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[mcgill]

[The man seated uneasily in front of the camera probably looks familiar to anyone who knew or knew of Saul Goodman, ex-defense attorney and daytime TV judge extraordinaire. He has the same face, mostly, save for the abundance of hair on his head (which is sticking up just slightly, like he's been exposed to a stiff breeze or, in his case, static electricity) and fewer wrinkles around his eyes than anyone who got close enough to him might remember. And his smile, just like Saul's, is playfully crooked — though it's laced with a nervousness that doesn't really fit the image Saul projected whenever he had an audience. This man isn't as confident as his older lookalike, that much is clear, nor is he as brightly dressed. (A white dress shirt and a bland, striped tie are all that's currently visible.)

But he has that same ol' sparkle in his eye, and he straightens up a bit as soon as he's ready to speak, which is a habit anyone would recognize: that sudden shift from casual to professional Saul made any time he approached the bench or a business meeting.

And as for his voice — that's the same, too.

This is almost definitely Saul Goodman, but:]

Hiya. The name's Jimmy McGill. James, technically, but — I prefer Jimmy.

[He lifts his hands into view. Saul's trademark (fake) Rolex and gold pinky ring are missing, but that's because they're obscured by a pair of heavy-duty electrical gloves.]

I've got a little problem on my hands, pun only halfheartedly intended. [A laugh, one quick huff of air. Saul's laugh: Heh.] Seems the powers that be decided I should have the ability to manipulate power itself. Electricity, I mean. More specifically — [A brief pause, a swallow. He tries to play it off; there's no reason this word should bother him.] Electromagnetism. So, since I have no idea how to control an honest-to-God superpower because they're not really real where I come from, this is... uh, it's an issue. Anyone got any tips? Tricks? Ways to wake up, maybe?

[He smiles again, this time thin-lipped and a little desperate. It looks like he's on the verge of panic.]

Please?

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[rathercommon]

[ Oh, you. Well, if he's choosing to go by a different name, she's certainly not going to call him out on it... ]

Hullo. If you're having trouble, I can neutralize your power temporarily while you get it under control.

[mcgill]

[SOMEONE HELPFUL. Yes. Jimmy's expression relaxes, just slightly.]

Can you? That's good to know. It's... it's okay right now, thanks to the gloves. [He wiggles his fingers.] And it's not really strong — I'm not running around like some baby Magneto, but I don't want to risk messing anything up.

[rathercommon]

[ She nods supportively, and gives him a smile. ]

Yeah, you seem to be doing all right. Just...The offer's there if you need it. I know a lot of people have got powers tied to their emotions, so it turns into a bad cycle where they get more upset and lose even more control which upsets them even more...So I always like to offer, so that people know that there are ways to interrupt that.

[mcgill]

I think that's the case with me, too.

[Unfortunately.]

You'd think they wouldn't give people powers like that after kidnapping them to a strange and completely unfamiliar world, yet here we are. Or here I am, anyway.

[rathercommon]

[ A shrug. ]

You'd think. The Porter's workings are really bizarre, that's for certain.

[mcgill]

That's one word for it.

[A nice word, not one Jimmy would use in this situation.]

How long have you been here?

[rathercommon]

Oh. Erm -

[ She wasn't expecting that question, and so she squints as she calculates - ]

Seven months now...Yeah. I got here last November. So quite a while.

[mcgill]

Jeez. Do they let you go back home at any point, or are we stuck for good?

[He sounds more curious than worried, though he's a pretty equal mix of both.]

[rathercommon]

Oh - Well. Lots of people do go home, but there doesn't really seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. It's sort of...People will disappear, and they'll only be gone a day but years will have passed for them at home. Or they'll be gone a month but only live out a single day at home. And it can happen at any time, to anyone. It's quite mad.

[mcgill]

[There's a very, very long pause from Jimmy's end.]

Oh.

[rathercommon]

[ A sympathetic little smile. ]

Yeah. Sorry. You've just got to make the best of your life here...Some people are working hard on figuring out how to go home voluntarily. Others, since everything here is temporary for us, work on making life better for the people here, since it's not temporary for them - because it is possible to leave a legacy, even if we don't last.

[mcgill]

[It appears Kitty just said the magic words, because Jimmy stares at his screen like he's been whacked in the face. There's too much going on in his expression to decipher whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it ends with him blinking and then diverting his gaze to his hands for a moment. When he looks back up, he says:] They made me a judge. Back home, I was just a public defender. I don't even have that much experience.

[rathercommon]

[ She's not sure what she said to get that reaction out of him, but she's guessing it's the latter part, since he's not asking about getting involved in the efforts to go home. In which case...Huh, interesting. She likes people who like to help. ]

Well - you don't have to stick with what they gave you if you don't want to. But do you think you can't work as a judge?

[mcgill]

[It's something like that.

Jimmy bites his lip. He can hear his brother's voice in the back of his mind, saying something about inexperience and making a mockery of the legal system.]

I've just never done it before. I see judges almost every day of my life, but I'm usually... you know, in front of them, doin' my lawyer thing.

[rathercommon]

[ Her smile is warm enough when she chides him: ]

And those are reasons that you might feel like you can't. But can you? Ultimately, it's about making decisions based on what you think is right, isn't it? And I'm sure you're able to do that...

[mcgill]

[Well...................]

I think it's something I'm going to have to think about.

[rathercommon]

Well, do think about it. It's never a bad thing to have good-hearted people in charge of justice.

[mcgill]

[Things Jimmy isn't great at yet: hiding his emotions. He swallows hard, and it's visible.]

Yeah. What do you do?

[Here's hoping Kitty doesn't get whiplash from that subject change.]

[rathercommon]

[ Au contraire: she understands the reasons behind that subject change, and she finds them endearing in the extreme. So, with a sympathetic little quirk of her brows: ]

I'm a waitress. The cafe I work at is very imPort-friendly, if you ever want to stop by.

[mcgill]

Oh, yeah? That sounds nice. What sorta cafe is it?

[Is it like Starbucks, is what he wants to know.]

[rathercommon]

Oh - well, technically it's French. Our French food is quite bad, though.

[mcgill]

Ah. One'a those. Are the croissants decent, at least?

[rathercommon]

Oh, yeah! Our pastries are brilliant. Just - you'll be better off with a burger than the quiche.

[mcgill]

You had me at brilliant pastries. [He smiles.] As long as there's good coffee to go with 'em, I hope?

[rathercommon]

Excellent coffee.