But one time out of ten everything goes perfect for us all.

[hostage]

WHO: Loki & Jesse Pinkman
WHERE: Xavier's #202
WHEN: Tuesday, February 10 (after this)
WHAT: Loki corners Jesse for a heart-to-heart in this Very Special Episode.
WARNINGS: Drugs, cancer, death, and stuff. I don't know.

[As soon as the car's parked, Jesse pulls out his burner to check for messages. Nothing from Mr. White yet, which means he's got some time to himself. Jesse's only glad for that because his encounter with Skye has left him exhausted. He could use a few minutes to recuperate before he has to go back to pretending he's fine.

The walk up to his room is difficult in his current state. He's gotten used to perfect health, so moments like these feel even worse than they would have if, say, he had lung cancer all along. He's coughing by the time he reaches his door, and still coughing when he stumbles inside.]

Comments

[selfimage]

[ one of Loki's favorite things to do was a little breaking and entering. it was fun, it was challenging, and there was always the possibility of getting caught. so with that came a little thrill. unfortunately for him, breaking into Jessie's place isn't that difficult. he knew his signature, he could track him with a simple spell, and breaking into his house? well, it was as easy as picking a few locks. ]

You really have to do something about the alarm.

[ he drawls, as if he hadn't just diverted the few means that were put into place to keep people out. ]

You're a little easier to track than you'd think.

[ but that was coming from someone who did this for a living—and for a hobby. Loki's interests generally sat neatly between Oceans 11 and Oceans 12. between heists and sorcerous dungeons, getting in and out of places profitably was his jam.

Loki raises a brow and waits for his reaction. ]

[hostage]

[Jesse starts, which really doesn't help the coughing fit. He grabs hold of the door frame to regain some balance, so he doesn't fall right over, but it takes another few seconds before he's close to composed.

This isn't, of course, entirely a surprise. Jesse had expected Loki to come for him eventually, and yes, it's very easy to find him these days. But it's like in the movies, when the cop's just a day away from retirement: somehow it's an ironic twist, everything going to shit on that final day.]

...You picked a hell of a time.

[selfimage]

I'm generally good at that.

[ but the words come easy, because it's true. Loki's work as a catalyst have brought a hundred "hell of a time"s, and Jesse Pinkman's situation was not all that different. perhaps less than the fall of Asgard and the affairs of the gods, but enough to get Loki's focus for the time being. ]

Tell me you have ale in the fridge, or it's going to be a terribly long night.

[ the visit might not have been a surprise, but his intentions may be. ]

[hostage]

[Jesse hisses out a long sigh. Really? It's going to be one of those interrogations?]

I'm sober, you know.

[selfimage]

Is that a declaration, or a state of being?

[ he asks smoothly, waving a dark nailed finger in front of his face as if he's gotten his answer.

Loki's dressed casually. he's left the armor and diadem behind in favor of a grey sweater and a pair of jeans. ]

Shall we get down to business?

[hostage]

[Rolling his eyes, Jesse shuts the door behind him and locks it. The last thing they need is someone walking in on this.]

What business is that?

[selfimage]

[ ah, so Jesse wanted to dance. ]

Where do you get your hair cut? I have an ongoing recommendations list that I like to keep up-to-date. [ he clarifies smoothly, tipping a head at him and pointing with a dark nailed finger. ]

[hostage]

[What Jesse wants is a cigarette. He crosses the room, shrugging off his jacket as he walks, grabbing his carton and his lighter out of the pocket before tossing it aside.]

It's called a razor.

[Mumbled blandly around the cigarette he's just put between his lips. Fuck lung cancer, right? He coughs immediately after he lights up.]

[selfimage]

Ah, yes. Silly me. I'll add the annotation.

[ Loki watches him with a look of borderline exasperation. ]

I'll put it right beneath "helping to lead the imPorts to political doom."

[ after Kara, he had a decent idea of what was going on. while he didn't know about Jesse's presence in the bar during their quickly relocated conversation--he can take a guess as to what she told him.

that, and Kara still owed him a debt. ]

[hostage]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[He obviously knows what Loki's talking about.]

[selfimage]

[ he spreads out his fingers coupled with a look of disbelief. that wasn't even convincing, Jesse. ]

I've several degrees in lying, so if you want to get rid of me you could at least offer a creative anecdote.

[ as in, the longer Jesse keeps that up, the longer he's going to linger. ]

One that's at least worthy of the trip.

[hostage]

[The fuck's an anecdote?

Whatever. He takes another drag from his cigarette, and he manages not to cough this time.

He's not just going to start talking.]

[selfimage]

[ there's an easy way and a hard way. there's a moment where Loki shrugs, and digs something out of his pocket as he heads for the door. he walks right through Jesse's smoke, waving his hand in an overly-dramatic display to part it. it doesn't bother him, of course, but it does smell terrible.

between his fingers is a charcoal pencil. he studies the door before beginning to draw what looks like points of concentric circles. he hums softly beneath his breath. ]

[hostage]

[It's going to be some magic thing, Jesse knows that. He watches Loki work for a second before turning a glance to the window. He should open it. Not to let the smoke out, but to let Vinr in. He should be calling for Kara to come save him by now.

He doesn't. He's not going to ask her to forsake her god a second time, especially not after the first attempt to persuade Loki failed so miserably.]

[selfimage]

Ah—good. You have a friend.

[ Loki wipes his hands of the charcoal, rubbing his fingers together with an over-exaggerated frown when it doesn't wipe away. he mutters something beneath his breath and the runes scribbled on the door flash brightly with green light. ]

And now that that's done, we can have a little chat.

[hostage]

[Jesse taps the ashes of his cigarette into a day-old cup of coffee sitting on top of the dresser.]

What is that thing?

[selfimage]

Oh, this? It's a trap.

[ Loki says with all the mock innocence he can muster, as if he hadn't been scribbling all over the door barely a moment before. ]

Partially. It keeps you in here.

[ he waves his hands around to indicate Jesse's current residence. ]

[hostage]

Do I look like a pussy to you?

[Honestly, he's not going to run.]

[selfimage]

[ there's a slightly wide-eyed response to that. ]

Oh no, I mean more like house arrest.

[hostage]

[The fuck?]

Why?

[selfimage]

I have a business to run, and the imPorts have their lives to continue, and unfortunately you seem very much intent on your own self-destruction. [ not that he doesn't understand on a level, ofc. ] But unfortunately burning yourself usually ends in burning other people.

Since you don't seem to want to listen ... [ there's a little bit of a shrug. ] Well, drastic measures, I suppose.

[hostage]

[This is stupid.]

Why don't you just kill me?

[selfimage]

That's stupid. Why would I want to kill you?

[ he'd given that up. well, to a point. there were circumstances that called for it, but desperate times were different than trying to make a deal with someone who he knew already had given up. ]

[hostage]

Uhhh... Because it makes more sense than keeping me in a box forever? Yo, this was seriously your plan?

[selfimage]

No one said it was forever. I'm sure you'll have a variety of people come try and check up on you, nice, stand-up fellows with a penchant for the mortal drug industry. You know, Emmy material.

[ he looks a little bit more sympathetic. ] If I kill you, there will be more than your death to contend with. I'd rather not see Kara that angry, anyway. I'm sure the help that you've acquired won't like that too much, either. Besides, it's a little bit more than simply suspicious.

And dying sounds unpleasant. Then you come back and it gets complicated ...

How many steps ahead do you think, anyway?