magician's apprentice | we've come a long way from where we began (rp for the_death_card)

[onebehind]

The place Miranda picks for their lunch date is meant to be neutral ground, Dylan is sure. She has them come out to Chicago, and while she is doing a show here, sometime this weekend, if her website is to be believed, it's still not home, not for either of them. It's also not one of the dozen places around town that might have required a reservation and no escape, if either of them thinks this is going south. No, it's just a diner, a literal hole in the wall, in a strip mall between a chiropractor and -- something else, Dylan's not sure, as he misses the sign, etched into the wall as they head in, but either way, the effort all adds up to a massive relief. He's not sure this will go badly, that he needs to think in terms of advantages and disadvantages as if he was playing chess, considering he's changed in the last twenty years, twenty months, twenty weeks, but still. He lets out a breath of relief, as they step into the building and he takes a look around.

It's a little less reminiscent of a dive bar, inside, even if the floors are bare, the ceiling open, and Dylan takes a certain amount of comfort in that, too. He glances to Jack briefly, to gauge his impression of all of this, and then steps up to the hostess's station as he looks out over the tables, trying to spot Miranda in the dwindling late-lunch crowd. When he doesn't see her, he's not surprised (she never could be on time for anything), and so he gets them a table for three, by the window, and settles into a chair. He expects Jack will take up his side of the table, too, and that's fine with him.

Once he's settled, Dylan pauses a beat, before, "Have I mentioned the part where she'd be late for her own funeral?"

Comments

[queen_ofwands]

Miranda shoots Dylan a look that manages to be both amused and searching, somehow, and in response, he shrugs, clarifies, "When we first met."

"Funny that you didn't mention that, honey," Miranda tells him. Never mind the fact that, while she and Dylan took some time to catch up, on the phone, there wasn't enough time to sum up all of the last however long. He mentioned taking Jack in, but not exactly how they met; he mentioned getting sober, but not how close he came to death to get there. And so on and so forth.

Either way, when she turns back to Jack, she asks, "How'd that go for you?" Better than he thought it would, she imagines.

[the_death_card]

Or not as good, considering how much luck he'd been having with other people. "Uh, well, he caught me? And I was pretty sure he was going to arrest me. And then he showed up with my case worker and I was still pretty sure I was screwed," he admits. "But, uh, yeah. Obviously it turned out good."

[queen_ofwands]

That all earns Dylan another look, still amused, but also almost exasperated, now, somehow. Never mind the fact that, yes, this all seems to be working out for the both of them and better than anyone here would have imagined, but -- really, Dylan? You really stalked a kid, just because he tried to steal your wallet?

"He caught my attention," Dylan offers with a shrug, almost helplessly. A glace to Jack follows, as if asking him to help bail him out.

[the_death_card]

Jack blinks at him, something baffled in his expression. He's not sure what or how much to say here, either, but if Dylan's going to keep being vague, he'll just keep going until he tells him to stop.

"Uh... apparently I did magic?" he adds, looking back to Miranda. "Like, in getting through the crowd and everything?"

[queen_ofwands]

Miranda shoots Dylan another look, this one decidedly less unimpressed -- now, that makes a little more sense, is more justified in her opinion. She looks back to Jack, that said and done. "Probably an illusion, honey." A beat, then if he didn't catch that look, the implication, "And that is impressive."

[the_death_card]

Jack grins a little at both parts of her assessment, pleased by the compliment. "Uh... I'd say thanks but I kinda didn't know I was doing it. But thanks anyway?" he says after a moment, grinning crookedly. "And yeah, he's explained a bunch of stuff about it and about the Eye and stuff."

[queen_ofwands]

Miranda gestures in his direction, as if to say that's part of why it's so impressive, and then, as Jack continues, hums, amused. "He tell you most of the stuff you're going to find on the internet is bullshit, too?"

She's more up-to-date than Dylan on the current usual rumors. Mostly because, whenever she needs a laugh, she goes looking purposefully.

[the_death_card]

Jack looks a little more pleased with himself for the gesture, resettling in his seat a little - and then nods. "Yeah. And he's already told me some specific stuff I've found that's bullshit. Like, uh. There was something about them only adding people once every a hundred years or something?"

[queen_ofwands]

"You see the one that says we sacrifice babies to initiate new members, yet?" she asks, that usually the next step from the once every hundred years thing. She's not sure which is more ridiculous, and therefore more amusing, but both are near the top of her list of favorites, mostly because it makes the whole thing smack of being a cult.

[the_death_card]

Jack snorts softly even as he nods again. "Uh, not specifically babies? There was some stuff about blood sacrifices and stuff, though. He already told me about, like... the part about having a big thing to follow through on without question being an actual thing, though."

He's pretty sure murder isn't an actual part of it, though.

[queen_ofwands]

Miranda hums to the affirmative -- and then makes another small noise, this one amused. "Hope you don't get me as your patron, when it's your turn, honey. I'm not sure what I'd make you do, but I do know I'd make you wear a hooded robe or something, the entire time."

To go with the whole cult, baby-sacrificing image and all.

Dylan, meanwhile, groans. "Don't. Don't do that to him."

[the_death_card]

Jack snickers at the two of them and at the mental images she's brought to mind with that. "I don't know, I could rock that," he tosses back, grinning at Dylan.

[queen_ofwands]

"You're fun, I like you," Miranda declares, her smile taking a step towards warm, rather than just amused. She manages to hide some, though not all of it, as she glances back to Dylan. "Him, on the other hand ... jury's still out."

[the_death_card]

Jack snickers again at Dylan's expense even while he's also a little pleased by Miranda's approval. "He's not bad," he allows lightly, and his smile turns a little more real as he looks to Dylan.

[queen_ofwands]

Dylan returns the smile, something fond in his expression. Miranda, meanwhile, glances between the two of them, reading them both, before finally humming. "I guess not."

Maybe Dylan really has changed. Something has, if nothing else, Jack clearly good for him, and vice versa, near as she can tell without a baseline to compare to.

"But either way," she continues after a beat, not willing to dwell too long on that, right now, for any number of reasons, "what are we eating?"

[the_death_card]

"Oh, um," Jack begins, reaching for one of the menus that he's barely glanced at before now. "Ooh, cheese sticks," he says, catching sight of them on the appetizer menu.

[queen_ofwands]

"Man after my own heart," Miranda declares, glancing down at the menu, now, herself. A pause follows, as she actually takes a moment to peruse it, and then, looking back to Jack, Dylan, she offers, "But seriously, get whatever you want."

Clearly, she plans on paying for their meal.

[the_death_card]

"Definitely cheese sticks," Jack says again with even more of a grin = though it fades into something a little less sure a moment later. "And, uh... what are you eating?" he asks Dylan, because he doesn't want to overdo it when he can use Dylan's order as a basis for comparison.

[onebehind]

"I don't know, yet," Dylan answers, making a little face at the menu. Whatever he decides, though, it won't be the most expensive thing on the menu, even if he plans on trying to snipe the check from Miranda. "I definitely plan on stealing some of your cheese sticks, though."

What're you gonna do about it, Jack?

[the_death_card]

"Hey, no," he complains, though he's not actually being serious. He'll totally share cheese sticks. "Get your own cheese sticks."

[onebehind]

"I don't want my own cheese sticks," he tells him, making a face albeit no more seriously than Jack is being at the moment. "I want your cheese sticks."

"Wow," Miranda decides quietly, amused. She knew Jack and Dylan were good for each other, but this, this moment where they seem to have forgotten her, is something else.

[the_death_card]

Jack blinks at her - and then blushes faintly. "Uh," he begins after a moment. "Sorry?"

Not that he doesn't get that she's amused by the two of them, but he was trying to keep a handle on the "little shit" bit of his personality in front of her. Clearly it didn't work so well.

[queen_ofwands]

"Oh, you're fine, honey," she promises, waving a hand at him. She looks to Dylan, eyes still smiling. "You're not the one being a five-year-old over cheese sticks."

Dylan shrugs, helplessly, a touch embarrassed now, himself, and Miranda shakes her head, amusement softening into something older, fonder, tired, warm. She reaches to cover her hand with his, something passing between them, perhaps literally but definitely wordlessly, and he nods, shooting a sideways glance at Jack. Miranda hums in response and leans back, finally, her expression still warm.

"So," she starts as if whatever that was didn't just happen. "Cheese sticks are a must."

"Yeah," Dylan agrees, a little roughly.

[the_death_card]

Jack's amusement returns as Miranda replies - though he looks more curious as the two of them have their moment. He figures magic was involved, but he's not going to press, actually a little glad this seems to be going well for Dylan's sake.

He does arch an eyebrow at Dylan when he looks to him - and then looks back to Miranda. "Maybe two orders," he suggests with a bit of a smirk. "And probably like a hamburger," he adds, glancing back down at his menu again.

[queen_ofwands]

"Two orders," Miranda echoes. Yes, something magic was going on there, but she's not going to spell and tell. "And ... this place has a really good oriental salad. I think I'm going to go with that."

She glances down at the menu, briefly, just to see if anything else catches her eye. When nothing does, she looks back up, to Dylan. "Jake?"

"I think I like being a thief," he answers. Which is to say: a burger sounds good. It might take him a minute more, to decide on which one he wants, the menu presenting more than a few options, but still.