she's not quite dressed yet, since putting her hair up is a lost cause without an extreme amount of hair spray. bigby's genes are relentless and the sheer volume of her lion's mane-slash-bird's nest is ludicrous, meaning that the easiest way to tame jade's hair is a thorough ironing. while elizabeth does her make up for the night (jade had made sure her father was excused so that she could change in her parents' room comfortably, of course), jade's heating up the flat iron next to her. she's got one of her shorter dresses on for the moment, because there's no way her father or mother would let her out of the house on a date with dave with her gams showing all their worth.
jade is still twiddling her thumbs, staring down at the iron. she's watch elizabeth pile on her make up countless times, just like she's watched bigby shave countless times. shuffling into the bathroom as a child under the guise "i gotta pee!" just to sit there and stare because the act of grooming yourself is so weird to you is a timeless classic. she doesn't do that anymore, though, because she's not seven anymore. jade has to groom herself now.
and now she's ironing her hair for a date just like her mother curls her hair for a date and it's all very different, and new and... it should be exciting, but. ]
Sooooooooo. Um.
[ good opener, jade. ]
Remember when you played that song on the guitar that neither of us really knew?
[ But, it's such beautiful hair. Elizabeth's hair was thinner — going through different styles and cuts that didn't quite invigorate it. Years of tossing it back into a ponytail or cutting it short (when Jade was born)... this was the first time she felt a style suited herself. But, Jade? It framed her face so well and despite how unruly it was, Elizabeth always complimented her and took care of any knots.
Elizabeth's focused on the reflection in the mirror, rolling the dull eyeliner against her lid with a precision of a pro. It was honestly only a few years that Elizabeth reinvented herself with this type of style — this confidence of a well-educated woman who was (mostly) comfortable in herself. Jade's attire was mostly approved on and the trust she has was not for lack of trying... but promises that things were going to be okay. Nothing would happen.
As Jade speaks up, her vision pulls from the mirror and looks to the flat iron as its lifted up. ]
Soo – [ It would be longer but her finger falls tight against her rows of red lipstick, settling on top of one before twisting her hips to face Jade in front of the tiny little vanity. ] ... Yes. What about it?
[ There's a bit of tension, she knows. It's tight, making her stomach churn but not in one that makes her sick. Just a bit uncomfortable. ]
[ jade will google it later, because it has yet to occur to her to look through old records for a country tune. considering how country her family is at times, this is a travesty. before she clamps down on a section of hair with the iron, however, she shakes her head. ]
Not yet. I will remember to look into it more. [ she's been distracted because... of course she's been distracted. teenhood is happening a lot lately. ] I had a moment like that, though. Where I remembered something.
[ jade's been mulling over it a lot and after the dream last night, she's pretty sure that not only are these things triggered, they are also things that they all have, somehow, forgotten until now. elizabeth at some point in time knew how to play "will the circle be unbroken", she just didn't know it in this point in time. it's one hell of a variable, but it's... can it be denied at this point? ]
But mine wasn't like that. I thought - I know this sounds crazy, but I was just... sitting down and all of a sudden I got this flash where I was in a room with a dead man and I was arguing with that dead man...
[ well. ] I know it's insane, but it's really what I saw.
[ There's a quick double take. She nearly knocks over her rows of lipstick in the process when Jade speaks less of songs and more of the memory. It was a chilling feeling, as if she forgot something near and dear to her. Elizabeth sits in silence, her hands resting on the reflective surface of her vanity. ]
And?
[ Of course, Jade naturally will explain and as she does, she feels worry wash over her. ]
Wait. Hold on a moment.
[ Okay, the dead man. That's concerning and Jade can see her mother's face twist into a bit of panic. ]
That - that's it? A dead man... That can't be like what mine was. [ Could it? ] Are you certain this wasn't a dream or some such?
[ jade's hair slips out of the iron, smooth, shiny and flat. it might not be a top of the line iron, but it's definitely a good one. elizabeth's unease is clear and jade understands it, of course, she comprehends what she's saying is crazy and weird but she's got her jaw set and her eyes are like blue fire lit with stubbornness. ]
If it was a dream, Dave had one at the same time. We were both awake and it was at Founder's Day. [ jade had broke off from elizabeth to meet with him, not too long after they finished their shopping spree. some records, some books, a new dress, the cheapest junk food anyone would ever see. it was a good day, until - ] I know it's insane, but - I had another one. Did you?
[ Founder's Day hangs in the air and she goes back to her own make up. Her hip brushes against Jade's as she leans forward, beginning to apply the thin line that defined her lips. ]
No. ...No, I haven't. [ She sits there for a moment, but continues. ] Not yet anyway. People have mentioned other things like Jack. Something about a diamond pony.
[ Dead men, diamond ponies. It's ridiculous, but so were giant yellow birds. ]
But, I still don't understand. There was no.. dead men, actually, right? I can't explain that to your father — oh Jesus Christ, that would be a mess.
[ jade's wrapping the flat section around the iron, curling it. her lips purse. ] I am not sure if I want him to know about... mine, yet? I want to... [ figure out enough that it's not as alarming. dad's the one you go to if the monsters are too much, mom's the one you go to if you want to dissect the monsters. figure out what makes them tick.
jade's interested in the latter more than the former. as much as she loves bigby, she has to admit she wants a scientist's mind at the moment, not a detective's gusto. ] I wanna figure this out first.
There was... a dead man in the second, though. I recognized him.
[ jade irons out another section, larger this time. it turns out she's curling her hair for the evening, apparently. decided on a whim. ] It was Dave.
[ She gives a small reassuring nod to Jade's direction. Her fingers graze the smooth lipstick to her corners, a resounding smack as she pops her lips to evenly spread. It's not disinterest, it's keeping herself from overthinking. From making Jade fearful. So she acts normal. "Normal", she thinks. ]
We'll keep it between us girls. but —
[ Elizabeth freezes when she mentions Dave. A chill cracking down her spine. There's a bit of confliction when your daughter brings up a close friend as being dead. But, she's reminded of this — the odd sensations of vividness that peaks through their mind. The uncloudy notions like a song and apparently a dead teenage boy. ]
... That doesn't make much sense. It sounds like a nightmare. [ She pauses, setting the lipstick down. ] You've talked to Dave today. ...Correct?
[ man, there will be a day jade can perfectly apply lipstick like that under stress. she's just not sure of when. probably whenever she has to put in actual effort towards her appearance. ugh. she pauses momentarily to watch her mother carve red into the corners of her lips, shaping them to her liking, with deep interest. she feels like she's seven again. ]
Yes.
[ immediately. she'd checked asap that dave was okay. jade sleeps like a log, so thankfully a morning text was all she needed to solve that problem... ]
He is perfectly fine and well, but when I saw him in my dre... my nightmare. [ she's right. it's a nightmare and goddamn if jade wasn't happy to see that it was just that. ] He... [ jade lets go of her hair to tag at her midsection in multiple spots. ] Bullet holes... Just... Everywhere.
[ it's hard but she looks determined to get the words out. she hasn't told a soul until now and it's been hard. ]
[ Elizabeth would rather soothe this as a bad dream. Check her closet and tuck her in extra tight — but she can't. With the way Jade's reacts, she feels helpless. There's a chance that she looks for any signs of uneasiness — any twitch of her fingers or sadness in her eyes. Elizabeth's been able to tell the signs by now. Chewing on her bottom lip, she finally speaks up, her voice carrying a bit more serious. ]
It's not Déjà vu, is it? I wouldn't mislead you with a suggestion so simple. [ Any familiar sensations attacking onto the temporal lobe wouldn't be enough to explain the image Jade's speaking of. ] Sweetie — I don't know what it is, whatever you're seeing... there's been a lot going on and —
[ Will she find out the truth? Who knows. But, she clears her throat. ]
We'll find out. I hope. If anything else happens, let me know? Please.
[ jade's always been the kind of child to hide her feelings, if they're negative. she's over the top about her bursts of happiness, with smiles brighter than the sun (buckteeth be damned), but when it comes to expressing sadness, she can rationalize it, bottle it up and put it away.
so her brow furrows and her eyes are a little wetter looking than they had been earlier, but she holds it in and goes back to curling her hair seamlessly. to the average person, it wouldn't look anything more than thoughtful. ]
It is not Déjà vu but, um.
[ jade's not terribly religious, but there is an influence, of course. her mother was raised pentecostal, her father is nebulous but not opposed and generally doesn't judge. as she's understood it, when life ends, there's nothing but heaven afterward. but. ]
It is like I... am remembering something I forgot. It felt important.
[ a short beat and jade breathes deep and slow, staring at her reflection. ]
[ After nearly 18 years of watching Jade's personality grow, change, and develop — Elizabeth still has only a hint of her feelings. She can peg into the fact that Jade isn't telling her everything despite how much she champions onward, trying desperately to keep herself from succumbing to the mixed bag of confusion.
Little did Liz know, she'd know that feeling all too soon.
A hand reaches up, cradling against her daughter's cheek. A thumb runs along the line of her chin softly, brows furrowed downward as that small gesture ends much too soon for the both of them. ]
Like horses and these birds, right? [ Was that reassuring? Elizabeth hopes so, connecting the dots to the big issue at Founder's Day... it means Elizabeth is looking for answers and that is more than some people. ] Right now, this... that didn't happen. Dave's fine, you're... we'll be fine.
[ Elizabeth grabs a tissue from her vanity, raising it up to her lips. Yes.
Jade.
Liz is going to do the Mom Thing and wipe a bit of smudge off your cheek. ]
Mr. Dawes came to me with something similar. In fact, I think... no, nevermind. I don't have anything. But, that's okay... We'll get through this together.
[ not that jade fights against it - despite her shout, too, a grin cracks across her lips, and it's a laugh that echoes throughout the bedroom next. but it's a good reminder, you know, someone to bring her back to earth, nudging her with the knowledge that this is her family here. there's a lot of baggage to the wolfs, and it's understandable why: elizabeth and bigby had hard lives. they were teenagers deprived of normal existences in some way and that's why, jade imagines, they fit together so well. to that end, it's probably not a surprise that jade has her own problems, her own worries. her parents are great at what they do, and this is evidence of that, but teenagers are teenagers.
she's still smiling. ]
I know, we're all okay. I know. Even if it... If something happened to him before, right now, he's okay, and. [ it's unspoken but elizabeth probably knows what that silence means. it's a mutual family trait: sometimes what's not said says the most for them all. even if something happened to dave in this life, she'd stop it. ]
I'll tell Dad about it soon. I want to tell him myself, okay? Mr. Dawes having this problem as well means... you could be next so. Let us know, 'kay?
[ She's passing, joking to the best of her ability despite her worry. It's a mother's nature to worry and when Jade's concerns become this.. serious with no sight of answers, Elizabeth improvises for normalcy. The motherly gesture was to crack a smile. ]
Tell him when you're ready... when things make a little more sense. I don't want him flying off the handle over nightmares.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
...2.../14........
she's not quite dressed yet, since putting her hair up is a lost cause without an extreme amount of hair spray. bigby's genes are relentless and the sheer volume of her lion's mane-slash-bird's nest is ludicrous, meaning that the easiest way to tame jade's hair is a thorough ironing. while elizabeth does her make up for the night (jade had made sure her father was excused so that she could change in her parents' room comfortably, of course), jade's heating up the flat iron next to her. she's got one of her shorter dresses on for the moment, because there's no way her father or mother would let her out of the house on a date with dave with her gams showing all their worth.
jade is still twiddling her thumbs, staring down at the iron. she's watch elizabeth pile on her make up countless times, just like she's watched bigby shave countless times. shuffling into the bathroom as a child under the guise "i gotta pee!" just to sit there and stare because the act of grooming yourself is so weird to you is a timeless classic. she doesn't do that anymore, though, because she's not seven anymore. jade has to groom herself now.
and now she's ironing her hair for a date just like her mother curls her hair for a date and it's all very different, and new and... it should be exciting, but. ]
Sooooooooo. Um.
[ good opener, jade. ]
Remember when you played that song on the guitar that neither of us really knew?
no subject
Elizabeth's focused on the reflection in the mirror, rolling the dull eyeliner against her lid with a precision of a pro. It was honestly only a few years that Elizabeth reinvented herself with this type of style — this confidence of a well-educated woman who was (mostly) comfortable in herself. Jade's attire was mostly approved on and the trust she has was not for lack of trying... but promises that things were going to be okay. Nothing would happen.
As Jade speaks up, her vision pulls from the mirror and looks to the flat iron as its lifted up. ]
Soo – [ It would be longer but her finger falls tight against her rows of red lipstick, settling on top of one before twisting her hips to face Jade in front of the tiny little vanity. ] ... Yes. What about it?
[ There's a bit of tension, she knows. It's tight, making her stomach churn but not in one that makes her sick. Just a bit uncomfortable. ]
Finally found out where it came from?
no subject
Not yet. I will remember to look into it more. [ she's been distracted because... of course she's been distracted. teenhood is happening a lot lately. ] I had a moment like that, though. Where I remembered something.
[ jade's been mulling over it a lot and after the dream last night, she's pretty sure that not only are these things triggered, they are also things that they all have, somehow, forgotten until now. elizabeth at some point in time knew how to play "will the circle be unbroken", she just didn't know it in this point in time. it's one hell of a variable, but it's... can it be denied at this point? ]
But mine wasn't like that. I thought - I know this sounds crazy, but I was just... sitting down and all of a sudden I got this flash where I was in a room with a dead man and I was arguing with that dead man...
[ well. ] I know it's insane, but it's really what I saw.
no subject
And?
[ Of course, Jade naturally will explain and as she does, she feels worry wash over her. ]
Wait. Hold on a moment.
[ Okay, the dead man. That's concerning and Jade can see her mother's face twist into a bit of panic. ]
That - that's it? A dead man... That can't be like what mine was. [ Could it? ] Are you certain this wasn't a dream or some such?
no subject
If it was a dream, Dave had one at the same time. We were both awake and it was at Founder's Day. [ jade had broke off from elizabeth to meet with him, not too long after they finished their shopping spree. some records, some books, a new dress, the cheapest junk food anyone would ever see. it was a good day, until - ] I know it's insane, but - I had another one. Did you?
no subject
No. ...No, I haven't. [ She sits there for a moment, but continues. ] Not yet anyway. People have mentioned other things like Jack. Something about a diamond pony.
[ Dead men, diamond ponies. It's ridiculous, but so were giant yellow birds. ]
But, I still don't understand. There was no.. dead men, actually, right? I can't explain that to your father — oh Jesus Christ, that would be a mess.
no subject
[ jade's wrapping the flat section around the iron, curling it. her lips purse. ] I am not sure if I want him to know about... mine, yet? I want to... [ figure out enough that it's not as alarming. dad's the one you go to if the monsters are too much, mom's the one you go to if you want to dissect the monsters. figure out what makes them tick.
jade's interested in the latter more than the former. as much as she loves bigby, she has to admit she wants a scientist's mind at the moment, not a detective's gusto. ] I wanna figure this out first.
There was... a dead man in the second, though. I recognized him.
[ jade irons out another section, larger this time. it turns out she's curling her hair for the evening, apparently. decided on a whim. ] It was Dave.
no subject
[ She gives a small reassuring nod to Jade's direction. Her fingers graze the smooth lipstick to her corners, a resounding smack as she pops her lips to evenly spread. It's not disinterest, it's keeping herself from overthinking. From making Jade fearful. So she acts normal. "Normal", she thinks. ]
We'll keep it between us girls. but —
[ Elizabeth freezes when she mentions Dave. A chill cracking down her spine. There's a bit of confliction when your daughter brings up a close friend as being dead. But, she's reminded of this — the odd sensations of vividness that peaks through their mind. The uncloudy notions like a song and apparently a dead teenage boy. ]
... That doesn't make much sense. It sounds like a nightmare. [ She pauses, setting the lipstick down. ] You've talked to Dave today. ...Correct?
[ I mean, she just wants to clarify. ]
no subject
Yes.
[ immediately. she'd checked asap that dave was okay. jade sleeps like a log, so thankfully a morning text was all she needed to solve that problem... ]
He is perfectly fine and well, but when I saw him in my dre... my nightmare. [ she's right. it's a nightmare and goddamn if jade wasn't happy to see that it was just that. ] He... [ jade lets go of her hair to tag at her midsection in multiple spots. ] Bullet holes... Just... Everywhere.
[ it's hard but she looks determined to get the words out. she hasn't told a soul until now and it's been hard. ]
no subject
It's not Déjà vu, is it? I wouldn't mislead you with a suggestion so simple. [ Any familiar sensations attacking onto the temporal lobe wouldn't be enough to explain the image Jade's speaking of. ] Sweetie — I don't know what it is, whatever you're seeing... there's been a lot going on and —
[ Will she find out the truth? Who knows. But, she clears her throat. ]
We'll find out. I hope. If anything else happens, let me know? Please.
no subject
so her brow furrows and her eyes are a little wetter looking than they had been earlier, but she holds it in and goes back to curling her hair seamlessly. to the average person, it wouldn't look anything more than thoughtful. ]
It is not Déjà vu but, um.
[ jade's not terribly religious, but there is an influence, of course. her mother was raised pentecostal, her father is nebulous but not opposed and generally doesn't judge. as she's understood it, when life ends, there's nothing but heaven afterward. but. ]
It is like I... am remembering something I forgot. It felt important.
[ a short beat and jade breathes deep and slow, staring at her reflection. ]
I will definitely tell you.
no subject
Little did Liz know, she'd know that feeling all too soon.
A hand reaches up, cradling against her daughter's cheek. A thumb runs along the line of her chin softly, brows furrowed downward as that small gesture ends much too soon for the both of them. ]
Like horses and these birds, right? [ Was that reassuring? Elizabeth hopes so, connecting the dots to the big issue at Founder's Day... it means Elizabeth is looking for answers and that is more than some people. ] Right now, this... that didn't happen. Dave's fine, you're... we'll be fine.
[ Elizabeth grabs a tissue from her vanity, raising it up to her lips. Yes.
Jade.
Liz is going to do the Mom Thing and wipe a bit of smudge off your cheek. ]
Mr. Dawes came to me with something similar. In fact, I think... no, nevermind. I don't have anything. But, that's okay... We'll get through this together.
no subject
[ not that jade fights against it - despite her shout, too, a grin cracks across her lips, and it's a laugh that echoes throughout the bedroom next. but it's a good reminder, you know, someone to bring her back to earth, nudging her with the knowledge that this is her family here. there's a lot of baggage to the wolfs, and it's understandable why: elizabeth and bigby had hard lives. they were teenagers deprived of normal existences in some way and that's why, jade imagines, they fit together so well. to that end, it's probably not a surprise that jade has her own problems, her own worries. her parents are great at what they do, and this is evidence of that, but teenagers are teenagers.
she's still smiling. ]
I know, we're all okay. I know. Even if it... If something happened to him before, right now, he's okay, and. [ it's unspoken but elizabeth probably knows what that silence means. it's a mutual family trait: sometimes what's not said says the most for them all. even if something happened to dave in this life, she'd stop it. ]
I'll tell Dad about it soon. I want to tell him myself, okay? Mr. Dawes having this problem as well means... you could be next so. Let us know, 'kay?
no subject
[ She's passing, joking to the best of her ability despite her worry. It's a mother's nature to worry and when Jade's concerns become this.. serious with no sight of answers, Elizabeth improvises for normalcy. The motherly gesture was to crack a smile. ]
Tell him when you're ready... when things make a little more sense. I don't want him flying off the handle over nightmares.