Becoming Accustomed (Ace)

[Gleam]

Jacob returned to the dorm not long afterwards, having ransacked the main kitchens for the manual tools necessary to concoct an actually decent meal. He hummed as he slid his key in the lock, twisted it, and then pushed the door open with his hip. "Good evening." he called. "I have returned with food."

It took a moment, but he wandered his way into the kitchen and set down his load - first, the utensils of a well-stocked kitchen, and then a plate of some kind of pink meat, arranged into almost a roselike shape, surrounded by sweet-swelling rice and soaked in some kind of mouthwatering sauce. Set aside on the plate is a bowl of miso soup.

"Sashimi salmon rose." Jacob said, satisfied, as he nudged the dish over to Ace with a finger. "I took into account your carnivorous palate and tried to accomodate it."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace had been watching TV on the futon, sprawled out and chewing on an ice pop while watching the infomercials. Again.

She lifted herself up curiously when he entered the door. "Whatchya bring?" She wondered, standing up and adjusting her hoodie, taking another bite. She walked towards the kitchenette and sat herself down at the little serving bar that was there.

"Ooh chinese! I know this shit." She said with a grin, "I haven't had take out since back home." She said with a sigh, obviously excited about dinner. "Now give me a fork, Jack. Where's the egg rolls? I'm fucking starving."

[Gleam]

"It is Japanese, not Chinese, Ace." Jacob replied with a raised eyebrow, but he dug through the silverware drawer and produced a full set of diningware for his hungry flatmate. "So, sadly, no egg rolls. But I suppose I can ignore that - for the moment, I definitely need a shower, as I have been out in the sun most of the day. Eat your fill, I will likely be making a second course again anyways."

He looked at his sweat-soaked shirt with a grimace and shrugged, then wandered over to his closet and extracted a pair of comfy shorts and a t-shirt.

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace shrugged, "Whatever, it's Asian, you get it in a box, right? There's noodles and rice, and whatnot, it's asian." She picked up one of the roses with her fingers and threw it into her mouth, chewing happily, "Nice, just wish there was a bit more bite to it..." She said, ever the critic. "It's a shame though, I fucking adore egg rolls... Later then."

She turned her eyes back to the rest of it. She forked into the miso soup to bring out the stuff she could bite down on, spooning heaps of rice into her mouth as well. She ate standing up, not bothering to sit on the stool when she could just lean over the bar as she was doing.

All she had in the bathroom was a thing of hair&body wash like you'd get in a hotel and a drawer for her personals. She knew as well that her towel was the faded blue one with the holes in the corners and the burn mark down the side.

[Gleam]

Jacob snickered. "I will keep that in mind for tomorrow's dinner." He replied. "I am capable of Chinese cuisine, and an egg roll meal is, similarly, not beyond my means. It is also a different kind of meat product, which will help relieve the tedium."

He straightened up then and walked by Ace, but not before he twirled a fork up between his finger, stole a slice of salmon from the plate, and consumed it, tossing the fork into the sink along the way. "Try not to flush the toliet while I am showering, yes?" he said with a crooked smile. "That stings a bit."

The door closed, and a moment later the hiss of running water sounded as the shower started up.

['Ace' Julia Dale]

"I'll try," She called "But I make no guarantees!" Just as he closed the door.

The infomercials blasted. If you buy this hairdryer RIGHT NOW you will save 20 dollars on YOUR electicity bill for the month, because with their new eco-friendCo technology, nothing is impossible.

Ace eventually grabbed a seat, sick of standing, and grabbed the bowl of broth from the miso. She tipped the hot liquid back and downed it like a pro. She rubbed her face against her sleeve, knowing a lot of sauce had doubtlessly covered it previously. Ace watched another advert blare, but sneakily considered going in to flush the toilet just to piss him off. It brought a smirk to her face, thinking about it.

Well, she didn't make any promises. She moved carefully, trying not to make noise.

[Gleam]

Jacob stripped off the sea-salt-crusted clothes he'd been wearing all afternoon and left them in the hamper, as he tested the water's heat and found it acceptable. He set out the personal shampoo he'd been using now for . . . it really had been over a century. Hah. An old favorite, he supposed.

Hot water was a convenience that had only recently evolved in the world, and he still enjoyed it immensely. Not enough, though, to miss the sound of Ace creeping around outside. He sighed and poked his head out past the shower curtain as the bathroom door creaked open.

"There are only two reasons for you to be in this room right now." he said to Ace, eyebrow raised. "And you're overdressed for both of them, dear."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace's head bolted up right as he had caught her red handed. "You're too narrow minded, Jack, gotta think outside the box a little." She said over the sound of running water, somewhat smugly.

It was too late to back out of it, and laughing heartily already, she pushed the flush for the toilet, then made a run for it, closing the door behind her. She stood outside the door for a moment, to hear his surely annoyed reaction. An agitated sigh, an annoyed curse... something to that affect. She snickered in anticipation.

[Gleam]

There is a moment of silence, and then the door opens behind Ace, only for a batch of wet, salt-and-sweat-encrusted clothing to be dumped on her head. Jacob, dripping wet, a towel slung low on his hips, smiles genially at her.

"Since I know you are not going to wash the dishes, and I've already made dinner, how about you do the laundry?" he says innocently. "This is a fair deal, I believe."

It's hard for him to see through the wet hair plastered down against his head, but clearly, he's deeply amused anyways.

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace was surprised to hear the door open, and she turned around just to get face-planted with the stinky clothes. She gathered them in her arms, growing red in the face. "Touché." She admits somewhat sourly, though a grin rest on her face.

"And don't act all 'fair is fair'," She said to him, "You know full well this is revenge, just admit it!" She called. She didn't seem to even particularly notice his lack of clothes while having this conversation. "Dear god anyway what the hell did you do in these!" She sniffed the air, "I mean I thought I was the one wading through the ocean..."

[Gleam]

"I took a bit of a swim before I started fishing." Jacob admitted. "Then did a spot of fishing to dry out and relax. That was when you came along as you did."

He cocks an eyebrow at her again, as his grin continues to grow. "Oh." he says. "Revenge for what, now? Trying to sneak into the bathroom while I am bare and vulnerable?" The boy clutches his chest with one hand. "Heaven forbid. My virtue is at stake, and its best defense is . . . body odor."

A beat, and Jacob snorts and moves the hand up to his face, covering his smile. "Off with you." he says, shaking his head, and turns back to the bathroom. "I'm losing hot water, dammit."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace shook her head, "I don't know how you managed to move after that swim..." She said simply, knowing herself that one would dry stiff from salt-water, and be incredibly itchy as well.

She noticed his growing grin and narrowed her eyes, not trusting his expression. He gave his little theatrical and raised her eyes to heaven, "Do you often confuse 'virtue' for 'unburnt flesh'?" She asked, then paused, "Don't answer that."

She saw him start to smile and cover it up, giving him a quizzical and suspicious look. He waved her away and Ace just smirked. "Right-o." She said, turning to leave the dorm so she might hit the launderette down the hall, taking a key with her and locking the door. After all, she didn't want to put his virtue at risk again.

[Gleam]

When Ace returned, Jacob had finished with his shower and produced some kind of Japanese aftermeal made of tiny, crunchy pieces of meat wrapped in crisp daikon leaves, which he ate avidly as he watched something else on his laptop.

"I did not actually expect that you would do it." he admitted when she walked in the door. "My thanks. Where is the laundromat, by the by? I have not yet managed to spot it."

The tinny sounds of some kind of news report echoed from the laptop's speakers, and Jacob frowned as apparently he heard something that disagreed with him.

['Ace' Julia Dale]

"It's down the hall, take a right. There's a sign that says Laundry." She said with a hint of pride. She didn't mention she had stood there leaning against the wall trying to look casual for 3 full minutes making sure that's what it said and sounding it out in her head.

"I'm sure there's a lot of things you wouldn't expect." She said with a sigh, closing the door behind her. "But I'm not totally useless, remember, I graduated." She said with a jagged point. She laughed it off, simply messing.

She watched as a concerned look came over Jack's face. She didn't ask any question, but did walk over just behind the couch to watch from behind his shoulder. She was silent for a moment, trying to make out what was being said through notoriously muffled laptop speakers.

[Gleam]

The news reported on a Mr. Benessey Havershack, an elderly but extremely talented musical composer, that was giving what he claimed to be his final interview before he retired from the public limelight and music in general. Talented in full orchestral compositions but possessing a predilection for piano solos, he spoke fondly of his youth, the time he spent learning music from his father, and the duets they had composed during his teenage years. A lifetime of music and the wonders it provided, Benessey concluded, had been a worthy life, and now he wanted to retire and spend time with his family in much the same way.

"A great man." Jacob murmured, and closed out the interview. "An acquaintance of mine, and one of the few people I have ever had the pleasure to meet who remained uncomplicated, despite life's travails."

He stretched absently. "Yes, you did graduate." he concedes, voice a little louder, as he picked up the laptop and plopped it down on the couch. "It is free if you want to use it, whether just to watch Dr. Who or surf the 'Net. I have more nidan if you want them -" he gestures to the little meatballs " -, but in the meantime, I will begin to clean up tonight's dishes."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace watched the ending of the interview with wide eyes. It was certainly a world she hadn't ever known, what he was describing. Piano and concerts, orchestras. It all seemed so... elegant.

When Jack started commenting on it, Ace turned to him, her expression saying that she was trying to understand.

However, he seemed to easily change the subject, and Ace was alright with that. She blinked at the offer of the laptop, and climbed over to the seat, picking the laptop up quickly as she did so. "Awesome," She said, grabbing a meatball with her fingers and eating it.

"So," She couldn't help asking, "Did you know that dude in this life or...?" She didn't look at him while she asked, simply searched the screen for the internet icon, and clicked into it. She thought she might as well do some shopping, and searched the keyboard to type in:

bi marlboro onlin papal

She pressed enter and stared at the page for a good few minutes, trying to make out the first few links...

[Gleam]

Jacob paused. Then he laughed, abruptly, and settled on the back of the couch behind Ace. "It's odd having someone know." he says simply. "I have made it a point in everyday life to keep it private, and then suddenly I find myself at this academy where it's . . . almost ordinary. Very freeing."

Jacob nods at the screen. "Benessey is my son, from . . . well, back before I knew anything about my power. Very talented. Did things with his life. I've always been proud of him for accomplishing so much. I'm glad to hear he'll be doing his best to pass on his talents to the rest of his family."

Without comment he leans over Ace's shoulder and corrects her spelling, then sends her off into Google land.

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace turned to him, "Dude you have kids?? Damn, how old are you?" The fact seemed to surprise her more than him being able to switch bodies. "How come I didn't see you on the part about his life or anything? Why are you here and not with him?" She said, growing slightly louder.

She then felt him lean over her shoulder and correct her spelling mistakes. "They were fine, seriously, the internet knew what I meant." She said, waving him off... "Seriously though," She said, back to her tone about the previous issue. She looked quite cross.

[Gleam]

Jacob's brow furrowed. "Yes." he answers. "I have had children. I have been lucky in that my power has only triggered by force once - every other time, it has been by natural causes. Altogether, I have survived some one hundred and thirty years and raised sixteen children across four lifetimes."

He exhaled. "My . . . talent . . . left me greatly disturbed the first time it activated. By the time I had come to terms with its effects, near three years had passed, and my family had moved on. They would not have recognized me, and their grief was buried; as well, I did not wish to expose them to the danger once more, should I perish again. I started a new life, instead. And then again."

Jacob gestured loosely at himself and gave a mirthless smile. "And again."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace shook her head, "Okay about the first time, but what about the second time, when you had MORE children, ANOTHER family, why didn't you tell them about it?? What did you do, just wait until you died again, and then pretended they never happened?!"

She snarled now. It would seem that this issue was not something she would laugh off like the rest of it. "You never even contacted them, did you? You've never let them know- Did you ever even try?" She shook her head, and pushed his laptop away from her, grabbing the remote quickly and turned back on the infomercials. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear any more.

"So you 'Came to terms' with leaving and forgetting, eh? Congratulations."

[Gleam]

Jacob's face stills. "I knew nothing for certain." he said, flat. "I did not know if it would happen again. I had no idea what caused it. I still don't know if it will suddenly refuse to activate the next time I die and I will simply remain deceased and unaware. I cannot experiment, for obvious reasons, and even if I could, is it right for them to spend all of their days with me hovering over their shoulders? Can you imagine what kinds of questions they would ask, should I fail to end and they do not?"

Jacob's teeth grit. "I don't ask about your life, Ace, and I don't claim you a fool for the decisions you make, because I know nothing about why you would. So perhaps you could return the favor and not judge what you don't understand."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace's snarl seemed to stay exactly where it was, even through his words. Ace shook her head, "Oh, I understand perfectly well. I understand that you're a coward, who hides behind facade after facade because you're afraid of what. Throwing a wrench into the Fucking mourning process? Afraid of them asking questions that you ask yourself? Afraid maybe, of giving your family a little bit of hope, letting them know that out of everyone, you won't leave."

Ace looked him in the eyes, unafraid. Her own dashed between each of his squinting, as though daring him to deny it. Her mouth was drawn into a frown. "Maybe you're right though..." She said finally, rage edging her voice, "Maybe I don't understand."

[Gleam]

Jacob stared down at Ace, unabashed and unblinking. Then he leans down until they're face to face.

"When I die I wake up in someone else's body." he said softly. "I wake up with their memories, every skill they've ever practiced still etched in the nerves. But whoever they were, they are gone, and I bear little hope for mercy when it comes to the world I live in. I have woken up in a little girl's body, and the body of my own son, and the body of a baby boy, and all their souls are on my conscience. So forgive me if I am unable to go back and greet my family now that I have torn out the soul of my own son's body; that I have spent six years having to relearn how to walk and talk; that I have done damage that will never be made right, and that every time I stay with them I put their immortal souls in jeopardy again, force them to decide the weight of their lives against mine."

He stood up and shook his head as he walked to the sink, and started washing dishes.

"I am terrified." Jacob admitted, bleak, as he scrubbed off the plate he had just eaten off of. "I am in this academy because I am afraid of what will happen should this loop continue. So yes. You understand that much, at least."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace didn't back away as he drew closer, holding her ground, top lip twitching with anger and a hint of disgust. His soft tone shook her in her angry state slightly on the inside, but she showed no reaction to him. His words though she couldn't help but react to.

It took a moment to process the fact that he basically unintentionally killed people. She didn't know what to say, but her expression became less angry at the very least. In fact it softened considerably. She imagined what it would be like, or at least tried to. She drew her knees up towards her and held them as she sat on the couch, and went to rest her cheek on them, staring at him as he scrubbed the dishes.

"Well I didn't know that." She defended, her tone much softer now. She allowed roughly a minute pause. "... I may have kind of attacked you there maybe a little out of turn..." She admitted the same way most people said 'i'm sorry'.

"Hey... " She thought she was going to say something there, but it totally left her mind, so she just let the word into the air and let it go where it pleased.

[Gleam]

Jacob pauses and takes a deep breath.

"I apologize for snapping at you." he said, without turning around. "I go out of my way to not inform people of my circumstances, and I cannot expect them to understand if I do not make the relevant information available."

Another pause, and his throat works. Then Jacob turns and bows slightly to Ace. "It is your life at risk, so I should have informed you sooner." he managed, before rising and turning back to the sink.

Something wry snaked across Jacob's face, giving him a weak smile. "And I do not say that merely on account of a guilt complex, which I, fortunately, do not possess in any case. I simply . . . did not wish for this matter to be involved between the two of us."