Jessica Jones (thehword) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-04-09 15:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !partner thread, jessica jones, wanda maximoff (scarlet witch) |
Who: Jessica and Wanda
What: Wanda's dealing with a creep, Jessica helps take care of it
When: Last week
Where: A bar
Ratings/Warnings: Creepy bar dude, otherwise none
Status: Complete | Partner Thread
The last few weeks hand been hard. Jessica had never really slept well, not after the accident that had robbed her family's’ lives and had put her under the care of Dorothy, but at least she had been able to dull those dreams into nothing but a dull sense of loss with no actual details if she only drank enough before bed.
But the new Dreams, with a capital D, didn’t dim no matter how much she drank. And the residual feelings from the nightmares that followed were stronger and more present in her day to day life. No matter how much Jessica drank, no matter what she seemed to do, she couldn’t shake them. Jessica had always prefered drinking at home, alone, where it was cheaper and there was no one around to annoy her, but lately she’d been spending more time at bars. There was something almost comforting about being surrounded by people, even if she did make it very clear to anyone who approached that she was not there for conversation.
Even without deal with anyone else in the bar, she did still keep an eye on it. Half of her was terrified she’d see Kilgrave walking in, and the rest of her just didn’t want to be caught unaware if something happened. She wasn’t sure what making the hair on the back of her neck stand up, but her attention was drawn to a young woman on the other side of the bar and the man who was leering at her.
Wanda was trying to get out more, to do more, to leave her tiny little apartment, and see things. While she could, at least, before she had to work every hour in the day to make ends meet and put money aside for tuition, so she’d gone out. She’d put on some nice clothes, even though the layers got her some funny looks in California, tangled her hair back in a plait and ventured to somewhere some of her friends had mentioned visiting.
She knew it was probably weird, to go to a bar on her own, but she needed to find a way to be comfortable when in these places.
It probably wasn’t going to happen tonight, given the attention she’d started to get at the bar from a gentleman -and that word was being very generous. But she’d already caught sight of the friends he was with, and she’d heard enough on campus to not be too forthright with a rejection. Attempting to tell him that she was just here before meeting a friend didn’t work, expressing her lack of a desire to join him and his friends didn’t work either. And while the bartender looked like he wanted to say something he was pulled away by other patrons and staff.
If she hunched away any more than she already was, she was sure she’d be curling in on herself. “Really, please, I just want to drink my drink alone, please.” He really wasn’t paying attention though, since he thought it was entirely fine to rub his hand over her back, spending far too much time very close to her neck for Wanda’s comfort levels.
Jessica hadn’t intended to get involved with this. She hadn’t intended to get involved with anything that was happening at the bar, other than making sure that the bartender was keeping her drinks full.
She downed the shot that was placed in front of her, and then got up from her seat, approaching the two of them from behind.
“Hey,” she barked. “I think it’s pretty clear she’s not interested.”
The man turned to her, scowling, and started saying, “mind your own business, you bi-” but Jessica was not in the mood for pleasantries. Before he could finish that thought, she had one hand on the back of his neck, the other on the belt of his pants, and then she was throwing him from his seat. He landed, hard on his back, on a nearby table, and the table collapsed beneath his sudden weight.
Wanda’s lips thinned hard as she pressed them together, watching a little wide eyed as the dark haired woman literally threw her far too amorous admirer through a table. She felt that pursing her lips together was probably better than the jaw dropping that a few other people were doing.
On the plus side, she wasn’t being pestered by a touchy feeling frat boy who didn’t understand when someone wasn’t interested.
“Um… Thanks?” Maybe this was what the woman did, like she was some kind of enforcer for the bar to shut down any of that behaviour. “I… I mean, I wasn’t really sure what to do, but I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that.”
And now everyone was staring at her, which was the last thing Jessica had wanted, though she probably should have expected as much. It wasn’t every day that a petite woman threw a man into a table.
“I don’t think most people could do that,” Jessica said, turning her attention to the girl. “Even if creeps like that clearly deserve it.”
With the attention from her would be admirer now firmly focused on regaining his manliness in front of his peers, Wanda could feel the tension in her shoulders unwind a little. It was unlikely that anyone would approach her for the remainder of the evening. “Um, well, thank you again.”
It wasn’t like the other woman had to step in at all. “Would you-- I mean, can I buy you a drink? As a thank you?”
Jessica didn’t really need anything as a show of thanks. She hadn’t done it for thanks, but just because if she had all this strength it would be a waste not to use it to help someone. And taking creeps down was always incredibly satisfying.
But she also wasn’t the type of person who’d turn down a drink for any reason. “If you want to,” Jessica said, and slipped into the seat the guy had previously been occupying. “I’m Jessica, by the way.”
As Jessica accepted the offer, taking the seat that was vacated, Wanda smiled warmly, taking her own seat and waving the bartender back over, “I’m Wanda,” it was easy to get the bartender to get them both another drink, the same as Jessica had been drinking and another of Wanda’s, although she was sure she’d be leaving soon anyway.
“I wish I was assertive like that,” not even just the throwing the guy through the table, just having the gut to tell him off in the first place, “I’m not really good at being forceful, I never have been.” She’d always been softer, while Pietro was hard edges. “So, really, thank you.”
“People tend to not like you very much if you’re assertive like that,” Jessica pointed out. It was something Jessica was fine with - she didn’t really like people much either. There was a reason why Jessica was good at a job that required her to dig up the worst in people. “It really wasn’t a problem. I just like putting guys like that,” he was groaning now, as he got to his feet, though Jessica didn’t bother shooting him another look. If he was smart, he’d just leave without causing any more problems, “in their place.”
People who didn’t like when others were assertive put Wanda a little on edge -mostly because it meant they didn’t like when someone stood up for themselves, or were strong willed. Wanda didn’t think she was a pushover, she probably just gave people too much room to try though.
“Assertive people get things done, that’s a good trait.” And clearly, Jessica was the sort to stop people from walking over others, at least in a situation like this. Wanda would’ve eventually gotten awkward and tried to leave and she was speculating on what might happen and what she might have to do -as in take the longest way home and hope no one followed her, when Jessica had put a stop to the whole thing. “That’s probably a hobby that keeps you very busy then, yes?”
“It does keep me busy,” Jessica said, though she didn’t exactly have hobbies. Unless one counted drinking until she passed out most nights. “It comes in handy with my job though.” Her new drink was put in front of her, and she gulped down about half of it. She could see in the bar mirror that the man behind her was looking at the two girls, so Jessica turned in her seat and shot him a blank look. Chagrined, he turned and headed for the exit.
Obviously Wanda didn’t want to keep Jessica too long, maybe long enough to just ensure that Jessica knew she was very grateful, and that it was clear for Wanda to head home without too much concern she’d need to take the long way -it wasn’t like she had the money to spare for an uber whenever she felt like. “What is it that you do? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m a private investigator,” Jessica said, fishing in the pocket of her leather jacket to produce a business card, a little rough around the edges but still usable. She offered it to Wanda. “Alias Investigations, if you ever need any PI work.”
Private investigator. Wanda took the card, looking at the words, wondering lightly about the parameters of that. She’d thought about it in the past, one time she’d seen a thing on the notice board at the campus coffee shop. “What um, what kind of investigations do you do?” There were probably a lot of different things that PIs did, spouses cheating, bail jumpers, missing people, runaways, maybe there was a type for each person. “Do you find missing people?”
“I can,” Jessica said, frowning a little. People normally didn’t ask questions like that unless they had something specific in mind. “Normally I recommend checking with the police first with this kind of thing though.”
Turning the card over, pondering things, Wanda decided to keep it, pushing the card into her jacket pocket with little fuss, “That is good advice to give.” Although with Wanda’s circumstances, that wasn’t really possible. Pietro wasn’t missing in that sense of things. “I am sure your work is very fulfilling if you get to help people like that.” She tried to shift things back, pull herself away from her thoughts, even as her drink was slowly going down. “And hopefully it is something you get enjoyment from?”
“Not the word I’d use for it,” Jessica said. Sure, she was good at what she did, and she wouldn’t do anything else. But she was good at what she did because she was good at looking at someone and finding all their worst aspects. Every now and then, she got to help people, but mostly, she was just digging up dirt on them for one reason or another. “I am good at it though. If the police can’t help you, you have my card.”
Because, if Jessica was being honest with herself, she really did prefer the jobs where she could actually do some good. She just wasn’t honest with herself very often.