exsiliumlogs | give a kid a fish

Entry tags:

give a kid a fish

Date & Time: breakfast time, because it's always breakfast time on Breaking Bad.
Location: lunar 409 and then the cafeteria
Characters: Jesse pinkman, Stanley Lucerne, and a borrowed Exsile child named Peace
Summary: the kids are hungry and they have reason to suspect Jesse knows how to cook
Warnings: language, maybe mentions of drugs because...these two. oh and some missing teeth. long story.

The thing is, you have to know when to admit defeat. And when a four year old gives you a dirty look for the probably one thousandth piece of stale, crappy soda bread toast you've tried to serve her in the past few weeks, it might be time to wave the white flag. The question is, who do you ask for help?

Not the network. Fuck the fucking network, it's full of crazy people. There's that big bruiser guy with the funny ear who helped once, but he has cop aura. And Saul called the guy a PI, better not to. Then there's Saul, who was totally going to feed Stanley sometimes anyway because of...actually he doesn't know why. But Saul wouldn't poison them.

Stephanie might do something like try to take the kid away, though. She might even be right to. Except Peace bawled her head off if he left her alone long enough to take a piss (which he had no choice about anyway,) let alone if he just handed her over to a crazy lady who maybe knew how to cook more than toast. It just wasn't a good idea, and those two came as a set lately as far as Stan could tell.

Only, once Saul had mentioned that Jesse could cook. And Jesse wouldn't try anything douchey. So Stan waited until Lisbeth left to go bite some vampires or whatever she got up to in her spare time, and peeked in on Jesse to see if he was sleeping or what. 'Cause either way, he was making some breakfast. Peace was getting good at puppy eyes, it would totally work.

"Jesse? Hey, Jesse..."

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Stanley doesn't hop up quickly enough, and Peace starts wailing before Jesse even makes it out of the doorway. Nooooo Jesse, you forgot something!

The sound of the baby crying makes Stanley cringe, and he hops up, pauses just long enough for his head to stop spinning, and jogs after Jesse. Yeah, okay. Dude isn't happy with him. Did he see Stan staring at Lisbeth's nipples the other morning when she wasn't wearing a bra? Damn it. It wasn't on purpose, they were just...there.

"Hey..."

Jesse knows exactly why Peace is crying, but he's undeterred. "Shh, shh," he whispers to her while he walks briskly toward the cafeteria. "He's right behind us. We didn't leave him. Stan needs pancakes, too, I know."

When the kid comes running up beside them, Jesse gives him a sidelong glance over the top of Peace's head. It's a yeah, what? though he doesn't ask out loud.

Ellie's just passing on through when she catches sight of Jesse--Jesse and a kid, which is what made her head turn that way in the first place. She had no idea there were kids that young on the moon base. Was that... did Jesse have a kid? That almost seems like something he'd mention fairly early on in their conversations, especially given her age. People tended to tell her if they were parents, like it would comfort her, ease her into trusting them.

Most people, anyway.

"Hey," she greets, approaching him with a mix of caution and wonder. He hasn't been in a good place the last few times they chatted, but she's never really been around a baby before, so she's gotta check this out. She notices the guy around her age behind him, and gives him a nod of acknowledgement.

"That's... uh. That's a baby. A loud baby."

"She's usually good, just-" Stanley dodges someone walking the opposite direction, trying to keep up with Jesse's irritable pace. The new girl who joins them hardly gets a glance. He's just trying to get close enough to make Peace stop shrieking like that. It's brutal in this enclosed, echoing space.

Yep, that's right. The baby apparently belongs to the teenager. Or she acts like it anyway, squirming and bawling and reaching for him like a kid in the store who got told she can't have the toy she wants.

Jesse slows down enough so that Peace can see that Stan's right there, but he isn't going to just hand her over. He strokes her back and kisses the top of her head to comfort her a little, too, but there's Ellie out of nowhere and maybe he should explain things so it doesn't look like he just kidnapped some random baby.

"She's hungry," he explains. "We were just gonna make her some pancakes. You want some, too?" He might as well offer. He doesn't know Joel well enough to know if Ellie's been getting properly fed up here. Apparently there's a problem with people being too fucked up to take care of the kids, so it's a question that needs asking.

Ellie looks between Jesse and baby and the other guy, eyebrows lifting. A hungry baby that wants to be held by the teenager. Brother? ... dad? She supposes the details don't really matter if she's being offered pancakes.

"Um, sure," she agrees. Joel doesn't need to worry about Ellie since she's good at getting herself fed when there's food available, but she's not one to say no to anyone making her food. And she knows how good pancakes are.

After a moment of rapid-fire contemplation and courage gathering, Ellie offers her hand to the guy that's not Jesse. It's almost hard to look away from that baby.

"Ellie."

With Stanley close enough for her to grab a fistful of golden hair again, the little girl quiets down to sniffles and hiccups.

"Ow! ..Hi. Uh. Stanley." Offers the teenager to Ellie, shaking her hand briefly before he tries to gently unclench the toddler fist from his hair. It's like being on a choke leash, in that it hurts every time he starts to fall behind.

"Ow! Jesse! Fuck..."

"Keep up, loser," Jesse chides, although he's sounding less angry and more teasing now that Ellie's around. He adjusts Peace in his arms a bit so that at least she's got enough range to not keep Stan practically pressed up against him.

"What do you guys think? Chocolate chip pancakes, or blueberry?" He's really asking Ellie here. The stoner will probably think anything in front of him is amazing.

Ellie makes a little sympathetic noise of pain when the baby grabs Stanley's hair. Ouch. That looks painful, but Ellie's not about to touch a baby in case she breaks it. Her. Yeah.

She's about to ask what the baby's name is when Jesse starts talking about food, properly derailing her train of thought.

"Are you kidding? Chocolate. Duh."

Someone's developed a sweet tooth. This other guy better not say blueberry, otherwise the baby would have to cast the final vote.

Stanley narrows his eyes slightly at Jesse, not amused, but used to being generally taunted anyway. He doesn't even bother to reply, just trips along beside Jesse, trying to keep his scalp mostly out of harm's way.

He also knows enough women (who can kick his scrawny ass) to be fully aware that you never argue with them about chocolate. Besides, anything that isn't floor toast will be fucking amazing at this point.

"C'mon, baby girl, leggo...let Stanny go, 'k?" He pleads instead, screeching a bit himself when Peace gives his hair a fond tug instead. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..."

Sorry, Ellie. Please stand by for coherent conversation.

Stan can whine like a bitch all he wants. Jesse doesn't even consider handing the toddler over until they've reached the cafeteria. It's empty when they get there, which is good, because he doesn't exactly want anyone else to notice that Stan's on drugs while he's supposed to be this baby's guardian. Jesse might be mad about it, but he doesn't want the kid in serious trouble.

Peace is finally passed over when they're next to one of the tables, because Jesse assumes that Stan can manage to sit down without dropping her. "It'll just be a few minutes. You guys chill over here."

The words baby girl has Ellie's attention entirely on Stanley. It's strange, hearing someone else say that term of endearment. She has to shake her head a little to stop herself from staring like a weirdo. Normal, Ellie. You're trying to be the general consensus for normal because you don't like people staring at you, either.

"Alright."

Ellie doesn't sound entirely sure about the idea, sitting down with someone she just met who will be holding a baby, but if she can fight infected, she can do this. Social situations should be a piece of cake. She plops down into a chair, and even nudges the opposite one out a bit with her foot, since Stanley's arms will be full of baby in a moment.

Whining like a bitch is one of the few things Stanley happens to be good at, but it stops when Jesse hands Peace over and he can finally get his hair out of her grip. Though he slugs Jesse in the shoulder and grumbles a few obscenities at him under his breath before he goes to sit down.

The kid, however, he just "flies" over to the table gently. The odd look from Ellie before went unnoticed, what with his head being under someone else's control at the time, but the kicked out chair gets a nod of acknowledgment. He drops down opposite her, giggling little girl and all. He rubs at his poor scalp for a while and bounces the kid on his knee.

"You new, Ellie?"

Jesse doesn't seem to mind the punch. Either he barely felt it or it's just standard behavior for the 409 crew and he's used to it by now. He only glances over to make sure the three of them are settled before disappearing into the kitchen to start cooking.

"About three months new," she replies, though she certainly still feels as if she's only been around for a month. The move to the moon didn't help. She tries to keep her eyes on Stanley's face, but it's all too easy to drop her gaze down to the baby. She's... Ellie doesn't know what she is. Giggling is better than crying at least.

"How about you? Were you in Exsilium for a while before all of this?"

In spite of having just asked the same question, Stanley seems surprised by it. He frowns a little, and glances around. Whatever he's looking for, he doesn't seem to find it, though.

For a moment, he's quiet. Then, he shrugs. It isn't sheepish, but it probably would be if he wasn't feeling so good at the moment. "Uh, I dunno. What month is it?"

"October."

She gives him a look that asks really? because even she knows that. And she's usually the one out of the loop.

"What's her name?"

Might as well add another question to the queue while she's at it. Addressing the elephant in the room makes it less awkward, right? Ellie quickly glances back over her shoulder--she hopes Jesse will be back with those pancakes soon, because while she can kind of handle getting to know strangers, getting to know strangers with babies on their laps is fucking weird.

"Jesus. Seriously? Jesus." Stanley responds to this new information a bit less than gracefully. He looks genuinely shocked by the news. "I...June. I got here in June."

For a moment, he contemplates this, a bit concerned about something. But whatever it is, he doesn't voice it. Or seem too bothered by the little kid on his lap, even though she's touching his face in what you would assume is a distracting way. He doesn't even seem to notice, until Ellie mentions her.

"Huh? Uh. Peace. Her name is Peace."

Maybe this guy wasn't all that quick. She understands losing track of the days, but months? That's a stretch. She bites back any commentary on that and just lets out a low whistle at how long he's been here.

"Damn. That's a while."

Not the longest she's heard, but long enough.

Her focus is back on the baby. Peace. It's a tacky name, she thinks, but it's another comment she keeps to herself.

"Is... she yours?"

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, through his teeth. He's never sure what to say to that question. He tightens his hold on her just a little, not even noticing that he does so. "She is now."

Which is a no, in case his blue eyes and Peace's dark skin weren't hint enough. But she's become family to him, simply by being a constant. Anyway, if he hadn't taken her, she wouldn't have ever known that her whole city was dead. She'd never even have seen it coming. Thanks to him, she had to watch it happen. So, yeah, maybe he's got some responsibility to her now. But he doesn't clarify any of that. Let the girl figure it out for herself if she wants, but if they start talking about this shit no one will have the appetite for those pancakes.

Ellie can tell when she's wandering into territory that should be avoided. Sometimes she'll press forward, but she's not about to grill someone she just met. Not about a child. She knows how sensitive a topic that can be.

But she doesn't know what to assume, so she just nods to show that she heard him, and picks at the hem of her sleeve on the table.

Pancakes would be really good right now.

Okay, so that made things awkward. Stanley glances at Ellie uncertainly and then opts to lay his head on the table for a while. It freaking hurts now, thanks Peace. Though she strokes his hair gently now instead of pulling at it, and stares at Ellie curiously with her big, dark eyes. Strange adults make her cry, but Ellie isn't an adult. She's not afraid.

From the surface of the table Stanley mumbles something that's not quite intelligible. Yeah, pancakes would be cool...

Super awkward.

Ellie will just stare back at the baby, not sure how to interact with her--or if she should at all.

"You fall asleep and drop that baby girl, I swear to god I'm kicking out the rest of your teeth."

Look, it's Jesse. Blessedly right on cue. He balancing one tray on each hand, bearing four mugs and four plates stacked with chocolate chip pancakes. Three of the mugs are filled with milk, because kids need that. His own is filled with coffee.

"Ain't no syrup, can you believe that?" he says as he sets the table. "Dry as hell pancakes. I didn't even think about looking before I made 'em. No whipped cream either."

"It's impossible to drop her. She sticks. And what the fuck is your problem?" Answers the table, suddenly not in a very chipper mood. Jessie's starting to sound like his dad, and that sucks.

For her part, Peace holds still and demonstrates by clinging, wide eyed. She lived in a dangerous city, back before the place got erased. She spent a whole month on the run. She knows enough to quiet down and steel herself for flight when she feels Stanley tense up. Even the pancakes don't get a passing glance from her. In a move that maybe Ellie will finally understand, the child of war waits for unspoken orders from the reluctant soldier she's come to trust.

It's feeling Peace tense, rather than Jesse's probably idle threat, that gets Stan to finally sit up.

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poor Ellie