Last Resort-deleted scenes

GROWING UP.

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(This scene starts after Jareth and Sarah have left the gallery after Jareth has met Carol for the first time. Sarah offered to purchase him a pretzel and now they're enjoying each others' company as they stroll on the sidewalks of New York.)

"Sarah, this chewy bread confection is quite enjoyable. I've never eaten a 'pret-zel' before." Jareth commented, enunciating the word pretzel as two separate words causing Sarah to giggle and cover her mouth so she wouldn't spew her own pret-zel. "You find my pleasure amusing?" He asked with a touch of haughtiness.

"No...No, it's not that. It's just the way you said pretzel." She wiped her mouth with a napkin as he glared at her then gulped her soda to wash down the dough. "You want some more mustard?"

"Yes, thank you. I would've never thought a spicy condiment would compliment this so well. Truly a gourmet wonder." Jareth slathered more of the yellow sauce on his salty treat and bit off a chunk that was somehow both manly yet delicate. How he could always be so masculine and still more refined that most women, Sarah would never understand. Any modern, human man with the same mannerism she would immediately write off as gay. But not Jareth; he filled his own category.

"So, Jareth, what did you want to be when you grew up?" She asked trying to sound casual.

"Pardon? I'm afraid I don't quite understand the question." He gave her a blank look mid bite.

"Come on, you know, what career or job did you want to do once you became an adult?" Sarah lightly nudged his arm in jest, positive that he was playing with her reluctant to answer the question. She glanced at his blank look again before returning her eyes to the sidewalk ahead.

"Career? Precious, things don't work that way in the Underground." He stated tersely and attacked his pretzel with vigor.

"They don't? Well, people have jobs don't they?"

"Yes."

"People make things there and there's commerce and such, right?"

"Of course." He answered without answering anything.

"You're so frustrating! Why can't you just answer the question?" She stopped walking forcing him to cease as well and there they stood, an eye of tension as the sea of humanity crested around them.

"Because the questions you ask don't have such simple Mortal answers. Yes, there is commerce but we don't use money, yes, there are jobs but residents of the Underground do not aspire to careers as Mortals do. Sarah, things are similar and yet so very different." Jareth sighed he could tell she wanted to understand. Her eyes expressed such sincerity that he continued.

"Residents of the Underground live because, and occasionally in spite of, the inherent magic of the realm. It is what makes us who we are and what we become. Usually we have little choice in what we will do with our lives once we reach the age of majority."

"And how old is that?" Her eyes brimmed with curiosity regarding Jareth's world.

"One hundred years, Sarah." Jareth reached for one of her napkins which she offered and he wiped his lips free of the spicy mustard.

"Wow, I'd hate to live with my parents for a hundred years!"

"Mmmm...yes...quite." He mumbled noncommittally.

"Well, what about money then?"

"Mainly we use a commerce system similar to your old barter system; however it's based on magical abilities. The more magic ability one possesses then the 'richer' or more 'powerful' one is because of the level of spells one can trade, therefore one tends to accumulate more physical possessions. This is why families form strong legacies and seek out fresh bloodlines to keep the magic strong."

Sarah wrinkled her nose, the disgust obvious in her expression. "Sounds more like an autocratic system than a barter system."

Jareth shrugged, "I suppose you could compare the two. While our government is controlled by an elected Council the members tend to be the same or similar persons of magical ability. There are a few Kingdoms with hereditary titles remaining but if their magic dwindles eventually the Council will rescind the Crown from that line and bestow it upon another more powerful family. My crown is the only one won by right of will."

"Jareth, your world's government is even more screwed up then mine. And mine is screwed up bad." Sarah shook her head and slipped her arm through his as she snuggled to his side.

"Perhaps so, Sarah, but consider this. No one in my world goes hungry or homeless unless by their choice. Those that have the ability to barter do so, or conjure their own material needs, and those that have very little ability work for those who are 'richer' and are always provided for regardless of circumstances."

"Still sounds like a strict autocratic system to me. I bet there's a strong caste system build in as well."

Jareth pursed his lips and lowered his chin to his chest thinking on her opinion. True, it was extremely difficult for one with little ability to rise above their birth, nearly impossible. But it could be done under certain conditions; very strict, specific conditions but the potential existed. He'd never considered that perhaps his Society's method of government might be...burdensome. Sarah certainly seemed to think so but her viewpoint only compared what she knew of his world with her own. A very unfair comparison but a subject he would need to think further on in the future.

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