Jack Of All Trades ✓ | steampunk, dragons, trickery

Chapter 10.1: Different with Her

As silence stretched between them, Jack wondered if he should say something, but he couldn't come up with anything good. "Well, I'm not stubborn."

Eli rolled her eyes. "Oh, my goodness, and you are so humble, aren't you?"

Jack chuckled. "You know, I wasn't myself when I first met you, was I?"

"Whatever does that mean? I've only known this one." She waved her hands at him. "Just this Jack."

"But you met me at the Kaleidoscope." Jack had been Jack Ogswold of the Kaleidoscope that day. "The social butterfly."

Eli blushed and looked away. "I have to confess, I didn't see you in action at all that day."

He furrowed his brows as her blush deepened.

She swallowed and wrung her hands together. "I met Ann Smithe, and then saw you in the hall."

Jack shook his head. "Twice you mean. I met you after that, one more time. You had to have been—"

"No, I wasn't. I left my stuff at my work office and went to get it. Then I showed you the dragon's tear. Then back at the office, I was changing and overheard a guy, Norman talking about you in the alley so, I went back to warn you, but it was too late." Eli bit her lip. "I didn't stay because, I'm not really a, well," she trailed off.

"Not a social butterfly, is that it?"

Eli nodded slowly, not meeting his eyes.

"But you wanted to come for what? Ann Smithe?" He laughed. "Well, that's some fan!"

She shrugged. "Well, that was kind of just my way in."

Of course. He knew it. It was all about the sociable Jack Ogswold that everyone wanted to know about. "You wanted to get close to me because of my curse and because everyone likes me, and you wanted to—"

"No, you said art of deception, but you weren't deceiving me," she raised her voice and then softened it, "When we were at the café, how you acted with the police officer wasn't how you were with me. So, I was just wondering if it was a slip up."

Jack felt his heart leap. It wasn't like anything he had felt before. Eli rubbed her arms and wouldn't look at him, but he could tell she was blushing through her hair.

Trying to regain his cool, he smirked. "You thought I was being different, just with you?"

She shrugged. "Consciously or unconsciously, I guess. Were you, you think?"

A crow startled them both. Jack cleared his throat, heart thumping.

Damned crow. Jack thought about having crow for lunch in retaliation until he remembered crows ate carrion.

He looked at Eli. "You know, crows mean there's probably other animals killing other animals. Maybe we'll find something better to eat for lunch unless you don't mind old rabbit," Jack said, feeling as if he were babbling. What was he going on about? "Old, cold rabbit, stringy and stiff. I wouldn't. I'm a bit of a survivor gourmet eater." He gave a laugh and meant it to sound real, but it was half-hearted, forced and he erased his smile.

"Do I think I was different with you?" He wondered out loud, watching her facial expression go from slightly annoyed to hopeful. Jack sighed and genuinely thought about it. He had to be completely honest here.

"I don't know." He took a breath. "Norman said, 'Who are you, Jack?' and I guess I wonder the same thing."

"To a lesser degree," he added quickly. "I'd always been Jack Ogswold, well," He shrugged, "not always, according to my historical records."