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Jebediah doesn't quite take his sweet time coming back to the garage for his officially apology to Elmo but he doesn't move quickly about it either, half hesistance and half because his 'apology' consisted of things that needed to be made because Jeb's never been very good with words and there was also a little bit of business on his part as well, between hiring people for the club and getting through his first few classes, Jeb has had precious little free time, if one could even call it that. He comes over with a parcel of sorts, wrapped in newspaper and twine. There is something different about him, and that's that he's wearing his glasses. When his eyes become exhausted from constant use, he needs them and clearly, whatever is inside of the newspaper wrapping, it had required a lot of Jeb's power, it's big enough that Jeb needs both hands to hold it but doesn't seem to be very heavy. The glasses, from a distance, might help hide the dark circles beneath his eyes too.
Jeb is dressed like he always is, ripped jeans, shirt rather wrinkled, like he might have slept in it the night before and forgotten to change before he left today. He peeks into the garage, wrapping his fists on the wall to let his presence be known.
JP loved that Jeb didn't wear a suit and tie or try to around the Garage. It helped him trust him. One might say JP, but your boy Elmo dresses like that! and JP would also note that yeah and he robbed a guy who robbed a bank with him. Clearly dubious. Well, ifJP knew what 'dubious' meant. He might just hit you thinking you were running your mouth about his mama, but, that was Jean-Pierre Bonaventure, Ladies and Gents. He had the garage tagged and it… wasn't open for business but as Jeb approached the doors opened at the bottom for him. Some might think clever. JP really just didn't think to or need to untag it and maintained a half awareness of the front of the building. Great to know if cops were sneaking up to throw one a surprise party too.
Elmo will totally wear a suit and tie around the garage, because that's how he loves to dress. For him it's not a statement of anything, other than 'fuck you if you don't like it'. Today, however, he's not, just wearing tee and jeans like every other working-class guy in New York. Except the tee shirt is an eye-searing yellow, because that's how he rolls. He's playing with the reticulated framework he's been working on, which hangs from wires so he can work on it without laying it flat. It's odd looking, sort of like bat wings with only the one outside finger. Elmo looks up as the garage door opens. "Yeah, who is it?" he calls, knowing JP wouldn't open it for just anybody.
Jeb swallows hard as the garage door's open up for him and he comes inside. "Um.. it's me. Ah came to talk to you and my hands are full so Ah ain't here to hit you." Jeb is trying to make light of the situation because the last thing it needs to be is anymore tense than it already is. He doesn't approach Elmo any closer for now, refusing to come closer unless invited actually. "Ah came to apologize and not 'cause anyone made me or anythin' either. You didn't actually deserve it this time, Elmo. And Ah understand if you ain't wanna hear me out but Ah /am/ sorry."
JP was actually playing pool up in the loft. Look! We own the stuff to play pool! "It' Jeb come by cause I tell you he comin by…well eventually." He looked over with a grin, "Hey, c'mon in. Welcome 'my home, man…well, welcome back." He gestured with the pool cue, "Do you thing. We'll have a beer after."
Elmo lifts his eyebrows at Jeb, actually not recognizing him for a split second. Then, "Oh, Jeb. You're wearin' glasses. …They're cute on ya. Yeah come on in." He's cautious, shoulders tensing, but not flinging lightning, so there's that. Setting down the tool he was using to mess with his project, he waves Jeb in.
"My eyes are tired from… everything. If Ah use my power too much, they get tired and makes it hard for me to see, my mutation fixed my eyesight but sometimes like Ah said, goes back to it's old ways. Thanks, um, for sayin' they were cute." He is very nervous but Elmo doesn't show him any outward animosity so he comes closer, offering the newspaper wrapped package. "Consider it a token of my apology, but Ah really am sorry, you didn't deserve to be hit and you didn't deserve what Ah said to you neither, Ah didn't mean it, Ah was just worked up."
If Elmo takes the package, Jeb rubs the back of his neck. "Listen, Halgrim, he fits a very specific role in my life and it's a role that frequently leaves me abandoned. Halgrim never said you told he couldn't be here but he eluded to havin' had some kind of conversation with you and Ah panicked and Ah wanted to hit someone about it and Ah picked you and that weren't fair to you and Ah know that we were gettin' to be some version of friends so that really hurt you too, that Ah would scream mean shit at you that you hadn't earned. Friends don't treat their friends like that. Ah'm so sorry, Elmo."
JP continued to play his game of pool. It would be a mistake to assume JP was careless as he made his efforts look. He was, in truth, carrying on absolutely casual to stress the subtle point that there were no concerns, it was just another day, and have a distinct element of someone not having thier emotions keyed up to balance out the room and just keep shit calm and level and casual like. A lot of effort went into absolutely not participating but being in the room. TO that point he let the conversation carry on. So far so good and, "Oui!" Wha? Oh he was celebrating trick shotting the 1 ball. Well someone was happy with themselves.
Elmo leans against the counter, folding his arms. Leaning towards JP, although he doesn't realize it. "Grim offered to stay away from the garage, and M.T. I told him I'd have to talk it over with the boss. It wasn't only my call, either way. Well, we talked about it and we agree Grim's the kinda guy we need more of around here." Now he does flick a glance at JP, who's made his trick shot, and smiles a little, letting a lot more adoration into it than he means to, before he looks back at Jeb. "Look, that ain't how you treat a friend, you're right. Left me feelin' like we weren't friends no more, and I thought we were gettin' there, Jeb, I really did."
Jeb puts the package down on whatever is closest enough to him, but he doesn't get any closer to Elmo. "Ah know… Ah just said that Ah know that." Jeb says and there isn't any heat on the words, maybe a little frustration but not aimed at Elmo, at least, more inwardly. "Maybe we ain't. Ah don't know, Ah know that Ah'm sorry and Ah know that when Ah see you, Ah just see someone like me but way better at bein' me than Ah am at bein' me. And you ain't lookin' for excuses and Ah ain't going to give them to you. Ah'm sorry. Ah meant that Ah'm sorry, there ain't a better word for Ah'm sorry than Ah'm sorry. Ah'm sorry Ah hit you. Ah'm sorry Ah said what Ah did. Ah would say Ah didn't mean to hurt you but Ah did, at the time but Ah regret it now." Jeb sighs, taking a step back and away from Elmo.
"Ah'm just.. Ah was… Ah…" He rolls his eyes up to the ceiling and takes a deep breath, to try and calm himself down. "Ah'm bad at everythin' and you, you're so great. You're so cool. You're awesome. You're fuckin' brilliant. You're a great friend. You're worth all the love in the world. And bein' around you sometimes makes me accutely aware of how Ah am not all of those things and Ah think that, deep down, when Ah came here and hit you, Ah was just usin' Halgrim as a reason to take out all these feelin's of bein' inadequate on you, Ah think Ah had been feelin' it for awhile and hell, Ah even think Ah might be jealous. Jealous that you get so much time with Jay and then also jealous that /everyone/ else gets so much time with you when… Ah want it… Ah do. Ah want to be around you. Ah wanna be your friend even if Ah feel like shit all the time because Ah really can't be much of a friend to you… Ah can't be very useful.. Ah do want to be around you.." Jeb tries to explain and when he looks down, it's to wipe at his eyes, lifting up his glasses to do so. "Ah'm /sorry/, Elmo. Ah'm really sorry."
JP looked up to Elmo pointing to him with the cue on that ain't how you treat a friend to which he agreed, "Tha' troo, but, he also know that. Here… teh situation about Grimm." He turned to Jeb, "He dangerous? Sure like e'ry third furker in Mutant Town. I ain' no mayor. I jes' run my block, an ' I think we keepin things pretty nice roun' here. But Grimm a hazard t'himself if he out on his own wit' no nation. THey gon' pick us all apart. Anyone welcome on m'block that ain' gonna cause me no problems none, hmm?" And then the rambling of admission came in its own time and JP let him. He didn't shoot and interrupt. "There. Elmo, he is sorry. Past action? We gon' forgive an call it a wash. After t'day? We startin over, hmm?"
Elmo blinks at Jeb in honest confusion when he starts talking about how amazing Elmo is. He listens, expression morphing from confusion to startled to concerned. "Jeb, that ain't…that ain't true, you're not…hell, come here." Approaching Jeb he wraps his arms around him in a hug. "Dammit, you crazy Guthrie. Ain't none of that true about you. Your brothers love you. Doug loves you. Grim loves you. Even I'm here hugging you after you punched me twice. Look at you usin' all your big college prep words, too. Jeb there ain't a single thing wrong with you. Quit cryin', you're gonna make me cry." His voice thickens up, threatening tears.
Jeb startles a little when Elmo hugs him, like he thinks that Elmo's going to hit him instead of hold him, which he would be well within his right to. It takes him a second but he returns the hug. "Ah'm r-really s-sorry, Elmo." Jeb stammers, definitely not listening to Elmo's request that he quits crying right away. "You d-deserved it the first time Ah hit you. Ah ain't apologizin' about that one." He stammers, trying to add humor to the situation. "Agree to disagree about that.. there's a lot wrong with me but Ah'm gonna work on it. Ah'm gonna try really hard to not be a bad friend to you no more, if you still wanna be my friend."
JP dragged the cue with him and hugged them both. He sniffled with a grin< "I always wanted to be in one of these Norse Rockwall moments. THis' great. Also, Jeb, that apology is accepted. Ya doe. Issue over. I declare y'all even. Move forward. Do better. Don' wreck m'garage…"He butchered Norman Rockwell but ya know, he was happy withthe outcome.
"I did deserve it," Elmo admits, "I shouldn'ta said that about Jay. Big mouth a mine. We're too much alike, you 'n me, Jebkha." But they'd already hashed that out between them. JP comes in to hug them and sass them and he mutters an uncomplimentary phrase in Yiddish, lets go of Jeb and hugs his partner instead. "It's Norman Rockwell, ya yutz." Elmo secret code for 'thanks'. He pulls away from JP and roughly wipes his eyes. "What'd you bring, Jeb? Let's see it."
"Ah brought an apology." Jeb says simply as if that describes it enough as he picks up the gift and hands it to Elmo. "Open it, goose. You'll find out, won't you. Oh, and Ah have some good news to tell you but after you see what it is." Inside of the newspaper, Elmo would find a rather large wooden box, clearly handmade, hand sanded, hand stained and then burned on the top is a map of the world, the outside of the box is made to look like a book and instead of opening on the top, it pulls out as a drawer.
Inside of the drawer, when he pulls it out, sits a little bracelet, made with leather, with two handcut wooden rings, one painted a bright yellow and the other painted a bright blue.
JP boggled to Elmo confused, "That what I said, Norse Rockwall. Jeeze yous gotta correct everythin." He let go and seriously seemed to have no idea what the difference was. he did look atthe box cause he was curious as hell. Seeing it he grinned and he hand mussed the shit out of Jeb's hair with a grin,"Merde, mon ami, you somethin else." It wasn't a bad thing, that was neat, and new, and exciting like in like.
Elmo unfolds the newspaper and—"Holy shit," he mutters, picking the box up and turning it around to get a look at it from every angle. He hears the rattle, finds the drawer, slides it open. Plucks out the bracelet, and just looks kinda stunned. "You made this for me?" It's in his colors, that's a silly question.
Jeb nods and then smiles, shyly when JP tells him he's something else, blushing a little in the presence of the Elder Bonaventure. "Ah was thinkin' you could keep all those little gears and stuff you make in there and then if you put it up on a shelf or somethin', it just looks like a book, no one would guess you were keepin' somethin' in there." He smiles when Elmo pulls out the bracelet and then pulls one out of his pocket that has the same rings but red and black instead.
JP held up his hand and the cue, "Course we gonna know. He keeps leaving his bits all over the workbench." He didn't elabourate on what he meant by that, but Elmo was a bit mad science at the best of times. Still teh hand reached out to Jeb's shoulder with a squeeze. "Ya did good. You even now. Now can we start work on shit?"
"Yeah," Elmo says, unusually soft, looking at the bracelet. He slips it on over his big knuckly hand, right wrist. "We're even." He grins sudden and bright up at the other two. "We're officially friends, Jeb. C'mon, you want a drink?"
"We're even? We are? Okay. Oh. Now that we're friends, Ah can tell you, Ah passed my entrance exam on the first try. Ah'm going to college! It was all thanks to your help, really. Never would have made it past the math portion without your help." Jeb says, wringing his hands together. "Don't tell Jay though. He got enough to worry about right now. I don't want him to think that I'm slipping on taking care of the club by trying to study."
Elmo's admiring the bracelet, which it must be said does suit him. Elegantly made, a little rough—the metaphor is obvious. He looks back up at Jeb with a brilliant smile. "You made it! Buddy, I told ya you would!" …Then his expression falls. "Why wouldn't you tell Jay? He's gonna be thrilled."
"Ah'm takin' care of the club right now while he works on figurin' out what's happening with Doug, Ah can't let him think that going to school might effect my ability to run the club alone without his help, you know? He's gotta focus on helpin' Doug. Knowing Ah'm trying to juggle two things at once might make him worry and Ah ain't want him worryin' right now." Jeb explains.