#jesse:threads

Jesse felt profound relief when Mylene pulled out some tissues and a water bottle. He took them from her with a nod. "Thank you so much, this is perfect," he said, pouring a little out into a tissue and using it to clean up his shirt. Now there was a dark wet spot, but that would fade. He swiped at the spot with some of the dry tissues, leaving behind some specks of white, but the shirt itself was light so hopefully it wasn't noticeable. "This is my only nice shirt," he said sheepishly.

"It's okay, thank you so much," Jesse said, taking the wad from Xavier and doing his best to wipe away the cream and work out the stain. It looked like it was going to need to soak, though. He sighed. "This is my only nice shirt."

Jesse was stunned when the young person who approached him suddenly hugged him. He didn't know what to do for a moment, frozen in shock. After a beat, he took Parker by the shoulders and pushed him back, narrowing his eyes at them as he tried to figure out if he knew him.

"Are you . . . wait. I know you . . ." It had been almost twelve years since Jesse had seen Parker Russo, but the eyes were the same. That's what he remembered. "Parker?" How in the world this full-grown adult was the little Parker he remembered, Jesse had no idea. That's what time did to you, he supposed.

"Aren't you a cop? What are you doing in a dump like this?" Jesse asked, eyeing the woman next to him at the bar and recognizing her from town.

Jesse couldn't help but smile faintly when he saw the two handkerchiefs. "I use cloth napkins too for the same reason, but I haven't embroidered them. Did you make these yourself?" he asked curiously, taking the sunflower one and gently removing the cream from his shirt, not wanting to mess up the flower.

Jesse breathed a sigh of relief as he took the handkerchief from the young woman. "Thank you so much," he said, being careful as he wiped up the mess as best he could, folding the handkerchief so the mess wouldn't touch anything of hers before handing it back. "Oh, um, I'm not new. I live up on the mountain. I thought the town was wiped out when the zombies showed up. I used to come here with my mom when I was younger, though. Go to the library. I still go to the library."

Jesse blinked, a little taken aback by the theatrical response. He was relieved when she produced a napkin, taking it and doing his best to clean up. It smeared some of it, which was disappointing, but he was able to get the glob off, at least. He looked up at Whitney as she mentioned a flower crown.

"Oh. No, was I supposed to get one?" he asked curiously, not sure where he would at this point in the day.

Jesse looked at Eagan in dismay when the other said he could use his finger. "But then my finger would be dirty," he said. He took the coupon gingerly, carefully using it to scrape off the cream as best he could. There was still a stain, which was regrettable. He looked around for a trash can, then, holding the coupon with the cream away from himself. "Is there a waste basket nearby?"