originaljackass | Ch. 1 - There is no plan without Jack of Fables

Entry tags:

[action],
[voice]

Ch. 1 - There is no plan without Jack of Fables

[Voice]

Hey Kennedy, meet me at Good Spirits. We're going to have a drink.

[Despite his fantastic lack of an intro post, Jack is actually already settled into Luceti, having already been around for over a week now. Having noticed the large quantity of people who walk around with weapons, Jack has already looted the smithy for a pistol and a perfectly preserved Confederate Officer's saber he'd kept since the war. Sure, it had no special powers and would probably shatter if he used his full strength hitting something with it, but damn if he didn't look cool. Hell, he even has his old officer's hat to go with it.

He'll be available at Good Spirits both before and after meeting Kennedy (if indeed the poor sailor shows up) to be poked and prodded. Or if that's not your thing, he'll be taking his time on his way home in spite of the heavy snowfall (which barely bothers him anyway), whistling a forgotten tune, and wondering what a man is to do in a moneyless economy when his greatest ambition is having lots of money. Which he already had in the real world.]

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Now we're talking. Dress warm, Kenny.

[Jack will go and see if he can't actually find this so-called 'good stuff' he was talking about.]

[Kenny? Really?

Well, Archie shows up after a few minutes, stamping snow off his boots. He's found his clothes and a pistol and sword in the time since he's been here. He gives his acquaintance a nod just deep enough to be polite.]

Jack.

[Well then, aren't they a match? Now if only Jack had dressed in his officer's clothes as well. At least he has his hat.]

Afternoon. [He reaches to the ground and pulls up a bottle.] Might be a bit buzzed already. [He lifts his glass.] Sampled every damn bottle of scotch here already. This one's the best.

We'll see about that. [Kennedy picks up a glass and pours himself a mouthful. He raises it, sniffs, and does not look encouraged. After a glance at Jack, he drinks. The verdict?]

It's not quite right, but it's as close as they've come. [He puts the glass down with a little more violence than necessary and pours himself a full drink.]

Figures they can't get anything right. [But he didn't invite you over to talk about the quality of the drink.]

Pal, I'm in a rut. A real shitter of a rut.

[Archie swallows a mouthful quickly, and most definitely not from surprise.]

Of course. Now we're getting to what you want.

[He swirls the whiskey in his glass idly.]

[He just keeps talking anyway as he nurses his glass.]

I've always had one ambition. To be young, handsome, and rich. Before I was dropped here, I managed to get all three. Now I'm stuck here. What's my ambition, Kenny? There's no money to make, no call for Grade A heroics, and I haven't been laid in a week. I'm also getting the feeling maybe I'm not too popular with the locals.

[Imagine that, huh?]

Don't call me Kenny, Jack.

[He puts off saying what he thinks of Jack's "real shitter of a rut" until he thinks the man is finished talking. Which may or may not happen at all.]

Well, you could give me your first name.

[Cuz he sure as hell knows it's not that.]

Or you could finish carrying on about the sorry state your life is in. They didn't bring me here to wait on you hand and foot.

Don't be sour, pal. I'm not calling any favors in just yet.

[He suddenly stands up.]

I've been thinking it's time Jack reinvents himself! Smooth, suave, princely - yeah, I was a prince once - the whole nine yards. Wouldn't be too far off my Hollywood days, but maybe lay off the ruthless businessman aspect. And unlike my 'old man', I'll make sure I get this shit right. What do you think?

I'd like you to go back a bit and tell me about being a prince.

[Because, heh, this has gotta be good.]

I won the title in a lottery on a lark. But then I got into some uh... legal issues, so I sold it back.

[And then he found out the person who sold it, Prince Charming, was actually his father. So technically he's bastard royalty. And since his old man recently died, maybe that makes him a Prince again?]

[Archie chuckles into his glass. Legal issues.]

I'd say.

Being Prince Jack was overrated. Though if I play my cards right, I could reclaim that title again, seeing as how the owner of it just croaked.

[For as much as he takes after his womanizing bastard of his father, he sure does hate him. Mostly for never telling Jack, "These are your half-sisters. Don't sleep with them."]

So if being Prince Jack is overrated, why are you suddenly so keen to reinvent yourself in his image?

[He picks up the bottle and holds it out, silently offering to top Jack off.]

[Sitting back down, he offers his glass for a refill. Back to his big plan.]

You've seen the people around here, right? The people here are ridiculous, practically more fable than I am. You'd think they came straight from the Homelands. They eat that kind of shit up. You do a bit of poncing, talk about your tragic backstory, and feed them a line about some of your heroic exploits - you're in. It's what people here are all about.

Edited 2011-01-11 04:43 (UTC)

[It's amazing how Jack can use English words that Archie, in theory, knows the meaning of, and still talk complete nonsense.]

I take it you're different.

You and me, we live in the real world. You... you're British Navy, right? [A sorely out of date one, but that's not the issue.] So you know how the score really goes.

To which score are you referring?

[The one where doing your duty for king and country makes you a penniless pauper, or the one where having the right word to put in front of your name puts you on equal footing with the Almighty?]

The one where people die.

[Even Jack, hundreds of years old, has died before. It wasn't a happy experience.]

[Yes, Archie is intimately familiar with that score, too. But the potential implications of this statement are unsettling him further.]

I think you should explain yourself, Jack. What are you going to do?

[He notices that it struck a nerve there. He considers that for a moment, files it away for later, and carries on.]

I'm going to play the game. Fit in. Convince people that Jack here does have a heart, cares for the little people, and isn't out for himself. People are in trouble? Jack will be there. Need help painting your house? Well, I'll give you some advice, but I'm not that generous. And for the babes? I can do suave.

And when you've earned their trust, you'll do what, exactly? [Archie pours himself another drink.] Collect their debts?

Haven't thought that far ahead. It'll keep me from getting tossed out of town, for one. Once I find a way out of here, they'll appreciate a leader they can trust.

[He's finding his whole attempt to scope out the place for escape is proving more difficult than he thought. He finishes off his.... well, he's not sure how many he's had yet. Another glass, anyway. He holds it out for some more.]

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