[audio // @jackwynand56] third transmission. [locked to everyone but angel]

[belowthesea]

Uhhh.

[Why can't he ever sound natural on the network. He clears his throat, and speaks in that deep, authoritative voice with the tone of a frightened child.]

How do you... mm.

[You can do it, Jack. You already went through the trouble of learning how to filter posts.]

I wanna... ask. A girl. Something. How do I... do that.

Comments

[bamboozlement]

OK ...

[take a breath, jason. you can’t punch out a solution here.]

If you know what to do but can’t actually do it, then you need practice. Pretend I’m a girl and ask me.

[belowthesea]

That's st-

[All of this is stupid, Jack. You can't complain.

Except he can lose the ability to speak. So there's that. Jason might hear quiet guttural noises from time to time as Jack strains to think of anything to say.]

[bamboozlement]

[jason waits ... and there’s no question.]

Seriously? You can’t even talk to a pretend girl?

[belowthesea]

I'm getting to it.

[No he isn't, he's just stuck there blushing like an idiot. But his tone sure is intimidating.]

[bamboozlement]

Do you have some kind of phobia when it comes to women?

[belowthesea]

It's... a lot of pressure.

I don't wanna mess up.

[bamboozlement]

What, are you asking her to marry you?

[belowthesea]

I don't want her to think I'm... dumb.

[bamboozlement]

About what? C’mon, kid, spit it out.

[belowthesea]

I want...her to go.. on a date... with me.

And I've never... asked someone... that.

But- it's stupid, she won't want to and I can't even pretend to ask her so it doesn't. It doesn't matter.

[bamboozlement]

[... oh. damn. as understanding settles over him, jason feels remarkably stupid for not guessing that’s what this was about. and he doesn’t have much advice to offer on the subject - he’s maybe been on two dates in his entire life, one with isabel and the other with artemis. remembering isabel is an old, dull ache, but artemis - thinking of her feels like having a knife pushed through his heart. how many days has it been since he lost her to the quantum door? jason takes a silent moment to shove aside the memory of her lips pressed to his, their last exchanged words, and when he finds his voice again, it’s notably more somber, the previous spark of snark entirely snuffed out.]

It does matter. If you have feelings for someone, you should tell her. Life’s way too short and uncertain to carry around regret, and if you don’t tell her, that’s exactly what you’ll be left with.

[maybe he’s projecting a little. but is he wrong?]

[belowthesea]

[Jack can't begin to guess what he's thinking, but he does notice the change in tone - he's always been keenly aware of those little shifts.

He hesitates for a bit, thinking the words over. When he speaks again his own voice has become a little more somber.]

I've been wanting.. my whole life, to make my own choices. And now I can, and I just don't want to make the wrong one. I don't- want to hurt her.

[He's never hurt someone innocent of his own free will. But he has hurt people. He chose to bludgeon Frank Fontaine to death. And he did not choose to kill his puppy three years ago, but it happened anyway. Who knows if he can really escape the trail of blood he always seems to leave behind him.]

[bamboozlement]

Asking her out isn’t gonna hurt anything - except maybe your pride, if she says no. But you won’t know if you don’t ask.