[ OPEN ]

[hostage]

Date & Time: Evening of April 30 (forward-dated)
Location: Unit 409
Characters: Jesse & anyone who wants to join him in baking cookies
Summary: Getting baked. The cookies are, that is. Here is the IC invitation.
Notes: Party/meme-style. Tag in your characters. Tag around. Whatever. Fun times. Remember this is taking place during the mission, so sorry to anyone who's in Australia. You're missing it!!!
Warnings: Put warnings on your thread subject lines. But seriously...

Jesse treats his kitchen the same way he treats the lab: it's spotless, sanitized, and organized. He's laid out many more supplies and ingredients than he would need if he were doing all the work himself. A few extra tables have been brought in and set up like an assembly line, so that each step of the process can be taken care of in order without people tripping over each other. After a few months of trials with this baking thing, he's gotten it all down to a science. The ingredients include items that can't be found easily in the city: various frostings, colorful sprinkles, some rarer nuts and chocolates and such. All things he picked up on a special shopping trip in the past, courtesy of the Initiative. The bakeware, too, is state-of-the-art. And there's a stolen stereo playing 80s-90s hip hop at a volume just loud enough to fill the silence.

Comments

[5055034455]

[Hardy har. Saul leans past Jesse to peer into the kitchen.]

Nah. Now's not a good time. I don't want to be a distraction.

[hostage]

So what're you doing?

[5055034455]

[In response, Saul waggles his eyebrows.

So mysterious~~~]

[hostage]

[And Jesse rolls his eyes skyward.]

You know, if you wanna ask me something, just ask. This whole whatever you're doing is driving me crazy.

[5055034455]

Is it? I'm sorry.

[hostage]

Yeah, no. You're not.

[5055034455]

[He appears to think about that for a moment. Then, he shrugs.]

You're right. I'm not. You need to take a chill pill. What I'm trying to do is my job, which is kind of difficult, all things considered. And since you're the only client I have left — well, there you go.

[hostage]

[He gives the room a quick glance and his voice drops to a hissed whisper:]

Look, these people like just started believing I'm not a murderer. And now you're going around asking all kinds of questions... How do you think that looks, huh? You think you're doing me any favors?

[5055034455]

[Saul doesn't like whispering because when people whisper, it looks suspicious. And if Jesse's so concerned about looking suspicious...

He places a hand on Jesse's shoulder and steers him farther from the kitchen. If Jesse resists and he has to start shoving, so be it.

But Saul is not going to whisper.]

Untwist your panties. I'm looking out for you, believe it or not, and I'm not gonna apologize for getting the information you probably wouldn't have given me even if I'd begged. You tell me to ask you whatever it is I have to ask? I say no, no thanks, I'd rather not waste my breath.

[hostage]

[Jesse goes right along without a struggle. As if he'd have the strength, anyway.]

I appreciate you looking out for me, but I was doing fine before you got here.

[...said behind clenched teeth. He doesn't sound very appreciative at all.]

[5055034455]

Oh, yeah. [He scoffs.] Perfectly fine. Because people who are doing fine always go around making plans like the one you've got floating around in that fuzzy little head of yours.

[Saul's half-tempted to rub said fuzzy head for emphasis, but doesn't. Instead, he drops his hands to his sides.]

You don't appreciate shit, Jesse. That's your problem. Good thing I'm not the kind of guy who cares about whether or not he's appreciated, huh?

[hostage]

[Jesse wheels around to face Saul properly, jerking his chin forward as if he's the one challenging rather than being provoked.]

Yeah, why don't we talk about that. Because, what the hell? What's your game here, huh? Lisbeth don't know enough to get it, but you do. You should be on my side here, man. I mean...

[He gestures vaguely toward Saul, lacking the words to properly describe the catastrophe he brought into Saul's life and the entire goddamn city of Albuquerque, if not beyond.]

You know.

[5055034455]

Lisbeth knows.

[Saul takes a small step backward.]

Maybe she doesn't get it, but she told me about what happened back in... wherever the hell that was. Canada. About Walter and Fring. So I explained part of the situation, because I was pretty sure you didn't. A tiny, tiny part. And you know what I said? I said they were ground zero for this whole fiasco.

Now, go ahead. Tell me I'm wrong.

[hostage]

[Jesse bristles with rage at that - who gave Saul the right? - but more importantly... It's amazing how fast Jesse moves to defend the man he believes murdered him in cold blood:]

Mr. White never woulda started cooking if it wasn't for me. How's that for ground zero?

[5055034455]

[And now it's Saul's turn to roll his eyes.]

Jesus. Really? How brainwashed are you? You see what he's turned into. That doesn't just happen accidentally. Granted, I don't know what he was like before this all went down, but I know enough about people in general to also know that someone doesn't just wake up one day and switch from mild-mannered chemistry teacher to murderous drug lord without the latter being there all along.

If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else. You were just convenient.

[hostage]

[Jesse bites his lower lip for a second, both steeling himself and keeping down some nasty retort. His voice is cooler when he opens his mouth again:]

You're right. You don't know what he was like. So stop pretending like you do.

[5055034455]

[Saul's quick to respond, but he doesn't sound angry, either.

He sounds... tired. Disappointed.]

And you think you do?

Honestly?

[hostage]

[Jesse shakes his head - not in answer, but in rejection of the entire argument. He takes a step back, rubs his face, and turns away again. His expression, which Saul can't see, is conflicted. Obviously Mr. White isn't the man Jesse thought he was. He learned that a long time ago. But the same goes for Gus, for Mike, for Saul himself, for almost everyone in Jesse's life. He can be angry at all of them for deceiving and betraying him. But...]

I'm not gonna kill him.

[5055034455]

[And Saul, while Jesse isn't facing him, pinches the bridge of his nose. This is exhausting. But he shouldn't be surprised, really — it's not like he hasn't dealt with Jesse before. It's not like all this stubbornness isn't familiar.

But what really gets him is this: Jesse hasn't seen Walt in almost a year, right? Maybe longer. And he's still defending him. Even if Saul told Jesse everything, he'd probably do what he did just now: shake his head. No. Saul doesn't get it, right? Mr. White doesn't deserve to die. Mr. White has a family. Mr. White is Jesse's partner.

Some partnership.]

Fine. You don't need any more blood on your hands, anyway.

[He lays a hand on Jesse's shoulder again, gently turning him back around.]

Including your own. So you better get that idea out of your head.

[hostage]

[Jesse allows himself to be turned around again, reluctantly raising his eyes to meet Saul's. It takes a moment for those words to sink in, and then his resentment begins to fade. When Saul first told him it was Mr. White who should die, he'd assumed Saul was pushing for that. Just one more person telling Jesse Pinkman who he had to murder next. It's sounding less like that, now. Like it's his own choice. That doesn't make it easier, but it's something.]

It's the only way. You gotta know it's the only way to stop everything. It'll be quick, and easy, and everything'll change. Just like that. Nobody'd even miss me.

[5055034455]

[Saul's not going to push for it. If he decides he really wants to do it — no; really wants it done, he'll find a way. Whether it's by Jesse's hand or not doesn't really matter.

Saul's grip on Jesse's shoulder tightens.]

The only thing that'll change is that he'll find someone else. And what about me, huh? Lisbeth? Rue? All these people here, everyone I've talked to...? Don't be that guy.

[hostage]

The people I been lying to, you mean?

[Not that they would even remember him, but if they did, they'd be missing someone who didn't exist to begin with. That's how he sees it.]

And you...

[His face cracks into a wry little smile.]

Come on.

[5055034455]

Okay, so you've been lying to them. Big deal. You care about them. That's not a lie. And if the truth about your past comes out, hey, whatever. They can forgive you. You're not —

[He pauses, reconsiders his wording.]

You don't have to be who you were back home. None of us do. Blank slate, yeah? And as for me, don't... don't get weird.

[Just gonna go ahead and remove that hand from Jesse's shoulder, now...]

[hostage]

[He snorts at that.]

Is it that easy for you? Just "blank slate"? Pretend it didn't happen, just 'cause we're somewhere else?

[5055034455]

Are you about to tell me you've never seen The Lion King?