maskormenacelogs | ( closed ) reflections of the shattered dreams

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† sarah manning | n/a

( closed ) reflections of the shattered dreams

WHO: Alex Vause & Sarah Manning; closed.
WHERE: Mauritia Falls, in a location with dive bars
WHEN: Saturday night
WHAT: a fight, drinking, and two human disasters in one location - who even knows?
WARNINGS: Alex, Sarah. Alex. (none atm, will add as necessary)

( Alex is self-destructive at the best of times, and the past few months have been anything but the best of fucking times. Oh, there had been great fucking in those times, yeah. Amazing, really hit the spot, if you catch her drift. (Not that there's much drift to catch, there, she'd admit that.) Anyway, thing is this: she is lonely. She misses Piper, who for all that she sucks at loving she does love. She's lonely and she's lost, stripped back down to being that loser kid in fifth grade whose clothes got her made fun of, along with her height and her glasses. She's back at square one, but hey, now she's back at square one with superpowers that she doesn't know how to use yet. )

Yeah, fuck you, too, asshole. ( Alex has her back against the wall, a ring of natives around her and a bottle of Jack in her right hand. A third of it's already gone, leaving her speech just a little drawled out and her motions that little bit looser. ) No, please. One against five, that's the kinda odds that a real man takes.

( Her smile disappears, giving way to a focused stare, mouth cutting a harsh line. ) Come on.

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[ Mauritia Falls probably isn't the best place to hang out, especially when you're kinda sorta trying to be less of a shitty person in general, but sometimes the call of a place where nobody will care whether or not she's an imPort, whether or not she's a hero, is just too strong. So Sarah goes there, waiting until it's dark, waiting until she feels like she's back home, like she's just a regular person heading to some regular bar, and nothing matters.

Of course, in a place like this, there's always the chance of running into the wrong people. ]

Oi. What the hell's going on here?

[ She takes in the scene, disgusted, hands curling into fists. She's never seen the woman before, has no idea if she's an imPort or not, but does it really matter? When five people surround one person, that's never good. She slips a hand into her bag, feeling around for anything she can use. Nothing but old receipts, a pen, her wallet. She closes her fingers around the pen and concentrates—just a weapon, something to scare them—and when she pulls her hand out of the bag, it still feels like she's holding a pen, but it looks like she's holding a knife. What a fuckin' trip. She doesn't make a show of it, doesn't threaten anyone, just makes sure they can see she's holding it. ]

You people've got nothing better to do? Seriously? Piss off before I call the cops.

( Alex has got a habit of finding the white knights, it seems. Finding the white knights relies on her pissing people off, true, but still. It'd be enough to restore her faith in humanity if she wasn't so crushingly jaded already. The knife makes her tense before she relaxes, resting her head against the wall, as her grip tightens on the neck of the bottle, just in case this goes south and this turns into something serious.

The knife gives the group pause, glowering at Sarah before they move along, and Alex allows herself a mocking smile as one of them deliberately knocks her shoulder as they walk. Yeah, you're a big, tough man is what the sidelong glance she gives him says, almost daring him to come back. Thankfully, he doesn't. )

Wow. For a minute there I thought you were going to get all Crocodile Dundee on them. ( Except he's Australian and not British, but "accent and knife" is really all that needs to be covered in this situation.

By way of greeting, Alex holds out the bottle in offering. ) Alex.

Sarah.

[ She hesitates for a second—doesn't know Alex, after all—but figures it can't hurt to be friendly, especially after she's pulled what appears to be a huge knife out of her bag. So she shrugs and accepts the bottle, idly twirling the "knife" between the fingers of her free hand as she drinks. When she hands the bottle back to Alex, she relaxes a little bit and allows the pen to return to normal. As she puts it back into her bag, she can't help smiling a little. ]

Would've been bad if they stuck around to find that out, yeah?

Sarah. Thanks for the smooth rescue. You make a point of helping out damsels in distress?

( Quite how Alex manages to make gratitude sound like she's being faintly sarcastic remains a mystery, one of the many mysteries that the world probably doesn't need solving. Or worlds if their presence here is anything to go off. Yeah, once Sarah hands the bottle back, Alex is taking another swig.

And then watching, frowning, and pushing her glasses up to rest on her hair. ) You have got to be fucking with me. Really?

( 40% incredulity 60% amazement. ) I mean if that had gone wrong we would have both been fucked.

[ Sarah, who lives her life mostly just hoping things don't go wrong and running if they do, can't be bothered to spend too much time worrying about how things could have gone if the guys had stuck around. She just shrugs, seemingly unconcerned, more occupied now with sizing Alex up, trying to figure out what she's doing in a place like this. Looking for trouble or simply wandering into the wrong part of town? ]

Yeah, well. I don't think a bunch of guys fucking up a couple of imPorts would've gone over well in the papers, not even here. You are, right?

[ An imPort, she means. She figures Alex probably is, and new, too, or she wouldn't be so shocked by the power display. ]

Maurtia Falls isn't as up our arse as a lot of other places you can Port into. Not the nicest city in general, either.

I'm less worried about their PR and more concerned about what they could do to my face before sense kicked in. I mean, come on, I have a good face. ( Laughing a little bit, as she pushes herself up from her slouch against the wall, standing up a little straighter. She's not quite so done up as she might have been pre-Litchfield; a three-quarter sleeve grey top and black jeans will do for an evening out here... if by "evening out" you mean "semi-drunken open air moping." )

Yeah. Fresh off the boat, so to speak. I thought I'd enjoy some of the high quality nightlife this place has to offer, but I'm thinking that maybe staying in Heropa will be the best bet next time.

( And, after a beat of consideration: ) You got plans? I could buy you a drink for saving my face.

[ Sarah gives her a half-smile, not totally won over, but not willing to be cold, either. After all, a couple months ago this easily could have been her. When she was freaked out and panicking, people gave her information. It's the least she can do to return the favor, even if it's not like she'd be anyone's first choice for the welcoming committee.

Anyway, she's lonely. She can (kind of, a tiny bit, maybe) start admitting that to herself by this point. And, hey, even if this doesn't end in a friendship, at least she won't be spending another night drinking alone. ]

A drink sounds good. That's why I'm up this way, anyway.

( Just give it time, Sarah, give it time. Alex Vause is a void that will draw you in and crush your emotions without even meaning to. It's not like a black hole can help itself; it's just what they do. She tilts her head in the direction she was wandering, gesturing for Sarah to follow her as she starts walking again. )

Oh, yeah? Rough day at the office?

( Sarah looks like she'd have about as much fun in an office as Alex would, honestly. ) So, that thing you did. Illusion or some sort of transfiguration voodoo?

[ She follows along, sliding her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. Man, what do you call two emotional train wrecks colliding? Oh, right, a hot mess. ]

Every day's rough when you spend it driving a cab. I assume. Haven't been at it long.

[ Definitely not an office type. Or a gainfully employed type, honestly. But the cabbie job's fairly easy money, for now, so she sticks with it. Sucks the joy out of living, though, that's for sure. ]

It's an illusion. [ For a second she thinks about leaving it at that. She doesn't want to give all her tricks away to someone she just met, after all. But really, anyone with a brain and an internet connection could look up the information if they really wanted to know it. ] I can do a camouflage thing, too. Not real invisibility, just… fading. What about you, what'd you get?

Joyful freakin' day. I get to sell make up. ( the slightly manic gesture says yay and please God kill me at the same time, before Alex shakes her head. )

Cool. Your powers almost seem useful. ( Teasing, honest. Almost providing her with a knife, almost making her invisible - and yet not quite. It's kinda funny, right?

This place is so weird. She's not going to stop thinking that any time soon. ) Orgasm empowerment. Yeah, sex that hits the spot turns me into a machine. ( Spoken so seriously, although she gives Sarah a look (complete with arched eyebrow) that torpedos any vague hint of believability pretty ruthlessly. After a beat, ) Memory manipulation. I don't know exactly what that means, but I'm guessing it's screwed up.

( And let her just steer them towards a doorway, pushing the door open and holding it for Sarah. )

[ The orgasm empowerment thing catches her off guard, makes her shoot Alex a sideways look before realizing it's bullshit and huffing out a small laugh as she follows into the bar. Memory manipulation, though. That could be dangerous. ]

Sounds like some supervillain shit if you ask me.

[ She's joking, kind of, and makes it clear, but there's definitely an undercurrent of "keep that far away from me". Still, she heads inside and takes a seat at the bar. Of course, her mind immediately goes to ways Alex could use her powers to grift. Petty, sure, but somehow she feels like Alex is the type of person who'd appreciate it. ]

Y'know, you could make a killing at work using that. Make every customer believe they've already decided to buy from you… [ Well, every customer's probably pushing it a bit, so she amends that. ] No, every few customers. Gotta make it believable or you'll get found out, yeah?

Right? I just need to get one of those hairless cats and a giant leather armchair and I'm set.

( Alex doesn't exactly sound delighted, mind you. )

Ah, okay. Nice. ( Pulling out a stool at the bar next to Sarah, Alex nods to the bartender to catch his attention, when he's done doing whatever job he's doing to pretend that he's busy. ) I was thinking I could con people into making I'd paid for drinks. Great for my bank balance, terrible for my liver.

( And then, a smile at the bartender. Yeah, she really doesn't seem to care if he heard that. ) Double scotch, and...? ( A glance at Sarah, to see what she wants. )

Bourbon rocks.

[ Sarah watches as the bartender goes about starting their drinks, then turns and smiles at Alex. ]

Yeah, that could work. I've done shit like it before.

[ Of course, since her illusions switch back after a while, she tries not to use the "oh, this blank piece of paper is actually a $20" trick too often for fear of getting run out of town. Or towns, plural. That'd be the last thing she needs. ]

Bourbon rocks. ( Quietly, an unnecessary repetition. Alex likes to try and notice the details, to remember things. You never know when it could come in useful to know that someon prefers a particular type of drink, or how to use that to piece a picture together and analyse them. Manipulate them, really, but analysing for now. )

Yeah? ( The downside of coming to the shitty side of town was apparently pissing people off by existing (nothing new for Alex, let's be real) but the plus side seemed to be falling in with someone who actually seemed like a real person. And besides, there's nothing wrong with a little criminal activity, so long as you don't get caught. ) Maybe the fucked up meeting of the worlds bought us together to commit great crimes.

( with a quiet laugh. That'd sure be a thing. )

You've known me ten minutes and you already wanna form a supervillain team? I'm flattered.

[ She smiles, leaning on the bar as she waits for her drink. Supervillain is definitely a stretch, but she has gone on the record before saying that she won't fight crime. Still, if she's not careful, she could easily fall back into bad habits—grifting, assault, all that good stuff—and while they're not on the level of any kind of real infamy, they could easily send her to jail. ]

Well, y'know what they say - gotta strike while the co-conspirators are hot.

( with a chuckle, shameless, as the bartender slides her drink towards her. she happily picks it up, sipping the scotch and god damn that is some intense scotch. she's not entirely sure it's actually scotch and not meshed with ethanol. )

Anyway, being a supervillain sounds like way too much work. They really like speeches, and I was never one for public speaking.

( as much as Alex apparently likes the sound of her own voice. She raises her glass when Sarah receives her drink, with a ridiculous faux-serious look. ) To half-hearted villainy?

[ Sarah raises her glass in return, keeping her expression just as serious. ]

To half-hearted villainy.

[ She drinks. Nice and strong, just how she likes it. And one of the best ways to forget about her day job. She sets her glass down on the bar after and grins. She likes Alex. It's one of those immediate connection things, but she also reminds Sarah a lot of the few decent friends she used to have back before everything at home went to shit. Before she made them all believe she was dead. ]

To be honest, you're right about the speeches and all. Better to keep things on the down low, yeah?

( A brief clatter of their glasses, and Alex is throwing back a good portion of her drink, too. This feels better. It feels more normal than most of the shit that's happened since she got here, even with the weird pen thing from before. )

I think so. We can keep it quiet.

( Although, it is a thought she hasn't totally backed away from - what she could do with these powers, what the possibilities were in a place like this. Odds are the possibilities for getting completely fucked over were all the more intense when the do-gooders had superpowers, but hey. You don't go into heroin trafficking if you're concerned about risks. )

Though, honestly, in my trafficking days the ability to create a... mirage, or whatever, that would've been fucking amazing. You've got a talent, kid. You could be a contender.

( She doesn't commit to the Marlon Brando accent, but she does do the dramatic slow speech on the last part, the squint. ) I'm guessing that kinda trade gets shot down before it can even start, here. Superheroes, yay.

( Is she fishing? A little. Is she also just being open about who she is? Yeah, kinda. She can always wipe a memory if she has to, right? She'd rather not, Sarah seems cool, but it's an option. )

Your trafficking days, eh?

[ She says it casually enough, though the thought immediately brings Vic to mind, and she doesn't particularly want to think about him now. Or ever again. ]

Not sure, honestly. This world's got it's shit like any other. Superheroes, yeah, but they're not the only ones with powers. It probably evens out.

[ She means people like them, of course. They can joke about supervillainy all they want, but she gets the impression that Alex wouldn't be into world domination, just like she wouldn't. But you don't have to be a villain to break the law, do you? Not a villain, just someone who wants to take back what the world's kept from them. She knows that feeling perfectly well. What's this world given her? All it's done is taken her away from her family, her kid, dumped her in a shitty apartment with a shitty job, and told her to be grateful. She can be a hero. Yeah, right. ]

Yeah. Spoiler alert: working for a drug cartel is a really fucking bad idea. ( She shakes her head and sips her drink. ) What'd you do before you got ported in?

( A nod, a quiet sound of acknowledgement, and Alex's expression turns more thoughtful. ) I guess if things were so great, they wouldn't want to give us so many damn perks to register and clean up their messes for 'em. Besides, the good guys don't usually have that much imagination.

( No, Alex isn't interested in world domination. She's more interested in being safe, in being comfortable, and for having the power that comes with being part of something and having money. Money, in the end, doesn't solve everything, and she knows that. But it can solve a lot. )

This place is bullshit.

Before I came here… I was dating a drug dealer.

[ Because she's sure as hell not telling Alex about the clone thing, not now and maybe not ever. She says it with a kind of wry smile. She knows how it sounds, but then again, it sounds like Alex knows about it firsthand, and maybe dealt with worse. ]

Not a nice guy. Of course, sounds like you know what that's like.

Oh, God. ( Poor soul. Even so, there's a slight smile that tugs the corner of her mouth. ) I bet he wasn't as good as me.

( At dealing, of course. She means dealing, but there's that moment where she let's it sound like terrible innuendo before laughing, tipping back more of her drink. )

You're not wrong. Once you get in it's fucking hard to get out, too. ( There's tension in her jaw as she finishes off her drink, signalling to the barkeep for another. ) Hell, just give me the damn. Okay?

( There we go. ) I pissed off my kingpin.

( She's so fucked, basically. )

[ Okay, so Sarah has never personally pissed off a kingpin. She has stolen coke from her ex-boyfriend, who then got his finger cut off by a kingpin and the threat of more fingerless fun to come, however, so she more or less knows the score here. ]

Sounds like you're better off here than you are there. For a while, anyway.

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( closed ) reflections of the shattered dreams

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ahhhh I'm so sorry for my slowness, I am useless at having an attention span this week :'|

no worries!!

;u;

'3' mwah

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