Jack nodded. "Right. See you." he replied. Once Francis had gone, he let out a long breath, leaning his head against the wall with a dull thump. He ran his hands through his golden hair. The voices in his mind had quieted, for now. The ones that had been whispering how useless he was. How unloved and hated. They had quieted down again, and for that he was thankful.
Francis closed the door behind him as he stepped out into the hallway. He let out a long, exasperated breath. He started to doubt his previous thoughts about Jack, but he was conflicted. Which version of Jack he saw was only a fluke? He might just go back to his brash nature, and that was the part of Jack he didn’t like. But now…he liked him very much, indeed. He shook his head free of the thought and returned to his own bedroom to wait for dinner.
(gonna do a little timeskip~)
Jack got up, taking a deep breath and adjusting his shirt carefully. He didn't know what to do. Or say. Especially not around Francis– no, they were pretending it had never happened. Easy enough. Right? He groaned softly, raking his hands through his hair. Yes. He would pretend it had never happened. He had done it before.
(Okeydokey!)
When he returned to his room, Francis put on his coat again and pulled his messy hair back with the string again. Without a comb on the ready, he couldn’t make his hair as neat as it was this morning. He planned to do a little bit of writing, some note taking, done before dinner. Taking note of the weather always seemed to help take his mind off things. Like everything, it wasn’t perfect, but it helped.
Dinner arrived, servants knocking on their doors to let them know, and to guide them to the dining room. Once there, they were each seated at the table. Jack was seated on Pierre's left, with Elizabeth beside him. Francis was across the table from Elizabeth, beside Jules.
Jack, directly across the table from Jules, smirked slightly. This would be fun. Jules seemed like just the sort of shy, quiet boy that would be quite fun to flirt with.
Francis did his best to try and ignore Jack, refusing to maintain eye contact with him. He kept his eyes on his plate, mostly, and resigned to his usual self during dinner time. At home, even when his parents had guests (especially when his parents had guests), he responded in short answers, refraining from speaking unless directly spoken to. He assumed this dinner would be no different. However, every once in a while, he would glance up and see what Elizabeth was doing.
Jules was indeed a softspoken, shy boy, who fidgeted a little bit as he ate and kept his eyes downcast, only occasionally peeking up through his lashes at Jack or his father, sometimes Elizabeth and Francis.
Elizabeth ate carefully. She had freshened up, her hair pinned back in a neat bun and a fresh dress on, along with a little make-up. She paid attention to Pierre as the French Gentleman described different places that Francis, Jack, and herself could perhaps visit while they were in the city.
Jack listened to Pierre, occasionally shooting Jules flirtatious glances, a faint smirk everpresent on his face.
Francis listened with occasional nods, taking slow and methodical bites of his food. His gaze flickered intermittently from his plate, to Pierre, and then to Elizabeth. His glances at Elizabeth lingered linger than they did at Pierre. He looked over her her appearance, her intelligent expression, her golden hair, her face, and dress. He felt his heart flutter, but not in the same way as he felt with Jack.
(are we developing a love triangle between the siblings and Francis, now? Not that I mind if you want to, it would be great for drama lol)
Jack shifted in his seat, listening to Pierre and occasionally participating in the conversation. The boy was surprisingly intelligent and good at conversation when he wanted to be, able to behave like the mature adult he was supposed to be.
Elizabeth caught her lower lip between her teeth for just a moment. Her eyes flicked to Francis for a moment, and caught his look. She blinked, and gave him a quick little smile.
(Lol! I was just thinking Francis would have a little bit of a crush on Elizabeth, but a love triangle would be great drama. I’m up for it if you are!)
Francis raised his eyebrows with interest as his glance was met. He returned the close-lipped smile. His fork wavered over his plate for a moment until he broke eye contact to take another bite of his dinner. He looked back almost immediately after, setting his fork back down on the plate with a soft clank. He hadn’t spoken a word yet, only returning Pierre’s comments with cordial nods.
(alright! Sounds fun, let's do it lmao)
Jack glanced over at Elizabeth and Francis for a moment, then returned his attention to Pierre and Jules.
"-why yes, I am sure that Jules could accompany you tomorrow, if he wishes to. Jules?" Pierre was saying.
Jules blinked. "Oh. I er…yes, of course. That would be lovely." He replied in his soft voice.
(Sweet!)
Francis was pulled out of his Elizabeth trance at the mention of Jules accompanying Jack. “Accompanying where?” He asked suddenly, looking between Jack and Pierre. He missed the first part of what Jack said, having been distracted by his sister. He held his fork in his fingers while it rested on the plate, resisting the urge to tap it anxiously.
Jack looked at him. "Hm? Oh. Out. Tomorrow. I don't know where yet." He replied with a quick smile. "You can come too, I guess."
Jules gave a faint smile.
“Oh. Sure, thank you.” He returned the brief smile before picking up his fork again. He took another bite of his food, his eyes remaining on the table for the few seconds while he chewed. He’d been meaning to get out, and even though it was with Jack, it was still going someplace.
Jack smiled a little. "Yeah, you're welcome." He replied with a quick smile. He stretched. The next course of the meal was served, and he happily started eating.
(Gtg now. Good night!)
(G’night!)
Francis wiped his mouth off with his napkin while the next course was being served. Before he started eating, he took a small, slow sip of the drink in his glass. Over the rim of the glass, he looked at Elizabeth again. He saw her as just as becoming as her brother, with similar features, and her brilliant mind. If he courted her, it would certainly be more socially acceptable than trying to pursue a man. But that was only if he wanted to pursue anything. If. He wasn’t sure yet.
Jack let out his breath in a slow sigh. He glanced at Francis for just a moment, finding himself quite unable to forget that hug. Awkward and stilted as it had been…it had been a hug. He had been held, even for just a few seconds. And it was so hard to forget that.
Francis avoided looking at Jack again now that he didn’t have anything to say to him. He focused on eating his meal, keeping his eyes on the plate or the table cloth, or distracted himself from his thoughts by glancing at Elizabeth. It was hard to admit he felt differently about Jack. He didn’t look at him, but he continued to think about him. In the matter of a minute long hug, how did everything change? How did he start liking this man? His thoughts darted back and forth from Jack and Elizabeth. Jack confused him, baffled him, but he admired Elizabeth’s sophistication. He took another sip of his drink.
Elizabeth took a sip of her own drink. She seemed far more put together than Jack did, but at the same time, Jack's movements seemed to have far more energy and almost…life, than hers. Hers were controlled, a picture-perfect model of what she should be. Jack was far from that, but at the same time…the difference between them was all-too-obvious.
Francis related more with Elizabeth. They both simply did what they were told. They both were who they should be. But he found himself more attracted to Jack. He felt as if he was being pulled to Jack, like how any earth bound creature wished to fly among eagles. He knew he couldn’t yearn to fly, because if he yearned he would try, and if he tried he would plummet towards the ice, to his death.
Finally, when dinner ended, Jules excused himself, slipping from the room after saying that he had things he needed to work on.
Pierre looked at Jack. "I have heard that you are a remarkable violin player. Do you think you could demonstrate?"
Jack blinked. "Yes, I suppose I am. As for a demonstration…I don't know where my violin is right now. Sorry. Perhaps if I find it before we leave." he replied with a smile.
Francis perked up, listening intently. Jack played violin? He always loved music, but never had the talent to play it. “I would love to hear as well. Whenever you get the chance,” he piped up. He remembered his brother used to play the harpsichord, but as he grew up, and began playing it less. He didn’t hear much music anymore, at least not at home.
Jack gave him a startled look. "Oh. I er…like I said, I don't know where it is. Probably in the luggage somewhere." He replied with a quick, faint little smile. To tell the truth, it had been a long time since he played for other people. He wasn't even sure what sheet music he had with him. Hopefully some fun ones and not just boring, old stuff.
“That’s alright. We have all tour.” He offered a faint smile, returning his gaze to the scenery outside. He debated whether or not to ask what songs he could play. He decided against it. Like he said, they had all tour to talk, and he preferred to stay quiet for now.
Jack shrugged a little. He looked at Pierre. "May we be excused? I am sure my sister is exhausted, and I myself would like to look through my luggage and find things before tomorrow."
"Of course, of course." Pierre responded. "Let me know if you need anything."