[Her tone is a mixture of skepticism and surprise. It shows on her face. It's followed by something a little more thoughtful. The help wouldn't be so bad. Malcolm helps when he can, but he also presses too much. Tells her what she needs to do that she doesn't want to face yet. After a moment of thought, she gives a shrug and nods.]
I can't pay you much. Mostly food and beer.
[She takes jobs when she can. She prefers the ones that pay even if they're stupid. It's better to guard her heart that way. It keeps her from getting too involved and too emotionally compromised, but those cases sneak up anyway somehow. She wants to blame Trish and Malcolm, but she knows that's not the truth of it. She's always wanted to help people even when it's only led to her making the situation worst.]
[ Jesse sees the skepticism on her face and hears it in her voice and for a moment, he shrinks back a little, feeling a sudden wave of shyness rush through him. Maybe it's a little weird--offering to help, but after a moment of pause, he decides that he meant the offer, and isn't going to take it back. ]
I mean, yeah. It's something to do, anyways. I could do with keeping busy. I don't do too well when I'm bored.
[ He rubs at the back if his neck briefly. ]
Tends to get me in trouble.
[ He sort of half-swallows those words, following quickly with a couple of gulps of beer. He sets the bottle back down and takes a bite of pizza, wiping his mouth as he listens to her talk. He waves a hand at her words, cheek full like a chipmunk as he answers, not exactly full of manners but also making an effort not to chew with his mouth open or be too gross while he talks. ]
Food and beer's plenty. I wouldn't ask for money like that. Not when I offered to help.
[ Jesse swallows the mouthful and clears his throat. ]
Yeah. I been known to throw a rager or two back in the day. Not really anymore, though. I try to keep a low-profile. The neighbors would probably bug out. They're mostly an older crowd, so. You know. In bed by, like eight o'clock or whatever. Up at the ass crack of dawn to speedwalk around the block in their orthopedic sneakers.
[ He lets out a laugh, picking up the pizza slice for another bite. Truth be told, even if he did have it in him to throw a party, there are only like two people he can think of inviting. His circle of friends has gotten exceedingly tiny over the years, even if he has a ton of acquaintances.]
[Her tone softens just slightly. Maybe not enough for him to notice, but it's there all the time. She can hear what he's left unsaid. It's a reminder to Jessica that she's not the only one with demons. Everyone has them. Everyone tries to deal with it their own way. She finds hers at the bottle of the bottle. Jesse seems to deal with it by staying busy.
She can even fathom a party. It sounds awful to her. Too loud. Too much. Too many people. It's not her scene. She doesn't have much of a social life, truth be told. She works. There's Trish and Malcolm if they happen to be on good terms. There's Matt and Luke and Danny too from time to time. She's largely a solitary person.
The exception is Jesse and his company. She finds that she doesn't mind it too much. He doesn't press too her for her to be anything but who she is, and he's not put off by her shitty attitude. He's even brought her pizza.
So yeah, Jesse can stick around if he wants.]
What, you don't like to join them on their morning power walks for all the gossip?
[ Jesse's face lights up, blue eyes wide and earnest, a grin splitting his mouth. He's used to being around hard-asses. Not that he particularly feels that way around Jessica, but it's why her walls and attitude don't faze him. He's been around worse. People who actively try to break him down. People who have no life left in their eyes--black and empty, like a shark's. She's right to suspect he's got demons. More than most, particularly for someone his age--only in his mid-twenties. But somehow, he still has it in him to trust people and to seek out those connections. He's a good guy, deep down, in spite of his shortcomings and sketchy background.
Used to were the operative words when Jesse mentioned partying. He doesn't do it anymore. Jesse barely socializes outside of his two closest friends--Skinny Pete and Badger. It's too risky, attracting attention to himself and where he lives. He avoids contact with the authorities wherever possible.
He laughs when she mentions him joining the ladies who speedwalk through his neighborhood, shaking his head. ]
Pfft, nah. Besides, you didn't hear it from me, but the knitting circle's where the real tea's spilled at.
[ He raises his eyebrows at Jessica, voice going low and raspy like he's letting her in on some top-secret information. ]
But yeah, lemme know when you want me to come by and help patch stuff up. I just need, like, a day or two notice so I can, uh, make sure I get a day off or work the night-shift or whatever.
[ It's not a typical nine-to-five to say the least, but he still needs to arrange things--work some overtime so he can skip a shift, or plan on working through the night instead of during regular hours. ]
Edited (html nonsense) Date: 2022-12-26 05:43 am (UTC)
[She doesn't mean to. She laughs. The idea of Jesse at a knitting circle and getting all the good gossip is such a funny idea that it tickles her. She finishes her slice of pizza and grabs another. It's good. Now that she's finally relaxing, it's like she can remember her appetite again. It's easy to forget when she works and drinks nothing but alcohol and coffee.
There's also a little shiver of appreciation down her spine at the low rasp of his voice. She's not blind. She knows Jesse is good looking. He's got a certain charm about him.]
Whenever you're free. I work from home for the most part unless I'm out there following a lead. I can leave you a key, so you can come in whenever you need to.
[She doesn't think he'll steal from her. Even so, it's not like she has much. Her laptop and camera are probably the most expensive things she own.]
I'm in no big rush to get it all done, so whenever it's convenient. I'm used to looking at the mess.
[ Jesse can't help but laugh, too, a bright grin on his face because it feels kind of good to make Jessica laugh. It's like a little reward all on its own because she doesn't seem like the type to crack a smile unless she means it--certainly not just for the sake of others and their comfort or feelings, at least from what he can tell. So it's kind of a victory, for him
His eyebrows shoot up, though, at the mention of her just leaving him a key so he can come and go as needed. That he isn't expecting, but it has less to do with her and more to do with the fact that there aren't a whole lot of people in this world who really put their trust in him like that, even though he's worthy of it. Unlike most people in his line of work, Jesse actually has a pretty strong moral compass guiding him. Okay, so maybe not the kind that's supposed to tell him drugs are bad or whatever, but he's loyal to a fault and he cares about people. ]
Really? Okay. I'll still make sure to text you before I swing by.
[ As much as he wouldn't mind walking in on her mid-getting dressed, he's certain a heads up would be more than appreciated. ]
It's no problem. I work at this, like, industrial laundromat. It's kind of a drag, so anything that'll keep me away from that place for a day or so here and there is, like, way sweet.
[ Jesse finishes the pizza that's on his paper plate and then grabs his beer, reclining a little as he sips it. ]
So. What's it take to persuade you to share that whiskey you were talking about?
[ Thought he'd forget, did you? A slow smirk tugs at one side of his mouth, mischief flashing in those blue eyes of his. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zvi
thank you!
Date: 2022-12-14 01:27 pm (UTC)[Her tone is a mixture of skepticism and surprise. It shows on her face. It's followed by something a little more thoughtful. The help wouldn't be so bad. Malcolm helps when he can, but he also presses too much. Tells her what she needs to do that she doesn't want to face yet. After a moment of thought, she gives a shrug and nods.]
I can't pay you much. Mostly food and beer.
[She takes jobs when she can. She prefers the ones that pay even if they're stupid. It's better to guard her heart that way. It keeps her from getting too involved and too emotionally compromised, but those cases sneak up anyway somehow. She wants to blame Trish and Malcolm, but she knows that's not the truth of it. She's always wanted to help people even when it's only led to her making the situation worst.]
Must've been some crazy parties.
No prob :)
Date: 2022-12-15 09:54 am (UTC)I mean, yeah. It's something to do, anyways. I could do with keeping busy. I don't do too well when I'm bored.
[ He rubs at the back if his neck briefly. ]
Tends to get me in trouble.
[ He sort of half-swallows those words, following quickly with a couple of gulps of beer. He sets the bottle back down and takes a bite of pizza, wiping his mouth as he listens to her talk. He waves a hand at her words, cheek full like a chipmunk as he answers, not exactly full of manners but also making an effort not to chew with his mouth open or be too gross while he talks. ]
Food and beer's plenty. I wouldn't ask for money like that. Not when I offered to help.
[ Jesse swallows the mouthful and clears his throat. ]
Yeah. I been known to throw a rager or two back in the day. Not really anymore, though. I try to keep a low-profile. The neighbors would probably bug out. They're mostly an older crowd, so. You know. In bed by, like eight o'clock or whatever. Up at the ass crack of dawn to speedwalk around the block in their orthopedic sneakers.
[ He lets out a laugh, picking up the pizza slice for another bite. Truth be told, even if he did have it in him to throw a party, there are only like two people he can think of inviting. His circle of friends has gotten exceedingly tiny over the years, even if he has a ton of acquaintances.]
Happy holidays!
Date: 2022-12-24 10:39 pm (UTC)[Her tone softens just slightly. Maybe not enough for him to notice, but it's there all the time. She can hear what he's left unsaid. It's a reminder to Jessica that she's not the only one with demons. Everyone has them. Everyone tries to deal with it their own way. She finds hers at the bottle of the bottle. Jesse seems to deal with it by staying busy.
She can even fathom a party. It sounds awful to her. Too loud. Too much. Too many people. It's not her scene. She doesn't have much of a social life, truth be told. She works. There's Trish and Malcolm if they happen to be on good terms. There's Matt and Luke and Danny too from time to time. She's largely a solitary person.
The exception is Jesse and his company. She finds that she doesn't mind it too much. He doesn't press too her for her to be anything but who she is, and he's not put off by her shitty attitude. He's even brought her pizza.
So yeah, Jesse can stick around if he wants.]
What, you don't like to join them on their morning power walks for all the gossip?
you too!! :)
Date: 2022-12-25 03:19 am (UTC)[ Jesse's face lights up, blue eyes wide and earnest, a grin splitting his mouth. He's used to being around hard-asses. Not that he particularly feels that way around Jessica, but it's why her walls and attitude don't faze him. He's been around worse. People who actively try to break him down. People who have no life left in their eyes--black and empty, like a shark's. She's right to suspect he's got demons. More than most, particularly for someone his age--only in his mid-twenties. But somehow, he still has it in him to trust people and to seek out those connections. He's a good guy, deep down, in spite of his shortcomings and sketchy background.
Used to were the operative words when Jesse mentioned partying. He doesn't do it anymore. Jesse barely socializes outside of his two closest friends--Skinny Pete and Badger. It's too risky, attracting attention to himself and where he lives. He avoids contact with the authorities wherever possible.
He laughs when she mentions him joining the ladies who speedwalk through his neighborhood, shaking his head. ]
Pfft, nah. Besides, you didn't hear it from me, but the knitting circle's where the real tea's spilled at.
[ He raises his eyebrows at Jessica, voice going low and raspy like he's letting her in on some top-secret information. ]
But yeah, lemme know when you want me to come by and help patch stuff up. I just need, like, a day or two notice so I can, uh, make sure I get a day off or work the night-shift or whatever.
[ It's not a typical nine-to-five to say the least, but he still needs to arrange things--work some overtime so he can skip a shift, or plan on working through the night instead of during regular hours. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-12-29 12:34 am (UTC)There's also a little shiver of appreciation down her spine at the low rasp of his voice. She's not blind. She knows Jesse is good looking. He's got a certain charm about him.]
Whenever you're free. I work from home for the most part unless I'm out there following a lead. I can leave you a key, so you can come in whenever you need to.
[She doesn't think he'll steal from her. Even so, it's not like she has much. Her laptop and camera are probably the most expensive things she own.]
I'm in no big rush to get it all done, so whenever it's convenient. I'm used to looking at the mess.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-29 02:18 am (UTC)His eyebrows shoot up, though, at the mention of her just leaving him a key so he can come and go as needed. That he isn't expecting, but it has less to do with her and more to do with the fact that there aren't a whole lot of people in this world who really put their trust in him like that, even though he's worthy of it. Unlike most people in his line of work, Jesse actually has a pretty strong moral compass guiding him. Okay, so maybe not the kind that's supposed to tell him drugs are bad or whatever, but he's loyal to a fault and he cares about people. ]
Really? Okay. I'll still make sure to text you before I swing by.
[ As much as he wouldn't mind walking in on her mid-getting dressed, he's certain a heads up would be more than appreciated. ]
It's no problem. I work at this, like, industrial laundromat. It's kind of a drag, so anything that'll keep me away from that place for a day or so here and there is, like, way sweet.
[ Jesse finishes the pizza that's on his paper plate and then grabs his beer, reclining a little as he sips it. ]
So. What's it take to persuade you to share that whiskey you were talking about?
[ Thought he'd forget, did you? A slow smirk tugs at one side of his mouth, mischief flashing in those blue eyes of his. ]