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]

[This almost sounds nice. How weird. He's waiting for the part where Joel starts berating him.]

[shittybirthday]

When I start doin' these drops, I figure she's gonna be on her own for at least a few days at a time.

[And Joel really doesn't like that particular aspect. It's only because they have their devices to contact each other that Joel is still willing to do this job.]

She knows how to take care of herself but... she's gonna need someone to look out for her. I don't like leavin' her on her own.

[hostage]

[...Oh.]

You want me to look after her?

[shittybirthday]

[Another awkward shift on the spot.]

...Yeah. If you don't mind.

[hostage]

No. Yeah, no. I don't mind. I can do that. Yeah.

[He's so confused.]

[shittybirthday]

Just, y'know, check up on her regularly. Make sure she's alright, make sure she's not gettin' up to any trouble. And if anything happens... call me straight away, yeah?

[hostage]

No problem.

[shittybirthday]

[Joel gives a brief, faint nod and looks down. Alright. That wasn't as hard as he thought it was going to be. He sure still doesn't like it, though. Leaving Ellie on her own has been worrying him more and more the more he's thought about it. He lifts a hand, rubs it across his beard, drops his arm back to his side.]

Alright. Guess I'll be on my way, then.

[hostage]

[Jesse still isn't quite sure what happened here. It's about the opposite of what would make any logical sense. The guy came to make sure Jesse's a killer before asking him to babysit? What the fuck is that? But it's becoming clearer and clearer that Joel and Ellie come from a place where the rules are flipped upside-down. Maybe once Jesse gets a sense of what those rules are, he'll figure out how to navigate around Joel.

He hopes so, anyway.]

...See you around.

[Civil tone is maybe a start.]