maskormenacelogs | closed | I can see what's coming

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closed | I can see what's coming

WHO: Sarissa Theron, Sarah Manning, George O'Malley, and Jessica Jones
WHERE: At a super classy bowling alley
WHEN: Evening of August 20
WHAT: Double date shenanigans! Whatever could go wrong.
WARNINGS: None yet. Will update if necessary.

[ how the fuck she ended up here, jessica jones will never know. truthfully, the answer is simple — sarissa theron. those months of silence were nothing in comparison to dealing with the other woman now. she's a tornado of emotion. after hours of persuasion, followed by threats of horrible puns, jess finally gave in. a goddamn double date, though sarissa promised not to use those words.

technically, she's late because she lacks any perception of time. or basic consideration, for that matter. still, jessica manages to track down the address she's given, glancing up at the bright sign, glowing in neon green. "smoke a bowl," the business is called, and the name is apt. there's images of pot, along with paraphernalia, all over the place, not to mention suspicious smoke permeating through the air. at least the absurd theme distracts her enough from other thoughts. memories of normal shit with luke cage. god, she hopes coming here tonight wasn't a mistake.

after she enters the building, jessica turns her head, eyes scanning the area until she spots sarissa. standing nearby is her sister, and some other dude. shoving her hands inside the pockets of her leather jacket, jess approaches them. she addresses sarissa first, offering a dry scoff. ]

Classy place.

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I ain't a thing if I ain't classy.

( An exaggeration of her normal accent, the already country broadness that gives her words a sometimes-comical degree of twang. If she thought about it, they were an absurd mix: rural Australian, some sort of Commonwealth mongrel with a tendency to huffing and puffing like she's gonna blow a house down, and then Seattle and New York, Honestly she couldn't really tell the difference between how George and Jess spoke, but she didn't say that because George might be wounded and Jess might be offended. "I don't sound scary" vs "I don't sound like a carebear," that sort of thing.

Maybe they sounded heaps different, but it was hard to tell because Jess what speaking from a much higher part of the atmosphere; the change in weather temperature might make all the difference.

Anyway, Sarissa is her usual absurd self - jeans, tank top with dinosaur, flannel shirt rolled to her elbows. )

Glad you made it, ( she tells Jess, with a less ridiculous and more sincere smile, before nodding to the others, ) I reckon they're about ready to have their arses handed to 'em. ( And gesturing vaguely between George and Jess, ) You two met?

We haven't.

[George steps foward and offers his hand in an unbearably polite gesture. He's a short, baby-faced young man, with combed hair and a neat button-down, and next to the rest of this party he looks a bit like he's being kidnapped.]

George O'Malley. Sarah's boyfriend.

[ Sarah, meanwhile, is leaning against the wall with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her leather jacket, looking like a shorter version of Jessica, and just as unenthused to be here. She gives Jessica a nod, not unfriendly, but not exactly going out of her way to be nice, either. ]

Hey.

[ she regards george with her standard glare, wrinkling her nose at his outstretched hand. once sarah speaks, jess shifts her head to glance at her, then back at her boyfriend. goddammit, she does not want to be here. with an irritated sigh, she accepts his hand, giving it a quick yet firm shake before letting go. ]

Jessica Jones.

( SARISSA'S GLAD TO BE HERE she will make up for these scrubs and their collective failure. )

Well, now my two favourite ladies are here, and my jackarse sister I guess, we can go get started. ( Okay, George isn't one of her favourite ladies, but whatever. And she takes a swaying, dramatic step to the show counter, her shoes pried off as she moves, to be returned with some classic bowling shoes.

Which are decorated with leafy green patterns, of course. Nice. ) We going genetic superiors versus hapless dates, or we going to destroy the sisterly bond instead of the romantic one?

[George may not be great at bowling, or socializing, or dating, but he isn't a total stick in the mud. He's far more enthusiastic about this than Sarah, despite any remaining apprehensions about her sister, and he sees a way to make this interesting.]

Plaid shirts versus leather jackets.

[He gestures at their outfits - him and Sarissa, the two eager and energetic participants, versus Sarah and Jessica, both hiding behind black leather and vague frowns.]

You sure you wanna do that?

[ She steps forward and slips her arms around George's waist so she can perch her chin on his shoulder. ] I'm showin' no mercy.

[George turns his head to give her a sickeningly adorable kiss on the cheek.]

I think I can take you.

[ gross. this is so gross. the scowl on jessica's face deepens at their public display of affection, and she turns to catch a glimpse of sarissa. clearly giving the other woman a pointed "god, look at these nerds" look, before she realizes... uh... no, that's a normal thing couples do. riiiiight. shit. ]

Whatever. [ she clears her throat awkwardly. it sounds more like a grunt than anything else. ] Let's get this over with. Before I throw up.

( A wistful sigh. ) And they say romance is dead.

( Comical, more for George and Sarah's benefit than her own, or even Jess's. After all, it's not like she expects Jess to be anyone other than who she is, but so far as first impressions go, it's probably not great, given that her last boyfriend locked Sarah in a meat locker. Or maybe anything would be better than the meat locker - she's not sure how that works.

Either way, she imagines it might be better if Jess were less actively dickish, as opposed to passively dickish. That, at least, people could get, especially people like Sarah.

She's probably worrying about this too much. Chill. It's a first hang out, not a high stakes interview process. )

Let's go, Clover. We can be Greece Lightning, you two can be Angry Bourbon Echidnas.

[ Sarah makes a face at "Clover," something in between confusion and mild annoyance, but then she shrugs and follows Sarissa. Bowling was okay in theory, a better choice than laser tag, except now she's suddenly remembering that they're all going to have to rent hideous shoes. And, like... wear them. ]

D'you think they'll let us go without the bowling shoes if we play up the fact that we're imPorts?

Oh, no worries Saroula, you don't gotta be self-conscious. We'll all just hold our breath when you change your shoes, and I'd say there's like an eighty percent chance your stinky feet won't make us pass out. Sorted.

( :D!

to Jess,) Her superhero alias among her fan base is, "the Fumigator."

[George rolls his eyes, and then pats Sarah on the shoulder.]

Your feet smell excellent.

( A sidelong glance at Jessica, and elbows her. This is good, it's fine. It's getting everyone relaxed, everyone will be cool, she's just gotta... make Jess be involved. Crack a smile.

Unfortunately, she is attempting to this in the worst way possible, because she mouths, almost silently: ) Foot fetish?

[ Sarah whirls around to give Sarissa a Look that's some kind of combination of a scowl of disgust and a confused curl of her lip. Maybe if this wasn't the first time she'd hung out with Jess and Sarissa together, she'd be more cool about the stupid comments at her and George's expense. Maybe if she wasn't Sarah Manning, she'd be inclined to let a stupid joke go. But... alas. This is the first time, and she is Sarah Manning. ]

What the fuck is your problem? [ This she says to Sarissa in a voice that's... kind of low, but not low enough for the rest of the group not to hear it. ]

Edited 2017-08-26 02:21 (UTC)

[George's face has gone just about as pink as Sarissa's pet piglets. He steps backwards out of their circle so softly and quietly, he may as well be moonwalking.]

I'll just, um. Go get our shoes.

[And then he gets the fuck out of there.]

[ jesus christ, can she leave already... jess furrows her brow, expression shifting into an amused scowl. sure, it was a smartass remark, one that was unwarranted. however, it's not like she's the queen of tact herself. besides, she's grown protective of sarissa, in her own way. stepping forward, she moves in closer, blocking sarah's path by intruding into the empty space between the two sisters. it's cool. she can fix this. ]

Relax. [ a nonchalant shrug. ] She's just saying what we're all thinking.

[ #nailedit ]

( Her expression is all bewilderment for the few seconds before Jessica looms in. Oh, God.

She appreciates that Jess is helping, but given Sarah's reaction and George's rapid exit, she's gonna take a wild stab in the dark and guess it isn't actually helping. Time to fix this, before she gets a wild stab in the dark from a very angry sibling. )

Hey, shit— ( popping out from behind Jess like a meerkat. Except Jess is tall, so it's more of a diagonal meerkat moment. )

I was just— everyone was all awkward, ( read: Jessica was scowling and tense, ) so I was tryin'a make it like— playful banter, crackin' smiles and that. ( And suddenly Jess is looming and Sarah is mad and George is fleeing. )

What if I, uh— I mean I'm a fuckhead at the best of times, right, we can all agree on that? What if we have a round of "humiliate Sarissa" and highlight my flaws and everyone can bond over me being a fuckin' pain? No aggro, all good.

( Yeah, that's gonna fix it. )

[ There's a lot she wants to say to Sarissa, like "learn to read the room" and "next time make fun of your girlfriend's feet," but her attention isn't really on Sarissa anymore, is the problem. It's on Jess, because Jessica was the one who had to step in and say something instead of just letting shit be. Her first instinct is to walk right up to her and shove, to start a fight. She has to clench her fists and stuff them as far into her jacket pockets as they'll go to stop herself from doing it, but she manages. Her shoulders are tense and she's regretting ever agreeing to go on this stupid double date, but she's not going to punch Sarissa's girlfriend. Tonight. Instead, she steps back, closer to George and the shoe rental, a silent dismissal of both Jessica's comment and Sarissa's dumbass suggestion. ]

Whatever.

[ jessica can read that dismissive reaction from a mile away, private investigator or not. because it's the same thing she does. it's almost like staring into a mirror. her own face softens, only for a moment, before hardening once more. the situation's been temporarily defused, which is all that matters. deep down, a part of her realizes that this is her fault. just like everything else in the end. licking her lips, jess huffs out a breath of air, tilting her head to look over at sarissa. ]

Bet you're glad you invited me, huh.

[ after that sarcastic remark, her hands return to her pockets as she waits for sarissa to take the lead. she still doesn't want to be here, but she'll tolerate the awkward tension for her. for now, at least. ]

( Sarissa has stepped out from behind Jess, half a step towards following after Sarah, and her mouth twinges unhappily as she looks up at Jess. She sways, just a little, gently nudging Jess with her elbow. )

That was all me, Jess.

( Logically she could trace that there were other factors: Jessica is uncomfortable, Sarah's an open wound masquerading as something invincible, George is genuinely sensitive, which comes with all that decency, and uncertain how to respond to the situation. And to relieve the discomfort Jessica is feeling because Sarissa dragged her along, Sarissa thought the smart idea was to pick at the two most sensitive people in the room. )

Cunting fuck, ( she says, quietly, and rolls her shoulders. Fix this, fix this, come on come on come on.

Sometimes it seemed ironic that she was in the bomb squad, dismantling explosives, when she was so good at blowing up shit in her own life. And other people's for that matter. Who needs C-4 when you've got Sarissa's tongue and judgment combined? )

I can fix this. I can. ( For a second, she just loosely holds onto Jessica's shirt. ) Tell me I'm not a fuckhead and I can fix this.

[ her gaze widens in alarm, an abrupt wave of emotion colliding against her. while it's not the first time she's witnessed sarissa like this, she's still at a loss for words. jessica jones is not the person from whom you seek comfort. she's never truly helped anyone, regardless of how much she desperately wishes otherwise.

jess doesn't move away from her touch. no, she permits her to hold on, even if she can't bring herself to reciprocate. ]

Hey. [ her eyes never leave the other woman. ] You're not a— [ an exasperated exhale, though her voice is sincere and serious. ] Fuckhead. Stop.

( Abrupt waves of emotion ruining their lives: a tale of Sarah and Jessica dealing with Sarissa. )

Thanks.

( She releases Jessica's shirt, mistaking the stop for a stop being needy, a call to snap out of it in a slightly different sense, and nods. She can fix this. She can. )

Sorry. This might be shock to you, but I'm a bit of a shit. Something about a tendency to keep prodding at people until they can't deal with it any more.

[ she wants to kiss her then, to cradle her face between her hands, and the desire is so vehement that jessica nearly succumbs. her chest tightens with a painful ache, but she doesn't act on the impulse. jess simply looks at her, intense and full of longing, before pulling back. her head moves in a bare nod. ]

Yeah well, join the club.

( Sarissa sees the look, almost takes some kinda action on it—

before instead opting to flash Jess a bright smile. She has to stop being such a melodramatic dickhead, right? And that means not getting too absorbed in just the two of them, and getting back to the others. )

I'll get us matching team bowling shirts made. We can be the Ray City Bowlers and our mascot can be a string ray.

[ god, she's dating a massive dork. still, she can't help it. sarissa finally wins what she's been searching for all night — the hint of a smile on jessica's lips. ]

Pass. [ a dry scoff, which epitomizes her entire mood. she'd much prefer to be somewhere else right now. while a part of her wants to suggest that they ditch this dump to head back to her place, she resists the urge. this crapass date is important to sarissa, she knows. ] Come on. The lovebirds are waiting.

( Yeeeessssss and all it took was potentially harpooning her relationship with her sister! Nice! )

Just wait, they'll look great.

( She totally is going to make those happen. So, she bumps Jess with her shoulder, and starts walking to the now bowling-ready others, and their alley. Her wave is sheepish, her smile apologetic. )

Hey. Turns out the reason I have to change my shoes is to stop me being a bit of a dickhead. Sorry. I could-- get the first round?

[Next to the rental window, George is standing with one hand quietly looped around Sarah's. Both of them have their feet firmly planted in neon-trimmed shoes.]

First's on me. You can get the second.

[He's on the warm side of civil, but his posture is protective.]

[ Oh, great, two games! Perfect. The stupid almost-fight has deflated any enthusiasm Sarah felt about this night, and there wasn't much to begin with. Now she's looking around for someplace she can get a drink, a bar or something. Her eyes linger on the food counter, resplendent in weed paraphernalia, and then she slides her hand out of George's. ]

Do they sell drinks here, or just weed shit? I'm gonna go check. [ byyyye ]

[ she's not exactly enthusiastic about this whole affair either, but damn, sarah. an idea forms in her mind, and before the other woman can escape, jess steps to the side. ]

I got it.

[ with that said, she heads off in the direction of the food counter, leaving the two of them to talk and hopefully reconcile. as much as they can, anyway. while jess considers dragging george along, she figures it's better if he stays there. she doesn't know him well enough, but he seems like the puppy dog type. he can probably stop sarah from attempting to strangle sarissa while she's gone. ]

( She gives George a slight look for the protective posture - she wrote the bloody book on protective posture - but holds her tongue. For one, Sarah needs more protective people, for two, Sarissa was a dick, but at the same time: fuck you, buddy. Only a little bit, though.

She's really not very good at this. )

I got dibs on that sparkly blue one. ( So fancy, so pearled. She picks up the ball, and tosses it between her hands, because— because that's the sensible thing to do with a seven kilo hunk of plastic and resin. She's restless, and tries spinning it on her finger like a basketball.

Which she also doesn't know how to do, but whatever. ) At least the point of the game is make the ball get away from me, right?

( Self mocking, in good humour, though its a sharper barb at herself than she lets on. )

[ Oh, great. Sarah lifts a ball herself, a black one with a glow in the dark marijuana leaf on the side, and hefts it a little, making sure it's the right weight. ]

Don't be so dramatic.

Edited 2017-08-27 16:01 (UTC)

Aren't my dramatic tendencies why you like me so much?

( 8D

8D

8D?

.... :[ )

[ She's not going to dignify that with a response. ]

[George breaks the awkward silence by dropping his own bowling ball on his foot.]

Crap. [Any actual injury almost immediately heals, but he still winces.] It's fine, ignore me.

What the fuck, mate?

( Despite phrasing, it sounds concerned rather than accusatory. )

That could break a bloody bone-- sit down, or something, there'll be a first aid kit at the counter.

It's fine, it's already healing.

[But he absolutely cannot pick up another fourteen-pounder.]

Um. Who wants to go first?

Edited 2017-08-28 00:15 (UTC)

Alphabetical order.

[ She nudges George lightly in the side. Yer up, babe. ]

( Sarissa is all too happy to retreat to a seat, bringing her feet up onto the seat like some kind of grotesque. Given that she seems to be behaving grotesquely, her lurking seems quite apt. )

[George picks up a lighter bowling ball and limps over to the lane. He takes a ridiculous amount of time to set up the shot, moving his arm back and forth - and then he drops it, almost vertically, right onto the wood.]

Dammit.

[He turns around to head back to the ball return, not even wanting to see the result of his clumsiness...

... which is that the ball slowly picks up speed, and rolls right into the cluster of pins, knocking down eight of them.]

Yeah, babe!

[ It's not as enthusiastic a yell as it would have been if she'd been drinking, but it's, idk, decent. She's trying, at least. It's Jessica's turn now, as dictated by the computer, and she glances back toward the food area, craning her neck to see whether Sarissa's girlfriend has fled the bowling alley or not. ]

[ surprisingly, jessica jones hasn't abandoned them. even if a desperate part of her wants to do so. right on time, she steps back into the picture, carrying a six pack of beer. placing the drinks down on their table, she grabs two bottles and offers one to sarissa. sarah and george can get their own. (she's great at first impressions, huh.) ]

Strongest shit they had.

[ jess comments with a shrug, twisting off the top of her bottle. what she wouldn't give for some bourbon right now. ]

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closed | I can see what's coming

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I couldn't resist

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cw: the languages tho

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