[h2][center][color=6ecff6]Jinxy[/color]

Engine Room to Crew Quarter Corridor[/center][/h2]

With guests Trish and Amir 

After Amir left, Jinxy was left alone to her thoughts for a moment while she cleaned up. There was now sand everywhere, but more importantly, had she really agreed to stick around for an undefined period of time? Yes, Amir’s grin could get her to agree to anything, but the rest of this crew? 

She knew almost next to nothing about Beth and Angel and as for Trish…

[color=6ecff6]”No… not now ‘Lissa….”[/color] She sighed, tucking away the last of her tools and stood up and stretched a bit. She walked out of the engine room and went to head up to the galley when she spotted Trish. Her eyes narrowed and she walked over to the bomber.

[color=6ecff6]”What the [i][b]HELL[/b][/i] were you thinking?!”[/color] She yelled at Trish, shoving the other woman up against a wall. [color=6ecff6]”And don’t you dare play dumb with me right now. I know you took a container of that gorram shit! We counted!”[/color] 

Trish could already taste blood from where her mouth smashed into the corridor wall, and instinctively swung an elbow around, facing the enraged mechanic. But rather than fight, for that really wasn’t Trish’s strong point, she just slumped back against the wall, smiling a bloody and smug grin, [color=yellow][b][i]“And? I got a buyer set up for it too. You’re the one complaining about everything falling apart, you should be thankful.”[/i][/b][/color] The taste of blood was attempting to resurface memories, but Trish had more pressing matters at hand. 

[color=6ecff6]”Oh fuck you! Do you even know what space sickness does to people? Or do you even care? Oh wait, you probably don’t, considering you just sold a canister of that shit to some lunatic somewhere on this godforsaken planet! You don’t give a shit about anyone besides yourself, do you? Yeah, sure ‘money for the ship.’ Yeah right. I told you not to touch it, and of course you LIE to me!”[/color] Jinxy growled and looked at Trish. [color=6ecff6]”You disgust me.”[/color]

Trish rolled her eyes, [color=yellow][b][i]“What does it matter? Everything kills. Sickness, bombs, guns, whatever. Stop thinking yourself so righteous because you can pick and choose exactly who dies and who doesn’t. The verse doesn’t work that way. And I’m here to work and earn my keep, not care about you, or the orders you give. Amir gives orders here, not you.” [/i][/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]”Space sickness is worse than death. You lose who you are before you turn into a brainless fucking killing machine. You don’t even get the fucking comfort of dying. You’re locked in your own damn body, not in control. That’s why the last captain had to send his last crew out of the goddamn ship. Because they don’t die.”[/color] Jinxy looked at Trish. [color=6ecff6]“Yes, I know I don’t give the goddamn orders around here, but you… Augh!”[/color]

Trish growled through the tears forming and burning in her eyes, [color=yellow][b][i]“Don’t you dare lecture me about control. I know much better than any of you what it’s like to lose that! Why do you think I came to you in the first place? Oh and as for lies, did you tell Amir about that? Stop being such a hypocrite, we all lie and we all kill, and money is the only way we survive.”[/i][/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]”No, but there is sure no way in fucking hell I’m giving you that fuel now you bitch. You’d just take us with you. And honestly, yeah, I’m a hypocrite, but only because it was the only way I had to live. I had to claw my way out of the hole I was in, probably just like you. But I have [i]never[/i] taken a goddamn life, and I won’t have any on my hands because I chose to trust a terrorist!”[/color] Jinxy yelled, her own tears forming at that point. Trish had hit a sore point for her, but right now, she had to swallow it.

Trish shoved past Jinxy heading toward her quarters leaving with a muttered, [color=yellow][b][i]“At least you got out.” [/i][/b][/color]She quickly punched in her code, failing the first few times in her distress. She finally got it to slide open, and she quickly stepped in, shutting it behind her and locking. The bomber fell to her knees as the tears flowed freely, striking her fist against the grimy floor. The memories, the truth in Jinxy’s words, her own guilt at what she’d done, was overwhelming

Jinxy dropped to her own knees and tried to hold back her tears. This is what trust did to you. Just, broke your heart. 

A metal clang sounded as the door from Amir’s quarters opened, and the captain peeked his head out. Water dripped from towel-dried hair, thankfully no longer covered in sand.  He’d missed the initial confrontation to wash up, which may or may not have been for the better. Heavy boots trudged down the corridor and stopped just in front of Jinxy as the captain crouched down.

[color=c45d3b][b]“I’m guessing she’s here?”[/b][/color] he asked, shooting a brief, scathing look towards the locked door before returning his attention to the mechanic.

[color=6ecff6]“Yeah. She’s here,”[/color] Jinxy said, looking up at the captain, and rubbed her eyes, trying to fight off the tears more. [color=6ecff6]“Dunno if you wanna talk to her or not, but… she doesn’t fucking care.”[/color]

[color=c45d3b][b]“I’ll put on my best disappointed voice,”[/b][/color] he replied, holding out a hand (the stronger, more metal one) to help her up to her feet. [color=c45d3b][b]“And I probably won’t kill her?”[/b][/color]

Jinxy took his hand and with his help stood up. Amir kept an arm on her shoulder after patting her on the back in a sympathetic gesture. [color=6ecff6]“Amir… there’s something I should tell you. She wanted me to give her some fuel for some crazy bomb she’s making. I haven’t, yet, and now there’s no way in hell I am. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. But… goddamn I’m getting soft or some stupid shit like that. I should know better.”[/color]

[color=c45d3b][b]“S’all right. I guess if she’d – asked, I probably wouldn’t have given her so…”[/b][/color] Amir shrugged, only a small frown playing at the corners of his lips before he slammed on the door to the room with his mechanical arm.

Trish pulled herself off the floor, already assuming the worst, as always. She quickly gathered up the very few things she owned and stuffed them into her bag. The last thing was the small statuette of the grenade she’d found in the common room with Angel. When the knocking started at the door, she slipped that in her bag as well, and tried to steel herself. She opened it up with a glare coming forth, not expecting right away to see Amir. She stumbled over her tongue for a moment, [color=yellow][b][i]“Don’t worry about it, I’ll get off your damn boat, no need to bother telling me so.” [/i][/b][/color]She moved to push past him, but found it a bit more difficult than expected.

Amir’s gaze was steely, positioned firmly in the middle of the hall. One hand was already on the hilt of his sword, resting. Jinxy was on the other side of him, who was still looking like she was seconds away from crying. [color=c45d3b][b]“Not so fast, Trish,”[/b][/color] he said, expression serious. [color=c45d3b][b]“See, you’ve taken something that belongs to the ship and, you know, [i]me[/i] – where’s that canister?”[/b][/color]

Trish looked at him, surprised, but only momentarily so, as he was confirming her belief that money always came first. She tutted, [color=yellow][b][i]“I already put it back, go sell it for your gorram self. I’m done.”[/i][/b][/color]

Amir frowned, almost as if he couldn’t expect her to say something like that about him. [color=c45d3b][b]“Nobody’s selling them. They’re getting jettisoned. That’s what we, as a [i]crew[/i] decided.”[/b][/color]

Trish stared at him in complete disbelief, jaw hanging and all. Why would anyone destroy something so valuable? It made no sense to her. She straightened up a bit, [color=yellow][b][i]“Do what you want. It’s your ship, captain.”[/i][/b][/color] She struggled to pull free of him, to get away from this insanity and off this blasted ship.

[color=c45d3b][b]“[i]Point two[/i] – I’m not finished.”[/b][/color] Amir’s brows furrowed something fierce. [color=c45d3b][b]“Deal was, I got some criminals off of Godwin, I get a crew for my efforts. It wasn’t [i]cheap[/i], getting in to save you all,”[/b][/color] he said. [color=c45d3b][b]“I didn’t have any requirements for how law-abiding you were, didn’t care if you blew people up for a living or not, only that you were loyal and didn’t go off and make deals over fatal viruses and plagues that could kill thousands without my knowledge. So you’re staying.”[/b][/color]

Her disbelief was now mixed with fear. He’d just told her, without actually saying the words, that the entire crew was enslaved to him and his ship. The panic set in immediately, her breathing growing rapid, and her mind telling her to run. She shoved his chest as hard as she could, turning down the corridor, heading for the cargo bay, [color=yellow][b][i]“You can keep your other slaves, but I don’t do that. You can fuck off.”[/i][/b][/color]

Amir stared dispassionately. [color=c45d3b][b]“I guess the GA’s getting a call.”[/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]“Wait, what!?”[/color] Jinxy, who had just been watching most of this happen in front of her, knew that calling the GA was the worst thing he could do. For any of them.

Trish froze in her footsteps at his threat. She couldn’t be caged up again, tortured again. She turned and found herself unable to meet his eyes, the fear finally taking over, regressing her back to the woman that she was when they’d found her.

[color=c45d3b][b]“Here’s the thing – if it were you, Jinxy, or Beth, or hell, even Angel too, I would’ve let them go. But letting a terrorist out? That’s just asking for a lot of death on my conscience that I can’t take.”[/b][/color] He was speaking more towards Jinxy at this point, half-turned to face her. Then he switched towards Trish. [color=c45d3b][b]“If I hadn’t paid money for Sonny to gather a crew up, I would’ve left you on Godwin. But I didn’t, so it’s my responsibility.”[/b][/color]

Trish’s shoulders slumped, knowing that she was defeated. She couldn’t leave, and now was forced to stay where she was feared and despised and useless, seemingly. In a mutter barely over a whisper, [color=yellow][b][i]“Yes captain.” [/i][/b][/color]She started walking back toward them, toward the minuscule safety of her quarters. She glanced at Jinxy, and there was no hatred, no vengeance in her eyes. There was only pain and fear. She stopped, [color=yellow][b][i]“Do you need anything else, captain? Or may I go to my quarters?”[/i][/b][/color]

[color=c45d3b][b]“Don’t know where you’re getting that fucking robot-slave thing from for a start, considering I did promise a place on the crew on Godwin,”[/b][/color] Amir grumbled at the grown woman’s over dramatic turn, but eventually said, [color=c45d3b][b]“Do as you will, but don’t go selling space sickness. If you even stopped to consider whether it was good or evil, you’d still have full freedom.”[/b][/color]

She flinched at his words, her mind continuing to relive her past, [color=yellow][b][i]“Sorry captain.”[/i][/b][/color] She said no more to him, and moved forward.  Amir moved out of the way.

Jinxy looked at Trish, and sighed, looking away. She looked betrayed mostly. [color=6ecff6]“Trish… I’m sorry to say, but I can no longer give you what you need. Out of my hands.”[/color] She didn’t look back at the terrorist, just off in the distance.

After Jinxy spoke her piece, Trish just glanced over her shoulder, [color=yellow][b][i]“It doesn’t matter now anyways.”[/i][/b][/color] And with that, she left them, moving into her quarters, not even bothering to lock the door. She crawled into the center of her bed pulled her knees to her chest, but found the tears wouldn’t run. So there she sat, a prisoner in an unlocked cage.

Jinxy let out a sound, and started crying. Why it hurt as much as it did, she wasn’t sure anymore. Was it because of her trust? Was it because she had allowed herself to even try to get comfortable? 

Amir rested his arms on the metal railing, and stood stoically beside her – saying nothing but occasionally looking up in concern. After a moment, she started pulling herself together and wiped her eyes. [color=6ecff6]“Sorry you had to see that. But… what you said. I just… is that all we are? Is that…”[/color] She paused and then shook her head. [color=6ecff6]“Are we just something you paid for?”[/color]

[color=c45d3b][b]“No!”[/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]“Then what the hell am I huh!?”[/color]

Amir looked up, still just as serious as he was before. [color=c45d3b][b]“I paid for – hired, [i]hired[/i] – a crew. There was a time when what I just did would be considered [i]lenient[/i].”[/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]“Yeah, I’m aware of how Waegu work. And to think for a damned moment I... “[/color] Jinxy paused and looked away. [color=6ecff6]“Doesn’t matter.”[/color]

[color=c45d3b][b]“I’m [i]not[/i] a Waegu.”[/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]“You never really get away. You can lie to yourself and pretend you got away, but you and I both know, you [i]never[/i] get away from them.”[/color] Jinxy was biting the inside of her cheek, trying hard not to start crying again.

Amir pushed himself up from the railing, jaw clenched and arms crossed, but he didn’t dare look at Jinxy. [color=c45d3b][b]“Don’t presume, don’t assume, that you know anything about what I am. I’m not a [i]monster[/i].”[/b][/color] Maybe he was, once.

[color=6ecff6]“I just know Waegu.”[/color] Jinxy lifted her shirt, showing her own brand on her stomach. [color=6ecff6]“I… don’t want you to be a monster. I honest to some higher power up there want you to prove me wrong. I really do. I want to believe in [i]something[/i] again, but… I just… I’m sorry. I crossed a line. You know where to find me.”[/color] She tugged down her shirt and sighed. 

Amir bit back several replies, tasting something acrid at the back of his throat. Another him, a younger him, might’ve broken bridges completely at that point – exploded, pulled trumps with his arm and [i]his[/i] scars and disregarded anything she might’ve said, but now he was just tired. [color=c45d3b][b]“Yeah, I do,”[/b][/color] he said a little limply. [color=c45d3b][b]“I’ll call a group meeting or something tonight and… Jinxy?”[/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]“Look, I’m sorry… I won’t tell any…”[/color]

[color=c45d3b][b]“I’m sorry, too.”[/b][/color] But he didn’t say what for. Maybe he was sorry for what he had to do to make the crew function. Amir wasn’t entirely sure. 

Jinxy paused. [color=6ecff6]“I… am sorry. I just… honestly Amir. I’m tired. I want someplace I can feel safe and I was beginning to think it was here. But then this… and my comments were way out of line. I mean, I barely know you. What right do I have to judge. Besides, it’s not like you’re the only one with a past. But, I wanna know who you are now, not who you were. I just hope you feel the same. Ugh… what am I saying. Sorry. I’ll just, go now.”[/color] Jinxy sighed and rubbed her face.

Amir called after her – without moving from his position, [color=c45d3b][b]“If you want to believe in anything, believe that I’ll go through hell and high water to keep my crew safe.”[/b][/color]

[color=6ecff6]“That, I can believe Amir. But I’m still sorry. Probably burning my bridges, like I always do.”[/color] She muttered the last part to herself as she turned again.

Amir disappeared, hopping down towards the cargo hold so swiftly that the word almost wasn’t. [color=c45d3b][b]“Nonsense.”[/b][/color]

Jinxy blinked for a moment, almost sure she had misheard, but she hadn’t. She smiled for a moment before heading back to the engine room.