fluxnet | video; un: jjones

[ Maybe it's a bit early to be sitting in a bar but this isn't a first for Jessica. Right now, she is sitting at the bar with a cup of coffee (or so it seems) sitting near her right elbow and some papers spread out in front of her. She currently has her device leaning against something, showing the rest of the open space behind her which seems to be a dance floor and a small stage where there is a DJ booth. ]

Hey, not really sure if we had a bar before or not but I have this place now. Figure it could be a safe place for people to hang out and unwind with all the crazy going on.

[ Plus maybe it's a rough town but people will learn soon that Jess won't stand for anyone messing with her or Pour Judgement. ]

I'll be opening up in the next couple of days. Just need to find some staff to help me run the place. Also, since I know we have a lot of kids running around and I know the ones I live with will ask, I'll allow you guys to hang out here most days until about nine. Then, after that, you have to scram. Also, there will be no drinking besides non-alcoholic drinks unless you're like...eighteen or nineteen. I haven't decided yet but I'll be watching and so will security. Whoever that might be.

[ A small stern look because, yeah, she might have a problem but she isn't going to let anyone else get like that. ]

Oh, and yes, the name of the bar is Pour Judgement. As in p-o-u-r.

[ She shrugs a little as she doesn't offer any more explanation and gets back to work instead. ]

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He would learn soon enough that Jessica wasn't really good with people, at least not in that sense. She had a tendency to get all cagey on them and even distant which most people had an issue with when they were trying to get close to her in any sense. There were a couple of people who would even tell you that she sucked at being a friend.

She paused with an arched brow when he mentioned the world coming to an end and she had a feeling he didn't mean that in a dramatic fashion like most people would. He was too serious, too steady in holding eye contact with her to be anything else.

"Care to elaborate?" She asked, deciding that maybe they should both sit down as she made her way around from behind the bar and motioned to a booth nearby.

“The world coming to an end? Nah,” he answered but followed her to a booth. Maybe he also watched as she walked in front of him, suddenly giving a shake of his head while silently admonishing himself for doing so. Not that he’d easily forget the view. “Too dramatic for a first time sit down.”

He was a toned down version somewhere between sassy and teasing, throwing in a little shake of his head from side to side —something like a shrug. Diego slipped swiftly into the booth across from Jessica. “So with kids in here until…whatever time you said, any other rules? Smoking? Spin the bottle?” he asked flippantly.

Jess felt his eyes on her as she walked past him and she thought briefly about calling him out on it but the truth was that she didn't mind. Maybe that was something she should call herself out on but she brushed it aside as she slid into the booth and watched while he moved to join her. "So more of a second time sit down or a third?"

She studied him quietly for a moment while she toyed with her glass between her hands, her fingers brushing along the sides before she snorted gently at his teasing question. "First off, I don't think any of them smoke and I think they're more likely to play spin the bottle out of sight of all the adults, not in front of them."

"Would you want to kiss in front of a bunch of adults if you were a kid playing the game?" She asked, arching a brow at him.

Something about her reminded him of Eudora. It was probably the hint of contempt when talking to him. He wondered if it was wrong to find that alluring. The thought got pushed away as she quipped sarcastically at his response. “At least a third. Or pillow talk. Whichever comes first?”

So many puns, so little time.

He uttered something about the rules that seemed to make her snort. Or maybe it had been his quip about pillow talk. Diego did an awful job in keeping a serious face as he answered her question, contempt seeping through a little at his childhood. “To piss off dear old dad, definitely!” he spat venomously.

“But I didn’t mean out in the open. It’s not like there aren’t storage rooms they can sneak off into. Just trying to get a feel for how much you want me to monitor what goes on in here."

"Should I be worried that you equate the end of the world talk with pillow talk?" There was no way she could stop a smirk from stirring to the surface, looking amused as she wondered if he was aware of the fact that he was flirting a bit. Surely, it wasn't his intention?

"Sounds like a fun time to me," She chuckled, noting the contempt but staying relaxed as she shifted to lean back in her seat. Clearly, he had some Daddy issues.

"But I'm not asking you to wander around and babysit them. If I see them sneaking off into the storage rooms, I'll handle it and remind them that there is an empty house to do that in since I'm at work," Would he get huffy about her saying that? "Just make sure that they don't drink and that there are no fights. That's all I'm really concerned about t the moment."

“Hey, at least there is pillow talk.” Diego didn’t love them and leave them. Little did he know that was probably more her style. Yet in all honesty, he wasn’t trying to flirt as much as he was trying to get her to smile. She had a nice one. …Not that he was noticing. (He was.)

Then there was a not so fun moment of remembering Sir Reginald Hargreeves that squashed his amusement. Jessica wasn’t wrong about him having issues but it extended to both parents, none of which Diego would confess about at the time. He might never confess to any of it.

He gave her a nod about her expectations. The back rooms seemed off limits where she’d handle if he found them heading in that direction rather than let him take care of the incident. Fine by him. “Works for me. So I’ll see you tomorrow then? Or when are you thinking of opening up?"

"I prefer going until passing out on said pillows," Jess was admittedly a little more of the love them and leave them type though she had been considering changing that at one point. If she had a reason to change that behavior, of course. Then he got what he wanted as she smiled at him for a brief second before covering it with her drink by taking another sip. "But whatever works for you."

She watched the shift in his demeanor again when his father was brought up and the questions were right there on the tip of her tongue once more. But she didn't let them loose yet.

As for the backrooms, they weren't really off-limits so much as she just didn't want a bunch of kids playing around in them for whatever reason. There had been some discussion between herself and Bruce of using a part of the basement for meetings or whatever else but that was about it beyond normal storage or whatever she might need the rooms for to run her bar.

"We'll probably open officially in a couple of weeks but I'll be letting some people hang out sooner if they want, so you can come tomorrow or the next day. Whenever you feel like starting," She was pretty relaxed that way.

Edited 2021-07-02 17:38 (UTC)

Her response regarding her preference to pillow talk was filed away in his mind. It wasn’t as if he arrived with plans of bedding his boss or anyone in Haven. The banter had been fun and it seemed like the right place to segue into another conversation.

Diego would’ve preferred a subject other than his asshole father but at least Jessica didn’t press to continue the topic.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow then, Jones.” He’d heard her clearly that he didn’t have to show up but gave his answer all the same. It was her turn to watch him walk away as he stood up after responding and headed out.

It wasn't as if she had arrived with the plans of bedding anyone but she was an impulsive creature and there was no denying that she had an itch. But she still wasn't thinking about it too hard even though the talk about pillows and what not was definitely inspiring.

"See you tomorrow," She murmured, deciding to stay put where she was as he slid out of his seat and walked away which was a nice sight. Maybe it wasn't professional but she couldn't help letting her gaze wander as he headed out, smirking to herself before she decided it was time to get back to work.

video; un: jjones

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