>>5499541After meeting back up with the Set-Mobile, you kick the others out on some pretense or another so that you can take a detour with Jack to the Vatican City.
It’s been a long while since you’ve had some alone time, and you do your best to engage with him on the ride there.
However, Jack seems unusually subdued; responding to you with monosyllabic answers to the majority of your attempts to make conversation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SvDC-KWTvkBy the time you reach the city proper, it’s close to night-time; most of the attractions have closed down by this time.
Not to be dissuaded, you escort Jack to the famous Vatican Gardens for a stroll and to take in the ambience. Should be perfect, plenty of privacy and fresh air.
> “So, this is Vatican City. Gotta tell you, it looked a lot smaller on the map.”“One would imagine.” Jack says, his disinterest indicating he’s a thousand miles away mentally.
> “You want to put in a few prayers while we’re here? Maybe grease the wheels with Saint Peter?”“I tend to think that if prayer was the solution, something would have happened by now.”
Ouch. Jack didn’t quite bite your head off or anything, but you can tell that something is seriously eating at him.
> “Then is there any way I can help pad the odds for the ritual then? Any artifacts I can find, any spells that may come in handy.”“I appreciate the sentiment, but that would be a long-shot at best. The artifacts necessary for the ritual have been selected to their unique provenance and extraordinary power. As you might expect, the chances of one stumbling in your grasp without significant effort is next to zero.”
Damn, shut down again.
You didn’t want to do this willy-nilly, but it’s time to shake the tree a bit.
> “Did I ever tell you about what happened with Gaius?”Jack visibly flinches and you realize that you’ve hit the crux of the issue.
You give him some time to recompose himself and he eventually responds.
“I’d rather not speak on the matter, if you don’t mind.”
There’s an undisguised air of bitterness and envy in Jack’s voice, a combination that you’ve never seen before.
> “C’mon, Jack. You can talk to me. I get that it’s hard to see Gaius move on while you can’t, but that’s no reason to push me away.” You try to keep your voice firm, but still sympathetic.You’re not yelling at him or chastising him, just trying to break him out of this self-induced funk.
It looks like it works, as his features soften and a hint of shame enters his tone.
“You always know the right thing to say, don’t you? Thank you, Sean. You are correct; I had not anticipated that his departure from this plane would affect me so greatly. In a way, I can’t help but envy him, no matter where he may be now.”