The song comes to an end ((open thread))

[slayers_desire]

For the general public, tonight the Caritas is closed.

For those who have a special invitation however -- there is a party to attend. And the bar is decked out with every single decoration in the world. There are helium balloons floating up by the roof, in all sorts of colors. And we mean all the colors. There are plaid balloons up there!

There are dozens of candles decorating each table. And these candles fire off little tiny explosions of fireworks every half hour.

There is a bubble machine and a fog machine by the dance floor, so people can mix it up and have fun. There is every kind of beverage (even the 'rich red' for vampires) at the bar.

And right now Lorne is on the stage, belting out a song to "Memory".

((here is the deal -- this is a mixed interaction thread. NPCs will interact with everyone who posts, but I encourage others to interact as well. There will be a point when a major plot point will occur, and hopefully I can bring everyone into a posting order))

Comments

[fractured_agent]

"I made that much of an impression, huh?"

[victormakesart]

"Yeah, for sure. Jude wants to be just like you. He even had me make him a--" she taps her wrist "-- play Vortex Manipulator."

[fractured_agent]

"Well I'm definitely flattered," Jack says with a grin. "Haven't been an exemplary role model since my poster boy days."

[victormakesart]

"You're part of my family now," Vic insists, forgetting, for a moment, how heavy her heart is. "That doesn't mean you have to do anything differently, but it does mean as far as I'm concerned, you're a wonderful role model for the tiny humans. And robots."

[fractured_agent]

"Hey, I don't mind being the eccentric uncle who spoils the kids rotten."

[victormakesart]

"Good," she says. Then she thunks into him and hugs him as hard as she can. There may be some sniffling. Perhaps.

[fractured_agent]

Jack wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head. "Hey now, none of that."

[victormakesart]

Something mumbly and muffled that's probably, "He's not allowed to go." It's either that or, "It's not allowed to snow."

[fractured_agent]

"Everyone's got to go sometime, darling." He sounds a little more gentle when he says that, and doesn't mention that he himself is likely to be the one exception to the rule.

[victormakesart]

"Untrue." She tilts her head back to look at him, eyes watery. "If I had a dollar for every immortal I've met over the past ten years I'd be able to buy a secret star base on the moon."

[fractured_agent]

"An end isn't always a bad thing, Victor." Jack's only a hundred and seventy-eight, or thereabouts, but he's already feeling the weight of those years and knows that he would welcome an end to his immortality. It's hard not to project those feelings onto other long-lived people sometimes, even though he knows it isn't necessarily the same, or fair.

[victormakesart]

"It's too soon. A-and I know that's subjective and time is relative and he's lived well and all that garbage but it's too soon and he needs to stay another thirty years at least. At least."

[fractured_agent]

"I've seen a lot of guys go well before their time. There's never a 'good' time for someone to go. All you can do is make the most of life while you're living."

[victormakesart]

"Death is stupid," she mutters, petulantly. Clearly logic has no place in this conversation.

[fractured_agent]

Jack can't really agree, but he also knows that won't help. "Maybe. But let's not make this last hurrah a sad one."

[victormakesart]

"I told myself I wouldn't do this. I guess I'm gonna have to settle for not doing this in front of Lorne." Deep breath. She wipes at her eyes.

[fractured_agent]

He smoothly offers her a handkerchief. "I don't think he'd judge you."

[victormakesart]

She dabs at her eyes with the square of fabric, offers him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

((I am such a trolllll. But I honestly believe this.))

[fractured_agent]

"No problem." He returns the smile, although his is likely less wibbly than hers.

[victormakesart]

"I don't want him to feel guilty about leavin' us. It's not his fault. I wanna give him some more happy memories. I just... don't know how to do this. Like, I don't... every step of this process feels impossible. Going on, time passing... afterwards, it's all impossible."

[fractured_agent]

"I look at it this way... it's a good thing he knows it's coming. He can say the things he wants to say, do the things he wants to do, finish his business and put his affairs in order. It gives us the chance to say goodbye to him."

[victormakesart]

She nods her head, and her eyes prickle hot all over again. Dab dab dab. "So he's luckier than most. That's something. How do we keep going, when he's gone away?"

[fractured_agent]

"I don't think my advice would help you much." Jack's lost so many people now, he doesn't even know what he's doing anymore to cope. He just... continues. He doesn't have much choice.

[victormakesart]

She nods, smiles weakly. "Thank you anyway." She offers him his handkerchief back. "What's been goin' on lately at home?"

[fractured_agent]

Jack folds the hanky and puts it in his pocket again. "We stopped an illegal alien meat distribution operation a few weeks ago. Other than that, the Rift's been decently active lately."