This'll Stop 'Em for Sure!

Poe began to joke about the girl and Jack swatted at his arms, worried that her father might catch on and spite her by pulling the opposite. He hadn't seemed to notice the exchange, and Jack could breathe a little easier. She smirked up at Poe and shook her head as though she was disappointed, but she was doing it in jest. Besides, the moment was passed up when Poe found something new. Jack shrugged and mouthed back 'owl'. She pursed her lips to hide the smile.

Poe obeyed and Jack relaxed her grip. It seemed she let out any unwelcome nerves by yanking him along, as though fearing he would suddenly tell her, 'Nope, you're on your own now!' She was not convinced until they had mad it outside. She stopped on the stoop and heaved a great sigh.

He rest against her and she allowed herself to lean a bit into him, taking the stress from her. "You're right. I underestimated you. If there is a zombie apocalypse, I shall seek you out first." She grinned. "Well. We have escaped unscathed. You did wonderfully so.... What next?" she looked to him, waiting for him to direct her on his whims.

((OOC: Heh. Polyvore reference. XD))

In his impatience, for he had waited a good deal of time for Jack to offer the ‘light’ that he had all but begged for, Nemo produced his wand with a flourish and rolled it along his knuckles before bringing it to a halt and gripping it in his palm. But his attention was torn briefly from the task before him by Jack’s startling – in the eyes of Poe – compliment, the likes of which elicited from him a sarcastically insulted expression. “That,” he gestured wildly at the household that remained behind the pair, “was what determined this? Oh come on, I proved myself Zombie-Apocalypse-worthy when we took on the entire Leaky Couldron,” He insisted and guided his eyes back towards his wand.

Nemo held the weapon below his drug, permitting the tongue that had sprung from its tip to engulf it in fire. The joint flared brilliantly as ember nestled within its end and Nemo moved his wand away, watching the dangerous element absently as he smoked. What a masochistic thing his mind was, Nemo recognized as it gave life to a particularly grim thought; one which could not be rid of as he twirled slowly his fire-lit wand.

He was quiet for a moment’s time as he fought to discourage the idea. It was a disconcerting moment of silence, due to his characteristically talkative nature when he was in such a mood. Until alas and seemingly after having come to a firm decision, Nemo shook out his wand, extinguishing the flame. “We paid your childhood home a visit.” He paused, taking a calming drag, “Let's swing by mine."

Jack shook her head. "No. I feel much more confident taking on three dozen armed and drunken witches and wizards than having a serious conversation with my mother. I'm still in shock that my father suddenly became human. Having me leave must have meant he became the woman's punching bag. Maybe it made him realize he was made of flesh, not metal." She shrugged.

Poe lit his drug and she let him have his reward for sticking by her side. The summer air was a tad cool and she crossed her arms, shaking her hands up and down alongside them to warm them up. Poe's words were calm and she was not prepared at all for the following. She nodded along. And then he delivered the punch.

She turned to him, trying to see what was going on in his head. He didn't seem to be asking her if that was what she expected. Jack would only go if he wanted to. It seemed he did. So she nodded. Softly, she told her roommate, "Okay."

"Okay", Nemo sighed in agreement with a nod of his head. An uneasiness fluttered within him, stirring an uncomfortable desire to move; A need to jump and shiver and run until the anxiety dissolved. Thus, he leapt from the highest of the four porch steps and landed softly in a deceivingly nonchalant swing. He stood then with his back turned to Jack as he stuffed his free hand in his pocket and expelled another cloud of thick smoke.

"It's just that-" He blurted out as he spun towards her once more, his frustration, which had arrived with little warning, strewn visibly across his face. "Nevermind..." He added, settling as he corrected himself. He needn't explain himself to Jack. Nay, he believed she would understand. Her acceptance was a reassuring weight upon his shoulders; not a burden or a thing to be carried begrudgingly, but a tether to the world he so often drifted away from. She had witnessed the abuse that he had suffered and had refused to leave him when said events had taken their toll. If Jack did not understand, surely, no one ever would.

"But we aren't apparating," Nemo announced, reinforcing his smile, which severely lacked authenticity. "I know an auror who’s selling his old VW for next to nothing and I've been talking to him about buying it off him for a month now anyway." He shrugged, before singing, "We could graffiti her."

"What do you say?"

He answered shortly and left the stoop. Jack strolled forward until she was on the top step, but she leaned against the wooden railing of the porch, watching her friend with interest. He was hiding some struggle, she could feel it. He suddenly spun around to speak, and then dropped it. She watched him a moment longer, chewing her lip in thought as she tried to decide her next move.

She went for the playful, albeit lazy, option- and copied him. Copying his jump from the porch exactly, she landed right before him and grinned. "I know," she said, in response to his attempt to explain. He didn't need to explain, and if he did, she would have understood. She didn't come tonight because her childhood was pleasant. She wasn't going to question him. Never had, never would.

He clarified their mode of transportation and Jack felt a grin slowly spread across her face. He asked her her thoughts. "You mean, you want to drive in a car- well, I'll probably be driving since you are permanently sloshed- you want me to drive a graffiti-ed bus so we can run straight towards trouble?" She stared at him a moment. "What did you expect me to do? Argue?" She smiled. Of course she was up for it.

The false grin that had been plastered across Nemo's face for the sake of the avoidance of a particularly difficult conversation curled further upward at the sight of Jack's smile, until alas it had reached his eyes and re-ignited their spirit. "You mean, you want to drive in a car- well, I'll probably be driving since you are permanently sloshed- Nemo interrupted with an overenthusiastic shrug that bent at his knees, "Well, that and I've never actually driven...”

He drew a generous breath from his drug, smiling around the expertly rolled joint. "Actually," Nemo corrected Jack as he laughed smoke and claimed his now instinctual place at her side. "I've learned not to assume anything about you." He retrieved his hand from his pocket and extended the appendage towards Jack in offering before he proceeded with his previous statement, singing, "It makes an ass out of you and me."

"Be gentle with me, McDonald," Nemo insisted with a wince. "Summon the inner apparation expert in you. Or it'll be your sweater I hurl on this time." He vowed for good measure.

She rolled her eyes and said, "So you guessed I could drive you there. Or did you plan to suddenly learn?" He continued on his little roll about assumptions and she grinned. "Lucky for you, I have been driving my Comet for three years. If you can count driving it until it breaks down and pushing it as driving, that is." It was true. The car was a little shaky in that sense.

He offered his hand on the condition that she would be puked on if she didn't make the journey better. She grinned and said, "I'll keep that in mind." She took his hand and turned on the spot, careful to prevent all vomiting.


Jack hurried from the general store in Florida with the cans of paint. It was nearing 1 o'clock in the morning now, and this had been the only open place. It had been nonstop driving from Poe's friend to this store, and now they were nearing their destination. But what point was there to continue, unless it was in style.

She reached into the bag and threw a can to Poe, dropping the bag at the van's tire. She picked up a lime green can and stepped back, putting up her hands in an l and viewing the van through them. "I'm an artist," she explained. "This is serious business."

It had been Nemo's responsibility to hunt down the evening's food; a far easier task than that which had been assigned to his companion. Where she expected to find paint at such an hour, he hadn’t a clue, but it was not a dilemma that he paid any mind.

Nay; his mind was occupied with more pressing matters. During his shuffle in solitude from a local fast food restaurant - and oh had the late night employees been befuddled by his decision to order his hard-earned meal on foot by means of the drive-through - he had been seized by his childhood nerves, the likes of which had been steadily building with every passing mile.

Thus, as Jack reemerged with their supplies in hand, Nemo gnawed frantically at his comically large burger, his back stiff against the van. "This was a stupid idea," he proposed whilst he threw Jack her paper-wrapped burger in exchanged for the can of spray paint that had been passed his way. "I want to go home," He pressed on with a panicked insistence that did not belong to Nemo.

He kicked off of the van, burrowing further into his sandwich before he wheeled on Jack, mouth packed with greasy bread and crumbling hamburger, "Never mind. We can go home and paint the van there. Fred and Weasel will help us!" The frightened child had returned, and he could be seen through Nemo's crinkled eyes as clearly as the ketchup on his lips.

"We'll hit up a casino on the way back." He softened his voice and bent his arms at his sides in the same 'Come on' gesture that he so frequently put to use during his attempts at manipulation, "Get a drink or twenty... Camp out when we get too tired," He hummed, eyebrows raised. "How 'bout it?"

Jack approached, spotting the greasy bag that indicated food, glorious foooood, would grace her rumbling stomach soon. She caught the burger with the skill of the Quidditch-crazed practice her youth had cultivated, but more important than catching the burger, she caught the nervous flicker in Poe's eye. She tilted her head a tad, curious as to the cause, and set down the bag of spray cans.

He spoke confirmed her fears. Jack paused, and she moved to stand next to him, her back resting against the van too. She watched her own progress of unwrapping the burger, slowly taking a bite, giving her mind time to process the fear she had suddenly caught from Poe. He spoke of returning and then wheeled around, facing her as he revealed himself.

Jack's eyes were dragged up to his, and she watched him, chewing on her food contemplatively. His ideas were tentative, hopeful, full of excuses. He was terrified, and Jack ached to relieve that terror. But something was pushing her forward. She doubted it was less her own curiosity to have his old life revealed, for she only wanted to see the life before them. But she felt an opportunity for... she was not sure. Healing? Closure? Something.

Jack finally glanced up at him and said, "You know... I brought some fireworks. I thought we could celebrate. But I mean- gambling, drinking, painting, we can do that anytime. That's not something we can really feel good about celebrating." She didn't want to push him. She picked up a spray can up and bounced it in her hands. "This wasn't about the spray paint, or the van, or anything." She looked about, silencing stating You know why we're here. "Nothing bad will happen."