pups_dt (pups_dt) wrote in morningstar_mnr, @ 2008-03-18 10:42:00 |
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Entry tags: | jazz |
Phone Call Between Jazz and NPC Cleo
Six am was an ungodly hour for someone with the day off, but Jazz was up. There was someone else she needed to talk to, and unfortunately this one was five hours ahead of her.
She folded herself neatly in the corner of the couch and picked up her phone, dialing a number she knew by heart and listening through the ringing.
Eleven am, and Cleo was just about up. For all she wasn't Irish, any excuse to party was good enough and she'd been out rather late last night. Wrapping one hand around the mug of strong black coffee she grabbed the phone, "Allo?" She followed up that rather bleary greeting with a yawn and carefully sat down on her bed.
"Hola, hermana," Jazz smiled softly. "¿A temprano?"
"Que hora est?" Cleo looked up at the clock, "Oh shit. Missed class, but hey, wassup?"
Jazz chuckled, and smoothed easily into English. "Maybe you shouldn't have gone partying, but I'll forgive you this time. I have something I want to talk to you about."
"Ah, but it was St Patrick's day, and well, there was these really cute guys going to the union, and, um, I think we went a little hard on the party juice." Cleo smiled, "It's only once a year Sis, really." No, she wasn't going to mention the Easter thing at the end of the week, or the mass party for Valentines. Never mind New Year's when she'd taken the best part of two days to surface again.
"So, what's got you needing to talk to me? I wasn't expecting a call for weeks yet. Did you see my latest Grades? Good huh?"
"I've very proud of you," Jazz nodded even though her sister couldn't see her. "But no, that's not why I'm calling. Something's happened and while I don't want to get into the details yet, the result could be big. If you want it."
"What? What happened? You get a promotion? Or lose your job?" Cleo grinned, and sipped at her coffee, bleuch! No sugar! With a grimace she stood up and headed back to the kitchen, morning coffee was dangerous when you weren't awake enough to make it right.
"I got, an offer, if you will. I can come home. Like, for good. No strings. No more working. Or, you could come here. Legal citizen, full shebang."
"Serious? I mean, oh wow! How'd you manage to do that?" Cleo was rather more awake with that strong coffee and the surprise. "I, what do you want to do?"
"No details," Jazz said again. But then she continued. "What do you want to do? It's your life that could change. I'm used to moving around. If you want to come that's fine, if you want to stay that's fine too. And if you want things to just stay as they are, that can be managed too."
Cleo thought for a minute, a full minute of silence broken only by the slight noise of her sipping her coffee. "I miss you, and I know you did a lot, pretty much everything, for me, but, maybe this is your choice? I want to be with you."
Jazz exhaled slowly. "I like it here. I do, but I think I've over stayed my welcome."
"You say that every place you stay." Cleo laughed, then winced, "Ow, no more laughing just yet huh?" She sipped again at the coffee, and tried to relax. "I'm not sure, I mean, if I came there? What about school? I could just drop out?"
"Yeah, but I mean it this time. I broke the rule." Jazz sighed and pushed off the couch, heading into the kitchen. No coffee, great. She opened the fridge and eyed an almost empty carton of orange juice thoughtfully. "And no. No dropping out. We've worked to hard for you just to quit. If you really want to come to here there's a couple of colleges in the area. One that's even in the city. They're not as good as the school you're at now...." No, no orange juice. She closed the fridge and leaned against it.
"Hey if I get the qualifications, and the citizenship? Then I could work there right? We'd be together and, safe? We would be safe right? I mean, the economy doesn't look too promising right now." Cleo made a strange noise, sort of a half laugh, half groan, "It's big news over here that it looks like the US is crashing, but, lets face it, most places use the US dollar as a stable currency."
"Well, like I said, you don't have to come here. I could go there. Be with you and Olly," Jazz rapped the tips of her fingers against the hard surface of the fridge.
"Didn't you mention a date with someone the last time you called? I mean, if you're dating and stuff, surely would be easier for me to move? Can I bring Olly with me? I've gotten more than used to having him around these days." However hard she'd fought him in the beginning, mostly over tidying up and curfew times, he really had grown on her over the last two years or so. "I'm not dating right now, the last guy was more interested in the answers to my homework than in me, muy stupido huh?"
"Muy," Jazz echoed softly. "And it wasn't a date. Just two bored people deciding to be less bored together."
"Yeah, but that's better than I've been doing." Cleo sipped again at her coffee, feeling more awake by the minute. "So, do I get time to think about it? Or are you after a decision now?"
"I don't have a lot of time...." Jazz ran a hand through her hair. "But I'll see if I can get more. Bide you some time somehow."
"Hey, if it's a split second decision you're after, I want to come home, to you." Cleo couldn't quite remember when they'd last lived together, or even close, "But, I really want to bring Olly too? I mean, I guess if you're there, maybe he's not so important, but, at least to begin with?"
Jazz smiled, "I'll see what I can do."
"Hey, give the man some credit, he put up with a lot of me misbehaving. Did he tell you I climbed down the drainpipe from one apartment? Some time ago that was, but he'd said I couldn't go on a date and I was so going..." Cleo laughed, "I think he was surprised I managed it, but, I never knew he could run that fast. Threw me over his shoulder and threatened my date with a fist the size of a melon. Suffice it to say, I never got a second offer."
She sipped at her coffee again, and leaned into the pillows and the wall, "I still like to test him occasionally, I think I won last night, I was so not in on time."
"Yes," Jazz replied heavily. "Olly has, indeed, mentioned that in spite of our best efforts you've ended up just like me."
"Ha ha, as if." Cleo snickered, "I'm never likely to be that responsible and that dedicated to someone else's welfare, not the way you've been for me. Olly called me selfish the other week, that's not one of your traits."
"You'd think that wouldn't you?" She shook her head. "Anyway, I'll let you go. I'll, uh, see what I can do and let you know alright?"
"Sure, but, well, Easter break starts this week, I'll be home for a few days since we've got a couple of weeks off." Cleo smirked at the phone, "I should hold off on tormenting Olly though huh? Before he gets all caveman on me again?"
She sipped at the coffee, "And hey, you know I love you right, talk to you soon?" Cleo missed her sister more after each conversation, but this one was giving her lots to think about. "Any ideas how soon?"
"No," Jazz said quietly. "It's not exactly on my dime. Just have to wait and see." It was the best she could do.
"Well, I know you'll call me soon as you know, right? So I'd best get showered and dressed, I have lectures this afternoon and a lunch date with some girlfriends." Cleo downed the last of her coffee, now fully awake in more ways than one. "You'll sort it out sis, you always do remember? Get that date of yours to give you a hug and hopefully we can be together soon? I gotta run, catch you later!" Cleo hung up, hoping that she had time to wash her hair before lunch, it stank of the union bar she'd been in last night, all beer and cigarettes.
"Soon," Jazz agreed, and waited until she heard the soft click of disconnect before hanging up herself.