Bad habits make for good memories.

[hostage]

WHO: Jesse Pinkman & OPEN
WHERE: Heropa & Maurtia Falls
WHEN: June
WHAT: It's a catch-all for everyday situations involving Jesse.
WARNINGS: ...Drugs. Like. Obviously.

HEROPA - YOUTH CENTER

[As soon as the kids' painting class lets out, Jesse hops outside for a cigarette. It's more out of habit than need, these days. Nicotine does nothing for him. Nothing does anything for him. But he likes it: the smoke in his lungs combined with the sweet summer air around him, salt on the breeze and the sun on his skin. He keeps away from the building's entrance - doesn't want to make the children breathe second-hand smoke, of course - and wanders the grounds instead. It's a good chance to survey the area for any creeps lurking around, too. The place doesn't have much in the way of security, and if there's one "heroic" job he's willing to do, it's protecting these kids.]

MAURTIA FALLS - RED BRANCH

[It's funny. He's been living in Pennsylvania for over a month, but he couldn't be assed to explore the place very much. Honestly, he doesn't like Pennsylvania. There's not nearly as much sun as he's used to and it just isn't his scene. Downright gloomy, sometimes. But he's slowly getting used to it, and his leisurely exploration finally leads him to the imPort pub on the outskirts of town. It's cool-looking, at least. Not a place to hang out on the regular, but definitely a place to look at. He snaps a few photos as he hops up the steps, and does the same when he walks in. That's going on his instagram, for sure.]

HEROPA - THE STREETS

[It's about time for dinner. Jesse never cooks for himself - he doesn't need to save the money and it's lonely as hell eating in his apartment by himself - so he heads straight from work into town to scope out the options. Sometimes he'll choose pizza. Sometimes tacos or a burger. Sometimes he just grabs ice cream, because he's a responsible adult. Anyway, he parks his stupid banana-yellow convertible off the street and hops out to look around. There's probably someplace he hasn't tried yet. He'll just walk until he finds a good one.]

MAURTIA FALLS #001 - CLOSED TO GREED

[It's the worst time of night, when Jesse has to come back to this place. Half the time, he doesn't even bother. It's often hotels for him, wherever he happened to just be partying. But since he couldn't land a girl for tonight, Jesse comes shuffling into his government-sponsored apartment as soon as the bars close. He smells strongly of liquor but he isn't remotely drunk, which is his curse, really. No one should have to be this sober. He tosses his jacket over the nearest chair and opens the fridge to grab a beer, not quite ready to sleep yet. He rummages around for some leftovers, too, but they're all gone. That's great. The roommate probably ate them again. He heaves a mildly irritated sigh and wanders out of the kitchen, chugging his beer.]

AT THE DRIVE-IN - CLOSED TO SKYE

[Okay... So he was honestly only half-paying attention to the movie, if that. He's been mostly focused on Skye, because he's a teenage boy at heart, and who really goes to a drive-in to watch the movie? But now the credits are rolling and the engines of the cars around them are starting up. Jesse sits back and looks up at the starry sky over their heads, letting out a quiet laugh.]

Over already, huh.

Comments

[hostage]

You didn't fuck up. Just... none of that makes sense to me. Like, at all.

[vaccination]

Shitty world. Did Joel tell you anything about it? The infected?

[hostage]

'course he didn't. You think that guy's big on telling me anything?

[vaccination]

I'll tell you. I mean, it's obvious we come from a shitty world. But that's because of this infection, Cordyceps. Twenty years ago, people started losing their minds. They would rip each other apart like mindless animals. If you get bitten or scratched, you turn into one. Now, there's like half the population left, hiding in the quarantine zones.

[Ellie purses her lips together. One hell of a conversation to have here, but there's no harm in Jesse knowing about it. Her secrets are meaningless.]

Joel was asked to take me to people who were still looking for a cure. 'cause I'm immune.

[She pushes up her sleeve to expose the bite on her forearm, scarred over yet still discolored and angry looking.]

He's risking everything to help me get to these guys. It was supposed to be a few hours, but we've been looking for them for almost a year now.

[That's dedication.]

[hostage]

[Right. He kind of put some of that together, what their world was like. But the rest of it... Something doesn't make sense to him.]

If they're the ones working on a cure, how come it's so hard to find 'em? Wouldn't the government or whoever want 'em in the quarantine zone with you guys?

[vaccination]

We have this while martial law thing going on. [She rolls down her sleeve.] Everyone's pretty much given up now. The Fireflies, though--they're still fighting for a cure, but they've been branded as troublemakers. Like, I had drills every morning in school to teach me how to kill them.

[hostage]

And you never met one of 'em? Like, in person?

[vaccination]

A Firefly? Yeah. I know their leader. Not a scientist Firefly, though.

[hostage]

[Jesse isn't quite done asking questions, but their order's up, so he darts away for a second to grab their tray off the counter. When he returns, he glances all around.]

Outside or inside?

[Seating, he means.]

[vaccination]

[It takes her a moment to not reply that yeah, Marlene was on the inside. Duh.]

Uh. Inside?

[hostage]

[Easy. Jesse picks a nearby table. He's got a whole platter, so there's plenty of tacos for her and for him. Also complimentary chips with salsa and guacamole.]

Here, dig in.

[vaccination]

Sorry for the TMI before tacos. [She gives him an apologetic smile... then waits for him to eat first. She'll follow his lead.]

[hostage]

Don't worry about it.

[He realizes she's waiting for him - probably because she has no idea how to eat this damn thing. He picks up a taco to demonstrate.]

You're gonna make a mess, so don't even try being polite about it.

[Now watch as his taco starts to fall apart after the first bite.]

[vaccination]

I think you'll worry about it. [He seemed pretty freaked. Ellie feels bad, but the point was to make him see that Joel isn't just an ass taking advantage. He's skilled, and Ellie cares about him--he can't be that bad now, can he?

Regardless of all that, Ellie watches Jesse lose a portion of his taco. Yeah, she's glad she didn't just dive in. She grabs a taco and, much like Jesse, promptly makes a mess as she bites into it.]

Hmm-mmm.

[That might be her trying to express it's good through a mouthful of food.]

[hostage]

[She's right. Jesse's going to worry about it a lot. But Ellie doesn't need to feel any worse than she does. Jesse gets it - she likes Joel. If Joel's been feeding her all kinds of stories to make kidnapping seem like it isn't such a bad thing, then of course she likes him. But if that's what's going on, it's Joel that Jesse needs to talk to, not Ellie.

He gives her a nod of approval when her taco starts to collapse, then one-ups her by losing a good half of his own when he takes his next bite.]

[vaccination]

[It's never been kidnapping. If anything, if Ellie looks at how things are, it's that Joel got stuck with her. They made no effort to disguise that at first. She was just cargo, just a chatty pain the ass that Joel wanted to dump ASAP so he could get his guns. That changed somewhere along the road. He's been her world for the past year and she'll fight tooth and nail for him. Like he'd do for her.]

Are you even getting any of that into your mouth? [Not that she can talk, with those messy hands and collection of taco in front of her.]

[hostage]

At least five percent.

[And he's talking with his mouth full. Charming.]

[vaccination]

[Here, let Ellie help. She flicks a chunk of taco in his direction with one hand while stuffing her face with the other.]

[hostage]

Wha -

[He looks scandalized for a second before picking up a chunk of fish and throwing it right back at her.]

[vaccination]

Hey! Don't get fish in my eye! [He's not supposed to fucking throw stuff back. Jesse's a little more fun than most adults, but she still expects him to be the kind to get on her case about making a mess... or wasting food. God, her ass would be grass if she threw food back at school.]

It's not my fault you don't know how to eat.

[hostage]

I know how to eat!

[He's going to show her. He's going to show her by shoveling handfuls of his half-collapsed taco into his mouth like he's two years old.]

[vaccination]

[Oh, look. He's reenacting Ellie's first day in Heropa, when she was introduced to the refrigerator. She drops the bite-sized remnant of her taco onto the table, jaw slowly going slack. That's... so... gross...

... but also funny as hell, so she laughs.]

The fuck is wrong with you? They're gonna have to hose you down in back.

[hostage]

Ahm chowan chu howah eaf wigh!

[No, there's too much in his mouth for him to be talking. It's dribbling down his chin.]

[vaccination]

[Ellie cringes.]

You're drooling fish chunks. I never needed to know that was possible. Blegh.

[hostage]

[Jesse stifles a laugh behind his hand and reaches for a couple of napkins to wipe off his face.]

...You're never gonna take me out in public again.