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]

Self-depreciating all at once.

[ it's an aside, but he moves forward flawlessly. ]

It started when your product started showing up in my club. The cascade of consequences came from there. You needn't play dumb on that one.

[hostage]

You know you're running a club, right? Drugs show up in clubs. That's the whole damn point of 'em. Why's it me you're coming after? Why not - oh, I don't know - whoever's supplying your molly or your coke or your benzos?

[selfimage]

Because the rest of those selling aren't imPorts. Pieces falling together now, I'm sure.

[hostage]

Nobody selling in your club was an imPort.

[He knows for a fucking fact.]

[selfimage]

Ymir's balls—Don't be pedantic. The person producing it is.

[hostage]

Says who? You got proof? Does any single motherfucker in this town got proof of that?

[selfimage]

Stop acting like a cornered rat.

[hostage]

I'm not acting like anything. There's one wide open hole in your story and you gotta sort that shit out, man. I still haven't heard a single goddamn real reason you're here. A reason why this ever mattered to you in the first place. If you, Mr. God of Chaos, couldn't pin anything on me, then I don't know why you were ever scared somebody else might. That's the part that don't make any sense.

[selfimage]

Oh, no. That hole is mine and mine alone—if I wanted to divulge my practices, I would. But you know, god of chaos. You can lose the Mister, by the way, I don't really like that title. The theories are delightful, though.

I am starting to think that you only hear what you want to.

Bringing this to any mortal authorities is sure to get messy, and that's not exactly desirable either. Besides, you asked about the cascade—you can't pick around the details for misgivings without taking the end into consideration.

[hostage]

[So like Kara suggested, then. Loki fucking around in the mysterious ways gods do, and not any fault of Jesse's own.]

So now - what - you want me to promise it won't happen again? Is that the point of this right here?

[selfimage]

Do I need to say it again?

[ long, suffering sigh. he'll pause and put a hand to his forehead. Jesse ... ]

Really, Mister Pinkman.

[hostage]

Yeah, I guess you do.

[Loki has a demand in there somewhere and Jesse's waiting to hear it.]

[selfimage]

I don't think you need to be the victim of your circumstance.

That's what I came here to say.

[hostage]

[It can't just be that. People aren't just... kind or worried or sympathetic or whatever the fuck. There are reasons. Things they want from him. Things he has to do or not do.

So he's eyeing Loki with a healthy measure of skepticism, and when the other shoe doesn't drop, he scoffs.]

Okay.

[selfimage]

[ bright eyes go to his face and he offers him a short shrug. ]

You're letting me off with an "okay"? [ there's a pause and a huff and he puts his hands on his hips. ] Okay.

[hostage]

[Well, he'd say, "Fuck you for ruining the only good thing in my life," but he acknowledges his own part in that. And also he's really pushing his luck here.]

I dunno. What else is there? You got more advice for me? I don't talk to gods on the regular.

[selfimage]

Asking for advice generally costs you. At least, something that I don't freely give.

[ he waves a hand and heads for the door, waving his fingers. ]

Toodles.

[hostage]

...Seriously?

- Yo, what about the trap thing?

[selfimage]

[ Loki's hand is on the door knob, and he looks back at him with a curious look. ]

Oh—I'm sure you'll figure it out. It's kind of like an annoying riddle that you already know the answer to. Tah-tah!

[ and out he goes with a wave of his hand. ]