[closed] yeah yeah and I'm alright

[5055034455]

Date & Time: June 29 — July ∞
Location: Around Exsilium
Characters: Saul & TBA
Summary: A catch-all log for Saul's many business etc. meetings throughout the month, because otherwise there would be like a million logs up. Not even an exaggeration. An actual million.
Warnings: Drugs in Jesse's thread, violence in Coby's, sap in Effie's.

[Sometimes, the best way to get over something is to find a suitable distraction.

Since Saul's #1 distraction has always been work, he doesn't see why that can't be the case here as well — he may not technically be practicing law at the moment, but his skill set is undeniably useful. Extremely so. (As far as he's considered, anyway.) He doesn't need his own office or a secretary or a PI or a bodyguard to get plenty of shit done. He's Saul Goodman, for godssakes — what the hell good is he if he's not working?

His hands have been idle for too long, and look at where they've gotten him.

Devil's tools indeed.

So here he is, keeping busy. Training, doing business, drinking more coffee (and alcohol) than he probably should. Whatever works, right? Right.]

Comments

[legal_eagle]

[She doesn't look at him, but she's listening very carefully to Saul's response to this question.]

So why not make him disappear?

[5055034455]

[Oh, that makes him laugh. God. If it were only that easy.]

It's too late.

[legal_eagle]

And why's that?

[5055034455]

There's no getting rid of this guy without taking a piece of Jesse with him.

[legal_eagle]

[She does frown at him at that. Matter-of-factly - ]

What, does he have some sort of life-sapping ability or something?

[5055034455]

He might as well.

[Saul has to pause and take a deep breath, mentally count to ten. Time to regroup.]

They think they need each other. That's what this boils down to.

[legal_eagle]

[Sarcastically:]

How romantic. So fucking what? I take it from your answer that you have no personal moral objection to killing this guy, right?

[5055034455]

If anything happens to him, Jesse'll turn on all of us. And what the fuck is the point, anyway? He'll just come back.

[Saul shrugs.]

There's a long line of people who'd pull the trigger on this guy. If there were a guarantee that he'd stay dead, I'd be in that line myself.

[legal_eagle]

So chain him up in a basement. Find a sturdy box and drill air holes. Keep Jesse blinded to it - he's not someone that someone like you can't turn around. Come on, you're brighter than this. There are solutions.

[5055034455]

[There's only one real solution, and that's in Jesse's hands.

And he's rethinking it.

So they're all shit out of luck.

Saul runs a hand through his hair, heaves another sigh, and shifts around so he can slump against the couch again. He might just lean over a little, maybe like he's about to... rest his head on her shoulder. Yes. That's what happens.]

I can't deal with this.

[legal_eagle]

[She's in a bad mood - any time Jesse Fucking Pinkman gets discussed she finds herself in a bad mood - but that...sort of startles her to the point where she forgets about her anger, just a little bit. It's - weird. He's weird. He's weird, and she doesn't know what he's thinking more often than not, and -

And that's weirdly nice.

Saul Fucking Goodman. She wishes she could just sign off from this motherfucker and his drama, just like she'd quit any other friend whose issues threatened her or her stability or her prospects, but for some fucking reason she just keeps at it.]

So don't.

[5055034455]

[And this is what happens to Saul when Walter Fucking White comes up.

He's tired. Every time he has to have this conversation, he loses a little more energy. For someone like him — someone who's used to running on maximum almost 24/7, someone who keeps on keeping on no matter what — saying what he just said and doing what he just did is admitting vulnerability he'd rather pretend isn't even there. He's too resilient for this shit.

But he'd agree; it's weirdly nice to let his guard down, even if this only lasts for a few minutes.

For now, though, he remains as is, staring ahead.]

I can't abandon him. [Beat.] I'm sorry you got dragged into this.

[legal_eagle]

[Not half as sorry as I am.]

I'm not saying abandon him. [She shrugs the shoulder he isn't weighing down with his head.]

I'm saying declare war.

[5055034455]

[He laughs a little. War? God knows he's already got an army, unasssembled though they may be, at his disposal.

It's a great mental image, all those young ladies beating the shit out of Walter.]

This place doesn't need another war.

[legal_eagle]

[She lifts her eyebrows at the opposite wall.]

You want a solution, there it is. Neat and with a bow. You're here talking bullshit like I need to keep this information from you to keep you out of it and keep you safe, like you're a fucking masked hero from the aughts. Not even one of the good ones. One of the tired, cliched ones. You want to resolve this? You want to get it off your shoulders? Then sing it out loud and proud who this fucker is. Let people rally.

[5055034455]

[She's right. Of course she's right. And really, is there anything Saul would like more than to tear Walter right the fuck down, whether he's sorry for what he's done or not? Nope.

There's no forgiveness to be found here, not an inkling of sympathy for that guy. Walter doesn't deserve it. He deserves to die. He's a marked man, anyway — he might have lucked out with the cancer for a little while, but it could come back.

And if the Initiative cures him of it completely? All he'd have to do is die and be resurrected. It'd be back in his system, just like that.

Maybe that's their solution. The cancer.

Sonya can't see the smirk on Saul's face, but she can probably hear it.]

His name is Walter White.

[legal_eagle]

[Well, that was...Well - not easy, considering that she's been wheedling and pestering for the past month, but sudden. And granted, that was a magnificently constructed argument from her, sure, but there hadn't been any waffling like she was expecting - just the name, suddenly.

She pulls back away, turns, so that she can see his face, her eyes narrowed.]

Noted. You anticipating the battle to come, or what?

[5055034455]

[Now she'll see that smirk. He straightens and smooths down his tie, momentarily looking elsewhere. Playing innocent, even though it's obvious whatever he's got on his mind is far from that.

Forget the barista — he'd kiss Sonya, if she wouldn't probably slap the shit out of him.]

I have an idea. Details TBA.

[legal_eagle]

[She leans back, frowning in sheer curiosity.]

Well, what's the rough outline?

[5055034455]

[Cue a finger wag.]

I'm not showing my cards when I don't have a full hand yet. I'll get back to you. In the meantime —

[His expression shifts again, back to serious.]

What are you gonna do, now that you have Walter's name?

[legal_eagle]

[She lifts her eyebrows and watches his eyes carefully. She doesn't make a secret of this being a joke, but she's still curious how he'll react.]

Oh, go and see how much he'll pay me for information about plots against him.

[5055034455]

[This is how: he grins again, though this time it's much more strained. Obviously forced, and he knows it.]

You better be careful.

[legal_eagle]

[With a coy smile:]

And why's that?

[5055034455]

You don't want to be on my bad side. And you really don't want to be on his.

[Okay. Fuck it. He leans close and kisses her forehead, the gesture quick and light and... oddly friendly, considering the context. He's not trying to threaten her, not really.

But he wouldn't be surprised if he got his ass kicked for this.]

I'm trusting you with this, Sonya. Don't make me wish I hadn't. I need you.

[legal_eagle]

[It's weird. If he'd gone for the mouth, she'd have stood up and slammed out of there and never spoken with him again. The cheek would have earned a slam to the throat. Because in her life, in her experience, you can't let someone get away with something like that because then it'll escalate and they'll take liberties. And if it had been hostile, or mocking, or threatening, then she'd have grabbed his face and shoved it away from her, proving that she doesn't fuck around. But this is...It's paternal, in a way, not remotely sexual, and so she pulls away in surprise, taking in a breath of surprise, staring at him a moment with her face, for once, honest - confused, searching, but not hateful.

A pause like that, and then she looks away. Her voice, at least, is breezy, and her words are ironic.]

Well. Mama always did say to stay away from whites.