2007-04-20: I Hear Nathan Petrelli's Single

Starring:

Jane_icon.gif Jaden_icon.gif

Summary:

A despondent CEO is spotted, being despondent, and efforts are undertaken to put some fire back into him.

Date It Happened: April 20th, 2007

I Hear Nathan Petrelli's Single


Outside the High Rise Apartment Building, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NYC


Some time after Elle departed, Jane collects herself and makes her way out of the building. She's wearing a vintage Led Zeppelin t-shirt, dark jeans, heeled boots, and no jacket. Finally it's warm enough for that. Her guitar case and pack are present, as seemingly always. She looks a little pale, and pensive, as if she has something to simply get out in ways she can only do in private, away from glass and people for safety.

Greenwich Village. Why in the world is Jaden Cain sitting out here on the ground? It doesn't make any sense. He's leaning back against the building that people are coming out of for no apparent reason. The hood of his usual jacket is up and obscuring his features as much as possible, though anybody that takes the time to check and see if this isn't a homeless person, they'll get the chance to see that it's just sucky CEO Jaden Cain. Drowning himself in the sorrows of a big 40oz bottle… of Yoohoo.

The brunette stops when she reaches the street, and her eyes settle on the Yoohoo drinking man. Jane's head tilts, and she walks over slowly. "I've been looking for you, so was Elena. Said she found you, Jaden." He's studied, sitting there, and moments later she's moving to sit too. The need she feels is still in place, to get something out and fully vent, it's not every day a girl gets killed by an electric sociopath and revived after al. But it can wait. "Rough week, man?" she softly asks.

Jaden doesn't even look up. Well, not intentionally. In fact, he only looks up because he has to finish draining the bottle of Yoohoo. He just finishes off the bottle and hurls it across the street. It doesn't fly well, since he's not the strongest person in the world, but it lands in the general area of where the other ones have been thrown. An uncaring shrug is all that Jane will get for a response as he reaches for another fresh bottle and pops the top off. Guzzle.

"Oh," Jane says, "I get it. You take a little criticism, get one heckler, and you turn into a basket case, Jaden? Please." The woman scoffs. Scoffs! "Get up, throw away your trash, go shower, and take command of your life. Or do I have to start thinking all that crap written about you wasn't crap at all? I got my tail chewed by Mother for being associated with you. For not already being hitched to some future senator and not working in a law office already. Damned if I'm going to just let her win and you prove her right by being like this!"

"I hear Nathan Petrelli's single. I could make some calls." Jaden doesn't even look up. He's just a kid on the inside, so of course he's going to sit down here and overreact. It's in his nature! It's in his comic relief blood! But for the most part, he just takes another long gulp of his chocolate milk. At least he hasn't turned himself into a wino or something. It's only chocolate milk! He lets the words fall over him and maybe some of them sink in somewhere, but he's just too much of a little brat to really show it.

"What? Nathan? Please. Decent guy, I owe him, but he's not single and ohmygod, Jaden, so not my type!" Jane's moving past annoyed and determined now, to angry. In her mind is the younger Petrelli and her trust of him, and the way she's not thinking romance there either. Not that she'd act on it even if she did, after talking with Elle at length so recently and… being killed by Electroblonde Scorchy. She leans closer, and whispers into his ear with a heatedly quiet tone. "Look. No promises. But if you ever want to talk me into the risky business reenactment, you won't do it sitting here."

This does not bode well for Jaden Cain. Especially since he's trying his best to stay in a sulky mood. More often than not, he's the happy-go-lucky one that's always in the mood to make someone laugh or have a good time. But now he's sitting out here, sulking like there's no tomorrow and there might not be if he doesn't get his act together. "Define 'no promises'." comes from Jaden in something of a inkling of his usual tone. And at least this has stopped him from lifting the bottle of chocolate milk up to his lips again!

"It means you might have a chance with me, Jaden. Maybe. You're not stuffy, you like to have fun, and lately, well, fun's been lacking for me. But you have to be worthy for me to even think about a ghost of a chance. No wallowing in misery. Learn when to work and when to play, man. Figure out how to run that company, be halfway serious, demand the other officers teach you the ropes. Hire frickin' advisors to explain options." Jane's voice is harsh, her mood is frazzled, and thoughts go back to other experiences. Oh, if she could only tell him what she's been through, and what others like her have endured…

"So what you're saying is…" Jaden lifts his head a little bit more, almost as if he's starting to come out of his crazy antics. Not that he's really crazy, but he's just going through a lot of crap right now and there's not much else that he can really do but drink chocolate milk. It's not like he can turn into a insane criminal and try to take over the city or anything. He just can't do that. Ahem. "… I should learn how to be in two places at once or something. Right?"

Her head shakes and the tone softens. "No one can do that, Jaden," Jane replies with a chuckle. "There you are, I knew you were in there somehow. The sense of humor lives!" Course, he's not so much joking any more than she was by calling herself a real screamer. At this point it's much unlikely she'll share what that really meant, but at the same time, given what she's seen over these past months, and what she herself can do, there's this trace of wonder. Can he?" Best to, well, ask. "Is that a joke, or are you trying to tell me something without telling me?"

Jaden shrugs a little bit, not exactly sure of what she means about all of this. He fumbles with his body some (since he's been sitting for HOURS) and gets himself up to his feet. The Yoohoo is poured out on the street (for his dead homies) and he can't exactly bring himself to smile yet. "Just sayin' I probably need to find a way to work hard and play hard." There, he's not exactly lying, right? But then he notices her guitar case and stuff and sort of comes back around to his Managerial Side. "Hey. Where you headed? Band practice?" He looks as if he's trying to remember something. "I… think I ordered some outfits for you girls. You should come get 'em."

"Outfits?" An eyebrow raises, and she chuckles softly. This should be interesting, to say the least. Jane remembers Tamara's expression when she asked about this angle, and… Ohboy. "Where are they, Jaden? And yes. Work hard, play hard. Where am I headed?" Out to scream my head off among the trees. "I've got… some issues to work out privately," she states. Her tone is stern in saying that, meaning to communicate a strong sense of Don't Ask.

"Hey, that's cool! I've got issues too!" Jaden's starting to sound more and more like himself as the time passes on. He's got something of a default nature that he can't really get over. It's all about the way he's trying to tell without telling. "I'd say do you want to work 'em out together, but you'd think I was coming on to you, which would probably be right and then you'd shoot me down, again, and then I'd feel bad and we'll be back to square one because I don't have any Yoohoo left and this whole Risky Business idea will never come to pass so…" Jaden just shrugs. "I've got the boxes at my house. It was gonna' be like… a congratulations present."

She chuckles, it's a thin sort of sound, and her reply is mostly deadpan. "It's really private, Jaden, this thing I sometimes need to do. I just have to go scream, and… no witnesses." Jane stands up and adjusts her gear while asking "Where is your house? I'll come by soon and have a look." A smile is managed, but something in there says it's been a hell of a day and if she doesn't get whatever private time she needs, she's going to snap. In her private thoughts, it would be so not good if apartment and car windows suddenly shattered.

"Um. I live…" Jaden has to look around and he finally points off towards the general direction of the Upper West Side. "I'm actually down the street from the Petrellis. Good people. Never met 'em, but… we share a gardner." Jaden offers with a smile. "Just um… call me. When you're done screaming. I'll send a car for you. Or a helicopter. Whichever one's gassed up."

"Thanks, Jaden," Jane replies with a quiet grin. "Go make it all turn around, now. And hey, y'know, that screaming thing? Between us, right? I wouldn't want anyone thinking I was off my rocker or anything like that. It's just something I have to do when too much bottles up inside me, and I don't want it to be seen. Thanks for understanding that, it means a lot." Her voice is somber and softened, saying those words, her eyes scan his to see if he gets it, if it makes sense.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." Jaden says, not that he knows if she has a secret like he does or not. In fact, he's just trying to make sure everything comes across the right way. He finally manages to get his smile fully on and works towards backing away from where Jane is. Apparently, he doesn't want to go, but he's not going to linger and make her think he's a stalker or something. So he just offers a little wave before turning to walk off.

"Thanks," Jane replies sincerely with a grateful smile. Whatever she meant by things she said about herself, it wouldn't be a stretch to conclude she doesn't share that much often or easily, and therefore opened up to him a bit. And she too turns away, moving along the street toward a nearby subway station.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License