all it takes is gas to burn a city down with matches

JACK

Melita's name causes Jack's eyebrows to raise a fraction further; the fiery demigod has always been a force of chaos both on and off the Ark, and as the image of her flashes through Vesper's mind and into his own, there's no mistaking her for anyone else. It makes sense that the Marin boy has come looking for him, given the tangential relationship between them all, but he's still unsure quite what Mel could have done to piss him off.

Except, as it happens - and really Jack should have seen that coming - Vesper isn't acting on his own behalf at all. And kudos to him for not sugarcoating anything, from Nova throwing the first punch to being attacked because she's, well, Nova (because yes, he can see her personality getting her into all sorts of trouble by itself), the captain frowning softly as he glances across the festivities towards the Honeybee.

Slowly, Jack takes his hands from his pockets, grateful for the snow on the ground and the way it will disguise the frost that coats the leather covering his fingers. "Very mature of you to approach me first," he remarks. "Do you want me to talk with her, or...?" Do you just want me to be there? Are you just telling me to be polite before you deal with it yourself?

romancing yourself is possible, narcissistic
and recommended