Of Motleys that weren't

[Gerrit]

Gerrit had chosen the same table Anatole and him sat at the last time he went to the bar he had invited Jasper to. The gloomy room was as sparsely visited as the last time, which made it easier to talk about some topics - although they still had to carefully chose their words.

Much like Cassandra and John, Jasper's Motley left him for some reason. Much like Gerrit, Jasper remained behind. Anatole called that common ground, but Gerrit was much more interested in how the Courtless was taking this so well. Of course, that probably took getting to know him better, but with Sacramento's resident Lost coming and going it was probably a good idea anyway. Broaden his horizon, make some new bonds.

From his corner table Gerrit alternately watched the street through the window and the lazy-lively bar. In front of him was a glas of water, but the stagnant taste of Sorrow and regret in the air almost seasoned his drink to match the location. Maybe tonights conversation would only add to that.

Jasper Lionell

[Jasper]

The tall and lanky form of the wolfhound-headed man passes in front of the window that Gerrit is looking out of. He's dressed in his usual clothing that's seen better days: scuffed, holey, dirty jeans; a graphic t-shirt under his leather jacket and a pair of work boots that look well worn. He flicks an ear at the bell that rings as he opens the door, ducking down to slip his 7 foot plus frame into the doorway.

He straightens back up again, glancing around for the bar. He gives a small nod once he spots the Onyx King sitting in the corner table. He still wonders what this is all about but then he kind of wanted to talk to the Ogre anyway so this is good. He glances at the table, seeing the glass there and he heads over to the bar and orders himself a drink of his own. He comes over to the table with his glass of Guinness and sets it down on the table. "Hey.. Sorry that I'm late. Bus was running behind." he says, pulling a chair out and sinking his all too long frame into the seat.

[Gerrit]

Seeing Jasper enter, Gerrit again was struck by the Beast's size and the proportions that should not be as fitting, but were. Figured: even when new arrivals weren't Fairests, they still were striking in some way.
"Hello. Don't worry, I just got here as well."


He watched Jasper get seated as the Ogre looked for the words to start this conversation. "So, you've been in Sacramento for a while. How is the city treating you?" Small-talk really wasn't his thing. "I think I've seen you at the party last Autumn. You were there with your friends, right? Hadn't had the chance to talk to you since and I thought I might finally get around to that." And Jasper's reaction to that might already tell Gerrit a thing or two about how to proceed. Maybe.

[Jasper]

Jasper can't help his rugged good looks or his farm-boy charm, it's just part of who he is. He's no Fairest but he's still pretty easy on the eyes and is fairly easy to talk to... if you like the really hairy guys. "Ah, okay then.."

He nods slightly after taking a slow sip. "A bit now, yeah. A little over six months.." He's okay with small-talk but he barely knows the scarred man before him. They'd said hello before, in passing, but nothing really more than that. Now though? "Yeah, I was there. We..." he blinks slightly and trails off for a second. He shifts a bit in his seat, suddenly not comfortably as he was before. "Yeah, that's cool... Anything in particular you wanted to chat 'bout?" he asks, taking another drink from his dark stout.

[Gerrit]

Gerrit watched Jasper adjust his seating. He could relate, even if it was just a projected idea he saw in the Beast. He never felt comfortable sharing his feelings, nor was he good at getting to know new people. Still, if there was any takeaway from his absence and the emotional work he had put into processing his life in Sacramento, it was that you had to offer a little bit of trust to hopefully get some in return.

The Stonebones cleared his throat with a wet smack and tried to catch Jasper's gaze briefly before focusing on his hands. "Well frankly, I have struggled with close friends disappearing on me. I can't think of anyone to talk about this without it turning into a pity party." His voice was controlled and even, his eyes remained glued to his glas. "I know that this can be a lot. You know, for the first conversation we're having. But Anatole seemed to respect you." And from here Jasper might actually open up as well or decide that the unwritten rules of masculinity have been sufficiently broken by this forward approach. And beneath the snowy composure of Gerrit he wondered if he had just made a fool of himself. "So I was wondering-" A shrug and a sip of water to finish that thought.

[Jasper]

Jasper shifts his large frame once more and then seems to settle. He looks at the scarred man before him, his gaze taking in all the nuances of his features. He hasn't spent a lot of times around Winter courtiers, much less Onyx Monarchs, and it always surprises him just how subtle they can be. It's like if he's not looking at them they would disappear.. which probably isn't a bad thing in some cases. It wasn't working at the moment though, the Ogre had the Beast's full attention now. Better that then the memories starting to stir up.

He meets the man's gaze easily and he listens to him. He nods once, letting out a soft sigh. "I... I can understand that, yeah... I.. I struggle with it too... I try not to, but.." he gives a shrug of his shoulders. "It's hard some times. I don't want no pity party either.. I just..." he lets out a shaky breath and blinks a few times.

A dry chuckle and a nod, "It's pretty heavy for the first chat, yeah, but I've had worse," A curl of his snout into a smile at the mention of the Wizened. "Anatole's good people. I respect the man a lot too. He was one of the first to welcome me and.." he swallows again, "the other Strays.. when we first got here. I wish he had gotten more of a chance to get to know them."

He perks his ears forward towards the Ogre. "Wonderin'...?" he asks as the man trails off.

OOC: Apologies for the long wait. RL has been rough for me the past week or so.

[Gerrit]

With Jasper's accent Gerrit had to really focus on what the Beast was saying, but what he gathered was.. comforting in a way. Although they didn't know each other well, here was someone who went through more or less the same thing. "I'm sorry to hear that." He did not comment on the emotions he apparently got out of Jasper. Instead he rose his glass and drank a bit of water - lubricating those kind of conversations with drinks was just the manly way of doing things, even if he was sober.

"I just wanted to pick your brains a bit on that. Ever since my friends ran off together it feels like there is nobody to really talk about it. I mean, there is Sarah, but she sometimes feels so caring that it's hard to get some proper perspective on things, you know?" He by now knew (or at least, believed) that Seraphina was honest in her way, but he couldn't trust her not to mince words sometimes. "So it felt like a good reason to socialize some." The Stonebones raised one eyebrow to signal the small joke in his even delivery.

Then it was his time to draw a deep breath. "I don't know if you've properly met them: John and Cassandra. Both shared my outlook in life and both really made this city feel like it could actually become a new home. We swore we wouldn't let each other down." A bitter shrug. "I guess life just got in their way or something."

[Jasper]

The giant Beast takes some time to sip from his glass of Guinness as he listens to Gerrit's words. He gives a small shrug of his shoulders but a nod at the apology from the man. They both knew it wasn't his fault, but that platitude is just to try to make them feel better. It rarely worked.

He perks his ears up slightly and he looks more closely over at the Ogre. "Yours left together too? Mine just got up and walked out one day.... I still don't know what happened. What I did.." he says, letting out a shaky sigh. "Aye. Sarah's sweet and wants to help but she's not.. It's not the same.." he says, giving a shrug of his shoulders. "Well, I guess thanks for having me out," he says with a bit of wry smile and another sip of his drink.

There's a shake of his head. "I don't think I did... All the folks I've gotten here are still 'round, save for my folks.." he says. He doesn't know Rhodes is gone, or doesn't know it's more than just the Autumn missing one social function. He nods to the Winter, "Yeah, I know how that is. The three of us all grew up out on the streets so we all knew what it was like out there. It felt better with them.. safer... Was a hell of a lot nicer sleeping with them," he says with a chuckle. "Bed's fucking cold all the time now," he adds with a frown and a chug of his stout.

[Gerrit]

"They left around the same time, yes." Although Gerrit left out the brief return of Cassandra. The one where she claimed she didn't know about John either. Apparently she had found him, after all. "I can't say for sure what happened, but I know that they had spent more and more time together. Just the two of them." Even the King of Sorrow couldn't hide the faint trace of bitterness in his voice. They had sworn an Oath to stick together! They assured him that it wouldn't come to this and then they left him with all the shame, the loneliness - and a greater Curse to boot.
"Sorry for ranting there. How do you spend your time when you're not answering personal questions from practically strangers?" Because even though the place was starting to fill up and more delicate topics might not be sensible soon they could move back to more general matters.


He raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. Was Jasper still living on the streets? Were the three of them more than friends or was 'sleeping together' just a Beast thing? The latter might not be a nice thing to ask, but.. "If you are looking for a place to live: Sarah is renting out some rooms. I think Vincent, a colleague of sorts, is living there. Might be a bit less lonely."

[Jasper]

Jasper nods as he listens, giving the man a look like he knows precisely what that's like. He does, after all. It's something the two men share, that shared loss, that shared betrayal. He still wants to know what happened that would cause them to leave him, what he did wrong that they wanted to leave...

"It's okay, mate. Ranting a bit can be good for the soul.." he says, which a chuckle and shrugs. "Uh.. Work, when I can, odd jobs here and there.. Kinda hard for us to keep jobs for too long, you know? Getting paid under the table and all that.." he says the last part in a volume that only the other man can here.

He nods once, taking another swig of his Guinness, almost done with it. "Yeah.. She's told me as such.. Circe too... but... It's kinda what I'm used to you know? I might take them on the offer someday but then I also like being near the others like me... Helps me keep on them, on things that might you know.. prey on them.. Besides, I don't really gotta lot of money to pay rent with. Barely scrape by most days..." he says with a shrug of his shoulders. It's not something he's especially proud of but it also looks like he's not upset by it either. Would he like more? Sure, who wouldn't, but at the same time, he'd probably just give the more away to his friends out on the streets.