[OPEN] Wait, let me set the record straight: I was never really yours in the first place.

[hostage]

Date & Time: January 9 and onward
Location: in and about town
Characters: Jesse & OPEN to anyone
Summary: A chance for an everyday encounter with Jesse. Put the date in your subject line!
Warnings: Breaking Bad spoilers are likely.

[Jesse might be the only one who finds Exsilium's current state beautiful rather than desolate and depressing. For more reasons than one, if given the choice between here and home, he'd choose here without hesitation. The snow and the chill do nothing to deter him from taking long walks. For as long as he can physically stand it, he prefers the cold over being confined inside four walls.

So he walks. Every day, without any particular destination, without anything else to occupy him. The concerns of the Initiative and the Transports are no longer his own. Whatever they're up to, they mean little to him. He's still got enough stolen Russian gold to pay for whatever he needs without having to work, so that's how he's choosing to live for as long as he's able. His time is spent doing whatever he wants to do, and at the moment, what he wants to do is wander.

Freedom: that's what this is about. No one is ever going to make him do anything ever again.]

Comments

1/9 ofc

[hyanaimne]

[Tempest has never been one for sitting still. She's been forced into it twice - jail being the second worst, and then after she had been brought back to life being the second. That and her need to travel in some sort of fashion is why she's out hunting, again, regardless of her encounter with Koltira just two days prior.

But as she's walking up towards an area she hadn't frequented in a while, she stops short on the path and can't help but stare at the figure walking towards her. She hadn't seen Jesse since he gave her magic back - which was a long time, but it had been over a year for her. And she'd had quite a long time to think about what had happened, what she had been told, and so on.

And yet she still wasn't sure how to proceed. Which is why she continues stands there, much like a deer in the headlights, without a clue as to what to say]

[hostage]

[He doesn't notice her at first. His eyes are on the ground, on the snow, watching his step to avoid slipping on ice. But when he gets the creeping sense that he's being watched, he lifts his gaze and looks straight at her. That's when he stops, too, and waits to see what she's going to do. He doesn't quite know where he stands with her after everything. It could go badly, couldn't it?]

[hyanaimne]

[she'd had no idea he'd been gone at all, left or dead or whatever rumor there was. To be honest, she'd barely gone near the cookie table when the new arrivals arrived. But there was something different here, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

So after a moment, she decides to be the one to break the silence. Cautiously]

Hello.

[hostage]

[It turns out very few people knew he was dead, so it doesn't surprise him that she doesn't respond to him like he's newly resurrected. For his part, he's just glad she's greeting him instead of resorting to a more violent alternative.]

...Hey.

[hyanaimne]

[that doesn't stop her from resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. More to make herself feel comfortable than to be threatening]

Mm. It has been a while, yes?

January 11

[5055034455]

[Steph told Saul to keep his distance from Jesse, so he has.

Mostly.

Does staring at Jesse's contact information and wanting to scream and scream at the kid over voicemail count? What about searching every crowd he's been in for that familiar scruffy face? Or listening in on every conversation, or watching the network like a hawk for any sign that Jesse really is back — does that count as keeping his distance?

He doesn't think Stephanie would fuck with him and tell him Jesse's back — and alive — if he weren't, but Saul's always been the type to want to see things before believing them.

Except now that he's finally seeing what he's been waiting to see, he has no idea what to do. Saul's standing far enough away — just outside the doors of the building housing the Transport pad — that Jesse might not notice him at first, and he's not sure if he prefers it that way or not. Maybe Jesse won't notice him at all. Maybe they can just go their separate ways and be done with whatever it was they had before. That's obviously what Jesse wants, right?

It's that thought that twists his features around, expression shifting from its usual practiced neutrality to one edging toward fury. And for someone who just narrowly escaped death, it wouldn't be a stretch to interpret that look as a little bit murderous.]

[hostage]

[Jesse would love to walk away and be done with it, yeah. In a perfect world, he'd never see Saul fucking Goodman ever again. The unfortunate reality is that their fates are entwined, what with the past and consequences always catching up with them. If there was any point at all in trying to keep Saul away from him, it was for Saul's sake, not his own.

Because when Jesse looks over and sets his eyes on Saul, he sees red.

Rather than turn around and stalk off, Jesse quickens his stride, diverting from his path to head straight for Saul. He doesn't have his gun, which is lucky for both of them. Instead, he throws his arms out, inviting Saul to just come at him.]

What? What? Bring it, you son of a bitch.

[5055034455]

[If Saul weren't so mad, he might be confused. And there's some confusion in what he thinks next: I'm the son of a bitch?

...but that's quickly clouded over by his desire to accept that invitation, gloved hands going straight for the collar of Jesse's jacket. Since he can't decide whether he wants to push him or punch him in the face or try wringing his stupid little neck again or just yell, he settles instead on giving him a hard shake and asking the question that's been on his mind for weeks:] How could you?

[hostage]

[It takes Jesse a second to even figure out what Saul's referring to, and then his lips pull back into a cruel sneer.]

Aw, you're pissed I tried to check out early? What is it - you had bigger plans for me?

1/10

[selfequipped]

[Kate patrols, and after the day before when she ran into something that wasn't a yeti to patrol for, she can't help but feel like this is an appropriate response to things. Unlike the day before, she doesn't walk with her quiver tucked under her arm, a bow pressed to her side. No, today, she walks as if she's ready for a fight, but she knows everyone she runs into won't be out for just that.

But still, some part of her is tense and prepared, fully aware of the fact that the dangers here do not only lie in what this Earth provides; there is still the matter of the Transports. And some of them ... some of them are dangerous.

When she hears Jesse's footsteps behind her, she turns, hand automatically moving to draw an arrow, but she pauses when she sees him. He's harmless, or at least as harmless as she can guess. Her hand lowers and she loosens her grip on her bow.]

Well, at least you're not a yeti.

[hostage]

[Jesse's hands fly into the air the second she turns on him, and they stay like that even after she's lowered her bow. He'll stay frozen in place until she gives him a clearer sign that she doesn't intend to shoot him dead. Like, maybe permission to move. (A lot of people want him dead, okay.)]

Totally - Totally not a yeti.

[selfequipped]

Not a yeti. [It's good to repeat it. His voice sounds familiar, as it should for anyone who has eidetic memory after such a long conversation. She watches him for a moment before she sets down the bow. She's not worried about him, exactly, and she knows that if anything else comes along, she's likely to hear it. The set down bow is only for his benefit, to make him relax.]

I think I know you.

[hostage]

[It's another moment before Jesse finally drops his arms back to his sides. He looks her up and down. Unfortunately, he doesn't have eidetic memory. All he surmises is that she looks a lot like his dead girlfriend.]

Um... Jesse Pinkman.

[The one and only. Probably a lot shorter and skinnier than his gravelly voice and rough cadence would suggest. A little guy for such a feared supervillain.]

jan 10

[individualist]

[With all of her frustration having been worked out already, Lucifer doesn't have any real negative reaction upon spotting Jesse. Unsure as to why exactly he's returned - an extended resurrection, or perhaps this simply being a "new" one - who knows.

But despite the hows or whys, it's not like she has anything better to do.]

Mr.Pinkman.

[She's standing not too far away from Jesse on a little wall surrounding one of the local taverns - if he gets the feeling she wasn't there a minute ago, he'd probably be right.

Despite the climate, still barefoot, and doesn't seem to mind.]

I see you've returned.

[hostage]

[Of course she wasn't there a minute ago. She's a hallucination. A recurring one, apparently. He twitches and blinks hard, trying to get her out of his sight, but she's still there when he opens his eyes.

He turns around without a word, walking off in the other direction.]

[individualist]

[Rude.

Unfortunately for him, "nothing better to do" still stands, so she hops off of the wall and starts following.]

Are you always so friendly?

[hostage]

You'd know, wouldn't you?

[Being something he invented in his head and all.]

1/12ish

[legal_eagle]

[It's like she's got radar for the little fucker. Sees him walking once, twice, and then three times; and that third time, she's full of coffee, and her makeup is perfect, and she feels tall, and she feels warm, and she's not misspoken all day, and all those things give her enough courage that she puts down her coffee and shoves herself to her feet and steps out into the cold.

And she calls out - ]

Hey.

[Because she hates him. Doesn't matter what Ashraf told her about him looking wretched; she hates him still, and fears him still. But she also wants the truth more than anything else, the truth she was made to help cover up. And if there's anyone who can give it to her, it's him.]

[hostage]

[Fuck him, but his luck is actually the worst. Jesse freezes when he sees her, then retreats a step. He considers turning right around and running off. But then she'd probably think he did something wrong and chase him down or send the cops after him. And, lord, how much he doesn't want to deal with Roslyn right now on top of everything.

So...]

H-Hey.

[legal_eagle]

[How are you, she could say, or what happened, or wow you sure are stuttery when you're not calling me a bitch, or welcome back, fucko - but she's a busy woman, she doesn't have time for pleasantries like those.

Instead:]

So was it a murder?

[hostage]

What?

[Give him a second to catch up, Sonya.]

1/12 because clearly he needs to appear after saul

[undealt]

[Gold has noticed Jesse's been gone- strictly speaking, he doesn't know many people here and his big fish in a small pond syndrome has faded into nonexistence, so he tries to keep the people he does know close. It's a survival mechanism. He's a loner by nature, but being out of his depth makes him more inclined to play nicely.

And besides Jesse eases that aggressive feeling of loss he's had since he realized Baelfire is dead.

He's on one of his own walks when he notices Jesse and that's enough to get him to approach.] Well, well, and here I thought you'd left us.

[hostage]

[Jesse had thought about calling Mr. Gold as soon as he returned, but he'd reconsidered; he didn't want to be a bother and he wasn't sure the man would be that concerned about him, anyway. It seemed to be a pattern, lately, that Jesse meant less to his mentors than he thought he did.

So when Mr. Gold speaks, Jesse's eyes are wide with surprise as he looks up.]

Oh! I... Y-Yeah. I mean, I did. Kind of.

[undealt]

Thankfully, it wasn't permanent. [He is, at least, sincere in that.] When did you get back?

[There's an underlying question in that- why didn't you tell me? It's not that Gold really expects anything from Jesse- after all, whatever version of him he knew wasn't him, exactly, and that's bound to be uncomfortable, but there's always going to be a part of him that expects to be the first to know about anything that might be relevant to him.]

[hostage]

[Jesse looks guilty immediately. Mr. Gold apparently did care, and what's more, he's probably hurt at being the last to know. After all, they're supposed to be friends.]

Um... A few days ago. Sorry. I wasn't... I was in bad shape.