The Glass Ball Balancing

"Huh," Jasmine said softly, though it was mostly to herself. Her gaze was aimed at the floor, brows creased just the slightest. She was thinking, considering. "So.. two different worlds." The type of story that always worked out at the end of the fairytale. Reality was different, though. Things very often did not work out in reality, no matter how badly you wanted it.

She opened her mouth and wanted to offer something nice to say. Something helpful. Something that would cheer Gemina up. Before the words came out, though, the older woman had already changed the subject, and it caught Jas off guard. Why was she suddenly asking that?

Jas shook her head, but she recovered quickly. "I do not, and I don't need to." The smile was back on her lips. She looked self-assured, almost. "I'm here to help you with anything you need, without you having to share your illness with me. I respect your privacy." And yes, she was actually proud of that. It sounded absolutely professional and like a good friend, all at once.

Perhaps it was best that way.

"Enough about me though. How has life been treating you? You can be hon.." Before she finished her statement Gemina went entirely still as a familiar sound faintly reached her ears. In just a few moments Jasmine would be able to hear it as well -- the sound of heavy footfalls climbing the staircase leading up into the apartment from the store.

"Fuck." She whispered and inhaled sharply. "He's early."

Quickly, Gemina put the cup down on the coffee table and stood up while looking down at Jasmine with an apologetic tilt of her head. "I'm so sorry, he isn't supposed to be here until tomorrow evening. If you wish to leave I understand, I-.. do adore your company." The way her voice lifted it was obvious she was saying it less for Jasmine's sake and more for whoever was now stopped abruptly at the door.

An awkward second passed before it finally opened and a man stepped out from the dark with a cigar between his lips. "Evenin' Ladies." His voice rumbled from his chest as he leaned against the doorframe with a crooked smile. "Didn't mean'ta interrupt. Either of ya' mind if I come in for the night?"

"Let's call that a win." Ilyas raised his glass, more than a little happy to not be pissing himself a couple of shots in. Mina seemed happy about it too, even though her reaction to the alcohol was one of a person who did not seem to like it at all. He found it amusing, how she flinched at the burn. How he barely even felt it.

But he snorted at her next comment. "Boo. You suck." He might've been more offended, had there been less booze in his system. Perhaps this was a conversation for another day. "I thought you couldn't drink alcohol..?" Wow, had he actually remembered something for once? That, too, must've been due to the high promillage in his blood.

"I can't. I'll throw this up in a few hours, I imagine. You will too at the rate you're going." Her head rolled to the side to watch him from beneath long, curled lashes. It was easy to miss the faint signs of aging frozen against her skin -- the little crows feet at the edges of her eyes, the smile lines as her lips tugged upward.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those ever-powerful beings that sits around lamenting their condition and mourning the loss of their mortality. I'm quite happy with what I am and the life I've lived. I do, however, miss the taste of food. The closest I'll ever get to that without damn near poisoning myself is teas and alcohol, but even that's a gamble."

"Oh." Jasmine felt her body ease when Gemina revealed there was no life-threatening situation at play. And maybe she felt a tad embarrassed for assuming so, but she also had the right to feel very brave for offering to stick around, hadn't she? That was guts.

Her shoulders relaxed back as the tension eased, but when Gemina explained the situation further, there was a hint of confusion on Jasmine's face. Or was it surprise? "Love is not enough?" She should know that. She should know that full well, and yet.. "But.. if love isn't enough.. what is?" Wasn't that just one of life's fundamental questions?

Gemina found herself stuck. She craved speaking the truth to someone who didn't know the man, who didn't know their history, and didn't have an opinion of the old man. Yet Jasmine, bless her sweet soul, did not know the reality of the woman she was talking to.

"Jasmine," she said softly, "have you ever wondered what illness I have that keeps me confined to this home?"

Ilyas considered the statement and decided.. he liked it. No thoughts was good. No thoughts was very good.

"You should be almost disgusted." Oops. That was a thought, wasn't it? He smiled his famous half-smile, filled with sarcasm. "I-I see what you did there. Well played."

"Unfortunately the only way I get to be a happy, silly little drunk is if I find someone ten-sheets to the wind and have myself a little sip and snack." She fidgeted with the empty shot glass, rolling it skillfully in her fingers. "-And no, pup. Before you even let the thought cross your mind."

“Gemina, it’s me Devlin,” he said more firmly, letting her name and his settle into the space between them. “You’re in the cineplex, you’re safe, and whatever just happened… you’re not in it anymore.” His gaze stayed locked on hers, patient but intent, as if he was trying to pull her back piece by piece.

Hesitantly she lifted her bloodied hands to wipe her face, but paused just short of smearing more across her cheek. "I'm so sorry you have to see me this way." The only sign of the creature she'd been mere moments before was her ashen flesh, but her behavior had reverted back to her usual self -- albeit rattled.

Gemina stepped further into the light, visibly squinting uncomfortably as it hit her pale eyes. There was hardly an inch of her that was untouched by blood. If examined closer though her dress was riddled with bullet holes and she was barefoot. "How did you find me?"

Revised, inspired by numerous other memes I've seen around. Meant for muns to communicate on things that they might be unsure how to say otherwise.

👻 - I'm too anxious.

😮‍💨 - I'm worried about bothering you.

🧑‍💻 - You seem very busy, and I don't want to add to that.

😴 - I'd love to interact, but I'm very slow right now.

🗣️ - I'm slow / not writing much right now, but I'd love to plot something or just chat OOC.

🕵️ - I'm not sure what our characters would do yet (and need help figuring it out).

👽 - I want to write, but I'd rather use a muse who is on one of my other blogs, and you don't follow it.

🤖 - I like your writing, but I don't know how well it will mesh with mine.

🥴 - I tried to reach out before, and didn't hear back from you. I don't want to bug you!

🏠 - Life is getting in the way.

🤨 - I mostly reply to starter calls and open starters, and you don't post them.

🥲 - I mostly like to plot, and you seem to prefer other forms of starting something.

😆 - I mostly send meme prompts in, and you don't reblog many that make sense for me to send.

🫢 - I have an idea, but I'm nervous about sharing it.

🫶 - I'm on hiatus/semi-hiatus right now, but I want to eventually.

🤠 - You followed me first, so I was waiting for you to reach out to me.

🧠 - I need more help understanding your muse.

🫨 - You seem to have lots of friends / mutuals already, and I don't want to intrude.

🫣 - I mostly followed because I want to ship, and I don't know if you're going to be on board.

😦 - The character I followed you for is low muse rn.

🫠 - The character you followed me for is low muse rn.

🤕 - I want to write, but your formatting / prose is hard for me to see/understand.

🥶 - We used to interact and it kind of fizzled out, and I'm not sure how to start up again.

🤙 - I don't have the energy to continue our current plot, but would love to plot something else or timeskip.

👀 - I think I want to retcon our stuff and start anew if you are also down for it.

🏃‍♂️ - I dropped our thread(s) and don't have an idea for another thing, so I'm waiting until I do.

🏥 - My (physical / mental) health is fickle.

🙊 - You seem to prefer fast replies, and I can take weeks/months and don't know if you'll get invested in a thread at my pace.

Oh, but this sounded like a very real reason to be nervous. A reason so real that it almost made Jasmine's own hands shake. An ex-anything was a precarious subject.

Jas felt herself swallow and hoped she did so softly so that it would go unnoticed. "I see," she said, her head bobbing a little in a continuous nod. She nodded a while longer in silence, until her eyes found Gemina's again. "I could.. be here, if you'd like?" It was such a silly proposal, it almost made her giggle. "I know--I know I'm not exactly intimidating, but.. If it helps?" She wouldn't have to be alone. It was a crucial difference.

"Bless." She hummed and gave Jasmine a warm smile. "I think I've given you the wrong idea. My ex-husband is not a threat to me or my things and I have no fear towards him. We just have a very, very long history." Slowly, Gemina's eyes shifted from Jasmine towards the mantle of her fireplace. In the center was an flintlock pistol with a sword mounted to the wall above it.

"I'm still in love with him. He is with me. Yet love is not enough. That is why it gets complicated."

"I hope that by the end of the night you'll have more than that to write about." She teased with a little tilt of her head. "Truthfully they kept most of you a secret. Just that you are a sweet, charming man filled with passion." There was a dramatic hiss to the way she said passion, once more flashing those sharpened canines. "Already I can see they weren't off the mark."

Thought you finished this job.

Guilty as charged.

What makes you say that?

Why do you curse so much?

Don't do that right now. Don't do that.

What a fucking night. It's tough out there.

That's just kind of a waste, isn't it?

Can't you get someone else?

Hey, How you doing? You ready to have a good time?

You gonna leave me to die of smoke inhalation?

I'm not strong enough.

I'm sorry. I'm breaking protocol, right?

Listen, hey, come on, sit down.

Are you sure I'm not interrupting anything?

I just kind of feel I like the quiet. Before it all goes crazy.

What happened to your face?

You and I know what I really am.

I think you can be anything you wanna be.

Did you break [his/her/their] heart?

Something in your eyes. You know, it's not sad.

What are you gonna do after that?

I love being up at this hour. You know, everything's so dark.

Catch you around, all right?

What did you do, huh? What did you do to that person?

Who the fuck you think you are?

Call this number. Don't be shy… Make the call.

You'll be okay, [name]. You'll be okay.

Change your world. Anything you wanna be.

Why is that piece of shit in my parking space?

[He/she/they] asked for forgiveness.

What am I, Jesus Christ?

How the fuck did [he/she/they] get up here?

You gave me that a couple of nights ago.

I'm here about a certain girl. She got beat up pretty bad.

Can you believe this guy?

You fucking Americans think you can come into my place and buy whatever you want.

You fucking insult me.

I'm just fucking with you, man.

You got very big balls coming in here. I like that.

You think this is one-time payment?

Your heart's beating three times the normal rate because you're losing so much blood.

About 30 seconds, your body's gonna shut down and you're gonna suffocate.

You should have taken the money.

Who the fuck are you?

What happened to your face?

I know who you are. Get in the car.

If it was a power play, no one saw it coming.

Security system's drive was taken so we're blind in here.

If you have any trouble, call that number and it will be taken care of.

What do I look like to you? A chauffeur?

This is my town. You're a fucking guest.

I'm the one gets calls in when people like you fuck up.

Problem you're having with me is you think you matter. You don't.

I'm not here to say "please." I'm here to tell you what to do.

Heard you quit today. I got worried.

You gonna sit down with all these guys?

Listen, huh? Do me a favor, all right?

You understand why I'm compelled to make this visit.

I don't know shit about what went down or who you should be out looking for.

If I wanna take over anything, I'd fucking do it.

Maybe you just don't understand who the fuck I am.

You're all crazy and you're arrogant.

It's refreshing, and tells me that you're not smart enough to have done this.

Who I am is complicated. What I am is easier. I'm a threat.

This is my town. Do you understand me? This is my home.

You cannot run around like a wild animal.

What the fuck was that?

What really happened in there, [name]?

I'm sorry I wasted your time.

Did [he/she/they] mention a name perhaps? Agitated about something?

All of our associates, they are all denying any knowledge or involvement.

We cannot show weakness. I need this wrapped up quickly.

I'm still sitting through things, but the killings were spontaneous.

I've rarely seen skills like this. I don't think it's someone we've encountered before.

I don't want this happening again.

See? You pay on time, no more problems.

I should have shot that motherfucker.

How'd you get that fucking number?

You must have a death wish...

What the fuck do you want, huh?

You're supposed to stand for something.

I'm offering you a chance to do the right thing. Take it.

Are you done standing around or what?

You lied to me about that.

Look at me. Are you telling me the truth?

You're-- You're hurting me!

Hey, did they give you a gun?

Well, if you need anything, let me know.

I heard about it on TV. I happened to be there that night.

I don't remember where is it from. What happened?

A person with such skills, I want to know who [he/she/they] really is.

Is it just you? Or are we waiting for someone else?

Listen these instructions or I'll kill you, understand?

What the fuck is this? What's going on out there?

This place is way too clean, something doesn't feel right.

Wait, what are you talking about?

If you've come for help, I can't give you any.

That's why I'm here, trying to find out about this person.

Tell me what's going on. Please?

You're alive... It's such a big relief.

We used to talk about you over the years, and [he/she/they]said if anyone could have figured a way out.. I should come to you.

Basically, a sociopath with a business card.

[Name], I don't have to tell you what happens next.

Didn't sleep a wink, did you?

I couldn't tell you why it mattered.

One day somebody does something unspeakable to someone else to someone you hardly knew, and you do something about it because you can.

Sometimes we make the wrong choices to get to the right place.

I know a part of you died when [name] did.

Fuck. What the fuck?

I need to know everything: who, what, when, where, why.

You can go fuck yourself, you know that?

Why don't you get out of here and go fuck yourself, you motherfucker?

Do you know who you're dealing with, huh?

Look, you are in a lot of trouble. I'm gonna let you go.

Listen, this location's been compromised.

The fuck I'm going to do that! And who's this fucking piece of shit?

You're so fucking nuts! Fuck!

If you tell them to put their guns down, lay down on the floor, they'll do that, won't they?

We're going out of business. Closing down shop.

I know you got an escape plan.Where do you keep it?

Fuck you, you motherfucker. You have fucked me so fucking bad!

I got nothing, all right? You hear me? I got nothing because of you!

You don't know who these people are!

I'm a fucking dead man. I won't last a fucking week.

When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too.

When you look at me, what do you see?

You're like a lint or a bottle cap, you're just a thing to remove.

Sometimes the answer's in front of you.

I never could understand what comes from feeling that way except weakness.

The people I killed, I gave them a chance. I'm giving you the opportunity to make yours.

I've done some bad things in my life, [name]. Things I'm not proud of.

I promised someone that I love very much that I would never go back to being that person anymore.

You asked me what I saw when I looked at you. What do you see when you look at me?

It's simply a matter of time.

Stop the bleeding, or don't come back.

Go fuck yourself.

What's going on? Wait-- Oh my god.

You can still smell the burning gasoline.

You are willing to die for your friends?

Get everybody out of here. Don't leave anybody behind.

I've decided to come and see you.

I've been shot! I've been shot!

I want the head of the snake.

Tell me, what do you gain from my death?

What is your price?

Probably hush money, right?

Someone once told me I could be whoever I wanted to be.