001 | voice

[hardedged]

[ the network post begins with a disgruntled exhale. great way to start, jones. nice first impression. clearly, this mysterious new arrival is glad to be here. ]

I'll make this quick and painless. The name's Jessica Jones, and I'm looking for answers.

They brand us like cattle. Expect us to play house. Assign crapass jobs.

And of all the places to wage the Cold War 2.0, they pick fucking Florida. [ she scoffs, as if that's somehow the worst offense of all. ] How do we leave this shithole?

[ there's a pointed beat of silence, as she presses her lips together in contemplation. almost as an afterthought, she adds: ]

And where can I get a drink around here? The cheaper, the better.

Comments

[hardedged]

[ she grimaces. it's nearly audible. what kind of crapass name is that? ]

Bullshit.

[hostage]

What?

[He's genuinely confused about that reaction.]

[hardedged]

I don't do puns.

[ yeah, she's appalled. ]

[hostage]

I don't think you named it.

[hardedged]

Then who — these pricks in charge?

[hostage]

The government? Nah. Probably just whoever owns the bar. We work for regular schmucks, you know.

[hardedged]

Yeah well, their taste is crap.

[hostage]

Well, you don't work there anymore, so I guess you could go over there and tell 'em.

[hardedged]

[ a dry scoff fills the momentary silence. then, her curiosity yet again takes over. ]

What else?

[hostage]

"What else" what?

[hardedged]

Do you know about her. Me. Whatever.

[hostage]

Nothing, really. I mean... We didn't do much talking.

[Honest-to-god truth.]

[hardedged]

[ hmm, a part of her wants to push further, but she lets it drop. ]

So, Jesse. [ it's a small miracle she remembers, but his name is so similar to hers that it's difficult to forget. ] How long you've been here?

[hostage]

[Oh, good, she's moving on. That was a discussion he did not want to have on the network.]

About three years.

[hardedged]

Jesus Christ.

[hostage]

Yeah. Lucky I'm glad to be here.

[hardedged]

What hellhole did you crawl out of, that you're glad to stay in this place?

[hostage]

A literal hellhole.

[hardedged]

Don't tell me you're a goddamn demon.

[ fine, so maybe she's taking "literal" a bit too seriously. hey, she's already met a sentient space rock. you never know with this place. ]

[hostage]

Not as far as I know.

[Though Lucifer really, really liked him.]

[hardedged]

Then it's not that literal.

[hostage]

It ain't just demons that go to Hell, is it? Otherwise Sunday school lied to me.

[hardedged]

Wouldn't know.

[ she's never been the sunday school type. regardless, the dry wit in her tone does soften. ]

What's your story?

[hostage]

It's a long, depressing one. Not really a network-type chat.

[hardedged]

[ if he's not inclined to share, jess has no issue with it. she's crap at showing basic human emotion, anyway. ]

Doesn't really matter, right? New start and all that shit.