[ sheesh, this guy's twitchy. obviously not much of a party type, either. he'd like to do something to put him at ease, or get some cheer in him ideally, but... nervous ones are tricky. nervous kids, no problem; nervous adults feel a little more like walking on eggshells than Jack is normally comfortable with. ]

A troublemaker, huh? She sounds like our kind of girl. [ he grins over his shoulder at the Duskull hovering behind him, and it makes a raspy, rattling noise, eyes curved with a smile. ] Uh, he's laughing. Some people get kind of creeped out by the sound, but - it's a laugh.

[ ... right, he's still holding the Poliwag. ] Oh! Right, here she is. All yours.

[ he goes to hand her over, perhaps with a tiny moment of hesitation; he's so used to every small touch being something that has to sustain him for a week, maybe longer, before he'd get the chance again. taking a kid by the hand, or pulling them in against his chest to shield them in a snowball fight - little fleeting things that he'd miss again as soon as they were over. he can't cradle Duskull like this either, something solid and real.

but it's not like that anymore, and he just has to remember that. he actually lives in a city now, and there are people that aren't afraid of what he is. anyway, he can't just hold onto this guy's friend, that would be weird. ]