Chapter Text
'No, I'm not angry. Really. Perhaps I was slacking this year with my professional career. It's not like I have world-changing plans to think about! But you go enjoy yourself, treasure. It'll be your last chance to unwind.'
Sitting in the back of a limo, dressed in a sharp suit with his hair slicked back, Jack bit his tongue. Every time he thought of Leda's little outburst, he wanted to laugh. She had hounded the mail for weeks, leading up to the Dancity Gala. She had repeatedly called the Fathoms postal service, demanding to know where her invite was. It never showed up. Jack would cherish that disappointed look on her face forever. Anything to avoid thinking about the elephant in the room.
The limo pulled up to a red carpet and a crowd. Taking a deep breath, Jack stepped out and began his slow walk to the entrance. Cameras flashed. A hundred overlapping questions bombarded him at once.
"Are you excited for your first Dancity Gala?"
"Mr. Rose? How do you feel about getting an invitation so quickly after Grenade?"
"Do you have anything to say about the two girls in Eternyx you've been spotted with several times? Are they friends? Something more?"
Oh, right. Eternyx tabloids had picked up on him, Scarlett, and Felicia. Thankfully, they knew absolutely nothing about the potions those two had brewed up. In comparison to everything else going on in his life, it almost felt nice that someone was paying attention to him.
It was a shame, though. Kitta would absolutely adore all this media attention, if she were here.
Brushing past the reporters, Jack approached the entrance. Before he knew it, he stepped into a brightly-lit ballroom lined with tables and full of celebrities. Leda had been to this event before. She told him it was mostly dinner and talking. Jack could handle dinner and talking. What he couldn't handle were the lights. Why did they have to be so bright? And why did everyone have to talk so loudly?
On a different note, a small bag of pills sat in his back pocket. More than usual. They had started to grow dull, recently. It couldn't be better timing, either. Was irritation a side effect? A withdrawal symptom? Or was he just plain irritated? Hard to tell, these days.
'I'm not hungry yet. Maybe I should—'
Just then, someone bumped into him. A fellow redhead, at that. And a familiar face. Jack never had the chance to meet this guy, let alone work with him and his crew. But now, meeting eyes with him for the first time, Jack held out a hand. Might as well make some connections. This was technically a work event, right? Might as well try to look busy.
"Sorry about that. Jack Nox, by the way."
"Haze."
Haze shook his hand with a smile. Jack recognized the guy standing next to him, T-Bam. That probably wasn't his real name, but whatever. Stage names, real names, where was the line? He even felt weird introducing himself as Jack Nox. Everyone here knew him as a Rose.
"Nice party, huh?"
"Oh, yeah." Haze nodded. "It's our first time here. Same for you, right?"
"Yep. They really do blow out the lights here, don't they?"
"Tell me about it." T-Bam sighed. "Haze, you sure the big man wants us talking to him?"
"No, but I don't care."
"Who?" Jack asked.
"Our manager." Haze rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you've seen how our fans… Interact."
Automatically, Jack knew what Haze was talking about. He had tried to avoid social media, but it was practically inescapable. Haze and his group got started right before Grenade. With everything going on after Grenade, Jack had never gotten the chance to reach out to their group. Their debut routine got stuck in his head all the time, and had turned into a trend in its own right. He actually thought they were pretty enjoyable.
The lovely little Rosebuds felt differently.
Wow what an obvious Jack Rose rip off
See this is how you know Jack is incredible, people are ALREADY copying him
"I've got no problem with you guys." Jack said. "I'm not the only person in the Danceverses with red hair. They're just teenagers with too much time on their hands."
"See, that's what Gray and I said." T-Bam pointed out. "But he claims those teenagers are our fanbase, and we can't disappoint them, blah blah blah."
"Sounds like my manager."
"Isn't that your mom?"
"Yeah. She's very particular."
Before either of them could go on, T-Bam got a call. He looked at his phone, rolled his eyes, and answered it without another word to Jack. Saying his goodbyes, Jack wandered away from them both. He still didn't feel like eating. However, he saw a familiar face in the crowd and waved her down.
"Irene! You made it."
"I know, right?" Irene said with a huge smile. "Have you seen Clem and Blythe? Hard to find anyone in this crowd."
"Haven't seen them, no." Jack shook his head. "Just wanted to say hi."
Once he wandered away from Irene, Jack searched for other familiar faces. Not just recognizable, but familiar. None appeared. He didn't see Clementine or Blythe in the crowd. Maybe he was just missing them. Jack didn't know why he wanted to see them so badly. He barely knew them.
'They were patient with me during rehearsals. Irene and Blythe sound like they had some tough upbringings, too. We never went into detail, but still. I wish I could get to know them better. Why can't I have that?'
Oh, right. Leda. How could he forget?
"Jack Rose?"
An unfamiliar voice called his name. Jack turned around, coming fave to face with none other than Estrella. Dressed in black and gold, her hair pinned up, she smiled at Jack and ushered him to a seat. Estrella wanted to talk to him? But they'd never met before! Maybe she just wanted to say hi, too.
"Oh, Estrella." He said. "I'm a big fan, by the way."
"Really? That's sweet of you. I've been meaning to talk to you all this time. You know, I'm very impressed with how you've grown."
"Yeah?"
"You know how long it took me to get my first invite to this gala? Almost five years." Estrella pointed out. "I'm curious, what's your secret?"
"A mother like mine." Jack said, trying to be vague. "She's a harsh teacher."
"I see. Is it just stage magic? Or is there something more?"
The sound of the crowd seemed to grow quiet, when Estrella asked that question. She leaned towards him and lowered her voice.
"Trust me, I can tell."
"Are you asking if I'm a sorcerer?"
"Sure am. And it sounds like the answer's yes."
"Wait, I never said that—"
"Like I said." Estrella repeated. "I can tell."
"Well… What's it to you?"
"People like you don't show up every day. There's a golden opportunity waiting for you. I'm here with an offer."
Wait. Jack had heard this one before. Estrella pulled out a hauntingly familiar business card. Black and gold, containing one phone number. She handed it to Jack, who took it and slipped it into his pocket. Looking closely, he noticed a small metal implant tucked behind her ear, mostly obscured by her hair. Unlike Nancy and Claire, Estrella's implant was far less noticeable.
"This guy changed my life. He helped me unlock my true potential. And now, if anyone causes trouble in Sun Horizon," She said, "They have me to protect them."
"So, you're a superhero?" He asked.
"Something like that. I'm not much for Hairman's spandex, but the role is more or less the same. We could use someone like you."
"Who's we?"
"Let's call him a teacher. He should be the one to explain the details to you." She explained. "I met an associate of his back in Sun Horizon. He's got a lot of plans for the future. I agreed to spread the word. If you're really a sorcerer, this isn't an offer I would pass up."
Great. This, again. Jack thought he had left this Ironheart calling-card business behind, with Nancy and Claire. A part of him wanted to pry Estrella for answers. But knowing Nancy, he figured Estrella would be just as tight-lipped. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.
What would Leda want him to do? He had to put his foot down. Between Ironheart and Night Swan, Jack knew who he feared more.
"Let me guess. Ironheart?"
Estrella raised an eyebrow. "You know about him?"
"I know enough." Jack muttered, his voice growing deliberately cold. "Whatever he's planning, my mother and I want nothing to do with it."
"Oh, dear. I see Leda hasn't changed a bit. I bet you don't like being kept on a leash."
"What do you know about my mother?"
"More than you might think. If you come with us, I could—"
"Then you should know better. Stay out of our way."
Before she could continue, Jack got up and left Estrella. He made his way to the edge of the room, finding a nearby corridor to duck into. Once he was relatively out of sight, Jack hastily began to dial a number. He knew she would pick up at this hour.
"Talk to me."
"Lilith, I need you to pick me up after the Gala." Jack muttered. "There's a problem."
"What's up?"
"I got another offer from Ironheart."
Lilith sighed. "From who?"
"Estrella. Same card, more or less the same pitch too. I'm worried. She clocked me a sorcerer right away. She might try to follow me."
"Oh, her? So that's what she's up to these days…"
"She made it sound like she knows about Leda. Did something happen?"
"We had a bit of an altercation. It was when you were a baby. Nothing severe. Did she say anything useful?"
"Most of it, I already heard from Nancy." Jack told her. "But Estrella made it sound like Ironheart is a good guy, if you know what I mean. Don't see why he'd be working with the Obscures, if that's the case."
"He's probably lying to Estrella. But that's just a theory. We'll figure it out later. Watch yourself at the Gala. Meet me around back at midnight."
Midnight. It would be hours before midnight. Heading back to the ballroom, Jack kept his eyes out for Estrella. He didn't see her again. As the servers began bringing in plates of fine food, Jack realized he wasn't hungry in the slightest.
"Can we stop by that drive-thru?"
"Didn't you eat at the Gala?"
"I couldn't. Kept looking over my shoulder."
Lilith rolled her eyes, and didn't stop at the drive-thru. Maybe Jack could order something when he got back to his hotel. Right now, it was ten minutes past midnight. Lilith kept her word, picking up Jack after the gala. He didn't have any more trouble from Estrella, thankfully.
"Did you keep the card, this time?"
"I did." Jack nodded, pulling out the black-gold business card. "It's exactly like the one Nancy gave me, too. Have you guys figured out anything more about him?"
"Our attention has been mostly elsewhere. We're still planning for him to interfere with us, though. When you get home, your mother will go over the fine details."
"Great. Gods, I need a vacation…"
"We can't afford to let our guard down." Lilith reminded him. "I'll keep an eye on Estrella. You worry about your part."
Right. Jack did as he was told. It was all he was good for, these days. He dug out his little bag of pills, staring at them for a moment. He had five of them, small and white. Dosing was simple. One pill was a low dose, two was a moderate dose. Three was a high dose, usually reserved for patients with extreme anxiety. Four was pushing it. Five was an overdose.
Without thinking, Jack dumped all five pills into his palm. The thought crossed his mind. Lilith cleared her throat.
"Don't even think about it."
"…I wasn't—"
"The last thing we need is an ER visit and a PR nightmare." She interrupted him. "Maybe you should think about weaning yourself off those things."
Fine. Whatever. Jack put them away and stared flatly out the window. Lilith had a point. That didn't make him feel any better. As they drove through Dancity, the rooftops of the skyscrapers kept grabbing his attention. Maybe he shouldn't entertain these thoughts for long.