Participants:
| Scene Title | Good Guys Don't Wear Black |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Odessa comes clean about some of her dark past to Melissa, who seems to shrug it off and suggest they watch movies instead. |
| Date | March 24, 2010 |
Summer Meadows - Melissa's Apartment
This is one of the townhouses that make up Summer Meadows. It's certainly seen better days, but the inside is spotless. The downstairs consists of a living room, kitchen, small bedroom and a bathroom, while the upstairs has two bedrooms and another two bathrooms, one off the master bedroom. There's a small yard in front and a slightly larger one in back, both fenced in with chain link.
The living room has a couch and a recliner, two end tables, and an entertainment center that consists of a 30" flat screen TV and a DVD player. Beside it is a tall bookshelf, absolutely packed with DVDs of various genres. On the other side is a matching shelf, this one containing shotglasses. There are glasses from about half the states in the US, some with funny or slightly lewd sayings and pictures, and some that are just unusual. The kitchen has old, but serviceable appliances, and a fairly cheap table with four chairs.
The bedrooms and bathrooms that aren't in use are mostly empty, but the master bedroom has a large bed with black and sapphire bedding, and a dresser and night stand. The closet is packed full of clothes, ranging from business-wear to punk attire. The bathroom is sapphire and white, and the counter is packed full of health and beauty supplies.
Living alone can be boooooring. And Melissa? Well, she's bored. So she's called up her best gal pal and invited her over! She even promised to supply the pizza, alcohol and ice cream. And when Odessa arrives and knocks, she's greeted with the barking of a dog. It sounds mostly puppyish still, but won't be for long! Then, a moment later, "Hush Jerry! I know there's someone there!"
The door is opened, but it's a black puppy nose that pokes out first, darting forward to sniff at Odessa while Melissa rolls her eyes then grins. "Hey. Sorry. He gets lonely, and apparently I'm not enough company for him. C'mon in."
Stay away from Roosevelt Island, Abby had warned. And for a time, Odessa had actually listened. But that was before she'd talked with Francois and began feeling hurt and betrayed and all those things she's supposed inflict on other people, and not feel herself anymore. In a fit of the vindictive, Odessa decided to accept Melissa's offer of pizz and booze and ice cream.
On Roosevelt Island.
Sorry, Abby.
"Oooh! Puppy!" Cheerfully, Odessa bends down to pet the dog before slipping into the apartment, starting to peel off her winter attire. She's dressed in a yellow chiffon minidress with a black patent underbust corset that matches her thigh-high boots. "Thank you so much for inviting me. I think I was beginning to choke on testosterone."
Jerry shamelessly flops over to expose his belly, hopeful for rubs, while Melissa shakes her head. "You're horrible. Don't you have any dignity?" she mutters to the dog. Then she's grinning at Odessa. "All the guys were home, huh? And ooooh. Like the outfit! Maybe you don't need to rumage around in my closet!"
Coat and such is taken if Odessa lets her, and put in the coat closet, before she leads the way to her couch and flops down onto it. "Glad you came over though. Was going a little nuts. And wasn't really feeling like hitting a club, you know?"
"Yeah. It just doesn't feel like club time, does it?" Odessa takes a seat next to Melissa on the couch and shakes out her hair. "I need to get into the salon. I really want to cool down this colour. I want more platinum than gold." Odessa tucks her knees up onto the couch, leaving the soles of her shoes hanging off the edge so as not to drip any errant slush onto the fabric of the seat if she didn't get it all on the rug. "What's new with you?" One hand drops to the side of the couch to usher the dog over for pettings.
Melissa studies Odessa's hair for a moment as Jerry wanders over and nudges Odessa's hand. "What about that friend of Abby's? Racquelle or whatever?" she suggests. "And not much, really. Pretty much the same old shit since the last time I talked to you. Work. The occasional clubbing. A bit of charity work," she says with a shrug.
"Yeah, I was thinking that I'd go see him. Would you believe I've never been to a salon before? I'm kind of nervous about it." Odessa scratches her nails through the fur on top of the dog's head and the back of his neck. Oh yes, you're a good boy, aren't you? "Things are weird at home. I really, really needed to get out." She shakes her head in a sort of but I don't want to talk about it way. "So what kind of charity work do you do?"
Melissa looks surprised. "You've never been? Want me to go with you? I'm debating on what color to go with next, since I got rid of the black." She shrugs a little. "I was helping out at a soup kitchen. I try to do stuff like that whenever I can. No reason for people to go hungry, especially not in this city."
"Wow. You're a saint." The whole concept of community service is one that's somewhat lost on Odessa, though she does vaguely have an understanding of what it is, just not why people do it. "And would you? I would love the company. It's why I haven't been there yet. I'm kind of nervous." She shakes her hair out again. "Maybe I should get layers? They cut my hair a bit when I was at… that place, but no different than I used to get it when I was a kid."
Melissa busts out laughing. "A saint? Me? Honey, you've got the wrong girl. Just because I help out here and there so doesn't make me a saint, believe me. And yeah, I totally will come with you. We can make a day of it. Hair, nails, maybe a massage. It'll be fun."
"That does sound nice," Odessa agrees with a smile. "Okay, so maybe you aren't a saint. You're still probably nicer than I am, though." Most people generally are, Odessa imagines. Though she does know plenty of people who aren't any nicer than she is.
That gets a soft laugh and shake of Melissa's head. "Seriously, I'm not that good a person, Odessa. I've done horrible things and will do them again. I just try to…balance it out…when I can, anyway. And you're not exactly a bad person anyway. I mean, you helped out on the bridge."
Odessa's smile fades some. "Yeah, but I probably deserved to be in prison," she admits. "I'm trying to change, though." She just isn't very good at it. "You can't possibly have ever done anything that horrible?"
Melissa frowns a little. "Why do you say that? And hey, should I break out with the booze now? Or would ice cream be better for this conversation?"
"Booze. Definitely booze," Odessa confirms with a nod of her head. "I don't know. I have a really fucked up past, Mel. I'm afraid you won't want to be my friend if I tell you about the things I've done. Definitely not girl talk material." Her lips pull to one side in a thoughtful and rueful expression. "But maybe you deserve to know the kind of person I am. I guess it's up to you."
Melissa rises to her feet, moving into the kitchen and coming back with a bottle of rum, a bottle of tequila, and two sodas. "No, it's up to you. I'm curious, yeah. I can't deny that. But far as I know you've never done anything to me or anyone I care about, so I'm pretty content with that."
As far as Melissa knows. Odessa isn't as convinced. "I think this is a rum kind of story," she decides. "Have you ever killed anybody? I have." She figures she had better get that out of the way in case Melissa decides that she doesn't want to share her booze or her company any longer.
Melissa nods and offers the rum and one of the sodas before she sits down and keeps the tequila for herself. "I've made people wish they were dead, Odessa. And killing people, in our world, doesn't mean you're a bad person automatically." She's taking this rather well, isn't she?
"I used to be a doctor. I mean, I guess I still am. But I don't… have much opportunity to practise anymore. I used to save lives. I take more these days than I save." Odessa pours the rum in with the soda and takes a long drink. "I've killed men for touching me in ways I didn't like. I've killed men in self defense. I've killed men because they stood in my way. And I've killed people simply to send a message." Odessa takes in a deep breath, watching Melissa's face as she speaks. "I helped set bombs in a night club once. It was the first time I started to feel bad about what I was doing."
Melissa's head tilts slightly. "Why'd you set the bombs?" she asks, taking a swig of the tequila and stretching her legs out. "The rest…I can understand. I've done horrible things for good reasons before."
"The people I was with at the time, we were trying to frame another group. Make them look responsible for more terrorist attacks. Get them out of our hair so they wouldn't be problematic later on." At least, that's how Odessa recalls it. "It was war then. It still is now, but it's not the same as it was. I followed orders just because it was something to do." The guilty woman lifts her shoulders in a shrug. "It's strange, because it seemed like it was the right thing to do at the time. I feel like I know better now, but I don't know what changed."
There's a long moment of silence as Melissa studies Odessa's face. "So how much of all that do you regret now? The killing and the bombs?" she asks, tone still light, curious, not judgmental.
Odessa actually take a moment to consider that before answering. "Some of the killing. Not all of it. Some people are just bad and the world is better off without them in the long run." Oddly enough, she doesn't feel that way about the ones she associates with. Call her a hypocrite. "I regret the bombing the most. The people there hadn't directly done anything to deserve it. I told myself they were disgusting at the time. But I didn't understand the mindset at the time. Didn't understand the need to escape and just dance and drink and pretend you're someone else for a while."
Melissa nods and takes another drink. "I don't think I'd regret all of it either, not if some of it was self-defense," she muses. "But regreting what you did shows that you're not the same person who did those things. And I mean, it's not like you'd go out and do it again tomorrow, right?"
Odessa hides a moment of thought behind her drink. "No, I don't think I would." She shrugs, sniffing once. "I don't feel like I know who I am yet. Let alone who I want to be."
Odessa gets a sympathetic smile and a light pat on her knee. "I know the feeling, hon. Unfortunately, the best advice I have is to just…go with the flow until one day you realize you're a person. If that makes sense." Melissa shrugs a little. "Life isn't easy, much as I'd like it to be sometimes."
The temporal manipulator seems a little confused as she regards Melissa. "You don't hate me or anything? Aren't you supposed to? I thought only murderers were supposed to like other murderers."
Melissa shrugs. "Self-defense isn't murder, not really. The bombing…That's a little iffier. But you're a different person now than you were. And like I said, I may not have done a lot of killing or anything, but I have hurt people. Badly. In ways that make me ashamed of myself. Especially because it felt so good to let loose. So who am I to judge you?"
Odessa nods her head slowly, her expression somewhat grim. "To dubious morality, then," she murmurs with a lift of her glass.
Melissa's lips curve into a wry smile, and she lifts her bottle of tequila. "To dubious morality," she agrees, before gulping down a few swallows of the harsh alcohol. "So. The guy I was gonna introduce you to? Gonna have to wait a little. He's sick. Got the 510 bullshit. I didn't even know he was evolved."
Lips pull into a bit of a concerned sort of pout. "That's no good," Odessa states bluntly. "I wish there was something I could do. The Five-Ten is brutal."
Melissa sighs and nods. "Yeah, I know. Couple of friends got it. I hate that I can't do anything but give them over the counter meds and soup and stuff. But anyway…Once he's over it, I'll see what I can do to introduce you two."
Odessa smiles faintly and nods. "If you ever need any help, please let me know. It can be rough looking after people with the flu." Not that she's ever really shown much compassion while tending to her flu-ridden patients in the past, but there's a first time for everything, right?
Melissa smiles and nods. "I will, believe me. And next time I volunteer at the soup kitchen, I'll drag you with me, okay?" she says, smile growing into an impish grin.
"I don't know that that's such a good idea, but…" Odessa sighs laboriously. "I guess I could give it a try." She takes another long drink, brows knitting together. "So what's this guy's ability?"
"Why wouldn't it be a good idea? And I have no idea. Didn't ask. Seemed cruel since the 510 takes it away," Melissa answers, shrugging and slouching down a little more, continuing to drink steadily. And the more she drinks, the more it sinks it, the more pronounced her southern accent becomes.
"I don't know. I just don't tend to mesh well with the type of people who're nice in general." At least, that's how Odessa pictures the types that engage in charity work. "I'm willing to try it at least once, though. If I'm available next time, I'll go with you."
Melissa looks amused. "Uh…dear? you get along with me and you said I was nice," she points out.
"You're different. You… wear black. Or something." Odessa waves a hand dismissively. "Good guys don't wear black." Another drink. "This stuff is good. I like rum."
Mel busts out laughing. "I thought you said I was a good guy! And yes, it's good stuff. Why have bad stuff? You should drink more. Then we'll break out the ice cream and some stupid movie that we'll watch only for the half naked hotties."
"Have you ever watched Closer?" Odessa asks, shifting on the couch to stretch her legs for a moment. "It's my favourite movie of all time. Kind of sad, but really good. That and Pretty Woman."
"Closer? Nope. But I have Pretty Woman!" Melissa sets the tequila down and hops up…before she almost falls over. Then she nearly steps on Jerry, which does have her falling on her ass. Hard. She blinks for a moment, then she busts out laughing. "Okay. I think I'm a wee bit tipsy," she says, holding up her index finger and thumb half an inch apart.
Odessa gasps before she starts laughing, scrambling across the couch before climbing off of it with a firm hold on the arm to ensure she doesn't repeat Melissa's actions. Once she's sure she's steady, she holds out a hand to the other blonde. "You might be a bit!"
Melissa gives Odessa a bit grin, then waves off the hand. "I can make it. I'm gonna put Pretty Woman in. Then get drunker! Then gonna pig out on ice cream and pizza. Eww. Pizza flavored ice cream. Eeeeeeew!" she says, wrinkling her nose as she gets to her feet again, and this time manages to stay on them and move to the TV.
Odessa laughs loud and hard, clutching at her stomach with the previously offered hand when Melissa wrinkles her nose at the concept of pizza-flavoured ice cream. Tipping backward, she lands on the couch again with a snort of laughter which she's quick to cover up with her hand. Her drink sloshes but doesn't spill.
It takes Melissa a minute to find the movie, but she gets it in the DVD player. Getting the TV on and on the right channel…This is a chore. A monumental task! And so, when she gets it right and the title screen shows, she thrusts the hand wielding the remote into the air, with a triumphant, "HAH! You will not defeat me!" Then it's time to stumble back to the couch and flop onto it, grinning widely. "This is fun. We should've done this before. You know what would make it better though?"
Odessa leeeeans forward to peer wide-eyed at Melissa when she mentions that something could make this night better. "What? What?" The the smile that claims her face is down-right giddy.
"Two smokin' hot guys to rub our feet while we vegged. ooh. And they could totally get refills for us and stuff too!" Melissa says brightly. "Wouldn't that be awesome!"
"Oh my gosh, yes!" Odessa's nod is nothing short of enthusiastic. "It totally would be. But where are we going to find guys that would sit through Pretty Woman without-"
A gasp fills the air as Odessa lifts one finger to signify the lightbulb that just went off above her head. "I should call Francois!"
"Who's Francois? Would he rub our feet? If he'd rub our feet you should totally call him! Do it now!" Melissa says, brightening further and nodding enthusiastically.
"I'm gonna do it," Odessa proclaims, procuring her phone from where she slid it beneath her corset. She brings up the contact and punches send. "Ssssshhhhhh!" she orders with a finger to her lips. "It's ringing!"
Melissa lets out a little giggle and nods, propping her chin on the back of the couch and watching Odessa. "Just tell me when he answers!"
Odessa's face lights up as the other end has apparently been answered. "Francois! I have a question for you. Do you like Pretty Woman?" She laughs and quickly clarifies herself before he can respond, "The movie, I mean!"
Melissa can't help but let out another giggle at the clarification, then just grins and watches. And listens!
"You see," Odessa continues, "My friend Melissa and I are watching it and I thought you would totally be the guy to call to round out our- … Francois?" The woman's expression skews into confusion and she loudly utters a query into the receiver in French. "Francois?" Finally, she gives up with a sigh, hanging up the phone. "I think the call dropped."
Melissa's face falls. "No foot massages? Well that…sucks! Ah well. We still have Pretty Woman!" And she hits play on the remote. "So what's the deal with you anyway? You come across as like, experienced, but you blushed when I explained happy ending to you."
"No foot massages," Odessa confirms sadly, settling back into the cushions of the couch. "I guess it's just us, pizza, ice cream, and Jerry." And booze. Which she totally reclaims and starts nursing again.
Melissa grins and pats the couch between them, and Jerry happily claims the spot and looks at them both hopefully, then settles down in bliss as Mel starts petting him. "You didn't answer my question though! What's with the blushing?"
"I was hoping you'd miss that," Odessa confesses, a blush creeping back into her cheeks again, though this is mostly from the liquor. "Just because I've had sex doesn't mean that I… know things, I guess. I'm not terribly experienced."
Melissa can't help but laugh. "Oh man. Okay, yeah, that's a point. Damn. I'm gonna have to go shoppin' once the snow lets up a little. But you don't get to know what for just yet. But you'll love it. Promise."
Odessa shoots Melissa a worried look. "Are you sure? Because that sounds so ominous." And ominous things means that more drinking is required. And maybe some petting of the dog. Good boy.
Melissa grins, and it's an evil grin. Yes, she should worry. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't do anything bad to my buddy!"
"I- I-" Odessa points at the television. "Oh look! I like this part!" Yes. The opening credits are awesome.
Melissa laughs and shakes her head, then looks to the TV. "Me too. But you're not getting off the hook."
Odessa turns back and gulps. "What could you possibly have in mind?" She eyes her friend up and down once. I'm scared of you.
Melissa beams. "It's a surprise. That means I can't tell you!"
Oh dear. "Can I have a hint?" Odessa bats her lashes at Melissa. "Pleeeease?"
Melissa shakes her head and says firmly, "Nope. You'll find out when you find out. Not a moment before!"
"Oh, good. Then maybe you'll forget before the snow melts." Odessa smirks with a satisfied sort of glance in her friend's direction.
Melissa scoffs and shakes her head. "Not likely. You'll just have to fear!"
And she does. Oh, does she ever. Throughout the course of the movie, Odessa keeps shooting Melissa worried glances.