[ Admittedly, Silco has had so spread out his little web of who to rely on. He was still Silco after all.
He realizes now, as she'd said it, that he hadn't asked. Last time he'd needed an elimination, he'd simply purchased time.
Things are different. Things are the same. Can they ever be the same? ]
My "plotty" thing, hm? Well, I did just pay someone a lot of money to kill a lot of people. Maybe I should try to convince you to make something to take care of them instead, next time.
[ Or... ]
Or you could learn from what they have here. I bet you'd be inventing circles around them.
[ zero hesitation, zero doubt. jinx is smart and it's the one thing she never truly doubted. not now that she's fully embraced that part of herself. powder's insecurities no longer plague her.
she cocks her head at him curiously. ]
You sure there's nothing? Nothing greasing the wheels, nothing I should know . . . ? You're not exactly the quiet type.
[ She just can't let the old man play innocent, can she? ]
Hah, no, I'm also not the type to stay idle, am I?
[ Or quiet. Well, in some ways. Silco sure has been sharing that he's fighting crime a lot. ]
The implants mean directly doing anything with our...captors is a dead end. [ Unfortunately. ] However... that doesn't prevent me from helping with some outside endeavors. There's quite a few people wanting to cut the head off of the gangs here.
[ His eyeroll was just for her. An implication that he thought it was foolish. ]
If they're successful? Who knows what will happen to all that remains?
[ Which means, of course, that he has a plan for it. ]
[ she gives a little snort, a half-smile playing on her face. that sounds more like it. and it's comforting, in a way. as much as they can be comforted with the patterns they latch onto. once that was true.
[ The implants mean that she won't be in any mortal danger, but nor does that guarantee her safety. The problem was, that were it to be novel, or something to be hidden, there were the types here that would snuffle it out like a hound, looking for a small morsel of evidence.
He has enemies, certainly, but the one he's the most afraid of (Sebastian) isn't going to be deterred by Silco keeping everyone from knowing that Jinx knows him, he'll probably take one look at them and pick it up immediately. ]
It's fine. [ it's not fine. ] Avoiding it will be odd enough that some will start looking into it, just because they can't abide a mystery. Two people from Zaun will raise questions regardless.
[ Unfortunately, Silco never keeps his mouth shut. ]
If you run into trouble over it, I have people keeping an eye out.
[ it's petulant, but not gratingly so. fine, fine. it's all fine. maybe that's what grates her. she had to build her own way, but his shadow is around still. more than a shadow. less than — it's a lot. ]
[ A fissure often fractures in both directions. She's different, but so is he. Warped and fractured and broken in all these new ways — forced to be, to make these odd worlds fit. He'd always said it was just them — them against the rest of the world — but he'd been forced to adapt without her. Evolution is not always pretty — it often breaks things apart.
They're both trying to slot into roles that don't quite fit anymore. Silco is trying. Jinx is trying.
How long until things burst at the seams? ]
You're right, of course. [ Silco would always try at least. How could he not? How much had he put his daughter on a pedestal? ]
Outsiders are prohibited from harming one another. There should be little as it is. [ He crossed his arms, somehow, it makes him look leaner. More like a specter. ]
You're probably creative enough to run circles around most of them even if they did try.
[ He worries about the demon. He will always worry. He'd taken his due once. He knew that was a crime that couldn't be repaid without misery. ]
[ prohibited huh? no wonder things seem . . . smooth. not that she saw much in the way of troubled waters, but everyone seems so keen on getting along. working together. gross, actually.
jinx merely scoffs. ]
Obviously. Look at these rubes. It'd be easy.
Doesn't mean I should, though. Got to get myself caught up. And kill some monsters first.
[ he hates it too, who ever heard of no... antagonistic development? (base violence necessary for change etc etc) ]
Hm, well, that is what they actually brought us here for. Beyond that, I don't think they rightly care what we do. [ Which... works out best for him. ]
I'd recommend keeping an eye on the network. They... chat incessantly about nothing. [ A roll of his eyes. ] But it gives you a good idea of who is who, and where their weaknesses are. [ aka, who's attached to whom. ]
It really is like being back to normal. Before... everything.
How real is it? Is he delusional? No, Geto had asked about her. This wasn't just the rug pulled over his eyes (again, and again, and again, and again) ]
I knew I could count on you.
[ He really thought he could, even before all of this, when things often went wrong. ] Next time I have a little... [ A wave of his hand ] gang issue, perhaps you should come along. Just to see how they operate.
[ she inclines her head as if to say what else is new? because nothing is and everything else but like she said. like he said.
it's fine.
it's quiet right now. even without isha. it won't last, but it's quiet. might asl well milk it for what it's worth. plus, she has her projects. ideas percolating. and monsters. monsters sound like fun. a guaranteed outlet. can you weaponize a monster?
well. duh. ]
Sure, I'd like to see how you get on without me. Poorly, I'll bet.
[ ehh. she's not sure that's the thing she really wants to do. especially in a new place. where she could have her own beginning. her own story. it just . . . doesn't seem as fun. she'd be picking on people which.
[ It settles weird. Something about it. Silco has always been able to redirect Jinx well enough — lack of enthusiasm was a tantrum but she'd do it anyway — but there's something to it. There's a gap they are both ignoring. Something between them that he doesn't understand, doesn't know the shape of. Is it there?
Is he ignoring it? Is he imagining it? It's nothing. It's something. It's something that he can't reach out and bridge without understanding how vast and deep it is — it doesn't exist at all. He could step over it — fall into it — with such confidence.
His lips twitch. ]
Hm.
[ A lift of his shoulders. ] We can work out details later.
[ If she breached the conversation.
He doesn't understand it. Is everything different? What happened? Why does it feel so... wrong? ]
I'd gather you would much rather dig into this right now, hm? At the very least, it is something to pass... [ A wave of his hand and a look of distaste crossed his face. ] All this spare time.
[ because it still is a game. even if they're not always playing for the same things, they're still on the same side. jinx isn't going to let anything happen to silco. even if she is the worst thing to happen to silco.
Does he know? She'd been dying in his arms. Will she be fine? Can he do anything to protect her from the danger? He can't leave her to just take it on herself — what could he even do? ]
Tell me, if you need anything. I can make a lot of things happen.
[ She doesn't need him, of course. He needs to feel like he can do something. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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He realizes now, as she'd said it, that he hadn't asked. Last time he'd needed an elimination, he'd simply purchased time.
Things are different. Things are the same. Can they ever be the same? ]
My "plotty" thing, hm? Well, I did just pay someone a lot of money to kill a lot of people. Maybe I should try to convince you to make something to take care of them instead, next time.
[ Or... ]
Or you could learn from what they have here. I bet you'd be inventing circles around them.
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[ zero hesitation, zero doubt. jinx is smart and it's the one thing she never truly doubted. not now that she's fully embraced that part of herself. powder's insecurities no longer plague her.
she cocks her head at him curiously. ]
You sure there's nothing? Nothing greasing the wheels, nothing I should know . . . ? You're not exactly the quiet type.
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Hah, no, I'm also not the type to stay idle, am I?
[ Or quiet. Well, in some ways. Silco sure has been sharing that he's fighting crime a lot. ]
The implants mean directly doing anything with our...captors is a dead end. [ Unfortunately. ] However... that doesn't prevent me from helping with some outside endeavors. There's quite a few people wanting to cut the head off of the gangs here.
[ His eyeroll was just for her. An implication that he thought it was foolish. ]
If they're successful? Who knows what will happen to all that remains?
[ Which means, of course, that he has a plan for it. ]
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now, she's not so sure. ]
Lots of fingers in lots of pies, as usual.
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[ He says. Descriptively.
His eyes flick to her, before he closed one, with one of those rolling shrug/gestures, as if to say 'aint i a stinker?' ]
How else does one find the best one? Besides, the criminal element here is... lazy, and sick. No better than the Scrap Hackers or Slickjaws.
Whose to say what would happen under someone better, hm?
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[ she pokes his cheek with a smirk, turning the edge of his mouth up just a teensy bit more. ]
You're gonna eat them alive.
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[ He doesn't pull away, he really does just let her poke him. #girldad ]
Unfortunately, I am doing this within the confines of others, so it is going slower than intended. [ A beat. ]
But, this also means they aren't paying attention. It seems to work out.
[ Plans upon plans upon plans. It really was Silco's way. ]
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Sooo should I avoid namedropping you or anything? What's the play here?
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[ The implants mean that she won't be in any mortal danger, but nor does that guarantee her safety. The problem was, that were it to be novel, or something to be hidden, there were the types here that would snuffle it out like a hound, looking for a small morsel of evidence.
He has enemies, certainly, but the one he's the most afraid of (Sebastian) isn't going to be deterred by Silco keeping everyone from knowing that Jinx knows him, he'll probably take one look at them and pick it up immediately. ]
It's fine. [ it's not fine. ] Avoiding it will be odd enough that some will start looking into it, just because they can't abide a mystery. Two people from Zaun will raise questions regardless.
[ Unfortunately, Silco never keeps his mouth shut. ]
If you run into trouble over it, I have people keeping an eye out.
[ Because of course he does. ]
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[ it's petulant, but not gratingly so. fine, fine. it's all fine. maybe that's what grates her. she had to build her own way, but his shadow is around still. more than a shadow. less than — it's a lot. ]
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[ It's automatic, not snapped, but too-quick. ]
But this isn't your trouble. It's mine.
[ And he wouldn't be able to handle it, if it was because of him that she was hurt.]
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[ though her expression doesn't seem that way. ]
It's always our trouble.
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They're both trying to slot into roles that don't quite fit anymore. Silco is trying. Jinx is trying.
How long until things burst at the seams? ]
You're right, of course. [ Silco would always try at least. How could he not? How much had he put his daughter on a pedestal? ]
Outsiders are prohibited from harming one another. There should be little as it is. [ He crossed his arms, somehow, it makes him look leaner. More like a specter. ]
You're probably creative enough to run circles around most of them even if they did try.
[ He worries about the demon. He will always worry. He'd taken his due once. He knew that was a crime that couldn't be repaid without misery. ]
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jinx merely scoffs. ]
Obviously. Look at these rubes. It'd be easy.
Doesn't mean I should, though. Got to get myself caught up. And kill some monsters first.
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Hm, well, that is what they actually brought us here for. Beyond that, I don't think they rightly care what we do. [ Which... works out best for him. ]
I'd recommend keeping an eye on the network. They... chat incessantly about nothing. [ A roll of his eyes. ] But it gives you a good idea of who is who, and where their weaknesses are. [ aka, who's attached to whom. ]
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I'm on it! It'll be a piece of cake.
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It really is like being back to normal. Before... everything.
How real is it? Is he delusional? No, Geto had asked about her. This wasn't just the rug pulled over his eyes (again, and again, and again, and again) ]
I knew I could count on you.
[ He really thought he could, even before all of this, when things often went wrong. ] Next time I have a little... [ A wave of his hand ] gang issue, perhaps you should come along. Just to see how they operate.
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it's fine.
it's quiet right now. even without isha. it won't last, but it's quiet. might asl well milk it for what it's worth. plus, she has her projects. ideas percolating. and monsters. monsters sound like fun. a guaranteed outlet. can you weaponize a monster?
well. duh. ]
Sure, I'd like to see how you get on without me. Poorly, I'll bet.
my god my late night split metaphors 😑
[ There's almost a chiding tease in there.
Almost. ]
Now I hope you're impressed by how self-sufficient I can be without a gang to back me up.
[ he'd done it before, ok?? he can do it again
with copious amounts of hiring people ]
pats....
[ with all the smugness a teen girl can muster about her dad. ]
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Don't worry, most of these gangs have either folded immediately, or they have needed a bit more... aggressive work.
I don't suppose that would be fun for you, would it?
[ He knows his daughter — at least in this — blowing people up is her forte. ]
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sure, she's done before but for a reason. ]
I guess. Maybe.
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Is he ignoring it? Is he imagining it? It's nothing. It's something. It's something that he can't reach out and bridge without understanding how vast and deep it is — it doesn't exist at all. He could step over it — fall into it — with such confidence.
His lips twitch. ]
Hm.
[ A lift of his shoulders. ] We can work out details later.
[ If she breached the conversation.
He doesn't understand it. Is everything different? What happened? Why does it feel so... wrong? ]
I'd gather you would much rather dig into this right now, hm? At the very least, it is something to pass... [ A wave of his hand and a look of distaste crossed his face. ] All this spare time.
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[ because it still is a game. even if they're not always playing for the same things, they're still on the same side. jinx isn't going to let anything happen to silco. even if she is the worst thing to happen to silco.
that's fun to chew on. chew chew. eat it away.
she elbows him lightly. ]
I'll be fine. Thanks for this.
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[ He rubs at his side.
Does he know? She'd been dying in his arms. Will she be fine? Can he do anything to protect her from the danger? He can't leave her to just take it on herself — what could he even do? ]
Tell me, if you need anything. I can make a lot of things happen.
[ She doesn't need him, of course. He needs to feel like he can do something. ]
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🎀 just in time for event!!!!!!!!!!