more damages

who: charlie and jason
where: the park
when: afternoon

Having gotten a message that Huck wanted to meet up with him, Charlie headed to the park at the suggested time. He wasn't sure what this was going to entail, though he would admit that he probably did need to talk to the guy. After what happened with Dodge, and the subsequent events, a conversation was due. Possibly overdue. So, he got to the park, got some roasted peanuts, then started to stroll around til he spotted the man in question. Walking over, he gave Huck a nod, and sat down on the bench next to him. "Hey." he greeted.

Having spent the night in a proper bed and talking to Eily, Jason was feeling less overwhelmed by what had happened to Dodge and the others; he was miles away from feeling better but he felt less like he was being crushed by the sheer magnitude of it all. It certainly made the prospect of talking to Charlie about it less intimidating and while he didn’t exactly smile when the other man arrived, part of him was glad to see him. “Hey,” he echoed, twisting slightly so he could see him properly as the spoke. “How you been?”

Charlie figured he didn't want a real answer. Which was good, because the real answer was 'I have no fucking clue'. He really didn't. Flat out, his life had taken a few hard turns, and he was still getting his bearings. In the end, he shrugged. "Yourself?" he asked. He was guessing 'not well', really. Even if Dodge and Huck had been on the outs, it was recent. So the death of him and a whole lot of other friends had to be trying at best.

“Pretty shitty to be honest Charlie,” Jason replied, twisting his cane between his canes. “But I figure you know that already.” He knew Charlie and Dodge’s friendship had long since been dissolved but there was no way that he didn’t know what had happened; news spread too fast in the city for something like that to stay quiet for long.

Nodding, Charlie accepted that. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked. "You come for what he left me?" he asked no malice in his voice whatsoever, not sure exactly what Huck was after. And with him starting out like that, he had to wonder if he might want the apartment, or money or something. He was likely much more entitled to it than Charlie was, after all.

Jason didn’t know that Dodge had left Charlie anything so the question caught him off guard. “What?” he said, surprise evident on his face. “Why would I...? What did he leave you?” There was no bitterness to his tone, he had his fair share of what money there had been, he just couldn’t help but wonder what Charlie had been given; perhaps he hadn’t given Dodge enough credit for wanting to do something for the friend who had been left behind.

"There's an apartment in Little Haven...rent's paid up for a year. I haven't been there yet. Keep meaning to go by. Just...haven't. Guess I'm waiting for something." Or for Lily to be available to go with him. That could be it. "And money. Don't know how much. Said there was some in a bank account, and some in a safe in the apartment. Said he left you stuff too."

Hearing what Dodge had done, a fondness he hadn’t felt for his friend in weeks blossomed somewhere in Jason’s chest; the man might have made more than his fair share of mistakes but it was warming to know he had tried to make up for one of them. “Yeah, there was stuff in a safety deposit box, a few bits from the apartment. More money in my bank account to, my share...” He trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say next that would come across the wrong way. “...I’m glad he thought of you Charlie.”

Charlie didn't say anything for a few long moments, then let out what had been on his mind since he'd heard. "Why the fuck didn't he say any of that shit before he was in the ground?" he snapped, even if it wasn't directed at Huck. "He said I was his best friend, that I always had been, still was--he said a whole lot in this letter, and you know, if he'd just said even a quarter of that shit when he was still around, we could have... I don't know." he said, looking down. Hunching forward, he rested his arms on his knees, not even sure what the fuck to do. Which was the story of his life these days.

“I don’t know,” Jason replied, trying to ignore the stab of jealousy that came with the revelation that Charlie received a letter when all he’d had was a note and a short one and that. “Maybe he felt he couldn’t say it or that you wouldn’t listen if he did. Fuck knows with Dodge.” He shrugged, the words ‘best friend’ stinging more than he thought they ever could.

Charlie didn't notice, mostly because it wouldn't have occurred to him that it would be offensive for Jason to hear. He dragged his fingers through his hair. "I don't get it. I don't understand." he admitted. Which was the root of it with Dodge. He didn't get any of it.

Jason sighed and let his head fall back. “He fucked up with you, he knew that,” he pointed out, not looking at Charlie. “This, I’m guessing, is his subtle as a house brick way of trying to make it right because God forbid he have an actual conversation with you.” Anger was creeping into his voice now and it felt oddly cathartic to be mad at the dead man. “The man had the emotional intelligence of a twelve year old, sod if I know what he was thinking.”

Glancing Jason's direction, Charlie didn't say anything again for a moment. "You talk to him again before all of this?" he asked. Since last he'd checked, they weren't on speaking terms. "What ever happened with you and..." he didn't remember all the players involved.

“No,” Jason replied shaking his head. “Last time we spoke he told me it was his way or the highway and I took the latter.” And he didn’t regret that choice but he ached to have the chance to speak to him again, to find out what had happened, why he’d wound up with a bullet in his brain. “Stayed with Maddy for a bit, now I’m moving in with Eily. Never thought that’d happen.” And it wouldn’t have done if he’d stayed.

There was a little surprise in there that Jason was moving in with a woman, and that showed for a second, though it was dim in light of everything else. He nodded, sighing. "I guess the question is 'what now'." he said. "You're moving in with your girl...that's fast. Or is it? You just sure about it? Or are you just out a place to live?"

“Yeah I’m sure,” Jason said, conviction replacing the anger that had been in his voice. “Don’t think I’ve ever been more sure that something’s the right thing to do.” A small smile ghosted over his face as he thought about Eily in spite of everything. “She’s the only thing happening in my life right now that I know is good.”

Charlie actually had to give a short laugh at that, shaking his head. "Now that's something I can relate to." he said honestly. "Maybe all this time, all either of us really needed was the right girl." he added. "About the only thing I can say I'm sure about right now is the girl I just got."

It was good to see Charlie laugh, Jason couldn’t remember the last time he had and his smile grew. “Yeah?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Well I guess we make a right pair. What’s she like?”

"Beautiful?" Charlie suggested, shaking his head at himself, but that smile of his turned into a grin for a moment. "Red hair, pale skin. Looks sort of like one of those glass dolls. And she's gentle, and sweet, but fun, and likes mythology, and...I don't know. She makes me see the world differently. Or wish it was a better place, or...all of that."

“Looks like you’ve got it bad my friend,” Jason told him with authority. Back before Charlie had gone to prison, he’d never seen him mooning over a girl so it was nice to see. “She sounds like a cracker though, I’m happy for you.”

"She is, and thank you." Charlie said. "Same for you? I'm guessing your lady must be something, considering. You're not exactly the type, but you don't seem hesitant. You seem really sure." he said, which said a whole lot. For Jason, that was completely unheard of. So...yeah.

Jason nodded. “She’s like fire Charlie,” he said, that smile so wide now it seemed to take over his face. “Beautiful, passionate, dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing...there’s never been one like her. Hell I’ve never felt this way about a girl before.” And it wasn’t as if he didn’t have a whole wealth of experience with which to compare it to.

Charlie laughed, sitting back. "Yeah, we're just a pair, right now." he said. "But we both seem happy, so...yeah. I stand by what I said. Maybe that was our problem all along. We were spending our lives cooped up with a bunch of other guys. Maybe we just needed that right girl." He hesitated, before he went on. "I just started something with Lily. But I have that apartment now. You're moving in with your girl. Would it be bad of me to offer the same to Lily?" he asked.

“Always said you were smarter than you gave yourself credit for Charlie,” Jason said with a chuckle as he considered the other man’s question. “I don’t think it’d be bad, just don’t take it to heart if she says no. I don’t know what her situations like but if she’s comfortable where she’s at now then she might not wanna move. If I hadn’t been staying with Maddy, Eily might not have offered so...” He shrugged.

"She's staying uptown with a roommate." Charlie said. Then he hesitated. "A roommate who might be manipulative." he added. "I'm still...not quite sure what the hell went on there." he started. "I got a job with the agency Lily works for. Security. But I'm expected to be dressed up, so some of the girls took me out to get me a new suit or whatever. And one was her roommate Vera. Who got me the job to start with. And she was talking, and...I don't know. Ever feel like you missed a step? All of a sudden someone's saying something and you're like 'hold up, when did that happen?' And when it happened, the other girl, Rachel, she called bullshit and said that Vera was trying to manipulate me."

Jason understood, hell it was a trick he’d used in the past, but he didn’t say that, instead he looked thoughtful. “I can’t really say much given I’ve not met either of them but be careful about getting caught between them. Your girl and her roommate friends as well or just that?”

"I think they're friends." Charlie said. "But I don't know. I just...with the way Rachel went after Vera, I did sort of wonder. Like, I'd instantly felt bad about what Vera said. She kind of dropped on me in the middle of things that I was going to be on her arm, or something, and...well. I was meant to be going with the girls to the gala tomorrow night to protect them. As in all of them. But she threw in that, then said something about how she got me the job--" he sighed. "And I felt awful. But before I could say anything, that was when Rachel jumped in, and what she said made me realize that yeah, what Vera had said had had that effect...which if Rachel hadn't said anything I really wouldn't have noticed...sorry. I know I'm not explaining things well."

“Women are so much better at this kind of thing than men are,” Jason said with a small sigh. He liked to think he knew when he was being played but even with all his experience with women, there was no way to be immune to it. “Just be careful around her Charlie, it sounds like she’s gotta lot of practice. Your girl might not even realise what she’s like if they’ve been friends long enough, tends to blind a person to their faults.” Like he had been to Dodge’s for so long.

Charlie nodded. "I'll try to be careful." he said, though there was a heavy edge of doubt to his statement. "I guess I just don't understand why she would do it." he said. "I mean, if I'm being played, then at least most of the time I can see an angle. But I don't know why Vera would be trying to do...whatever, with me. Or why she'd even mention being on her arm, or whatever it was she said. It was something like that."

“Some people like to play mind games,” Jason pointed out. “Others just get off on making people do what they want them to, you see it a lot in the society crowd.” He pulled a face making his feelings on the matter quite clear. “Or maybe she’s jealous, you coming in and stealing her friend away from her. Eily thought that about Maddy.”

"I'm not 'stealing' anyone." Charlie said. "People aren't pets. No one owns anyone else." he said, shaking his head. Then he looked over again. "Was she right?" he asked, about Maddy. Which brought up another topic, but he was going to wait for a minute before that got brought to the fore.

Jason held up his hands. “I didn’t say you were but people are funny that way.” He frowned a little as he thought about Maddy and slowly nodded his head. “I think so, at least in part, I don’t think it helped that Eily looks a little bit like her. I spoke to Maddy about it after they had a run in at the store, she said she was worried about losing me. Soon as I told her that I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, she seemed to relax a bit.” He looked at Charlie. “I don’t think it helped coming on the heels of your bust-up with her.” There was no accusation there, just an invitation to talk about it if Charlie wanted to.

Charlie frowned. "Jesus we know some damaged people." he said. "Why is it everyone's freaking out, thinking they're going to lose you? It's not like you're ceasing to exist. Is everyone just...massively jealous, or completely insane?" he asked rhetorically. Though, he guessed now, Dodge was dead, so that took care of that, but with Maddy...as far as Charlie knew, Maddy didn't even want Huck for herself. So, what the hell? "And shit with me, that shouldn't mean she has problems with you finally being happy. That's..." he shook his head again. "I don't know." He was quiet for a second. "Did you know that her plan was to take down Dodge?"

The exasperated look that his question, rhetorical or not, made it quite clear how much Jason agreed with Charlie and he ran is hand through his hair. He stopped up short at what Charlie asked next though and frowned. “She what?” he asked quietly, disbelief clear on his face.

Searching Huck's eyes for a moment, Charlie exhaled sharply. "That's what she told me. First, we fought about her getting involved with Dodge in the first place." he said. "That went as you'd expect. Then, she...I don't know. She turned around and wrote me this letter, telling me about how her plan all along had been to bring down Dodge. We're currently still fighting, because I don't believe her. I feel like she just said that so she wouldn't have to take responsibility for her own actions, to turn herself into some grand martyr instead. But I just...I don't know. I just don't know."

Jason just listened in slightly stunned silence to Charlie’s explanation, the tapping of his cane against the ground the only indicator of how rattled he was. “...I don’t get it,” he said finally, the tapping turning to a crack as the cane struck the asphalt with more force. “And I mean any of it. Seriously.”

"Neither did I." Charlie said. "I mean...let's say for a second it was true. Why didn't she say that in the first place? She claims she was ashamed of herself. But--if she would have told me that, she would have gotten a hug and a thank you. That she wanted to try and bring down the guy who brought me down. But even if we ignore that part...she had to know, right? That she would never have brought down just him? That even if that was her intention, the second the cops started sniffing around him that they'd get you and everyone else too? It would never just be Dodge. They'd start looking at one thing and they'd find a whole shit load else, and it'd be a house of goddamn cards. And even if you were out at the time, which--you weren't when she stated this--you'd what--go to jail or roll on Dodge? She had to know you wouldn't do that. And that's not even talking about everyone else...I just..." he trailed off. Then he dug into his back pocket for the letter. It was well worn--torn in some places and dirty. Crumpled all to hell, it was a letter that clearly had been read about a million times. He handed it over.

It didn’t take Jason long to read it, it was the re-reading it twice more that look the time, his face darkening each time. “I really don’t know her like I thought I did,” he said quietly, handing the letter back. “I wanted to help her out Charlie, thought if I could get some of those paintings sold then she could stop worrying about money. Then I find out this, Christ I feel like a moron.”

Charlie quite abruptly felt like an asshole. "Huck, I didn't mean to...jesus, I don't think either, do I?" he said, cursing himself. He shoved the letter into his pocket. "I don't think I know her either. Not like I thought I did. But--I still don't believe her." he said. "I don't believe that was her plan. She wouldn't do that to you. Right? This is just her way of trying to make it all better?"

“I hope so Charlie, I really do,” Jason replied, knuckles turning white where he was gripping on to his cane. “Because I don’t think I can deal with this if it’s true. She’s known me longer than anyone, she’s my oldest friend and if she was playing me like that...” He let out a breath that shook slightly with barely suppressed emotion. “Either way she’s been lying to one of us and I wish I could understand why.”

"It's me. Just--it's me." Charlie said, really wanting to undo the damage he'd just caused. He hadn't even really thought that through. It had been a ridiculously stupid move on his part, and he regretted it intensely. He could be mad at Maddy and she could fade from his life and he'd be alright. He would forever have that hole in his life that used to have her in it, but he could deal. He was trying to start a new life anyway, and that could have just been part of it. But with Huck...he didn't want that for him. So if the choice was to find out if Maddy was lying to Jason or him, or just take that blame, he'd take it. "She would have said something sooner. This is just...her version of a scrambled up bandaid."

“That’s a pretty fucked up kind of band aid,” Jason pointed out, not even trying to hide the bitterness that was seeping into his tone. “I’m gonna have to talk to her about this though.” He rubbed his face not looking forward to the prospect in the slightest when he and Maddy had managed to get make to an even keel again. “Try and figure out where her head’s at.”

And Charlie felt a stab of guilt. Had he just ruined another friendship? "Do you have to?" he asked.

Jason nodded. “I think so, yeah,” he said reluctantly. “If she lied to me I wanna know now, it seems to be a good week for losing friends. If she didn’t, if she lied to you I want to know why, maybe I can try help her out.” Because that was what he did, play the big brother.

Charlie nodded, understanding. It just didn't help the feeling he had that he'd done something very, very wrong. "Let me know what happens." he said, even if he was positive he didn't really want to know.

“I will.” A dim part of Jason realised that this was the most civil conversation he’d had with Charlie since he’d got out of prison and he couldn’t help but notice the irony that it would be talking about losing friends that brought them back to good terms. He hoped it lasted, the number of friends he had was diminishing far faster than he’d thought possible. “Best place to find you still the Round?” he asked, pushing himself back up to standing.

"For now, yeah. I'll get you the address of the new apartment when I make myself go there." Charlie said. He still had to. He would, he knew he would, just...yeah. Not alone. He wanted Lily with him. "Take care, Huck."

Some of the darkness that had been clouding Jason’s features lifted and he clapped a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “You too Charlie,” he replied, a sad smile twisting his lips before he turned and headed off back to work.