Between the daylight and the deep sea

[drinkupmehearties]

Who| Jack and a few closed prompts.
What| Meeting up with people.
Where| Various places around the Capitol.
When| Sometime after the most recent Crowning.
Warnings/Notes| Alcohol use and NSFW for smut in a thread.

( China -- Library. )

Jack is seated at one of the tables nearest to a window, one leg crossed over the other, ankle-to-knee, paying little mind to the gawking stares of passing Capitolites that notice there's a Tribute in their midst. Next to the faded brown tricorne hat that he'd placed on the table was a stack of books that China had handed him awhile back, ones he'd just recently gotten around to getting through.

He'd taken advantage of the quieter time that the mini-Arena had provided to power through the books, an attempt to keep his thoughts from straying to bad places, knowing that friends and fellow Tributes had been once again out there fighting and killing for their lives. Maybe it was a bad sign that Jack had somehow lucked out on not being reaped for the mini-Arena, an indication that the Capitol was growing increasingly bored with him. Or maybe it was plainly just luck.

Whichever it was, he'd used that time to leaf through the books. Truthfully, most of them weren't particularly interesting or thought-provoking -- there'd been a couple dry biographies of important political figures heavily saturated with propaganda, a few recounting the 'glorious' history of Panem and the Capitol, and one or two books unraveling the lives of a few past Victors in the older Arenas. He'd read them hoping to gain further insight on what sort of madness Capitolites believed to be truth, beyond the scathing 'history lessons' that were routinely given by certain Escorts over the network.

After finally finishing the last book, Jack had dropped a note for China in the D11 Suites to meet up at the library, remembering that she'd been eager to have a discussion once he was done. As he idly waited for her arrival Jack fooled around on his device, occasionally shooting wayward glances towards the door.


( Alain -- The Speakeasy. )

Since the credit lines had been cut, the pressure for Tributes to get a job and earn their own assi had been tenfold. He hadn't been immune to this, as old Sponsor money and generous district staff members sometimes only went so far.

While Jack wasn't particularly keen on needing to be held accountable to someone else, to being pinned down to responsibility and more routine, another part of him disliked the idea of being indebted to other people -- which made him torn between making real attempts to get a job and half-assing it so that he could later say that he'd tried. Thus the pirate enters the bar dressed relatively nicely, wearing a fitted, buttoned jacket and his hat. The Speakeasy was a cozy little night spot with loud music and snugly secluded booths, a place that he'd visited in the past and revisited a few times since. If somehow (miraculously) he landed a job here, it wouldn't be too horrible of a place to work.

He's leaning with both elbows on the counter, patiently waiting for one of the managers that the bartenders had gone to fetch, when he spots Alain. He vaguely recognizes him from various pieces of Arena footage and the Capitol's exposé on him, and sidles closer so the man can hear him over the noisy environment.

"Alain, was it? You're a friend of Roland's, aye?"


( Eowyn -- Stables. )

It's early in the afternoon when Jack strides into the stables, clad in a dark vest fitted over a loose, long-sleeved shirt, the flask that Swann had given him upon his arrival tucked securely away in his back pocket. Eowyn had invited him to check out the stables not too long ago, and even with his general disinterest in horses, the pirate had nonetheless agreed to come and visit. The stunt she'd pulled in the last big Arena -- snagging a wild horse from the middle of a herd and riding the animal until exhaustion forced it to yield -- had definitely still left an impression on him.

And, really, it couldn't hurt to check the place out.

Jack is curiously poking around the stalls when he spots Eowyn, and he wanders over in her direction to greet her with a warm grin. "Afternoon, luv. How's has the day treated you?"


( Swann -- Marina. )

This time Jack is found snoozing on the commons couch in the D8 Suite, passed out after attempting to chase a hangover from the night prior with more booze. An Avox sweeps silently over to him, nudging him to stir awake and gently placing a note in his hand.

Pinching the bridge of his nose and knuckling both eyes, Jack pulls himself to a sitting position and sluggishly turns the paper around a few times until the words come together into coherent sentences -- it's a note from Swann, urging him to get into the car waiting for him outside the Tower, ready to take him somewhere.

Assuming it'd be some type of photoshoot or Sponsor luncheon or guest appearance, Jack complies. It's not until outside the city proper, where glass and steel melt away to reveal a vast lake dotted with boats, that it becomes more readily apparent what this trip could be for. He exits the car, tempering his excitement for the time being and shading a hand over his eyes to peer out at the lake. Another Avox eventually urges him forward, leading him down one of the docks to where Swann is waiting for him.

He greets her with a grin, revealing the metal in his teeth. "So then, what's this about?"

Comments

[drinkupmehearties]

He holds out the treat in his palm, closing one eye and scrunching his face up some as the horse's whiskered mouth softly roves over his hand. But he holds firm, still and calm, and after a few seconds the horse has consumed the carrot with a few quiet, wet crunches.

Jack laughs then, too, wiping his hand clean and dry on his thigh. "Not as bad as I'd thought." He reaches upwards after a thought, somewhat still charily, giving the horse a light scratch on the bridge of his nose, then smiles a bit. "He's a fine horse, I'll admit."

[shieldofrohan]

"He is," Éowyn agrees, looking oddly proud as she strokes the horse's neck affectionately. Then, as the thought strikes, she straightens a little and laughs. "How would you like to ride him? He needs to be taken out in any case, and it would do him no harm. And you ought to learn how to ride, it may yet come in useful."

[drinkupmehearties]

Jack perks an eyebrow thoughtfully, mulling the suggestion over, allowing the horse to insistently nudge at his hand in search of more treats. "Aye, I suppose I could give it an honest try, eh? Might as well." He pats Hafod, withdrawing his hand, then grins at Eowyn. "Perhaps with your guidance at hand, I won't find meself thrown to the ground as much."

[shieldofrohan]

She laughs, shaking her head. "He will not throw you. He's as mild-mannered as an old man on a sunny day, this one. Can you get up on his back, or shall I give you a lift?" She doesn't offer a saddle, mostly because she doesn't know where they're kept, but she does lead the horse over to one end of the stable to fetch a horse blanket, and tosses it onto Hafod's back, buckling it in place. Bareback does fine for her, most of the time, but it's not the best for a beginner.

[drinkupmehearties]

He hesitates a moment at the question. Pride urges him to attempt to do it himself, but his wariness of riding makes him not want to push his luck too far with the horse. He'd also rather not embarrass himself straight off by falling.

Jack settles in place beside Hafod, anchoring a hand in the horse's mane. "Give me a lift if you would, luv."

[shieldofrohan]

Éowyn nods, brisk and businesslike. Part of her is rather amused by the idea of a grown man not knowing how to ride, but she has the sensitivity not to show it as she makes a cup out of her hands for him to step into. "It is easier with stirrups," she tells him, shrugging one shoulder, as though she had ever felt the need for them. "But I fear if they have saddles in this place, much less stirrups, I know not where I would find them."

[drinkupmehearties]

He's ridden horses in the past, but usually not very well or very often, unless there'd been a pressing need to get somewhere with one. But tugging on the beast's mane, Jack uses Eowyn's hands to boost himself up onto the horse, swinging a leg over onto the other side to straddle its back. Hafod shifts fractionally at the sudden weight atop him, but settles quickly.

Jack straightens his shoulders, then grins down at her. "Not a worry. I'm certain I can handle without the saddle. Where to?"

[shieldofrohan]

"I usually take him out around the park," Éowyn answers, and pats Hafod's nose idly. "Here." And she hands the reins up to him, with a little nod. "He's an easy ride. Just nudge him a little, with your heels, and give him his head. He knows the way."

[drinkupmehearties]

"To the park it is, then." He leans sideways a little to take the reins from her, then straightens back up and uses the heel of his boot to lightly push into the horse's side. Hafod flicks his ears and begins a slow trot forward, tail swishing with a bit of excitement.

[shieldofrohan]

Éowyn smiles, striding alongside. "Relax," she tells him. "Grip with your knees, not your thighs, and let everything else be loose. Otherwise, he will bounce you around like a sack of grain. Uncomfortable enough for a woman, much less you." There's a mischievous edge to her smile.

[drinkupmehearties]

He does as she says, trying to stop himself from instinctively stiffening with each plodding step the horse takes, shifting uncomfortably in his blanketed seat. Then he laughs a bit at the comment, grinning. "Aye, as I've come to discover, unfortunately enough."

Hafod leisurely noses in the direction of the park, clearly well acquainted with the path to take. In the meanwhile, more and more assured that the horse didn't have a mind to toss him, Jack seems to relax and let himself enjoy the ride.

"I remember awhile back you railed about how Capitolites hadn't the -- " He waves a free hand, knowing he shouldn't be too rude when making a comment about their captors, " -- knack, as it were, to tend to the horses properly. Have the stables improved in your care since then?"

[shieldofrohan]

"Yes," she says, without hesitation. Maybe there's a place for humility here, but false modesty has always struck a raw note with her. "Since I started work, there has been no colic, no fractiousness, and Star has stopped biting. The poor thing only needed a gentler bridle." She tsks, shaking her head. "I still hate how they bridle them for the parades. You may not have noticed, but they keep them on a very short rein, so their heads are up. It looks better, but it isn't good for them. Ah, well. One step at a time."

[drinkupmehearties]

A light smile edges onto his face. "Glad to hear of it, then. Your horses must be mighty grateful to be tended by a much more gentle hand."

Then Jack shakes his head too, snorting a little. "If I've learned a thing since I've been here, it's that the lot of them love a spectacle, the rest of us be damned." He can understand the horses' pain, in that way; more than once he's found himself shoved into uncomfortable suits and showy Crowning costumes and all manner of ridiculous outfits for the entertainment of the Capitol.

[shieldofrohan]

"They are an ungentle people," Éowyn agrees, but by some miracle keeps the rancour out of her voice. "That is no flaw, necessarily. Nor is spectacle. My real trouble is that they think so little of their horses as to have them tended by tongueless slaves who have likely never seen such a beast before." She strokes Hafod's neck lovingly as they walk. "I suppose when cars and trains are commonplace, horses lose some of their value. Yet it is foreign to me, like so much here."

[drinkupmehearties]

Hafod gives a light, happy flick of his ear at the pet, and Jack nods. "Aye, that could likely be the case. Much of the affection and attentions that I've seen men give their machines here could, in another place, or circumstance, well have been given to their horse." Though he wasn't one to talk, really, as Jack tended to and loved his ship probably more than he could love anything living.

"Having been in a car, as quick as they are in getting a man where he wants to be, I think I'd miss takin' me time and enjoyin' scenery like this." He gestures to the expanse of grass and trees that make up the park around them.

[shieldofrohan]

"I should miss the wind in my hair, too," Éowyn agrees. Then, with a slightly wicked smile, "And, so far as I can see, a car cannot jump a stream or raise a thunder of hooves. You could not fight from a car, I think."

[drinkupmehearties]

He laughs a bit at that, smile flashing to his face as well. "Aye, for all their supposed might, they lack in basic ways. I'd think facing down a wild-eyed horse with a rider atop would be a much more intimidating sight."

[shieldofrohan]

Éowyn's smile has a certain sharp edge to it. "Ai, you cannot imagine. Not unless you have seen the Rohirrim in full force, riding down on a foe like a great white wave."

[drinkupmehearties]

"I can only imagine such a sight, and the frightened reaction it would elicit." Hafod calmly angles towards a thickly tree-lined path, nearing the end of the park's circuit, and Jack leans forward in the saddle to give the horse a gentle pat on the neck. "Much the same in some ways, I'd think, as encounterin' a whole fleet of ship at your bow. Not a good place to find yourself."

[shieldofrohan]

"Bow?" Her forehead creases a little. Yeah, she's not a seafarer. Don't confuse her with these nautical terms, Jack.

[drinkupmehearties]

Forgive him, that's the drawback of hanging around sailors for such long stretches of time. He waves a hand around, explaining. "Aye, you know. The front o' the ship."

[shieldofrohan]

She's silent for a moment, considering, then laughs. "One day," she says, sounding quite merry, "I may get my head around all of this. Perhaps."

[drinkupmehearties]

A grin curls at his mouth. "There's a whole mess o' nautical nomenclature that'd fluster even the best of men sometimes, I'd say. I wouldn't blame you for not carin' for it." He straightens himself in the saddle, giving her a wink. "But of course, I'm always delighted to explain it to a willing listener."