Walkmans And Wifi

~ Chapter 4: Warm Welcome ~

Joy marched downstairs. Without another thought, she swung open the cage door and walked in. "Who the hell are you, and what is your deal?" Joy exclaimed to Jacket while he sat on his couch, messing with his tapes. Jacket stopped his fiddling with the tapes and stood up, recorder in hand. He walked over to Joy with no emotion on his face to give away anything. Joy couldn't read him at all.

Jacket lifted the recorder and pressed a button. Joy heard a mash-up of words that he obviously recently put together "I-i-i expect-t-t-"  the tape started skipping and malfunctioning. Jacket's only emotion was his brows furrowing for a minute, expressing his frustration with the audio, and hitting his recorder. "I expected you s-s-so-o-sooner."  The tape recorder finally said.

Joy stared at the tape recorder, then turned to Jacket, stunned. With a look of surprise and slight fear on her face said, "You knew I was coming?"

Jacket, not breaking eye contact and not showing any emotion, just pushed a button on the recorder that said "Yes."

Joy gulped, swallowed all her fear, and stood taller with a blank face. She desperately tried to show little to no emotion, hoping Jacket couldn't read her.

"Well, I asked you a question, didn't I?" Joy said with a stone face.

Jacket leaned slightly back on the couch he was sitting on. "J-J-Jacket,"  the recorder said, referencing Joy's first question.

"Thanks, totally cleared everything up. Exactly what I need. Thanks, Jacket." Joy said with a heavily sarcastic tone, emphasizing the word Jacket, sounding almost angry.

"W-w-welcome." The recorder said as Jacket cocked his head to the side. A slight smirk tugged at his face, which wouldn't be noticeable if you weren't looking. It was like he found it enjoyable, making Joy frustrated.

Joy, still trying not to show her emotions, took a deep breath, calmed herself, kept the stone face, and started to walk toward Jacket.

She walked till she was probably no more than 2 feet from where he was seated, looked him in his eyes, and said, "I asked you a question. Are you going to answer me, or are you just going to waste my time?"

"Negative."  The tape recorder scratched out.

Jacket took the tape out and put a new one in, and it said, "I will gladly help."  At that response, Joy seemed to un-tense a bit, still keeping her guard up but able to relax a bit more.

Joy walked around the side of the couch and sat near him, keeping a bit of distance between them.

"So based on your reaction, you know I asked around about you. I heard that you were the center of a massacre. Is that true?" Joy asked, staring into his eyes, not backing down and looking for any sign of emotion.

Joy didn't see much, but she did notice him blink a bit more rapidly and flinch back before straightening up, acting like it never happened. Joy probably wouldn't have noticed if Joy wasn't watching so intently.

"Yes." The tape recorder played Jacket, switched out the tapes again, and hit the button again, and it said, "I have planned a massacre."