Cara Clark (armani_maneater) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-07-14 21:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-08 |
Chasing Butterflies
Who: Jonas and Cara
Where: Jonas' House
When: 12 AM
Things were very strange for Cara, to say the least. While she had never fully adjusted to having a bodyguard, it seemed odd, suddenly, to be travelling alone. And after her activities the previous two nights, it seemed that visiting Jonas could be a little awkward -- but it was preferable to sitting alone in her empty apartment. Stepping out of her car, Cara wore an outfit which was uncharacteristically Cara -- it was neither elegeant nor professional. In fact, it appeared downright casual. This evening, she wore a black tennis skirt which had never seen a tennis court and a soft green baby-doll t-shirt. The cut of the t-shirt was low enough that Cara had placed a darker green tanktop beneath it. She ran a hand through her hair, left down tonight and done in large, soft waves, then knocked on the door.
Jonas answered the door and smiled when he saw Cara, and the golden butterflies flying about her head. It took him a second to register which was and was not really there. "Hello Cara." He said bowing his head to her a little. He was wearing an average fitted Star Wars (first movie) blue t-shirt with a black vest overtop and black jeans with barefeet. "Glad you came."
Cara automatically returned the smile, even as she scrutinized him for any obvious signs that he was a vampire -- like, what, she wondered, a sign? The Star Wars t-shirt was a definite throw-off, however, and she couldn't help but wonder, "Big Star Wars fan?" Even Cara had to admit that the films were landmarks in their own epic rights...but she didn't have to care much for them.
Jonas looked down to his shirt and shrugged. "Movies were good. Shirts comfy, and it was on sale." He replied to Cara.
"Oh, it was on sale," Cara replied with a smile and a shrug. "That explains most of my wardrobe." And she hardly wore any of it. Maybe that was something she should change... "Um, can I come in, or...?" Conversations in doorways were just awkward...especially when one participant was inside and the other was out.
Jonas nodded his head. "Of course, of course." He said, backing up and letting her enter- giving a little wave at the butterflies to 'shoo' them outside for the moment her back was turned and before closing the door- and butterflies outside.
Cara was naturally more interested in glancing around the house than in watching her host as she walked through the door. She didn't even notice the gesture; she was far too busy looking in front of her. After a moment, Cara passed judgment. "It's cozy," she told him with another smile. "Have you lived here long?"
"A few years now... about four... five..." He said. His house was pretty sparcely decorated, most of the furnaiture was a mix of americana styles from the 40s-70s. Jonas had no entertainment system beyond a 50s style cabinet LP player and a nice collection of albums. His bedroom had a desk with computer and more modern amenities, needed more for work than anything else. Both the spare bedrooms had small single beds in them, but were mostly full of unpacked boxes. There wasn't a lot of decor on the walls- a few photographs of Louisianna on one wall and a painting of a girl and a sunflower on the other wall.
To Cara, that seemed like a long time to be in one place... His house was similar to her own in that hers looked a little unlived in -- it was simply unpersonalized. His, too, lacked the photographs, posters, and other items that made a home less sterile in appearance -- at least outwardly. "Would you be offended if I said it looks like a college professor lives here?"
"Considering one does?" He asked, with a smirk and tilt of his head. "Not at all, but to be honest I'm not sure how most professors houses look." Jonas' bedroom- should she ever look in it, would give her a different impression as it happened to be much more lived in than the rest of his house- especially the kitchen.
"I guess I don't really know for sure either," Cara admitted after a moment with a little shrug. "But I was a business major, so none of my professors were very personable people..." Most of them were divorced and only working for the university because they had failed in the real world. Cara wondered if most of them lived out of their offices. "So," she said, whirling on him as she changed topics. It was an abrupt change, but Cara felt like she was holding her breath. "Vampire."
"Yes?" He blinked at her as if she'd just said his name and not race; having not been aware she hadn't known what he was.
Cara laughed softly. Well, that had been easy. Perhaps she should ask all of her dates that question...if she ever had any again. "You don't seem very...vampirey to me. That's all."
Jonas furrowed his brow slightly. "Oh..." He chuckled and shrugged. "I'm just who I am I guess... perhaps if I wore a black cape and spoke in a hungarian accent?" He asked, moving his arm infront of him dramatically as if hiding his face with a cape.
This time, Cara actually giggled. "I think you should," she told him with an emphatic nod. Giggles fading into a smile, she said, "No, what I meant is... You're so normal. You teach. You go to plays. You aren't screaming about the people in your head or trying to inflate your ego by sleeping with everything that moves." It was a nice change.
Jonas laughed a little nervously, the voices in his head were all murmered right then... no other members of his house in the territory and all. "Thanks for saying that... but-" He shook his head. "I'm far from normal..." He gestured to the couch. "Sit? I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer you to drink... well tap water... or actually." He said getting a little excited over remembering. "I think my fridge has one those water cubby-things."
"You seem pretty normal to me," she confessed. Of course, her vampire encounters had, so far, been anything but: Sebastian, Colin, and Ava. Compared to those three, she had no complaints about Jonas so far. His excitement was endearing, and Cara nodded with another smile. "Water's fine. Thank you." She would hate for him to not get to use the 'water cubby thing.' As he went for her drink, Cara sat down on his couch to await his return.
A short time later Jonas returned with a glass of water for her and took a seat on the couch as well, pulling one barefoot under him. "Here y'are. And thank you for the 'normal' thing... life doesn't always feel that way... though some days are better than others... actually only had one incedent with you around- suprising really because I was -sure- something would've happened during the play." He chuckled as if she knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Incident?" Cara questioned, looking at him curiously. What was she, a vampire power depressant? Sebastian's mojo didn't work on her -- Colin's readings didn't work on her (well, it had, eventually) -- and now Jonas' incidents were somewhat suspended...apparently. "Can I ask what it was?" Politely, she sipped the water he had given her. It was cool and felt nicer than she had anticipated going down her throat. The soda she had consumed earlier must have dried out her throat without her knowing it.
Jonas glanced to the doors. "Butterflies." He said, rubbing the back of his neck slightly.
"Butterflies." It was difficult to stop the smile from forming on her face. Of all the strange things she had been expecting, butterflies had not been among them. "Well, that's..." Different? Her smile broke through its flimsy disguise, and she said, "I do like butterflies."
Jonas smiled. "They seemed to like you too..." He replied, unsure how nervous he should be with telling her this stuff. He knew he was a few eggs short of a carton, but he also knew the social stigma of it. Normally he was able to keep them to himself, but in times like this... he just hoped he could keep the floodgates closed. Last thing he needed was Cara being witness to ramblings about 'the truth', what the Light of May really was and other conspiracy theories. It wasn't that he didn't believe- he just chose to keep them to himself because others just never understood.
"So... You see butterflies." As far as crazy went, that was actually rather pleasant in Cara's mind. Thinking of Colin, she asked haltingly, "Are you a Harbringer?" Colin had had nothing nice to say about the other Harbringers -- and so she hoped Jonas wasn't one of those...
"And other things." Jonas replied with a shrug. Wrinkling his nose at the other house name. "No." He said. "I'm not. My house isn't talked about much... if known." He frowned slightly. "We're kinda looked down upon." He didn't say it to get her pity, but more as a fact.
"I've never really been interested before," Cara noted softly. She settled back against the couch cushion, allowing herself to relax. It would probably sound snobbish to say this, but, "Sebastian sort of looks down on everybody... So this is all new to me."
"My grandsire told me that she was once refered to as the 'sidewalk preachers' of the houses." He told her. "The crazy on the street corner holding signs of the end of the world." Jonas chuckled and shook his head. "But you really don't wanna know about my House."
"I just thought... It's a part of who you are, right?" If being a vampire was going to mean so little to her, she wanted to know about him and his family -- or whatever. "I think it's going to be really hard for you to chase me away, no matter what you say...but, if you'd rather talk about something else, that's fine too."
Jonas shook his head. "Nah, we can talk about it if you want... I'm from the Kilcrowen House." He said, pausing to see if it even registered recognition with him.
Dutifully, she repeated, "Kilcrowen." It rolled off her tongue strangely, as unaccustomed as she was to saying it. It was, however, mostly correct. She smiled a little and added, "Funny name." Actually, she was finding, most of the vampire houses had funny names -- it was all a part of the vampire image. "Does it mean something?"
The elder at the time didn't have good diction? Jonas shook his head. "It's suposedly a variation on the founders name. A lot of others confuse us for Harbringers sometimes, but we're not... a few similarities and people like to group. Though we do have a similar curse." His grandsire had told him all the stories and he remembered them. If one thing could be said to benifit the crazy seekers of truth- they gave pretty good recrods... at least in their newest regime.
Cara's eyebrows rose. "Sorry. I'm still new to this." How was it that in her years working for Sebastian, she had never met as many vampires as she had now that she was on her own? "I know a Harbringer. That's why I asked." And also because she really was curious. "So, enlighten me. What makes you different? Can you read people?" That's what Colin had called it.
Jonas shook his head. "All Kilcrowens are linked to a like... mental network. My grandsire used to call it the Madness Web. We can also..." He made a bit of a face as he tried to figure out how to say it. "We're all a little... crazy and we can make others a little crazy too- not perminantly or anything but... yea."
"You make other people crazy?" Cara's own face clouded with confusion. That was the most bizarre thing she had ever heard! "Like through drugs or do you just snap your fingers and...tada, crazy?" So help her, she was trying to understand, because it made very little sense.
"Through touch." He said, it was funny- no one else ever really wanted to know about his clan, even other vampires. This was all a bit different. "Not sure exactly how it works, but yea we can only pass on our own stuff though... I couldn't make people hear voices or anything."
"But you could make me see butterflies?" she asked, sounding a little amused but also curious. It was an interesting ability -- in so far as these things went, anyway. "But you can control it?" He had touched her and she hadn't gone crazy yet...well, maybe that part was debateable.
"Or other things... I don't really have control over that... but yea I do over whether I give them. Most times at least. Sometimes it's like a defense mechanism when things get bad and I can't control it, but most times yea." Jonas said with a nod.
With a chuckle, Cara said, "Well, thank you for not...making me crazy the other night." There had extensive hand-holding and mixed signals, after all.
Jonas shook his head. "Of course not. It's not much fun seeing things that aren't there." He told her with a half smile.
Drug addicts seemed to think otherwise, Cara thought wryly. And besides, what harm could a few little imaginery butterflies do? "Alright. I think I'm done prying now," she told him, lifting a hand as if to make a vow. "My curiosity is satisfied." Unless she could think up any other strange questions to ask him...
He smiled. "Well then, let me show you what I found and asked you by for then." Jonas said as he got up off the couch and hurried back into one of the spare bedrooms. "Be right back." And he was, a few moments later he'd returned with a small box. He fell back onto the couch and opened it, sifting through the different ones, some in German and Russian and French. "Ah here we are." He said pulling one out carefully, they all seemed pretty old- a good number from before WWII.
Cara had just taken a sip of her water when Jonas returned. Curious to see what he had found, she placed her drink down on the floor at her heel, then reached for the item he presented to her. "What is it?" she asked. She handled it with great care -- it was obviously old, although in remarkably good condition, she imagined...
He handed her a program for a Panto very similar to the one they'd seen the previous night- at least it had been the same title. It was dated 1932 and was located in England.
With a little laugh, Cara said, "Oh my God..." Her fingers traced the letters gently, carressing them fondly before she opened the page. "Is this the same one?" She glanced at him a moment, but most of her attention was consumed by the old program. Her eyes read over each line, as though she could see the play through his eyes so many years ago.
He shrugged. "They're all different, the script being a loose guideline, but yea... it's pretty much the same."
Cara was certainly impressed. She studied the program a moment longer before closing it with reverance. "How many times have you seen this panto?" she asked curiously. "If you saw it in 1932..." God, that was so long ago. How old was he, anyway?
He shook his head. "Only the one other time... that I can remember. But I've seen a lot of plays." Jonas said tilting the full box of programs so she could get a better view. "No wonder I eventually because a theatre history teacher huh?"
"Wow," Cara breathed, looking at the massive pile. "Do you keep every program?" It was shocking to see so many -- and from so many different places and years... She could see a different play each month for the rest of her life and never collect this many! "But you shouldn't sell yourself short," she added as an after thought, having already chosen a different program to look at. "You could be an actor for an entire lifetime and never understand how to put it all together..."
"I've kept most." He nodded. "Lost some as well." Jonas pulling a leg up under him so he could face her as he spoke. "I did try out to be an extra in the movie." He said with a chuckle. "Don't think I'll get it... don't have the right look."
"You did?" Cara asked in genuine surprise. She supposed she shouldn't have been -- it was an acting role, after all -- but... "You want to be in a movie like that?"
He shrugged with a small smile. "Was something to do, could be interesting. Like I said, probably won't get it... with my work schedule probably won't be able to do it if I did." Midnight to 4am was a pretty good chunck of the night.
This was something she hadn't had the chance to talk to many people about yet. She thought she knew Colin's opinion, and Sebastian's as well. "But what about what they're doing?" Cara pursued curiously. "They want to make someone a vampire in the movie. For the movie."
Jonas made a face and sighed. "I don't think they'll actually go through with it." He said. "I mean I don't think they'll be allowed to." He laid his head against the couch. "But honestly I don't... sometimes I'd rather not be what I am... I don't think it's something that should be exploited as a 'good thing'."
Cara actually looked relieved for a moment, as if she had been doubting it. It wasn't that she thought all vampires should be self-hating -- if they were happy, good for them, really! But... Putting aside the papers with gentle care, she mimicked his position to better face him. Wearing the skirt, however, meant that she had to take a moment to smooth it over her legs before she could go on. "That's exactly it," she replied, happy he agreed. "And, something like that... It's a big decision, isn't it? It's not something you should sell for a part in a movie."
Jonas scowled for a moment before nodding. "Yea, it's something someone should be able to consider and choose for themselves."
Ouch. Cara hesitated a moment, then asked gently, "I'm sorry. Did I hit too close to home?"
Jonas turned, facing forward, and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his head on them. "It's ok. Just part of the past."
It seemed to be a common problem among vampires... And that was just too bad. "Then let's talk about something else, alright?" That was the least she could do for him. "Which was your favorite?" she asked, turning her attention back to the basket. "Which play, I mean?"
"Cabaret." He replied. "On Broadway with Joel Grey and Liza." Jonas smiles slightly and looked over at her. "And don't worry about me... I'm a surviver." One who'd never shared his story... only his grandsire knew, and that was because she saved him.
"It's a bad habit," Cara replied with a smile and a wink. "I tend to get more involved than I should." Her eyes fell back to the books. "You know what you should do?" she asked, although it was a rhetorical question, as she didn't give him enough time to reply. "Buy a binder and some of those plastic pages and make a book for these." Her hyper-organizational side was showing, but she thought it was a damned good idea. "Like a scrapbook. And, that way, they won't get ruined." And he could sort them and...oh, the possibilities were endless!
"We all have bad habits..." Jonas chuckled. "I don't think I would have ever thought of that... and it's a wonderful idea- sadly something I probably don't have the skill to do." She was cute how she got so excited about the idea
"You don't need a lot of skill," Cara said with a laugh. "I'm not talking about designing an art book, Jonas. All you need to do is find some time to insert these into the page protectors... And then you could label them by year or by location or by play...." Her eyes shone. "I'd even be willing to help if you asked me nicely enough."
"Could you?" He asked, lowering one leg so he could face her better. "I'm really all thumbs when it comes to anything art wise." Jonas said with a chuckle. "It would give you a reason to come over more, it's nice to have the company." He said with a soft smile.
Cara had to laugh again. "I don't think you could call it art," she told him honestly. "I'm too linear to really be good at anything. When we made those collages in school, mine were always terrible, because I wanted all of the pictures to line up." No, this would not be an art project -- this would be a measure of organization. "I'd love to help. We should make it a standing date."
"Fantastic." He said with a grin. "I'll make sure to get some food or something... so you can have something when you come over."
Cara smiled at that offer. "Don't tell anyone, but I couldn't cook to save my life. I live off of muffins and take-out." Mostly muffins. "So, unless you want your house burned down or unless you're secretly a gourmet chef or something, it might be better if I just bring food with me."
Jonas made a face. "I was thinking bread, cheese and turkey." Cracking a smile he laughed a little.
She pretended to give it some thought, then said, "I think I could handle that." Cara distracted herself by looking through the brochures a moment. "Oh, by the way... I'm getting my phone number changed soon." Hopefully in the next day or two. "I'll let you know what it is when I do, okay? And I'm moving...so you're welcome over, when I figure out where I'm going."
"Oh?" He asked, a bit curious. "Yea? Where you moving to?"
"I don't know yet," she explained with a slight sigh. "Sebastian...fired me. So, I have to move." It was hard to admit, she found, but getting easier each time she said it.
"Oh god, that's horrible!" Jonas said, reaching a hand out to hers in a consouling move.
"Yeah," Cara said with a heavy sigh, grasping his cool hand in her own. "I guess...he didn't like my friends." Of course, Cara had been willing to leave both Jonas and Colin entirely high and dry if it would have meant she could keep her job. Everyone else seemed to think of it as a blessing, but Cara still missed it horribly. "But, on the plus side," she added with a put-on smile. "No more bodyguard."
"That's no reason to fire someone? I'm sure there's a law preventing that or something." Jonas said with a furrowed brow. He also kinda liked Jane, he'd even seen her laugh a bit at the play.
"I don't think the laws apply to Sebastian. He's a movie star -- the movie star. What he wants, he gets." Cara gave him a wry smile. "Besides, I think we both want to keep this out of the headlines."
He squeezed her hand slightly. "You'll find something better." Jonas told her, with an assured nod. "I'm sure of it."
People kept saying that, and she kept doubting it. Still, she appreciated his atempt. "Thanks," she told him with a smile. "I'll let you know when I move. We can have a housewarming party after I unpack."
"That could be fun. I could help with some heavy lifting... So long as it's not at noon." He offered with a smile and shrug.
Cara grinned at him gratefully. "I'd like that. And, no, it wouldn't be at noon." After a minute, she said, "You don't have a problem with Harbringers per se, do you?"
He shrugged again, taking his hand back. "I make it a point not to judge people without getting to know the frist."
"Good," she answered with a smile. "Colin said he'd help too...and I hate it when my friends don't get along." Of course, she would have to get some heavy stuff before either of them could help with the lifting, but... First things first.
Jonas nodded. "Good." He smiled. "If you want I could keep my ears open for jobs if you'd like..."
'That would be really sweet," she returned with a smile of her own. "Thank you." Was it naive of her to wonder why so-called crazy vampires were avoided like the plague? So far, both she knew were very sweet -- and very heroic. "And... You'll be the first to know if I find something in the meantime."
"There might be something at the station." He mused to himself, running a hand through his hair as he wondered where else there might be somewhere she could check. Jonas' train of thought was derailed suddenly thanks to the growing number of colorful lights dancing past him. He looked across the room to the back door- the direction they were heading, trying to seem like he was still thinking, about whatever he'd been previously thinking about but the hallucination was so pretty it was hard to focus. Of course it had to happen when he had company.
"Maybe," she said thoughtfully. "But...it's the only thing I've really done. I wouldn't know where to start anywhere else." Glancing up from the program she had been looking at, Cara paused to look at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"
"Yea." He said, looking back at her quickly, furrowing her brow. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" she asked gently. "You looked...a little spacey." Cara glanced in the direction he had been looking, then returned her gaze to him with a smile and raised eyebrows.
"Nothings there." Jonas stated, more to remind himself. "Sorry... I didn't mean to..." He waved his hand in the direction of the lights. "What were we talking about?"
"About my miserable, jobless self," she reminded him, trying to sound light about it. "But I think I'd rather not go back there." If he was seeing things -- more butterflies, perhaps? -- she was much more interested in that than in her own problems.
He nodded. "Of course... new topic?"
Cara grinned gratefully and turned her attention back to the programs. It had rapidly become quite the project for her. "So, how do you think we should sort them? Year? Or would you prefer genre or location?" Or any variants thereof.
Jonas caught himself looking back at the back door again. "Year would be nice... maybe location?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry I'll be right back." Sometimes he just had to go with the hallucinations, especially the ones that were persistant and so directive. He secretly hoped that maybe he'd find answers if he did... like there'd be some truth in them and he'd finally be able to stop the search and all his bretheren could as well. The lights were dancing like mad around the door, as if wanting to be let out- so he slid off the counch and moved into the kitchen and to the back door to do just that.
The laughter was a little out of place. "Not a problem," she replied immediately as she looked at him curiously with a slight smile tugging at her lips. "What's the joke?"
He shook his head. "Just stars are very pretty tonight." Jonas said, laying his head on the couch with a smile.
Cara looked at him a moment, then shrugged. Oh-kay then. Pretty stars make Jonas laugh. Check. "How long have you been in the States?" she asked, once again examining another foreign program.
"Years." He replied. "Most of my life now." Once Jonas had crossed the pond he hadn't found the need, urge or want to go back to the other side.
Most of his life... Given the dates on the oldest of the programs, that was a long time... "So, if we sort these, we should know how to best order them, right?" Although she was extremely curious to know what Jonas had thought was so funny about the stars, she didn't want to linger on it -- after all, it might make him uncomfortable for her to pursue it.
"Maybe by the date the play was written?" He proposed. "Or general time frame at least." It could be interesting to look at which are still around- and compare some of those he'd seen more than once.
Giving him a cheerful glance, she said, "It's completely up to you. But you'll have to help me with that." A few of the programs hadn't had dates on them at all... Was it strange she was so excited about organizing the programs? Probably.
"On you're next visit." Jonas said, reaching out and taking the box from her. "This is suposed to be a social call." He laughed.
Did that count as work? Cara flashed him a pout as he took the box away. "If you say so...." She was itching to organize the programs though; it was probably a good thing they were taken away from her.
"Tell me more about yourself... what do you like? Besides theatre. Where'd you grow up and stuff." Jonas said, curious to know more about his new friend.
Oh? The topic had turned to her? It wasn't one of her favorites. "Um, well... I like organizing things," she told him with a grin. But that was obvious. "And, um, I grew up in Flint."
Jonas nodded, this wasn't going to go anywhere fast. He then got an idea- and a smile. "Come with me." He said getting up and holding his hands out for hers to lead her.
Cara couldn't help but look relieved. Oh, good, no more talking about her. She hoped. "Where are we going?" she asked, accepting his hands to help her to her feet.
"Outside." He told her. "So you can see how pretty the stars are." Jonas pulled her gently outside and onto the patio. Once outside he stepped around behind her and pointed up to the stars. "See." So, they may not have been as spiffy as they were to him with all the colorful lights zooming about and mingling with the stars that already were there.
Cara followed him willingly, looking rather curiously amused by the whole matter. On the porch, she obediently turned her eyes skyward. The sight above them was beautiful indeed, and she found herself relaxing. "They're beautiful." Cara had never spent much time looking at the stars or stopping to smell the flowers.
Jonas chuckled. "They're marvelous, the way the light's dance and play with each other." He sighed, with a hand on her should as his eyes flicked around the sky.
"Lights?" Cara asked, glancing at him in confusion. All she saw were the stars -- there didn't seem to be a plane, a satellite, or anything else above them that might constitute dancing lights. He must be seeing things again...but she could live with that. Her gaze went skyward again.
Jonas' posture stiffened slightly, not having realized what he'd said. "Sorry." He shook his head. "Sorry." If she didn't already think he was a loon... he was sure giving her more reasons too.
She looked at him sideways with a smile. "Don't be. You can't help who you are." Reaching for his hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze to reassure him. "I promise. It's fine." She glanced skywards again. "But I wish I could see what you see."
He could try... but there was only like a 70% chance (or less, he really didn't do math) that she'd see the same thing he could. Jonas wouldn't do that to her though- she was too nice to go insane. "It's kinda cool... though a bit dizzying." He said putting a hand to his head.
That, of course, wasn't what she had meant at all. She just meant it would make things easier -- and certainly less confusing for both of them -- if they were on the same wave-length. "We can sit," she offered, gesturing to the porch. She suddenly didn't quite want to go inside just yet.
Jonas held a hand to 'assist' her to a seat on the steps like a gentleman, eventually he'd have to get some furniture for out there, if company became a regular thing. He then took a seat himself. "I love it out here... this neighborhood is so quite, It's really nice."
Cara politely thanked him as she settled down on the steps. She leaned her head against the railing, eyes remaining on the stars above. "I guess I've always been a city girl." Of course, Scarlet Oaks was tiny compared to Flint...but she was happy here, nonetheless. "Do you know any of the constellations?"
"Yea." Jonas said with a nod. He looked up, trying to find one to show her among the other lights. Come on guys, help a guy out. "There." He said, pointing up to one. "That's Orion... see the three in a row? That's his belt. And... that one over there is Scorpio." He told her where to see the different points in the constellation. "I used to star gaze all the time on the farm." He said dreamily- not intentionally out loud. "My mom tau-..." Sighing slightly he lowered his hand down and shook his head. "Sorry, that was a long time ago."
Cara abandoned her corner of the steps to scoot closer to him so that he could point them out to her better. Stars were something Cara had always wished she could learn -- but there was just never any time. When he stopped speaking so abruptly and apologized, she murmured, "I don't mind listening. I think your stories would be interesting to hear... You've lived a long time, and you must have seen so much..." She would rather talk about his past than hers any day.
"Yea, I guess I have... even things that weren't even there." Jonas chuckled. "My life isn't actually that interesting. I've spent most of it keeping my head down. Worked as a mechanic for almost a third of it, then a teacher." Then there was the time he spent with Illyana.
When Jonas joked about his hallucinations, Cara softly joined in his laughter. "That's not something everybody can say." She leaned back, hands tucked under her head, to stare upwards at the stars. "I think you're interesting. Weren't you ever taught to humor a lady?" she teased.
"Yes, I was also taught not to bore them." He responded. Jonas leaned back with her, the dancing lights had mostly faded from view. "You see that bright one right there?" He asked, pointing in a way she could follow the path of his finger- certain this was one she could see. "That's not actually a star... that's Venus."
"The planet?" Duh, of course the planet. What else would it be? She looked at the bright speckle with interest, sizing it up to the other stars around it. Finally, she asked, "How do you know?"
Jonas shrugged. "Because that's what it is? It's always in the same place... see if you trace the stars from the moon to the bright bluish 'star'... it's Venus."
Looking up at it now, it all looked so clear. The moon was here and Venus was there. Cara couldn't help but feel, however, that if she attempted this on her own, she would quickly get turned around. "Well, no offense," she said with a grin, "But they all look like a bunch of stars to me. Even when I've seen the points of the consellations connected, I usually can't see what they're supposed to be."
"If it helps I can't see the magic eye things." Jonas said.
Cara laughed at the random comparison -- random, but also strangely accurate. "Well, I've never been real great at those either," she explained with a grin. "I've never been that imaginative."
He nudged her gently with his elbow. "I'm sure you have some imagination in ya..."
"Not much," she said, glancing at him skeptically. "You know when you look at a painting of a clown, and it's supposed to mean something?" Cara rolled her eyes slightly. "I look at it, and I see a clown."
"Sometimes a clown is just a clown." He laughed. "Guess not everyone can be a Picasso or Monet."
And Cara was definitely neither Picasso or Monet. She was the girl who looked for the easiest possible things to draw in art class, because her work always looked like crap. "Yeah," she agreed with a chuckle. "I think the critics have more fun with the paintings than the artists themselves."
"With theatre, literature, architecture... all the arts- and I'd probably use a different word than 'fun'." Jonas smirked. "One reason I love to study the history of things... more facts; less opinion... though some does sneak through at times."
"For example?" Cara asked with a laugh. Just as art had not been her thing, she had never enjoyed the liberal arts much at all. She was curious to know what he meant by opinions sneaking through instead of fact...and, also, she did enjoy listening to him talk. If more of her teachers had been like him, she might have had more fun in school.
"Oh all books state opinions, even text books. If it's not the authors tone or commentary that is biased, it's what they do and do not choose to include in their pages." Jonas replied simply.
"That seems very philosophical to me." Laughing, the woman added, "Next you'll be telling me the porch--" And here she tapped the wood for emphasis. "Isn't really solid." She'd never bought into any of that nonsense.
"Actually it's a big marshmellow puff." He said with a completely straight face.
Cara laughed. After a long moment, she realized she was laughing alone, and she turned fully to face him. "Are you serious?" she asked with her eyebrows climbing on her forehead. Obviously, it wasn't really a big marshmallow puff -- but was that what he saw?
Jonas looked over at her and broke a smile. "No, but you though I did, didn't you?" He asked with a laugh.
"Yes," she admitted with another laugh, this one slightly more sheepish. "All I could picture was laying on a giant marshmallow and how disgusting that would be." Quite comfortable, she supposed, until you broke through to the sticky middle.
He rolled up onto his side, propping one hand up with his arm. "Well, don't worry, I don't think we're laying on a marshmellow b-puff." Jonas confirmed.
Cara joined him, propping her head on her hand and angling herself to face him. This was going to seem like a very strange question, but, while they were on the subject... "Have you ever had a marshmellow?"
Jonas shook his head. "Nope."
"You're probably better off," Cara told him with a laugh. Great, now she was craving marshmellows. The bad thing about marshmellows is the huge bags they sold them in -- she would never go through the entire bag! But a handful sounded yummy right now. "I used to eat them all the time as a kid. Mom used them in pretty much everything."
Jonas smiled at her, the way her eyes lit up when she talked about it- well even the little bit- he liked it. "Mutter would make us sweet cakes, nothing like todays deserts I'd gather, but it was special and nice."
"No," Cara said with a laugh. "I imagine they're nothing like modern desserts. Mom made all of hers out of a box." Of course, Cara couldn't even manage that much. "It was still good though."
He reached out slowly and brushed some hair from her face so he could see her smile better. "You were close to your mother?" She seemed to smile more when talking about her than about other things.
Cara's eyes flickered to his hand as it brushed back her hair, and she gave a little smile. She hoped he had no idea what he did to women, because if he did...he'd be no better than Sebastian. But, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Yeah," Cara said slowly. "We used to be close." Her smile faded, and she added, "I guess we sort of drifted apart when I went to college."
"Oh, that's sad." He said, with a little pout. One of his major regrets was not being able to truely say goodbye to his parents- especially his mother. "Is she still around?" He asked, curiously.
"She and Dad are still living in the same house in Flint that I grew up in." The same old house in the same old neighborhood...although things were getting so bad there they were considering leaving. It had never been a great neighborhood, but it had been safe when she was a girl. "I don't get there to see them much." A little on purpose.
"What's stopping you?" After all if she wasn't too far away, maybe the loss of her job could be a good thing because she'd have the time to reunite with her family.
"I guess I've just been busy." It was a half-truth; Sebastian was a high-maintenance vampire and needed constant attention. Her workaholic and organizational nature made her cringe to think of anyone else doing her job -- she hated coming back from even a weekend away, dreading the mess made in her absence. "But I see them on Christmas and on their birthdays."
"I guess maybe you you'll have a bit more time now... reconnect more while you can." Though if what happened to him happened to her today, she'd not have to run away like he'd been forced to do.
Yeah, something like that... "But I should stay here and find a job, all that." She couldn't look for a job in Scarlet Oaks if she were in Flint. Besides, there was a feeling, nestled in her gut, that if she went back there now she'd never leave. "I'll get there to see them, though." Eventually.
"No one said you had to stay there. Or that you have to leave right away... Just something you might want to do before it's too late. Life is short." Ok so he might not be the best person to say that, but he'd been killed after he'd turned 21 and that was the last time he'd seen his parents.
Cara didnt care to think about her parents much for exactly this reason -- it made her feel guilty and depressed about leaving them alone in Flint. But even when she'd been thinking about killing herself, she had only coldly considered her parents. As usual, she was too wrapped up in herself. But she had been this way a long time, and she didn't expect to change any time soon. "I'm actually a terrible daughter," she confessed, sighing. "I just go through the motions with them...but they don't really know me. Not at all."
Jonas pushed himself up and laid a hand on her arm. "Oh god, no... you're not. I didn't mean that." He said, his eyebrows going up slightly with concern because he'd just put his foot in his mouth- or so he felt.
"You didn't say it, Jonas," Cara corrected with a slight smile, covering his hand with hers. "I did. And I am. I'm very different than I was in high school. But for their sake, I pretend I'm not."
"You're their daughter, they'll accept you for who you are... even if you have changed a little- or a lot." Ok so that was probably a bit of a hipocritical comment, as well as a bit of a naive one. Jonas frowned a little. "But you're not a horrible person."
"So they say." Cara herself had her doubts. Technically, she hadn't said it like that -- that she was a horrible person -- but now that he'd brought it up... "It's not that." Not so much, anyway, although losing her job had sincerely shaken her self-confidence. "I usually like who I am." In the past couple of years, anyway.
"I like who you are too." Jonas said, nodding.
Cara looked at him a minute, then laughed a little. "You really have a way about you." He was utterly charming...and utterly correct. She couldn't change who she was -- things would just be all around bad.
He furrowed his brow in question slightly. "I do?" He asked, with out a shred of tone that would see him begging for compliments.
"Yes," she replied with a laugh. "Yes, you do." Feeling he might need more explanation than that, Cara added, "You're just so...genuine."
Jonas smiled. "Thanks. I've no reason to lie..."
"That's not what I mean." It was and it wasn't. "I'm sure you're being honest, but.." Cara trailed off, looking at him thoughtfully as she tried to think of a decent explanation. "Everything you do and say seems so...real." She was well-aware of the fact she was probably making no sense. "Like you've never had an ulterior motive for anything you've ever done."
He shrugged. "I'm sure I have? I don't know. Normally if I want something I'll ask." Or just wish from afar. "There are things I don't share with people- but I don't -hide- them, just not share them... I find the only way to keep yourself open to find the truth is to just be." Jonas was sure he was missing something.
He was. He had missed Cara's career with Sebastian for the last couple of years. Instead of answering or trying to explain, she only shrugged at him. "It's nice. That's all."
Jonas grinned. "Whatever I can do to make your day- er night a bit brighter." He chuckled. "Though you're probably getting tired." He said, glancing at his watch, she'd already been over there about an hour- time had flown... in a good way.
As if by magic, his question triggered a yawn. Cara covered her mouth politely with her hand and blinked in surprise. "I guess so," she said with a touch of good-natured embarassment. "I didn't really sleep much last night... Sorry."
"No need to appologize, I'm sure the night was tough." He got up and held a hand out to help her up. "It's not like the world is going to end so we'll have another day."
No, the world wasn't ending -- but Cara was still reluctant to leave. She was comfortable here, in a world away from her own...and, on any given day, that was a good thing. "Thank you," she said, accepting the hand up. "For having me over, too. I had a good time."
Jonas gave a gentle pull. "Anytime." He told her, completely earnestly.
Smiling at him, she tucked her hands behind her back. "And I'll let you know when I have a place you can come over to."
"Sounds like a plan." Jonas said with a smile, moving to lead her slowly back into the house. "I can't wait to see what you find." He had been planning on trying to rent out the rooms in his place, but was sure she wouldn't want to room with a crazy vampire.
"I'm sure it won't be all that grand," Cara murmured with a slight smile. She was still unemployed -- and who knew if she'd be able to afford it when all was said and done?