005 | video 🍻 two hot messes for the price of one

[hardedged]

[ As the video feed starts, there's some quick, unstable shaking of the camera, panning around the room to reveal a dimly lit dive bar. After a moment, it finally focuses on two intoxicated women making the healthiest of life choices — Sarah Manning and Jessica Jones. They certainly didn't arrive here together, but after a drinking contest gone wrong, they're inseparable now. ]

Shit. [ Jess mumbles, her gaze barely focusing on the camera. ] Sobriety sucks. So does this dump. Stuck here for a goddamn year, and you dumbasses still can't find a way out.

And—and what's with all the complacency? [ Sarah points to the camera and, presumably, whoever is watching on the other end. ] Everybody's so bloody happy here.

Like morons. [ Wake up, sheeple. Jess stops her ranting, only for a moment, to take yet another swig of hard liquor. Apparently, she hasn't consumed enough. ] Jesus Christ.

My sister... [ Sarah laughs, but it's a kind of disbelieving laugh, and then she takes a swig of her own drink. ] My sister got married. To someone from another universe. Married.

The hell? [ Her brow furrows, matching Sarah's incredulous expression. If she was slightly less wasted, Jessica would be able to process this revelation better. ] Sarissa?

No, Cosima. [ She sighs and tips back her drink, draining the rest of it. ] Sarissa's got enough shit going on even without adding a wedding.

[ Oh right. God, there are so many clones, she can't keep track anymore. ] Yeah well, don't we all. [ Brushing off the subject, and the hidden layers of guilt and self-loathing beneath it, Jess leans back in her seat. She lifts her almost empty glass in a mock toast. ] Getting hitched here's a death sentence. Congrats to the happy couple.

Yeah, cheers. [ Sarah refills her glass before sloshing a little toast back towards Jess, then towards the camera. ] And cheers to all of you. It's not gonna last.

[ Amen to that. ] Never fucking does. [ Jess drains the rest of her glass in an instant, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. With one more angry glare at the camera, she reaches out to turn the device off. What a good idea this clearly was. ]

Comments

[hardedged]

[ from somewhere off screen— ]

Enough with the f-word, dipshit!

[hardedged]

It's not. [ marriage itself isn't the problem — happiness is. just a glimpse of it is a bad omen. ] Look, doesn't matter. Why are you on here, anyway?

[ it's past midnight. get some sleep, kid. ]

[doubleblind]

I have to ask, do you usually assume couples you don't even know won't last? Just wondering, or if there's something specific about me and Clara you're against...

[hardedged]

[ she scoffs, slumping her shoulders. ]

It's not personal.

[heisenbitch]

Right. Because wanting you and your friend to get home safely is me totally implying that neither of you can look after yourself. It's got nothing to do with, y'know, just wanting you both to get home safely.

[ Sarcastic!! ]

[hardedged]

She's not my friend.

[ yes, because that's the important thing to correct here, jess. ]

[heisenbitch]

Okay, your— drinking buddy. Or whatever. Who's as wasted as you are. And doesn't deserve to be wandering the streets alone at night while drunk off her ass, 'cause there are way bigger assholes out there than the guy who just wants to make sure you both get home in one piece.

[ THE HYPOCRISY. Jesse, you are, in fact, a huge asshole. As big of an asshole as those assholes he's talking about. But. At least not when it comes to not women to be hurt. ]

[hardedged]

[ her gaze narrows. unfortunately, jesse's remark is a swing and a miss. she won't let anything happen to sarah, not on her watch. ]

What can you do? Besides snap in half like a toothpick.

[heisenbitch]

[ Jesse presses his tongue against the back of his teeth and for a short second, his head drops back with eyes rolling towards the ceiling. Wow. Accurate, but wow. Talk about ballbusting. He sets his attention back on the screen. ]

Besides heal fast from being snapped in half like a toothpick? Nothing. Other than offer a ride home, which you are making way too big of a deal of. But you're also drunk off your ass and obviously looking for a fight, so. Not like there's any point reasoning with you, is there?

[ He could also heal Jessica of her drunkenness through a kiss, but... Well. ]

[hardedged]

Took you long enough.

[ she snaps back, reaching over for another drink. in the process, jesse might catch a glimpse of her injured hand — small lacerations cover her skin, along with dried blood. ]

[heisenbitch]

[ He does notice. It's only a quick glimpse but it's just long enough for him to see she's injured. Makes him frown slightly. ]

Someone else piss you off tonight?

[hardedged]

[ her scowl returns, and she runs her tongue over her bottom lip. with a cold shrug, she drains the rest of her glass. ]

Nope. Just you.

[ and she's had enough. extending an arm, jess switches off the video feed. bye, pinkman. ]

[heisenbitch]

[ He should have anticipated that would happen. He still blinks his eyes open wide in surprise and exclaims a, "Jesus!" He slumps back and pushes his hands over his shaved head, and he bites his bottom lip in frustrated deliberation.

He should back off, like she said. But instead, he's hauling himself off the couch to fetch his keys and grab his jacket. Goddamn it. He'll track them down on his own, somehow. ]

[infomodder]

Depends who you ask.

[let the hatred flow, like spice]

[infomodder]

[There is no verbal response, only the sort of half snort/laugh combination that usually comes with a face being rubbed or turning away, because Will's not quite gotten to the "hang up" rudeness just yet.]

[infomodder]

No, it's not stupid. You were involved without your involvement, looks like. Sounds like.

[Girl if you need to vent about people talking shit behind your back HE IS UR FELLA]

[hardedged]

[ an hour later, she winds up in the passenger seat of his sports car. it's an awkward ride home, the silence between them palpable. jessica jones, living up to her crapass luck, feels exhausted and miserable. she's on edge, constantly conflicted and wondering if she should jump out of the vehicle, even if it's moving. ]

So you bought this shit with your drug money?

[ it's a cold, casually cruel question, provided with no context. even without sarah's confession back at the bar, she would have suspected that something was amiss. no way that a guy like pinkman could afford a car like this through honest means. ]

[heisenbitch]

[ The tension could be cut with a knife. Jesse hasn't a word to Jessica since picking her up, sticking to his promise that he is just going to drop her home and she doesn't have to talk to him. He keeps his focus firmly on the road, forcing against the urge to keep sneaking glances over at her. Jane's face. Memories of driving with Jane through Albuquerque, to the museum, to the corner store, to the occasional place to pick up food and cigarettes and smack.

Jessica's sudden question cutting into the thick silence has Jesse finally throwing a glance over at her; off-guard and surprised. He quickly schools his expression back into something neutral and turns his attention back to the road. ]

Found it at my place when I first wound up here. Wouldn't have a clue where it came from.

[ At least, that's the truth, insofar as Jesse having no clue when the car was bought, from whom, or how much was paid for it. And it's true that he has no clue what his previous self got up to, outside of things he's found out. Those truths help make his response sound highly convincing. ]

[hardedged]

[ she wrinkles her nose in mild irritation. ]

Just go away, kid.

[hardedged]

[ jess remains skeptical for a moment, staring at him hard. however, especially in her current state of intoxication, it's tempting to fall for the sincerity in his voice. of course, the jesse pinkman she once knew was also a persuasive thespian. she wonders how he was able to fool her for so long. ]

You're no moron, Pinkman. Where d'you think it came from?

[heisenbitch]

[ Jesse looks back over at Jessica. ]

Drugs, probably. [ No point hiding it, if she already knows. He says it simply, like he's not going to bother arguing with her. He sets his eyes back on the road, slowing down to turn a corner. ] Nothin' I can do about whatever I got up to back then, though, is there? Might as well be a completely different lifetime.

[magnitudes]

Yeah.

( She stretches, and sighs. )

You know, I reckon this calls for a park and puppies and piglets deal. Let the little ones run about while we drink some manner of bevvie. Animals are much better than people.

[hardedged]

[ a different lifetime. as much as she's unwilling to admit it, she can relate. there was a jessica jones here, before her. they're not the same, and it's unfair of her to judge him based on another version. still, that doesn't mean she won't retain her suspicion.

this is too much to dwell on, considering that she's still drunk. with a heavy sigh, she leans back into her seat and changes the topic. ]

The old you couldn't stay away either. [ jess observes, though she's mostly thinking aloud. ] What the hell am I missing?

[heisenbitch]

[ Darting a quick almost imperceptible side-eye across at Jessica. The old you couldn't stay away, either. His gaze snaps back to the road, gears shifting to pick up speed now he's around the corner. Hearing her say that makes him feel a little ill. Fuck his old self. Fuck him, and yet look at him - doing exactly what it seems his old self was doing, according to her. And her follow up question causes his stomach to knot up slightly.

He's got a quick answer for that, though. He answers without missing a beat, calm and again to the point. ]

Fellow addicts know how to handle other addicts.

private.

[magnitudes]

So, I see you met Jessica.

( . . . yay

There's a long old pause before she says anything else. )

Sorry Sarah's being a dick about things, Tiger.