tampered | Log; Ongoing

Log; Ongoing

When; October 19
Rating; PG-ish
Characters; Jareth

everdreaming86
Summary; TBA.
Log;
Midmorning arrived with the sight of a long, lithe man leaning against Apartment Building 8. Freshly clothed in brown leather, linen, and hose, his eyes scanned the people passing, searching for one young woman in particular.

When Jareth had demanded Sarah meet him, they had not actually agreed to a time for their rendez-vous. In retrospect, that had been a poor choice; he had no idea if she would come into view soon, or if she planned to wait until the afternoon before showing up.

In either case, he was left idly waiting for her, and if there was one thing the Goblin King disliked, it was being made to wait.

The thought that he could find her himself did occur to him, but that would be a move that would make him look desperate for her attentions. He was not, and would rather she came to him in any case. Besides, the city was sprawling; locating her would be more work than it would be worth, when she had already agree to meet him at some point today.

Growing restless, he narrowed his eyes and swept the crowds once more.

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Sarah had been spending the past few days trying to get over the initial shock of finding herself in this strange new environment and getting settled into her new apartment. She had yet to meet any of her neighbors, but she figured it would be some time before she did. This place was a bustling metropolis, and she felt strangely small as she passed through the crowd towards Apartment Building 8. She had gotten slightly, turned around, but a passerby had been kind enough to give her directions. The fact that she wasn't used to the city life was evident; she had been born and raised in a suburban area.

Rubbing her arms to ward off the chill that was in the fall air, Sarah bit her lip. She had been extremely shocked when Jareth had arrived in this strange place. The memories of the last time she had seen him were all too fresh in her mind, and a part of her feared him. She knew he must be angry; rejection wasn't something anyone took too well. But what could she have done? Her baby brother was in danger, and she was only sixteen years old at the time. What would a sixteen year old say to the Goblin King who was offering to be her slave? She wasn't ready for that kind of love and devotion. It was every girl's dream come true, and I turned him down, she thought, groaning to herself.

Just within his range of vision, there was a glint of dark hair in the autumn sunlight, and immediately, he knew it was her. Turning his head slowly in her direction, Jareth examined her as she came nearer.

It was obvious from her appearance that she was from another time; for him, their last meeting had been just days ago, but she had clearly aged several years since then. Though her hair and style of dress were similar to what they had been at the age of sixteen, her features were more mature and she carried herself slightly differently. Less artlessly, a bit more poised.

He made no attempt to move from where he stood, arms crossed, but the expression in his eyes softened slightly as she approached. The sight of a familiar, if changed, face was not an unwelcome one.

When she was within earshot, he nodded in acknowledgement of her presence. "Sarah."

As soon as Jareth's familiar voice reached her ears, Sarah froze in her tracks, and looked around, finally spotting him leaning against the apartment building languidly, watching her like a cat. She swallowed the lump that was in her throat, but it didn't want to leave. '...Jareth.' Her voice came out as a mere squeak, so she tried again, hating the awkwardness of the situation. 'Jareth,' she tried again, and was relieved to hear her normal voice leave her lips. She took a few steps forward through the crowd so that they weren't too close or too far apart. Just right.

Jareth hadn't changed a bit. His hair was still as every bit of a lion's mane as ever, the same calculating look in his eyes as if he were daring her to challenge him, and the same impeccable taste in clothing. A bit odd at first, true, but after you got used to it, you couldn't imagine him wearing anything else. 'Um...you look....good,' she said lamely, not entirely sure how she should approach the Goblin King. It had been three years since she had seen him, and yet he acted as if he had only seen her yesterday.

"As do you, Sarah," he murmured in reply, inclining his head once more. Jareth paused, glancing over her once more, and repeated, "As do you."

She's only grown more beautiful. The thought occurred to him suddenly, but he pushed it away for the moment. Though it didn't show explicitly in his manner, he was not in the least bit sure what to expect of this meeting; and if he wanted to keep that uncertainty from his expression, he couldn't dwell on such disarming thoughts. He could admit the truth to himself--that he did love her as vehemently as he had claimed--but that was a weakness he didn't feel he could safely reveal.

Clearing his throat, he took a step towards her and offered his arm. "I thought we might take a short walk." Which left the question of what they might talk about during their promenade. She would have far more news to tell than he, and besides that...he found himself intensely curious as to what she had done since defeating him at his own game.

"I would be..interested to hear about your life since we last saw each other," he admitted, his eyes meeting hers. She had grown slightly since their parting, he noted, and was only shorter than him by a few inches.

Hesitating slightly as the handsome immortal offered her his arm, Sarah took a few seconds to reevaluate the situation. They were both stuck in the City, and neither one of them knew a way out. This was not his kingdom, so Jareth's word was not law. She surveyed him closely and found that he was being honest for once. There were no games, no tricks. He was sincere.

So, she took his arm, even as the tension grew almost tangible; she could almost taste it. Sarah swallowed as his eyes met hers, and she had to force herself to look away. Damn, she thought. Even when she had first met him, his grace, poise and presence had shaken her. This meeting was no exception of course.

'...You have no power over me...' Her own words drifted back to her as if from a dream, and she took strength and courage from it. He may intimidate her, but she wasn't about to let the Goblin King know it. She had beaten him, had defeated his labyrinth. Surely that meant she was strong. She had to be.

'....I thought that you had...that you were watching me,' she said in surprise at his statement, realizing too late exactly what those words implied: that she thought of him often. 'I mean, you're the Goblin King after all, and you should be able to watch anyone you want, right?' She tried to repair the damage quickly, but even as she did so, she knew it was useless. Although she had one the game, Jareth was clever in his own right.

'So, um, what do you want to know?' She asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I could not have watched you," Jareth replied somberly, as they started down the bustling street. "For you, three years have passed. For me, it has been three days."

The truth had slipped out, then: that they were from very different times, that he had not seen his kingdom since her final, crushing words to him. He had originally planned to keep that fact quiet until it would be beneficial for him to mention it...but he found that he didn't mind having let her know.

In this city, they were no longer rivals; in fact, they each were the other's only contact from their world. There was nothing to be lost by allowing her a more personal bit of knowledge...and perhaps, a quiet voice in the back of his mind suggested, there was something to be gained.

That was a thought that was quickly sent on its way, though. The Goblin King does not offer his love a second time. They were...uneasy allies for the moment. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Were you hoping I was watching you, Sarah?" he asked, his voice a teasing purr as he changed the subject back.

Sarah blinked in surprise, and actually stopped in her tracks. 'What...?' She said incredulously. It couldn't be, and yet, it all made sense. Why else would he be so surprised to see her? It also explained why his presence was absent during the past few years. She had hoped - no, scratch that, guessed - that he had been watching her, but could never really be sure at all.

That explains a lot, she thought, starting to walk again. 'Sorry,' she muttered. '...It just took me by surprise.' When he said he wanted to hear about her life since he had seen her, he wasn't kidding. How to sum up the last three years was a question in and of itself.

Sarah turned away from him at his last words, hiding the flush that was threatening to appear on her cheeks. '....Maybe. Maybe not,' she answered, her voice wanting to let her flustered state out in the open for the Goblin King to see. Oh, she had won the labyrinth all right. She had gotten Toby back, that was for sure. But all of that didn't change the fact that she was still a teenage girl. Nearly twenty, true, but a teenager nonetheless.

'....I've been treating Toby better than I was, and worked on being a better sister and daughter. I suppose I should thank you for that,' she said. 'I mean...if it weren't for your challenge or any of that, I'd never have started to grow up, in a sense,' she admitted. These thoughts weren't terribly personal; she had often thought that if she had met Jareth a second time, she would thank him.

'I don't exactly know how to sum up the past three years, but...I could try.' Sarah gave him a quick sidelong glance, still surprised that they were both in this foreign city, walking side by side as if it were a normal everyday thing for them.

He hadn't expected her thanks and gave her a curious look. She had matured since he'd last glimpsed her through her bedroom window, and the changes were not merely surface details. Not once yet had her voice taken on that complaining tone he'd heard so often when she'd been within the walls of his labyrinth.

The cynic in him pointed out that his judgement of her character was based off of a few minutes of talking. The rest of him told the cynical part of his mind to bugger off for a bit.

"You are welcome, Sarah," Jareth replied. They were uneasy allies at this moment, he reminded himself. Perhaps more teasing questions meant to leave her feeling a bit off-balance should be saved until the two of them were on easier terms.

"Try," he added, as he steered them away from the square and fountain (a landmark whose waters didn't seem worth the trouble of discerning the meaning of the images held within), towards a less bustling area.

"You seem...changed, Sarah." Less naive, more than anything. More confident and less cocky. Still dreaming, but with at least a foot planted firmly on the ground. "Surely I didn't bring about every difference. Tell me about the 'past three years'."

Sarah gave the fountain a curious look. She hadn't looked in the water; someone had warned her not to when she had first arrived. It still reminded her of a water park, and she half expected to see children run around it in bathing suits, but there was only the citizens of the city and pigeons that seemed to have taken a peculiar liking to bathing in it, fluffing their feathers and cooing softly.

'People...mortals usually change over time. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse,' she told Jareth matter-of-factly. 'No, you didn't bring every change, but you did have a significant impact, nonetheless.'

Sarah tucked a strand of loose brown hair behind one ear and began. 'Where to start...well, after the labyrinth, I decided to work on my family life first; becoming a better daughter and sister, like I've said. Focused more on my schoolwork, and became involved in the drama club at school..' She trailed off a moment and gave him a look that clearly said 'are you sure you want to hear all of this?' but continued on nonetheless.

'...I made some new and beloved friends, and started turning my life around, really.' Sarah hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should continue on with this next statement, but decided that since he wanted to know what happened, he'd get it. '...I also met a boy. A very nice, kind, funny guy, really...' Her expression softened sadly as she continued. 'His name was David, but....it didn't last very long.'

The number of people around them thinned until they were ambling down a side street. The odd person passed the pair every few minutes, but for the most part, they had privacy from the rest of the denizens of the City.

"Mortals are not the only creatures who change," Jareth replied dryly. He had certainly been changed since meeting her, for better or for worse--at times, he wasn't sure which. "They simply change...more quickly. ...And more often."

He watched her intently as she described the events of the past few years of her life, paying as much attention to the way she said things as to what she said. When she glanced up at him, as though silently appraising his interest, he raised an eyebrow.

If he had no interest in the subject, he wouldn't have asked her about it.

She continued, and he had to admit that he was impressed with just how thoroughly she'd changed. The lone, self-centered child he'd watched had left behind many of her faults. At the same time, it seemed she'd kept what had drawn his eye to her in the first place.

Cocking his head slightly when she mentioned David, Jareth allowed her words to trail away a few moments before responding. He gestured with his free hand for her to continue, asking, "Why not?"

((OOC: Should hopefully be able to write posts now, lol--the schedule's better, though the internet's now iffy in my dorm room. :-/ Sorry for the delay, tiftynifty! ^^;; ))

Sarah swallowed, not sure if she wanted to tell him truly, really why she and David had broken off their budding romance. It was so very personal, and private....finally, she decided to give him the truth, but not all of it. She wasn't ready to share that bit of information with him just yet. After all, he had last seen her three days ago when she had defeated him at his own game. It would take some time before she would be able to reveal the whole story.

'Things just didn't work out, is all,' she answered, giving Jareth her most winning smile, hoping he couldn't see through her facade. 'He wanted things from me that I couldn't give him, no matter how much I cared for him. And no, it wasn't...that,' she added hastily, not wanting the Goblin King to get the wrong idea. 'I am still pure as the mountain snow, thank you very much.

'Anyway....I got a job, waitressing, raised money, bought a car....and was on my way to spend my first semester at college majoring in English and mythology when I was sent here,' she concluded. She was about to ask Jareth what he had done the past three years, then stopped herself. Different time, remember?

'That's all, really.'

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Log; Ongoing

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