How To Aid Vander||closed
They parted from the embrace almost reluctantly, as if the mere thought of letting go of one another would lead to this frail peace dissolving instantly. The air in the old mines and corridors was stale and corny. The space they all stood in was barely large enough to house Vander. Wooden poles and rafters did their best to contain the loose boulders and make sure the jagged pieces of gneiss stone were well away from cutting fragile skin. Streaks of red mingled with the greyish-brown colours. Not blood, though, Jinx would have loved for it to be blood. The sickly green, almost pale white colour of the bulbed mushrooms nestling in the rock was the only light source the long-abandoned mine had to offer.
Except right now, it did not feel abandoned. Her chest rose and fell in fast, shallow breaths as Jinx was still riding the high of her anxiety. They were no longer fighting anymore, but this peace felt so fragile that she could not trust it. Her purple eyes darted between Vi and Vander. Her fingers clenched around the zapping pistol. Like the Atlas gauntlet, the weapon was lowered. The two sisters stood next to each other, maybe an arm's length away. Neither dared to fully acknowledge what had just happened. Isha clutched her pant leg and peeked around behind Jinx. The normally so lively girl had fallen silent as if she could somehow understand that Jinx and Vi had to digest something before them.
Vander had always felt larger than life, especially to little Powder; however, this was new. Now, he towered over them both in a way the old Vander never had. Where the man who had raised them had felt like a strong, yet comforting presence, this creature was massive. So vast in its proportions, so wide was its frame, so large its massive paws and vicious claws, so enormous the elongated muzzle, it made Jinx feel like they could drown in the body of this beast.
And yet, out of those blue and yellow eyes, Vander stared back at them. He had forced his body into a cowering position as if he wanted to fight the temptation to lash out at them again. Laboured breaths vented between sharp, jagged fangs. When he spoke, his words sounded rough and coarse, yet still understandable: "Powder... Vi... It is good... to see you two. You are still... connected."
Heat flooded Jinx's cheeks uncomfortably. Subconsciously, she took a little step sideways and wound her ocelot tail tightly around her legs. Just because Vi had not killed her upon her return did not mean that they were still tied together. They had not been connected in a long while. Even now, Jinx wondered if Vi would even consider helping her. Sure, they had been able to locate Vander and even prove that the wolf beast before them was their father, but that did not mean that Vi would feel inclined to help her in the slightest.
If she were honest, not even Jinx herself would have known if she had helped herself in those circumstances. Her fingers rubbed over the triangular scar parting her eyebrow. She still remembered the sudden whoosh as Vi came rushing at her and striking her across the face with the Atlas gauntlets. Her purple eyes lingered on the ugly mess of scars on Violet's throat. She remembered the savagery of her strikes as she had tried to push Vi off her. Her glee when she had force-fed her sister the Shimmer, forcing her to heal from a near-death experience. Feeling Vi meet her gaze, Jinx swallowed and stared down at her feet.
Connected... When pigs fly.
Vander gave a laboured and agonised gasp before he dropped heavily on the stone beneath him. Pulling his hindlegs close to his body, he flinched and chuffed, his long, bat-like ears pressing flat against his neck. Finally settling down, the exhausted beast closed his eyes, staring at the sisters through nothing but a thin slit. The fluorescent light of the mushrooms ghosted across his tank, the hoses burrowing into his body and the metal screws and rings securing contraptions to his form. His fur was missing were metal burrowed into his flesh. The skin had swollen, and there were traces of dried blood around the screws and metal edges. Some hoses showed the dents of fangs and swiping claws.
Seeking out her sister's gaze, Jinx finally broke the uncomfortable silence, which had begun to form between them once more: "Look, I do not know what happened to him. I do not know who did this to him." Liar! "Under other circumstances, I might have been thrilled with this transformation. You know how much I always loved monsters. But not like this. He is hurt and confused. I want to help him, but I don't know how to fix this. Besides, he's your father, too. Trying to help him without you feels wrong. So... what should we do?"
@viioletvale
















