expiationnet | 01 [Text]

( chewing, she listens attentively while her eyes are glued to her plate. it's so annoying that she is somewhat back to battling with herself like this. she made it clear that night that she had chosen "jinx" and declared to her sister that "this is the new them". and everything felt very clear... until she got here. just because she's in a new area shouldn't make a difference to her.

but with vi calling her "jinx" and her times with ekko had been pretty enjoyable, that boiling anger inside her isn't as... vengeance like it was in runeterra. so in certain moments (without her acknowledgement sometimes), "powder" sneaks through before she gets vaporized again by "jinx" barging through to be front and center again. ugh, the teen really thought she solved this stupid thing once and for all. )

— Then I won't care. ( ... and also stay indoors for the rest of this month or however long this fog will hold. which will only have her go stir crazy eventually. jinx isn't the type to do well in closed walls. )

[Silco took another bite from the food on his plate, chewing slowly as he continued to observe her across the table. The fact that she wouldn't make eye contact with him or even crawl into his lap or sit on the table right in front of him told him a completely different story about her quiet little declaration.]

We both know that's not possible. Sometimes you care too much so it overwhelms you. [He paused to let that sink in as he took another bite and chewed.] And because you care, you overanalyze everything that you do in how it will be interpreted. You spent a childhood measuring yourself up to your sister. You're so much more than the girl you were, and if you think no one of that past will care for you as you are, then I will care for you my share and theirs.

(jeez, what a callout. and she finds herself wincing and shrinking over it too. she does hate that she cares too much over things and while she doesn't trust too easily, jinx still wears her heart on her sleeve sometimes. depending on who, really. his daughter peers up to him finally, her expression softens with light wide eyed. logically, she knew silco will always care for her no matter what, but... she never gets tired of hearing it from him despite the years. she is a girl who needs constant recongition, constant reassurance because actions and words mean almost life or death to her. )

... Always? Do you promise?

( she just... needs to make sure. double sure. triple sure. or else "the others" will plug in things that will question every notion. )

Edited 2023-09-05 20:46 (UTC)

[She should be used to him calling her out at this point. He did so with relatively good intentions, not wanting to to wallow too much in self-pity for things that she had no control over. He was first to point out where improvements needed to be made without accusation. It was the way he saw it. All part of keeping honesty between them.

He met her gaze with flinching, nodding his head even before she had fully spoken the request for confirmation. Her eyes told him everything that was about to come to him verbally.]

Always. Nothing will change that.

[If she required the words to include promise, he would.]

( he can practically see the relief settling in her small figure, a sigh of peace before doing a little shimmy in her seat to be more comfortable. and almost just like that, the mood in their little kitchen shifts -- still hunching over with elbows on the table, she takes another bite but with more enthusiasm and carefree. jinx even reaches over for her glass to wash it down for the first time then digs right back in.

will it be greedy of her for wanting seconds after this? probably not given she needs to eat a little more with shimmer coursing through her. but she'll hate to have a second helping and leave him with nothing. how much did he cook for them anyway? jinx glances briefly out their window, spotting a crow sitting at the windowsill and pecking at its wing. but something about the bird jogs her memory of something, and silco can see that when her body does a silly little jolt with her back more strengthen. )

Oh! — You wouldn't believe what I found by the water the other day! Y'know, like waaaaaaaay past the caves?

( and instead of letting him guess, she'll just blurt it out regardless. )

Honeyfruit! Who woulda thunk, huh?

( halfway done with her food now, she asks with her mouth full: )

Should I nab some?

[Knowing that she was enduring Shimmer, he had made extras and even had some bread from the market. He suspected that she would out eat him for a few weeks yet, so he was prepared for that, especially since food wasn't going to be ordered from a kitchen.

It seemed their little 'talk' - probably bridging close a lecture - had pepped her back up, which was pleasing. He preferred it when she was in a good mood; it made life in general a lot easier for everyone involved. Teenagers made life very exciting, even when he owned much of the Undercity.]

Honeyfruit, hmmm? Something familiar from our world. We should have some as they will be good to trade. [And eat. Fruit wasn't easy or inexpensive to find.]

There is more food if you're still hungry.

Yeah! And those Shark rat things are there, too. Guardin' the junk. — It's no big though.

( she pauses to take a minute to swallow her food before slicing up the very last bit of the fish. )

It'll give Pow-Pow something to sing to. And the bullets on my new outfit are Pow-Pow sized bullets, so that's lucky, eh?

( this "santa" who presented her the outfit really seems to know her taste all the way down to the letter. he even granted her favorite "GET JINXED" record the INX put together in their desperate need for jinx's acknowledgement. she despises that fan club to the core, but at least they did one thing right. and it's too bad she never gotten the chance to put them out of their misery with everything else going on at the time. and now getting confirmation there is more food for her waiting, jinx beams again before hopping out of her seat with her plate in hand -- making her way to the extras to slap more on her dish. )

And if we got that those here -- then who knows what else of Runeterra got washed up in this place. The tablets got a better map of this whole area and sheesh, have ya looked at it? Waaaay big! Gonna have to do a lotta runnin' around.

( OOC: you don't have to watch the whole youtube video. it's just to establish who i'm referring about. )

Edited 2023-09-06 21:40 (UTC)

Razorfins. They are entertaining and useful.

[He had a special interest in aquatic creatures, especially since his main hideout had been deep in the Undercity where he could watch the deep sea beasts go about their daily lives. It had been relaxing for him, so he was partial to things with big teeth and lurking in the water.]

That is fortunate given that you've been denied continual access to bullets at this time.

[He was still waiting to find out more about this 'santa' character. Was this someone that could be bribed for certain items? He and Jinx had acquired good funds thanks to the casino, and he was already considering how best to use it in order the further themselves and gather a better advantage to being here.

As she moved to help herself to more food, he continued to pick at his own meal. He was already slowing, expecting that he would allow himself dessert of half a cigar.]

I have noticed that there is a map with the tablets. Perhaps if we are fortunate, the flowers from the mines will begin to grow here. I have heard there are caves, and I plan on exploring those in search of them. Do you have a place on the map you plan on exploring?

( her enormous appetite and greed are starting to show as she piles up at least four fry fish on her plate before returning back to the table. jinx scoots and settles in, fork and knife in each hand and immediately slicing through the first one. )

OH, I've been in that cave...! Blew up some things and found some crystals. — Didn't go in super far though. Just like the outside of it. We oughta check it out again together.

( especially now since she feels a little more comfortable and has her bearings down of this place. jinx was still feeling iffy over her circumstances and had a lot on her mind when she visited the caves. at his question, his daughter waits no time to answer: )

I dunno what that place is called but there's this big tower on the map. It looks — ( she sets her utensils down for a minute to lift up her hands and wiggle her fingers at silco. ) — ♪ Spooo~oookkyy ♪.

( with that silly thing down, back to the fork and knife then sticking the meal in her mouth. )

I wanna go there!

Edited 2023-09-08 04:45 (UTC)

[He noted her gluttony, and it only reinforced how much Shimmer that Singed had to employ in order to save Jinx's life. Though, even now, he didn't believe a second the warning that death was sometimes a mercy. Not for her, not for his daughter, not for Jinx. She had to survive; he needed her.

He made a noise in his throat to acknowledge her adventures, tapping his fork against the rim of his plate.]

Agreed. If there is crystal - which might be useful for trade - then there are all manner of ores and minerals that we could mine.

[Zaun might be a city on the precipice of a new revolution, but at it's heart, it was a mining city. Everything was built to explore deeper and deeper, to drag out the precious minerals trapped in the rock. There were no limits there as there were no limits to what Zaunites could do.]

Have you heard any rumours about the tower? I assume there are folk tales and stories about it.

[He hadn't done a lot of exploring and traveling beyond Zaun and Piltover. He'd seen pictures and drawing, but without the weight of dragging Zaun to independency on his shoulders, he actually could consider exploration of this place. Jinx, he expected, would be his protector for any untoward creatures that wanted to eat them.]

( stuffing her face and now eating just a little more barbaric than before (can't force a germlin to have table manners for too long), she nods to him eagerly with mining the caves. as if they need more coins right now. all that she made during the casino, she shoved it to silco to maintain and deal with. because handling finances isn't in her territory and it'd be better to just let him toy with it and do what needs to be done with it. but maybe they can trade the gems for more scrap metal for her. at least, that's what she would do.

his daughter scrunches up her face in thought, trying to recall if there had been any rumors, stories, or warnings about the steeple. but she grants him a shrug of her shoulders when she comes up with nothing. )

Nope! I haven't heard anyone talk about any tower stuff. The locals been pretty weird about everythin' lately. They won't spill the beans to anyone.

( but there's a tiny pause suddenly, an idea hits her like an arrow hitting a bullseye straight on. with the devil dancing behind her smile, she lifts up a knife before twirling it between her fingers. )

... But I can make 'em cough up a lil' drop of information.

[Silco did consider himself far more responsible when it came to handling their combined funds, and he was already considering what ventures would be profitable. After all, if they were to rise in this place, they would require a constant stream of wealth to start to buy up resources: people or otherwise.

He expected that he had to move quickly and efficiently to understand this place so that he could capitalize on opportunities. He had already met more than a few Chosen who could be rivals, and he had to have something tangible in his back pocket to be able to keep them on leash than biting back.]

It might be as a simple as partaking in the usual traditions like sitting in taverns where information flows relatively freely with enough alcohol. We are intruders to the locals no matter how much some of them might pretend to like us.

[He set his fork down and push his plate away as he relaxed back in the chair. He offered Jinx a bemused expression, tapping a finger on the table as he considered.]

Don't hurt them too much, Jinx.

[He would never condone intimidation, torture and whatever methods needed to bring another to heel. Just no limb or digit loss to start, okay?]

They really worship us, huh? Especially if ya new to the place. And don't worry!! I promise when I shoot, I won't actually shoot 'em. Juuuuust enough to get the message across.

( and with that, she stabs the fish right in its center, but then pretends she has food etiquette as she delicately cuts her meal into pieces again. )

Oh! Speakin' of new, we might get some more of us next month. There's like a pattern to the "Whoevers" in charge. Every other month, we get fresh meat. I wonder who else from our realm will wash up here. If it's the ogre, we should just ditch her. After what happened with her, she'd be pretty useless.

( just... very casually mentioning something happened to sevika like she is talking about the weather. a hand comes up to her own shoulder, rubbing a sore muscle she didn't know she had until just now. strange. )

Edited (ooops i forgot to mention her symptom lol) 2023-09-09 17:43 (UTC)

For now. I imagine the sight of many strangers washing up on the beach or found in the forest from strange lands and with strange customs needs to be reconciled in some manner.

[As she continued to eat and declare her intentions with the locals, he stretched his legs out in front of him and rested one hand against his chest. The light pressure reminded him of the wounds there. Never forget where you come from.]

Every two months consistently? Good. [It would give them time to explore and return to collect whoever might be useful. Yet, his eyes shifted over to regard Jinx at the mention of Sevika.] What happened to Sevika? [He had left her in the Last Drop to manage things while he had gone top side. She might be one of the few who knew of the peace he was brokering.

And because he was watching Jinx, he noted her rubbing her shoulder. For now, it could be nothing. Deep down, he knew it wasn't.]

( even after a few rubs of her shoulder, the pain isn't really letting up. maybe this calls for a bath after her belly all full. it's one way to end a tough night after being in the fog and seeing.... her. eating and sipping her juice, she hums out a "hm?" then remembering he hadn't seen her as recently like she had. )

Oh, Vi ripped her mechanical arm outta her socket. — Slammed her right into the jukebox. Those two were REALLY goin' out at The Last Drop. It probably would had costed a fortune to get that place fixed up again.

( and did jinx just admitted she saw the entire fight and didn't chime in to help sevika? yes, because why in the world would she step in? she hates the woman and vi was a complicated situation at the time. )

[He noted that Jinx was still bothering at her shoulder, but he kept his concern to himself. He had Shimmer in his coat and hidden under the floorboards of the small house for their express use. It seemed he would have to start to tap into the limited stock that he had for Jinx, to ease her discomforts.

He stopped tapping his finger on the table as the path of destruction from that damn sister went right to one of his more known headquarters. Perhaps he could expect no less. The sister seemed bound and determined to create a mess wherever she went. The fact that Sevika had been there was more of a boon for him than he would let on.

The Last Drop could be replaced. Sevika and her loyalty could not.

He sighed and dropped his head to rest in his palm as he raised his arm, closing his eye and shaking his head. Of course Jinx had watched the whole throw down. He didn't fault her for rooting for Sevika's downfall.]

Did Sevika survive?

( and while her father shook his head and such, jinx appears not at all phased! instead, she sits there as happy as a clam now that she is beginning to feel content with her food craving. finally! )

Yeahyeaaaaah. I made sure she was breathin' before I left her.

( the only reason she did so was for him, despite at the time... she was pretty angry at him for wanting to "betray" her for an exchange of independence. cleaning her entire plate and glass, jinx exhales out a happy sigh as she scoots the chair back, slouching with her fingers drumming over her tummy. )

Food was great, Pops!

( she giggles sweetly to him and flashes him a wink. such a one-eighty mood, it started off with her upset, angry, and now happy and goofing off. )

[He did not begrudge Jinx from nursing her displease with Sevika. The pair of them trying to one-up each other or snarling at each other was probably part of the reason he had grey hairs at the temples. Still, if Sevika was alive, then she would be able to navigate through the impending war that was on the horizon.

That assumed, of course, that Jinx didn't come back around to kill Sevika without him to make certain that they didn't murder each other.]

Good, so she can hopefully keep the Chem-Barons from eating everyone alive now that I've gone.

[It did seem like her mood had improved since he had first engaged her. That made life easier for all involved, and he preferred her manic energy over her somber self-loathing. He respected both but would like to see her happy.]

It sufficed. It's a skill to relearn over time. [He set his hand back on the table.] Your appetite will likely increase further over the next few weeks. I'll be certain there is food available here.

I can help out with cooking.

( she calmly offers as she pulls herself up from her seat, collecting the dishes. since he cooked, it's only right for her to clean things up for him. )

I only know how to make one dish though.

( when she was younger, jinx wasn't necessarily allow to cook too often. the group figured she was too small to handle it and because she messed up the kitchen one time, they thought that was enough. it was definitely unfair -- especially when she felt she could do better if they just gave her a chance. )

I know. We can alternate on cooking.

[It seemed to him that they would both be forced to learn how to take care of themselves if they wanted to make it through this. Yet, it might seem odd, but he found a sort of peace with the idea that they would endeavor this together. In Zaun, they had very few interests that overlapped. Perhaps they would have this.]

Which dish do you know?

[He had the expectation that one or both of them was going to destroy this small kitchen that they had trying to figure things out.]

Crabmeat Salad Sandwiches!

( she answers while dipping the dirty dishes into the sink. twisting the knob and gathering the supplies she needs, jinx starts washing -- the cups first. )

It's not too hard to make when ya got a lotta of the ingredients here in Aldrip. Takes about fifteen minutes to slap together.

( one cup done, on to the next one. ) I'll make 'em for lunch tomorrow.

( because crabmeat salad sandwiches sound more like a lunch entrée than a supper or a breakfast. although, there is a cooking club over at the "teen clubhouse" not too far from where they are staying. maybe she should attend some classes. it definitely couldn't hurt to learn something and besides, she wants to see her father smile more and happy. and what better way to make someone happy than through their stomach? )

Ah, those are worth putting on our menu, yes.

[He might not have eaten hers, but he had eaten someone else's. Perhaps they wouldn't accidentally starve or suffer food poisoning if they endeavored to learn such skills again.]

Looking forward to it.

[He rose from his seat with his plate and utensils, a small portion of fish left on his plate. He brought it over to the counter and began to clean up the items used in the cooking so that they could be washed and put away. He was a generally tidy person after all, finding it easier to think without a vast amount of clutter.]

( she takes a quick glimpse to silco from her peripheral then back to the dishes in her hand. but they come into a still -- allowing her fingertips to just soak along the lukewarm water. and as she gazes down, a small yet warm smile grows along her face without her noticing at first. a sense of peace is bathing over her which is something she needed given how her day twisted several hours prior. even her voices are quieting down and became some gentle murmur noise she can't pick out. )

... I like this.

( jinx confesses quietly, her cheeks flustering over it. )

— H-Having dinner with you, I mean. And... cleaning up afterwards. I bet a lotta families are doing this right now too. I guess after they eat, they just... settle in by the fire. If it's cold out. Or maybe the kids go off to play for a lil' while in their rooms and the parents chat together with a glass of wine.

( a thumb caresses steadily over a dish, smiling still as she imagines how other households might be going. )

Or maybe they just sit around and listen to stories their parents made up.

[Silco paused where he was wiping out the pan on the small stove that was part of their place, turning his head to regard Jinx. He was quiet for a long moment, forcing himself to see the situation from her description. There was a calmness to this house that he doubted would last if Jinx wanted to work on a project, but for now, it was homely enough.

He turned his gaze back to the frying pan on the stovetop and ran his finger tips over the handle lightly. Zaun had plenty of broken families that never had this; he himself hadn't particularly prioritized its value before Jinx either. Oh, he'd had the small communal moments when his brothers, but the Undercity made it difficult to enjoy the quiet moments.]

Is that how your family operated in the slums when you were very small?

[He knew Vander had taken in children, but it had never been particularly important to know their ages. Those kids were a way to get to Vander eventually, a way to track how the Lanes were stagnating under his old brother's rule. Maybe Vander had been able to provide the family dynamic much of his crew lacked. Sitting around a table eating and drinking tended to be loud, rowdy and communal, but even then, Silco often kept to the periphery of such times.]

I've been informed that's generally how Piltover families operate. They are suffocatingly protective of their young and have the means to provide a education that includes time and opportunity for consistent family meals.

Mm-hmm...

( she hums to him to confirm, now moving on to the plates to clean after dawdling with the glasses. it's strange that despite what kind of girl she is or what she became that she is a little curious about school? jinx figured all the lectures would put her to sleep, but if she had classes to learn more hands-on or in depth about gadgets -- she might take a peek. )

I always thought the Pilitie parents would fatten all of their kids up with sweets since they can eat 'em whenever they wanted. Make 'em super lazy.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

cw: very minor/subtle withdrawal symptom

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject