[All things considered, after the last time they'd talked--when was the last time they'd talked? (Silly question, he already knows the answer to that quite well enough. Couldn't have forgotten if he wanted to.) But either way, Jack isn't entirely sure just what he'd have expected from Zelos, if they ran into each other again. Which had been an inevitable idea, on a ship as tiny as this one, though Jack had been furtively skirting around the notion for a little while anyway.]
[He's terrible at conflict. Terrible at knowing how to avoid it, terrible at engaging it, terrible at resolving it after the fact. Too many times trying and failing, and reaching out to a latter party once the dust's settled is an almost impossible idea, something that you ought to do but something that he can't...or so he'd been wrestling with that particular train of thought, especially over the last few days.]
[And now here the guy is, doing the approaching for him. Standing there with that oddly weak smile, now...and the hesitation is more than visible, on Jack's part. The body language, the serious question--and his eyebrows come together slightly, after a second or so. Grip on his staff switches from one hand to the other, and then he reaches up to pull down his hood, newly-formed shower ice breaking away in flakes with a crackle. Never mind that he'd be getting water on his hair now--he needs to appraise Zelos well and properly, for a moment, and a slight frown falls into place.]
[Walking away is still far more appealing than it ought to be, really, but...]
True, can't say I'm jumping for joy over here. [The words sort and come out that way, at length--probably a bit cruel and inadvisable if mending ties is going to be a thing here, but he can't really help himself. (It'd stung a lot, that last talk...)] Not walking off yet, though, am I?
[And his drawn look shifts into more of a peer now, still uncertain but curious (and maybe just the slightest bit concerned) around the edges now, almost despite himself. Zelos is already acting...kind of off...]
no subject
[All things considered, after the last time they'd talked--when was the last time they'd talked? (Silly question, he already knows the answer to that quite well enough. Couldn't have forgotten if he wanted to.) But either way, Jack isn't entirely sure just what he'd have expected from Zelos, if they ran into each other again. Which had been an inevitable idea, on a ship as tiny as this one, though Jack had been furtively skirting around the notion for a little while anyway.]
[He's terrible at conflict. Terrible at knowing how to avoid it, terrible at engaging it, terrible at resolving it after the fact. Too many times trying and failing, and reaching out to a latter party once the dust's settled is an almost impossible idea, something that you ought to do but something that he can't...or so he'd been wrestling with that particular train of thought, especially over the last few days.]
[And now here the guy is, doing the approaching for him. Standing there with that oddly weak smile, now...and the hesitation is more than visible, on Jack's part. The body language, the serious question--and his eyebrows come together slightly, after a second or so. Grip on his staff switches from one hand to the other, and then he reaches up to pull down his hood, newly-formed shower ice breaking away in flakes with a crackle. Never mind that he'd be getting water on his hair now--he needs to appraise Zelos well and properly, for a moment, and a slight frown falls into place.]
[Walking away is still far more appealing than it ought to be, really, but...]
True, can't say I'm jumping for joy over here. [The words sort and come out that way, at length--probably a bit cruel and inadvisable if mending ties is going to be a thing here, but he can't really help himself. (It'd stung a lot, that last talk...)] Not walking off yet, though, am I?
[And his drawn look shifts into more of a peer now, still uncertain but curious (and maybe just the slightest bit concerned) around the edges now, almost despite himself. Zelos is already acting...kind of off...]
What's up?