The radiator pinged loudly, drawing Jack out of his pity party. He dragged his sorry ass out of bed and picked his way through the scattered CD cases decorating his floor. He turned back to survey the disaster area he lived in when he reached the fridge.

It might have been a purposeful mess, but it was a mess all the same. It was bad enough that he felt he had to live in it, but subjecting other people to his eccentricities was something he wished he could avoid. He looked to the empty space where an oven should be, and his mood dipped further. He'd gotten a side table and placed a toaster oven and hot plate on it.

At first, he thought it was a step in the right direction, but now he felt like it was a band-aid covering a gaping wound. He rubbed his shoulder, wincing at the faint throb.

Kieran hadn't remarked on the small upgrades, but Jack was still painfully aware of the way Kieran's eyes had lingered on the stash of empty boxes filling the space beneath his bed. He didn't have to explain that he found a new storage space for his paranoia. Kieran knew.

He grabbed a beer and almost dropped it when his phone chimed. He shifted his hold and pulled his phone from his pocket.

He grimaced at the text Candace had sent.

Good news! 😊❤️ King of Pentacles is upright & in a really good position! 👍 We've got an upright Two of Cups in the mix, so it's a great time to hash things out! Friendship will be had! Just be careful of the Six of Wands and The Devil. 👿 It's in a weird position this time.

my luck = too late

augie fukd up

dont tell any1 yet plz

need 2 process

Oh, sweetie, no!! 😭❤️ I'm sorry, I was so excited, this looked like such a good reading!

Wait! It's still good, out with the new-old, in with the old-new! Restart that relationship!

soap opra land ovr here

need doplgngr 2 com kilme

mayb long lost twn

No one's out to kill you. 😊 👉 There is some mischief/nuisance/protectiveness wanting to get involved, but it only shows up one out of every five or so readings. 👈 Are you poking your nose where you shouldn't?

dnt u cal me out

Eavesdropping at the suggestion of a ghost was not poking his nose where he shouldn't. And letting Augie get a whiff of his scent wasn't kicking a hornet's nest. He had so many regrets, and he knew he would make the same decisions again.

He looked over Candace's texts again. Augie was definitely a nuisance. A selfish, lying asshole of a nuisance. He hated that he had a type. Why couldn't he be into healthy, well-adjusted people?

The thought made him wonder what was wrong with Sam. He was tempted to grill Candace for details of Sam's faults beyond conspiring to get her license suspended. He resisted and settled on a familiar card.

king pent lookd gud?

Yes. Very good. 👑❤️

that helps

❤️

It was as much of a greenlight as he was going to get. Candace's cards were dumb, but she had an uncanny ability of being spot on.

Jack's chest tightened, and he quickly typed up a message to Kieran.

can we get lunch 2moro?

wanna talk

Of course. Where would you like to meet?

how bout that dive bar?

You may not feel comfortable there. Moonshine is frequented by a rather nocturnal crowd.

Jack rolled his eyes and took a swig of beer. It was confirmation for what he already knew, but he could have done without knowing the name.

i figurd as much

also moonshine? rlly?

y not drac casle? monstr mash

I believe they wished to be obvious, not subtle.

ur not funny

may as well show me off again

that's wut u wer doin right?

In a way, yes. Proving that you were accompanying me of your own volition has its perks.

i totally didn't rufie my date

^^that's u

Precisely.

What time would you like to meet?

noons gud

meet u ther

I look forward to seeing you.

Jack sighed and stuffed his phone back into his pocket, confident that Kieran wouldn't be offended at the lack of a proper goodbye. He was looking forward to seeing Kieran, too. Even if he wasn't the biggest fan of being the center of attention, he liked going on dates with someone who acknowledged his presence beyond the bare minimum.

Augie had fulfilled his purpose of putting things into perspective. Vampires were dumb and obsessed with his blood, and he knew Kieran would jump at the chance to get a taste. They resorted to mind fucking way too easily. Much like how Jack defaulted to cyber-stalking. He'd gotten better, in his opinion. He did his best to stick to legal means. Sam's heavy sighs and reprimands of staying out of people's computers didn't count.

All-in-all, he knew exactly what he'd be getting into, but was he okay with the risks? Could he trust Kieran to not 'nudge' his mind into a sense of easy compliance? Could he trust himself to not ask for it?

He downed the rest of his bottle and contemplated finding it a home before tossing it into the trash. He distracted himself from the urge to dig it back out by performing his dailies for his stupid fairy game. He glared at the notification of an upcoming event, mentally preparing himself for Tara's future demands.