Tag: talonsaconite

talonsaconite

This situation truly has the potential to turn extremely awkward, even pretty quickly so. It feels like they are sitting on a powder keg. At least that’s how Joe feels right now, squirming on her seat a little, not overly comfortable. But surprisingly, Jack takes it all so casually and answers her questions. That casualty is what helps her ease up to the whole topic.

Joe listens to him and lets him finish first before raising her voice. She notices the slight change in his expression and raises an eyebrow. “Why should I think less of you? Because you needed money and took a job? Tch. And here I thought you know me better.”

Her confident grin returns. She lowers her hand and placed it on top of his. “You made pornography, I murdered people. So what? That’s life.” It’s funny to her to think that for a brief moment here, the blonde feared she would look down on him, even judge him for his decisions.

True is, when she likes someone enough, she couldn’t care less what they did in their past. What counts is the now, and the future. Besides, it only piques her curiosity, but only ever so slightly. Not enough to pursue anything.

“… I hope they paid you extra for this terrible 70′s ‘stache.” she snickers. “I’m having serious troubles imaging you with one.”

An answering smile appears on Jack’s face as she takes a crack at his Hardy Ryder mustache and he rubs his upper lip absently, as if it might appear by doing so – a perverse genie in the lamp.

“They paid me extra for the male-male. The mustache was to help me hide – so people wouldn’t recognize me as easy. The hair too. Grease it up so it gets a little darker, wear it a little different, then I’m a new man, right?”

Morrison is quiet a moment, thinking. He’s not missed what Joe said and it’s not the first time she’s said it either. Whatever goes on inside her head, whatever indifference she affects, the scale of her crimes isn’t lost on her. That’s why He has hope for her. She may never be whole again, but she can be mended.

“I’m a murder too, Joe. Large-scale, even. Every Talon operative I’ve killed, every terrorist or ‘enemy of the state’ – they all had families. I’m not different than you are. I just have a uniform and some medals for doing it.

“So thanks for not thinking less of me. You could’ve, you know. I’ve got not education and I made cheap smut movies. Not a lot of dignity in those things. So quit cutting yourself down. Maybe you’re a better person than you think you are.”

talonsaconite:

|| @scarredwarhorse cont. [ x ] ||

“Yeah, it’s a good name, right? Reyes made that up for me. I couldn’t think of one. I’m bad at that stuff.”

When Morrison looks up, he sees Joe has something in her hand. His porno flicks are on the device, he realizes. Morison strives to appear relaxed and unruffled, but his cheeks flush pink. “Introduce you to them? I don’t think they’re worth that kind of attention, Joe.”

He points to the bank of monitors on the wall, and then the selection of equipment beneath them. “You can watch on one of those, if you want. I’ve got too much work to do, so I can’t really spare the time to watch with you, but you can ask me anything you like. Just … lock my door first, please.”

Personally, Jack doesn’t get the fascination with him wearing a bad mustache and tacky clothes and performing random, mildly objectionable acts with random, mildly objectionable people.

“Start with ‘Ticket To Ryde’ or ‘Low Ryder’ – that’s my suggestion. More male-female action in those. Unless you like male-male, then do ‘EZ Ryder’ or ‘Saddle Up And Ryde’.”

“In all honesty, it’s a terrible name, actually.” She objects with a smirk and shakes her head. Joe isn’t even taunting him here, merely teasing him for her own little amusement.

Complying with his request, she closes the door behind her and locks it. Turning around, she approaches the commander at his desk, but it seems that with every step she takes, her confidence crumbles. She places the hard drive on the desk and sits down on a free chair, or rather, slumps down. Crossing her legs and crossing her arms in front of her chest, Joe grimaces.

“Well, those are… awful titles… really. Ahem.” She clears her throat and covers half her face with her hand. “Heh, well… I am not actually interested in watching those. I just wanted to… geez, I don’t even know.” The last part was only a quiet mutter.

Joe bites her lower lip and shrugs. “The only experience I have with pornography is catching my brothers watching these. I uh… never watched one. Never really understood the appeal of… those.” No, she isn’t blushing. She denies that.

“So…Why? I mean…Why did you participate in those?”

“Yeah, they don’t do much for me either. It’s so contrived, you know? Hard to get any enjoyment out of it.” 

He looked up again, watching Joe as she came to sit across from him, rather that firing up any of the movies. Good choice on her part, they were pretty shitty. It looked for a moment as if she were chewing the inside of her cheek, deep in thought, but maybe it was just a shadow. Either way, there was no mistaking the contemplative stare.

Morrison didn’t mind it, especially not from her. Not in this context, anyway. Even when she was mean, Joe’s brain was always working. She thought about everything in terms of ‘how’ and ‘why’. Even the human heart and soul, she evaluated like clockwork cogs. 

“I needed money. I was right out of the Army, you know? Dumb kid. UN didn’t pay us great back then, and I wasn’t a commander or anything. My parents and grandparents and the farm all had these deep debts, because of the destruction and I didn’t have a university degree or anything. One day this guy saw me drinking at a bar with Gabe and he handed me a little business card. It said fast money, easy, and confidential. I checked it out and it was … this.”

Towards the end of his tale, Jack looked down at his battered, weathered hands, face coloring slightly. It didn’t bother him much, but sometimes it lowered people’s opinion of him, once they made the connection. Most people, he didn’t give a shit if it did, but he respected Joe. 

“I hope that doesn’t make you think less of me. There was good money in it and I was able to help my family a lot. I’d do it again, if I had all the same choices and circumstances.”

“Hardy Ryder, huh?” That are her words when she enters his office with a wide grin. Joe holds up a hard drive. “I haven’t seen any of those… yet. So why don’t you introduce me to those, hm?” Placing the item in question on his table, she glances up to the blonde. “It’s binge-watch time, commander. I have so many questions~” Actually, Joe is only overly curious. That’s it. And perhaps kind of too embarrassed to watch those alone.

“Yeah, it’s a good name, right? Reyes made that up for me. I couldn’t think of one. I’m bad at that stuff.” 

When Morrison looks up, he sees Joe has something in her hand. His porno flicks are on the device, he realizes. Morison strives to appear relaxed and unruffled, but his cheeks flush pink. “Introduce you to them? I don’t think they’re worth that kind of attention, Joe.” 

He points to the bank of monitors on the wall, and then the selection of equipment beneath them. “You can watch on one of those, if you want. I’ve got too much work to do, so I can’t really spare the time to watch with you, but you can ask me anything you like. Just … lock my door first, please.”

Personally, Jack doesn’t get the fascination with him wearing a bad mustache and tacky clothes and performing random, mildly objectionable acts with random, mildly objectionable people. 

“Start with ‘Ticket To Ryde’ or ‘Low Ryder’ – that’s my suggestion. More male-female action in those. Unless you like male-male, then do ‘EZ Ryder’ or ‘Saddle Up And Ryde’.”

“No. I don’t have a heart. Nu-huh. Here, see that scar? On my chest? Yes? see, I cut it out. Useless little thing.”

In fact, there is a scar on the creamy white of Joe’s chest and that gives Morrison pause. It’s small, but visible. Without thinking, he reaches out to touch it, finger brushing the little twist of tissue. There’s no hiding the shadow of concern that crosses his features. He’s too much of an open book for that.

“Okay, so maybe you did cut it out – but you forgot to stomp on it.” Jack is smiling now, trying to cover his hurt for her. What a life she’s had. Hard and violent and ugly. He’d probably cut out his own heart too, if he’d gone through the things she had. 

“So how do we get it back in there?”

talonsaconite:

|| @scarredwarhorse cont. [ x ] ||

“Your loss, Doc.” Venom shrugs, eyeing the cigarettes longingly as they disappear. “If you don’t wanna play friends, that’s on you. Fact of the matter is, I don’t have to tell you anything.”

She’s always been a difficult woman. Brilliant, arrogant, stubborn, mistrustful, and heartless. Morrison may not be brilliant, but he’s every inch the rest just as much as she is.

“I can choose to tell you, but if I do, I damn well expect something in return. No one rides for free, Joe. Not anymore. You play nice or we don’t play at all. Now, I’ll tell you if you promise to help me when I ask for it. We got a deal, or not?”

Discussing with him is like running towards a wall head-first, only to run the risk of breaking your own skull. Stubbornness is quite a nasty trait in others, a trait that occasionally causes Joe some issues.

Just like now. The scientist rolls her eyes and takes another drag. Nothing in life is free, and everything comes with a price. Both know that too well. She would know that way too well, considering how her life has been so far.

“Oh my, what happened to my obedient soldier, hm?” She muses loudly and tilts her head slightly to the side. “I can choose to be nice and choose to help you, if you’re telling me everything I want to know. After all, you should know damn well that I keep my words.”

A mouth corner is raised into a smirk. “It’s a deal, but only if I get something out of it. Now, do tell.”

“Obedient?” His lip curls up slightly, showing teeth that are tinged slightly yellow against the deadly white of his skin. The price of a caffeine habit and the occasional smoke. “I’m a man, not a dog, Joe.” 

Still, though they may prickle at one another, the idea that she’s an ally is firmly seated in Morrison’s head. Not that she’s above deceit or guile, but that what she says is true: she’ll keep her word, the same way he will.

“But yeah, it’s a deal. Doesn’t do me any good to withhold from you, anyway. Can’t have a meeting of the minds without all the details.” Venom stops to again look longingly at her cigarette, then moves on. “Maximilien asked me to keep an eye on you. I don’t know for sure, but I think he asked because Moira asked him.”

There’s a scoff as the impatient soldier shakes his head. “I hate this whole ‘nest of vipers’ thing. I never know who’s in bed with who. I’m here to kill, not get lost in some bullshit politicking. Anyway, why she wants you watched, I don’t know, and if there’s somebody yanking her chain, I don’t know that either. The omnic’s easy – there has to be money involved for him, otherwise he wouldn’t give a crap.”