quietplacelogs | closed; dad smells like hangovers and 65 years of bitterness.

closed; dad smells like hangovers and 65 years of bitterness.

featuring: David, Frank, Jessica, and Akira. (others may be added as needed!)
what's happening?: After discovering that Frank has been Kilgraved, David makes a plan to keep him away from everyone by knocking him out and confining him. He ends up asking Akira to use his clinic as a makeshift holding cell for Frank while him and Jessica figure out how to proceed.
day: Night of the 23rd!
content warnings: nah

[ it takes david a few days to plan, secure a location and the necessary materials, and most importantly, figure out a way to actually keep frank there. it's not the best plan and definitely not foolproof -- he didn't want to involve any more people in this, but their choices are limited and time is running out.

by late evening, david has frank meet him at the clinic where he knocks him out and takes him further inside, tying him down to a cot with as much rope and blankets he could grab. he confiscates frank's device just in case, though he knows that if frank is determined to leave it may not hold him for very long. they'll have to figure out something else as soon as possible.

he sends a message to jessica with their location and at least has the sense to leave a couple of hot dogs and coffee for akira and company for all the trouble he's caused -- it's not much of a peace offering, but it's the best he's got. from there, there's nothing else for him to do except to wait and hope for the best. ]

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[ She's made herself even scarcer since Kara took off again, rendering her efforts wasted. It's not a feeling she's unfamiliar with but intimacy breeds contempt wherever Kilgrave is even tangentially related and it never gets any easier to take. Forced to strike Frank from her list of allies as well, whatever Jess's plan was after freeing Supergirl, it's in the can now. What she can do, besides drink through her store of whisky too fast to pass the insomnia-smothered night, is keep an eye on Micro and the stash of shit he steadily accrues for penning a bull.

She hasn't seen inside the building, hasn't been within twenty feet lest it tip off one of Kilgrave's captives, but she knows the exits and the number of trips Mike's made. It couldn't be long and she acts on the message she receives right away. He may not have been aware that she was hovering over him this whole time but there's a lot she's blind on too and she's ready to do more than make herself feel useful. Jess is there shortly, chastising herself all the way for not being there to oversee the transport, and also kind of chastising Micro for it, because God knows there's no time to sling petty bullshit like that around at each other or themselves. If he pulled it off, he pulled it off, and if she's waltzing into a trap, .... She swears she had something for this. So tired.

Thankfully not tired enough to forget the mortal faux-pas that is knocking. Getting there, though. ] Here.

Edited (sssssssss esses) 2018-02-21 03:59 (UTC)

[ once he gets a reply, david is immediately there to let her in. the clinic is the standard size of a garage, and it's clear that david has been stashing as much supplies as he can to last them a few days, maybe a little more if they stretch it out. it doesn't look like he's planning to leave the clinic unless he absolutely has to.

there's relief on his face when he sees her, though. david knows she's far from placing her trust in him or anyone else for that matter, but he'd hoped that their shared goal of keeping kilgrave away would at least sway her a little. david can't promise the fate of whoever else kilgrave has under his control, but he can at least keep frank away from it as much as he can. one less person for her to deal with in the final showdown.

the clinic is soundproofed, but david doesn't say anything as he leads jessica to the back where frank's held, still unconscious on the cot. he shrugs a little if she looks at him, as if to say that's all i got for now. ]

[ She takes in the slipshod soundproofing -- at least, she assumes that's what it is and that it's not just there to soak up their blood in the event that Frank breaks loose. Micro looks like shit, as he should. She can imagine him having to knock Frank out just to avoid explaining the state to which he's been deteriorating. Jess checks the restraints on Frank, reasonably satisfied they won't snap all at once. She tests the space with a sigh and they all survive the treacherous little noise. ]

Proofed? [ Jess asks for confirmation, her voice a raspy whisper. She can't remember the last time she spoke. She must have been drunker. Those were the days. ]

[ it's admittedly a bit of both, but it does the job. akira had already laid down most of the foundation before he let david use it, and his paranoia just finished the rest of it. that hasn't gotten any better since arriving here, even with the familiarity of having frank around it was unfortunately short lived; he hasn't gotten any sort of rest since the night he found frank's cot in his room. hiding it from frank has been surprisingly easy as well, which only proved how deep he was in this kilgrave business, and at the end of the day he just wants to get his friend back and sleep for the rest of his time here. he's aiming for at least one out of those two things. ]

Yeah. [ it's just as raspy, dry and thin like dead leaves. he scrubs a hand over his face and breathes deep. ] Nothing came after us when I knocked him out, so...

[ he makes a vague gesture with his hand, his mind is everywhere and nowhere at once. on the table next to his laptop lies the accomplice: a piece of plywood with a crack near the top, supposedly made after he knocked frank out with it. ]

[ What's the opposite of a micro expression? Because it's all across Jess's face, her incredulity at his choice of weapon. Though what did she expect? There was never any talk of a taser. Even if Frank is concussed, any serious damage could be cured with a reset. It's proof how thoroughly, deeply exhausted she is that she thinks so glibly about death. as bad as it got before, It used to be just her own, regardless of the blithe threats or sarcastic remarks she voiced to intimidate and distance people.

Jess approaches the table, picking up the plywood and turning it in hand. The bloodstain on the wood is minimal, and glancing back at Frank, there's no blood pooling beneath his head and seeping through the cot. Jess sets it back down. ] Stay near it, if he wakes up.

[ the last thing he remembers is david texting him, he was due at kilgrave's place in an hour or so. everything seemed... normal, after the memory fog had worn off. at least at first. kara had killed him because he stepped out of line. he wouldn't make the same mistakes again. he wakes with a bleary haziness that feels oh-so familiar. for a moment, he doesn't even remember this place, sound eaters, reims, any of it. waking up tied up and bleeding was kind of his thing. it's also something he's good at getting out of, and right now he wants to kill whoever did it because it's what he would usually do. not because kilgrave ordered it.

frank tests his bonds just once, not wanting to look like he's trying to get away. he still doesn't know who has him. his eyes slowly clear, at least enough so that he can turn his head, though it causes a groan of discomfort that he's powerless to stop. it all comes flooding back: sound eaters, don't make a sound, kilgrave. jessica. wait-- his heart is pounding in his chest as micro and jess swim into focus. his gaze is soft for them both, two people he respects. why did they do this to him? it's all jessica's fault. do you understand? he swallows. act normal, don't raise suspicion.. as ever two orders are warring in his mind, and he's trying to study this place without seeming too lucid yet.

finally, he just bypasses jessica altogether, and stares at his best friend. he looks unimpressed. ] You hit like a girl.

[ a taser would have been really convenient along with a bunch of other things, but like this plan, he had to improvise more than he'd like. at the very least, he didn't hit frank hard enough to really wound him, though he doubts he'd ever have the strength to do so anyway. he's seen the damage frank can take first hand, has watched him get beaten within an inch of his life, only to miraculously get back up again. luck and surprise were the only reasons he was able to knock frank out in the first place.

david tenses when frank stirs, swallows past the lump in his throat when he hears the groan and he isn't surprised, not really. he expected that frank wouldn't be down for very long, just as he knows the bonds tying him down to the cot won't hold forever. ]

Yeah? I know girls who can kick your ass, so maybe you should consider yourself lucky.

[ the response is automatic, distracted, as he slips into the regular word games they always default to even in this situation. he glances at jessica, not sure if she wants to take a crack at frank first or not, but he edges a little closer to the table with the plywood anyway. ]

[ She would tense at the first sound to come from the cot, if every muscle in her body weren't worn raw already, taut and stripped like overused bowstrings. Micro has the correct instinctive response -- the one she told him to -- which... That's good. And his quip saves her the hassle of coming up with her own. ]

You want to tell me when he expects you to check in? [ Similar to the night they "rescued" Faith, Jess takes a step toward the cot and blocks Frank from Micro with her body. The banter is real cute, guys, really, for real. She would take it over the runaway lane of a conversation she has to steer them into but, as with everything, this isn't about what she wants. ]

[ his brain is still rattled, even if he's used to it. even if it shouldn't make him sloppy, it does. because these aren't gangsters or scumbags holding him. these are his friends. his eyes light on jessica's then, sparing a shadow of a smile for micro's quip. he'd give anything to go back to that first week and let faith kick his ass again, but none of this is about what he wants either. there's anger in his gaze, but he doesn't know how to direct it. he doesn't understand even if he knows he's supposed to blame her. he wouldn't usually, not for anything. even if he wants to hate her, he can't. it twists his guts up, warring emotions passing over his face in an instant. ]

What time is it? [ much softer, even gruff. he's still trying to assess where he is and just how soundproof it is, but neither of them seem concerned about it. and he trusts them, kilgrave never told him not to. he blinks a dozen times in a row, playing that back. he's not supposed to tell jessica the plan, not that there's much of one. he's just guarding kevin. he licks his lips, he could really go for some water, assholes. ] He won't be happy if I'm late.

[ not that kilgrave is ever happy with him. he tries to do everything exactly the way he says, but their wires always seem to get crossed. it's frustrating, he needs to do better. ]

[ jessica steps in front of him and micro swallows, one hand placed on the table right next to the plywood. he'd feel more like a shit about having her in front of him like this, but he knows his place in life, knows the role he plays when it comes to things like these and where he'd be more useful in. the worst thing he could do is get in the way.

but more importantly, he can still hear the exhaustion in frank's voice, and what he says next makes his skin crawl in a way that he hasn't felt in a long time. he can take this town as well as he can, the silence and the dust and whatever the hell else (monsters, is what he keeps seeing) has in store for them. hearing frank say something like that is a different beast entirely and he hates himself for feeling so unsettled in the first place. ]

Sun just went down not too long ago.

[ She watches Frank's face closely for his reaction: relief or panic. Violating one of Kilgrave's orders induces hysteria in most people but the few instances she witnessed involved civilians. A marine might behave differently. He's fairly easy to read under normal circumstances but anyone becomes a good liar when Kilgrave tells them what to say.

Micro shouldn't even be in the room, for his own safety; she could have let Frank believe she was the one who knocked him out. But Kilgrave's blindness to his involvement with Frank may allow him to circumvent the specificity of her name attached to an order. He looks prepared to hunker down in the clinic for twenty-four hours or more, and if Frank escapes before the timer on his obedience runs out, even if Micro can't kill him, someone can. He's human, none of this superpower bullshit buffing him up. It's why he should have stayed away. Christ if she's going to feel bad about that she might as well go all the way back to the beginning of time. They're here now, this is what they do, there is no undoing it.

And Micro is here too. ]

[ his gaze swings wildly between the two of them, but whenever he lingers too long on jessica he starts to get angry. this is all jessica's fault. focus all of your anger on her. it's a lot of anger, and his big hands squeeze into fists. he wants to go meet kilgrave now. he wants to tell him what just happened. ]

He told me not to get caught. [ but now he is, so he doesn't know what to do next. maybe he gets free and kills himself, that seems neat enough to him now, sanity only an afterthought at this point. ] I failed.

[ his heart is picking up speed, he wasn't supposed to tell her any of this, but he was looking at micro when he said it. his eyes are wide and vulnerable again -- wanting to reach out for his brother. wanting this to be over. desperately, he asks the impossible, yanking at his bonds as tears sting in his eyes. ] Tell me what to do.

He told you a lot of shit.

[ he wasn't there but he knows, he has an idea. none of it is frank's fault and david doesn't know how to get him to snap out of it. he doesn't move from where he is even if his body is already leaning towards frank, his feet rooted to the ground the only thing keeping him in place. ]

You have to stay here, Frank. Okay? You have to. This'll be over soon, but you gotta trust me and stay here.

[ He's upset but he's not frenzied so they must have some time left. It makes sense that Frank would be tasked with the night shift seeing as he's already established unusual hours for himself. Part of Jess prods her with the possibility that he's been given to them as bait, that Frank intuited Micro's plan days ago and told Kilgrave, got a whole script every morning that he's supposed to deliver in this very instance, but fuck, what does it matter. ]

Keep it warm. [ Jess nods to the cot and his predicament thereon. Any overt threatening of Kilgrave could set him off and they don't need the bonds loosened before she straps in the toothpick-limbed asshole that truly deserves to be there. She swallows, taking in how he lies prone, clenched in fear, then averting her eyes as she tries to remember the silly French names of the streets she lives on in this hellhole. ]

[ stay here. stay here... act normal? he blinks at micro, confused. his brain feels like soup, lukewarm and chunky. there's a pressing anxiety that keeps threatening to bubble to the surface, but he tells himself not yet. not yet-- the sun has only just gone down. frank takes a deep breath, trying to ground himself in any way he can. when he closes his eyes, he sees his kids. they're waiting for him.

when he blinks his eyes back open, his expression takes on an eerie calm, and he fixes it confidently to jessica for the first time. plainly, he states: ] This is all your fault.

Christ. [ david scrubs a hand over his face, sucks in his lips and looks away from frank. they're not going to get anywhere with this, and the longer they drag this out the sooner frank will get it in his head to break free. ]

It's not her fault, Frank. [ it's no one's fault except kilgrave's, but he doesn't say it. he looks at jessica instead, shaking his head. ] I don't think you'll be able to get a lot out of this.

[ they wouldn't be able to beat it out of him too, not that david even wants to consider it. he still remembers rawlins at the safe house, frank barely breathing and lying in a pool of blood by the time they finally got to him. ]

[ Yeah, yeah. She knows he's just quoting with the conviction of a cult member and his opinion of her has mattered on exactly zero occasions, besides. She rolls her eyes towards Micro, turning her back to Frank. ] You think?

[ Rhetorical. So, so obviously. Jess lowers her voice to a whisper that slices itself out of her mouth on sibilant rasps. ] Does this place have any guard dogs of its own? He'll get worse, the closer it is to check-in. [ And she can't stick around all night. Someone's got to cover his shift. (❁ ˵-‿-˵)

]

Edited (also some of this iwrote lst night and then didnt rereard and itneeded a word / makes it cuter and more violent) 2018-02-24 22:03 (UTC)

[ frank grits his teeth, snapping his wrists up into the ties once, his expression boiling over. he has to get out of here, she's going to kill kilgrave. he has to protect kilgrave. ]

I'll kill anyone who gets in his way. [ a raspy promise, slowly -- almost reluctantly turning the brunt of his wild gaze on david. he doesn't want to hurt david. david is his brother. but he will. maybe it's a warning in the end, but these ropes can't hold him for long once he starts really trying to get out. so what are they going to do? a part of him wants to stay put, because micro told him to. because somewhere even in his scrambled psyche he knows it's the right answer. but right now he just needs to get to kilgrave, he needs to know that he's alright. ]

[ it's not an empty threat and david doesn't take it as one. he's not afraid of dying either (maybe this is the universe telling him to finally cough it up; he faked his death twice and now they're coming to collect), but he's more concerned about frank leaving the clinic and going back to kilgrave's side. ]

Yeah. Another guy, Akechi, and one of the androids.

[ neither of them he's really close with at all, but he's hoping that akira would be able to get them to help if things get dicey. ]

We could probably hold him off when time's up. [ it sounds shaky even to him, but they don't have any other option. ] We'll manage.

"Probably." [ She has more confidence in the rope he scrounged up than in Micro himself and that doesn't sound like it's going to hold, the way the grain scrapes when Frank tests it. Jess glances to the plywood on the table, Micro's laptop, the linoleum surface; she cranes her head to get a look at the metal legs. Stepping past him, she saddles him with the plank and with his computer, then puts the table onto its side and wrenches the frame off.

One set of table legs is yanked apart until she has three hollow steel rods, two straight and one curved with plastic caps at the ends, which should be enough for one regular if pissed off guy. She returns to Frank, relocates his trauma blankets to the floor and tosses the two straight rods onto the padded pile. Crouching beside the cot, she slips the curved bar between his tied wrist and the cot frame, then twists it around until the circle closes twice. Plucking the rod for his second backup restraint, she's careful in leaning over him to shackle his wrist, and anything he says or spits at her barely registers. ]

[ he's starting to get annoyed with them talking like he isn't in the room. restless, too. and when jessica starts to dismantle furniture, he knows he doesn't have enough time. and there's certainly no time to be subtle about trying to break away anymore, grunting with the effort as he breaks through enough of one tie with his wrist to slip free, not registering that he's bleeding even as she comes toward him with the table legs. ] You can't-- you can't do this, it'll just start all over again. [ his cries become more desperate and maybe it's just the brainwashing finally doing him in, or the blow to the head; any of it. whether he's on her side or kilgrave's doesn't matter, he just wants this to stop. he almost has his other wrist free when she catches his flailing arms and straps him down again. ] You can't stop this. Haven't you done enough damage?

[ his words are accusatory but soft, and he doesn't fight her in the end. she's so much stronger than he is and there's something transfixing about the way her slim fingers wrap around his meaty wrist not that he's conscious of thinking so. are you romantically interested in jessica? frank's eyes narrow, trying to shake the memory away. he'll be no help to his master now, and jess will hate him. great job, genius. ]

[ david's left holding his laptop and the plank while jessica rips the table apart, and the whole thing is a little surreal even as he watches it happening right in front of him. he swallows when he sees the blood on frank's wrist and the steel wrapped around it, remembering the gauze and the antiseptic he'd found in the cabinets along the wall. not that he'd be able to really use it, but it keeps his mind off of it until jessica is finished. ]

Are you gonna find him now? [ it's hushed, head turned away from frank. he may have gotten an arm free, but david doesn't think he'll be able to get away as quickly now. he wants to ask her what she'll need but he stops himself, knowing he'll end up getting in the way. ] Will you bring him here?

[ So this time after she kills him she'll rip his tongue out. Sew his lips shut. What other very helpful suggestions did the network make to her when she first warned them? Locking him up. It's the least violent and the hardest to stomach. Who will feed him? Clean out his cell? Care for him? She'll light herself on fire first. (To which sitting down with Kilgrave for a civil chat will be a sufficient approximation.) ]

I'm gonna kill him first. [ Jess answers flatly, moving down the cot to lash one of Frank's legs down: the one closest to the wall so that if his roped leg breaks free, he can't kick it to splinters. She shouldn't have to explain that the only way to thwart Kevin's control is to put him down. She has yet to see him without his computer and he must have found her from the warning she posted to the network. That might be the only good it did. ]

[ and there it is. frank starts thrashing wildly, trying to get his legs free and with no regard for injury to himself or jessica. ] You can't do that. You can't do that!! [ his voice crackles from lack of use, but the panic behind it carries easily. he has to protect kilgrave from jessica. he has to kill jessica jones. ]

[ she doesn't have to explain and david doesn't bother to try to dissuade her either. he knows enough about kilgrave before even getting to reims and it's funny how that stuff out of all that other shit follows you even to another universe entirely. it's only because of that post she made earlier that he was able to get to this point, and he only hopes that they'll be able to wash their hands of this soon.

he spares frank a glance when he starts thrashing harder, setting down his laptop to help hold frank in place while jessica secures him. by yourself? he almost wants to ask, but he literally watched her rip apart a metal table with her bare hands, if anyone has a shot at killing him, it'd be her. ]

How did you become immune? [ he's assuming kilgrave can't control her like he can with frank, or she wouldn't be going after him herself. ]

[ Unsurprisingly her candour has set Frank off. Once he's reasonable secured, the rest of his body straining like he needs an exorcism, she rounds to the top of the cot and kneels behind his head. Jess winds her arm around his neck, easily ushering him into a sleeper hold despite his destructive flailing. As he starts to quiet, she glances up at Micro and answers casually, ] Exposure. Lots of it.

[ They don't have time for that and who knows how it works between different physiologies and with his amped up transmission. Letting him have the run of the town as nature does or doesn't work its course is not an option. ]

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closed; dad smells like hangovers and 65 years of bitterness.

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cw: suicidal ideation

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