Student Housing, London, Friday Morning

[bitten_notshy]

The portals were booked: Jack and Sebastien were scheduled to go to 1901 Boston early the next day. Kevin had been informed he'd need a new flatmate for the spring, and the university had been told Jack was taking a leave of absence. (Neither, it must be said, seemed exactly broken up to see him go.) Jack had made excuses to his London friends, something about a sick relative that was deliberately dull enough to discourage further questioning.

All that was left were the calls to people from Fandom.

Sebastien, being a wise man, had taken himself elsewhere to handle some paperwork, so Jack had privacy as he started dialing.

It was possible he was calling in ascending order of difficulty.

[OOC: NFB due to distance, but open for calls and the like.]

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

"I think I'd regret it more if I don't go than if I did," Jack said, because the honest answer would have been no. "We still have friends there. Irish, actually. I don't want to go the rest of my life knowing I didn't help."

A pause. "I wouldn't be a soldier."

Not at first, anyhow. Jack deliberately wasn't contemplating the high odds he'd get dragged in eventually.

[chosehumanity]

"It's a revolution, Jack, not a fight in the pub 'round the corner."

Yeah. Those odds were blindingly high.

"Unless you're planning to take your friends and hide in the cupboard..."

[bitten_notshy]

“I don’t think they’d want that even if I liked the idea,” Jack said, in a tone that suggested he was halfway admitting Mitchell was right. People were going to die, and likely many of them. There was no way around that.

He sighed and made the case he’d assembled in his head.

“Look, it would take some time for any government to figure out what to do with me even if there was a draft – which there isn’t, yet. I could do a lot of good as a spy before it would happen, and there are portals if I absolutely need one.” Jack’s size, his unclear citizenship, the fact he had money backing him: He was bargaining that all would help keep him out of any army until it was absolutely necessary.

More quietly, he added, “And even if I have to go fight, that’s better than the alternative. I couldn’t look myself in the face if I sat this out.”

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. "Don't get stuck in any useless battles," he said. "Actually, don't do anything else bloody stupid, how's about that."

[bitten_notshy]

"Stupider than going off to a war zone?" Jack checked. "No, I think that's my dose of reckless behavior for the year. I'll come back as soon as I can."

To be fair, Jack generally wasn't prone to acting without thinking. Anything else stupid he did would no doubt be for excellent reasons.

[chosehumanity]

"And write," Mitchell stressed. "I'll accept 'not dead', but I'm hoping you'll put your ambitions a little higher."

[bitten_notshy]

"I should do that," Jack agreed taken by the idea. "I've never been much of a diarist, but this would be worth writing about. Not just to let you all know i haven't gotten myself killed."

[chosehumanity]

"It's only the American Revolution, mate," Mitchell said, sounding a little amused. "People are going to be talking about this for centuries."

If it worked out the same way, anyway.

[bitten_notshy]

"I know the rebels won eventually in the world I'm in now," Jack said thoughtfully. "So yes, my journal might be interesting. I could pass it off as being from my great-great-great grandfather."

It was always an excellent time to worry about posterity.

[chosehumanity]

"Might even get a movie made out of it," Mitchell encouraged. "I'd screen it."

Yes, the Tale of an American Revolution In An Alternate History.

[bitten_notshy]

It'd be a classic film! A bit unbelievable, what with the magic and vampires and the time travel, but wasn't there a movie about Abraham Lincoln hunting zombies that someone was making?

"With any luck, I'll be at the premiere," Jack said, liking this idea very much. "Though I won't speculate on who could play me just yet."

[chosehumanity]

"Either the big blond superstar of the year," Mitchell judged, "Or some artsy guy they flew in from France..."

Mitchell. Relevance.

[bitten_notshy]

"I could deal with a Frenchman, though more people would see it if they made it with a superstar," Jack said thoughtfully. "And now I have to come back and make sure it gets made."

[chosehumanity]

"Yeah," Mitchell said, after a brief pause - look, there was that relevance. "You'd better."

[bitten_notshy]

"I can't stay in that time no matter who wins what war," Jack said. "I've gotten too used to this one. There are people and telephones and -- things. So I will."

[chosehumanity]

"Then I'll leave you to the next one in line to tell you how stupid this is," Mitchell supplied. "Don't get killed."

[bitten_notshy]

"I haven't yet," Jack said. "Bye."

And then he was gone.