Smile and the world smiles with you.
WHO: Anya and Jesse
WHERE: The park
WHEN: early to mid afternoon.
Anya walked down the sidewalk, singing a tune softly to herself as she did so. She was pretty excited to see Jesse, She had some really good news to tell him and she wanted to hear how he was doing. She felt really bad about what had happened the other day, so she had brought along some homemade cookies. She didn't know why, but whenever she felt really down, or like she did something she really shouldn't have, cookies seemed to make it better(if only a little). She sat down on the park bench, still humming as she thought about how funny life was. One day, she was just this little shell, used and abused by anyone and everyone, then poof, with a lot of help from a really nice guy, she is her own person. She had a job, and she was starting to make a few friends now, all thanks to an odd encounter with a good person. She shook her head lightly, and chuckled a little at herself.
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Jesse's day wasn't getting any better, though the call from Anya was a bright spot. He knew he was still bugging about oh...everything, but there wasn't much he could do about anything at the moment. Nothing constructive, anyways. So when Anya asked him to meet her in the park, he'd latched onto the distraction. He was by the statue of what-sis-fuck, looking around for the brunette, and eventually he spotted her. Forcing himself to smile, he waved, attracting her attention. "Anya--hey!" he called.
Anya's head shot up when she
Anya's head shot up when she heard her name being called, and she saw Jesse standing a few feet away. She Hopped off of the park bench and practically skipped over to him and gave him a hug. She let go and looked at him, her smile quickly turned into a frown when she saw the black eye. "Oh, Jessie you did get hurt!" she said looking at his face. She felt horrible, she was sure that there were probably more bruises like the one on his face and it was her fault.
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He quirked a little half smile. "I'm fine, Anya. Just a bruise, it's nothing." he promised. "I've had worse." Like the whole being shot in the thigh thing a few months ago. That had sucked something fierce. "So don't worry about it, don't fuss, I'm all good. How're you? Everything okay so far?" he asked. "You haven't heard from shithead have you?" he asked, just to be sure he didn't have to find someone to boot in the ass. Even if at current that would probably make him feel better.
She looked at him
She looked at him skeptically for a second, before her frown broke into a beaming smile and she laughed. "I'm doing really well right now. No I haven't heard from him, thank god. Oh, I got a job!" she said excitedly. "Rock bottom is opening tonight, and I got a job as a waitress there! I can even sing once in a while too! she said happily. "I know it's not one of the best places in the world, but it's a start and I wouldn't have to deal with any of the more...secretive customers." she said. "Moira O'mMlley is really nicer than people give her credit for, sure it's only for her own gain, but nice is nice right?" she said, knowing full and well what Moira was capable of, but she chose to make the best of it.
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At the name 'O'Malley' he twitched, ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable, even. Still, with what Helena had said earlier, he couldn't not. Jesus, was everyone in this city tied up with that fucking family? Still, he smiled for her. "That sounds great, Anya! I'm happy for you. Sounds like things are really looking up for you." he said, glad that at least she was doing something. Maybe it wasn't in the right circles, but...that wasn't his decision.
"Oh! I almost forgot, I
"Oh! I almost forgot, I brought you cookies. You sounded a little down, so I figured a homemade cookie always helps! Besides, if you don't like them, maybe Jessie will. I know when I was a teen, I always craved sugar." she chuckled holding the container out, hoping that it wasn't too weird of her to do. she really didn't think most of the things she did through until they were done with, she just did what she thought seemed nice or like a good idea. "So, how bout you, how have you been lately?" she asked.
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The offer of cookies made him smile. It was a light one, but genuine. "Thank you." he said, that genuine appreciation clear in his tone. "That was sweet of you." he told her. "I'm sure Jessie'll love them too, we'll probably have to fight over them." he continued. "And I've been...better, honestly. Had a bit of a run in with an old friend today. I'm not feeling overwhelmingly good about it." he admitted. "But I'm sure it'll work itself out."
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Anya was happy to see Jesse smile, it looked to her like he wasn't doing enough of that lately. When he told her about his run in, she looked at him with concern. "Are you sure? Do I need to beat someone up?" she joked, trying to lighten his mood a little, she figured the thought of her 110 pound self trying to beat someone up with a busted ribcage might do the trick."Seriously though, do you wanna talk about it? Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked
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He laughed a little. "No, I don't need you to beat anyone up, darlin." he told her. "And not much to tell. Just...had a bit of a run in with an old friend, and got some bad news. Not much to be done about it either, so you don't have to worry about it, you've got your own life to be concerned about." But apparently it was going better, so he was glad to hear that.
"Good I'm glad I don't have
"Good I'm glad I don't have to beat anyone up." she said smiling and nodding her head a little. "I'm sorry you got some bad news, but that's life." she said shrugging a bit. "How is that pretty daughter of yours?" She asked, knowing that that might bring Jesse out of his funk a little.
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Her question about his daughter might have cheered him up more if she hadn't said the 'that's life' comment. While he knew the attitude was probably the correct one to have? That didn't make it sting any less. It hit him hard, and a bit on the wrong side.
To him, it wasn't 'just life'. It was in fact, death, because Eddie was no more. And then there were things with Helena, and he still didn't even know what to do with that. With her. He knew himself well enough to know that he wouldn't just disown her or anything, no matter what. Jesse had a terrible time doing anything of the sort, so he had given up the ghost of trying a long while back. But her life was ruined. He could see that. Eddie's death wasn't ever going to be something she was over, at least, that was what had appeared as. So no, really. To him? It wasn't 'just life'. It was everything. Everything mattered.
Or maybe he was just feeling particularly fucking melodramatic today, and it was infecting his thoughts. He smiled for her as best he could. "She's good." he told her. "Thanks for asking. I'm sure she'll love the cookies."
"Hey." she said looking up
"Hey." she said looking up at him. She could see that something was seriously wrong, she looked up at him with a small smirk, it wasn't a happy one. "You helped me when I needed it, now it's my turn. come here!" she said walking over to the park bench. "Tell me what's wrong, it may actually help you to get it off your chest." she said sitting down and looking back at him. He was really torn up about something, and not talking about it would definitely make it worse, because he would stew over it.
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He walked over with her, and looked down at her as she sat, though he didn't join her straight away. "Anya, it's complicated." he told her. "Really, really complicated, and it's actually probably safer that you don't know. I know that sounds dramatic and everything? But it's the truth. I...kind of got myself mixed up in something that I didn't even know the half of and it's spiraling. You're probably going to want to steer clear of me from here out. I don't want you to get swept up in the shit storm too."
When he said he didn't want
When he said he didn't want her to get swept in the storm too, she laughed. It was a dry humorless laugh, and then she looked at him her expression full of concern, but also a little steel. "Jesse, trust me, whatever it is, it can't possible get me any deeper than I have already been, I do work for Moira O'Malley. Yes its only at her bar, but it still count's. And before the other day I was involved in some....less than reputable activities." She hedged, fearful that her confession might scare him away. "Whatever happened, It's okay to tell me." she finished looking at him expectantly.
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"...You saying you're working for an O'Malley doesn't really inspire good faith, Anya. I trust you, I don't trust them. Any of them. And whatever you were into before..." he shook his head. He could make some educated guesses there. He'd thought about it when he met her, so it wasn't a surprise or a deterrent now. "Information is something people can get out of others. Especially if you're dealing with mob connections, and you are, apparently." He shook his head and looked away, then back at her. "Just trust me, Anya. Especially with you working for the likes of her...do you understand why that makes it less okay to tell you?" he asked, hoping she understood.
Anya paused for a moment,
Anya paused for a moment, she really wanted to press Jesse on this, but she knew he wasn't going to budge. She sighed in resignation and then she turned to him, knowing that it was time to make him understand something. "Jesse, I do understand. People crack under pressure and they use whoever is close to you to do it. If they found out that I knew whatever it is that you know, then they could trace it back to you and maybe even Jessie. I get that, and I wouldn't want the two of you in danger for anything. However, you need to know that I am not some fragile little thing who flinches under pressure." she said calmly and with concern for him. Slowly her eyes never leaving his she lifted her shirt to just under her brazier line, revealing a long pale white scar that ran from her belly button to the top of her ribs, just below her brazier line. "There are tree more of those in other places, I got these when I was 13." she said pulling her shirt back down and straightening it out."I have dealt with the mob before, not voluntarily, but I have done it before. I know how they operate, and I know where I stand with them. I will not just disappear because your worried." she said and then she cracked a small smile, it wasn't quite a full smile but it was getting there. "Besides, you can't get rid of me that easily." She said looking at him and waiting for his reply.
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His eyes ticked to the scar when she showed him, and he couldn't tell what he thought anymore. She came off as painfully naive at some points, but clearly she'd been through something. Still though. People didn't stand up to torture. And if she didn't do what they wanted, they could easily bump her off. It wasn't like her death would make a stir in the city. hell, there was even a killer out there they could blame it on, she fit the profile. And he also still wasn't sold on the idea that anything she said helped her case. It just made him want to tell her less. She was working for them. And whether or not that meant she knew what was up or not, she was still working for them. Close quarters, all that. "I'm not going to tell you, Anya." he told her, tone soft. "I'm sorry."
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With a sigh Anya shook her head. He still didn't get it. She wasn't asking him to tell her, she was just trying to tell him that if he needed to or wanted to he could. She had meant every word of what she said to him, and she knew that she wasn't exactly helping her case by telling him everything she did, but she felt like she had to be completely honest with him,even if that meant she looked like a scumbag henchman for the mob.
"It's okay Jess, I'm not asking you to. On a lighter note, what do you have planned for today?" she asked forcing a small smile.
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Jesse shrugged one shoulder and looked away for a long moment, then looked back to her. "Nothing, really." He was a bit beyond 'plans'. Plans were things people had when they weren't walking around feeling like their insides had been rearranged haphazardly. "You?"
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"Nothing, before I called you. I just have work later on tonight, but other than that I hadn't planned anything. Now though, I think you are in serious need of a pick me up." she said, studying him meticulously before nodding to herself. "Come on then, I am going to buy you a drink. You look like you could use one." she said slowly getting up off of the bench. She realized that drinking might not be the best thing for either of them right now, both of them had injuries and neither of them was in the best mental state. But she didn't plan on getting him or herself drunk and it seemed like an emergency to her. She walked a few steps and then turned to see if he would follow her or not.
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He smiled at that. "Yes, I could use a drink." he agreed. He probably wouldn't be getting drunk either, but a drink? He could do that. "Sure you can afford it though? I've got some money on me. I can buy." Because his nature dictated that he didn't want her to treat him, it needed to be the other way around.
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"Yeah I can, but if you really feel the need to buy, I guess I can live with that." she said chuckling to herself. She guessed that Jesse was probably the type of guy who fought over the check at restaurants, and he would probably wouldn't let her buy him a drink if she begged him to. "I don't think I have drank alcohol in almost over a year." she realized, counting backwards in her head. She had never really felt the need to drink herself into a stupor, it just made her worse, and despite her size she had a very good head for liqueur, so it took a lot to get drunk. most of the time, she just didn't have enough money to get drunk if she wanted to.
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"No? Not big on it?" he asked. He'd met people who weren't. and he had to admit that he had been a bigger drinker before his daughter was born, but that was one hell of a long time ago. Jesse didn't generally drink to get drunk, unless he knew for damn certain that Jessie was being taken care of and wasn't going to see it at all either. There were certain things that he very much shielded her from, and that was one of them.
Anya shrugged. "I like it,
Anya shrugged. "I like it, but I either didn't have the time, or I didn't have the money. Besides, it's always easier to be around drunks when you aren't drinking. that way you can look out for yourself or whoever your with." she said. She knew a hell of a lot of people in her life that got drunk often, and as far as she could tell, their lives weren't any better because of it. Even when she went out wit h friends for just a drink or two, she always ended up shuffling one of them onto her couch and trying to explain to her ex why they were there.
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"You going to be making decent money now?" he asked, sort of not having a clue what a singer might make. A waitress or bartender could make tips, that would be good, especially since she was cute. Otherwise, however... Yep. No idea. He just knew he'd tipped enough cute service girls in the city from time to time. He glanced around where they were, and then opted to just let her lead them wherever. Just so long as they weren't going anywhere owned by the O'Malleys.
"Yes and no, it's decent
"Yes and no, it's decent enough for me to live on, it's better than before, and I will get tips as well." she said walking, trying to remember the name of the bar she used to go to when she was feeling down. "So what do you do? I never really asked last time we met." she said, feeling as if she had known Jesse for longer than two days.
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He quirked a half smile that didn't last very long, and he shrugged a shoulder. "This and that." he answered. "Nothing steady, honestly. I kind of do what jobs come along, sort of odd jobs I guess. I can be sorta handy when I want to be and the like." And he tended to be, oh, a criminal, and so he didn't have steady work with that. You did jobs. They just...came and went as you found them. But he wasn't doing that anymore! Or...something.
"Ha ha say no more I gotcha.
"Ha ha say no more I gotcha. " she said smiling and waving a hand. She was in a fairly good mood and she chuckled a little at herself. She could pester him until her voice was sore on something that bothered him, but give her even the vaguest answer and she just takes it all in skipping and singing. She shook her head a little as she came across the bar, it was a small but nice little hole in the wall place, not expensive but not very well known.
"after you." she said and she gave a little bow as she hopped to the door.