5682/Divvying up the Neighbourhood

Divvying up the Neighbourhood
Date of Scene:	30 October 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Kate goes to Jessica for P.I. advice, and walks away with an alliance and an apprenticeship. It's a living?
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Bishop), Jessica Jones

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Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
So far, things in Kate's practice weren't going all that well. Sure, she got the occassional case, but it wasn't paying the bills. And when you added in the fact that she ended up doing any number of her cases for free or at reduced rates because she was a soft touch, it was all adding up to a big fat zero in her bank, and more than a small touch of feeling a failure.

Which made her next move slightly less unpredicatable, even if it were still an odd one: Kate decides to go visit her nemesis (of a sort) in P.I. business and the advertising of such, and offering a truce in favour of getting some much needed business advice.

And because she was going begging, she's even brought lunch: pizza from Gino's. Extra large, double cheese, double pepperoni. Just like the good lord ordered.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Alias Investigations, the place that is already looks unassuming by being located in an apartment building, and yet it has the added flair of absolutely sketchiness by having the front door shattered. Again. Every now and then it's in perfect condition, honest! And if you come then, it looks quite pro, for a bit. Right now, however, yeah, shattered glass, and the door doesn't fully close because it's somewhat bent.

Jessica can be seen through the shattered glass by any who approaches, sitting at her desk infront of her laptop, a 1/3rd full bottle of whisky in her hand as she drinks directly from the bottle. She doesn't notice the approaching Kate as she puts the bottle down to angrily tap away at the keys, "...fucking idiots," she groans to herself as she sends another angry email.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Okay, so she's not *trying* to spy on the other woman, but let's face it, her door is broken. It's literally an open window frame with little to no attempt to block it off from outside views.

For a brief moment Kate thinks about reconsidering this venture, but she's already bought the pizza, and she's here. By the time she gets anywhere else, the thing will be cold, and while cold pizza can be a glorious thing, it was entirely too expensive (even at Gino's preferred customer rates) to waste it while at the perfect temperature.

"Knock knock," Kate calls through the window. "You open for business?"

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica looks up at the 'knock knock' prompt, looking quite deadpan and hard to read, as she switches focus from the pizza to Kate and back, before eventually snorting, "the door's about as open as it's gonna get, save to keeping it swung all the way, if the pizza's meant for sharing, you're welcome in..." at least Kate made the right assumption about the pizza.

"You drink whisky? It's all I have..." Jessica lifts her mostly finished bottle, "well, whatever's left of it."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
There's an answering grin from Kate as she comes in and closes the mostly useless door behind her. "Totally for sharing. And I've been known to enjoy whiskey from time to time. I'll let you handle the cuss words, though."

She knows that little jibe will either be taken well, or set the mood poorly, but she's hoping for taken well. It was, after all, the point of contention between their business ads.

"I have pizza and ten bucks. How much time will that buy me of your services?" She plunks the pizza down on Jessica's desk, and takes a seat. "Help yourself." A nod to the pizza.

Jessica Jones has posed:
"There's a glass in the kitchen sink," Jessica says while pointing in the kitchen's direction, "if you want one you'll have to wash it. I'm perfectly fine sharing straight from the bottle..." there are certain things Jessica is quite lazy about, at least the 'office' part of her apartment is mostly clean.

"So...how being the goodie two shoed PI working out for you?" Jessica has to ask after that 'cussing' mention. "Pizza is a good start, money I won't touch unless there's a case...to what do I owe this visit? We aren't exactly bffs or anything like that..." to say the least.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
That smirk remains on Kate's lips. If JJ had expected the easily enough to find out she's not just a PI on the East Side, but a socialite from the upper crust jet set to shrink at the idea of sharing straight out of the bottle, she'd be disappointed.

"I'm good. Pretty sure the alcohol will kill any cooties."

She flips the pizza box open and gestures to the pie before grabbing a slice for herself. "So, here's the thing, my business, it's floundering. I don't know how to fix that." And she was getting really tired of withdrawing from her trust fund every month to pay the bills, especially as every withdrawl was accompanied by that look from her father, and the ever so gentle suggestion that maybe it was time she gave up this pipe dream and take up a job better suited to her estate. "I was hoping pizza and ten bucks could buy some business advice."

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica pushes the bottle towards Kate's side of the table and applauds, "didn't expect a socialite to share a drink with a bum like me, congratulations on being a real person."

Jess grabs herself a pizza, folds it in half and takes a bite, looking idlly at Kate while she munches. "Well, I guess the basic of business acumen would do you good, I mean, number one...don't help your rivals?" Jessica points out, as if a bit incredulous at the idea she should help someone who is her competition for PI cases, and she looks at Kate for a reason. Jess herself can't come up with a valid one. No, she's not a softie like Kate.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate makes a small, scoffing noise. "You don't really know much about me, do you?" She doens't look offended by that fact, though. "If I wanted to be some stuck up rich girl I would hardly have opened up a PI office. I'm smart enough I could have gone for lawyer in some hoity toity neighbourhood if I wanted." She winces as she says that. "God help us all if that ever comes to pass. In fact, you can shoot me if it does."

A nod to Jessica. "No, seriously. Fate worse than death."

She grabs up the bottle and takes a swig, expertly wiping her mouth with the back of the bottle holding hand while still holding onto the bottle.

"Fine. Helping your rivals isn't a great business plan. But I'm not just a PI competitor, I'm a client too." And to emphacize that fact, she puts the bottle down, and fishes that ten bucks from her pocket and tosses it on the table. "I need you to help me hunt down a way to make this work so I don't have to crawl back home and admit I'm a failure. I figure this city is big enough for both of us. We don't handle the same sorts of cases. Why are we even fighting. We should be using this to help one another. And who would even expect that?"

Jessica Jones has posed:
"I'll keep that in mind in case you do," Jessica either jokes or promises, hard to tell with the serious tone and look on her face. "Hey, don't sell PI work short, we supply a very in demand service to all the lying creeps and cheats, users and abusers, and sometimes are the only ones victims can turn to because the police are assholes."

As she finishes her first slice of pizza, apparently having been quite hungry, Jessica listens to Kate's argument. "You can take that 10 bucks back, you're insulting me by thinking I work for that cheap," clearly, Jessica wasn't about to take a token gesture. "Can't even afford the cheap stuff with that little...so, are you saying you want to work for me?" Jessica tries rephrasing Kate's wording for her.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate sighs, and pulls the crumpled bill back, shoving into a pocket. "Frankly, it's all I have left to get me through to the end of the month. I'm counting my blessings it's only two more days, except it'll be another trip to the lawyers and the bank for yet another float to get me through the next month, and my father seems to think that's a personal invitation to observe, as you say, that I should be done with the slumming phase of my life."

She shrugs.

"I don't want to give him that satisfaction. I picked this profession to help out. To do good." Even if her cases did run to hunting down lying cheats of husbands, or, as the case had been more often than not of late, random acts of charity to help out some of the down and out kids in her neighbourhood who just needed a break. A lost bike found. Lunch money retrived. She'd even broken up a gang fight once, but that was a fluke and really more like what it was she really wanted to do with her life. Only being Hawkeye didn't pay and being a PI had her in the thick of things where she needed to be to do the rest.

"I'm not sure what I'm saying. Other than I don't think I can last the two years they project for a business to establish itself. I figure you're paying rent somehow."

Jessica Jones has posed:
"Of course I am," Jessica notes dryly, she would be homeless if she didn't. "I built a reputation, most of my business is coming in word of mouth, and it was hard work. Of course the deal with Kilgrave got me some clot with the cops, that's always serious help..." Jessica reaches to take the bottle back, drinking the last of it, "look, your dad sounds like an asshole, and I dig that you're trying to be independent. I'll help you, but you have to decide if you want to apprentice under me or not. I won't be representing a different agency, I worked too damn hard on my own."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"You mean give up my own practice, huh?"

Kate watches the remains of the bottle disappear, which was a shame. What she was contemplating, she could have used that last swallow of courage. Or course she still had ten bucks. That would buy them both a couple at Josie's.

It was a hard bargain. But the outcome of it offered greater rewards than the alternative. She'd put a good half a year and then some into this venture and if anything, she was making less now than when she started.

"Apprentice. You show me the ropes. And when the relationship is over, we both walk away to our own offices, no hard feelings." Those are the terms as Kate understands them, even if she's not (yet) putting a time stipulation upon the matter of the apprenticeship.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica nods as Kate seems to understand, "I can't help a rival agency, but I can have an apprentice. Take a break from your own business, which I think you started too early...and apprentice under me awhile." Jessica states it in clearer terms. "I'm not looking to kill your business, you don't need to shut down the doors. Anything you get organically, is fine by me for you to honor, but while you apprentice for me you stop advertisement, and put in work for Alias. I'll teach you the ropes, when all is said and done, you go your own way, no hard feelings." Jessica extends her hand for Kate to shake, should she choose to accept.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate might not know the ropes as well as she should for running her own PI business, but she did understand business on a more theoretical level. She'd seen this done hundreds of times. Deals made. Alliances meant to better both partners - even if the play of give and take always left one or the other in a slightly better position. That's just how it was done.

Too, she'd been behind enough fund raisers to know that alliances and connections were often more valuable than the money they brought.

There isn't even a moment's hesitation from the younger woman in accepting that hand shake. Kate knew a good thing when she saw it. "Deal. And I still have ten bucks says we can celebrate at Josie's and both have cold pizza for lunch tomorrow."