milliways_bar | (no subject)

Here's someone who hasn't been seen in the bar for a while. Or, well, at least when he wasn't bloodied and semi-conscious.

Anyway. Jack hobbles downstairs, limping heavily as he heads for the chairs by the fireplace. His right arm is still in a sling, his knee still rigid, though the brusing around his eye and the red welt left from the burn on his cheek have faded a fair bit. He still doesn't look as though he's slept much though, which would probably be because he hasn't.

The noise and bustle in the bar is a little jarring, a little uncomfortable. After so many months living in a quiet, secluded area, he's not used to being around so many people at once. But it's better than sitting in his room for another day, staring at the TV or the walls.

He settles into a chair, propping his left leg on an ottoman. Pulling a book from inside his sling, he settles in to read, though not averse to companionship at the moment. Just don't be surprised if he's a little twitchy.

[ooc: Not sure how late I'll be on, and ~~access is likely to be a little interrupted crap, have to run for a minute--back in a bit~~, but I'm perfectly willing to slowtime--just bear in mind that slowtimes from tonight won't be tagged until after 6 pm tomorrow. Work is kicking my ass again. And I'm back!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well good! It's creepy enough knowing that those places exist without getting sucked into one of them."

"Yeah, I guess the bar figured my life was weird enough already; it didn't have to give me the pleasure. A few people we know have, though."

"......."

We'll just let Jack tell Chloe who. So she can go bitch at them about getting themselves sucked into another dimension.

"They're very long stories, Chloe. Needless to say I think whenever one of leaves the bar now we look around very carefully to make sure we're where we should be before lettig that door close."

Chloe nods, still looking at Jack like he's just said he wants to dance the Can-Can wearing a yellow sombrero and matching tights with little dangles on the toes.

"Yeah. Yeah, last thing I need is to-" She stops. "You know."

"End up somewhere you shouldn't? Yeah, probably. As generally the places people end up aren't exactly improvements on our world."

"I was going to say disappear completely, but yeah." A teeny look of PSHT! and Chloe shrugs it off.

After all, Jack looks a little like a chew toy. And Chloe has made a note of that!

"Secretly Jack? I'm kinda glad I'm here. I got caught up on a lot of sleep I've been missing out on ~~what with the boss making me work for twenty-four hours straight~~."

"Why, what have you been doing?"

"Working. Bill's still at CTU and things have obviously been tense since you died. Left a hole, or something. And with Tony and Michelle gone, it's just.. kinda hectic." Chloe shifts nervously in her seat.

"Well considering before that day I hadn't been working at CTU for almost a year and a half, I can't see why my not being there now would make a difference."

"I don't know. The Chinese were still asking questions for a while, even after the autopsy. And Division's been sending people out to check on things. Like we're doing something criminal. God, people just need to leave us alone. We're the most well-run CTU in America. We've averted, what, six major disasters in two years?"

"Yeah, you'd think they'd give us--you some credit instead of breathing down your necks."

Chloe rolls her eyes and shrugs. "You know, would it kill them to give us a shipment of some good coffee? For averting World War Three?"

There may be a hint of a smile playing on her lips under that sarcastic grimace.

"Particularly considering they seem to expect us to work 26 hours a day," Jack says, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Andrew had a brilliant idea the other day." Now Chloe's lips are twitching.

"Which would be?"

"Hamsters. Replacing agents with hamsters. They're cheaper and they can't get lawyers. Unless you count PETA."

Chloe snorts and shakes her head. "Andrew's a little nutty sometimes."

Jack lets out a loud laugh at that, and then his brain fills in an image of a hamster wearing a flak jacket.

This is about the time that he nearly falls out of the chair he's laughing so hard.

Chloe grins to herself, she's never made anyone besides her father laugh like that.

Not even Chase and Andrew, and they try.

And then she starts laughing too.

Eventually Jack gets his amusement out, though only by not picturing hamsters in tiny flak jackets driving Barbie-sized versions of the CTUmobiles.

"Yeah, I think PETA would have something to say about that though."

"Yeah. They'd probably sue us, and then we'd be right back where we started, with the eyes of Division staring at us menacingly, threatening to take away our Folgers."

OH GOD NOT THE FOLGERS. ANYTHING BUT THE FOLGERS!

"So how have things been for you Jack? Are you adjusting well to life away from CTU? Other than- y'know, the Canada thing?"

"Yea--wait a minute. How did you know I was involved in that?"

"Kim told me." Chloe gives Jack a 'Oh God What have I done-said now?' look.

Jack rubs his forehead. He'd have to talk to Kim about telling everyone the details that she knows about what happened. Namely, ask her not to.

"Well other than the 'Canada thing', it's been very quiet."

"Jack, she only told me because I pulled it out of her." Not entirely true, but better for Jack to be mad at Chloe then mad at Kim, right?

"She mentioned you were injured, I asked her about it, and then when she got all defensive, I just kinda guessed. I mean, it was going to be either you or Chase."

Chloe's hoping she's a good liar.