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It's been almost a week since the explosion, but the news still had nothing else to talk about than the growing list of injured and dead, and the mystery behind it. Jesse gestures the bartender to come over.
"Could you turn that down? Or switch the channel?"
"Sorry, pal, but the others want to watch it."
Jesse drinks his beer and rolls his eyes when he hears yet another "To Jack Morrison!" toast behind him when the anchorwoman starts to talk about his disappearance. Almost a week, and still not a single mention of Reyes.
"To Gabriel Reyes." He says to himself and raises his bottle, about to drink it when he notices the figure next to him raising his untouched glass of water.
"To Gabriel Reyes." A deep broken voice repeats. Sounds like a junkie.
Jesse moves his bottle over to his glass, clinking them together before drinking.
The bar is filled with odd types, but this man was the strangest of them all.
He hasn't spoken a word all night, hid his face behind the hood of his jacket and his hands with black gloves. The jacket looked sort of familar, Jesse noted. Must be a popular brand or something.
"Saved the world and what did he get? Absolutely nothing." Jesse huffed.
"Not even worth getting mentioned on the news. Just another name on the list of nobodies." The man beside him shook his head. There was smoke when he talked, but Jesse couldn't see a cigarette.
"You know, I trained with that guy." Jesse said, tongue loose with alcohol.
"What was he like?"
"An absolute asshole."
The man raised his head slightly before laughing. Jesse got a glimpse of a beard.
"Really so bad?" The man asked.
"Worse." Jesse replied. "He was the 'Pain is the best teacher' type. But he wasn't wrong with that."
It's not the first time he gets talkative with strangers in a bar, but something in the back of his mind, a faint voice, tells him to stop talking when the man asks, "Where were you during the explosion?"
Jesse stares at his beer for a while. "I left a couple of months ago."
"Why?"
"Shit went down. I got tired of it."
"After all he did for you?"
The last part was so quiet, Jesse must have imagined it. He finishes his drink silently before ordering another beer.
"You don't look like you're from around here. Any reason you're sitting in a bar with water you won't drink?" He asks the stranger. The man raises his head again slightly, this time Jesse could see his lips.
"Here on business. Would love to tell you about it..." He smiles and Jesse could swear that scar on the lower lip reminded him of someone. "... but then I'd have to kill you."
"I'd like to see you try." Jesse laughs.
"Oh, are you saying that I couldn't do it?" The stranger asks.
Jesse hums and takes a sip from his beer.
"I'm just saying that I've had the greatest teacher there is."