bitten_notshy | de Ulloa Residence, Baltimore, Later Friday

After supper, Sebastien had spirited Tony away on some vaguely described "wizard business." Jack pouted a bit about being left behind, but it was mostly out of habit. On a deeper level, he was happy for the luxurious occasion of having a home to himself. He cooked some eggs for supper, took a slice of cake, and settled in the rug before the fire with a deck of cards. He was trying to teach himself to always win at solitaire; it was going irritatingly slowly.

Rebecca Duchovny	Rivka - Rebecca, it was Rebecca now, and she had to remind herself of that as she drew herself up to look at the door she meant to approach. She took a breath and reached up to make sure her hair hadn't escaped its pins and hat too badly before she took the heavy door knocker in hand and tapped it three times. Stepping back again, Rebecca tilted her chin up, imitating the air of the girls of the family she served.
Jack Priest	Jack, still in shirtsleeves, uncurled himself from the rug and went to answer the door. There was something ever so faintly familiar about the girl he saw through the keyhole, but he was nowhere near placing the memory as he opened it and stood in the entrance. He'd long since learned not to let anyone in without proper reason. "Hello, miss?"
Rebecca	She tilted her head in surprise as she saw the boy, clutching her wrap closer about her. He was - he could have been her brother, but then every blond boy of about the right age could have been Jan. She'd seen him in crowds for years. "I'm looking for Jack Priest if you please, sir," Rebecca said, concentrating hard as she always did on the proper inflections and avoiding sliding into the heavy accent that came easiest.
Jack	It was the rare guest who looked for Jack and not for Sebastien, and the accent the girl was trying to hide was -- was that Czech? Or was he hearing things? Jack opened the door a bit wider, though he still wasn't gesturing her in. "Well, you found him," he said. "May I ask your business with me?"
Rebecca	"Jan," she breathed, unable to keep herself from slipping into their childhood language. //It's not really business, you know, // Rivka said, eyes drinking him in as she found it hard to believe this well looking boy was her little brother. //I've been hoping to find you for a long time.//
Jack	Jack's eyes widened in surprise before he tried to blink it away, but there was a gentleness in his voice he couldn't stop as he answered in Yiddish. //It's been a long time since anyone called me that,// he said. //Come in. Please.// He finally stepped back enough to let the girl in; if she was a vampire, she was a suicidal one to come to Sebastien's home.
Rebecca	Neither a vampire nor suicidal, thank God. Simply a girl here "And is it Mr. Priest then?" she asked, a smile answering the tone of his voice as she found her English even if it was still a bit halting. Rivka stepped inside the house, ignoring the foyer and interior in favour of concentrating on Jack. "Do you prefer it?"
Jack	"It's my name," Jack said, leading the girl toward a comfortable parlor. He'd answer English with English; he hadn't used the other since childhood. "But you have me at a disadvantage, since I'm not sure of yours."
Rebecca/Rivka	Her face fell a little, not nearly as good as Jack was at disguising her expressions. It was too much to expect he'd recognize someone he hadn't seen since he was just a tiny child, but Rivka hadn't been able to stop herself from hoping. "No, you wouldn't then," she said, accent heavier as she forgot to concentrate. "I'm Rivka." She paused, her voice quiet. "You might not remember." She hoped he did.
Jack	"Rivka," Jack echoed. He let the name resonate in his skull for a moment, and studied the girl's face again. "... I had a sister called that once, but that's probably not of much help." It couldn't be. He'd long since written off his blood siblings. If one were here, in the colonies ... he couldn't even go down that mental path.
Rebecca/Rivka	The big sister took over as she rolled her eyes at him expressively. //No, of course not,// she said. //There's certainly no way that could be connected.//
Jack	Jack laughed, half out of shock. //My guardian would say sarcasm runs in the family//, he said. //All right. I still don't understand how you're here. What -- Can you explain?// He still wasn't sure he trusted her -- it was too extraordinary, sisters didn't come from the sky after a decade and more -- but he'd hear her out.
Rebecca/Rivka	She smiled a little at the laugh. //Of course I can,// Rivka said, tilting her chin up for a second. But he had a point and she tugged her shawl more tightly around herself, still unsure of the reception she'd get. //It's - been a long time. I don't know where to start. What do you want to know?//
Jack	//I don't remember anything,// Jack stated flatly. //I don't let myself think about those days. I was young. It was cold. That's as much as...// Restless, he poked at the fire. //What became of our parents?//
Rebecca/Rivka	//They died,// she said quietly, sitting down on a footstool. It was far too nice of a room for her to consider sitting in one of the chairs. //Papa died years ago. Mama just two years back. Of consumption.// She watched Jack poke at the fire, twisting her hands into her skirts. Even after dreaming for years of what she'd say when she finally found her lost little brother, Rivka couldn't find the right words. He looked like a young gentleman now and spoke like one, and it was harder to remember him as the dirty boy from the ghetto, harder to speak to him like he used to be her baby.
Jack	"Oh." Jack took it as calmly as if she'd remarked on the weather, staying stiff, staying a gentleman. "I'm sorry." He sat down opposite her. "Father's death was just before they" -- the words he normally used to talk about it seemed unkind -- "just before I left home, wasn't it?"
Rebecca/Rivka	Rivka made a face at him. "Saying it like that makes it sound so nice," she almost scolded, switching languages with him. "But we both know it wasn't, and -" //I'm sorry, Jan. For everything.// Maybe that was what she'd wanted to say to him, and it couldn't be said in English no matter what a gentleman he looked like now.
Jack	//It's not as if there's anything you could have done//, Jack said rapidly. //You were a girl yourself. It wasn't anything any parent in our neighborhood would have hesitated to do in the same situation.// Which didn't make it nice. Or kind. But he could not stand seeing anyone feel sorry for him. "And anyhow," he added, back in English, "I'm doing well. What brought you to the Colonies?"
Rebecca/Rivka	"Perhaps not," she replied with as much dignity as she could muster. She could hear the brush-off as well as anyone, and he wasn't the only one in the family with pride. "Work, of course," she said, giving a tiny shrug. "I'm not married, and there's more for girls over here."
Jack	"Work," Jack echoed. "Of course." He smiled a tiny bit. He wanted to hear more about their parents and the rest of the last dozen years, but first -- "I can't imagine how you found me. We'd moved so often, and the names...."
Rebecca/Rivka	"Your name is the same, you know," Rivka said, her head high and her words carefully enunciated. "If you translate it, I mean." He also wasn't the only one with brains. "For the rest -" she shrugged. "Luck mostly. I used to ask about and sometimes people would have information about people that might be you."
Jack	"I know my name's the same. Blame Don de Ulloa's sense of humour," Jack said into the flames. "It sounds as if you had some decent luck in the quest." He still wasn't sure what to make of this. She seemed honest enough -- but any half-decent liar could have cobbled together what she'd told him. And even if she was blood, that didn't make her family as he reckoned it. She might just be here because she wanted something. People often were. He looked up to find her eyes. //You know I'm still a servant, in a way.// Which was not, strictly, true, but it suggested he couldn't give her money or asylum or whatever she was looking for.
Rebecca/Rivka	If some of what she had heard - or what she had guessed - about Don de Ulloa was true, she would be blaming him for more than his sense of humour. Rivka held his eyes for a long moment before giving him a warm if slightly subdued smile. //And I am as well," she replied, hearing the unspoken and seeking to reassure. //But it is better than being married, no?//
Jack	//I wouldn't know,// Jack answered teasingly, slightly more at ease. //I've never been married.// He quirked his mouth to the side. //I wouldn't think the prospects for a pretty girl like you would be so limited.// Odd, to flirt with a sister -- if that's what she was -- but it was his default. Which may have also had more than a little to do with the Spanish detective.
Rebecca/Rivka	The look that was leveled on Jack was pure big sister. And pure sisterly rejection of the flirting. //Would you want to stay there?// Rivka shrugged.
Jack	If she hadn't rejected the flirting, Jack would have been confused. //I didn't get a choice,// he returned. //But on balance -- no. I'm happy and healthy and I haven't spent a day hungry in over a decade, Rivka.// She knew what the last thing would mean to them both.
Rebecca/Rivka	It meant a lot, and for a moment, she could see the little boy Jan crying in hunger in place of the grown up gentleman he'd become. She nodded, eyes full of feeling as she just barely kept herself from getting up to go over to him. //I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to hear that,// she said softly. //I always hoped that would be so.// Even though they both knew how unlikely it was.
Jack	//What about you?// Jack had to ask. //Masters treating you well?// He was genuinely concerned for this girl, whoever she was, but still edgy about what she might want of him. Tony might be able to magic the truth out, but that would be illegal. Then he thought of Emma and her gifts. Could he introduce her to a friend?
Rebecca/Rivka	//I am not hungry,// Rivka replied, smiling at the question. It was her job to take care of him regardless of how long it had been. //The rest, it will come.// She wanted to ask who taught him the manners he was so clearly displaying. Why he wore clothes of such obvious quality. But the questions might be intrusive even to a little brother, and sometimes worries were best left unconfirmed.
Jack	"I hope it does for you," Jack said, as curious as she was. He rested his chin on his stacked fists. "I have a friend at school who's -- she has a gift for reading people. Would you mind meeting her, so we can both relax and know neither of us would ask for more than a sibling has to give?" He scrunched his face. "I apologize for being so terribly suspicious."
Rebecca/Rivka	He went to school. The amusement and relief and pride that came with that knowledge almost made her miss the rest of the sentence. Rivka sat up perfectly straight again, every bit of formality returning. "You have no reason not to be," she said, every word precisely pronounced. "I would not mind meeting this friend of yours with her gift."
Jack	Relief crossed Jack's face. "I'll do my best to get a message to her to come tomorrow, then," he said. "Thank you." And no doubt Emma would bitch endlessly about the corset, but that was simply the price one paid. "For now, would you like some tea?"
Rebecca/Rivka Duchovny	Tomorrow. Rivka nodded even as there was a flash of worry about how she would manage to get leave. In the end, it was no matter, Jan and that look of relief were more important and she had a little saved up if she needed to find another place. "Tea," she repeated with an teasing smile. "How English. Much like you it seems, Jack."
Jack Priest	Jack took a second, but he laughed as he moved toward the kitchen. //That's a matter of appearances only, Rivka...//