Too low to dig, I might just touch hell.

[hostage]

WHO: Jesse Pinkman & OPEN
WHERE: Various
WHEN: Throughout September
WHAT: Average day-to-day encounters with Jesse.
WARNINGS: Language, drugs, gore, body horror...

HEROPA - THE PARK ( OPEN )

[Coming off a healing tour of the local hospital's ICU, Jesse heads straight for the park across the street and settles himself on the grass beneath the shade of a willow tree. He's a mess - as he always is after a long round of healing the sick and injured - and doubly so since he's dressed in his rattiest torn jeans and dirty t-shirt combo. He self-reports as homeless on his paperwork, and today he looks the part.

Hands wrapped in gauze from fingertips to shoulder, there's not much Jesse can do while he waits to regenerate. He sprawls out on the grass and stares skyward. Bleeding through his bandages, he probably makes an alarming sight. But he's not unconscious. Just resting.]

NONAH - BEER GARDEN ( OPEN )

[Fresh out of a business meeting with some of his more respectable contacts, Jesse's looking remarkably clean-cut tonight. He's not in a suit, but with his pressed denim jacket and neatly styled hair, he fits in with the young professionals around him. He's not a regular here. He just looks like he could be.

Since he's dining alone, he takes a seat at a communal table around a fire pit and orders one of the fancy overpriced pizzas off the menu, along with the special craft beer the waiter kept pushing on him. His mind isn't really on dinner. He pulls a notepad from his pocket and starts crunching numbers with abstract notes. A few things to jot down before he forgets.]

MAURTIA FALLS - THE STREETS ( OPEN )

[It's the kind of night he used to love. Bass thumping in the club, throngs of revelers bumping and grinding around him, beautiful girls snorting rails off the bar... Nowadays it's overstimulating, and if Jesse could get a headache, he'd have one. Instead the pressure's more discarnate, less tangible, like the air's too heavy. After a few hours, he's having trouble maintaining the necessary smile and the social lubricant of easy conversation. People look to him for charm and entertainment, and when he can't give that to them anymore, that's when it's time to excuse himself.

Stepping out into the cool night air, Jesse swipes a hand across his sweaty forehead before lighting up a cigarette. It's better out here, with the music and shouting muffled behind him. When he exhales, a sigh of relief escapes with the smoke.]

DE CHIMA - THE OFFICES OF PKE ( CLOSED TO MARK VORKOSIGAN )

[Jesse's about five minutes early for their scheduled appointment. The last time they sat down together was in a grimy dive bar, and Mark was going by a different name. This time around, the setting's more professional and so is Jesse. He may not be wearing a tie or carrying a briefcase, but he fits the part of an upstart entrepreneur. He's flying under the radar. That's the whole point of this.

When he's called in, Jesse walks into Mark's office with a notebook tucked under one arm. He smiles as he approaches Mark's desk, offering his free hand.]

Hey. Thanks for seeing me.

Comments

[hostage]

You're gonna be okay, big guy.

[neverdied]

[At least someone cares.]

I'll manage. You did. [And Jesse looks like a twelves year old with a beard.]

[hostage]

[Jesse flashes Jack a tight, false smile.]

Thanks.

[Asshole.]

[neverdied]

Yeah.

[Asshole and proud! Or more like asshole and apathetic. Same deal.]

You not got a home to go to? [Somewhere where he's not being inconsiderate and bleeding in public.]

[hostage]

[His blood is more valuable than gold. The public should be grateful.]

Not really.

[neverdied]

Sounds like a no.

You didn't register?

[hostage]

I registered. I just think it's stupid to live someplace everybody knows where to find you.

[neverdied]

Yeah. I guess. [It's not ever something he's been too concerned with, but Jack's moved around a lot.]

Doubt I'll register anyway. Can't really see the benefit.

[hostage]

It's a pain in the ass to cross borders if you're Unsettled, for one. That's enough for me.

[neverdied]

Not really an issue for me. [Because motherfucking wings, that he won't be displaying or explaining, but he knows they exist and that's all that matters.]

The money is kind of a draw. Easy enough to make without Government handouts though.

[hostage]

...Okay. Yeah, I guess. I mean, sure. If you don't need to kiss some government ass, that's great.

[Attracts a bit more attention than Jesse would want, but Jack doesn't seem like the type to care about blending in.]

[neverdied]

Do you kiss their ass?

[He's genuinely not sure what the standard is for imPorts around here. There's no want to follow the crowd, but there's no harm in finding the ins and outs of the powers-that-be around here. Jack's fine with not following the masses, but he doesn't need a target painted on his back every time the Government try to find scapegoats. An easy life, that's all he wants, one that involves just a tiny bit of murder for self-sufficiency.]

[hostage]

Uh, yeah? Of course I do. Whenever they make the list of people they're gonna ship off to camps someday, I wanna be one of the last names on the list.

[neverdied]

Smart. [And he means that, even though it may sound like he doesn't.] Better to pick your battles.