"I do. Well, hopefully you... haven't got any need to call in favours like that here," Jon half-jokes dryly. "I'm hoping we won't be seeing any of her or the circus in town for some time, or any rituals, for that matter. It didn't go so well for the last clown. If you haven't heard the story, I'm sure someone would gladly regale you with it."
He would, of course, but keeping Mendel's name as far away from him after everything he'd done is high up on his priority list. Maybe Jean or someone closer to the incident itself could share.
"I've got a few other customers to check in on, but I'll be back around momentarily. Unless you need anything else?"
"Oh, don't worry, honey, I meant when I get home. Though I will say that my monster-to-monster networking abilities are second to none, if it ever becomes necessary," Olivia teases, chuckling. She didn't get that external liaison position for nothing.
"You go do your rounds. But I'd like to pick your brain a little when you get back." Unsettling verbiage from the Flesh.
Jon doesn't love that, and it shows in the way his face scrunches with distaste for just a flicker of a moment before he's able to catch himself. He corrects it with a tight, awkward smile. "Of course. I'll be back shortly."
True to his word, making his rounds only takes about ten minutes, between some short conversations and topping off hot water, before he's able to make his return. Perhaps he drags his feet just a bit, enough that it wouldn't let on too hard; after all, they're going for a cozy, intimate atmosphere, so he's got to take the time with everyone, right?
Well. Everyone includes getting his brain picked, unfortunately, and return to the counter he must. At least, beyond some Flesh-related discomfort, she's been perfectly polite.
"Need anything? More hot water?" Jon asks as he passes by, glancing back before he scoots a finished tray towards the back of the counter. He doesn't spend long there; he's always been a little overly vigilant, but maybe the Eye's influence has made that worse, these days. "Or are you alright for now?"
"I'm okay for now. I'm taking my time with it. I like to savor things." A smile returns to Olivia's full lips, so red that the crimson devours the eye. "I just had something I wanted to ask you."
Even with how easy that smile is on her, her demeanor so perfectly calm and collected at every beat, it does nothing for Jon's nerves. That's likely the point, Jon imagines. "By all means. What is it?"
"There's something of mine in a shed out by the Bluffs. My understanding is that the shed belongs to you, is that right?" Her smile widens just so. "I'm wondering if I can repay you for the cost of it so that I can have it returned to me."
And there it is. Jon tries to play it off as best as he possibly can, but he can't help the way that his hand tightens against the edge of the counter, that subtle tightening of muscles of a trod-upon nerve.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I'm not looking to sell it. I understand your... connection to it, and I can appreciate that much, but---"
Before he can say another word, a hand snaps out and catches his jaw, pressing into his cheeks to force his teeth apart. Dull points from her nails dig into the flesh there. She makes intense eye contact.
"It's not a connection. It's mine. And you can relinquish my property the easy way or the hard way."
Jon's face instantly drops to terror, a sharp breath taken through his nose, and a hand snaps up to catch her arm. He doesn't dare try to pull her away, though - not with the way those nails dig. A sickly vision of his face being pulled away like clay from a block rises to his mind, and try as he might, he can't shake it.
"L--- let go of me," he tries to manage, though it's barely coherent, with how his jaw his held open. His other hand fumbles the counter, searching. For what? A tool to push her away, something to call someone over? He isn't even sure, but he needs something.
"You are never going to see that grinder," Jon shoots back, fear turning to boiling anger the instant that he's free, even in spite of the half-step that he takes back. "And you'd do well to get the fuck out of my shop."
Same shit, different Avatars. He's going to need a hand making sure that thing never sees enough light of day to get found.
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no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 06:22 am (UTC)He would, of course, but keeping Mendel's name as far away from him after everything he'd done is high up on his priority list. Maybe Jean or someone closer to the incident itself could share.
"I've got a few other customers to check in on, but I'll be back around momentarily. Unless you need anything else?"
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 02:48 pm (UTC)"You go do your rounds. But I'd like to pick your brain a little when you get back." Unsettling verbiage from the Flesh.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-13 10:38 pm (UTC)True to his word, making his rounds only takes about ten minutes, between some short conversations and topping off hot water, before he's able to make his return. Perhaps he drags his feet just a bit, enough that it wouldn't let on too hard; after all, they're going for a cozy, intimate atmosphere, so he's got to take the time with everyone, right?
Well. Everyone includes getting his brain picked, unfortunately, and return to the counter he must. At least, beyond some Flesh-related discomfort, she's been perfectly polite.
"Need anything? More hot water?" Jon asks as he passes by, glancing back before he scoots a finished tray towards the back of the counter. He doesn't spend long there; he's always been a little overly vigilant, but maybe the Eye's influence has made that worse, these days. "Or are you alright for now?"
no subject
Date: 2025-01-19 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-19 09:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-27 11:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-28 11:09 pm (UTC)"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I'm not looking to sell it. I understand your... connection to it, and I can appreciate that much, but---"
no subject
Date: 2025-01-29 02:09 am (UTC)"It's not a connection. It's mine. And you can relinquish my property the easy way or the hard way."
no subject
Date: 2025-02-03 12:02 am (UTC)"L--- let go of me," he tries to manage, though it's barely coherent, with how his jaw his held open. His other hand fumbles the counter, searching. For what? A tool to push her away, something to call someone over? He isn't even sure, but he needs something.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 01:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 02:35 am (UTC)"N--- no."
no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 05:30 pm (UTC)"Oh, honey, you're going to regret that. Because I will get it. I'm just going to make sure that it's a really terrible experience for you."
no subject
Date: 2025-02-12 10:08 pm (UTC)Same shit, different Avatars. He's going to need a hand making sure that thing never sees enough light of day to get found.