jessie_rocket (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jessie_rocket) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} valarlogs,@ 2013-12-09 10:02:00 |
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When: Before Thanksgiving
Where: Their home
What: Catching up
Rating/Warning: Low/None
Status: Complete
Jessie was sat in the living room playing with the ferrets while supposedly doing her paperwork for her practice. Sadly her animals were a lot more interesting than anything else so the paperwork wasn’t too far from the state it had been in when she started an hour ago. She was trying to teach them not to go after socks but had a feeling Rangiku was thwarting her attempts.
How odd. Because yes, Gin was missing some of his socks. Luckily he's found new and unusual places to put the new socks, like high up on top of shelves or cabinets or in the containers on the kitchen counter, where ferrets can't naturally find them on their own, or under the passenger seat of his car, since ferrets don't drive or ride around IN his car. See? Thinking. And besides, if Clyde could drive? He was pretty sure Bonnie wouldn't let him cruise around for other ferret girls. Ferret bickering would ensue.
Gin crept up behind where she was sitting, with ninja stealth skills. He slowly raised up from behind her, making it seem like some sort of horror movie as he stretched out his hands slooooooowly...so sloooooooowly...and then CLAPPED THEM DOWN ON HER SHOULDERS with a pitpat.
"Hiya, Spatula-chan," he cheerfully said, to let her know it wasn't an attacker. Well, it was when he was sneaking up on people? But to Gin, it was all to be considered friendly fire. "Whatcha doin'?"
Jessie, as expected, had no idea he was there until his hands landed on her shoulders and she jumped in fright startling the ferrets who settled quickly once they realised it was Gin. The traitors.
“You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days!” she exclaimed as she thwacked him with her hand before he could move out of the way. “You’re lucky the spatula is in the kitchen” she told him pointing her finger at him warningly.
“Honestly, how Rangiku puts up with you is beyond me” she said as she settled back down, “And to answer your question I’m working on some paperwork for my vet practice”
Not traitors! Partners in crime. Oh yes. Their only point of contention was the sock theft, but Gin was otherwise fine with it and by now was used to them and the kitten scampering around the house, making little sock 'forts' behind the furniture or appliances and attacking rolled up socks with reckless abandon.
Gin laughed at the thwack and leaned over so he could peek at the paperwork, over her shoulder.
"Don' worry? I'll call nine-one-one if I do give ya one," he promised, "and then our other roommate'll probably smack me upside the head for doin' that to ya." Because yes, roommate. He pointed down at the form she was working on. "Huh. What's this paperwork for?"
Jessie was sure that Bonnie and Clyde were going to be a bad influence on the kitten but at least they were getting along. It was actually quite sweet to watch them all playing together.
“Well thank you that’s reassuring. Not as reassuring as knowing your girlfriend would beat you up for me though” she grinned because yes, Gin, girlfriend. “Supplies orders and that kind of stuff. I can’t afford an office manager yet so I’m doing it myself, but I tend to procrastinate a bit” she admitted.
"Ahh, I think ya mean my roommate would beat me up for ya," he corrected with the greatest of ease, not appearing at all perturbed about the labeling mistake. He moved around to plop down on the couch, holding one hand out. "I'm good at shufflin' stuff 'round, so I'll help do that for ya if you want. My job's been kinda slow lately anyway an' probably won't pick back up until tax season."
“Nope I was right the first time” Jessie insisted with an ease of her own, though she couldn’t help wondering exactly why he was so against the term when it was obvious that was what they were. It was intriguing. “Are you sure? I don’t want to take advantage” she told him, while she’d love the help she didn’t want him to feel like he had to help her.
"Nope, you were wronger than wrong the first time. My answer's the right one," was Gin's breezy reply, the smile literally smeared across the lower half of his face. It looked really self-satisfied. He wagged his hand at her, waiting for that paperwork. "And yep, I'm sure. My whole family's good with calculators. Might as well take advantage while the offer's open."
Jessie rolls her eyes and hums non-committally but doesn’t continue insisting. After all he is offering to help her. She hands him some paperwork with a grateful smile, “Then thank you very much. I’ll make dinner tomorrow, whatever you like” she told him.
"If ya ask me, you know I'm gonna say somethin' from home that you don't know how ta cook. So surprise me...and it's not like Rangiku's gonna complain about bein' fed." He grinned as he took the paperwork and her pen, before sprawling out on the couch to start on it. While he was filling things out, he still managed to hold a conversation. "You need ta move this all onto a computer system. It'd be easier ta reorder stuff. You're like a cavewoman, doin' it this way."
She laughed lightly, “Okay surprise it is” she agreed, she’d have to ask Rogue over soon to teach her a new dish. It was surprisingly fun to cook, which was something she’d never thought she would enjoy. Still it didn’t mean she was anywhere close to turning into a domestic goddess - she still enjoyed takeaway.
“Thats me cavewoman Jessie” she joked before nodding more seriously, “I didn’t think it’d be that hard. But there’s more to it than I realised. In a couple of months I’ll hopefully be doing well enough to hire a manager to bring me into the twenty first century”
Gin knew how to cook a few things, but between him and Rangiku? There was a lot of delivery and takeout happening. Even then, he did a lot of his own cooking and clean up, getting it all done as fast as possible, so he could be a lazy bum and enjoy the quiet time...for as long as it lasted.
"Ya got some people bringin' there pets in at least, so it ain't a bust," he agreed, flipping back and forth through the pages for a moment. "It ain't hard. It's boring. No one wants ta be bored doin' paperwork all day. Ya ain't ever gonna have time to go out on no dates or nothin'."
He was only teasing, of course. It’s what he does best.
Takeaway worked for Jessie too, especially when she worked late. And she did often since later opening attracted more people and that meant more chances for her to make money and actually make her business viable. She was fine with that.
“Yeah I’m building up a good group of clients and I’ve even got an opportunity at a few big contracts with local ranches and farms” she smiled, “Maybe it’s more that it’s so boring it’s hard for me to actually want to do it” then she laughed, “No dates are fine by me. I have nothing on the horizon in that direction and I’m fine with that”
The kitchen was probably getting barely half the cooking it should be getting. You lazy peoples! And Gin was a grazer so he kind of picked at this and that all day long anyway. His leftovers didn't last too long.
He listened while marking things down and gave her one of his trademarked squinty-eyed smiley faces when he heard her talking about that last dating thing.
"Well? It sounds like you're doin' real good if you think you'll be able ta hire a manager. Everything's worse when it's boring." Ain't that the truth. "But no dates? Aww. Some lucky someone out there's missin' out. All the company, all the teasin', all the bickerin'...fun, fun times."
It wasn’t but at least it was kept clean and tidy. It could have been much worse, they could have left things to grow mould and forget to clean the fridge. But they were all fairly tidy people, at least kitchen wise anyway.
“Yeah it’s gone great so far, I’m really happy. Means moving out here wasn’t a mistake after all” and for a while she had wondered what the hell she was doing.
“Maybe so but I’m happy right now. I’ll live vicariously through my coupley friends, even if some of them refuse to admit they’re in a relationship”
They really were, even if Rangiku was the laziest amongst them. Between himself and Jessie? Everything looked like it was cleaned and organized. That included Gin's room, which kept getting piles of Rangiku's things all over it. Even if she has her own room to clutter up.
It gave him something to clean up every day. Somehow or other? He actually thinks her messes are cute. Of course, he isn't about to go admitting it. Denial is so much easier and can be fun. That much was evident when he cheerfully started talking, while filling out forms.
"Nah, movin' out here's actually been pretty fun. It helps havin' good roommates and a nice house. It's probably better if ya ain't, if you're happy right now. Those relationship things can be a pain in the butt. That's why I've only got roommates." He turned his head to smile at her, like he did not have a single shred of a care in the whole wide world. "I dunno who the hell you're talkin' about, but good luck to 'em."
Jessie’s room was pretty clean too, apart from the corner where she let the ferrets play - their toys were scattered around along with a couple of water dishes.
“It does help that I was really lucky to find you pretty soon after moving, you’re a good buddy” she told him with a smile and she nudged him with her shoulder. “Why are you so set on not admitting it?” she finally asked curiously, “I know you aren’t mean enough to be doing it just to hurt Rangiku, but I can’t for the life of me figure out a reason for it”
He did consider Jessie to be a good buddy too. She was easy to get along with, they never argued, he liked that she flailed and hit him in the face with a spatula, and even her pets were a kick to be around. He had zero complaints, except that he found himself cornered a little bit, and was going to have to pretend the corner didn't exist.
"Ahhh," he sighed out, slowly. Gin had to keep the smile firmly in place so he could unleash some little white lies. It helped when trying to cover things up. That was his default state. "There ain't nothin' to admit and she's ok with it, since I ain't the type that likes too many strings attached. Why? She been talkin' about it to you?"
After that little truth episode, Gin knew Rangiku only marginally accepted it. There was nothing to like about it, and he was fibbing a little bit, since he wouldn’t mind the strings. Conversely, he knew too well that strings were also dangerous things, because they meant connections that could be followed. Nonetheless, he leaned over toward her with a sly smirk on his face, like he was waiting to hear all the details.
“She hasn’t said anything specific” Okay so it may not be entirely true, but she hadn’t said anything she’d just text it instead. It seemed the little bout of truth that had happened had extended to written words as well.
“At the end of the day it’s none of my business and I know that, I just don’t want anybody to get hurt. It’s not nice to be strung along with half truths and placations not if you’re invested in something emotionally” Jessie’s eyes clouded with memory and sadness before she shrugged and went to stand, “Anyway, let me go see what I can rustle up for dinner” she hadn’t meant to get so heavy but it’d been on her mind since her text conversation with Rangiku and although she hoped Gin was better than that she was still a little worried.
Gin's smile looked like he was pursing his lips a little bit instead, giving him a vaguely sour expression. He started to mark the last few things down on the paperwork to get it over and done with. Boring paperwork was boring, and he didn't like that sad look on Jessie's face. In fact, Gin didn't like sad looks, crying, or sad stories. It was time to turn the frown upside down. He hoped. Sometimes? He only made things worse.
Not that it would stop him from trying.
He stood up and was following behind Jessie, while pleasantly chitchatting like they were talking about the weather, "I think ya got some say since you're the one who has to listen to your roommates fighting sometimes. Rangiku and I are kinda like old friends. Arguments happen sometimes, ya know. Only it's more like friends with benefits. As long as it's been made clear that's what it is, and that we're only roommates, then how can it be stringin' her along?"
Touché!
“I have a say about some things maybe but not your relationship. That’s private and between the two of you, no matter how loud your arguments get. It’s never a good idea to get involved as a third party” Jessie said, checking the fridge and cupboards when they reached the kitchen. “I’m sure you’re right” though she wasn’t. He could say it as many times as he liked but girls hardly ever worked that way and she knew Rangiku wasn’t happy with it despite it being made clear.
But it really wasn’t anything to do with her. She had to keep out of it, it wasn’t something she could be unbiased about either given her own history. So she’d have to just be their friend and hope it didn’t all end badly.
The only way it would ever end badly was if Rangiku took the initiative to bail and not come back. Gin didn't think that was going to happen, especially since he was already making some adjustments here and there to prevent it from happening.
He leaned against the countertop, not looking at all bothered by the topic or tone of the conversation. Simply because it didn't show on the outside, didn't mean it was the same on the inside. With Jessie, he could get some perspective from the third party, and it was also good to know who hurt her like that.
"Ya got say 'bout the noise and we try ta keep it down when we're fighting," he pointed out, while pointing a finger as a head's up. "Watch out for that cupboard over there. I rigged it to dump a lil' plastic container of flour on Rangiku when she opens it. Anyway...." Warning over. "It ain't a relationship in the conventional sense, nope. And why'd you look so sad. Do I gotta go stab someone with a pen or what?"
Inquiring minds want to know.
It actually helped that he didn’t look too worried about their conversation. It reassured her that she wasn’t overstepping her boundaries or upsetting him. Not that he’d probably let on either way, she had a feeling nobody would ever know exactly what Gin was thinking unless he wanted them to.
She moved away from the ‘danger’ cupboard rolling her eyes at his little trick but there was a flutter of a smile on her lips as she did so. “Sorry” she apologised automatically, before smiling more genuinely at the offer, “Thank you but it’s in the past now. The damage is done” she felt silly, she wasn’t the only person who’d ever been in a bad relationship.
Even in his dreams, Gin was comfortable enough to hold conversations with his supposed enemies, and even the actual enemies that he wanted to stab repeatedly and keep on stabbing after they were dead. But that's not polite. One has to wait for the perfect moment, after all. And he wouldn't ever stab either of his roommates.
Of course, he's not even letting on that he's thinking on a scale of 'would I stab 'em or not?' while they're having a chitchat.
"I ain't gonna judge you either if you ever need ta unload and talk 'bout it? Only seems fair since ya live here too and you're a friend ta me and Rangiku." He shrugged a little. "I don't wanna pry, either. So I'll leave it at that."
It’s a good job Jessie can’t see or read his thoughts because it would be very disconcerting to know that he was thinking such ‘interesting’ things.
“Thanks Gin” she said with a genuine smile, “I’ll keep that in mind. There’s not much to tell really. Mostly it just means I’m a bit wary when it comes to relationships and the like. But as I said before I’m happy as I am right now so I don’t need to worry about that”
Shhhhhhhhhhhh. It's all a secret. No mind readers allowed! Plus it would be weird for a telepath since can they even read the mind of something that's dead? Or would they need to be a psychic, instead? Definitely something to wonder about.
"If you're comfy with that choice, then that's good. Otherwise, that offer's open, anytime," was his reply, as he continued watching. He even pulled one of the barstools over by hooking his foot around the leg, so he could sit down and watch, the lazy bum. Fine, he's offering, "Ya want me to do anythin'?"
Well if the dead thing was thinking it meant there was still something sparking in the brain which a telepath could potentially read but anyway...
Jessie nodded with a smile at his offer, “Wanna do some chopping?” she asked as she set down a chopping board, knife and assorted vegetables down in front of him.
But does a dead thing have a brain if it's dead, that means the brain technically isn't even really there in a physical sense anymore. Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh. Mysterious, innit? Better call a psychic medium or the ghostbusters, or whatevers!
"Sure. I like choppin' things." That was hilariously funny to him. He took the knife in hand and started chopping with the greatest of incredibly fast ease. "Hope there's no onions in here. Might make me cry."
It so wouldn't. Even onions can't make Gin cry...since snakes can't squeeze out even a single teardrop anyway.
Very mysterious. Which makes it a good job that it would never even cross Jessie’s mind as she was sure to get completely baffled by it - as well as slightly freaked out.
“Oh dear there might be one or two. It’s okay, I’ll mop you up with a tissue if you start sobbing” she teased him with a grin. Impressed by his efficiency with the vegetables as she started on the sauce.
No way does Gin want to freak out his roommate, which was the reason he was playing it safe by not showing off powers-wise around her, and turning it into a new fun game of 'lets see how long it'll be before she suspects anything's weird, here'.
Gin smiled at the onion and went to chopping it up. Luckily his eyes were squinty so that helped in keeping them from turning into a cry mess all over the place. No mop needed!
"Done, done, an' done...unless ya want it minced," he said, pushing the cutting board across the countertop toward her. "Pretty sure I can accommodate there, too."
Yep, he could. So very much could.
It’d probably be a long time so he was sure to get plenty of entertainment from her obliviousness in the meantime.
“Thanks that’s just great” Jessie told him, “You can relax now I have it covered” she grinned, “Shouldn’t be too long. Probably half an hour or so”