Sweetless Self-Indulgence | Dexter + Jack | Library Car

Roadie 🪶Jack

Predictably, Jack himself wasn’t prancing about the shelves excitedly. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be amused by somebody who was. All of his own books—at least, the ones that mattered—were squared away, so who cared who else’s privacy was being invaded?

Perched on another rolling ladder, he leaned out just a bit and whistled.

“All those got Franklins fallin’ out of ’em or what?”

Dexter Blanche

“Whoa!”

Dexter didn’t notice Jack creeping up on him. He’s embarrassed, he usually prides himself in being alert, but he can’t help but feel himself getting dragged into these books. Figuratively, of course, but he wouldn’t put it past this train.

“Ah, no, no. Though aside from the mall, I don’t believe there’s any use for money on this train anyways, though that does bring up an interesting thought…”

He closes the book, looking up at Jack. Sorry buster, you’re about to get Analyzed.

“Franklins, thats… American money. So, you were from the United States before you boarded the train?”

Dexter shifts his body, now facing Jack’s position on the ladder.

“Sorry, sorry, don’t mean to pry. Besides, from the sounds of it, your memory has been… leaving you. Is that a side-effect of staying on the train, or is it physiological? Ah-! No judgement from me if it is, though! Our bodies capabilities should be respected by our peers, I believe.”

Roadie 🪶Jack

And Jack prided himself on successfully sneaking up on people—unstoppable force meets immovable object? Though one sure won out this time.

Dexter Blanche “Ah, no, no. Though aside from the mall, I don’t believe there’s any use for money on this train anyways, though that does bring up an interesting thought…”

Ugh, don’t remind him.

“Not ’s much as you’d hope, no.” Yet he sure was still scrounging for it, huh? Whatever. Maybe he just wanted to feel like he was succeeding at anything sometimes, okay?

Dexter Blanche “Franklins, thats… American money. So, you were from the United States before you boarded the train?”

“Yep! Raised by coyotes in the innermost jungles of New Albuquerque.” That had jungles in there somewhere, right? Or at least volcanoes. That sounded right.

Dexter Blanche “Sorry, sorry, don’t mean to pry. Besides, from the sounds of it, your memory has been… leaving you. Is that a side-effect of staying on the train, or is it physiological? Ah-! No judgement from me if it is, though! Our bodies capabilities should be respected by our peers, I believe.”

Even (relatively) well-rested, it took him a minute to catch up with all that. He threaded a coin between his fingers. Would it be funnier to come up with something, or… Eh, no good lie was jumping out at him, and it was always too suspicious if you lingered too long. Ah well.

“Oh, I’m just insane, that’s all! Don’t worry about it!”

Dexter Blanche

It’s ok Jack, Dexter is going to just assume the jungle part was sarcasm, and that you’re a New Mexico kid. Which probably isn’t true, but in his head not worth arguing about.

“Well, im sorry to hear that, but it’s good that the train hasn’t changed anything past the lights on your skin. I was worried after seeing, ah, the nun back there that this train was capable of far more sinister things. Which, it still could be, but not in that direction.”

He flips mindlessly through the pages.

"As evident by you and that ah, Smiley Fellow. You know, From the Isllaannnn…-

The words escaped his mouth before he even thought of the implications. They were out there now, and he wasn’t sure HOW Jack would react to being reminded about his victim.

“…I don’t hold it against you, if it helps.” He says. It’s ALL he says, at least, for whats likely to be a few palpable awkward moments.

“…I wonder if there’s a book in here about them. I doubt Smiley was their full, legal name. I admit I am curious. They didn’t seem like any of the other denizens, more like a stranded captive like us.”

With that, he begins to pick at some of the more newer books, flipping through them and cross referencing his photo of the body that he kept (he still has that!?) looking to see if he can find a match.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Dexter Blanche “Well, im sorry to hear that, but it’s good that the train hasn’t changed anything past the lights on your skin. I was worried after seeing, ah, the nun back there that this train was capable of far more sinister things. Which, it still could be, but not in that direction.”

Jack’s grin twitched, but, well. That hadn’t exactly been the train’s fault. Coulda happened anywhere. …Or maybe not, but. Whatever. He wasn’t thinking about it.

Not like it really “changed” anything, anyway. Just more of the same.

He wasn’t thinking about it.

Dexter Blanche "As evident by you and that ah, Smiley Fellow. You know, From the Isllaannnn…-

“…”

He clearly had no idea who “Smiley Fellow” was supposed to be. Plenty of fellows smiled. But island? Which one, uh… How many had this guy even been there for? Was he on the llama one?

Dexter Blanche “…I don’t hold it against you, if it helps.”

“Ha! But ya should!”

“Or what, you’ve done worse yourself? Love to hear all the sordid details on that one.”

A knee-jerk response before he really had the chance to digest it. Smiley island guy he’d done something bad to… Okay. He… kind of remembered that. Not the details, but he hadn’t even remembered the details right after finding himself standing on the guy’s dead body. Just another… one of those days, or something.

But yeah, his response was still right. Gottem.

Dexter Blanche “…I wonder if there’s a book in here about them. I doubt Smiley was their full, legal name. I admit I am curious. They didn’t seem like any of the other denizens, more like a stranded captive like us.”

Full, legal name, huh. Those were awfully overrated.

“Horn guy did say there’re only humans here.” He wasn’t thinking about it. “S’ good luck with that. Guess they coulda been as real as any a’ the rest of you.”

Which sounded like accepting the possibility Smiley Guy was human, but it sure didn’t feel like that coming from Jack.

Dexter Blanche With that, he begins to pick at some of the more newer books, flipping through them and cross referencing his photo of the body that he kept (he still has that!?) looking to see if he can find a match.

He stole a glance at whatever the guy was examining so enthusiastically, and—ah. Yeah. Okay.

“…..”

His head throbbed, and he shakily went for his water bottle like his only possible issue was dehydration. Probably needed to refill this thing soon. That could be fun. Or at least something to do. Could always use things to do.

Especially when feeling like this was the alternative.