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 Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:44 pm
Joy nodded her head. Was...her father still worried about Ace? Just what -had- he said when she had vanished? It would have had to have been something bad enough to make her father question him. Joy disliked that a bit. She didn't want to exclude Ace from whatever she was doing..perhaps...she could still manage to work with him. At least enough so that he would not feel cut off. That was the last thing she wanted her brother to feel. He might become discouraged and choose to prove himself in other ways...and that could be...well...there was no way she was going to end up on different sides then him.
"I don't think you are or will be pushing me father. If there was something I did learn about myself, it's that I am capable of devoting myself to a task if need be. So long as I don't have any distractions I can apply myself to a full schedual of training. I did it for the past month, and I will keep doing it until I'm ready..."
The decent cloths comment caused her to pause, and she looked down at the clothing she'd borrowed from Ace. "They aren't so bad really." She replied with little thought. Her mind was more focused on what she needed to be doing rather then wearing...and then..
her mind wasn't focused on anything at all. her eyes widened a bit at Bob's enterance. She had seen him one time before, at a birthday party. The biker outfit had struck her as...cool...and again she felt the same sort of awe as the man just seemed to dominate the room for a few moments.
Of course his news was hardly the sort she was expecting. Her cheeks flushed immeidatly with a brilliant pink. Robinson...Robbie...firefighter...oh..God...He didn't! obviously though he had! Her eyes were just a touch wide and Joy felt...a tumbling senstaion in her stomach. So Destin was one of his children? Well...it would explain why he listened to him. And that last name! Tire! Oh! That would be terribly funny if she wasn't feeling a sligght clamminess on her palms. She didn't want to meet Robbie. She didn't want to risk having events happen like they had in the other world. No Robbie...no Jimmie...no potential heartbreak and heart ache if she did end up dieing...
The slamming of her fathers paper to the desk caused her to jump, and she snapped her wide green gaze over to him.
"Oh! N-no. I guess I don't right now...If I'm going to be...working under you I suppose there should be some papers or something I should be reading though right? Could I maybe...take them home? I am feeling a bit tired all of a sudden..."
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:51 pm
Jim looked closely at his daughter, "There's only one thing you have to pass before I let you work here, and let you undergo all of these ideas. A psychological evaluation. That Bob passed." He grinned, "When would you like me to schedule you?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:56 pm
Joy's eyebrows arched up slightly. A evaluation...that Bob passed... her head turned slightly to glance at the door. In all honesty? She did not think that it would be so hard if -he- had passed...
"Ah..whenever you have the time?" She slowly replied.
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:23 am
Jim nodded, "I'll ask the counselors when they have time and get back to you on that." He looked over at his desk, giving a regretful sigh, "I hate to say this, but unless we have more to talk about, this time I really have passed deadlines. Take a month off anywhere, I guess that'll happen."
Jim gave Joy a hug and the keys to the car. "Ace is probably still out with Andy. Why don't you go on to your apartment. We've taken care of keeping it clean for you, but I imagine there are things there that you'll want. And this." He winked as he handed over his credit card, "If you want it. Five hundred for next two weeks, ok?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It wouldn't be until just before three that Joy could get in touch with Ace. Actually, he called her, "Joy? Can we meet up and talk somewhere? For real? Preferably somewhere with food. Dad's place or yours works for that. I'm starving and have been molested and had my needs neglected by an ex-superhero and don't think Dad or Uncle Jim will believe me so I need your ears! Oh, but I'm starving, so I need to be fed first."
He had started out sounding pretty subdued, but as he spoke he jaunted into that hyperbolic tone of voice. The neglected need of lunchtime was apparently far more important than whatever it was he meant by being molested. Knowing Ace, he likely just meant he'd been prevented from walking out of the door for that food at some point.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The flippant 'Dad's or your place' turned out to mean that's where he wanted to be. He ordered delivery veggie sub-pizzas, announcing it was a compromise between her health obsession and good food.
He tried joking around with her at first, but it was obvious that neither of them were really into it. Ace was stumbling on his stories and Joy was being---being---
"Why is it since you've come back, you've been no fun? You can't still be tired! I can't believe that---I mean, are you ok? What happened? Andy scared the bahgeebies out of me. You're scaring me, and you're back! And Dad was scary, and is scary still. So is Mom. Everything's changed, and you're making it change even more, and I don't like it!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:13 pm
Joy was satisfied enough with the food that Ace had ordered. Truthfully she wasn't in the mood to come up with some sort of creative meal to feed them. Maybe Mac 'n Cheese, but that was rather out of character for her to make up a simple pasta meal with no sort of vegtable side. So yes...the delivery food set well with her.
Joy suggested that instead of eating at the table, they take the food into the living room to eat. Setting in on the decorative coffee table, Joy lounged on the floor and casually chewed while attempting to listen to Ace's stories with interest.
He seemed so much younger right now. Her green eyes were drawn time and again to her brothers face. He seemed younger and less mature. Less focused then the other worlds Ace. It was hard to believe that he could possibly become that later on. Perhaps not ever now that things had changed up a bit here. Of course..s.he had changed too. Which it seemed that her brother was keen enough to observe in some manner.
Joy pulled on a onion from her sub and began to twirl it around in her fingers as she avoided looking directly at Ace. His questions felt more like accusations. She was making things change even more? They had to change though. If they didn't the future would be terrible and she's be dead with some poor little kid left behind.
"I don't know Ace... Things are still bothering me. I know I've talked a lot about the other world already, but I can't just brush it all off and pick up where I left off here. My life feels....hollow. Everything I've done up until my abduction feels like it was a waste Ace. I feel like I had just...God..."
Joy dropped the onion slice onto her plate and laid back on the floor. Looking up at the ceiling, she crossed one forearm over her forehead and blankly stared upwards as she kept talking.
"I feel like...I have to do something. I have to do it -now- Ace. Even though things may not happen for years. I feel like every minute I spend fooling around or sleeping in late or even shopping is a waste of time. I could be doing something better right now. SOmething to make sure things like that don't happen. I have to stay away from Robbie and pretty much any other guy... I don't have good judgement when it comes to guys and I don't want to leave behind a kid when I die. I don't want things to get that bad and I just...." She turned her head to look over at Ace. her features were slightly drawn as she continued to speak.
"I want to go back. I want to go back and help them Ace. I feel relief at being able to be home. I didn't think I'd make it. But at the same time I feel completely guilty over running away from them when they are in such a bad situation. But I know I can't go back...not because I don't have the way, but because if I do I'll fade again. It was...terrifying Ace. I felt like...like...I don't know...I guess maybe I was dieing. But there was no pain. No sensation or any sort of feeling at all. I just knew that in a few more minutes there would be nothing left of me at all and I just....I wouldn't have done anything. It would have been for nothing. I was going to die and I wouldn't have ever done anything that mattered with my life."
Joy shook her head a little and moved her gaze away from Ace. She closed her eyes, though only because she kept seeing Jimmies lost little expression as he looked under the table. The pain in Robbies eyes...how utterly sad the other Ace's eyes were. It was the eyes that were the worst. She could see so much in them. Joy slipped her fingers into her hair and made a fist.
"Things are going to happen. People are going to die. The world is going to get worse. Not better. I know all of this. It's my responsibility to make certain it doesn't happen. if I don't...then it'll be my fault. Everything will be my fault. I've been so stupid and shallow. I've been living in a damn bubble dream when you and Raven tried so hard to get me out of it. I can't just go back to that Ace. I can't."
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:19 pm
Ace blinked, and just stared at Joy for a long moment. Then he looked away for a long moment. Even when the sandwich in his hand dripped out from the middle onto his lap he gave it a blank sort of look, then placed scooped it all up and put it on the plate. Then he picked up several napkins, wiped his hands clear, and put his elbows firmly on his knees, hands collapsed downwards together and stared at the coffee table and the food on it.
"I don't get it though. They fail. And going a different way is worse than failure. And--" He looked at Joy, "What? Afterwards we continued to fail? What does anything at all matter then? Why bother? Why try, really? I mean..." He shook his head, "Why all the rush to see a miserable ending to all our efforts? What's the difference between dying not having done anything and dying having tried do to something but not succeeding?" He sighed, "Why let it weigh you down then and not just go out and do whatever you care to do? I mean, live a life that you can be happy with to do whatever you want to do. At least then you'll have had all sorts of experiences you want and have been happy about that."
But Ace sounded more and more miserable as he spoke, then spontaneously reached out to pull Joy into a tight hug. "It's not fair! It's not the way it's supposed to be at all!
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Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:32 pm
"Because... I can change it Ace. I mean..if I don't...If I just sit back and let the future happen the way it's supposed to then things will be horrible and it will be all my fault Every person that dies. Every family that is broken up. Everything will be my fault unless I do what I can to change it. So that our future won't be that horrible place. I have to save them. Not just the people here in America either. I have to save everyone every where...otherwise it's just no use." Joy began. Her heart felt heavy as she spoke the words...but it also felt good to be saying it to someone at least. Admitting the weight she felt and just how much responisiblity she honestly felt.
"My life isn't my own anymore Ace. I can't think so selfishly. I can't just go around do whatever I want and ignoring the fact that I have things I should be doing now. I've let myself be blind and I won't go back to that. I can't. It's... not the right thing to do." She paused then, her green eyes widening as her brother would wrap her up in his arms in a sudden hug. Joy tilted her head, listening to him complain about the unfairness. She did not protest, nor did she pull away from the hug. It was a comfort really, and she clung to it.
"Life isn't fair. It'll never be fair unless we make it fair. I have a lot I need to do, and I really want your help Ace. I'm not nearly as strong as I could be. I spent a lot of time training in the other world, and I made some pretty quick progress...but I need to keep training like that if I am going to get strong enough to do what needs to be done...and I need your help too. I wish I could train more, but I'm not sure dad is just going to let me focus as much on this as I want. I know mom certainly isn't."
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