deercountry | ★ JAN. (CATCH ALL); i look inside myself & see my heart is black

Why think when I already know. [His hoverboard is strapped to his back, since he avoided using it for short distance travel, so he shrugs to let her see it.]

I got my own speed.

[Which won't do them much good if the ice breaks over and swallows as quickly as it's trying to. The ice breaks like the sound of glass shattering and cracks are branching off under their feet. They need to move. Now.]

( oh but of course, the famous hoverboard she can never seem to shoot down. such an annoying set of wings she fantasized over and over to rip apart piece by piece until its last little screw. and maybe there's still a chance for her to nap it out of his back in the near future and who knows? maybe she can pin it to her walls as a souvenir than tearing it to shreds. such beauty.

a thought to daydream over some other time. for now, the creak of the ice underneath their boots reach her ears and all she can do is give the boy a playful smirk. )

Race you to the lamp, Boy Savior!

( if there's any sort of protest on his end, it's too late to voice because she's already dashing off ahead -- ice splitting and giving chase after her (them). )

Edited 2023-01-06 23:19 (UTC)

Really? [The ice is cracking and one of his feet almost falls out right from under him, but he jerks back quickly enough to avoid getting caught and takes three steps away from the ground breaking apart beneath him. He grabs the hoverboard off his back and turns it on, hearing it whir to life as he starts to run. He throws himself onto it, spinning on the balls of his feet for balance and keeping his body low.

He's taking off after Jinx and while she's got the early jump, he's catching up on her fast. And if he weren't worried about ice trying to swallow them, maybe, he could acknowledge this is more fun than he's felt in a long time.]

This all you got?

( this should be a piece of cake, she thinks. from what she experienced on herself, her speed with shimmer is pretty great and it's too bad this situation is a terrible one. otherwise the two of them would be putting on a light show ( the green lighting of his board and the pink/purple of her gleaming eyes trailing behind) for onlookers to see.

and right when she feels she is making lead, there is ekko zooming right beside her. what the hell? jinx scoffs and with a growl, she pushes herself further -- this time pushing herself to make a leap to get some steps ahead. if ekko didn't know that this particular variant of shimmer she has in her system makes her jump a little far and abnormal, well... now he does. although jinx doing jumps like this is not particularly a good idea, all it will do is create more cracks and make things risky for her to move along. but what are risks these days? there's so miniature and eyeroll-worthy as far as she's concerned. and who would want to live a boring life without a little peril or two? )

[Ekko knows very little about what happened to Jinx after the explosion. He doesn't know much about the Shimmer or its effect on her besides what he's been learning here in Trench. But this? Yeah he hadn't expected it.

He wonders if it's part of her bloodmagic, but it's not like the ice he'd seen before. In the end it doesn't matter in this moment when they are trying to get away and the ground is breaking open under them. And it's moving as fast as they are, almost as if the frostquake is out to get them.

And yet he's still enjoying it. This feels familiar in a way even if they never did something like this together before.

Jinx is outpacing him but the ground is cracking and falling away and he sees a chasm opening up ahead of them.]

Watch your step!

Yeahyeah, how about you worry about yourself than me, huh?!

( what does she mean by that, exactly? to elaborate, jinx makes another leap except she moves to the left of her and not forward. and in this jump, she lands right on his hoverboard with him -- from behind with arms lock around him in a giggle.

so confession time. there might have been some curiosity of wanting to ride his board and zip around. but don't worry, she isn't going to toss him off or steal the his ride (definitely later). by the looks of it, it really does seem like she just wanted to hop on to fly with him for funises. )

[He is not expecting that move, but it's not the first time he's rode on his board with someone else so he reflexively brings an arm back around to grab onto her, making sure to steady her weight as he adjusts his own feet and center of gravity while they move. The ground is cracking and falling away beneath them, but above the danger they zoom through the air, heading for the lamppost.

There is also the threat of Jinx being behind him on the hoverboard, but it was secondary to making sure she didn't fall.]

Didn't want to deal with me blasting past you that easily, huh?

Oh, please. You and I BOTH know I'd beat you with both our eyes closed. ( debatable. ) — I hopped on 'cuz I wanna know if this board of yours is worth taking while you're not lookin'.

( there might be some truth to that statement but mostly just to catch him off guard. also being envious over his creation. and not leaving her comment there, she adds on while hanging onto him: )

What's missin' is more lights...! And needs a complete makeover. Somethin' with pink and purple.

It's a hoverboard, not a raveboard.

[He's rolling his eyes so hard even though he knows she's intentionally trying to be annoying. Powder was always good at that when she wanted to be and that little special skill didn't go away when she became Jinx.]

And make your own, don't be stealing my tech. You have a whole business now, don't you?

Yes and it's going great!! ( except the fact it just open and she has no customers. but then she takes a slight double-take to recall back on his statement a few seconds ago. )

Wait, so you did read my message on the network thing? Awww, why didn't ya respond to me? — You really oughta quit being so shy when it comes to me. I've already told you, keep doin' that and I might get offended.

[Should have been more careful with his words. He's been trying very hard not to feed into whatever ideas she might have in her head, not wanting to fuel the fire, so to speak. He doesn't lie to her, but he doesn't try to agitate her either. Keeping the peace has been...not exactly easy, but not hard either, thanks to how cautious he's been. Or thought he'd been.

Gonna have to stop letting so much of his guard down. So he lets out a dismissive huff of air.]

I just don't have a lot to say. You don't see me responding all over the place to anyone else, do you? If I've got something to say, I'll tell you straight up.

[He pauses for a moment, the hoverboard slowing down as they get closer to the lamppost and the most of the danger seems to have passed.]

But if you want my input about something, you can always ask me yourself.

[Better to have her call him out directly than wonder what she may be doing in the background.]

Right...

(there's a bit of an annoying growl in her tone when she says this; rolling her eyes which he isn't able to see her do. because she wanted him to say something. jinx was so ready to rip him apart with words or brag on how well she's been doing.

sure, he wasn't someone like sevika who constantly saw her as a nuisance, but he is/was still her enemy. and what better way to get back at your enemy than rubbing it in their face? ... but there is one thing she should address though. )

— So that also means you've read that I got a girlfriend now, huh?

( she told vi they should just leave ekko to be oblivious but... now that she's in a relationship --.)

Edited 2023-02-03 05:04 (UTC)

[It's too weird for him, really. They don't have anything like that back home and the idea anything and everything he says will be out there just leaves him feeling paranoid. Not that he won't stalk and follow everything he thinks is important like the hypocrite he is.]

...Yeah. I saw that. Don't know her, but congrats. I'm happy for you.

[And concerned. Mostly concerned. Jinx isn't stable. He isn't sure what will happen if this girlfriend ends up going back to the sea. They were too used to losing people, but that didn't mean she would handle it well. But Jinx does seem happy, no matter how Jinx she's being about it.]

(he is happy for her? he's suppose to be devastated! or maybe he is and he is masking it well? every so often, ekko gets a little difficult to read for her. but it's not all so bad, sometimes. because it just means she can poke him more with a stick and dig into his mind to see how he ticks.

and that's exactly what she does next. being obnoxious, she sticks her nose up in the air. )

She's pretty great. Reeeaallly cute. ( he didn't ask. ) And ya know what else? Coulda been you. But! — You had your shot and missed. One strike and ya get the boot! Too bad.

( she hops off his board with her fingers intertwine behind her back -- swaying in her step as she approaches to the lamppost on foot. )

Edited 2023-02-03 05:30 (UTC)

Yeah, yeah, could have, would have...

[--wait. Wait. Was she saying that he could have had her girlfriend's spot? With her? He's not oblivious enough to think she means he has a shot with Chizuru. He doesn't even know her. And thus the only other meaning is that...

Well, fuck. Shit.

He's staring at her with widened eyes. Did she really think that? Feel like that? Had he done something to make her think he wanted that? Was she expecting him to react? How had he not noticed? Did Vi know about this?

She's like his--They're his--Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

What is he even supposed to say to that? What is he even supposed to think about that? How long has he been silent staring at her like an idiot because this? He needs to get his shit together.]

...Guess I'll have to settle for being your friend.

[Her brother. Family. Like he always thought they were. How long had he been seeing them as family and Jinx had been seeing him as something else? Had Powder been like this--no. No. They were just dumbass kids back then. It couldn't have been.

...Right?]

( she pauses in her next step and a peek over her shoulder towards him. for a brief moment she says nothing and does nothing... until jinx makes her way back. there's a smile that seems innocent enough as she grabs a hold of her braid to twirl around. )

Friend? Hm... that's a bit of a stretch, dontcha think? Especially after ya hurt my feelings.

( and right when she's close enough, jinx swings her braid like a rope to throw over his neck. then there's a yank to force the gap between them to decrease; for him to tilt more down to her level. the pinks of her eyes flicker dangerously and her tongue trail along her canines.)

Ya know, Boy Savior. ( she starts off low and suggestive. ) — You really look good on the outside. ( her gaze darts steadily to his shoulders and his biceps. oh, what she would give. but it's only brief as she meets his eyes again -- tone dropping its seductive hint.)

Too bad you're dumb on the inside. And that's where we can't be compatible. Guess THAT game between us ends. But don't worry, I'll find a new game for us to play.

( she lets go of her braid and with a giggle, she does one twirl loop around him (with a feathery touch along his back and arm since it'll be the first and last she will ever get to feel that) then goes right back to heading for the lamppost.)

[There's no such thing as an innocent smile with Jinx, no matter what it looks like, and Ekko knows that well. He's still pretty thrown by the revelations he's come to and when she pulls him down by her braid he sucks in a breath. The way she looks at him, her eyes going over his body, oh yeah, that's definitely the look of someone who has been looking.

Their faces are so close, too close. He's tense, but not sure what to do. Touch her to push her away? Make a joke? What is there to joke about with this?

Only then it's over and she lets go, letting him pull back unsteady, adjusting his weight on his hoverboard. She's walking away like it was all nothing. Like she hadn't dropped one of her flashy bombs right into the middle of his world view and blown it all up yet again.

He's gonna need time to think about this, to work through it, to settle it into his bones like every other truth he's had to accept when it comes to Jinx. And he's not ready for that right now. He grips his stopwatch, wishing he could rewind time enough to before she said anything and they could go back to their awkwardly rebuilding family again.

He's still staring at her back when he makes the decision. He kicks off, his hoverboard on the move, zooming right by her until he reaches the lamppost, grabbing it with a hand and spinning around with a loop, so he could stare right back at her, leaning against it.]

Keep switching games and you'll forget which ones you're playing. Guess I win this one. I'll win the next one, too.

( again, she stops before taking another step when he moves on past her to reach the lamppost. oh, right. jinx forgot about the race -- which just proves his point of her forgetting which games are being played when she jumbles them up so much. her arms fold over her chest for a moment to look over to him; unimpressed.

but then the girl huffs out a hum and her arms now drop back at her sides. )

You won 'cuz I let ya win. You lost your shot with me and I felt sorry for you. Your "win" is a pity one.

( she walks on again but this time, she avoids any sort of eye contact from him. and by the looks of it, jinx might be moving on beyond the lamppost but she doesn't. she only wanted him to be out of her viewing as her fingertips ghostly touch along the steel. there's a deep inhale as she shuts her eyes and silence -- as if she is building herself up for something. and she is... and that's courage. )

— It doesn't matter. ( she's only said three words so far and there's already so much to take from it. her tone is uneven and there's hurt and sorrow twined together. ) ... I'll be okay. I know I will.

( while ekko had been oblivious this whole time and who knows if he is considering telling her that his feelings aren't/were mutual, it seems jinx is giving him an out. an indication she is aware this had been one-sided and acknowledging this feeling wasn't a two-way street. he doesn't need to explain himself because she knows it already. the blue haired girl breathes out a bittersweet chuckle with a low shake of her head. )

Heh... I'll get over it. ( a beat. ) 'Cuz there's a girl who says she feels safe with me. Who thinks I can be a great person and not someone who is... messed up. She needs me to protect her and I'm gonna do that. Nothin' is gonna stand in my way.

( she's not necessarily saying all of this to ekko anymore but more so, to herself. to remind herself that although her little crush for him has crashed and burned before it got off the ground, there is someone else who is extending her hand out to her to lift her up. with chizuru by her, her heart will heal. )

[The way she's talking, Ekko is wondering if she even remembers he's there. It's a lot sometimes, knowing that whatever is going on in her mind is something he's never going to understand. And for a long time he told himself he didn't care either. Jinx had made her choice and whatever demons she was fighting, it wasn't his job or his place to try to help her. Not that she would want it anyway.

But things are different now. This isn't Zaun. They have been trying to coexist. And sometimes, for all the tension and history...it feels like they are getting closer to that. No matter what else is going on--whatever feelings may or may not be between them--they have made progress. She has made progress. Maybe he's proud of her for that. Does he even have a right to be?]

It's a crazy feeling, huh. When people look at you and believe in you like you could do all the things you tell yourself you can't. And you want to do it for them as much as they want it for you.

Yeah... ( she lets the word trail off her tongue and float off into the cold air somewhere. and for a brief moment, she's still with a fingertip brushing idly along the chill steel of the pole. ) — I kinda hate it.

( and once more, jinx falls quiet, but not long this time around.)

It's easier to have people think I'm a lost cause. Less pressure.

( there's a defeated sigh that leaves her lungs. her eyelids half lid as she gazes down to her feet and the snow. )

... Thanks for... seein' me as family. Dunno if the feeling's ever gonna be really mutual, but — ( a beat then a tiny chuckle. ) Vi and I are somehow makin' it work. So... who knows with us, huh? Eh heh heh...

Edited 2023-02-08 05:09 (UTC)

[He can't even say no one thinks of her like that. Because he did. He had thought her lost, forever, and has accepted it and decided to move on with his life.

Then the bridge happened. Then Trench happened. And now, all Ekko can think of is that she's one of the most important people in his life and that hasn't changed. He can't trust her, but he wants the best for her. Maybe here, she can be better, have better, do better. They probably won't fix everything between them, but...]

Yeah. [He snorts softly.] Never would have thought we'd end up in some other world with an obsession with deer and squid, either. Nothing's impossible anymore.

Looks like it. ( and then the awkwardness slowly settles in again as she chews on her lower lip. ) — I, uh, I better get... going. Weapons can't make themselves and all that.

( the truth is, she wasn't planning on tinkering today. but after confessing her feelings, trying to convince herself she'll be okay, and lingering emotions, maybe tossing her brain into screws and wrenches won't be such a bad idea. )

Yeah...yeah. [It's hard to sound cool and unbothered when you've been this shaken up and feeling this vulnerable, but Ekko tries. Fails, but he tries.]

See ya around...

[He almost says "Powder," but he knows she's not. It just feels too familiar. He keeps his urge to himself.]

Next time, next race.

...Mm. Try not to get too embarrassed about gettin' beaten by a girl. — See ya, Firelight.

( flicking her finger against the lamppost (cause she wants to), she shouts out her location (which is the PRUFROCK) and in a blink of an eye, she is gone. )

★ JAN. (CATCH ALL); i look inside myself & see my heart is black

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slight NSFW sorry, one last flirt for the road for old times sake.

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END!