π£EVERYBODY PANIC!π£
Vi.Β
The name ached in her brain, wrenching forth a sea of memories soaked in vile anger and tenderness.Β
Your sister is dead.Β
How many times had Silco uttered the words? Soothing every fear, wound and anxiety Vi had left along with her sister on the bridge that fateful night. But that wasnβt the truth, was it? Vi had never been dead. Justβ¦gone, and Silco was fighting to keep it that way. It was an earth shattering revelation, hearing Silcoβs hushed, urgent conversations about βdealingβ with family as though it were some ugly wound that needed lancing. What had really driven the sense of anger and betrayal deep was Silcoβs pointed silence on the topic when Jinx returned for his daily medication. There had been a time where the routine was tender, where theyβd shared secrets with one another and upheld a pact of honesty. But Viβs name never left Silcoβs lips. He was lying about her. He was trying to keep her a secret.Β
The knowledge made Jinx want to drive the needle deep into Silcoβs eye. Over and over and over and over.Β
She did not.Β
The one shred of self restraint holding back the tidal wave of anger and hurt from challenging her so-called father figure was the knowledge of the person tied in the other room. An enforcer. An enforcer that for some reason, had been talking to Vi about something that Silco didnβt like. But if Silco didnβt like Vi, who was the real enemy? The thoughts writhed in an agitated, wounded mess, battling with each other in a fruitless effort to make sense of it all. If Silco found out that she knew about Vi, everything would speed up. No. Sheβd heard Silcoβs side of things in the whispers he exchanged when he believed she wasnβt listening. What about their prisoner? What did she know?Β
It hadnβt been difficult to find where theyβd been keeping her. Marcus and Silco had been spending the better part of the day formulating some convoluted plan of attack. As Jinx moved soundlessly past Silcoβs office, she heard the two inside, hours deep into a debate on this shiny new enforcerβs life.Β
Jinx entered the holding room noiselessly from above, perching on the rough, dusty rafters to stare down at the woman tied to the chair. She didnβt look as old as the other enforcers Jinx had learned the faces of. A cold distance filtered into Jinxβs gaze while she watched the enforcer as though she were a spider Jinx hadnβt decided whether or not to stomp on.Β
βUgh, I thought theyβd never leave.β The snide commentary sounded from above as Jinx swung her legs over one of the wooden beams.Β
βYβknow, itβs not sounding good for you in the old Decisions Room. Guess you shouldβve kept outta the way.βΒ
There was a soft thump as Jinx hopped down from her vantage point, strolling absently towards the door to fix a makeshift barricade. She didnβt want any interruptions, after all. This chat was going to be important.Β
Jinxβs voice softened to something dangerously quiet. Tender, with the threat of teeth.Β
β...But you didnβt.βΒ
Jinx hooked around to the enforcer, imposing an unsettling lack of distance between them as she leaned into the unsettling behaviour that so often prized results from people.Β
βLetβs talk about that.β
(( Starter for @gauntlets-shot ))
