Log:Night of the Lights

Night of the Lights
Participants Bronwyn Gallagher, Jack Fry	2 June, 2018 Jack visits Bronwyn to warn her about a prospective attack. It arrives from an unexpected source.
Location Bronwyn's Cabin
Bronwyn has had some strange phone calls in her time but the one from Jack has her worried...and curious. She's in danger? Does this have to do with that secret society that Eden mentioned? The blonde is waiting at the door when Jack arrives, dressed in simple trousers and sweater, anxiously looking at him. "What is this about?" she asks, peering into the darkness behind him as if expecting an army to emerge from the woods. Right, so how does he explain his paranoia and worry about supernatural lights and a thin figure with a large head standing over corpses? Jack has no idea where to start, when he pulls up the car with a jerk and literally jumps out, together with Goblin and... a bird. A whiskey jack flies out of the car and goes to settle on top of the cabin roof as the ranger walks over. He's dressed in jeans, T-shirt - and he has put on his Kevlar vest. And, to make things even more interesting, he's got his pistol in a shoulder holster and his shotgun carried. "It's got to do with the man that broke in here a few weeks ago. I believe something will happen here." He squints at her, thoughtfully. "If I am wrong - well, all the better." Bronwyn finds a new level of worry as she sees how well armed Jack is. And did a bird just fly out of his car. "What? The man...isn't he locked up somewhere? I think you better come inside and tell me what's going on." Once Jack and Goblin are inside, she will peer into the darkness one more time before closing the door...and locking it. She has locks now. "Look at me, I'm shaking" she giggles before heading into the lounge room and plonking herself down on the couch. "Talk." There's a sigh, to that. Jack does follow her but he doesn't sit down; he puts the shotgun down near the window and stands there peeking out of it. Goblin, he moves over to get some scritches from Bronwyn, but the bird remains outside. "I went to see Chris Kaplan, the man that broke in. He's in the asylum for having killed all his friends, here at this cabin, on this date many years ago," he notes seriously. He glances at Bronwyn. "I don't think he did it. I think he's innocent, and that something else killed his friends." Bronwyn happily pets Goblin though it soon becomes an subconscious action as she listens to Jack. "Did you talk to him? He told you that he was innocent? You know that is the kind of thing that people like that will say, right." A frown at the shotgun. "You think a killer is coming here. Tonight. That's a pretty big leap, Jack. If you have any proof of that then shouldn't we call the police?" "It's a hunch. Those hunches has saved me many times before. But the police won't come because of a hunch," Jack says tiredly, squinting at her before gazing out into the dark outside again. "It's not your regular killed, if I'm right. Kaplan drew a monster standing above his dead friends, of the wall of his cell. He gets agitated every year on this date, saying he has to 'kill the lights'." Back to Bronwyn, he looks at her intently with a serious expression. "You know that this area has a lot of strange things going on." "Yes, there is a lot of strangeness in this area. One of the reasons I'm here" Bronwyn replies before looking at him incredulously for a moment. "A monster? Seriously?" She likes Jack so she doesn't really want to think he's insane but... "A real monster or are you saying he saw a bear or something and /thought/ it was a monster?" That makes a lot more sense to her. A deep breath before she continues. "Look, Jack. I like you and I trust you but this...this is quite a step. So not only are you saying a killer is coming tonight but that killer will be a monster." "I'm saying that I don't know for sure, but I rather not discard it and come here finding you ripped to shreds because I didn't act," Jack tells her bluntly. He paces about a bit, agitated and filled up with adrenaline already. He's also showing signs of having had way too much coffee, perhaps energy drinks as well. "Can I beg some coffee?" he asks, shooting her a lopsided smile. "I can just sit out here, while you go to sleep. You /can/ trust me, Bronwyn. All I want to make sure of is that you are safe." Bronwyn wonders for a moment if she should call the police herself and tell them there is an armed, agitated man talking about monsters in her house. But this is Jack. Even if he is a bit deranged at the moment, he won't hurt her. She has to believe that. "Sure. Coffee on the way" she smiles before giving Goblin a scratch behind the ear. "You want to come help, Goblin?" She stands, doing her best to smile warmly at Jack. "Black I'm guessing." It is doubtful she will sleep tonight now. Goblin shoots to his feet and waggles his tail in a confirmative. He's likely hoping for treats, as well. BUt even the dog seems to be caught up in Jack's mood - the animal is alert and on guard. "Thanks. Black, please." Jack gives Bronwyn a tired smile. He realises this is all crazy, but there's no way around it all. "You know how to handle a gun? A pistol?" "I haven't the faintest idea, sorry" Bronwyn shrugs about the gun use. "I try not to carry one" she adds before a little laugh. "I'm not used to having killers come after me for living in the wrong house." She heads into the kitchen with Goblin, getting the coffee on before finding him some treats. Outside it is a clear night yet humid. A threat of rain despite the lack of clouds is high. Out here in the woods, with no streetlights or neighbors, it is dark. The moon is barely quarter full and unable to bring even a blue glow to the world. While Bronwyn gets about the task of making coffee, Jack goes to the front door again and opens it a crack, to have a chat with Fairy. "Fairy - if you see something or someone, warn me okay? I'll crack a window open so I can hear you. Just fly around and patrol but stay out of harm's way." The bird makes a chirping sound in confirmation. Jack refuses to sit down. Maybe he worries he'll fall asleep, or that he'll be taken by surprise if he does, so he moves between what windows are there, peering outside into the dark. He also turns off most of the lights - it makes it easier for him to look outside, while harder to see inside. But he leaves some lights on near the couch. After a few minutes, Bronwyn reappears with coffees for them both. Seeing how dark the house is, she also turns off the kitchen light with her nose. "Here you are. I see you've set the mood lighting to romantic" she teases before setting down on the couch and placing the mugs on the coffee table. "Anything out there?" she asks before a deep boom of thunder makes her jump in surprise. "Oh...wonderful...even nature is adding to the mood." Cracking a window open, just enough for him to hear a bird outside, Jack finally takes a seat but pulls a chair over so he can see outside. "I know how to treat a lady," he replies, dead pan. "You will have the best date of your life." He grins at her, appreciating that she retains her sense of humor. The thunder startles him too, hand shaking the coffee a bit as he lifts it - he almost spills. Goblin? He's no fan of thunder either, his ears pulling back and a whine escaping, but he keeps his calm. He's not the sort of dog to lie under a bed cowering, when there's a thunderstorm. "Haven't seen anything yet. I hope I won't." "So do I" Bronwyn replies, both hands wrapped around her mug as she blows over the hot coffee. A faint smirk at his attempt at levity - it is appreciated. "How have you been?" Surely now is the time for small talk. Another boom of thunder, the lights in the lounge room flickering and dimming for a moment before glowing brightly once more. "So what do lights have to do with the monster? What did this Mister Kaplan say exactly?" They can hear light spattering of rain on the roof now - the poor bird will be getting wet out there in a moment. "I have no idea. Maybe that part was just crazy talk - or this monster has glowing lights or friends, or a bigass flashlight or something," Jack says. "If there's sudden glowing lights? I suggest we try not to look at them," he says finally, a thought striking him. "Kaplan said the 'lights' killed his friends. But he also drew a monster. He came back here, I believe, in order to try to kill the lights." He holds a hand up. "He might just be a normal crazy, but... gut-feeling tells me /something/ is not quite right. A bit like, you know, I can talk to a bear." He studies her at that. Maybe if he throws that in, she will give his story a bit more credence. "Just /that/ part was crazy talk?" Bronwyn asks with a wry smile. And then he has to mention the bear talking...which he told her never to talk about again. "Point taken" she concedes. "I had some people telling me all about the disappearances on the other side of the river too. Checked them in the newspapers and online. Yeah, this place is strange." A deep breath. "Let's just see what happens then." Another rumble of thunder and this time the lights go out and stay out. "Great" Bronwyn sighs before standing. "I have some candles in the kitchen or we can go out and check the fuse. It's out the back." The world outside is now pitch black and then a flash of light illuminates Jack's car and the ground around it. "Lightning" Bronwyn says with some relief. "That's all." But then the light returns to shine upon the car...and there was no thunder to be heard. "We're not going out the back," Jack says, setting his coffee down and standing up. For a moment he's all blinded, and then again when that flash of light appears. He too thinks it's lightning initially, but then he stiffens and holds a hand out in a hushing gesture. He tilts his head, listening for any warnings from Fairy; Goblin growls a little, a quiet rumbling noise, his hackles raised - mostly because of Jack's reaction. The ranger moves carefully towards the window, to pick up his shotgun. Bronwyn is not saying a word. Tensing up as the light outside continues to investigate Jack's vehicle. And then it goes out again and there is a deep rumbling sound like a whale was impersonating a lion. Then there is a sound inside; Bronwyn has been holding her mug so tightly it shatters, spilling hot coffee all over her hands and making her squeal in pain. The fairy bird flaps down to the doorway. That rain...it hasn't arrived. The sound of water dropping on the roof no more as the light outside flicks off once more. The bird tells Jack of something above them...in the air. And when he looks upwards he will see it...barely. Black on black but there is a shape up there, triangular, hovering over the house and as big as it. The light returns, sweeping over the cabin itself and penetrating the roof tiles to send shafts of brilliant white through the lounge. "What the..." Jack says, leaning out enough so he can see that shape up there after Fairy's warning. "Fairy! Move away, to the trees!" he calls - no way is he endangering the little bird. He can see for himself now, anyway. Goblin? He is growling and pacing about, eager to get some action or just terrified - hard to tell. "I expected something. I didn't expect a fucking UFO," the ranger says, all agape and not a little surprised. He readies the shotgun though, that click-click of loading a shell. He backs away from the window, motioning for Bronwyn to do the same - he moves so he can cover the door /and/ the windows. Bronwyn has no intention of standing near the window but she is heading for the kitchen sink to turn cold water on her red hands. "A UFO?" she calls out to him. "Sure...why not?" This is going to take some dealing with...if they come out alive. The lights disappear. The world is black. No lights inside or outside of the building. There is the sound of the flowing water in the sink before Bronwyn turns off the tap to strain her ears for any sounds. Goblin growls softly, trained not to make too much noise. And then there is the sound of scrambling on the roof. Something sharp scraping over the tiles. That shotgun is now aimed upwards as Jack tries to pinpoint where the scrambling is. He circles, his heart beating furiously. It's dark and really hard to see anything; "Goblin," he murmurs, "I need you to spot for me." The dog can see and smell much better than he can; Goblin makes a chuffing but quiet sound in confirmative and then slinks into a corner where he will watch and use his senses. However, Jack's not keen on leaving Bronwyn alone so he is sidling towards the kitchen, giving her a wave if she can see it, to move closer to him. Bronwyn can't see much at all as the thunder continues to rumble but there is no lightning to add even a bit of light. She is crouching down under the kitchen table, looking up at the ceiling as the sounds roam back and forth. And then they stop. Goblin growls at the ajar front door. A door that slowly starts to open further. The hinges creaking. And there is also a clicking sound. Quiet. Harsh. But definitely there. The door continues to swing open. Jack puts his back to a wall and faces that door. The shotgun is raised and ready to shoot the moment he spots something. Goblin makes himself ready too, hackles raised. Outside, Fairy chirps a warning - but she's done that a few times already. Still, Jack's not hasty here - he doesn't know what is about to enter, yet. The door has now swung fully open. Nothing except the clicking sound...and the creaking of the wooden porch under the weight of...something. Time passes slowly. Almost unbearably so. Bronwyn has grabbed a carving knife and clutches it close to her chest. Sweat dripping from her forehead. Still nothing has appeared in the open door. The back door of the cabin bursts open. A dark shape rushes inside. Long limbs sinking into each side of the hallway to propel its form along...and at quite a speed. The thing is moving fast. Way faster than any human even though it is slightly larger...though a lot thinner. It is on Jack in a moment. A black talon slashes at him though it doesn't get through the body armor he thoughtfully decided to wear tonight. It is too dark to see it properly. And the blur of its movement would make it difficult even in bright light. The Kevlar vest was a bloody good idea - it gets raked and gets a mark on it, but Jack himself is unharmed. Still, he's surprised that the backdoor monster even gets her, he didn't expect /two/ - stupid of him. So, he's slower to react - and after a surprised shout and a stumble, he dives along the wall and shoots into the dark blur of motion. The sound is deafening in the cabin as slugs of the shotgun hits /something/. The dog, though he could fight to protect Jack, hasn't been ordered to do so - and he's an obedient dog. But he's also very smart and knows his owner's wishes - so he's slinking towards where Bronwyn is, moving close and waiting to see what she will do, guarding her. Another of the creatures rushes through the front door now. It's job as distraction over. Another of those long talons slices through the air, this time piercing Jack's armor and cutting through his flesh. Bronwyn pulls Goblin under the table with her, one hand around his neck, the other gripping the knife. She winces at the flash of the shotgun and the sound of 'blood' spattering on the cabin floor. "Jack!?" Yelling attracts the attention of one of the creatures. Attracted by the sound of Bronwyn's voice, the injured creature darts into the kitchen. Huge talons swing down, smashing through the table and impaling the blonde in the shoulder. She screams again, this time in pain, as the 'weapon' rips free from her flesh and sprays her blood over the underside of the table. The grunt from Jack is one of pain, as his shoulder is slashed. He's facing off two - no wait, there's only one! Hearing Bronwyn's scream of pain, he whirls around, jumps over the couch and hurls himself the few meters to the kitchen entrance, barely waiting to see what is going on before shooting at the one attacking the woman. Another loud boom, ears ringing. "Goblin! Attack!" It's rare he asks his dog to aid him in such things - he doesn't like putting the animal in danger. The dog shoots out from under the smashed table, leaping at the monster - his teeth bared, and the normally so joyous cute dog turning into a monster of his own. A big German shepherd is dangerous, but this isn't a normal human thug - it's some alien creature. Teeth bite down on a limb but whether the creature is harmed or not is unsure. The creature outside of the kitchen bounds towards the commotion. It is about to slash at Jack but seems to notice that its fellow is not moving. That chattering clicking noise bursts out of the shape, its distracted attack missing Jack completely and taking a chunk out of the door frame. Bronwyn summons up her courage and, along with Goblin, darts out from under the table and drives her knife into the prone shape. Again and again she slams the blade into the still body. With Goblin and Bronwyn dealing with one, Jack turns his attention on the one that barely missed him, wood chips from the broken kitchen doorframe spraying him as he ducks further into the kitchen; he drops the shotgun and pulls his pistol in one smooth motion. The smaller weapon isn't as noisy but there's flashes of light from when he shoots - this time with more accuracy. Goblin leaves the corpse to Bronwyn, leaping across the floor again and latches onto the other alien, with maddening angry growls; his teeth tear at flesh. The second creature chatters at Jack as it is shot and then at Goblin as the dog attacks it. Its talons slashing at the dog, piercing flesh as it backs away towards the open front door. Bronwyn finally stops stabbing the shape on the kitchen floor. Breathing fast, adrenalin coursing through her veins, she gets to her feet covered in the blood of herself and the creature. Not wanting to hit Goblin, realising the dog is being hurt - Jack takes more careful aim for a second before that pistol's noise rings out in the small space once more. "Goblin, back off! Dodge!" he shouts out, because there is no way he is risking him further now. Instead he positions himself so he'll be the target - trying to move between the monster and his dog. Goblin lets out a whine, blood dripping as he backs off, moving behind a chair for now - he obeys almost unwillingly, because he's keen on protecting and doing his part. The badly wounded creature scampers out the open front door and into the blackness of the night. Its body unable to be discerned in the dark. All is silent once more...save for the loud breathing of Bronwyn. Jack squeezes off a few shots after the creature, rushing for the front door - but he's shooting blindly into the dark and that's never too clever. So he curses, holsters the pistol and strides back into the kitchen quickly. "First aid supplies?" is his quick, terse question. "Bron, sit down. I need to look you over." He's already taking his phone out, cause he won't be such an asshole he won't call an ambulance. Bronwyn is leaning back on the kitchen bench as Jack makes his reappearance. "Bathroom" she replies, pointing back into the hall. "Last door on the right." Light returns. It floods the hallway. Though this time it is accompanied by the sound of engines and the yells of people giving orders. An armed man appears in the open front door, an assault rifle in his hands, body armor worn...a soldier. "Put your weapon down!" he yells at Jack. He is not alone. More armed men behind him. On his way to the bathroom, Jack's senses is assaulted and he's blinking at the lights. "Wooah," he says - he didn't expect /that/. He raises his hands up - the weapon is in its holster. "We got wounded in here. I'm Jack Fry, Vermont Park Rangers." Goblin, limping, growls menacingly. "Goblin, quiet. Stay calm." The ranger has a tick at his temple - he's furious but keeps his cool for now, standing very still with his arms up. Armed men flood into the house, checking each room and the people (and animals) they find in them. "Clear!" is a regularly heard word. They will take Jack's guns and Bronwyn's knife if able, along with promises that he will get them back. Once the house is secured, two men in bio-suits (without the headgear at the moment) appear. "Ranger Fry, how are you? Quite the evening." He indicates the dark shape on the kitchen floor to the other man who then calls it in over a neck mic...quietly. This isn't the first time Jack's been treated to this sort of intervention, but this is the largest scale of it. His weapons are surrendered without comment - he only had shotgun and pistol, and a knife. "Bear attacks. Happens every year," is his dead pan, dry response. "We got lucky." He shoots Bronwyn a warning glance and gives her a little shake of his head, meaning; just play along here. However, he /does/ take a look at the dead monster - for future reference it might be good to remember some details. "Doctor Gallagher was mauled, and my dog needs help too. Mind hurrying up?" He grins, tersely. Flashlight beams sweep over the corpse in the kitchen before it is covered with a tarpaulin and a stretcher brought in to take it away. "We're here to help you, Ranger Fry" the man assures. "We have medical personal with us. You may not be aware of it, actually, you must definitely aren't, but your 'bear' carries a rather nasty bacterial infection in its claws. Untreated you may not make it...especially the dog. Thankfully, we have the antidote with us. If you could join the Doctor Gallagher in the kitchen. Bring your dog too. And we'll get you sorted out." "Really?" Jack says dubiously. His trust in these soldiers isn't exactly super high. He does however move into the kitchen, eyeing them all warily; he's bleeding from his shoulder, a slow drip that isn't life threatening, but certainly hurting. Goblin lies down on the floor, head on his paws, whining a little - he's hurting worse. So, Jack crouches and brushes his hand over his head, murmuring soothing and calming words. "Bron, you alright?" he says, focusing on her with a worried gaze. He won't protest getting any shots. Clearly, these men has done this before! "Not really" Bronwyn replies honestly though she does manage a smile to go with it. She is not a huge fan of soldiers charging into her home but she also has a shoulder with a huge hole in it that is still bleeding profusely. As they line up, another man arrives with a medical box. Inside are half a dozen syringes with a green liquid inside. "This should just take a moment' the first man assures, then we can get to the debriefing. Injections are given to each of them. Taking off his Kevlar vest to allow some patching up on his shoulder, Jack lets it all happen but remains close to Bronwyn, keeping an eye on everything. "You'll be alright," he says confidently, smiling back at her. Otherwise, he keeps quiet - he's not willing to babble around these guys. He waits patiently for this 'debriefing'-part. The injections administered, the man with the medical box disappears outside. More biosuit wearing individuals, this time with masks that hide their faces, are cleaning the cabin. The kitchen door gently closed to hide their work from the wounded trio. "Thank you for your cooperation. We're sorry we were so slow in getting here. We tracked their vehicle as best we could but they are slippery little devils. I am glad that you're all still alive. That doesn't really happen often." "They are?" Jack says. HE didn't expect any information at all, blinking at the man. "What are 'they'?" He asks it but he'd be very surprised if he had an answer. "How long have you known about them?" He could pepper with more questions but has to begin somewhere, raising eyebrows. The man smiles at Jack's answer before leaning against a counter to speak. "Men have known about them for thousands of years. What are they? Aliens. Probably have some unpronounceable name. Do you know what I find odd about starfaring aliens? They've had thousands of years more evolution but they still have claws and nasty teeth. We don't. Maybe it's what happens when dinosaurs aren't wiped out? And they're always naked. Why are they always naked?" As the man speaks it seems to be getting darker...but nothing is happening to the lights. The man's words seem to slur...slow down...speed up...they become more and more unintelligible. Jack realises he is fighting a heavier sleep than he has ever know. His mind clouding. The strength disappearing from his limbs. Jack is stubborn. He resists the sleep, longer than most would, out of sheer will and toughness. But he finds it quite nice to sit down somewhere, the droning voice lulling him, like from a distance. He blinks and yawns. "Asshole," he manages to say, cause he realises he's been drugged somewhere right before he passes out over the kitchen table. The light is back. This time it is the light of the morning. Jack will wake up in a bed. His injury gone...but so is any memory of the night before. Any fleeting glimpse he has of those events seem like a barely remembered dream...or nightmare. He remembers going to Bronwyn's cabin to warn her that something may happen. But nothing did. No killers showed up. No strange lights. Except in his dreams. He soon realises he is not alone in that bed. Bronwyn is slumbering alongside him...it is her bed after all. Goblin sitting at the foot of that bed, waking as its master does, peering at him with curiosity. There's a slow few blinks up into an unknown ceiling, before Jack turns his head and looks at the sleeping woman next to him. Waaaait a minute. He groans, rubbing his temple. How much did he drink? How much did THEY drink? He lifts the blanket and peers down - and yep, naked. There's a question sent to Goblin, but the dog has no idea either. He remembers going here for some reason... some sort of danger. Carefully, he tries to shift out of the bed to not wake Bronwyn. It's fine if he just leaves without waking her, right? He sighs, realising the moment he thinks it, that no, it wouldn't be. "Bron," he says quietly. "Wake up." "No school today, mom" Bronwyn mutters under her breath before suddenly waking with a start...as if from a nightmare that she shares with Jack. She is confused too. Not because of the room but because Jack is in her bed. And she's naked...and so is he! "Oh...umm...hi, Jack." She discretely pulls the sheet up over her breasts. "Well...umm..." Bronwyn scratches at her head for a moment. "I guess that happened?" Though she can't remember any of it. How much did THEY drink? "Did it?" Jack responds looking quite sheepish. Not only because it might've happened, but also because he doesn't remember it. And that's very awkward and not very nice, at all. "I mean, uh, yeah I guess it did. Unless we were so drunk we never did anything?" he suggests, half hopeful. "I'm really sorry, but I don't remember. I don't even remember what we drank. I came here cause there was something... I needed to warn you about something. Bears? Something about a bear." "You can't remember anything?" Bronwyn would be quite insulted by that...except that she can't remember anything either. "I...I can't either" she admits, "So maybe we didn't. Not that it would be horrible or anything." But it would have been nice to remember it. "Yes...something about bears." She nods along to his words. "That was it and nothing happened and we...umm...probably celebrated with a drink or three until we just fell asleep. Sound reasonable?" "I'd like to think I would remember if we had sex," Jack says frankly, studying her with more alert eyes. "I imagine it would be hard to forget," he adds with a somewhat teasing grin, trying to disarm the whole situation and complimenting her at the same time. "That is the most reasonable explanation for this. You might need to look over your liquor - unless I brought something. I don't even remember that. I do have some seriously potent moonshine, it could've been that," he admits, embarrassed. "Shhh, don't tell anyone about the moonshine." It's not exactly legal. Goblin whines a little, and Jack swings legs over the edge of the bed. "Right right, we'll go outside, gimme a few." He glances over his shoulders. "Unless you want an eyeful, mind turning away for a minute?" Assumedly, his clothes are around here, somewhere... "I think I already did have an eyeful" Bronwyn smirks before she turns her head away and then immediately regrets it. That bruise on her shoulder hurts and she peers at it, trying to figure out how that happened. It must have been moonshine. Locally produced alcohol is a hell of a kick all over the world. She goes back to looking away as Jack goes through his clothes that lay in a pile on the floor. Bronwyn notices her own pile nearby and, with horror, sees she was wearing the ugliest granny pair of panties that she owns. Without looking at Jack, and doing her best to keep the sheet up, she reaches down to hide the panties by throwing them under the bed. Jack wears just regular boxer shorts of some common brand from one of those mall stores. He gets them on quickly and puts his jeans on; his back turned to her so she can get dressed. Goblin is almost bouncing, having woken up fully too and eager to go outside or there'll be a small accident in here soon. Outside? There's a loud chirping sound, Fairy now realising someone is FINALLY awake! She stayed away as Jack ordered her to, but has been back for awhile, waiting for some signs of life from inside. Glancing over his shoulder, Jack sees that bruise too (but misses the granny panties). "Alright, no more moonshine for any of us. You alright?" Bronwyn's head turns quickly to look at him, a little blush in her cheeks. "Yep...yep...everything's fine. Lucky there is no hangover with this moonshine." Which is odd. If nothing else, those panties mean that if they did have sex, Bronwyn certainly wasn't planning to. She grabs her sweater from the pile and then disappears under the sheets to put it on. Thankfully, it'll reach down far enough to preclude putting those panties on again. Reappearing she offers Jack a smile before slipping out of bed. "Umm...do you want breakfast or anything?" What is the morning after etiquette about possible unremembered sex? Yeah, no hangover for Jack either - he scratches his unshaved cheek in some puzzlement. It is infuriating not to remember. He pulls that T-shirt on, and stuffs his socks in his pocket - the shoes are nowhere here, probably left near the entrance? With all this talk about what they did or did not do, he can't help himself - he does give her a very appreciative look, admiring rather than leering. "I'm starving, so... yes, please. If you don't mind? I can't stay long though." His stomach makes a noise - yep, he IS hungry. Goblin now barks, once - and Jack startles. "Fine fine, I'm coming." He heads on out to let the dog out, but only to the front door - he doesn't need to come too. "I think you're supposed to stuff your socks /in/ your pants, not in your pockets" Bronwyn teases before rolling that sore shoulder for a moment. "I'll make us some breakfast then." She heads out in front of man and dog. Of course the back door is there like nothing happened. Of course there is no trace of any alien innards on the kitchen floor. No shells. No blood. It's close to the cleanest it has ever been. The doctor also feeling rather hungry. She gets to making them some bacon and eggs, humming to herself as she does so. At least until she notices a knife is missing from the block. That has her curious but it'll be somewhere nearby. They don't walk off on their own. There are also some sausages cooked for Goblin. Jack's equipment - guns and armor - sit on the couch where he must have left them. The tear where the talon struck him has been repaired/ There's a brief chat with Fairy outside, before Jack heads on back inside, letting dog and bird roam about as they want - they won't go very far, anyway. He leaves the door open, so Goblin can come in - it's a really nice morning, the air is fresh as if it rained a little. He eyes his equipment thoughtfully for a moment, but hey - if there was a bear, makes sense he wore armor... not that there WAS a bear. But still. Leaning up against the kitchen door frame, he watches Bronwyn cook for a moment, then shakes out of that and goes about setting the table with plates and help make some coffee or something. "Best not-had-sex-but-slept-together morning I've ever had," he jokes, "getting breakfast and everything." Bronwyn looks over her shoulder and offers Jack a smirk at his comments. "Maybe it's the reward for /not/ having sex" she winks, wrapping up the cooking part and serving it out onto the plates which sit on the new table. Easier to replace than repair. A frown as she sees the guns in the lounge but that means there must have been a reason for Jack to come round. Once the coffee is ready, it's time to eat. "So, how've you been?" Her brow furrows. "Wow, deja vu there. Eat up." "Works for me," Jack says wryly. He sits down, immediately taking a sip of the coffee - it's going to be another one of those days when he needs a lot of it, he can feel it - and then digs in on breakfast. "Busy," he responds. "Sorry I haven't been around until now. Sylvana, my daughter, showed up one day. I didn't know I had a twenty year old kid," he says. "And then there was a wildfire. And a bunch of other trouble. How've YOU been?" That news makes Bronwyn stop eating. "You have a twenty year old daughter? Twenty? Wow. I'm not sure how that makes me feel if we did sleep together" she laughs. "I'm not that much older than her. I was out camping when the wildfire started. Got back here quick smart. Don't want to be trapped out in the woods with a fire. I've been researching my thesis. Trying to talk with people but..." A shrug. "Not been very easy to get anyone to open up. Still, made some good friends and that makes up for a lot of things." "Yeah... that was about my reaction too." Jack doesn't elaborate, but since he's 38, and has a twenty year old kid, he wasn't even 18 when she was conceived... "Yeah, glad you're alright - this area was spared, barely. Thanks to that rain starting up when it did. And about your thesis? It-" He cuts himself off, glancing at the wrist watch which has both time AND Date on it. "I think I know what happened." He says this triumphantly. "I think? It was my birthday yesterday, I came over here cause it was close to have a drink - I don't really celebrate, but maybe that's why I brought the moonshine." That makes total sense now. "Happy Birthday!" Bronwyn grins. That does explain everything...even the possible sex. She lifts her coffee mug to toast him. "To another year of wisdom" she smiles. "And you decided to spend your birthday night with me? I'm touched." Her brow furrows. "I hope your daughter didn't want to see you." "I'm seeing her today," Jack says - apparently he remembers some plans from before, so memory loss seem to be only what happened last night. "I was busy all day yesterday, I only had the evening free." He frowns a little cause he also remembers an urgent need to come here because of some danger, but he likes the explanation of the birthday even more. "I'm sure we had lots of fun." He doesn't touch more on whether they had sex or not - not today. He grins, sipping coffee - he's wolfed down his food, and so has Goblin. "Alright... I best get going now. I'll help clean up first." "Don't be silly, it was your birthday. I'll clean up. Got nothing else to do today. Thanks for coming over, Jack. Take care of yourself." Bronwyn gives Jack a quick hug and Goblin a ruffling pat. "Get out of here, old man" she teases before escorting him to the door and waving him off. Bronwyn closes the door and heads back inside to clean up breakfast and find that knife.