "It's allowed, you just need someone to open the door for you, I think." Veronica felt a little at loss of what to do, her hands empty and everything already taken care of. She was usually the hostess, the initiator, the leader in whatever little entertaining endeavor she found herself attending. Being the guest was always a little off putting at first, but she could hide behind the other guests and sneak away to help out or do something productive. With just the two of them, she had only to sit back and relax. It took her a moment to hear his suggestion and she started slightly before settling back into her chair. “Your patients have some too?” She tilted her head to let her words follow him, her eyes settling on the horizon. The notion of being allowed to go into a door was an intriguing one, and she couldn’t help but push, “So what does a girl have to do to get an invitation?” She tossed him a grin and a beat later continued, “You’re always welcome in mine. I think you’d do nicely there. They like men with manners.” "Oh, is that what you're trying to get?" Jack laughed as he stepped into the trailer and headed the few feet to get into the fridge. Jack would have invited her, but Lucivar? Whoever Lucivar was? Even if she described him as being a big softie, it was the wings part that caught Aragorn's attention. "You know it's not me they'd get right? It'd be Aragorn." He called out the door as he grabbed the salad. "What do you want for dressing? I've got Ranch or Balsamic Vinaigrette, or I could probably do just regular vinaigrette if you want." The Balsamic might go better with the lamb, but as always, it was her decision to make. While he waited for her answer, he fished around in the drawer for the wine bottle opener. “Can’t blame a girl for trying, Jack,” she laughed, mock sheepishly shrugging her shoulders. His correction made her contemplate that scenario, Aragorn walking through the light and shadow realms and it made her lips curl in soft amusement. “Still mannered,” she reminded him but it did dampen her excitement a bit. “But fine, I’ll be content with just movies and books.” It was quite disappointing not to be able to just visit these famed places, simply view them from another’s eyes. “Balsamic,” she cried from her seat, tossing the word as best she could over her shoulder. Settling back into her seat she enjoyed the view his scenery offered her, and she could hardly wait to watch this oh so famed sunset he spoke about, watching the landscape around them change with the fading light. Though he couldn't see her with his back turned, he heard the drop in her voice, the way it wasn't quite as excitedly happy as it had been a few seconds ago. "Balsamic it is," Jack said to himself as he found the bottle opener and pulled it out of the drawer. It took the better part of a minute to get the bottle open and then to pour it into two glasses for both of them. What remained he left in the bottle and placed it back on the table. Grabbing their plates and glasses, Jack took those out first before he returned for the dressing and the salad. While he probably could have piled everything into his arms and taken it out that way, this way he wasn't risking dropping everything and it wasn't trouble to go back inside and retrieve anything he'd forgotten. And as soon as everything was down on the small crate between the chairs, Jack was reaching for her plate so he could move the chops off the grill and onto it. "Let me meet him first." He held off on telling her about the one time when they had all switched places -- he didn't want to scare her away from the hotel. “Him?” Veronica had been preoccupied with her thoughts of salads and watching him, with no small amount of amusement as he had a pile of things in his arms. How he managed to get it all in one go was beyond her but she wasn’t going to complain. It was a small marvel to watch and his words cut into her show. “Oh! Lucivar?” The thought hadn’t occurred to her, her lips pressing into a thin line as she considered it, head bobbing softly as she found it agreeable. “I think I can try that. Should he poke you on the journals?” Meeting, surely, meant only figuratively. She still was new to the whole process. “Unless there’s some other way to meet him?” "I think..." There were also those keys behind the desk at the hotel, the ones that came in pairs. "Journal poking might work. If not, we can figure something else out. I don't think Aragorn spends much time on it, he's usually out in the woods looking at things." Or that's what he was told anyway. He still couldn't communicate with Aragorn when the other man was on his side of the door. Yet, he could hear Aragorn just fine on this side. "He's looking for signs of the Enemy. Sauron?" At the Man's confirmation, Jack nodded. "It's prior to the war for him, though he's already lived through it." Jack turned and handed the plate back to her, now topped with a few steaming lamb chops. His stomach gave a little rumble at the smell before he reached for his own plate to give it the same treatment. “Aragon and Lucivar are similar like that. He gets all…snarly,” she laughed softly, the adjective not one she’d normally use for a man but one she’d become more accustomed to as she knew his world, “when I don’t let him through often. But when I do, all he does is work. Like me, I suppose, but I’d at least use the book.” Veronica watched, with quiet fascination, as Jack spoke for his counterpart, seemingly distracted a moment before launching forward with his tale. She supposed she looked just as much when she was thinking of Lucivar, who gave her a gruff sigh for her thoughts. Both (or all three) of the men made her smile. She thanked him happily as she took her plate, cutting into the lamb as she mulled over some thoughts. “I suppose it’s good then, that you haven’t read or watched much of his life. Is it spoilery if it’s your own story? I suppose it’s like telling someone their future.” She took her first bite of the lamb and purred happily. “Jack, this is wonderful.” "Aragorn doesn't snarl, not unless there are Orcs involved," Jack said with a laugh. No, he made all sorts of other noises, but snarling wasn't one of them. Sometimes he yelled, but even that was a rare thing for the ranger. Still, it might be good to have him meet someone else. Jack knew he missed Legolas and that he worried about the rest of the Fellowship that had still not made their presence known, but they both had faith that they would show up when the time came. "He already knows. His last memories are of being crowned, but when he opened his door, it was before they had caught Gollum and taken him to before Thranduil King," he said, slipping into the term that Aragorn used. Her purr and complement shocked him out of his thoughts about the man he shared a mind with and he turned to smile at her. "Good." His own plate full, he stood and returned to his seat beside her to watch the reason why he'd called her out here. "See, there might be something to living all the way out here." She frowned softly as she thought of Aragon, lost in the in-between, the places and times he had known not aligned with what lay beyond the door. She couldn’t imagine the strain, let alone bearing it, and her thoughts flitted between what she knew of the books and trying to reconcile that so much hadn’t happened yet. It was downright tragic. When she turned to Jack she gave him a warm, soft smile of her own, before turning her eyes back to the sunset. “I’m not sure you’ll make a convert of me yet but there’s definitely some appeal.” She took another bite of her food, and another happy sigh made her relax back in her seat. “The view is the cincher, isn’t it? Then I’ll know, without a doubt, whether or not to be truly envious of your new place.” "Most of it is the view. The rest is in the privacy." He had joked about it with Winnie, the outdoor shower, but there was something in that too. In being able to come out here, clothed in nothing but his own skin and let bathe in the rain. He'd thought about getting an old freestanding tub to bring out here -- he could fill it with water and bathe under the stars if he wanted to. Maybe he would. The land was his, the house his, and it was anything that he wanted to make of it. There was the freedom that made it all worthwhile. "It's not for everyone, but it grows on you." Nothing more was said as they seemed to settle into the meal, enjoying one another's company and the sight of the setting sun. |