Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays [8]

How the hell am I gonna find Jack? Jeff thought to himself, throwing an extra t-shirt into his grey backpack. He still didn't understand why he had been chosen for this. He wasn't exactly a conversationalist, how could he convince Jack to come back? Jeff didn't even like it here! He grumbled under his breath as he threw a few more things into his backpack. Puzzle book, couple pens, socks, bottled water. He thought back to one of the things the Slenderman had mentioned. You're the only one he has an interest in. What does that even mean? Jeff thought, his face growing slightly red. Sure, he and Jack hung out a lot, and Jack was an ass sometimes, but hey, so was Jeff. But LJ never hung out with anyone else? Really? He put on his hoodie and stepped out of the room, hefting the bag over his shoulder.

He made his way to the kitchen, shoving  apples into his bag. Masky and Hoodie were at the table, Masky reading the newspaper, Hoodie painting his nails. Masky looked up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He exclaimed, putting the paper down. "You tryin' to steal the whole kitchen?" 

Jeff grabbed a couple granola bars, "Everything but the kitchen sink," He replied, jokingly. "Slender wants me to bring LJ back," He explained.

Hoodie examined his nails before glancing at Jeff. "Where is he?"

"No idea. Got any guesses?"Jeff said over his shoulder, grabbing a Gatorade from the fridge.

Masky sighed and stood up, grabbing the coffee cup Jeff was trying to put in his bag and setting it under the coffee machine. "Yeah, actually. Ben probably knows, go ask him. And good luck with the mission."

"And dealing with LJ," Hoodie added. Jeff thanked them and headed back upstairs, knocking on the door to Ben's room. The door opened, and Ben looked mildly surprised to see Jeff, but let him in.

Toby was there, laying on Ben's bed and fiddling with a rubix cube. He wasn't doing very well with it. He caught sight of Jeff. "Yo, think fast!" He said, tossing the cube. Jeff caught it and sat on the edge of the bed, toying with it. Ben flumped down into his desk chair, it rolling slightly with the force.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" Ben asked coolly. Jeff avoided eye contact from either of them, focusing on the rubix cube as he spoke.

"So I heard the old man's back," He started. Toby's head popped up. "Slender's back?" He asked. Jeff nodded, and Toby jumped off the bed hurriedly. 

"Why'd no one tell me? He still here? I'm gonna go check," Toby rushed out. Ben's eyes shifted from the door to Jeff.

"Heard? Well, did you manage to hear why he's back? He isn't one for pleasure visits, Jeff." Ben spoke slowly and purposefully. Jeff sighed. "Sent me on a mission. Dunno if he's still here though, doubt it. Hoping you can help me find someone."

Ben raised his eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"Where does uh, Laughing Jack usually go when he leaves?"

The ghost scowled. "Him? Really? Why does he need him back so soon?"

"He's been gone a while."

"He could be gone longer."

Jeff stifled the urge to roll his eyes. Clearly the two weren't on good terms, and he couldn't care less. He had a job to do.

"Ben if you have a problem with it, you can tell Slender yourself. Otherwise I'm gonna need you to answer me."

Ben crossed his arms angrily and pouted at the wall for a few seconds. "Its not like I've ever asked him." He said finally. Jeff's anger flared up again, and he stood up. Before he could say anything, Ben chimed in quickly.

"But! I know he hangs out with a couple other monsters, at least he used to, not sure how often he sees them now." He waited until Jeff visibly relaxed before he continued. "Go to Jason the Toymaker. The guy mostly keeps to himself, but he and Jack know each other pretty well. He's also kind of uptight, so don't be stupid and try not to piss him off." Ben finished.

Jeff grunted. "Great, two things I'm best at, pissing people off and being stupid. Thanks Ben." He handed the solved rubix cube back to him and left.

"Good luck," Ben said indifferently. "Don't die either, it sucks."