So Knife to See You Again | Matsu + Jack | Library Car

Roadie 🪶Jack

Some time after whatever disasters his grand reawakening entailed, Jack was safely squared away again. Perched comfortably a good ways up on one of the ladders, he held one book in his hands. He’d made very sure he was alone before he’d opened it to begin with, then very sure the spectre inside wouldn’t somehow get hurt this high up—but of course she wouldn’t. If nothing else, at least he couldn’t possibly hurt her now.

He kept his voice even quieter than usual for the conversation. Anyone wandering close enough was more likely to hear her than him, despite how few words she preferred to use.

And someone wandered close enough indeed. Jack immediately shut the book, the spectre and his smile disappearing, before he even got a good look at the other person. But he barely needed a glimpse to remember very well that he needed to… have a talk with this one.

He flashed a grin and hopped off the ladder without issue. Jack incoming.

Matsu

Viper had to be around here somewhere, and Matsukaze was ~~looking for her~~ keeping an eye out just in case they ran into her. You know. By accident and complete coincidence.

Unfortunately for them, it was accident and complete coincidence that led to the next person they found being him. They had started to glance up only to see none other than Jack on the ladder directly in front of them. They freeze immediately, and they haven’t even finished the thought if I don’t move maybe he won’t see me as if he was some kind of T-Rex before he jumps down.

They take a small step back, eyes locked on his face, but the moment he takes a step towards them they turn and start to book it back the direction they came from. Towards the present.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Matsu They freeze immediately, and they haven’t even finished the thought if I don’t move maybe he won’t see me as if he was some kind of T-Rex before he jumps down.

Unfortunately, Jack was fresh off a couple hours’ sleep and about as lucid as you could ever expect him to get. Otherwise, any form of gaslighting him into believing you weren’t actually there would have been a concerningly solid strategy.

Matsu They take a small step back, eyes locked on his face, but the moment he takes a step towards them they turn and start to book it back the direction they came from. Towards the present.

Even a competent Jack might have had trouble keeping up with someone in a full panic adrenaline burst, but unfortunately Matsu didn’t seem all that good at running, at least not past the first five seconds. He bounded ahead with an attempt to seize Matsu by anything they couldn’t easily shake off.

“I believe you got somethin’ that belongs to me.”

Matsu

They weren’t good at running even for the first five seconds, and unfortunately for them Jack was on them in almost no time, and the attempt has them breathing heavily already. Their leg, while significantly down the road to healing, still doesn’t like the running much, pulling at the healing skin. The hand closes around their arm easily and pulls them rapidly to a stop.

The knife. Oh god he’s here for the knife.

Matsu absolutely does not want another knife to be in his hands, especially when he’s mad at them. They try to pull out of his grasp, but it’s extremely unsuccessful. Post-Nap Jack is probably even more aware of how weak they are.

“What, you finally looking for your dignity?” They snap back impulsively, though they immediately mentally kick themself for it. Sh-t, that was stupid, why are they provoking him? They try again to yank out of his grip, unsuccessfully.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Matsu’s arm was thin enough Jack might have to be careful to keep his grip here, but even when they struggled they didn’t slide much. Very little threat of escape or anything else. How had they eluded him this long already? Just good at hiding, maybe. Definitely nothing to do with his own degree of awareness recently.

Matsu “What, you finally looking for your dignity?”

“Nah, couldn’t get that on my schedule ’til next week. Real busy guy, y’know.”

“So how ’boutcha don’t waste more of my time? ’r are we gonna need more ’n vague threats to cooperate here?”

Matsu

Jack wasn’t aware of much, Matsu was small and actively avoiding him, and the narrator of this specific post was spacing out Majorly.

They swallow, then try to yank their arm out of his grasp hard enough that their shoulder kind of hurts. Once again, unsuccessful. Their chest burns some as they breathe heavily.

“I don’t have anything!” Matsu lies. That was a threat he was making, again, wasn’t it? There had been a second knife, though, what if he has it still? “And if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you!” Totally a hypothetical. They watch him closely, though, for any movement in a way that is supposed to be bracing themself to dodge anything he went for, but was really more of a let’s find a second to feel nice and weak and unable to get away before he succeeds at whatever he tries.

Why would they give it back? There’s no reason he wouldn’t stab them for it then anyways. Probably. Not a way to be sure, at least.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Matsu “I don’t have anything!”

Jack did hesitate a second—as always, maybe he was misremembering?—but he put that aside. If there was anything he knew properly, it was the locations of his knives.

Matsu “And if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you!”

Guess he’d just have to take it, then! He wasn’t exactly used to strongarming over simple pickpocketing, but he did his level best to pin Matsu to the nearest shelf. Always easier to steal from a stationary target. Especially if he could keep one of his own arms free, that was kinda important.