closed | this is a hymn

[hardedged]

WHO: Peter Parker and Jessica Jones
WHERE: Somewhere....... in De Chima
WHEN: Evening of August 22
WHAT: Just a couple of friends hanging out! Nothing could possibly go wrong!
WARNINGS: None yet, other than Jessica's potty mouth. Will update if necessary.

[ it's been one hell of a month for jessica jones — going from utter isolation to finally accepting... whatever the hell it is she has with sarissa theron. part of her still prefers the solitude of her crapass apartment, surrounded by nothing other than the company of alcohol. it's better that way, she reminds herself. safer. she believes it, even now, but goddammit if the other woman isn't as stubborn as she is sometimes. like an unstoppable force colliding with an immovable object.

fortunately, work provides a pleasant distraction from those thoughts. now that she's established alias investigations here, there's some semblance of purpose in jessica's life again. she's been taking on the typical clientele — cheating assholes, though she accepted one that's different. a missing person case. she's growing goddamn soft.

her search leads to a street corner in de chima. while it's late in the evening, there are still passersby out and about. with her hands shoved inside the pockets of her jacket, jess weaves her way through the crowd. in the process, her shoulder bumps against a stranger, and she offers an annoyed grunt. ]

Watch it, asshole.

Comments

[shutterbugged]

[ Years ago, when Peter worked for the Daily Bugle, he used to do more investigating in civvies, using his press connections to stir up leads or provide him with a comparatively non-threatening excuse for snooping around. (Not that you couldn't get into a world of trouble as a reporter, but the kind of goons a crime lord sent after a freelance newshound were not, generally speaking, the kind prepared to deal with said newshound's "superhero pal.") Ticking clock or no, Peter's feeling strangely nostalgic. All he needs is a 90 decibel rant from J. Jonah Jameson ringing in his ears and he'll be all set.

One of his informants suggested Taneka Barnes had been seen at a bar down the block three times in the week before she disappeared. Peter's checking his pocket for her photo and doesn't have time to respond to the faint buzz of his spider-sense before he gets shoulder-checked. ]

Hey, you're the one who walked right into me--oh. [ Well, this is awkward. ] Uh...hi, Jessica.

[hardedged]

[ awkward indeed. jess squints at him in response, trying to deduce why he looks vaguely familiar. after a few seconds, recognition lights her eyes. what the hell was this dude's name again? whatever. doesn't matter. ]

Shit. It's you.

[shutterbugged]

Wow. The ticker tape parade's a bit over the top, but thanks for the warm welcome.

[ He sighs through his nose, and shuts his eyes for a long moment. It's not like he expects every counterpart of someone he knows to want to make nice, but this Jess is hostile on a whole other level--and of course she shows up just as he's getting into a good working groove.

Speaking of work. ] Let me guess: Taneka Barnes?

[hardedged]

[ his sigh is followed by one of her own, only hers sounds harsher. more aggravated. almost like his very presence offends her. shifting her body, jess extends one arm a bit for dramatic effect. ]

What, the Arachnid Asshole's on the case too?

[ of course he is, even if parker apparently left his costume at home for now. it's annoying enough to deal with these morons in spandex on a daily basis. she doesn't need them to interfere in her work as well. ]

[shutterbugged]

Congratulations, you know how to alliterate and can distinguish between at least two classes of arthropod. Have you ever thought about a career in super-villainy? You'd be in at least the 95% percentile of trash talk -- not that that's saying much.

[ How many times has Peter heard some variation of, "DIE, FOUL INSECT!" in his career? Way too many times. ]