recollect

{jeon yeo-bin, 28, cis woman, she/her} || min-ji nam is a mutant with the ability of memory manipulation they’ve been in new york for two years where they spend most of their time as mortician. when i think of them, i think of the name of a childhood friend you can’t quite remember, ink bleeding through a page, hands that don’t warm up, a long black coat with two buttons missing.

“Yeah- of course.” Levi straightens up, dusting the dirt from his work gloves but not removing them. He squints against the sun, regarding Min-ji curiously. “If this is about Ms. Stockton, I already told her twice that she can’t bribe me to give her husband that hill spot under the tree. I don’t think she gets that’s not how it works.”

HE NODS IN understanding. He’s relieved that she’s okay after all that has happened the past month.   ❛I’m glad you came over,❜   It’s the truth but a pang of sadness hits his chest since he feels like he’s talking to a stranger, perhaps it was the time away from each other, she isn’t really treating him the way she normally did so many years ago. He finds the question she asked strange,   ❛I mean, we’re both mutants, you and I, that’s the reason we met…❜   He trails off as he thinks it through. Does she have memory loss? It makes sense but it feels so rude to ask. Instead he decides to wait for her to reveal it to him.   ❛We both went to Xavier’s Institute, does a bald guy with telepathy ring any bells to you?❜

         “i hope you’re right.” he has no way of knowing what will happen—none of the escapees have precognition in their roster—and he can only hold onto that feeling that it might. essex won’t fall when it airs, but is it so improbable that they take a hit? is it so improbable that someone, somewhere, might care for the plight of a few tormented mutants? he’s not convinced. maybe he couldn’t be convinced. but pessimism isn’t helping and for once he doesn’t want to argue with her on this. “so you were waiting for me,” he teases gently, trying to coast past his complicated feelings on the interview. he can still feel the shock of the crew burrowed into the back of his eyes. wants to forget. thankfully, min-ji makes that easy. “i—” now jack is speechless. “well—” he feels hot under the collar, uncertain of himself in a way that only she’s managed to bring out. “maybe it would… make sense? you know, financially.” yeah, financially.

“i’m always right,” she points out with a grin. it’s not entirely true, but she likes to think she’s right more than jack is. plus, it never hurts to be optimistic. that’s what her brother would say anyways, which min-ji would usually respond with an eye roll. but, today, she wants to believe in it. after everything jack and the other escapees have been through, she wants this to be beneficial. they deserve a break, a win. 

“I know you’re probably busy,” Min-ji begins, then winces at how true that is. Deaths didn’t end that day—They continued throughout the month, into July. “But, I need to talk to you.” 

HIS HEAD QUICKLY shoot towards the entrance of his shop when he hears the familiar voice. “minji, i- i didn’t expect you to come over.” he composes himself, “i’m fine. come take a seat,” he motions towards a chair. he then pauses when he remembers that she claims to not know him. “it’s been a pretty shitty summer so far, how are you?” 

        “i just hope…” he trails off, fighting a grimace. what does he hope? after all is said and done, what’s left? “i don’t know. i hope it does something.” jack wants to allow himself some ( careful ) optimism, but the memories lingering at the forefront of his mind make it difficult. a difficulty only slightly lessened in his distraction, in his focus on min-ji. she’s embarrassed, he thinks, but it endears him. since when had someone else’s feelings endeared him? “is it a no or a kind of? you can’t have both,” he teases gently, tiredly. he’s never been much for rest, but he feels like it might do him some good tonight. “i don’t know if mistaken is the right word,” he continues, a breath of amusement escaping him. “i’ve been here so much the past month, this might as well be my apartment, too.”

“jaewon, you said last time, right?” min-ji knows she’s right, and if jaewon does know her like he claims, he also knows she knows. still, he feels mostly like a stranger to her. “i’m sorry i didn’t call before coming down to your work—i couldn’t find the number, but i needed to see if you were okay. are you? have you healed alright?” 

         for once, he fully appreciates the luxury of physical contact, letting his arms curl around min-ji the moment she leaps up to greet him. this time, he needs it. maybe more than this time. baby steps. “i…” jack trails off, exhaustion written into every inch of his expression. “i don’t know how i feel, yet. but it went better than i expected.” for all his misgivings, all his turmoil over exposing this to the rest of the country ( if not the world ), there’s a sense of relief, too. he isn’t hiding. essex is going to be in shambles. “have you been waiting here for me the whole time?”

          @memorymistress​ !!

         walking back into their⁠—her⁠—apartment feels surreal, after everything. after the interview. jack isn’t perfectly confident that it was the right decision ( particularly in exposing himself like he has ) but it doesn’t matter, anymore. what’s done is done. setting his keys aside, he turns to face min-ji. he’s glad she’s home. he’s been hoping for that. “hey.”

         despite her half-assed attempt at a reassurance, jack is still far from convinced of her wellbeing. at the very least, she’s going to be an easier target for anyone looking to fight ( or worse ) and that instantly puts him on the defensive. it shouldn’t. he should be more worried about lachlan, or monique, or seven, or… any number of them that could still be on the street. but he’s not. he’s worried about her. “well, don’t,” he says, after a pause to realize exactly what’s been said. does he… no, he doesn’t question it. he can’t. not right now. “you’re the one that’s injured. besides, i can handle myself.” he doesn’t know what else to say.

         as it turns out, he doesn’t need to—a bold step forward brings her right into his arms. not exactly graceful, or expected, but she’s certainly managed to prove his point. “i think you might be right about that,” he agrees, likely unnecessarily. “here, let’s—” with a grunt, he hefts her up into his grasp, hoping he can carry her somewhere nearby without making them both into targets. she clearly can’t walk like this. “i’ll get you to the alley. maybe through there we can find a way out of this mess.”

when she was moving, whatever aches and pain she had were in the back of her mind. now, that her body’s stopped every cut and strain is suddenly at the forefront of her mind, and it feels like her entire body is throbbing. the only relief is resting on jack’s chest, as embarrassing as it is to be this weak from a few minor injuries. but it’s hard to care about her ego when she’s seeing spots in her vision. “so can i. i just–” she grumbles, then finds herself cut off by suddenly being picked up. the ache in her leg melts away into a twinge, and she feels her face flush from the realization she’s being bridal carried. 

       the instant she winces, his eyes snap to the leg she had put weight on. his initial overlook, it seems, is incorrect. she is injured. something leaps into his chest the moment he realizes it. “you’re hurt,” he blurts ( thanks, captain obvious ) reaching forward before he can think to stop himself. shoved off her bike… and god, her hand looks like it’s almost been cut down to the bone. and still, all she does is deflect. turn the attention back on him. he thinks he might do the same, if their positions were flipped. “don’t worry about me, i’m not hurt. are you sure you can walk like that?” she has so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best course of action. but what else is she supposed to do, be carried? that seems… a little intimate.

         “no, it’s better if you keep out of any more fights,” he agrees, sending a glance over his shoulder. there’s chaos in every direction and no clear exit from the street, but he knows that there’s one out there. more than one, even… they just have to find one that isn’t being blocked off. an impossibility, it seems. “i, uh… let’s try going this way. you can lean on me, if that’s easier.”

“it’s not as bad as it seems,” min-ji tries, but she knows jack won’t buy it. when he touches her arm, she leans into it, partly from how good it feels and also because the sight of her own hand is making her woozy. it looks worse than before somehow. “i’m going to worry about you either way,” she huffs, before it hits her what she said. well, it’s too late to take back now. it’s the truth, too. as much as jack has been through and survived, he can still get hurt. or worse. she sees jack, blood covering his abdomen, wincing in pain on her couch. by her next blink, the vision is gone, but she’s rattled. she doesn’t want to see it happen again. 

        a cursory glance doesn’t reveal anything about her appearance that would suggest she’s in danger, but that doesn’t stop a surge of—uncharacteristic, some might say—concern from washing through him. is she injured? it’s difficult to say. he really hopes that she’s not. and that bothers him almost as much as the fact that she’s out here at all. “i was—” he cuts off, shaking his head. “i was just trying to get home. i don’t even know what’s going on.” something something brotherhood, something something xavier’s institute—he cares little for the details when the entirety of new york, it seems, has been thrown into chaos.

         “are you hurt?” despite his outward, unwavering confidence… inwardly the question sounds almost sheepish. god, what’s wrong with him? he should just keep going. drag her along if has to. they’re wasting time, sitting ducks, like this. “we really should keep going.” he steels himself, tries to put his priorities back in order. it only half works. “i’ve been trying to figure out a way off the street, but it’s packed tight. have you had any luck finding a better exit?”

when he stops his first explanation abruptly, min-ji wonders if he isn’t share something. again, she kicks herself internally for being so doubtful. it’s too easy for her to slip back into distrust and suspicion, especially when she’s growing too close to someone. she can make up a reason to pull back, not get as invested and eventually be hurt by it. but, she can’t do that again to jack. she doesn’t want to. 

jaewon was inside his shop taking solace while nursing his sprained ankle, hoping that the shitty government was going to take care of what’s happening in new york. he was just people watching from his window when he saw someone familiar passing by. his eyes were tricking him most likely, but he couldn’t help himself when he limped his way out of his shop and called for that person’s name, “minji?” it’s been so long since he’s last seen her. 

@memorymistress​ 

it was always the heat of the moment, what could spur her to use the ability she commonly avoided ( certainly not for its lack of usefulness, rather its deep, deep, deep essex ties ) – and thank god the heat of the moment was upon them. a pyrokinetic was no joke ! best to shake them off as soon as possible ( reference: elliott… and various others, but mainly elliott ). then, as if to answer the woman’s unfinished question, she held her hands together and shook them by her ears. “ ya act it out - ” she tossed out a pair of dice - “ - and it can happen ! ” of course… the ‘you’ in this scenario was… more of an ‘i’. “ is he a real firebrand himself ? ” whoever came up with the word ‘firebrand’ needed a firm handshake ! great way to describe elliott, great way to describe those hot-heads, and it all tied back to fire ? incredible… but her admiration was cut short when she returned her attention to min-ji and her question. “ not just here t’ steal phones, but i think i know how we can get one for ya without drawing too much attention. we just gotta find a store no one’s payin’ attention to right now, ” she remarked, beginning to surveil their general area for a front with no one… too near it.  “ the ones in the masks are definitely the ones t’ avoid if ya wanna stay outta the line of fire. ” if you weren’t with them, you were against them… all that… “ but, since it’s the brotherhood, drawing the line between strictly bad and strictly good is a little too… nuanced. ”

there was a lot min-ji hadn’t picked up on about jess from their brief interaction at the new year’s gala, yet none of what she could do was exactly shocking. she realized she would have been more surprised if jess turned out not to be a mutant. still, her jaw dropped as she suddenly heard, then saw a pair of dice in hands that were empty moments of go. “that’s–that’s incredible,” she said in pure awe now. “you’re incredible.” 

“ firebrand ? ” she repeated quizzically. “ if you mean is he hotheaded, then yes. i don’t let him handle the client side of business anymore for a reason. ” elliott soon was off her mind once she learned they could snag a phone from somewhere. her parents wouldn’t recognize the number, but hopefully they still picked up. more than that, hopefully they were okay. she followed jess’ lead in looking around the area, when she spotted a seemingly empty radioshack ( rip ) and pointed at it. “ would that work ? ” 

drawing the line between strictly bad and good…min-ji was knocked back with a sense of deja vu for a time she couldn’t recall. she’d had a discussion like this before, but when? “ is there a side you’re leaning towards right now ? ”

“ if it helps, i wasn’t hopin’ it’d knock you down or anything, but… ” such a terrible thing when it not being personal wouldn’t help… alas, what could she further say on that note ? it was true ! she would’ve hit the sidewalk the very same ! oh, but you live, you die ! “ any of ‘em, really ! i’m not really seein’ any obvious ‘good’ or ‘bad’ around… ” – hence why she had not killed yet, but bonking ? telling a little joke ? sure thing ! when the streets rained chaos, why deny them ? “ oh, collateral damage ? ya know, some of these real poorly barricaded stores have some phones that haven’t been disconnected yet in them. you just gotta hope no one’s - ” - before she could finish her sentence, she had been yanked to the ground just in time to watch a literal fireball fly over where she had previously been standing. at first, there was a level of offense – however light – that someone would try to set her on fire ! what was society coming to these days… of course, the solution was clear: deploy her boxing glove gadget and, if nothing else, make them fall down ! ha ! who was laughing now ! she was ! idiots ! – then, just to ensure her and min-ji’s relative safety, she gave them a little finger gun, leaving a sweet bullet hole in their abdomen. “ this is what ‘target practice’ is really for ! ” she stated… to no one in particular. “ ya saved my skin ! – as far as i’m concerned, you didn’t need t’ say anything. ” after all, she had tested her device on her only minutes before. even if the goal was just a tap, it was still a risk ! “ you met any pyro guys before ? because i’m startin’ t’ think they’re all the same. ” sorry elliott, i love you.

min-ji watched, in shock and a sort of awe, as jess did a gun gesture with her hand and actually shot their attacker. she turned her head back and forth to the person who slumped to the ground to jess’ hand to make sure she had seen the events correctly. “ how.. ” if it hadn’t sunk in before, it did now: jess was a mutant. 

once she overcame her surprise at the situation around her, she tuned back into what she was saying. she laughed, shakily, and nodded. “ i have, yeah. one sort of works for me. ” he was barely in anymore, but she still considered elliott an employee. “ so, to back up to what you were saying, you’re here to steal phones ? ” she asked, then pushed herself up again. once she was standing, she held out a hand to jess. “ have you gotten any yet ? could i borrow one to make a call ? ” 

then, what jess had told her before a fireball had been sent there way popped back into her head. “ aren’t the bad the ones in masks starting the fights ? ”