003. 💥 (VIDEO) ⇁TABLET

[opheliac]

( the live recording starts simple enough. it begins with jinx propping up the device against something so she can be a little more hands-free. by the looks of her surroundings, it seems she is settling herself in at the SandW̴͚͆H̷͝ͅ1̵̩͛(̷̠̍H̷̭̽ ̷̦́H̸̯́ut for those who finds the establishment recognizable. but what seems odd about this whole thing is how eerily quiet inside this hut is. there are people, definitely, they can be seen in the background while jinx is sitting at the table -- however, no one is speaking. or well if they are, it's in low murmurs to each other that's hard to make out through the recording.

another strange thing is the locals in the background are staring right at the camera (and her), pausing in their own meals with hesitation and concern. and jinx is definitely taking notice of it too, in fact, she is using the camera as a mirror to look back at the people instead of peering over her shoulder.

and speaking of jinx, for those who bumped into her during the maze or the weekend before, her appearance seem to glow more than it did back then. there's color back in her pale skin (if that's possible), her pink eyes glistening more vibrantly, and visibly her attitude seems more on the perkier side. that's strange too, isn't it? well, whatever happened to her then is no longer an issue, it seems like. but the way the locals are glue to her is becoming an irritating thing, and anyone watching this recording can see it in her displeased face. somewhat coming into view, the waiter of this food place clears his throat to get jinx's attention. her eyes flicker to the man as he stumbles over his words: )

"U-Um, excuse me. How... long are you going to be here today?"

( it's almost right after he questioned her stay, he knew instantly it was probably the wrong thing to ask. the teen cocks her head steadily to one side, her gaze dart down to his feet then to the top of his head; sizing him up. but then, jinx smiles to the man -- flashing its rigidness with no friendliness attached. )

Aww, gee. I dunno...♪ ( she answers with a nonchalant shrug, her words smooth like honey but coated with poison. ) — Kinda just got here. I was thinking about sitting here and grabbing a bite to eat. 'Cause, y'know, I'm hungry.

( the worker stiffens at her answer, looking around for maybe someone to help back him up or to chime in on how to handle this delicate situation. and seeing no one is offering a hand, he chuckles uneasily. )

"Uh, yes!! Well... let us know when you're ready to order."

( for those who are still tuned in on the other side of this recording, they can see the enjoyment in jinx's face of how nervous and fearful this man is being around her. the grin on her widens more mischievously as she lazily props an elbow onto the table, cheek to the palm with one, and using her other hand to drum her fingernails on the surface. the teen mouths a, "Will do." at the worker, but right as he turns to leave -- she suddenly speaks up: )

Oh wait! — Actually before ya go, I gotta teeny tiny request.

( extremely frighten what that might be, the waiter turns on his heel to face jinx again with a weary smile. )

How about telling everyone else here that it's a bit rude to stare? ( a beat, her grin twisting menacingly. ) — It's how you lose your eyesight. ... The left eyes are my favorite.

( jinx gives the man a sinister wink to send an extra chill down his spine before he scurries off -- probably to head back to the kitchen, who knows. and when the teen does a quick glance back over her shoulder, everyone else in the hut peeks away swiftly to return back to their meals. humming cheerfully and then throwing her arms up to let out a long needed stretch, jinx finally throws her attention to the video recording she's making. she tosses her thumb over her shoulder as she asks, directing to the people: )

So what's eating them, huh? Is it just me or they're acting EXTRA freaky around here?

Comments

video;

[laserguy]

[Jinx, buddy, no.

Like Scott sort of gets it, the way the locals have been treating him and others, especially after the whole maze shit, has been completely ass and he's been sort of pissy too.

But.]

Dude I don't think that's helping.

[Don't get kicked out of the sandwich shop!]

[opheliac]

Are you suuuuuuuuuure ♪?

( she asks in a sing-song tone, biting her lower lip for a brief moment to contain her giggles. )

I think it's working out pretty swell...! No one is bugging me now.

[laserguy]

Pretty sure.

[Scott sighs slightly. He pretty much expected Jinx to act this way, but hey, she's a friend and everything and so he's worried. Not to mention, despite the red haze he sees things through, he can tell there's something a little off about her. So, there's also that.]

Maybe, but they're definitely talking behind your back and keeping an eye on you now. [Like how teachers and crap always had their eye on problem students and whatever.]

[opheliac]

I'm fine with that. I like the attention. ( if it isn't obvious by now. ) — It's about time these ants knew my name and what I'm all about.

( because how else is she going to rule a village in the near future if they had no idea who their "queen" will be? it'd be pretty unfortunate. )

[laserguy]

Jinx, I think almost everyone already knows.

[She's not shy that's all he saying--]

It might be cool until they tie you up and throw you in prison or something. Then you're stuck in some crappy place without anything fun to do. [...] Besides, do you really want the attention of these assholes? They suck.

[opheliac]

Tie me up and throw away the key? — Ooooo, fun!

( somehow she finds the excitement in that. )

Listen Shades, they may suck but I can make 'em less so! They just need me to guide 'em in the right direction. A helping hand, an extra screw to twist!

[laserguy]

[Fun, right. Even if Jinx has been in jail before, Scott has a feeling the jail in this world is a lot different than anything they're used to and he's really not itching to find out.]

By threatening to rip their eyes out. [Deadpan stare if possible.] I think that's going to make them suck more.

[opheliac]

So what you're telling me is that you don't enjoy the shock look over their faces. Boy, you really ARE a goody-goody, huh? — What happened to the drunk Scott I partied with?

( the locals who passes just behind her stares at scott through the camera then down to her before whispering among themselves. what could they be talking about? )

[laserguy]

Well, I'm not drunk, for one.

[He's generally less pissed off now compared to a couple of months ago? Seeing everyone's worst memories and stuff has also tempered him down and he wants to be a little more responsible.

Also, he hears the whispers from the locals, but he doesn't care. They can mind their own business!!]

But look, I'm just sayin' that I don't want things to be worse for you.

[opheliac]

I'm fine, Shades. Things aren't gonna get worse for me. Only better.

( and she is now sitting there rather awkwardly while flicking her gaze somewhere off screen. because the thought back to the maze of her diving in his arms to sob like a kid is... still rather fresh in her head.

it's something she hopes the two of them can forget and never speak of again. after all, she has a reputation to uphold. and if she is going to rule a village like her father dreams, jinx can't be seen vulnerable. )

[laserguy]

Uh, I'm all for thinking that things aren't going to suck forever, but...

[Scott visibly sighs again.]

Just be careful, okay? Unless you want me to bail your dumb ass if you get thrown in jail. [He's half joking but uh guess he said this anyway.]

[opheliac]

Aww, you'd do that for little ol' me? I didn't know you cared...!!

( now in big and wide smiles. she really is light switch when it comes to her moods. )

In that case, I'll get tossed in jail EXTRA hard just so you can come in and save me.

[laserguy]

Of course I care--

[Scott grumbles slightly before folding his arms across his chest.]

But don't get in trouble purposely!! If you blow someone up or pluck their eyes out just because they're talkin' about you, I'm not helping your ass. There's like, rules when it comes to me busting you out.

[opheliac]

Right! Rules that are meant for me to break.

( she leans back a little, taking her braid to swing around aimlessly. )

'Cause that's what they're for, ya know. To put in place so we rip 'em apart until they're nothing but teeny tiny particles.

[laserguy]

[This is what happens when he opens his big mouth.]

Yeah, that applies to the rules that adults make up, not mine.

[opheliac]

( jinx hums an amusing giggle, a smirk curling at the side of her lips as her head tilts to one side. )

Oooo, lookatcha. Large and in charge.

( clicking her tongue over the roof of her mouth for a second, jinx drops her braids and leans into the camera again. her arms fold together over the counter then lifts her eyebrows in a wiggle. )

Okay then. I'll play along, but just this once. We're baddies here, ya know. Aaaaaand as bad guys, we gotta do our part.

[laserguy]

[Just stares at the camera for a few seconds.]

I didn't sign up for any bad guys club.

[opheliac]

Guess you better chat with the head honchos then, Shades. 'Cause we're all bad guys to 'em. The scroll.... our crime.... waiting to be sentenced... the whole sh-boom, remember?

( she does a little wild hand gestures at the word "sh-boom" to emphasis the word. )

Wowzers, and I thought I had a loopey memory. You oughta get your head checked out, bud.

[laserguy]

[Okay, she kind of has a point there. But...!]

Just don't murder people because they're being assholes, okay? We can be bad guys just... not the ones no one likes.

[opheliac]

How about torturing? There's plenty of ways to make anyone feel sorry for themselves without even lifting a finger.

( and is he curious about wanting to know how? jinx could be bluffing about knowing the details or she might not. )

[laserguy]

[Seriously??????]

Torturing sort of lands in the whole 'bad guys no one likes' category. [...] What do you mean by 'without lifting a finger' though?

cw: torture talking..................................................................

[opheliac]

Take a stupid loser, for example. And imagine that stupid loser sittin' there in a room all by their lonesome. They wake up with collar around their neck that squeezes tighter with every lil' move they make.

( that doesn't sound too torture-ish, maybe? )

The room they're in has a little monkey toy with a bomb inside and it's on a timer to go off within ten minutes. So what should that loser do? Try and disarm it? Think they'll be able to before they run outta air? Or should they just sit and accept what's coming to 'em?

[laserguy]

[Squints. She's fucking with him, right? Right??????]

I feel like I've seen a scenario like that in a movie before. [No Mr. Bond I expect you to die--]

Also isn't blowing them up sort of beating the purpose?

[opheliac]

Dunno what a "movie" is, but blowing things and people up is the BEST part of anything!! Don't you wanna see something you dislike just evaporate sky high?

[laserguy]

[It's almost tempting to just take the segue and jump into talking about movies, but this feels a little too important still.]

Dude, no.

Still sounding like one of those uncool villains.