Post by Miss Jack on Sept 10, 2008 0:47:24 GMT -5
“Can I ask you something?”
Jack glanced up, shocked. He was the only other person in the room besides Alexander, but he checked over his shoulder to be certain. Alexander asking anything was weird enough, but asking to ask something?
“Of course,” he replied, trying not to appear too dumbfounded.
Alexander blew out a breath, glaring at a spot on the carpet. He leaned on the inside of the doorframe, arms crossed stiffly over his chest. For several moments, he said nothing, face traveling through expressions of indecision and distress, though his body never moved from his statue-still pose.
“Am I doing the right thing?”
Jack’s eyes widened, surprised at the soft sincerity to Alexander’s voice, and then softened for the same reason. “With Nellie, you mean?”
“Yeah.” Alexander’s shoulders drooped and his eyes met his father’s. To Jack, he looked thirteen again, and yet so much older. “She has to leave behind her home, everything she loves… and I mean, we’re so… different, I guess? I like her, but I don’t like any of the stuff she likes.” He paused, glaring. “What are you smirking at?”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Have you met your mother?”
“…huh?”
“In a way, we’re a lot alike. Our temperaments are geared the same way. We have matching tempers and matching egos. And we’re both Nightmares. But if you think about in the way that she was an opera diva---”
“Still is,” Alexander interceded.”
“Right. A diva, a Queen, and uh… desired…”
“Gross, Dad.”
“I’m just saying. She was, I wasn’t.
“I’ve gathered that much since the time I formed intelligent thought.”
“Anyway. Queen, fashionista, diva, total snob. And me: a thief running around in the black parts of Chimera. Entirely different circles. And your grandfather… he was a soldier in the first war, and fell in love with a Dream. If you think prejudice is bad now, it was nothing compared to when the realms were split.” Jack smiled. “It runs in the family to find the least likely match you just can’t live without.
Alexander pulled his fingers through his hair, thinking. “I guess so…”
“Of course, it also runs in the family to betray the woman you love. Tragedy was forced to execute my mom, I stole the throne from your mom….” He trailed off at the look of increasing horror on Alexander’s face.
“What are you saying?”
“Nothing!” Jack said quickly, holding up his hands. “I’m not saying something like that will happen to you, just that if you really love someone, it will work out.”
“Aside from that being totally cheesy, I don’t love Nellie.”
Jack looked doubtful. “Don’t you?”
“Er… no,” Alexander said, turning red. “Not like… you and mom, I mean. That’s um. No.”
“And personally, I don’t think you and Nellie are that different. Like your mother and I. And it’s not just us--- Julien and October?”
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
“Or how about---”
“Okay.”
Jack glanced up, shocked. He was the only other person in the room besides Alexander, but he checked over his shoulder to be certain. Alexander asking anything was weird enough, but asking to ask something?
“Of course,” he replied, trying not to appear too dumbfounded.
Alexander blew out a breath, glaring at a spot on the carpet. He leaned on the inside of the doorframe, arms crossed stiffly over his chest. For several moments, he said nothing, face traveling through expressions of indecision and distress, though his body never moved from his statue-still pose.
“Am I doing the right thing?”
Jack’s eyes widened, surprised at the soft sincerity to Alexander’s voice, and then softened for the same reason. “With Nellie, you mean?”
“Yeah.” Alexander’s shoulders drooped and his eyes met his father’s. To Jack, he looked thirteen again, and yet so much older. “She has to leave behind her home, everything she loves… and I mean, we’re so… different, I guess? I like her, but I don’t like any of the stuff she likes.” He paused, glaring. “What are you smirking at?”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Have you met your mother?”
“…huh?”
“In a way, we’re a lot alike. Our temperaments are geared the same way. We have matching tempers and matching egos. And we’re both Nightmares. But if you think about in the way that she was an opera diva---”
“Still is,” Alexander interceded.”
“Right. A diva, a Queen, and uh… desired…”
“Gross, Dad.”
“I’m just saying. She was, I wasn’t.
“I’ve gathered that much since the time I formed intelligent thought.”
“Anyway. Queen, fashionista, diva, total snob. And me: a thief running around in the black parts of Chimera. Entirely different circles. And your grandfather… he was a soldier in the first war, and fell in love with a Dream. If you think prejudice is bad now, it was nothing compared to when the realms were split.” Jack smiled. “It runs in the family to find the least likely match you just can’t live without.
Alexander pulled his fingers through his hair, thinking. “I guess so…”
“Of course, it also runs in the family to betray the woman you love. Tragedy was forced to execute my mom, I stole the throne from your mom….” He trailed off at the look of increasing horror on Alexander’s face.
“What are you saying?”
“Nothing!” Jack said quickly, holding up his hands. “I’m not saying something like that will happen to you, just that if you really love someone, it will work out.”
“Aside from that being totally cheesy, I don’t love Nellie.”
Jack looked doubtful. “Don’t you?”
“Er… no,” Alexander said, turning red. “Not like… you and mom, I mean. That’s um. No.”
“And personally, I don’t think you and Nellie are that different. Like your mother and I. And it’s not just us--- Julien and October?”
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
“Or how about---”
“Okay.”