Re: registration table: Carver & Jas no. 20
He was gonna sleep, and Jas grinned; her smile was all teeth and it wasn't made to be shy or subtle or some shit like that. It just was, real and she turned her chin over her shoulder and grinned at him like she found the whole idea of falling asleep this early, funny. Was, wasn't it? Town only really got going early evening. Ended early, from what Jas could see. Didn't really chill at the bars, but there were bars, multiple. People drank after businesses closed, least they did most of the time.
Nah, she didn't sleep this early. Up early but hours after Titch was in bed the only hours Jas had for herself. Precious. Worth losing a little sleep over.
Far enough away now from other folks looking for eggs. Spread out more, from what she could see as the dusk settled thickly like snow in mid-winter, damp and cool and dim, all the light leached out and leaving soft shadow everywhere. Far enough away that she could maybe lose the headphones a little. Problem was, one on one, if Carver was the wishing type, there was nobody else to tune in to, to get away from Carver. Jas tipped the other cushy ear-piece away from her ears, sliding the headphones comfortably around her neck like a torque, when he asked about Easter.
Her face sketched surprise, easy. Eyebrows up. Mouth quirked. All eyes. Jas talked more with her eyes. More with her eyes than she would with her mouth; never said a dirty word but she thought plenty even if she tried damn hard to keep from judging nobody. He thought Easter was to do with prayer rather than chocolate eggs and candy and Jas's mouth ticked into another of those grins.
"Mass?" Hopeful now. Body who believed in God probably prayed, 'stead of wishing. Not that God was real amenable to granting wishes given as prayers any more than Jas was amenable to granting them but the thought counted. And it stuck someplace else, 'stead of with her. "Gotta be up early. Church was packed." And Titch squirming all the while on the seat beside her, warm and smelling of ironed cotton and soap and candyfloss. Fidgeting. Jas didn't smack his hands or his knees, like Nana so maybe he wouldn't learn to behave same way, dutiful-obedient and stood all the while other folks were standing.
"Yeah. Good Easter." She bounced a little more when she walked. Hope did it, maybe just the empty buzz of nobody's wishing in her ears. Her smile didn't dim, no lamp turned down when the first plash of rain hit her shoulder, spread dark and damp over all that sherbet orange.
Smelled like ozone, smelled clean, and Jas grinned, simple and happy, and twisted into it. "Mind the rain?" Maybe he did. Maybe it would be just her. Wouldn't matter, she got real comfortable in her own company, but there was a-something in her voice, maybe a little expectant. Somebody who didn't wish straight off was better company than none.