[Sodium_noir] Hell is Other People

[FlameFlash]

> Aurora, JB, Jack
>
> [Jack]
> Vigorously shaking his head, Jack replies. "No, no,
> no, no, no, no. That isn't true. You played a huge
> part." He spreads his hands wide for emphasis. "You
> saved my fucking life, darlin'. Would have been
> pushing up the daisies if not for you and your lovely
> companions."
>
> Jack takes the cigarette between his fingers and gives
> John Black the kind of serious and profound look only
> much liquor can provide.
>
> "Don't let her tell you otherwise, my friend. Girl's a
> heroine in my book."
>
> [John]
> John smiles, and raises his glass to Aurora. "To the
> hero of the hour. May your Ancestors return your
> generosity a hundredfold." He takes a drink of his
> beer, and then looks around for a waiter, summoning
> him over for more drinks.
>
> "So what will you do now? Your life has been saved.
> You've been given another chance. Some might resort
> to hedonism, and try to squeeze as much pleasure out
> of life as possible. Looked down upon by society,
> though I personally don't believe it's a bad way to
> live. Or will you become a hero yourself? And help
> others? Then there's always revenge."
>
> [Jack]
> There's a sarcastic edge to Jack's voice as he smirks
> at the man. "Hero? No, not I. Not me at all. Too
> interested in the continuing preservation of my ass.
> Revenge? Nope. No one to seek revenge of. Get revenge
> on. Be avenged for. However you say it. That first
> one? Hedonism? Yeah. There's a whole lot of pleasure
> I'd like to squeeze out of life, believe me. And the
> squeezing is going to start tonight, my friend."
>
> Jack glances over at Aurora, managing to wink at her
> and blush at the same time.
>
> [John]
> John watches the interaction and smiles sadly. He
> raised his glass in a toast. "To new friends, and the
> calm before the storm. May it last." He finished his
> drink and set the empty glass to the side. He paused
> for a moment, as if engaging in some sort of internal
> debate. "I don't mean to pry, and normally I'd
> respect your privacy and wouldn't ask, but did your
> need for salvation stem from forces . . ." he
> hesitated, trying to pick the right word. Deomons was
> inappropriate. Angels was stupid. Finally, he
> settled on ". . . unknown to the mundane world."

[Aurora]
She coughs on a sip of beer, her eyes shifting to grey drastically and
quickly, but she lets Jack speak.
>
> [Jack]
> Jack raises an eyebrow and mouths John's words,
> repeating them to himself for clarification. "Did my
> need for salvation stem from forces unknown to the
> mundane world? Uhm... no, I think people... knew him.
> D'you mean... he was...uhm..."
>
> Clearly having a hard time deciphering the question,
> Jack takes a deep breath and tries to access what few
> brain cells he has remaining that are unaffected by
> alcohol. That clarity of thought, however fleeting,
> finally arrives.
>
> "Oh, you mean magically speaking? Yeah. I wasn't
> looking for salvation. More like freedom. He owned me.
> He..." Jack almost says 'made me', but stops short of
> doing so.
>
> "Look. The bastard's dead now. Not by my hand, though
> I wouldn't have minded a bit of participation. You
> know, getting a few good kicks in an' all. But no one
> has to worry about him anymore."
> Jack smiles, and looks around for the current location
> of the nearest waiter. The mere thought of Akril and
> the horrors he inflicted were increasing his need for
> enough booze to suppress those memories for the rest
> of the night.