1964-08-04 - After Work Drinking
Summary: Working for Tony Stark can be taxing, so Natalie went after work to unwind where she happens by Jessica Jones. A very unique woman.
Related: If there are no related logs, put 'None', — please don't leave blank!
Theme Song: None
black-widow jessica-jones 


There's something about long days at work, what with Tony Stark being as demanding as he is, that sometimes leaves one with nothing but the desire to go to the nearest drinking hole and unwind with a good drink or two. It doesn't happen often to Natalie, but today was exceptionally trying and she found herself entertaining thoughts of compromising her mission and putting an end to needless misery. Luckily for her handlers, she's the conssumate professional her reputation makes her out to be. She went about her day without rising any suspicions whatsoever, but once the day was done, she did go for a quick change of clothes. More casual, more everyday, less outright seeking to steal any male attention in a given room. Nevermind more comfortable.

When Natalie enters the bar, she doesn't linger, she heads directly for the counter and has herself a seat on an empty bar stool, waving the bartender over, she orders herself a Manhattan.


Jessica Jones has herself hunched over a stool properly. She's wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, showing off a bit of bicep and bare shoulder, her dark hair cascaded forward and draped across her face like a shroud. There's a line of empty beers along the bar alongside her, the bottles recently drained with a bit of foam still clinging to the inside of the glass.

She sweeps some of that hair from her face with one hand, allowing her to peer at the woman who sits down beside her. "Oh, good, I thought you were another hairy mug coming to tell me how much he liked my ass," she says, sitting up a bit more. "You heard the lady, get her a Manhattan. And get me a Brooklyn."

"What's a Brooklyn?" the tender asks as he mixes Nat's drink.

"I dunno, whatever the fuck I've been drinking, but stronger? Be creative, you lazy bastard," she says, taking another sip of her beer. "I didn't mean that, you're not a shit. Here," she says, tossing another single in the tip jar. "For cussing."


When Jessica speaks, Natalie turns her head to look her way, laughing at Jessica's far too easy to empathize with words, "oh, heavens no! We all could use a break from that daily routine, couldn't we?" Natalie offers in the most charming of manners, though she's quick to latch on to the fact that Jessica is far from the everyday woman you might meet. Heck, she looks like she takes regular exercise just from a glance, and she certainly talks in a way that would make her fit right in with a group of thugs. Maybe Natalie should tone down the charm for this conversation, being around Stark's circles, it's far too easy to forget not everywhere is such high society.

"I like your style," she quips, from the somewhat shy grin on her face, looks as if Natalie might have liked to be able to talk like Jessica just did. "Were you having company…?" She asks, noting the empty bottles by Jessica, "I didn't sit in anyone's seat did I?"


Jessica Jones grins and shakes her head, "Nope, nobody's seat. Had a few renters, but most of them scurried off right quick. And the one that didn't is over in the corner trying to suck down enough vodka to numb himself."

At that, she looks past Nat's shoulder for a moment, "Speaking of: Hey, Tony, you're gonna have to go to the hospital, man, suck it up, a girl broke your nose!" she calls out.

She takes a fresh beer and shot from the bartender, "I'm not sure if I have a style, exactly. It's more I open my mouth and bad things happen. But at least I'm honest, I suppose, which is more than I can say for most."


Looking after the man Jessica mentioned nursing a vodka to numb himself, Natalie is down right impressed, it's not easy for women to make it out on their own in this city, but Jessica seems to have it down pat. "Impressive, if it's any help, I promise not to make lewd comments or condescend to you, lord knows how much I get of that at work," Natalie laughs at her own words, somewhat nervously as if discussing a sore point, before reaching to take her drink from the bartender, "thank you," she says while making sure to tip a dollar bill herself. If only to match Jessica's kindness, even if she didn't cuss as it were.

"So, you always talk that way? Don't mean to pry, but did you have to grow up away from your mother? I know my mother would smack me silly if I'd talk like that," it's not so much disparaging Jessica, as much as relating how different Jessica seems from Natalie's own experience. "How did you learn how to fight?" She asks curiously, as if she'd dearly love to learn herself, "a big brother?"


Jessica Jones reaches into her jacket where it's draped on another stool, pulling out a pack of Camel filters. She draws one, extending it in offer in case the strange woman wants one for herself. She's not selfish about it.

"I don't mind the occasional bit of lewd, but these suckers have the class of a doorknob at a Hoboken strip club," she says, lighting her smoke. "My mom and dad died when I was young. I was a pretty good girl, before that, but, as the State of New York said while placing me, I displayed 'behavioral problems' after that," she says.

"I learned to fight by getting in fights. Not much more complicated than that. I don't know any of that chop-socky James Bond movie bullshit, though. I just punch people," she says.


Natalie readily takes a cigarette when offered, inclining her head in appreciation, "thank you, who said people can't be welcoming in New York City, huh?" She chuckles, before her visage turns quite somber, "oh my! I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't touch a sore spot…that's, rough." Natalie looks a bit off guard by finding out her assumption was pretty much on the money, Jessica growing up an orphan.

She still leans forward a bit, so Jessica could light her cigarette as well. "Hehehe, I imagine that would be a way to learn…" Natalie should know, she had her teeth kicked out quite a bit during her upbringing in the Red Room. "So…if anyone gives me trouble, would it be okay to look out for you for help? I mean, I hear there are superheroes now, like the Avengers, but they probably wouldn't give a damn about a no name nobody like me, huh?"


Jessica Jones blows smoke at the ceiling and shakes her head, "Nah, it was all…I guess it wasn't that long ago, but long enough," she says. "Just an accident, nobody's fault," she says. She doesn't mention how the accident made her different.

At the last, she can't help but laugh a little bit, "Most times, I prefer to be paid. I'm a private investigator, although, honestly, there's not a lot of helping folks in that. Just taking pictures through hotel windows and occasionally putting a scare into a bad actor who doesn't know how to take no for an answer," she sighs. "Chasing down runaways and crap like that. But, I mean, if I see somebody being an asshole, I'm more than happy to kick their ass for it," she says.

Then she gets a shrewd look on her face and leans in, "Is that your way of telling me you're in some kind of trouble? Cause, I mean, yeah, I like getting paid, but if you need help…" she says, seeming more serious, more clear-eyed than one might expect givent he sheer volume of alcohol she's taken in.


"Accidents are a terrible thing," Natalie remarks, not really appearing to know what to say in light of the terrible revealation about Jessica. It feels like it's only right to say more, but at the same time, it feels that nothing would be quite right to say. After all, nothing Natalie would say would ever change the situation. "I'm glad you grew up tough and able to look after yourself."

When Jessica relates her own profession, Natalie laughs, "oh my! Just like James Bond, isn't it! Spy stuff!" She does have a rather big jovial grin on her face, no doubt imagining something far more glamorous and exciting than Jessica's job might truly be like. "Oh, no, no, not at all! Goodness! I'm fortunate to be free of trouble, but I've seen some shady characters around the city…I just avoid going to places that make me feel uncomfortable. It's the smartest way. Ever heard the line about how a wise man avoids the trouble that a smart man could get out of?" Natalie seems mighty proud of her snippet of wisdom, which she more than likely picked up somewhere else, but who really knows.


Jessica Jones waves a hand, dismissing the sympathy if only because the last thing she wants to do is talk about her feelings. She didn't think about her feelings by herself, much less talk about them to attractive strange women in dirty dive bars.

"Well, I'm neither smart nor wise, so I guess that explains all the trouble I've gotten into over the years," she grins. "Still, sounds like a wise strategy. Maybe I'll follow it someday. In the meantime, I'll try to keep my reflexes up," she says, downing a fresh shot and making a bit of a face as the whiskey hits the back of her throat.


"You don't have a boyfriend, do you?" Natalie asks in a conversational manner, the obvious follow up is how the man manages himself when Jessica is so obviously a dominant personality. Quite a rarity for girls these days. Natalie was mighty impressed with Leslie Gore's "You Don't Own Me" so daring! But Jessica was a whole other level, she's almost being manly herself, and doesn't apologize for it. Very refreshing, even if somewhat shocking. "Reflexes are good to have, do you have spy reflexes?" Natalie asks and as if to taste, takes an ice cube from her drink and flicks it at Jessica, grinning a silly little grin at her mischevious test.


Jessica Jones snorts and takes a drag on her cigarette, laying it on the edge of the glass ashtray the bartender put out. "That obvious, huh?" she grins. "Yeah, well, it ain't like I've got much time for one," she says, although she seems to have plenty of time at the moment. "My last boyfriend was complicated and the one before that was…"

A moment while she remember snapping Kilgrave's neck.

"More than complicated."

She lets the ice cube bounce off her, watching it land on the floor, "Uh, not really, but, then, I'm not that threatened by frozen water. Usually," she smirks.


Natalie laughs, a bit nervously, as she hopes she hadn't offended Jessica. "Well, no offense, but I think guys would be intimidated by you…I've never met a woman like you before." Natalie remarks, as she lets out a puff of smoke, "you're very impressive. But I think guys could get scared."

Laughing at Jessica's refusal to take part in the impromptu challenge, Natalie quips, "it's not that threatening, is it?" Good thing Iceman isn't within hearing shot. "I guess it would also require amazing skills…I probably would react the same too. Of course, only because I'm not scared of frozen water either. I'm pretty brave myself, you know? I get to walk in a board room, with everyone dressed in their fancy suits, and I get to talk to them too!" Apparently an achievement. "I don't only serve coffee, Mr. Stark lets me participate and assist when I can."


Jessica Jones shrugs, "Maybe. I can't be bothered to worry about their precious feelings. I spent…way too long attending to a man's feelings, once upon a time. Making sure everything was exactly the way he wanted it, doing what he said, being who he wanted me to be. And it made me so fucking miserable," she says.

"So when I finally…escaped that," she says. "I decided that I wasn't ever going to live for anybody else ever again. I was gonna do what I want to do. And anyone who doesn't like it, well…" she nods towards the guy with the broken nose again.

At the last, she arches her eyebrows. If she were drinking a beer, she might spit-take, "Stark? You work for that guy? Yikes, I'm surprised you can sit down. He looks like a pincher."


"Oh, tell me about attending a man's feelings," Natalie laughs it off, not realizing just how grave the experience was for Jessica. "I know, we have to stand up for ourselves, can't be all about pleasing a guy. Lesley Gore makes a very strong point in her song, I think it could really make a difference if more women spoke up about it," at least Natalie is an optimist.

Looking once again towards the guy with the broken nose, Natalie blinks, and looks right back at Jessica, "well, yes, to varying degrees of course. Annndd….yeah, Mr. Stark…is, I guess playful would be a nice word to use?" Natalie tries, can't be blamed, he is her boss after all. "But he is a brilliant guy, that's for sure!"


Jessica Jones snuffs out her cigarette, grinding the filter into the ashtray and turning a bit more to face Nat, her biceps a bit more on display in the process. "I dunno this Lesley, but I'm not really much for popular music. I'll take some Sinatra over these kids and their guitars on TV any day," she says.

As for STark, she says, "Brilliant? Yeah, I guess, although strappin' yourself inside a flying tincan seems like a good way to get turned into tuna to me."


"You work out a lot?" Natalie asks curiously, as when she gets a better look, it's quite clear Jessica isn't at all your average woman. "Oh," she murmurs over Jessica's not knowing Lesley Gore, then again, she only recently made a name for herself. And she wasn't anywhere near the heights of the likes of Elvis and the Beatles or Sinatra for that matter. "Right, well, she proposes men don't own women, so they should treat women better."

She does chuckle at the dig on Stark, and notes, "I wonder if I should tell him that…" but even as she makes the comment, she looks at her wristwatch and gasps, "oh my, I'm so very late. I'd love to run into you again, thanks for the company and cigarette," Natalie says in a rush, leaving pay for the bartender, downing the rest of her drink and rushing out of the bar.


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