Notting Hill, London, Wednesday Midday

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had been fretting since he talked to Karla yesterday. He would have grabbed a portal to Fandom and damned the expense, but Sebastien needed his help interviewing some witnesses, and that unhappy task lasted so late into the night that, reluctantly, Jack decided sleep was essential before he could talk sense even to someone recovering from a concussion.

And then he had to wait until it was a reasonable hour to call Fandom. Sometimes he thought time zones existed purely to spite him. It was early -- but not impossibly so -- when he gave in to his impulse and dialed Emma's number.

[OOC: For Emma, but open if anybody else wants a Jack!]

Comments

[icecoldfrost]

Emma glanced at her caller ID before answering her phone. For Jack, she'd make time before her second class.

"Don't tell me you're bored already, darling," she teased. "There's got to be something to do in that quaint little town of yours to amuse you."

[bitten_notshy]

"Sebastien's trying to crack some kind of murderous fraud ring," Jack said.

So, you know, it was Wednesday.

"But what I'm curious about is why you're doing things that make Karla call me in hysterics. It's not nice to worry a queen, dear."

[icecoldfrost]

"I didn't do anything," Emma disclaimed, full of innocence. "Karla was most likely just over-excited from a long day."

[bitten_notshy]

"During which you got a concussion, traded powers with Bobby, and then made everyone chase you down?" Jack checked. "And then went to class as if nothing was wrong? Emma, really, there are better ways to get attention. You could develop your singing voice."

[icecoldfrost]

...

"I am going to kill her. Slowly." And then hand her over to Morton for fussing while she got better.

"Nothing is wrong. I do not have a concussion anymore, it was my only class of the day, and I went to class again this morning with no ill effects. The end."

[bitten_notshy]

"The end," Jack repeated. "And if I'd been going to class so quickly after my concussion last winter, you would have said...."

[icecoldfrost]

"I would have said a wide variety of very colorful words, but you scrambled your brain something wicked, Mr. Priest. I am perfectly fine."

Except for the persistent headache and inability to shield anything today. Thank goodness for small favors; apparently Karla hadn't mentioned the weetiny coma at the beginning.

...or if she had, Jack was saving it so he could fight dirty. She wouldn't put it past him.

[bitten_notshy]

"Uh-huh." Jack didn't believe that for one second, though he didn't know her spate of unconsciousness had persisted so long as to be called a coma. "So you'd be happy to come to London and show me exactly how 'perfectly fine' you are?"

That was how he'd fight dirty.

[icecoldfrost]

"That is cheating, Jack." Emma was impressed.

[bitten_notshy]

"It wasn't!" Jack protested, not keeping the laugh out of his voice. "Cheating would be if I told you that, if you wouldn't come here, I'd get a hotel room on the island and kidnap you back to it so I can look over you properly."

[icecoldfrost]

"If you're so concerned about my well-being, aren't you afraid that a portal might hurt my head?" she countered. "I could arrive completely scrambled."

[bitten_notshy]

"Terribly worried," Jack drawled. "But your choice is -- you come here, or I go there."

He hesitated fractionally, then added, "If it makes a difference, Sebastien's going away tomorrow night. Vampire business -- I'm not invited." And how he'd sulked about that.

[icecoldfrost]

"Well now, we can't let you fend for yourself, now can we? If you're being left to your own devices in a city like London, we ought to take advantage and cause some trouble." Emma was going to resist pointing out that she was perfectly capable of being civilized with Sebastien, and had even managed an entertaining (and well-behaved) dinner with both him and Tony.

In fact, she rather suspected the vampire found her amusing, which was both flattering and irritating to no end.

"Would a lively bout of mischief convince you that Karla is over-reacting?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack was mollified by her suggestion that she would be helping him out; it would get her to London, he reasoned.

"Can a lively bout of mischief include being fussed over until I'm certain you're quite healed?" he countered in a silken purr. "I'd have to check you over very thoroughly ... reflexes, reasoning ability, linguistics, all of that."

[icecoldfrost]

"Are you sure you're qualified to undertake such an inspection?" Emma retorted on reflex, and she couldn't help the smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Although I suppose some fussing may be permitted, so long as the patient gets a treat afterward."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack groaned theatrically, trying to coax more of a smile into her tone. "Emma, do you realize all the follow-ups to that I can think of involve innuendo about lollipops?"

[icecoldfrost]

"It's not my fault that your witty repertoire consists of nothing but dirty thoughts," she sniffed, laughter bubbling under her voice. "A limitation of your gender, I suppose."

[bitten_notshy]

"Quite," Jack laughed. "I feel burdened by my sex, I can tell you."

In a more urgent tone, he added, "How soon can you be here?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Jack." It was part groan, part sigh, and just a touch exasperated-but-amused. "I still have another two classes this week."

"I can leave right after I'm done with Miss Devereaux on Friday afternoon. Shall I order up a portal for quarter after four?" Emma was not going to miss class just to humour Jack, no matter how much fussing and spoiling was being promised.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack sighed his disappointment but had to accept the offer. "I'll be waiting. Don't overstress yourself, Emma. I have sources."

[icecoldfrost]

"Your source is biased and grumpy that I won't let her fuss," she replied. "It's summer at Fandom, darling, how stressful could it be?"

...don't answer that, Jack. It's Fandom.

[bitten_notshy]

"I'm not answering that," Jack said.

He'd just start talking abotu alternate islands with vampires.

"Take care of yourself and I'll see you soon, all right?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Don't worry, Jack, I'll be good," she promised.

"And if will ease your mind, I'll text you with very boring updates of 'drinking tea,' 'reading my book,' and 'taunting freshmen,' and they might even be true."