riverviewlogs | [open] late night drinks...or drink

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[open] late night drinks...or drink

who: Rey and whoever else!
what: After this lovely conversation, Rey is upset and meditating wasn't going to take the ~~hurt away~~ edge off. So to the bar she goes!
when: Late April
where: Random bar
warnings: none

Rey wasn't sure what would have been a better idea: heading to the bar after the conversation with a person who was Ren, or trying to meditate and fail, and end up breaking something instead. She wasn't a violent person, or had violent tendencies, but the wound she was trying to recover from felt like it had been reopened, poked and prodded, and left opened. Going for a drink wasn't a way to solve her problems, but it helped with clearing her mind far better than meditation alone. Better than crying or trying to drag anyone else into this mess: looking at the 'anon' comment she left, that all blew up in her face.

Maybe it was a sign she shouldn't talk about it anymore. Or a sign that she should only have friendships, nothing else.

Or maybe it was a sign to get a drink in her hand and not think about what happened. She found a random bar, went to a booth in the back where she could see the exit and entrance and ordered something strong for herself.

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"Huh? No, Jace. It's fine. I'm fine." He didn't need to walk her home. She knew where to go. She knew how to handle herself. She wasn't drunk--she was buzzed, but that's it. She should've walked away, but she found herself staying still, waiting for him until he was done.

"The drink? It..helped, I guess.." there was a shrug of her shoulders as she took the water bottle from him. Right, hydrate. Because hang overs sucked.

"More like...I needed to not think and just...not think for a little while, that's all." Which, probably sounded crazy to anyone else. But, it was what she needed. Alone time where she didn't have to think about feelings or anything of the like.

"I can walk myself home. It's fine."

Jace leaned closer, like it was some sort of a secret what he was about to say, "If you were fine you would have taken my offer to kick my ass instead of the drink I brought you."

And then he nudged her with his elbow and started heading for the door.

"Walk me home. I'll show you what I've been doing between jobs."

Now that he was sober and lived alone he put a lot more focus into other things. Between working as a bartender and perimeter guard he also cooked and grew his own indoor garden. Although cooking wasn't as much fun when he was only cooking for one. The garden was getting an upgrade. The rest of the apartment, what was left after the move, had been covered to keep the furniture from getting dusty. He didn't have much time for cleaning.

"I'm a great distraction when I want to be." He smiled, stopping to see if Rey was going to accept his offer.

Another girl would've blushed by how close Jace was leaning into them, or maybe leaned forward to flirt back. Rey wasn't phased, she knew Jace was trying to get a rise out of her, but the man did have a point.

"Being fine means I don't feel the need to kick your ass all the time, you know," she quipped back, walking with him, twisting off the cap of her water and took a swig. His invitation to head back to his place made her pause, but ultimately, she nodded her head.

"Okay, okay, I'll go with you." She could stay for a little bit, it wasn't like she had anyone waiting for her back at her place. It wasn't like she had anything else to do--and tomorrow she could take some time to sleep in. Her guard duties weren't until later on at night, so she would be fine. It was...a bit depressing to think about. No one to go back home to, not that she had before feelings with Ben and others stirred up, but...in hindsight, it was nice to be with someone and look forward to spending time with that one person.

And now, Jace was a welcomed distraction.

"How often does this happen? Taking a girl back to your place after a shift at the bar, hm?" Easier to tease and banter than talk about actual feelings.

Jace wasn't in a hurry to go home, far from it, but he did want to help Rey and keep her distracted or even be someone she might be able to talk to if she felt comfortable enough. So he took his time leaving the club, making his way to the elevator for tenants only.

"Would it really surprise you to know the answer is not often?" In fact, Jace hadn't taken anyone back to his place. Not even the one person he'd actually wanted. "Things have been...complicated. And busy."

He waited for Rey and then pushed the button for his floor. How many times had he taken the elevator alone and forced himself not to take it all the way up to Alec and Magnus's floor. It would be so easy to push the button, make an excuse to visit. But they had their lives and he had his.

Jace wasn't one to make small talk, but it felt like they both had things they wanted to avoid if they could.

"What do you do in your free time? Besides drink and kick ass."

"I'd be a little surprised." If he didn't take a girl or anyone else from the bar back to his place. Maybe to flirt, or maybe to spar or do something else. It wasn't her business, but it would surprise her to know she might be one of the few people to ever step foot in his place. She would've thought Alec and Magnus would be over, or at the very least Alec.

Now it was her turn to look at Jace with some confusion and concern.

"Complicated? In what way?" Work things or just...life overall? He had been there to distract her from her troubles, she could return the favor...if he wanted.

She entered the elevator with him, watching the button he pressed to whatever floor they were going to go to. It didn't dawn on her that the area might look familiar--possibly the same place she went to when she, Poe, and Finn got into a fight over her idea to have Ben train her. Now she was back--things really did come full circle.

"I try not to have too much free time. I just...work. The Guard and working part time with a friend as a Scavenger--finding parts and trying to fix them or make a new use of them," she explained, feeling fine enough to reveal that much about her current situation.

"If not that, then go running. Helps clear my mind. You?"

"I don't even know where to begin." Jace watched the lights on the elevator flash through the floors until it finally stopped and the doors opened. He walked up the hall to his door and unlocked it. "It's kind of this...mess of things that started with meeting Clary, Alec nearly dying in my arms, and ended with me living alone again."

He stopped outside the door, the apartment completely dark, and stepped aside for Rey. He wasn't sure why he said all of that so outright. He and Rey didn't know each other that well. Wasn't he suppose to be helping her keep her mind off things she didn't want to be thinking about?

"I started baking. And then I built an indoor greenhouse. I work at the Lux, I'm a perimeter guard special unit, and I prefer punching things. Free time is for less complicated people." He smirked and reached around to turn on the main entrance lights. "Would you like something to drink or eat?"

Rey knew of Clary, but didn't meet her while the young woman was in Quarantine. What she did know was there was some complex history between her, Jace, and Alec. Though, Rey had thought there was more between Alec and Jace, but it wasn't her place to ask--

But learning that Alec nearly dying in Jace's arms was something of her business.

"He what?" What happened? Did this happen in their world or on Quarantine? If it was the later, then how long ago? Before she arrived? More questions ran through her mind, making her push past the haziness of the alcohol. She stepped inside his apartment, mindful of her positioning and waited for the lights to come on.

"I'm fine--you've done enough, Jace." Really, he was making sure she wasn't a drunken mess or going home with some stranger or shit faced.

"You know, I'm here if you ever want to talk, right? Or if anything comes up?"

"Nearly died. And it was my fault." Jace admitted, still feeling the pain and guilt. But it felt further away than it had, somewhat muted after the weird plant epidemic messed with his memories. He'd decided not to take the cure and asked Magnus to keep it for him in case he ever changed his mind. But why would he? Why would he go back to being the mess he had been? The burden. "It happened right before I came here so things were difficult."

He could talk about it more now than he thought he would be able to do with anyone.

"I appreciate the offer. I'm...I've never been open with anyone other than Alec and Izzy. Emotions are...My father told me I was too soft for a Shadowhunter."

He closed the door and headed towards the kitchen. It was rare that he was awkward about anything, but talking openly about himself and how he was feeling, had never been easy for him.

"When you're ready to talk about what happened to send you to the bar I hope you know you can come find me. I'm working on my social skills." He smiled over his shoulder, poking his head into his fridge to pull out a bowl of fruit he'd cut up that morning.

"Jace..." Was it really all his fault? Rey didn't think that, but it was hard for her to understand what happened without details. But, was it really her place to ask? Was it really a good idea to poke and prod at an old wound like that?

"...Does Alec see it that way?" Did his best friend--his parabati think that? Rey would venture that he didn't. The two of them held each other in high regard and would do anything to protect each other. The blame wasn't solely on Jace--it couldn't be, right? There had to be other factors...

She followed him towards the kitchen, watching him open the fridge to take something out.

"You have a heart--anything less doesn't make you...you." she offered, hoping he'd take some comfort in her words. The same thing happened with Finn. He didn't fit in being a Stormtrooper. They wanted him to keep his head down and obey orders. They wanted him to cut out his heart and surrender that part of himself to the First Order. The more and more he gave, the less and less likely he would've been able to escape alive.

There was some silence on her part as she debated about telling Jace. She didn't want to drag anyone into this but...as long as she didn't give names...that should be fine, right?

"...I wanted to forget about the feelings I had for someone."

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[open] late night drinks...or drink

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