Normal is a lie we tell ourselves

[assholic]

Who: Jessica Jones (assholic) & OPEN
What: May catch-all
When: Early May to the end of May
Where: Wyver (home/city/arenas), the Space Station, the Wilds, possibly Khalo Village
Warning(s): As always, language. Will edit if needed. Edit: NSFW sex in thread w/Clark

She'd gone to the Coalition and surprise, surprise, no one had died. Well, not that she was aware of. Things seemed to be settling down into something less hostile. There were talks of diplomacy, and she'd heard of refugees starting some diplomatic guild or something, which she also trusted about as far as she could throw any of them in it. The Outpost was being turned into some sort of Swiss neutral zone, but it wasn't what she'd been hoping for.

Still, it was probably better than nothing. She'd limited her visits to Olympia, which had left her with time and the need to line her pockets with something other than those deliveries. She'd seen requests for finding things out in the wild, and while Jessica was definitely a city girl, she could at some points during May be found out in the wilds, looking for things to shove in a bag. She was also blowing off steam by continuing to fight in the arenas, though she'd been politely requested to step up a level, since the coordinators were aware that she was pulling her punches and taking easier fights instead of putting in any actual effort. Damn.

So, for May, Jessica can be found:

• Wyver
  • Home - Chilling with Clark and possibly inviting people she knows over so someone will eat the food she's only nibbling on
  • City - She still goes to the pubs, still visits the marketplace, still goes to see what's available for her to do for time and money
  • Arena - Probably the easiest place for people to find her, as she's there more often than not, having 'things at home' she doesn't want to work through
• Station
  • Pod Room - Checking up on those few she gives a shit about and the one she doesn't
  • Market - Spending some of what she's earned getting new jeans and a few bottles of stuff she can't get down on the planet
• Wilds
  • Out and about trying to harvest flora, fauna, or whatever she comes across that she hasn't seen in the markets. This prompt is open for multiple instances and available for team hand-ins
• Wildcard
  • Khalo Village - Someone could talk her into visiting there
  • Flona Cove - If anyone needs to just take a day and chill, it's her
  • Random - Something else in mind?

[Feel free to PM or PP me if you're not sure about something and would like to iron out the details, or if you'd like me to write up a specific starter.]

Comments

wyver... for the moment

[apricitous]

It was during dinner that he decided to bring it up. Perhaps it was his wandering feet, or perhaps it was some of the more unpleasant things they'd both encountered in Wyver. Given that Olympia hadn't been better for people he knew and cared about, it wasn't as if he saw that as an option. But a new place...

"So," he asks in between one bite and the next, "were you thinking of checking out that village?"

[assholic]

She ate because he'd put it in front of her and there was a part of her that wasn't willing to be irrationally mean and not accept that offer just because of whatever mood she was in. It wasn't like the food wasn't good. It was. Clark was more than capable in the kitchen. She'd just... gotten used to a lifestyle where she pecked her way through it, and having someone taking care of her because it was his nature was still something she was adapting to.

But she was trying. For him. Because he mattered. She'd just speared another bite on her fork, glancing up at him at the question and huffing out a soft laugh in answer. "No. Why would I? You have to basically get high before you go, for your 'own protection'. That's just opening yourself up to some kind of fuckery."

[apricitous]

He agrees with a nod, because he can't disagree. But at the same time-

"And you want to have no idea what's there?"

He's just... saying. Usually, when he's unsure about something, he wants to know more about it, not less.

[assholic]

Another shrug. "I figure someone will survive a visit there and bring back the tales of glory and... whatever weird shit is happening there. For all I know, it's a goddamn hippy commune. You smoke a reefer before you go in and then you sit around singing kumbaya and possibly getting involved in an orgy."

She took a bite, chewing and looking up at him. "But I'm starting to guess you have some weird sort of super protection urge to go be a snoop." She couldn't even wish he wasn't like that, because him not being him just wouldn't be right.

[apricitous]

He'd started opening his mouth to offer his reasoning for why a second hand account could be incredibly unhelpful, but then she continues and he closes it with a wry sort of nod and a bow of his head that says yes, that's him, 'weird super protection urge' and snooping and all.

Call it the journalist urge or the superhero urge, or even just plain old paranoia, but he doesn't like not knowing.

"I was thinking of going."

wilds for now

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket doesn't waste any time interrupting Jessica's current venture with his latest scheme. At least this one promises to be a little less taxing than the last time he conscripted her into something.]

Yo, Jess. How d'you feel about lighting shit on fire?

[assholic]

[He says that now, but she has every faith that he'll somehow do something to ruin that potential calm.]

Depends. Is it actual shit, or are you just being your wonderfully eloquent self?

[beatupgrass]

My naturally eloquent self. [He rolls the words over in the manner of someone who is proving he can speak just as plainly as anyone else, but chooses not to. He's special.] Mythi's Fang's disbanding for some reason. Guess they're buttmad about whatever happened at the council meeting. They want people to go up and torch their hidey-holes.

[assholic]

You're speaking words like I know what any of that is.

[Someone wasn't up on the current cool kid's clubs, Rocket. She'd been fighting in the arena and drinking herself stupid. Ain't no one got time to keep track of the crazy shit on this planet.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket is appalled.]

You're serious? Why am I always the best informed person anywhere? Unbelievable.

[He runs a hand down his face.] Fine. Whatever. Do you wanna burn down some buildings in the mountains or not?

Wyver / Arena!

[krasnaya_vdova]

[Ava actually has a job working at the forge, but she still goes to work in the Arena sometimes. She'd say something about liking the extra cash, and that it helps make sure she keeps her form in shape. In truth, it's mostly an excuse to punch shit in a sanctioned sort of way.

They end up scheduling her before Jess, so that after Ava's fight is over, she ends up watching. The woman is good, and she's strong, enough that it catches her eyes. Better than she seems; pulling her punches, holding back her strength. She bets on her after the first few calls.

Ava herself tends to not look like much at first, hardly over five feet, petite build, probably in her late teens or early twenties. But her fighting style is both brutal and graceful, and sometimes her eyes glow like electric lights, like a threat of something more. The coordinators want her to really let loose, but she's refused, and they keep giving her harder fights like she's not bright enough to notice.

After Jess finishes her match, Ava walks over, giving her a few moments to catch her breath before she waves in a casual sort of way.] You're good. And you know how to play the crowd.

[assholic]

[She sees a woman she doesn't know coming over, flashing her a smile, but waiting to give her time to not be a panting mess first. The compliment gets a scoff, Jess shaking her head as she reaches for a skin of water.]

I don't know shit about fighting, but the crowd's easy. Anything with tits fighting seems to be amusing to them. Guess there's a lot of masochists out in the crowd to have fantasies about getting their asses handed to them.

[krasnaya_vdova]

[Ava huffs with a touch of humor, a slight lift of an eyebrow.]

Sure, you might not have a particular style, but you're pretty good at hitting people until they don't get back up which is pretty good too, and fighting's not hard to learn. The flying spin thing is pretty neat. Though, you're probably not wrong- you know how guys are.

[Not that Ava's much different in that particular regard, but that's not really here or there.]

I'm Ava, by the way. I won some money on your fight, so if you have time I could buy you a drink.

[From a lot of people that's probably something skeevy, but Ava seems more interested in friendly conversation, and there's a decided lack of checking Jess out or leering. Although she does quietly file her away as Attractive. Not like Natasha was, more approachable, more real- but definitely nice on the eyes.]

[assholic]

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of winning in the first place? Or were the odds that bad on my side that you raked it in?

[She could never tell one night from the next what they'd peg her at. Likely because she didn't have a set way of fighting. Some nights she held back a lot and got her ass handed to her. Others, she worked out her issues on someone's face. It varied.]

Jessica. Figure you got my name already if you bet on me.

[krasnaya_vdova]

I wouldn't say they were bad, but it's enough to cover a couple drinks and something new in the market.

[Which was about all Ava really wanted anyway. And Jess seemed interesting, so she figured it would be worth the investment. Although, yeah, part of that interest was the powers. She didn't know a lot of people that had them; Bucky, Steve, Wanda. So people with abilities always caught her interest, especially other women, given that her friends tended to lean toward guys.]

Well, it's nice to get introduced officially, instead of them hollering odds.

Wyver (Arena)

[impavid]

John is tired already, frustrated, already sporting a healing cut on his face and a few bruises before he even arrives at the fighting ring. It's been a long few days, and although he intended to come the rest of the way into Wyver to find out something more about the shamans and where they might have taken the heart -- well, he also has a lot of pent up frustration he needs to get out.

Ianto would probably frown at him, give him that sad puppy blue-eyed look he seems to have perfected.

He feels a faint pang of guilt, but buries it under the lie that he's looking for connections and information. He has other reasons to be here. Besides, this is more legit than the fight club at the beach. It's an actual business. People work here. There's... gambling, fine, that probably doesn't make it better -- but it is popular and there's a lot of people here. He's weighing up exactly how restless he feels when he spots a flash of dark hair that seems familiar. Huh

Weaving through the crowd, he takes a half second to judge from a distance if she seems both alone and not in a horrific mood before moving up beside her -- hands casually shoved into his pockets.

"Should have known I'd find you here too."

Since it seems like a magnet for people who make poor life choices, himself included in that of course.

[assholic]

She looks up when she feels someone almost but not quite invade her space, like the act alone of being close was an attempt to get her attention. She knew that move, she just hadn't bothered to perfect it. She preferred to make her presence known and do it quickly. She placed his face and wondered why he was bumming around the Arena herself, seeing the look of a man who'd already been through the wringer and was looking for a second ride.

"Yeah? Why? Do I look like I have 'fun girl, likes blood and gore' written on me somewhere? Oh, shit, was that the t-shirt I was wearing that day? My bad." She sipped from the flask she had with her. She still drank before matches, but she wasn't aiming for the sloppy black-out drunk that she'd started with when she'd first started using the Arenas to punish herself.

[impavid]

"Pretty much. I left my 'Punch me, I'm a masochist' shirt behind unfortunately and haven't been able to replace it here yet. If you see a good one, let me know."

Not that he expects they sell that kind of thing down here. He takes a half glance around again, clocking the type of people there.

"So you are mostly fighting, or are you losing all your money too?"

Aside from on drink, that is. He's not sure he'd peg her for a gambling sort, but you can never be sure. Sometimes it just depends on the type of gambling, how high stakes it is. What you're gambling with. All kinds of contextual factors. John's a thrill seeker himself, so he's quietly trying to ignore the gambling before he makes a mistake.

[assholic]

"Fighting. Already had a match earlier and now I'm just drinking myself into a second one. Should be coming up after the cage round finishes." She gestured over to the far left, where there was a sort of caged area; sides and top all meshed in to keep anyone from escaping entirely. "They like me in that one. I can't get up high enough to kill anyone with a throw-down."

Her 'signature finishing move' had resulted in quite a bit of damage, so they had to figure out either what to limit her to or where to fit her that she couldn't have that kind of freedom. This was an 'anything goes' match, so...

"Gambling's dumb. Spend your money on shit you want, not shit you might get if someone doesn't screw you. Unless you're looking for someone to screw you. Then I'm sure there's hands willing to take your money."

[impavid]

Can't get up high enough to kill someone. John's eyebrows loft for a moment, then furrow a little as he glances in the direction of the cage.

"Well, I've been told fighting is dumb too and I'm pretty sure there were opinions about my drinking. So I'm figuring no matter what I do someone will tell me it was a mistake."

John doesn't sound strictly like he cares much. He glances at her drink then around vaguely.

"You good with that, or do you want something suspicious from one of these stands?"

He's guessing either very strong and overpriced or cheap and watered down are the options.

Wyver!

[pluspetitpoete]

Jehan is about and about to explore the marketplace, looking for things he might be able to trade for. Not that he has a lot on him to trade, but perhaps purple ink is a rare and desirable commodity, who knows.

He is distracted, as always, by bright colours and people chattering, and doesn't notice the woman in front of him until he slams into her. "Oh! Ever so sorry, miss. I'd lose my head if it weren't attached."

[assholic]

The woman he banged into dropped the shirt she'd been looking at, bending to pick it up quickly before dusting it off. She turned and scowled at whoever had knocked into her, not wanting to be bullied by the vendor into buying it via 'you break it/drop it, you buy it' bullshit. "You might lose it while it's still attached if you don't watch where you're going."

Someone hadn't had caffeine yet.

[pluspetitpoete]

"Oh dear! I think then I'd be even worse at watching where I'm going. Without a head." He twiddles his fingers, tugging at them with a soft frown before offering his hand to the woman he's crashed into.

"My name is Jean Prouvaire, but just Jean is fine. Pleasure to meet you!"

[assholic]

She didn't take the hand, looking at it with a sideways glance before folding up the shirt she'd been looking at and tossing it haphazardly back on the pile. She reached for something grey with blue flecks in it instead; a man's shirt with a button up front done in a subtle design. "Sure it is. I'll bet you're just freakin' delighted."

[pluspetitpoete]

"Usually, yes. I very much like meeting new people." He works on straightening up the shirt she'd tossed back. Seems a shame to fold it and then throw it, really. And this would make it easier for the merchants.