jarod meets murdock: http://community.livejournal.com/milieux_village/850620.html?thread=34974140#t34974140

jarod learns to play pool: http://community.livejournal.com/milieux_village/852343.html?thread=35007095#t35007095

jarod learns about moondancing: http://community.livejournal.com/milieux_village/855991.html#comments

The pretend hadn't been anything Jarod had planned. He had just kind of stumbled into it while riding the rails. But he was rather pleased with how it'd turned out.

It had been so easy for Coalcar Tom to get from place to place without being tracked. All he'd had to do between victims was hop a train and be on his way. But Jarod had figured out his pattern, befriended him and a few other hobos, and set a trap.

Now Tom was getting a taste of the fear each girl he'd abducted had experienced.

"No good trying to untie those knots Tom. I may not really be an out of work sailor, but I know how to tie them. Besides..." He let some slack on the rope again, dangling the serial rapist further out over the ground racing below. "You'd only get yourself stranded out in the middle of nowhere."

"Jarod c'mon Man! What the hell?!"

"You're right Tom, it's exhilerating. Having someone's life in your hands."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

There was a tunnel coming. Jarod let out even more slack. If he didn't pull Tom in, he'd be cut in half when the train entered.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You kidnapped those girls! You tortured them, just like this! And you let Switchtrack take the fall, didn't you?! Didn't you?! Didn't you?! Didn't you?!"

"Yes! Alright it was me! Please!"

Jarod pulled the rope taught, as he'd always intended to do, with plenty of time before the tunnel. He turned to Victor Fried, a young train hopper he'd befriended. "Did you get all that?"

Victor nodded solemnly. "Yeah." He held up the cell phone he'd recorded the man's confession on. "I dunno it it'd be permissable in court, but it should be enough to get Switch off the hook."

Jarod was learning how to paint. Which meant that what was on the canvas just now probably looked less like the pond, and more like some kind of impressionist work. Well it was his first attempt. A stack of art books sat on the ground beside him.

Keeping his place in one of them was a list of things he'd like to try to paint. The Human figure was one. He wondered if it'd be hard to find someone willing to pose for him. Suzette probably wouldn't mind, but he wasn't certain he should ask her first. She might decide it should be a nude and he wasn't ready for that yet.

Setting his brush in the easel tray, he took a sip of the juice he had in a thermos. Mm, fruit juice. It was very good. And tasted a heck of a lot better than the alchohol he'd tried so far. Even the alchoholic rain from a while back.

Just for the hell of it, he painted two crude figures in the painting. They looked like a little child had painted them, but they were supposed to be Faith and Sarah.

He'd get better.

[Open]

The silver briefcase sat on the table before Jarod. He stared at it, uncertain. It wasn't just a briefcase. Concealed within it was a laptop computer of sorts. It was a viewer for the video files he'd just obtained from the Center. And he was scared to open it.

"So ya
Thought ya
Might like to go to the show.
To feel the warm thrill of confusion
That space cadet glow.
Tell me is something eluding you, sunshine?
Is this not what you expected to see?
If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes
You'll just have to claw your way through this disguise." he sang.

He wasn't certain he wouldn't have done this even without an outside influence. Maybe it was the Milieux effect, maybe it was something to do with that lab. He needed to get a job there.

But right now he was focused on getting over this fear of his. He was all of a sudden unsure he wanted to see what was in there.

( Cut for Pink Floyd Singing )

With a deep breath, he opened the case, selected a disc, and slid it into the player.

[Establishy unless someone wants to come and chat.]

I'm trying to figure out a song for Jarod to sing. It has to reflect what was done to him and taken from him, as he's just gotten hold of all those vid files he watches in the show.

There was loud music playing in Jarod's building today, an odd mix of Oldies, 80's and 90's tunes. He spent some time on David Bowie, but eventually decided that the man was not actually from outer space. After his "music lesson" with Suzette at her shop, Jarod had gone out and gotten, not only an entertainment system, but a lot of cd's. As he listened, he made himself a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches, planned the menu for Friday, and looked through a collection of articles about a suspicious incident that happened on a rock band's tour. Also there were several brochures for various theme parks.

[Open for anyone who wants to stop by.]

Along Greenway Street, there were a few small office buildings and ware houses. It had taken Jarod awhile to find the owners.

"Well," the landlord said, as he flipped on the lights. "This is it. It wasn't intended as a residence, but..."

Jarod stepped in, and turned, looking the place over. He imagined how it had looked when it was occupied, crammed with desks and cubicles and file cabinets. Now it was a large open, empty space, with a bathroom and a small kitchenette.

"This will be perfect." he said, smiling. "How's the view?" Without waiting for an answer, he went to the windows and looked out. They were facing the road so he had a good view of the town. "I'll take it." he said. "Thank you very much."

[Establishy, but open.]

Jarod of the ever changing last name, is from the television show The Pretender. The short of it is that he is beyond genius. But it's not so much his intelligence that makes him special. It's his adaptability and his empathy. As it's described in canon, Jarod can read a book about open heart surgery in the morning, and perform a perfect heart transplant that afternoon. He manages to keep several steps ahead of his enemies because he can get inside people's heads and know exactly how they think, and know what they'll do before they know it. And he does this without any telepathy.

Jarod was abducted as a child and raised in captivity by an organization called The Center. He has just escaped.

Questions? Comments?

( Blue Cove, Delaware, Christmas Eve )

( Virginia Beach, Virginia )

Milieux, Saturday Afternoon

"Jarod, wake up." Jarod awoke quickly. He hadn't really wanted to sleep to begin with. There was too much to see. But even he had needed to succumb to exhaustion eventually. He grunted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "End of the line."

Tim Desmond had picked Jarod up early that morning. "For me anyway." He didn't quite buy that Jarod's last name was Kerouack, but he was willing to allow the man his secret.

"This is Milieux?" Jarod asked him, looking around.

Tim pulled into the parking lot of the Storefront Apartments. "This is it." he confirmed. "From here it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to New Orleans."

Jarod looked puzzled at that expression, storing it away for future use. "This looks like a nice town." he said, mostly to himself. He was tired from so long on the road. Sure it had only been a few days, but that was a long time for him. Maybe he could settle in here for a bit, till he figured out his next move.

Tim nodded. "It is. And it's like no other place on earth."

Jarod got out of the car and stretched. "Thank you for the ride Tim." he said. "Do you need any help moving into your apartment?"

Tim shook his head. He didn't know if Jarod was ready to meet Hobson yet. "Nah, thanks though. I imagine I'll see you around?"

Jarond looked around. "I wouldn't be surprised at all."

[Jarod and Tim are in Milieux! This post is open if you want to talk to either one.]

Jarod couldn't decide which he was enjoying more, feeding the ducks, or sampling the doughnuts he was feeding them himself. "These are very good." he said to no one in particular. The ducks seemed to agree.