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]

[ she takes a swig of her bourbon, then shrugs. ]

Whatever you wanna call it, still blows.

[arsiento]

Mm. Yeah. Guess maybe it does. Never really made much difference to me-- between here or there.

[ Here or back home. ]

[hardedged]

[ he's so nonchalant about his shitty life. don't be a buzzkill, man. ]

Join the goddamn club.

[arsiento]

[ Uh, he can only be himself?? Also, pot, kettle, etc. ]

Yeah. People keep track of their time here like they was in prison. You ever notice that?

[hardedged]

[ she snorts. ]

I'd take the big house over this shithole any day.

[arsiento]

[ A beat. ]

Why's that?

[hardedged]

Peace and quiet in solitary.

[ unlike all the crap that happens here. jess licks her lips, and there's a pointed pause of her own. he's asked enough questions by now. too many. ]

You done yet, Diane Sawyer?

[arsiento]

It ain't as nice as it sounds. They still don't leave you alone in solitary.

[ Another pause... ]

Who?

[hardedged]

Forget it.

[ slumping down in her seat, she huffs a tired breath. it takes a moment to focus, but jess recalls what he mentioned earlier. ]

Speaking from experience there?

[arsiento]

Yeah. Some. [ With a shrug. ] If it wasn't obvious.

[ From the tattoos, that is. ]

[hardedged]

Just a bit.

[ jessica, maybe you shouldn't antagonize the dude who just admitted he's been locked up. self-preservation, what's that. ]

[arsiento]

I belong there more than I do here, but I dunno if I'd call it any better. [ A pause, then: ] Maybe by a little bit.

[hardedged]

Bet you deal with fewer pricks back home.

[arsiento]

Nah, not really. A lotta shit still goes down in prisons-- more personal than the shit that usually happens here.

[hardedged]

Must be nice.

[ because for her, it's been just as personal. this hellhole has been far from kind. ]

[arsiento]

Why would it be?

[ Personal is harder! Which is, well, the point, but still. ]

But prison's always an option here too, if you ever decide to try it out.

[hardedged]

[ it's called sarcasm, buddy. ]

They won't let me in. Probably know I'd run the place.

[arsiento]

[ Listen... ]

Good strategy-- that is what got me solitary.

[hardedged]

[ jess sneers, rolling her shoulders. ]

Yeah, and what were you in for? [ she pauses, lifting an eyebrow. wait, let her guess. ] Murder?

[arsiento]

Yeah. [ Beat. ] Murder.

[hardedged]

[ UH... SHE WAS JOKING, DUDE ]

Holy shit.

[arsiento]

[ Squints. ]

Not much of a secret. [ Beat... and obviously(??): ] And I don't do that no more anyway.

[hardedged]

Right. Just the one time.

[ she wasn't fond of you before, man, but she's especially not signing up for friendship bracelets with you now. ]

[arsiento]

Right, yeah.

[ Wrong... the one time he went to jail for, but there was also many more. But anyway, not important..,.,

With a slow shrug: ]

We all make mistakes we gotta live with.

[hardedged]

[ ain't that the truth. instead of offering another retort, jess grows silent, glancing down at her glass before taking a quiet swig. cheers to that. ]