etraya | UN: JINX

my scent. ok. ok cool this is normal

subway, weird cart. figure it out

Sí. It is very normal. [Is she being funny, or does she not register sarcasm as easily? She'll never tell.] I will start looking.

[She proceeds to start her little investigation.

The extracurricular tracking game, it will be nice.

Jinx is probably just minding her own business in the subway, a short time later. One minute just vibing in her train cart, the next turning and nearly running straight into a short, stoic child wearing cupcake-themed glasses. The child doesn't seem particularly concerned with the possibility of being shot or punched for this indiscretion — but then again, in her mind she's just completing what was asked of her.]

Jinx.

(she was not sure what she was expecting, but definitely not a murder child walking through her door. not with all the talks of straightjackets and evil doctors; perhaps something more like herself, or accelerator.

older.

so, she was about to be dramatic and theatrical when she sees the kid who calls for her, arms dropping and gun set to the desk.)

... Huh. You're... Smaller than I pictured. A good 5 years smaller, at least.

Edited (punctuation.......) 2025-03-09 23:01 (UTC)

I'll be twelve in May.

We picked birthdays. On the Chirper.

She meant it as a I'm actually older than I look, but it really isn't the gotcha that she thought it would be. More importantly: she succeeded in her goal! With the confirmation of this being Jinx, a subtly pleased expression crosses her face as she folds her sunglasses up and shoves them into the green backpack that she scarcely goes anywhere without.]

I found your subway. Sevika comes here, too, yes?

... Yeah. She does. I'm much cooler than her though, so if you come to find her, then, well, maybe don't come for her.

(it's a habit to pick on sevika, always has been, even if lately it has been... amicable. they are okay, after years of bickering and loathing. still, she is objectively much cooler than sevika in her mind, so.)

Okay, kid. Show me what you got.

[Looking around the space, she considers her options.]

Do you have anything that I can mess up?

[There's no dummies to cut to pieces. Laura's used to showing off her skills on dummies when it's not real people... but maybe there's something else that would work just as well?]

Uh, the bed, I guess? It's not like there's no beds available in free-for-all-Traya.

(what do you mean there's no class warfare and fights for money and power?

that said, she's curious. concerned, even - to put a kid like that under a knife that she can't stop picturing singed holding... that's fucked.)

[Laura would hate to ruin someone's bed, but... if there are plenty to go around... she supposes it would do for a quick demonstration. As she turns toward the mattress and its frame, she hops up top of it like any typical child — almost gives in to the temptation to bounce, if she's honest — before she holds up her hands and balls them into fists.

In an instant the twin metal claws burst from between her knuckles, with only a slight trickle of blood between her fingers to show for it. When she crouches down to a knee, she slashes four times. The middle of the bed sinks slowly, then falls onto to the floor of the train car, and the frame along with it.

Now if Jinx tries to sleep on it, her feet will dangle through the hole.

When she turns toward Jinx, she holds her clawed hands up and waggles them.]

Tah-dah.

[... She has no clue what that word means.

But people say it after they do something interesting, so.]

(electric eyes follow the small figure, intrigued about a world that she has never heard of. mutations can happen in hers, but abilities? shimmer and other chemicals take care of that, something so intrinsically genetic and unavoidable is new and exciting to a scientist like her.

it does fall outside of jinx's scope of knowledge, she's more of a mechanical engineer if anything, but that doesn't mean she won't find it immensely interesting in the end.

her eyes goggle, pupils following the blood that drips to her sheets and she blinks once for each slash laura deployed.

well; shit.)

... Okay, kiddo, come here. Let me see those claws of yours? The doctors who hurt you made those?

[She hops down, wandering over to hold out her hands, claws extended. They're sharp, sharp enough that even the gentlest run of a finger over the bladed section draws a little blood. Jinx doesn't really concern her, with her questions and studying. She can tell the difference between a doctor and his clipboard and a person who simply has an interest in how she works.

She talks as Jinx inspects:]

They were only made of bone before the surgery. My mutation, it's the same as my father. He was hurt by doctors a long, long time ago, too. Before I was made. They covered his skeleton in adamantium, and it started to make him sick.

So I think... that is why they only put it on my claws.

[If she had to guess, anyway.]

... Okay, kid, come here. Let me take a look at you.

(if laura allows her, jinx'll use all the strength in her twig arms to pull laura to her lap. it's slow, so there's no crossed wired and so she doesn't lose a limb, or even worse, another middle finger.

with pale, gentle hands, she takes in the smaller pair. naturally, adamantium is something she has never heard of, nor has she seen someone born with such a specific thing.

concerning. what if someone tries to put their boney fingers on her again? isha really did make her now care for children, it seems.)

... Yeah, those? Those are super cool, though. No one is giving you trouble over this, right? Trying to study you or anything like that? If they do, you need to tell me, I'll have a list of words and bullets.

... In my case, though... I kicked my own butt. Exploded, you know? Boom. And then, an ugly scientist put drugs in me, and now it's like my own little mutation. Sucked, though.

[She does look a little startled by the gesture, if only because the nurses at Transigen were never particularly allowed to provide this kind of care. They were things, weapons, not children. But despite her confusion, she doesn't seem particularly worried or uneased. As she holds her hands out, then lifts them palm up, she shakes her head.]

No trouble.

[Everyone here has been good to her. No one has called her names, or acted terrified of her. Maybe it's why she's gotten comfortable calling Etraya a home, even if she hasn't outright said as much.

She glances to her.]

I think I knew someone here like that. His name was Deadpool.

[And he and Jinx would have been besties, pretty sure.]

What does yours do? Your mutation?

Can you see my veins? Super close like that, can't miss it. Little blue and purple, right? Well, my eyes were blue once. They're pink now, and look.

(it's natural for her now to make them glow, although when she's aggitating or about to use her newfound abilities they come without her willing it to. she taps her eyebag to bring attention to it.)

When it's like this? I can run so fast all you see it's the glow.

Mm. I see it shining.

[She leans in closely, watching the blue and purple with interest. As she does, she allows her claws to slide back into her arms — the cuts that are left between her fingers close up almost instantly, leaving just a smudge of blood to show for it.]

I think it's very pretty.

[... Even if it's caused by things that are painful.

Laura figures that it's okay to find pretty things in yourself, despite the bad.]

What they used to make your powers - will it make you sick?

(why are children? jinx's eyes goggle a little at the comment, so taken aback that her eyes cease to shine. 'pretty' is not a word she tends to hear about herself, and while she likes how she looks and the style she has curated, it so happens to be wholly different hearing someone else say it.

after the quick shock passes, an embarrassed laugh comes out the same time her hand sets on a quick carress on Laura's head.)

I mean, pretty baddass, right? Ha... haha, it's cool.

(what a loaded question, though.)

Dunno. It made me a little sick here, (she taps laura"s forehead to illustrate the concept of mind), but I don't think it will again. And you? Do I have to find non-piece of crap doctors for you?

[She shakes her head.]

... I think if I do get sick, it won't happen for a long time.

[So for now? In this moment? She's confident everything will be okay. There's probably not enough adamantium in her body for it to poison her the same way it did her father. At least, she's guessing as much. If she really lives to be that old... it'll be something to worry about then.

Her eyebrows go up.]

Do you mean it made you crazy? You do not seem very crazy to me.

[Ah, the bluntness of children.]

Then you're okay, huh, kid? Works for me. Don't go getting sick and breaking hearts.

(jinx gets attached so, so quickly. she's sure that her heart would shatter if it so happened, and with how likeable the kid is, most likely she wouldn't be alone.

what is strange, though is the fact that this one talks. she's used to talking to no answer, having to pay close attention to figure out what isha might want and what she might be saying in mimics and her little expressions.

she can't help but to give yet another embarrassed laugh.)

Yeah, well. We have our moments, right? Come on, let's wash the blood off your hand.

[She hops up to her feet.]

Would you like to see my other secret claws?

You must keep it a secret, though.

[Jinx seems cool.

She won't rat out her emergency murderknives.]

(she was also getting up, ready to take this child to the sink, and then more revelations are offered.

jinx's not gonna say no.)

Promise. Wanna shake on it?

Do you know how to pinky swear?

It's how I've been promising lately. And it works on Axel.

[It's super effective.

As she speaks, she holds out her pinky finger.]

Which pinky? Blue or pink?

(she holds out both of her pinkies, different colored nails.)

[On careful consideration... She does not want to insult either color.

So she holds up both of her pinkies. Two for one!]

Trying to win my heart? Great choice, kiddo.

(of course, they are the best colors, excuse her. she'll even get down to her level again, sitting on the floor so they can talk more comfortably.

it's not like jinx's height of 5'3 makes that very difficult, but you know. it's for the kid. she'll move their hands up and down once pinkies interlock, as to seal the promise.)

[She reaches out, locks her fingers around Jinx's. The deadly serious swear has been completed, and is punishable by — well, something. Probably not death. But Laura would be cross with her, if she ratted out her ace up her sleeve.

As Jinx begins to sit down on the floor, Laura pulls off her shoe and sock; these shoes don't have holes in them like her other ones, so she figures she should probably keep them in one piece longer.]

They're here —

[She lifts her foot up, flexes her ankle, and bam.

A long metal claw is suddenly jutting out between her big and second toe, like it's nothing at all to do.]

Secret claws.

(this kid is definitely something else. she doesn't need jinx to protect her, she has shown her as much, but these? these are awesome in their own right, and the oddity of having them on her foot of all places makes her clap in joy.

this is so fucking weird. she loves it, and she taps the dull surface as if she was inspecting it.)

Kid, you're incredible. You can stab three times! That's talent.

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action. :)

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cw: idk man footknives

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