Page 49 of Hollow

According to Jack, most creators lose themselves in their online journey. Whether a need to stay monetized, a fear of doxxing, or a chronic obsession with all things online, it was easy for people to become lost in a haze. But Jack didn’t worry about money, since his mother taught him how to invest in a proper portfolio centuries ago. Something Jack mocked Dimitri about, explaining that poor immortals were just insulting. Dimitri didn’t understand why, but he took Jack’s word on it.

When it came to doxxing, a word Dimitri had only recently learned, Jack didn’t fear his address being uncovered. Why would he when he had the mystical cloak of the fog surrounding his woods?

And while Dimitri sometimes considered Jack chronically obsessed with the online world of his video games, he didn’t think it bordered on anything dangerous. After all, Dimitri still managed to drag Jack away from his games long enough to join him on hikes.

All in all, Dimitri enjoyed learning about the world of content creation from Jack. Mainly because he could babble for hours about comments he loved and laugh at comments Dimitri loathed. Humans were mean behind a screen.

“That’s when I knew…” Jack made small talk about his life, discussing anecdotes from over a century ago.

Dimitri listened intently, finding all of Jack’s silly stories entertaining. As Jack talked, he used hair ties to wrap all of Dimitri’s curls into funky little spiked off sections. From what Dimitri had gathered, Jack didn’t intend to dye his entire head, merely the roots. This likely meant he’d have to sit through this daunting process again once his hair started to grow out. As Jack worked, Dimitri noticed the camera positioned in front of them.

“This will be a very long video.”

“Oh no, I’ll do a time lapse,” Jack explained. “I’ll probably only end up using a few shots. Thirty seconds max.”

“What is time lapse?”

“I’ll speed up the video, add some cute music, and get some close-ups of your scrunched face.” Jack bopped Dimitri on the nose with his pinky—one of his few fingers not covered in the heinous chemicals.

“I am making no scrunchie faces.”

“You are. I’m guessing the dye is very potent?” Jack chuckled. “Thankfully, the pumpkin offers a buffer, and I have my shadow senses dimmed.”

Jack continued working, and Dimitri tried not to fidget but found it difficult to get comfortable in the stiff kitchen chair.

It didn’t take long for Jack to finish. He had all the dye applied and set the timer. Dimitri was allowed to stand and stretch, but Jack asked him to remain close for filming purposes.

Jack stared at Dimitri’s tail. “Oh, I just got the best idea.”

“No.”

“Please, please, please.”

“No.”

“But it’s a waste of dye.” Jack dropped to his knees, his shadowy eyes turning into sad, giant saucers. “I’ll be forever grateful.”

Dimitri found himself softening to Jack’s pleading.

“In fact, I could be very, very grateful.” Jack eyed Dimitri’s crotch.

“You are not dyeing the hairs there.”

“What? No, I was being sexy and suggestive and…” Jack’s expression turned to surprise. “I just want your tail to match your head.”

“What? Why?”

“It’d be so cool. Just imagine.”

Dimitri did not wish to imagine, but he also did not care much since he couldn’t see his tail anyway. “Fine.”

“Really?” Jack squealed, not waiting for a second confirmation.

He went to work applying the dye to Dimitri’s tail, which twitched in response.

“It’s so cute and fluffy,” Jack shouted.

“You are not putting my tail on display in your videos.”