hippie_ninja | IC INBOX

[ Drake doesn't look surprised. His expression is actually just... resigned, maybe a little disappointed? But not surprised. Not one bit. ]

I've known subs who went that route. Not letting the jail choose -- you said that guy wasn't a LIEr so it couldn't be him -- but picking somebody they didn't like on purpose. Somebody who treated them like shit, so they wouldn't feel bad about getting in trouble all the time and causing them problems.

It never works out, man. You think it's a fair trade, letting somebody mistreat you so you can fight the system guilt-free? The more you cost them they more they'll want to hurt you, the angrier you get about being stuck with them, the more you rebel, the more they're punished. Those arrangements don't last because they can only ever escalate.

I don't wanna watch that happen to you, Jesus. Please don't.

I'm open to better ideas. [He can be stubborn but he's not hotheaded and he's usually open-minded.] I just don't have better options right now. And I only have two weeks to figure this out.

There's plenty of people around who don't care what shit you get into... hell, some might even encourage it now and then if they've got cash to burn or you let them keep your paychecks. Ideally, though? Don't go for someone who doesn't care, or who'll enable the chaos. Find someone like minded, who you can communicate with, but who you can trust to have your back. Somebody who'll keep you from getting arrested just because you're restless, but will support you when you're breaking rules for good reasons.

[ It's a tall order, Drake realizes that, but he can think of a couple examples off the top of his head. Himself included, obviously. ]

What about this Vrenille?

[He shakes his head] He's full on contracts.

[What Drake describes is an ideal. It would be perfect. But he knows he's not going to find that in two weeks when he hasn't found anything remotely like it in three months.

But he doesn't want to step back into an abusive relationship. He had his fill of them, he's a stronger and better person for not being in one now. But like he said: he has no real options.]

...I've got a few names, if you think you could build enough trust with anybody in two weeks, but no guarantees. Unless you wanted to sign with me.

[ There might not be enough between them yet, either, and Drake's intentionally kept his nose out of Jesus' rebellion because it didn't seem like the other man wanted him involved. If they contracted, that would have to change.

Again, though? The last thing he wants to come off as is pushy. Rosita seemed uncomfortable with his willingness to take Jesus on and that was as much of a warning as anything else. And obviously she's an option -- Jesus knows that, right? Or had she not offered directly even though she'd told him as much?

Drake shrugs one shoulder, approaching that idea at an angle instead of head on. ]

Rosita might have something to say about this, too, you know.

Rosita doesn't want me in prison. She...she wasn't happy about me being in the Zoo that week. [An understatement. Which is one reason he's reluctant to contract with her; they are both so unexpectedly protective of each other. It makes for poor judgment calls.

But he's also already so attached to her, and all of this hammers hard on his reluctance to put too much faith in any one person.]

...Are you serious? About- you?

Yeah. I thought I made that clear last month? It's been on the table, I'm just not...

[ He looks awkward for a moment, an uncharacteristic expression that he shakes off by taking a sip of his drink. This is the one area he never has the nerve for. Selling himself, offering contracts, asking for quota help, none of that's easy for him. There's always that fear he's going to come off pushy or creepy or threatening or whatever other way that makes someone uncomfortable, which is his worst case scenario.

People can think he's weird or suspicious for being nice all they want and he'll do his best to patiently prove them otherwise, but he doesn't ever want somebody to be scared of him. ]

I thought you weren't interested.

I am.

[He's laid out the sort of unholy terror he plans to be, has already started being.] I didn't think you'd be interested if you knew the trouble I get into.

If you're getting into it for the right reasons, I'm interested. I like you. From what you've been willing to tell me I think we're pretty much on the same page for what needs to improve around here, if not how to do that. I'd have your back so long as you're not just poking the metaphorical bear out of boredom, and honestly I'm pretty sure I'm already used to way worse chaos than you could ever manage.

[ You haven't met Felix, Jesus. You probably shouldn't meet Felix, if you think you're planning to be an unholy terror. Felix at his best is an unhinged nightmare twink who's literally tried to kill the vast majority of people around him. Just because.

But that's not the point right now. Drake takes a breath, lets it out slow, and meets Jesus' eyes. ]

If it hurts Ephemera somehow, the conversation might change. That's my line. Everything else, I think we'd figure out.

[Jesus has waged wars and orchestrated coups, but always with a specific purpose in it. He's always focused on doing the least amount of harm possible.

That doesn't mean he hasn't, or won't, hurt other people to meet his goals. He has no regrets about some truly awful things he's been part of. But it does mean he tries every other way first.]

Who's Ephemera?

My partner. We just went permanent, actually.

[ And just like every other time Drake's mentioned him to Jesus, he can't completely keep the fondness from his expression or the warmth out of his voice. It's soft, but there. ]

You know, he might be on board to rock the boat with you at some point. It depends... but I'm pretty sure he'll like you too.

Would he be okay with you contracting with me? [So soon, they've barely had time to get settled into their own contract...]

Yeah, I've had other subs before. If anything I think he'll be more comfortable with it now... we'd renewed every time it was up for a year before this. And I did mention you already, so you've just gotta introduce yourself.

[ He's quiet for a moment, wondering if he should give a warning or not. For some reason he isn't worried about Jesus' reaction at all, but that just makes him feel like it's safe to give a heads up? ]

Two weeks isn't a lot of time, but I don't want you to rush a decision because you're worried about it running out. Sleep on it, hit him up to meet, see how it goes. Just don't let his appearance throw you.

[He tips his head, curious. He's seen... a lot of things. Nothing he's seen here has come close to phasing him.]

All right?

It's just scarring, but he's really self conscious. And nervous with new people, so.

[ Drake smiles at Jesus, and this time the fondness is for him. ]

Something tells me you're good with putting people at ease.

[He smiles back, warmed by the faith Drake is putting in him.]

Scars have never bothered me. I've seen a lot of them.

If I thought they would, this would be a different conversation. I'm giving you a heads up because of how much they bother him. We're working on it, but you can't rush this kind of thing.

I understand. And if anything about me, or about me contracting with you, causes stress--I don't want that. Not for any of us.

[ That attitude, right there? Is why Drake's offering to contract with Jesus in the first place. His smile broadens warmly. ]

I know.

[ He feels like this is a good place to leave off for now, where Jesus can process and consider and pick back up when he's decided which direction he wants to go in. So Drake lifts his glass again, swirling the last of the alcohol in it thoughtfully. ]

You wanna get out of here?

"Yeah, I really do." He likes Marked. He would much rather be where he and Drake can be alone, though.

You'd think it would be hard for Drake to keep from reading that as flirty after how the day's interactions first started, but this is the one social dynamic he's genuinely shy about. So he gives himself another moment to study Jesus, then downs the rest of his drink and gets to his feet.

"Where to?" he asks curiously, already considering options. "You can say chicken again if you really want, but I'm starting to worry I got you addicted."

"One winter we had almost nothing but turnips," he says, so yes he might be a little hooked on good chicken. "How about you choose this time? We can take it back to my place."

"Better than nothing at all," Drake replies, his tone light but knowing as if he's very much speaking from experience. Not from home, even growing up poor he never literally starved back in Seattle. Not even as a zombie, which made him one of the lucky ones.

But as Jesus knows, Duplicity isn't his first world hop.

He doesn't dwell on those thoughts now, just nods his agreement and leads the way out of the club. If they're going back to down housing that helps him narrow down the options.

"Remind me where you grew up?"

"I still like turnips," he agrees. He probably wouldn't pick them as a menu item here, where there are options, but he remained stubbornly positive about them all winter long.

"Virginia. In the DC area." A beat. "We had plenty to eat when I was growing up."

That addition gets a little nod of acknowledgment, but Drake wasn't asking for that reason. He's just trying to come up with a recommendation based on what Jesus might be missing from before the apocalypse -- like the chicken, but more personalized. Things he grew up with and maybe hasn't had in an even longer time.

Nostalgia's important.

"So southern-ish? And DC's kind of Maryland, too, right? But if we're doing takeout I think I know where to go."

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