a better time at the bar

who: jesse and lily
where: a bar
when: after she ditched the ball

Jesse showed up what he considered on time to meet Lily. Since she'd changed the time and everything, he figured she'd be there. And really, even if he was a little wary, he wasn't going to make her stand there all by herself. It wasn't like he wanted nothing to do with her or anything. So, he did, in fact, show. Only she hadn't, yet, and it was past the time she'd told him. That made him wonder if she'd turned the tables on him, set him up to feel like an idiot or rejected or something.

Then again, he didn't imagine she was that vindictive. So really, that thought was much more something that was born out of knowing a whole ton of shady people in his life, and it had nothing to do with her as a person. Recognizing that, he opted to finish his beer, give her a little more time. Weren't women always talking about 'fashionably late' or something?

Lily actually despised the whole 'fashionably late' line women used. Late was simply late and Lily hated being late, but in this case, it had been unavoidable. Too many people to deal with, her grandmother to slip away from, and Maya... Lily inwardly winced, hoping that Maya either hadn't noticed or believed the excuse that Lily wasn't feeling well.

She'd changed quickly, discarding the red silk for a pair of slacks and a white mens shirt that she had borrowed from Charles. She'd unclipped her hair in the taxi, curls tumbling in waves across her shoulders and down her back. She had no way to take off the make up, so when she hurried into the bar behind another group seeking shelter, she was an odd combination of glamorous and casual. The bar wasn't as busy as it should've been on a Saturday night, but with the ball and torrential downpour, it was to be expected.

She was half hoping Jesse had left and half hoping that he'd stayed, but found herself not worried about either outcome. She was more on a bit of an adrenaline high from 'escaping' the party. She saw him at a table in the corner, the one that they'd sat in last time (had it only been a week?), surprise clear on her face. So he'd actually shown. And, judging by his glass, he had been for awhile. Going to the bar, Lily asked for the time, found that she wasn't as late as she feared, and ordered two of the drinks Jesse had gotten and carried them over to the table.

"I'm really sorry for being late," she said when she got to the table in the corner and set down one of the beers in front of him. "It was more difficult than expected to get out of ball."

Jesse gave a smile when she was suddenly there, and quietly, entirely to himself noted the strange attire she had going on. She vaguely looked like she'd been in the middle of getting ready for a ball, and got sidetracked by her husband's closet instead of her own. Definitely not something Jesse'd really seen much of, and it looked really odd. He'd taken Lily to be more of a lady than that. But, he didn't make any show that he even noticed. "It's okay. It's pretty hellish out there. I thought maybe you were going to just meet up another night or something." he said. "But I figured I'd give you a little time, lord knows I've been late more than once in my life." he said easily, because hey. He had been. "Thanks...you didn't have to get me anything though." he added, to the drink thing. Where he came from, ladies never bought their own drinks. "Why you ditching on something that high class for me, anyways?" he asked, honestly curious about that.

Lily shrugged, tugging a little at the shirt she was wearing and slid into her chair across from him. "Well, I told you I'd be here," she said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and it was. To her, at least. Perhaps not to others. "And I was late and you waited. The least I could do was buy you a drink." She tugged self-consciously at one of her curls. "And..." she bit her lip a little bit and took a sip of her drink. "Because I'd rather spend time with someone I like than with a bunch of people I don't like." There had been men old enough to be her grandfather that had actually, clearly flirted with her. "You're nice and I... I dunno. I guess I want to get to know you better." That sounded kind of pathetic, she thought.

Jesse didn't consider it pathetic. Made perfect sense to him. "So you don't like that crowd?" he asked, taking another drink of his beer, focus entirely on her. He noticed her little self-conscious seeming twitches, but figured it was best to pretend he didn't. Maybe she'd relax in a minute or so. It was something he was used to seeing, really. Pointing it out never helped. So he didn't, and he just paid attention to her and didn't try to kick up anything that might make it worse.

"Not really," she said, taking a longer drink this time. It wasn't half bad, actually. "It was nice to see some familiar faces that I don't get to often, but overall..." Lily trailed off with a 'so-so' motion of her hand. "People tend to stare at you a lot. That's never happened to me before. Not a nice feeling." Then again, it was a new dress. "You? Are you more of the bar kind of a guy or someone who doesn't mind the 'madness'?"

"Why were they staring?" he asked. He assumed she hadn't been wearing what he noticed was kind of getting her looks at current to the ball. "And the madness?" he asked, not getting her reference there, and therefore he didn't want to answer, just in case he got it wrong. He'd rather ask than look like an idiot later, after all.

"Madness like a party," she clarified, leaning back in her seat. She was able to relax a little faster this time, much of it due to being away from the crush at the Drake. "In my experience, parties always seem to be some kind of "mad" affair. Finding the right clothes, making sure you see the right people. Or enjoying being the center of attention." Lily looked down at the sleeves of the shirt she was wearing, enjoying being full covered. "And they were probably staring at me because the first time in my entire life I was wearing a bright color -- red like the dress I was wearing last night -- except it was... well, a lot more revealing." Backless and strappy was more like it. "But I promised someone that I'd wear it." She grinned a little. "Gran nearly had a heart attack when she saw what I was wearing but I gotta say I like being covered up more." She held up the sleeved arm to illustrate.

The conversation was nice so far. She didn't feel as self-conscious as she had the night before. In fact she felt more animated, brown eyes big and bright, a perpetual smile or grin on her face. It made her look younger, less worn like she usually looked. And it was genuine, her enjoyment of being there with him, that much was clear.

Jesse quirked a half smile at her, shaking his head. "You really have no idea what it's like not to be you, do you, Lil?" he asked, though the question wasn't a pointed one. "I've never in my life been to a party like that. I don't know anyone who's even been invited to something like that. A party in my life is a gathering thrown at someone's apartment where there's loud music, a lot of alcohol, and people shouting over one another to be heard. Usually with at least one fight breaking out at some point, usually two. So I have no concept of what you're even going on about, and you didn't even realize that, did you." he said. "I wonder what that's like. Just...being one of the higher ups and not even getting that life for you and life for someone like me aren't even comparable things." He took another drink. "As for the staring, at least it sounds like they were doing it because they saw a beautiful girl. So the right reasons, anyways."

Lily blushed a little bit, both a little embarrassed and at what she thought was a compliment. She tugged on a lock of hair and took a sip of her beer. She felt silly again... but she shouldn't feel silly. She'd never been to a party like that. All she knew was what she knew. "Well then tell me what it's like not to be me then." She looked at him expectantly. "If the way I grew up isn't comparable to yours, then tell me about your life."

"I don't think you'd really want to hear, Lil." Jesse told her honestly. She was pretty clearly (in his estimation) a girl who just didn't get it. Who didn't have a concept of life beyond her own world view, and his life? Hadn't always been the prettiest of pictures. In fact, a lot of the time it was a fairly ugly one. She was probably not someone who had ever in her life even started having to worry about if she was going to get her next meal or not, or when it might be.

"People have been saying that to me for as long as I can remember. My gran, the kids at school, my job, anyone I've met has always said that. Have tried to shelter me or avoid my questions, change the subject. Well, how can I attempt to even understand if I never get the chance to learn about it?" Lily pursed her lip and glanced away, looking at a couple people at the pool tables. "So maybe my life hasn't been hard where I had to worry about being put out on the streets or worrying about there being enough food," she continued, looking back at him. "And compared to some people in this city, it's been a freaking fairytale, but it doesn't mean it's as nice as people seem to think it is."

"Are you really going to give me the 'I'm a princess but my life is so hard' speech?" Jesse asked, blinking. "Honestly? Even after what happened last time, and you even told me that what I'd said to you made a difference? And Lily--you're what, thirty? If you don't get it by now, and have no concept of other people, or other lives, it's difficult to picture you getting it now. You can't have been that sheltered that you've just never ever in your entire life run into anything like this. You work at the library, I know some of the street kids go in there when it's too cold out, or they need to use the restroom. You ever stop and talk to any of them? Find out their stories? Maybe some of that being sheltered is you just not bothering to try and get out of it." he told her. "You're a grown woman. If you were younger, I could buy that it was all everyone else, but by now? You've been making your own bed for probably half your life now. It's ridiculous for you to really lay that on everyone else."

"I'm not giving any kind of 'I'm a princess, my life is so hard' speech. And yeah, I get a lot of street kids coming into the library and I even see some of them on a regular basis, but do you actually think they talk about their lives to me? No matter how hard I try to talk to them? Their lives suck, I get that, and I try to do what I can to help them out." She thought of Roy and how carefully she had to tread when offering him payment to help fix things at the library. "But please forgive me for not being as socially adept as you. I know what my life is and I know it's my fault, but I'm trying here. Why the hell do you think I'm in here trying to work on my own social life instead of back at the Drake with people that make me want to stab a screwdriver through my eye-socket? Because I'm trying to change it and I'm flying blind." She blinked and took a deep breath, realizing that she hadn't taken in a proper breath in her whole little speech. She was hurt. She knew her life was messed up and she was trying to change it. Lily averted her eyes, hoping that she hadn't offended him.

She hadn't offended him. Jesse just listened to her, head propped on his fist as he watched her rant. "Okay, well, first thing you might want to look at, Lily, is that you really view the world only through you. And, what you just did there a second ago, was you made it about you. I told you that you probably didn't want to hear the details of my life. Instead of actually keeping on that, and asking me again, or clarifying that I didn't know shit, and you did want to know, you turned it around and played the 'well my life isn't all roses either!' card." he pointed out. At the moment, his tone was light. He wasn't being pointed about anything, he was telling her things because he was betting she didn't notice it at all. So maybe if she did, it would make sense to her, or she could think about it and incorporate it later. "You're hard to talk to. And I'm not saying that to be a bastard about things, just...maybe it's why the kids don't talk to you. If you want that to change, then you might need to be more aware of things, like what I'm telling you." His tone was almost gentle, there.

Lily listened to him as he spoke, head bowed slightly as she took in what he said. Oh God, did she actually do that. She hated people who talked about themselves. And she was one of those people. Lily didn't want to be one of those people. She leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. "I'm so sorry," she groaned. She remembered the books, the advice it gave with conversations. When someone talks about themselves, they're either insecure, self-absorbed, defensive, or are crying for help. Lily was not a self-absorbed person. At least, she hoped she wasn't. "I really didn't know that I did that." She lifted her head so she could speak more clearly. "Thanks." It seemed like an awkward thing to say after someone tells you that you talk about yourself a lot and you're difficult to communicate with. "I guess I get defensive too fast, huh?" She bit her lip. "It's not what I intend for it to be. I think maybe what I'm trying to do is to... I dunno. Then does it come off as too self-absorbed to ask that if I'm a difficult person to talk with, why'd you show up tonight?"

Jesse gave her the time to sort of deal that she seemed to need, and he assumed that she would need. When she looked back up, his eyes were on her. "I didn't figure you did know you did that." he said. Which was honest. "That's why I told you. I get the impression you do a whole lot of things that you don't notice that you do." There wasn't that self-awareness going on that some people had. But a lot of people were like her, and didn't have it at all. When she asked the questions, he thought about his answers, wanting to give honest ones. "Yes, you seem to get defensive really quickly." he told her. "And no, that's a valid question." he added. "I came because you did something good for my baby girl. You were a nice girl way back when when I knew you, and I don't give up on people that easy."

Lily felt her stomach flip a little in her stomach. Not the familiar 'I'm near my crush' flip or something like that. But the kind that she felt when Finn hugged her while she cried and told her what a nice person she was. She wasn't going to cry tears of happiness. No, she was able to control herself so she didn't start crying in the middle of a bar. "You were a nice boy way back when I knew you too," she said with a little smile. "And contrary to what it might sound like, I'd really like to know what you've been up to since Mr. McGregor's fifth grade math class." Her smile widened a little bit more. "What's it like being a dad?"

He wasn't so sure he'd been that nice a guy back then, but if she said so.. "Being a dad?" he grinned. "The best thing in the world?" he suggested. "Along with the most terrifying. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I mean, I know some people sort of look at me and know that I started so young, like that means I missed out on a lot, but I don't see it that way. Some days I think Baby J is one of the only reasons I made it this far. Sometimes I can get a little reckless...I'd probably have been a hell of a lot worse if I didn't have to be sure I made it home."

Jesse hadn't been vicious or mean from what she could recall, but her memories more than likely had been hazed over by the schoolgirl crush. "So having responsibility turned out to be a good thing, huh?" she teased.

He laughed a little, glancing away, then back at her. "I always had some responsibility." he said. He didn't clarify that, but it was one of those things that he'd been talking about that she probably didn't want to know. Like how he'd started pick pocketing when he was really young, because his family flat out didn't have the money to keep them all properly fed. That had been a pretty major responsibility.

"You have a little sister, don't you?" she asked. She remembered a girl with the same last name a few years behind them holed up in the library all the time. She'd been studying for a scholarship or something, but Lily hadn't had any in-depth discussions with her or anything. It might not even be his sister. But Lily wanted to know and she had no right to push into his deep problems. But she could at least learn other things about him.

"I have a lot of sisters." Jesse said. "We had a big family. I was the only boy, though. I was surrounded by women all the time." he said, laughing a little. "But yeah, Evie, she was behind me, just quite a few years. She was the baby." he told her. "Lately she's moved across town, seems busy all the time. Guess she's got her own life going on." and he sounded a little pinch sad about that. He did miss her. But then Jesse was a very family oriented sort.

"What was that like? Are the others older than you or were you the oldest?" Lily had been the only child. She could vaguely remember that her mother talked about having a baby, but nothing had ever come from that. "I used to wish I had a brother or sister. Is it fun or does it really suck?"

"I'm not the oldest, my sister Virginia is." Jesse said. "I was after her. Then there was Ruby, Dorothy and Evie." he explained. "I always liked having siblings. Having family in general. And I'd never have been able to raise Jessie on my own. Having all of them around made sure I was able to parent effectively." he admitted, because that was plain fact.

Lily frowned a little bit. Not that having people to help him raise his daughter was a bad thing. "What happened to Veronica?" she asked, a little hesitantly. Jessie had not spoken of her mother when they'd gone to the theater and Lily's only knowledge of the girl had been unfond memories and jealousy back in school. She hadn't heard of anything after they were done with school. "It's not often you see a father taking interest in his child's life." Fathers... she wished she could remember more of hers.

"Yeah, I know. And it's pretty much unheard of for a father to have sole custody unless the mother's died." Jesse said. He knew it was odd. "Ronnie...she's..." he exhaled, and dragged his fingers through his hair, killing the last of his beer and starting on the one she'd got him. "She's a troubled soul." he told her. "I see her now and then, but...well. Most of the time it's to ask me for cash."

"I'm sorry," Lily said quietly, hoping that would be the appropriate response. "Does Jessie at least get to see her or is she really out of your lives?"

"Sometimes." Jesse answered. "It's always a little painful though. I mean, when she was younger, it was hard to explain sometimes why Ronnie wasn't really around. Or why she'd behaved like she had when she was, if she was tripping on something when she decided she needed to stop by. Now that she's older, she gets it a little better, that just doesn't mean that she isn't hurt by it or anything." It was something that greatly distressed Jesse when he thought about it. One part of his life that he would edit if he had the chance to. He'd never tell Ronnie she couldn't see their daughter, but he knew every time she did that it just sort of wound up hurting more in the long run.

"That's gotta be hard." Lily wasn't sure what else to say on that so she occupied herself with her beer. It wasn't like she had any words of wisdom to impart on Jesse to make his life suddenly easier. "Jessie was so lovely when I took her out, so I'm glad I got to do something for her. Not that you don't do things for her or that it makes up for anything. I don't mean it like that." She was getting a little tongue-tied there. "She said her aunt was going to take her to a play today. Did she have fun?"

"You did something for her that I couldn't." Jesse said. "It meant a lot to her. And she did appreciate that program that you had autographed too, it's hung in her room." he told Lily, thinking she'd probably appreciate knowing that she'd had a good influence there. "Annnd...no. Evie sort of didn't show." he said. "I guess she got caught up at work, or was ill or something." he muttered.

Lily was glad to know that the autograph was appreciated and she smiled when he said it, but it fell when she heard that Jessie's aunt didn't show. Lily wanted to know if his sister was like that, if it was a routine thing, the curious gossiper inside of her wanting to know but she pushed it down. It wasn't her place to ask. So instead she nursed her beer for a little bit, not sure what else to say and Jesse was already working through his next beer and she was nearly done with her first. "I think I like this more than the drink you ordered me last time."

"Yeah?" he asked. "You going to become a beer drinker? Not very high class of you, Lil." he teased, tone light, and he winked at her. He felt more relaxed now. Even if they'd spent some time discussing things he didn't necessarily want to discuss, it had been a much more natural conversation than the ones he'd had with her previously. And that was a good thing.

She grinned back at him, shaking her hair back over her shoulder and tipped her head back, draining the rest of the beer from glass, cheeks flushed from the blush on her face and perhaps a little due to the alcohol. "I'm only half-high class," she waved off. Her father had worked his way up through the force but as far as she was aware, Richard had grown up in the Irish district. "Maybe I should try shots next. Who knows? I might have great tolerance for the stuff." She eyed Jesse speculatively, the grin still on her face. "Is that why you got me that pink drink last time? Because I'm 'high class'?"

"No, it's because generally, ladies aren't beer drinkers." he told her, chuckling a little. "And trying shots...woman, if you do that, then prepare to be very sick tomorrow, and to be doing a whole lot of shit you probably wouldn't otherwise." he warned. "What do you mean only half high class?" he asked.

Lily's eyes widened a little bit, not so much nervous but wary. "I'm not doing it again, am I? The whole talking about myself thing?"

Jesse looked confused for a moment. "No...you just said something that sparked my interest that I don't know the answer to, so I'm asking. You know, it's not actually a crime to talk about you. It's just not got to be your only focus. I asked, therefore it's on me. I want to talk about you." he explained. "So you're in the clear. I'm interested. Enlighten me?"

Lily nodded, relieved, and her smile, although a little self-conscious at her moment. "Oh, well, my dad, from what I know, grew up in the Irish district. I don't know if he was Irish or not. I don't really remember much about him and after he died, I never met any of his family. His family was the police department, I guess. My gran doesn't, or well, didn't I guess, like him. That he was beneath my mother, that she could've married better. Very cliche sort of 'old money' anger, I guess."

Nodding, he listened. "Did you ever try to look up family? Or was it really limited to your mom and the force?" he asked. he also wondered what kind of a cop her old man was, but he doubted that it would be an appropriate question, and that she'd even know in the first place. "I know that you and your grandmother aren't necessarily bestest buddies or anything. Maybe you could look up relatives you didn't want to stab."

"I did find the register that was used for signing-in at the funeral. No Mayfairs on there. I used to wish that I'd have long-lost relatives come and rescue me but Emma, Gran's cook, said that no one came to try gain custody of me when she adopted me. Dad was police chief by the time he died so I figured that if there was anyone, that I would've known them." She frowned some. "To be honest though, my life with my parents is kind of this... black hole, so maybe I'm forgetting something." It bothered her sometimes, not being able to remember much of her childhood. The memories she did have didn't feel right. She knew she had a life before moving in with Agatha. She could remember little bits, but not as much as she thought she should.

Arching a brow, Jesse took another drink, eyeing Lily. "A black hole?" he asked, hoping she'd expand on that. He'd heard of people blocking things out before. Just if they did that, it was generally bad things. No one blocked out the happiest times of their lives, after all. It was all things that were too traumatic to deal with.

Lily nodded, tracing the rim of her empty glass, staring at the little droplets still pooled at the bottom. "The earliest thing I can sort of remember is my mother and I playing with her make-up. I think I was four. The most vivid memory is..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say. "I don't remember it, but my mom walked out not long before I went to live with my Gran. Maybe a year? Half a year? I remember him getting really angry one night and he hit me with a beer bottle." She touched her left arm, the one close to Jesse. "I remember getting stitches. Just little flashes like that." She shrugged. There was no fear or sadness in her voice, just kind of a confused resignation. "I've tried to ask my Gran but uh, I sorta figured out that it wasn't the best idea."

He noticed the touch to her arm. He also frowned darkly. "Just hearing that, I'd say that you might not want to remember." he said. Yeah that sounded bad. So, at least she went to a home where she wasn't in need of stitches. "I'm sorry to hear that." he told her genuinely.

"Thanks," she answered with a smile. "Maybe I don't or maybe I do. I think Gran blames me for mom leaving or turning her back on the family or something. I dunno." She noticed the frown on his face and there was a similar expression on his face the other night when she spoke of Aaron. "She thinks I'm just being silly or making it up for not remembering." She looked down at her empty glass again. "I think I need another drink."

"I'll get it." he said, getting up to go get them both another beer. It gave him a second to think about what she said. When he got back, he set hers down in front of her. "If your grandmother didn't like your father in the first place, why would she think that you were making things up?" he asked. "And where did your mother go?" he asked. "Did she just disappear or...?" he asked, not sure how else to word it. Some people did that. They just disappeared. One day they weren't there anymore.

Lily didn't answer him right away, spending time with her second beer. She felt a little lightheaded; balls weren't necessarily places for hearty meals. "I remember fighting," she said slowly. "And then she left with the chauffer. I don't even remember having a driver but, like I said, I don't remember much so for all I know we had a whole staff, I'm just going by what Gran told me. One day mom ran off with the driver. I guess she left the city? I mean, she had to if she didn't show up when dad died." A smaller voice inside her head taunted her, saying that maybe Pansy just didn't want a stupid child like her but she pushed it away with a swallow of her beer.

"No one's ever hired anyone to find her?" he asked. "Like a PI or anything?" What with knowing that Lily and her grandmother had more than enough money to do something like that, he had to wonder what reasoning went behind not looking. Lily, he could see not having done it because she wasnt' old enough to make a decision like that when it happened, and maybe it hadn't occurred later. But her grandmother...he knew if any of his family went missing he'd tear the world apart trying to find them.

"Not that I know of." Lily honestly hadn't thought of doing it. "Gran might've, but we don't talk about mom a lot. Honestly, Jesse? It's been almost twenty-two years. Either she's dead or she doesn't want to be found or whatever else. I'm not that hard to find. If she wanted to see me, she would've by now." It came out a little harsher than intended, but not directed at Jesse, more at the hazy memory of the woman who was her mother.

"Maybe she was getting away from your old man. And her mother." Since she didn't seem to be the best woman in the world. "Maybe it didn't have anything to do with you, Lil." he told her, tone gentler. Not that he condoned the actions there, Jesse's opinion was that you never gave up on family, or left a child behind. That just didn't compute. But the world was made up of people who did that shit. The world didn't adhere to his world view.

Lily shrugged. She wanted to ask him (not that he'd know) that if that were the case, why didn't her mother take her too. "What's the best memory you have?" she asked him softly with a small smile on her face. She sipped more at her drink, knowing that she should go ask for some pretzels or something to snack on, but wanting to move the conversation onto something happier.

Thinking about that, Jesse smiled faintly. "Went through a pretty dark patch after Ronnie and I split. It was hard. I had Jessie to take care of, didn't know if I could do it well at all, if at all, if I was just going to ruin her life and mine and everything looked pretty grim. I--" he paused, then quirked a half smirk. "I finished up something that I'm calling a job, and you're not going to ask me to clarify." he told her. "But I got a little hurt. Got in, patched myself up, and kind of just...was sitting in the living room, not knowing anything. And Baby J comes out, she was maybe four? She came out and sat with me. Hugged me and was really happy I was home. And she gave the bruises little kisses to make them better, and told me it'd be okay." he told her. "Guess I believed her."

"Awww," she chuckled, resting her chin on her fist. "That's so sweet." She tried to imagine Jesse, a decade younger with his daughter just a toddler. Maybe her hair in pigtails and pearly white smile. "Maybe it was magic," she teased a little. "And I promise not to ask about what you're calling a 'job'." Even though, of course, she wanted to. Jesse wasn't a saint. Most of the boys she went to school with weren't saints.

"Maybe it was." Jesse said with a shrug. "I don't know. Maybe kids just have that. I know after that I felt better. Sort of pulled my shit together more, felt a little less inept. And thank you." he said about her not asking him to clarify things. "What about you? What's your happiest memory?" he asked.

Lily rolled her eyes up to the ceiling in thought, scrounging around for something. Nothing as touching as Jesse's, she was certain of that. "It was the first Christmas without my parents, back when Gran was still pretty nice. I got a bunch of presents that year, toys and stuff, but there was one present that was my favorite. It was this doll. It had a ceramic face that was more durable than the porcelain. And it had hair like mine and eyes like mine and it had the same dress I wore all the time." She tugged at one of her curls. "I like to think that Gran got it for me, but I used to take that doll everywhere. She was my best friend." Lily smiled into her glass. "I called her Miss Jane."

Jesse chuckled. "Miss Jane, huh?" he asked. "You still have her?" he wondered. He also wondered if Jessie would keep anything like that. He knew she still had a few toys in her room that were on shelves. She had outgrown them, most certainly, but she still had them. That and her baby blanket, though that was used as a table cloth in her room on her night stand.

"If I told you, it would ruin the point of asking about happiest memories," she said lightly. "I was a pretty unoriginal kid, considering how much I read. Jane's my middle name." Speaking of names... "Okay, there's something I've wanted to ask you since maybe seventh grade."

Okay so something happened to the doll. And he did want to know, but she was clearly changing the subject, so he let her. "That's a long time to wonder something." he said. "So, shoot. Maybe I can lift this great weight off of your mind." he said as he knocked back another drink, smirking a little at her.

Lily grinned at him. "Why'd your parents name you Jesse?" While normally the reasoning behind names weren't big deals, Jesse's name had the unfortunate similarities to a notorious outlaw and Lily never really had the appropriate opportunity to ask him about it.

That had Jesse laughing. "I have no idea." he said honestly. "I think maybe the just had a boy and couldn't resist. Maybe they liked the idea of the whole...outlaw with a soul thing, or something. I'm really not sure. I always used to tell people that they just thought they were hilarious. I mean, I'm the only kid that got a strange name, at least in that context." he said. "Maybe they knew something I didn't, and it just fit." he said. "Maybe it was destiny."

She made wavy motions with her fingers to punctuate "destiny". "Maybe," she said. "It's got a nice ring to it though. It could've been worse. You could've been named something like, I dunno, Edgar or Eustace or Percy." She pulled a face, showing her dislike of the names. "But hey, at least they were original, right?"

Laughing again, he shook his head. "Pretty sure none of those would have fit. And if I had been one of those...pretty sure my life would have gone a bit differently. It's one thing to get looked at in a certain light because your name is Jesse James. It'd be another to have to justify being named 'Percy'." he told her with a wink.

"And 'PJ' isn't a very masculine nickname, is it?" she asked. She liked this. Even after the time spent on darker topics, even after the rocky start their time had started with, Lily was still relaxed and at ease with Jesse. While it wasn't the strangest conversation she'd ever had, it seemed to be the most natural. She forgot all about being in his classes in high school and wishing he'd notice her. She forgot about the issues with her grandmother or Maya Walker or men old enough to be her grandfather ogling her in her dress. Here, it was two friends out for a drink.

Thunder boomed outside and Lily jumped a little. She had completely forgotten about the storm. The lights dimmed briefly before coming back to life. "Hope the power doesn't go out."

Glancing up, Jesse shrugged. "Here...it's at least a fifty fifty chance." he told her. "Like I'd be willing to bet that my place is giong to be sans power by the time I get home. It's a good thing Baby J is at my parent's house for the night. Their house has much more stable electrics than my building." he said.

Speaking of homes... Lily looked over at the clock hanging up behind the bar, surprised at how quickly time had passed. "I should probably get going," she said regretfully, realizing how much she didn't want their time to end. But Agatha would be leaving the ball soon and more than likely would come in to see her, considering she had excused herself as feeling 'sick'. She looked at Jesse, half of her wanting to set up another bar get together, the other half the same nervous, unsure Lily who didn't know if he was truly enjoying his time.

"Already?" he asked, though he guessed she'd had a busy night, and it was storming like a bitch out there. "Guess I'll see you around then?" he asked, also not sure if she wanted to get together again. Lily was a bit difficult to read, so he didn't want to assume anything.

"I made the excuse that I was sick to make my exit," she explained, surprised at his first question. "And if she finds an empty bed when she gets back, well, that's grief I want to avoid." Did his second question mean that he did want to see her again? "I'd really like that," she said honestly, going for the more positive route. "If there's anything you had in mind." A bit of fishing to see if he really did want to see her again, not just being polite.

"Maybe we can hit up a movie sometime." he said. "Or this place again." he suggested. "Guess one of us'll get in touch with the other somehow?" He wasn't sure how, it wasn't like he could show up on her doorstep or anything, but he wouldn't mind seeing her again. He was much more comfortable with the idea than he had been tonight, so he wouldn't mind that at all.

Relief flooded through Lily's body and she found herself smiling brightly at him. Not that it had taken years to finally get to do things with Jesse James, but to find a friend that she could trust, not one she felt she had to mother or mentor. "You can always leave me a message at the library," she offered. "I shelve books and tell people to be quiet, really. You wouldn't be interrupting anything." In case he was worried about that, but she didn't know if he was the type. "And on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm at Jessie's school so if you really want to go old school, you could write me a note and she could drop it off in the office." She really didn't expect him to do something like that. That was a little too 'teen fiction' even for her.

He laughed. "I'll keep those options in mind." he told her. Then he stood, and held her jacket for her. "And you know where to find me." he said. What with her having been to his place and all. Not that he had a workplace she could track him down at, but still. And as she'd pointed out, she was at Jessie's school, so...

Lily stood and let him help her into her jacket and she tugged the thick red wool close around her. "I had a really nice time tonight," she said, quieter with a little more subdued smile. "I'm glad you came." She shifted on her feet for a second before rising up on feet and kissing him quickly and politely on the cheek, pulling away with a blush. She'd been cheek kissing all night anyway, this was no different. "Get home safe and say hi to Miss Jessie for me."

Jesse smiled at her, not minding the smooch. "I will." he promised. "You get home safe too. I'll talk to you soon." he promised.

Lily moved away, giving him a little wave and, with a little hesitancy regarding the downpour outside, pulled her hood up and headed out to flag down a taxi. Hopefully she'd get home before her grandmother.