13 – Insanity of a Manatee

“Jonesy, I think Magnolia likes me. Should I be scared?”
“Likes you as in ‘fuck buddies’ or as in ‘sparring partners’ or something else?”
“I have no idea, but it’s probably a combination of all of the above.”
“Can you tell if she’s up to something?”
“She’s very difficult to read. Especially when fighting.”
“This is true. So why are you coming to me with all this?”
“Because you wear glasses.”
Jones raised an eyebrow.
“Vincent, there’s something wrong with you. You’ve got top marks in nearly everything, but I can’t follow your logical processes at all, and I work in a laboratory filled with nerds.”
“To your credit, though, I can’t follow my own logical processes most of the time.”
“We should do some word association sometime.”
“Why not now? I’ve got time.”
“Sure. Why not?”
Vincent required a glass of water, and took a moment to attempt to clear his mind. Jones required a clipboard.
“Ready?”
“Balls no. Start anyway.”
“Okay. Illustration.”
“Hedgehog.”
“Aid”
“Magnolia.”
“Neutral.”
“Chaotic.”
“Luggage.”
“Towel.”
“Hill.”
“Valley.”
“Beg.”
“Shit. I mean… Sit.”
“Perfect.”
“Impossible.”
“… Vincent, I think even Deep Thought would wonder what the fuck is going on in your brain.”
“Either that or tell me something profound like ‘Forty-Two,’ and then proceed to not explain why.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Do you ever give any thought to what comes out of your mouth before it does come out of your mouth?”
“Ketchup.”
Jones raised his hand and placed his face into his palm.
“Vincent.”
“Yessir?”
“Go away before you break my brain, please.”
“Yessir.”
“Actually, I’m more likely to ask the Parkers to extract your brain and let me experiment with it.”
Vincent moved as fast as his legs would carry him. He was standing in Ryan’s office before he realized that he should stop and catch his breath. Stef looked up from some paperwork and required a chair for him.
“Did you see a ghost or something?”
“Yes, but that was in Denver. Jones is a little scary when he’s not being awesome.”
“More than a little, Recruit.”
“Pfeh. I need something to distract me for a bit.”
“More Four Swords?”
“I guess. What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
“A patrol. You and me again. Bring something interesting, cause it’s a kinda boring area, despite being a bit more populated with fae.”
“Eh, good enough. I’ma take Purple Link this time.”