Daniel Jacobi

"Thanks," he grins. "When's the next lesson?"

Because now that he knows he can do fucking magic, he's going to master this and come back for more as much as he can.

From:

"As soon as you feel prepared for me to quiz you on the content of those books."

He's in no rush.

From:

"All of them?" he wonders.

He does not sound scared by that task; he appreciates a challenge. He stands up to gather the remainder and the bottle.

From:

He raises a single eyebrow.

"All of both, yes. There is... a lot of philosophy in there. And while it doesn't involve direct application, it will... give you a context for what you'll be learning."

From:

All both of the big books, yes. Big books he can only read a bit at a time.

He balances them in his arms. "Got it," he grins as he starts for the door. "Thanks for this."

From:

He waves his hand as if to say of course, of course.

"You're one of the few I've met who I trust to have the precision not to blow themselves up with it."

It's sort of a compliment. Sort of just fondness.

From:

"Yeah, that's the one thing I won't do," he tells him, raising himself up slightly and heading out, eager to get started on his new project.

From:

Dracula will wave him off before getting things all cleaned up.

From:

Looks like all your supplies have finished rolling in. You're welcome, by the way.

From:

The actual supplies or do I have to pay for them?

From:

Actual supplies, but if you're offering a cash advance I won't say no.

From:

Thirteen. Thousand. Dollars. In. Debt.

Anyway, I'll come by in a minute. Are you really just going to hand it all over to me?

From:

Consider it a show of trust that you're not going to fuck me over with it.

[Honestly he would have anyway, no caveats, but if Jacobi wants a reason, there's one.]

From:

[Well. That's a lot.

That's a hell of a lot.

Jacobi comes to his room a bit later with two beers in his hand. He's actually - missing Marie a little. The little voice by his side that said everything he couldn't. But - he has a string tied around his wrist with a button attached to it - the necklace Marie wore during her entire time. Maybe as a reminder to just say what the fuck he needs to say sometimes.

He walks inside.]

What's shakin', bacon?

From:

[The very first thing to notice in the room is how the couch has been flipped onto its back. Clearly deliberately, since there's also a toolkit on the lounge cabinet and Tim in a black shirt and jeans leaning a hand on it to study the existing damages.

He barely glances up when Jacobi walks in.]

What's crackin', Jack? Supplies are in the kitchen. Pretty sure it's everything, stuff hasn't spontaneously manifested for a few hours now.

From:

[Jacobi places the two bottles on the table beside him and a hand on Tim's shoulder as he passes to inspect what the Admiral's brought.]

Do you know what the hell you're doing?

From:

I studied architecture as a passion projects for five years, I know what structural integrity looks like.

[There's a distinct silence from him.]

..but no, absolutely not.

From:

'Hey Jacobi, why don't you help me?' 'Sure, Tim, I can probably do that for you.'

[Said with a laugh from the kitchen.

He walks out, hands on his hips as he pulls off his jacket and tosses it to the side. And, because he means business, the hairtie comes out and he pulls his hair back from his face.]

Alright, let's see what we can do. How have you been?

From:

[Alright, he'll snicker at that. He'd swear they're the same bloody person sometimes.]

Ahh, you know. Never really my best after a flood. [And maybe the humour falls a little flat in his tone there.] But, I'll live. How about you?

From:

[He notices the change as he kneels down and notices the damage.]

You didn't grab any spare wood, did you?

[Jacobi finds a flashlight and shines it inside the darkened parts of the couch.]

What was wrong with that flood?

From:

Under the table, just wanted it out of the way.

[For a moment it seems like he's just ignoring the other question, as he shifts his weight to properly support the couch, but eventually he sighs quietly.]

I'm not a fan of things tampering with my memories. It's fine when it's like, just yourself getting turned into an entirely different person. For a certain value of fine, obviously. But everything all at once is just. Easier.

Edited Date: 2021-12-21 01:13 am (UTC)

From:

[For Tim's benefit, Jacobi doesn't turn around. He doesn't do anything except find the broken piece inside the couch and make a note of them as he works. He finds a hammer next and tries to straighten out a bent piece of metal.]

But you were still you. Only a little different? [He's not arguing. Just clarifying for himself.]

From:

Right. Just. Same old everything, only there were bloody daemons there.

[There's a bitterness in his voice, born from hurt. That something so intensely emotional and personal like those couldn't change anything. It was just an extra layer of everything being fucked up.

He'd loved Bertha, in the way you can't help but love certain parts of yourself, but the memories of her have no joy in them now.]

Just made things worse, comparing them.

From:

[He nods once.]

Yeah. And you remembered her from home, you remembered having her around all the time. But now you know that it's all bullshit.

[He stops banging and sits back, reaching for the wood to reinforce the newly-fixed metal piece.]

What are you comparing?

From: