Jinny made the faintest squeaking noise as her father plucked her out of her final strike. She struggled for a moment before realizing who it was. Slowly, she made eye contact, her fear obvious to anyone who was looking. When she realized that he was not upset at all, she relaxed mentally, dangling in the open air like a very small, very lethal kitten. It was a surprise that her father wasn’t angry. She had lost her temper. Showed her hand, or at least some of it. 

Maybe he was saving the punishment for later.

When Gizmo finally struggled to his feet, Jinny simply watched. He didn’t look all that bad; she’d had worse. As he shot her a look, she raised her chin with pride, meeting his eyes. There wasn’t need for revenge anymore. Gizmo wouldn’t dare laugh at her again.

The moment she was set down, Jinny smoothed her shirt and stowed her blade. Slowly, she let her eyes drift over the stares of her classmates. Confusion was evident in her face. What was the big deal? Wasn’t this a school for people like her? It wasn’t like Gizmo was dead, or anything. She had planned to stop, just before the killing blow. As the classroom started to change around the students, Jinny stood still, barely paying attention. While she didn’t outwardly show it, real fear started to twist her stomach. What if she didn’t belong here either? What if she didn’t belong [i]anywhere[/i]?

She shoved the anxiety down deep as best she could, before it took over her mind. Classes weren’t over, after all.  She tuned back in just in time to hear Slade explain what was to be done, and she wasted little time in approaching the weapons. As she was weighing her options for low tech weapons, one of her new classmates approached.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess he’s fast.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Didn’t even know he was coming.” That was true, actually. Jinny had been so focused that her environment had practically ceased to exist.