[March Catch-All Log]

[hijinxer]

Who: Jinx (hijinxer) and YOU
What: Arrival, March TDM Prompts, Exploring, Bloodhound Training & April TDM Prompts
When: Throughout March & Early April
Where: Around Darcmouth, Cellar Door

Content warnings: Typical cw’s that follow Jinx are mental illness with symptoms of psychosis, potential for violence, drug mentions. More specific warnings have been added to each individual prompt.


I. Father Shores

[ while jinx has shed her squid form long enough to have acquired most of her belongings back from the trenchies who stole ‘em, the unsettling feeling she’s had in the pit ofh er stomach hasn’t given her a moment of peace. everything about this place feels like it’s meant to be home, but that has to be a lie, right?

all around her, people talk about starting a new life, building a community, finding family and it’s rubbed jinx’s nerves raw. she winds up back at the beach where everything started with pow-pow and fishbones laid down besides her as she narrows her eyes and glares at what appears to be a shining blue marble pinched between her thumb and index.

they tell her the ocean water isn’t safe, and somehow that only reminds her of the poisoned sludge that runs through the undercity. it’s reassuring in a way that it shouldn’t be. in some fucked up way, she thinks silco would have liked this place and its on the nose glorification of drowning and rebirth.

she tosses the blue sphere up into the grey sky, and catches it, closing her fingers around it and yells.

have you had enough?

jinx slams her fist down hard into the warm sand, breathing hard. ]

Do you really think we can just start over?

[ is it that easy? what if she doesn’t want to start over? who she’s speaking to is unclear. it could be the ringing shadow of murmuring voices in her head, one of many new squids starting to acquire a new physical form. it could even be you. ]

II. Moss King’s House

A. Burial - cw: claustrophobia, buried alive
[ there’s absolutely such a thing as exercising better judgment and not doing questionable shit like swallowing random magical pills that appear next to you for seemingly no reason. but no risk, no glory.

unfortunately for jinx though, she happens to have rolled a ‘one’ and no sooner than the screaming agony of being immolated consumes her whole, she finds herself stuck inside a dark, confined space. it’s pitch black and even the tiniest movements of her limbs has her brushing against the walls of her new cage. ]

HEY! [ she yells instinctively, giving the space above her a solid kick. the lid of the coffin barely budges, but it doesn’t stop her from kicking and screaming repeatedly. ] Hey, get me outta here!

B. Discovery
[ now that she’s escaped her premature burial, jinx is out and about and poking around every corner of the moss king’s summer home. she eyes all the various stolen nicknacks from around the multiverse, eyes bright and alive with curiosity. currently holding her interest is a cute scepter with a shiny gem on top that catches the light and refracts it into a multitude of rainbows. if she knew what magical girls were, then she’d know what this is... but alas. she gives it a wave, and it casts pink light like a sparkler and jinx positively coos in delight. ]

Aren’t you a pretty thing ... [ she laughs, twirling the scepter in her hands and laughs as she’s showered in pink shimmering sparks. ]

But what would some stuffy guy calling himself the Moss King want with you, huh?

III. Earworm

A. Party - cw: alcohol
[ of all the places jinx has seen so far, it’s the cellar door area that happens to remind her most strongly of zaun. the high spirits, the loud music, the bars, the seediness of it all manages to take just a little of the edge that’s been boiling away internally.


wanting to forget every troubling thought in her head if only for one night, jinx sits herself down at the bar and downs whatever they have on brew. again, again and again. despite her waif like appearance, the girl’s got sky high tolerance. catch her at the bar where she’ll greet you merrily with: ]

You look way too sober. Drink.

[ or alternatively, catch her on the dancefloor, raving and waving her arms wildly in time to the music. when this song comes on, jinx squeals and grabs the nearest person with an excited: ]

That’s my jam!

B. Afterparty - cw: intoxication, assault, violence
[ it’s late at night by the time jinx leaves the club and she isn’t exactly looking to be the most stable on her feet. she sways from side the side as she walks down the streets, hiccupping and giggling to herself. she’s a small girl, and one that apparently looks like an easy target for a local trenchie to try and pickpocket for valuables.

it is... perhaps not their luckiest day.

jinx’s head may be swimming, but she’s lived in the undercity long enough to know to keep her wits and personal belongings about her and this trenchie is about to be the focal point for her rage. the trenchie shoves her against a wall, holding a knife to her throat.

jinx looks positively feral as her face splits into a wide, toothy grin. ]

Wanna try me?

[ in the next couple of moments, the air is thick with the trenchie’s screaming and the scent of fresh blood as jinx beats the man’s face over and over with the butt of a pistol. she laughs, practically giddy with delight as she straightens up and wipes the blood spatter off her face. the trenchie meanwhile lies barely conscious on the ground. ]

Well, well, well. Think you learned your lesson about stealing from poor, innocent girls? [ she stomps hard on his chest. ] Speak up! i can’t hear ya.

[ another stomp. thoroughly engrossed in this bit of catharsis, jinx doesn't even notice someone else arriving on the scene. when she does? she merely smiles sweet over her shoulder. ]

Whatcha lookin' at there?

IV. Spoils of War - cw: blood blisters, possible blood consumption by blodhounds

[ god, it's been... how many times that she ended up being dragged around in survival mode in either the jungle of the catacombs? don't ask. it'll instantly put her in a bad mood.

instead of being unceremoniously sucked underground, jinx can be seen walking around with a bloodhound on a leash. notably, said bloodhound has got one of its antlers sprayed blue, the other pink. it is also currently sniffing at a very ugly blood blister, licking it and very much being a monster about its next meal.

the way jinx coos to it though? seems more like she's talking to a baby. ]

Sheesh, you eat a lot, Horny. Is that normal for you?

[ because the unfortunately named doggo can obviously answer? as jinx spots you pass by, she waves: ]

Hey, you got any experience with these things?

V. Blessed Are the Curious

A. Rose Tinted Glasses - cw: mind alteration, hallucinations
[ jinx is, in a word, enraptured. the golden moths have transformed dreary old trench into the most beautiful place she's ever seen. the fact that it kind of reminds her of piltover leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, but how exactly is she meant to stay in a foul mood when there are songbirds flittering around the trees?

she croons as she skips down a golden path (in reality nothing more than a dirt road) and proceeds to hold out her hand to see if one of the brightly colored birds wants to land in her hand. there are, of course, no birds, only the golden moths. one does make the mistake of sitting on her palm and jinx immediately aims a fingergun at it and mimes shooting at it. ]

Boom.

[ she laughs, as the "bird" flies away and continues to skip down the road. ]

Heh the life of a real princes, huh?

B. Undoing the Past - cw: deeaging, death, depictions of death by impalement and crush injuries in linked video
[ eventually jinx reaches the archway marked with the "▲" symbol and anyone who happens to be following will find themselves transported to an old factory. it's late at night with only the full moon to illuminate the inside of the worn down cannery.

but all is not quiet. it's this moment. the night of jinx's biggest mistake and the foundations of the cannery are practically shaking with the force of the fighting going on at the other side of the door.

jinx gasps, eyes round as she stands there frozen in place. has she learned anything? is i can fix this truly any better than i can help?, she looks down at the monkeybomb held tight in her hands with the glowing blue orb clasped between the cymbals of the clockwork monkey.

she doesn't even register right away that her perspective is changing by the second. everything around her is getting taller -- or more accurately, she's getting shorter as the years lift away and she begins the process of being unmade.

with an almost manic shriek, she yanks the unrefined hexgem out of the clockwork monkey and takes several deep breaths. on the other side of that door though, vi, clagger, mylo and vander are all in huge trouble and there's a hulking beast high on shimmer and... the man who would eventually take her in as his daughter. heart pounding, she slumps against the door, hyperventilating. ]

I don't know what to do! I have to save them!

Comments

[fattyhands]

[ wow, thanks for not torturing this tiny squid, who is merely trying her hardest to make a new life for herself. live and let live, y’know?? … also, please don’t step on her either, because that flopping is closing the distance between this here squid and jinx’s boot. what begins as an idle want for the supposed security of someone larger watching over her as she… transforms – ? yes, she needs to transform, because this isn’t her body. instead of tentacles, she has arms and legs – strong ones, topped with hard knuckles and barreled fists. she has hair too. pink. short. with a hard sweep to the right.

… what starts as an idle want for security, shifts into a blooming sort of desperation. the further she draws from the water, the longer her memory stretches into recognition. flop: her body. wriggle: her name. squirm: zaun, the undercity, the fissures. flop: her sister.

her sister had bright, colorful hair too, like vi’s. no, not like hers. her sister’s is uniquely her own. her sister has always been unique. different. strong? yes. what makes you different makes you strong – she said that…? yes. and she also said, years later, that she wouldn’t leave her… leave you…?

jinx? no. her sister’s name is pow… pow…? no. powder? powder.

this is powder. this is her baby sister.

memory slots into place and the frequency of her squirms grows again, each punctuated by an inner screaming to get closer, always closer. she’s right there. finally, after years upon years of regretting, of wanting… this time, she isn’t going to let powder slip through her fingers.

… but until she grows those back, she’ll be settling for tentacles. close enough now, vi will roll and twist on the next flop, throwing out her eight squishy arms and two tentacles, all aiming for powder’s boot-clad ankle. ]

[hijinxer]

[ the squid doesn't stop its miserable struggling. jinx doesn't expect it to. hell, does this squishy thing even know that it's being talked to right now? or is it still at that blank stage of urges and drives without comprehension? she doesn't know. won't know until the ugly thing becomes more of a person to be able to tell her.

until then however, jinx watches the so-called miracle of life with a detached, clinical mixture of amusement and disgust. she'd been one of these things not too long ago herself and watching this thing squirm and throw itself around makes her want to laugh. an ugly laugh, at that.

heh. it even latches itself onto her boot with its little tentacles like it thinks that's a smart idea. doesn't it know? ... well. of course, it doesn't. that's why of all things, this squidling is holding onto her like a lifeline before it, too, realizes just how stupid that is.

despite not wanting to touch the squid at all, jinx picks up her hexgem,, blows off the sand and tucks it away into her pocket. next she grabs the squid around the body, squeezing it a little, but not enough to make anything pop. ]

Y'know... [ her voice is soft, almost like she's cooing to it and telling the squid a secret. ] Fair warning, squishie. Bad things happen to people who're close to me. Don't know why. It's not like I"m trying to be a jinx. But if you reaaaaaally wanna do this whole life thing, you might wanna go find yourself a different barnaxle to cling to. Cuz I'm not having a good day.

[fattyhands]

[ no. vi wants to barnacle here, thanks, even though she really hates what it is she is hearing. see, comprehension of what is being said to her is easier now. they aren’t free-floating words that only occasionally catch. so powder warns and vi squirms. not out of fear, of course not, but out of frustration for her own inadequacy. about time for a change then, huh?

it isn’t simply picturing the way she’s meant to be, it’s feeling it too. so it isn’t a snap of the fingers or a bat of the eyelashes. it takes time. arguably, it would go more smoothly if she assembled herself from the bottom up. she doesn’t do this. vi skips the legs, neglects the arms, even forgets to configure her face; all of her desire pools in wanting to redirect the trajectory of powder’s thoughts. bad things don’t always happen. she’s not a jinx. she’s not jinx either.

so the vocal cords come in first. the squishy body caught in powder’s hand shifts, grows, elongates and in comes a tongue, as well as teeth and lips and a very human mouth. she peels back her arms and tentacles from the boot, weaving them around powder’s fingers instead. ]

I’m sorry. [ it’s vi’s voice but it hasn’t gained strength yet; it’s little more than a mumble as she tries to remember how to use her tongue and lips in tandem to speak clearly. ] Stay – please. [ … she has her suction cups latched on anyway, so good luck getting rid of her. ]

( ooc: some references to crystalize the image. ilu sis )

[hijinxer]

[ y'know. jinx can handle the mouth. and the lips. it's a grotesque part of the squid's process of becoming. but that said, looking at it from an outside perspective is creepy as fuck and she doesn't know how the wakers deal this freakshow every month. and yet, something about how gross it is to watch a line in the squid spreadn and open up to reveal a fully formed tongue, teeth and even a teeny little uvula is exactly that: engrossing.

viscerally, she's disgusted and part of her wants to rip the bug-eyed mollusc off her arm to keep it from... drooling on her or whatever.

what stops jinx in her tracks entirely is that voice. soft, faint, raspy from disuse, yes, but it's a voice that's been haunting jinx for years. she freezes, coldblood seeming to get colder in her arteries as she stares openly in horror at the squidling wrapping its tentacles tight around her slim wrists.

i'm sorry. the words play in her head as an image of a vi, pink hair and smiling flashes in her head. another beat, and then a flash of white monstrous scribbles distort the image of her sister's face making jinx drop the hexgem to clutch her head with her freehand. ]

Ho, no -- [ she whimpers, drawing up her legs tight to her chest. ] It's not her. Not Vi.

[ how could it be? what are the odds? she growls, expression turning accusatory, though whether she's directing that at the squid or the noise in her head is debatable. ]

You're messing with me!

[fattyhands]

[ get there faster is the driving thought now. the voice alone isn’t doing it. in fact, it’s making things worse. she needs arms, human arms, to pull powder in and smooth back her hair while she shushes and soothes. so forget the suction cups and whatever else, because vi abruptly changes tactics to go limp in powder’s hold. ]

No. No – not – [ still disjointed, the statement never concludes. she’s not messing with her, that’s what vi means, but she’s morphing further and as her tiny body expands, parts of her momentarily cut off. her mouth realigns as the squid body separates into distinct parts of head and torso. tentacles recede, arms absorb down to two… no, four. two push outward on the plane and two stay straight down the long axis of her body.

she’s growing. quickly. soon she’ll be too large for jinx to hold. ]

It’s me. Your sister. [ this time, it’s clearer, more sure. the pointed end of her squid body is pulling down into a more recognizable shape, the skin hueing a soft pink before hair begins to sprout. the eyes coming in above her mouth, as well as her nose, are a dead giveaway as well. ]

[hijinxer]

[ the transformation is accelerating, faster and faster now like the world's most disgusting flower blooming in 5x speed, and jinx lets out a piercing shriek as she lets the squid's elongating body drop partly onto the sand, partly onto her leg, though the two remaining tentacles remain latched onto her arm. ]

No, stop it!

[ right, because yelling that is going to put an end to this nightmare she's being made to watch of her sister fucking growing out of a squid. she can't turn her eyes away though, not while this ugly thing is sprouting a mop of pink hair and those eyes are looking right at her. into her? no, no -- of course. heart racing, jinx shuffles back, giving her arm a shake to try and prise the tentacles loose. ]

Go away! You're scaring me!

[ and you know what that means? it meants she instinctively starts to paw for pow-pow, even though the gun would be pretty useless at this range. ]

[fattyhands]

[ no! not this time! she’s been pulled away far too many times. stillwater, ekko, her own foolishness – this time, vi is determined to stay and be there for her sister, even if powder is the one commanding her to go. powder is chaotic in her distress though and vi feels dizzy both from her own reconfiguring and by powder’s rough handling. she’s dropped, then jostled as powder kicks back, knocking her off her leg in the process. her tentacles recede further and she finally releases that wrist as the last pieces begin to slot into place.

powder may be reaching for pow-pow but hopefully she won’t be needing it, because give vi six more seconds, she’s got her legs, her arms, her torso, her face, and every feature that makes her uniquely her. the outfit is the same as the last time powder saw her, right down to the same tape wrappings her arms.

breathing feels different on that first breath, when everything settles and she’s solely as she perceives herself to be. she gulps deep and blinks hard, allowing herself the barest amount of time to bask in how right everything feels again, before she turns all her attention back to her sister.

don’t you fucking dare. vi pushes herself up from the sand, just enough to roll over onto her hands and knees, and while she doesn’t lunge at her sister, she makes a desperate push forward to knock pow-pow away. not again, please don’t point that at her again. ]

Powder. It’s okay. It's me. [ she reaches for her next, driven by that same desire as before, to lock them together so another shitty circumstance can rip them apart. ] Everything’s okay now.

[hijinxer]

[ jinx stares dumbfounded. a thousand different thoughts zip around her head and not a single onem manage to manifest into words. what are the odds that of all the tiny squids to wash up on the beach that the specific one who came crawling to her just happened to be the sister that the universe repeatedly rips away from her side?

it's not real. it can't be real, can it?

but she's frozen in place and vi has already come up closer, knocking her arm to the side where it hangs limply in her disbelief. vi is warm, tangible -- too tangible even, seeing as the strange smell of the ocean still clings to her skin.

jinx hiccups. the hiccup turns into a gasp, and the gasp into a heave for air as her eyes begin to well. she ought to be angry, maybe she'll still find it in her to be, maybe she has to keep that anger at the ready for when something or someone inevitably makes vi disappear again, but for the moment, she's suddenly overwhemed by exhaustion.

maybe the nightmare's turned into a dream. maybe it'll go back to being a nightmare. ]

It's not okay.... [ the words are borderline squeaked, throat tight with emotions she doesn't want to unpack. if it were okay, she wouldn't be feeling sick. dizzy. ] ...It's not okay.

[ it hasn't been okay for so long. ]

[fattyhands]

[ she’s right. it’s not okay. instantly, vi feels stupid for even saying it. this isn’t the child she left behind. forced bravado and empty comforts based on nothing other than vi’s word don’t sell the same way that they used to. powder is older now, wiser to the world too; she can and will call vi out on her bullshit, well-intentioned as it may be, because powder doesn’t see her the same way anymore, does she? she certainly doesn’t look at her with the adoration and trust that she once did.

fuck you, silco. the redirection of rage is easier to stomach than the guilt, but even then, the catharsis is short-lived. her fault. this is vi’s fault. the space behind her sternum feeling hollowed out and her throat has gone tight on emotion she really can’t deal with right now. how to combat it? vi gets her hands on powder, grasping her by the shoulders and hauling her in. ]

It will be. [ at least that can be counted as the truth. vi’s making a vow right now, okay? whatever this place is, whatever life it poses for them… vi’s going to make sure nothing and no one hurts her sister. starting with: ]

I’m sorry I scared you. [ hugging powder to her chest doesn’t entirely alleviate that stretched, ruined feeling saturating within her ribcage but it makes breathing a little easier. she makes a discontented noise and knocks the side of her head, gently, to powder’s. ]

I’m sorry I left you. Both times. [ a beat; no, more than that. ] Every time. [ still not good enough. ] But I’m here now. [ tightens her arms, her hands curled at powder’s back, and then repeats in a softer voice. ] I’m here, Powder.

[hijinxer]

[ jinx stays tense in vi's embrace, still wracked with disbelief. her sister is here, holding her tight like she still matters, and jinx doesn't know if she wants to laugh or cry. contrary memories loop in her thoughts, taunting and luring simultaneously. vi had hugged her just like this when they briefly ran across each other in the undercity. i'm here for you. only for you. and then she was gone, taken away from her by the fucking firelights.

then next they were on the bridge and vi had slipped away with that enforcer's arms a around her neck, leaving jinx locked in a deathmatch with ekko. not a single look back, not a single plea for them to stop. just a stranger running away.

jinx grits her teeth, molars clenched with building rage.

there's only us. silco had told her once. several times. all the time. for all that silco claims to get straight to the point, he repeats himself endlessly. everyone betrays us. jinx closes her eyes, unshed tears finally brimming over to spill down her cheeks.

but if silco's right, why does vi sound so sincere? and why isn't she strong enough to blast all the indecision aside and yank herself free? dropping pow-pow, jinx wraps her arms around vi to complete the embrace, but the tension stays and so does the anger. ]

For now. [ the words are clipped, still curdled with whatever's clogging her throat. ] But you've made your choice, haven't you.

[ all that was left was to test the strength of vi's new bond with her enforcer girlfriend. a true test of loyalties to determine just who it is jinx could really believe in this world. who had changed, who had become too different. ]

[fattyhands]

[ it hadn’t been easy the last time either. it had turned volatile, even before ekko and his gang showed up. foolishly, vi had hoped the shock of their reunion would have settled by now, as well as the uncertainty of vi’s loyalty. one of the last things she said to powder was that she was here for her, only her. they fought together, back to back, side by side; vi kept close to powder, not anyone else. vi would’ve stayed too, no matter what, if it weren’t for some cheap-shot asshole who decked her from behind.

she gets that he’s ekko’s friend and all… but fuck him.

nudging that thought away before she dabbles too far, vi sighs and cups the back of powder’s head, holding her steady through the onslaught of emotion tensing her baby sister’s body. vi tries her hardest to keep her voice soft. soothing. she doesn’t know this newer version of her sister very well but five minutes spent together on that lookout and it’s easy to know that powder needs to be handled delicately. she’s always been sensitive… but not like this. ]

What are you talking about? [ deliberately light, no judgment seeps in, even through the gentle reminder: ] I already told you… [ she smoothes her palm from the crown of powder’s head, down to the base, holding for another beat before she relaxes her hold to begin pulling back. ]

I’m here for… [ the slightest hesitation as she gets a look at powder’s face. recognition for what she’s seeing doesn’t click and her mouth keeps moving, forming the next word on an exhale of breath. ] – you…

[ powder is crying. that alone would have vi mentally keeled over and scrambling to soothe the hurt away. there’s something wrong with the tears though. they’re purple. they… shimmer. ]

Why… [ her eyes too. now that vi’s slowed down long enough to look, really look at her sister, piece by piece, she notices the pink hue. she frowns and in the next moment, abruptly thumbs at powder’s cheek, smearing the liquid. ] What is this?

[hijinxer]

[ jinx scoffs. the sound is ugly and cracked around the edges. what are you talking about? what's that supposed to be -- some fucked up strategy meant to question her tenuous grip on sanity? jinx is well aware of her reputation in the undercity. there aren't many around in zaun who aren't aware of what happened that night when vander died. who was responsible. what became of the little girl who set off the explosion. the dangerous instability that teetered on liability.

jinx knows what people say about her. she wears that pain like armor, made it her damn namesake even as she kept her ghosts close.

but vi, her once beloved older sister, doesn't know about any of this. vi doesn't know just how damaged her little sister has become in her absence, and in a moment of weakness jinx wishes she wasn't this way.

but the concern makes her angry, the soft, gentle tone makes her angry. at vi? perhaps. but more at the world at large for every twist and turn in her messed up life that's led up to this moment. ]

After you crossed the bridge with that girl enforcer? I almost died . [ her tone is almost flippant, though there's a rawness to her words that's anything but. ] I woke up like this in the doctor's place. Silco brought me there.

[ only us. ]

But Topside must've been real cushy for ya, sis.

[fattyhands]

[ it doesn’t make sense. the timeline doesn’t match up with what vi last remembers: ekko, a slice of paradise in an impossible place, and vi arguing that she can reach powder. bridge? what bridge? being accused of being somewhere she wasn’t is as confusing as it is frustrating, but the latter never grows beyond that first twinge. powder almost died? it doesn’t make sense, but it doesn’t need to at present, because the casual way in which her sister drops that little bombshell has vi locking up on breath, feeling like she was just sucker punched in the ribs.

what?

the rest only buries her further and by the end of that meager excuse of an explanation, vi flops her mouth a little helplessly, wanting to say something but not knowing what. brain: processing, processing, okay. she shakes her head and cups powder’s by the cheek, choosing not to recoil from the pink eyes. even if they look a lot like…

can’t be. ] I didn’t go topside. [ confusion is evident, but so is a franticness, her voice stumbling here and there as she rushed to explain her side. ] The hoverboard riders, that was Ekko and his friends, did you know that? [ trivial; she can’t open that box right now. she can’t get sidetracked on the thought of powder willingly trying to take out ekko of all people. ] They grabbed me and brought me to their base… but I was coming back. [ firmer now. ] I was going to find you again.

[ she falters in the following beat, expression gone meek, almost. ]

I just… I don’t understand. [ she almost died? when? how? vi was crossing a bridge? the bridge? to piltover? did vi forget something? some parts are hazier than others, as she settles into this new – old? – form of hers, so maybe…

one memory that is especially strong though? vander. that’s what powder’s eyes remind her of. bright pink and terrifying, they’re the same. purple, ugly veins lined vander’s face but powder’s…? it’s almost a mimic with those purple, shimmer-like tears. vi’s breathing has picked up, the blanket of confusion cracking to let the frustration rush back. this time, it has her voice twisting with anger. ]

What did that fucker do to you? [ she doesn’t mean exclusively the doctor either. silco, that asshole… he brought her baby sister to that lowlife. his hand is in this as well. ]

[hijinxer]

[ whatever response jinx had been hoping to claw out of her sister, she doesn't know that brutally transparent confusion tinged panic was it. visibly taken aback in her own confusion, jinx's eyes go round, owlish with uncertainty until she snaps them shut.

she's lying.

she wouldn't lie to me.

she lied about not leaving you again.

only us

breathing faster, jinx's shoulders tremble as contradictory, unsolicited opinions volley off in her head. grimacing, she tries to drown all of it out, but doesn't know where the truth lies. vi seems so earnest and yet she'd seemed that way at the lookout point, too, right before she walked off the bridge with the enforcer.

she doesn't know what you're talking about.

people can come from different times and places here. one of the wakers had said something about that, but jinx hadn't known what the fuck that meant at the time. so maybe both things can be true? or are choices set in stone and this poor confused sister of hers is just as destined to leave her behind again.

it certainly seems that way when the first real question thrown back in her face is about ekko of all people. jinx's eyes snap open as she slaps vi's hand off her cheek. ]

Ekko gave up on me. [ the words are practically snarled as jinx struggles to put space back between them.scuttling back, she glares across with narrowed eyes. ] He turned you against me, didn't he? Him and that Enforcer girl.

[ hands clenching and unclenching, she manages a laugh that only narrowly misses on sounding like a sob. ]

Silco saved me while you ran off Topside with that stupid girl. Stop acting like you don't know!

[fattyhands]

[ the slap hurts much more than in the physical sense. the shock has her arms going loose, just long enough for powder to bully her way out and away from her. stupid; it’s an insult meant solely for herself. a hard brush off shouldn’t catch her off guard so easily. she’s not dealing with her pint-sized little sis anymore. powder nearly angled her gun at her a second time, just a few minutes ago, so she’s different. she’s more voilital and headstrong. more… violent?

no. powder is still powder, still the sweet girl underneath all of this. vi just has to coax her back to equilibrium. unfortunately, vi herself isn’t starting at equilibrium. she’s off-kilter and spiraling, trying her hardest to keep a handle on the situation, but when she doesn’t even follow what she’s being accused of…? the confusion grows and the frustration with it.

so her voice pitches higher, snapping right back. ]

I’m not acting! I don’t know what you’re talking about.

[ at least accuse her of something she’s actually done. yell at her about seven years ago, vi deserves that. she’s spent long days and long nights at stillwater beating herself up about that; she knows she fucked up, okay? but ekko? and caitlyn? and this imaginary trip to piltover? vi scoffs in the following beat. ]

You don’t know what you’re talking about either. No one can turn me against you. Not even you.

[ she allows powder the space. vi doesn’t step forward or grab for powder again, despite how potent the desire to do so is. instead, she makes a show of planting her feet firmly into the ground until sand bunches higher against the sides of her boots. ]

So try pushing me away all you like, it won’t work. I’m not leaving.

1/2

[hijinxer]

[ ah. so that concern jinx found borderline irritating is gone, and now she's faced with a show of her sister's infamous temper, huh? it makes her flinch. before she knows it, there's an arm raised defensively as if to ward off an incoming punch across the face. ]

No-

[ the instinct is damn near fucking primal, the whimper in her shaking voice entirely reminiscent of an entirely different place and time. she kicks out, putting even more space between them and squeezes her eyes shut.

i told you to stay away.

jinx shakes her head violently, breathing faster and faster. ]

2/2

[hijinxer]

[ but there's no impact where one ought to be, and jinx forces her eyes open to look at the calm beach, her sister no longer a teenager with fire in her eyes to match the inferno burning away their family.

jinx swallows hard, freezing up as she gets her bearings back. a beat later and she's consumed with self loathing all over again for allowing her older sister to have this power over her. she snaps her arms down, slamming her palms hard into the sand as her expression contorts with rage. ]

Stop it! Stop talking to me like I'm some crazy person! I know what happened! I know what you did!

[ her chest heaves with the words, but she doesn't grab for pow-pow. not yet. ]

You always say you won't leave me again, but the second something happens, you're just gonna up and go.

[ in the corner of her eyes, jinx spots a waker. an innocent bystander really, but they've ceased to be that in jinx's mind. in a flash, the trenchie takes on the appearance of every single fucking firelight, enforcer, obstacle and distraction that's ever made vi turn away. in the next instant, jinx snatches up pow-pow and takes aim. ]

[fattyhands]

[ powder thinks, she actually thinks vi is going to hit her? similarly to the slap, the potency of vi’s bitterness loses nearly all its strength. one moment it’s there and the next, she’s wide-eyed and horrified, stumbling over mental blocks of how did it get this bad between them and i would never. except vi has raised her fist to powder. more than that. she’s followed through with a punch.

not again though. never again.

in a perfect world, maybe, vi could keep to that vow, but neither of them come from one and now, this place is already saturated with the bullshit of before. they’re both spiraling in different ways and when powder jerks her gun up, vi reacts with a lunge. ]

Powder! [ she doesn’t hit powder, so there’s that. she slaps her hand to the barrels, putting weight into the hold to push those mini gun muzzles into the sand. she turns frantic eyes toward powder, once again looking horror-stricken as her mind races, already trying to walk this back and find some explanation as to why her sister isn’t the violent maniac on the lookout, taking absolute delight in shooting at people. ]

What are you doing!

[hijinxer]

[ the waker turns to face the commotion and turns around screaming. jinx barely even registers that, her attention now solely on pow-pow and the weight she can't support with her sister draping herself on the large gun.

the question actually makes her laugh, but it betrays a hollow kind of desperation buried somewhere in manic energy. of course, vi doesn't get it. when has she ever really understood? arms shaking from the weight, jinx lets the gun drop to the sand, shoulders shaking between tiny gasps for air. ]

I'm making them go away!

[ them. ]

I just need everything to stop so we can just talk without getting interrupted. Before something takes you away again!

[ she manages a final peal of laughter that cracks with exhaustion. ]

I wish you'd make them go away.

[ but you never do. ]

[fattyhands]

[ … them? who’s them? the one waker is already off and running, those screams fading and leaving vi with only the sounds of gasping and laughter as her sister falls apart in front of her. no one else is here. just powder. just vi. she wants to say as much but she hesitates, instead chancing a glance away to take stock of the immediate area. perhaps it isn’t only the two of them. further along the shoreline, there are silhouettes. more squid too.

frown distressed and eyes worried, vi returns her gaze to powder, only to hesitate for the briefest of moments before scooting close to grasp those shaking shoulders. ]

Let’s go away together. [ she leans in, forcing a smile in what she hopes is a reassuring manner. ]

We’ll find some place to talk, for just you and me.

[ vi doesn’t know this place at all. she has no idea what is further up the beach. it’s bright and commotion carries easily, but despite there being a crowd not far from here, it seems more beneficial to go toward it, than letting powder remain in this specific spot and this specific mind space. vi will find them a secluded spot nonetheless. she’ll make it work for them. ]

And then we’ll figure all of this out. [ she wants to run her palm over powder's hair and brush that heavy bang aside. to gently knock her knuckles to her sis' cheek in a wordless you've got this encouragement. but she doesn't. instead, she lets go and gets to her feet, holding out her hand for powder to take. ] Okay?

[hijinxer]

[ jinx doesn't move for a long moment. her head and body continue to face forward, towards vi and that extended hand. her eyes, however, are wild and darting to look at the periphery to track some threat that doesn't exist outside of her mind.

let's go away together is the one thought keeping jinx grounded in the moment. any second now, one of these uselessly flopping squids can turn into that fucking girl enforcer or ekko or someone else who wants her dead. the vivid sensation of pins and needles in jinx's body from how she'd been strapped down on the table keeps eroding her sense of stability.

she wants to squish all of them just to be sure. just to be safe. just to relieve the knot that her stomach's tied itself up into. can she really ignore all of them and just walk away with vi knowing that one of these things might turn out to be her undoing?

her eyes dart back to her older sister smiling down at her and jinx holds eye contact for an uncomfortably long moment, expression sullen. ]

Together.

[ the word is repeated, almost nostalgic in her exhaustion. but notably, she doesn't grab vi's hand. rather, she first scoops up fishbones, strapping the rocket launcher to her back, then throws the leather strap that keeps pow-pow at her hip over her head. then and only then, does she hold out her hand for vi for a pull up. ]

But where are we going?

[fattyhands]

[ how many times has it been now? that powder has hurt vi through gesture alone? the slap, the cower, now the blatant disregard of her offered hand. keep it together. you’re stronger than this. vi pep talks and stubbornly keeps her smile from flinching into a frown, all the while swallowing through the disappointment. silently, her hand swings to her side as she watches powder fiddle with her… fucking massive guns. why does her sister have those things? more concerning, how does she handle them with such ease? for half a breath there, vi is tempted to offer carrying one; they have to be heavy, right? but then there’s a hand being thrust toward her and –

oh.

a kernel of hope warms the center of her chest and spreads outward, making the tightness ease for an easier, next breath. she grasps powder’s hand and pulls her up. ]

Over there. [ she tips her head on a nod, up the beach toward what has to be the town. the ferris wheel is difficult to miss, so with that one clue, it’s enough to take a guess that it’s some sort of carnival set up on the boardwalk, though the distance is still stretched far enough that vi can't pick apart specifics. ]

Seems like there’s something going on… but no one will interrupt us. [ they’ll find a nice bench. or vi will clear out a tent. or they’ll go further. just – they need to get away from this beach.

she gives powder’s hand a squeeze, still not having let go. ]

You just keep holding onto my hand and no one will separate us.

[hijinxer]

[ for her part jinx stays silent and simply scoops up the blue hexgem from off the sand as vi hefts her up onto her feet. keeping the gem held securely in her palm, jinx wastes no tine in turning her back to the beach. if she can't see the squids, they won't bother her as much -- in theory anyway.

in practice, her grip on her sister's hand tightens. she hasn't needed this in years. she's strong enough on her own to go through some weird city without being led around like a doll. but beyond that, her anger easily takes root in a different source. yes, the world seemingly has endless machinations to keep them apart, but of late? it's vi who's doing the leaving.

not thath er sister wants to admit to that. ]

I'll shoot anything that tries.

[ and no, she's not joking. there's a lot of things she;s all too happy to take her rage out on and she isn't fussy about whether it's deserved or not. ]

I'm not in the mood to play around anymore.

[fattyhands]

[ … vi can’t say she doesn’t understand the sentiment. vi, too, often hits a threshold in which she settles any and all grievances by throwing her clout around. people are annoying and vi doesn’t like having her turf treaded on, even unintentionally. vi doesn’t shoot people though. she’ll flip a bird, shove them out of her way, or beat them down if they ask for it, but… – vi eyes that heavy-set minigun and the rocket launcher. again, vi thinks of the toothy grin powder wore when ekko and friends interrupted them.

she swallows uncomfortably and nudges the memory to the back of her mind. vi will find them somewhere away from people; she isn’t going to run the risk of powder firing off rounds. ]

Come on.

[ a tug and they’re off. it ends up being a carnival afterall. loud. obnoxious. crowded. lots of people milling about and lots of people smiling. vi catches herself staring at what seems to be two sisters sitting at a bench, sharing a large swirl of cotton candy. her strides pick up after that.

weaving through people, game stalls, and food vendors alike, the boardwalk gives as the carnival thins, and soon, they reach the edge of the commotion to follow central line. it seems the town splits, with one side of the main road similarly active with entertainment and the other side more secluded. quiet. vi veers right.

it takes time. there are a lot of homes and not a great many places to stop that would provide the kind of privacy vi is looking for. the residential patch seems to drop in quality the further they walk and eventually, on the outskirts, some buildings in obvious disarray become the norm.

vi picks the most dilapidated looking one.

the front door is stuck on its hinges, but it gives with one hard shove of vi’s shoulder. inside matches the outside, which works fine for vi. the place is empty and that’s all that really matters. nonetheless: ]

How's this?

[hijinxer]

[ jinx stays hypervigilant during the walk. she doesn't say anything, but tense body language and sharp looks thrown right back at anyone who so dares look at her make it clear she's still teetering dangerously close to trigger happy. when she lets her guard down, something is bound to happen and in this world, jinx has every intention of meeting that something with a rocket launcher to the face.

except nothing actually happens, and somehow it throws jinx off even further. the streets get less and less populated, the background noise all but completely dropping off until it really is just her and vi walking hand in hand into a broken down hovel of a house.

if anything about the place bothers her, it doesn't show. the place is worn down, full of creaking floorboards and skittering insects but for now they're alone. whether that means they're safe is another story entirely, but something about the bleak, abandoned atmosphere reminds jinx a little of the way zaun used to be before shimmer lit up the whole undercity.

she steps further inside the house and takes a seat on top of an old wooden table. ]

It'll do.

[ for now. she waves her hand in the air, gesturing vaguely for vi to take a seat herself. ]

Weird, isn't it? All those times I used to think about us having just one sister to sister reunion, I never imagined we'd be squids.