[ One small sentence sends a ripple of confusion through her, followed almost immediately by a spike of alarm. She can tell the message is not meant for her alone. She can feel Arthur's steady presence there as well, solid and grounding, which only deepens the confusion. Then she forces herself to steel. The confusion dulls, the alarm tucks itself away, and she focuses on what matters right now.
There are multiple people from Jinx's world in the dream. Vander and Silco, at the very least, the only two she knows for certain. That leaves only one conclusion she can reasonably draw. Jinx would never sever a connection because of Vander. He doesn't strike her as that kind of man. But... ]
Is this because of Silco? [ The question snaps out sharper than she intends, a thin edge of betrayal threading through the tether. They had spoken about this. Jinx had said she would speak to him, that she would sort it out. ]
[ Jinx's message is all at once sharp and clear as glass, opaque as gesso on board. Did she mean to send it to both him and Sharon? Knowing her moods could be mercurial, it's entirely possible she'd lashed out, uncontrolled.
But, something about how it's been said feelsβcalculated. Weighted. He rolls it around in his mind as surely as he does the red die in his pocket, letting the hard edges of both press in.
Sharon reacts first, her confusion colored by distress. Both are covered over in armor, ready for the possible argument. While he's heard the name she mentions, he doesn't know where Silco figures into Jinx's history or what they mean to her. Considering the sensation of being shoved he gets when he tries to reach across the mental bridge to Jinx, he doesn't suppose he'll be getting any helpful answers if he asks.
Instead, he falls back on familiar habits and looks for the patterns. The PASIV might not be here but that hardly matters; people are going to be people, whether they were dreaming or awake. Tracking backwards, he thinks about her sprinting barefoot from the Hosts, how she'd pleaded about something being a mistake. How she's said it's always on her, every time. And how she's talked a big game, blindingly brilliant, but shown fragile wonder at being asked to have dinner at the townhouse with him and Sharon. ]
[ there is stillness there, as if she is standing behind a cracked-open doorβwide enough for her to hear them, but secure enough to shield away her true emotions... except this isn't over via murmur, but through tight-knitted tethers where every sentiment is displayed on a window.
jinx has yet to figure out how to bury it all in the gutters, and they can feel her longing for them foaming in various places along their linked thread, but it is overshadowed by her heinous demeanor, her smile so tight that it could cut flesh on its own. the bluenette breathes out a ghoulish laugh; it's loud, obnoxious and vibrates through their connection. ]
Haha, oh, oh wait. You still think we're all paly-walies. How cute... and pathetic. β Boss man has nothing to do with this; this is all me. And I'm not running from anything.
I was just getting bored of pretending to listen to you loser slobs yammering in my ear and playing the part that I give a crap about either of you.
[ Whatever hurt Sharon feels curdles the moment she realizes she's being lied to. Worse, it comes with a shitty attempt to hurt her. Her jaw tightens until her teeth grind together, frustration flaring hot and sharp. Part of her wants to shove the connection down, bury it until she can deal with this without the pressure of the dream closing in on her.
The only thing that steadies her is Arthur's presence, already untangling the situation, searching for its core with a clear, methodical calm. He is stubborn too, but in a way entirely different from hers. ]
You really think we can't tell you're lying? [ The words come out tight, wrapped in something like coiled barbed wire. ] We're friends, Jinx. Tethered. That doesn't change just because some asshole shows up, don't care who it is.
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Date: 2025-12-18 03:27 am (UTC)There are multiple people from Jinx's world in the dream. Vander and Silco, at the very least, the only two she knows for certain. That leaves only one conclusion she can reasonably draw. Jinx would never sever a connection because of Vander. He doesn't strike her as that kind of man. But... ]
Is this because of Silco? [ The question snaps out sharper than she intends, a thin edge of betrayal threading through the tether. They had spoken about this. Jinx had said she would speak to him, that she would sort it out. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-12-19 05:53 am (UTC)But, something about how it's been said feelsβcalculated. Weighted. He rolls it around in his mind as surely as he does the red die in his pocket, letting the hard edges of both press in.
Sharon reacts first, her confusion colored by distress. Both are covered over in armor, ready for the possible argument. While he's heard the name she mentions, he doesn't know where Silco figures into Jinx's history or what they mean to her. Considering the sensation of being shoved he gets when he tries to reach across the mental bridge to Jinx, he doesn't suppose he'll be getting any helpful answers if he asks.
Instead, he falls back on familiar habits and looks for the patterns. The PASIV might not be here but that hardly matters; people are going to be people, whether they were dreaming or awake. Tracking backwards, he thinks about her sprinting barefoot from the Hosts, how she'd pleaded about something being a mistake. How she's said it's always on her, every time. And how she's talked a big game, blindingly brilliant, but shown fragile wonder at being asked to have dinner at the townhouse with him and Sharon. ]
What exactly are you running from, Jinx?
no subject
Date: 2025-12-19 05:06 pm (UTC)jinx has yet to figure out how to bury it all in the gutters, and they can feel her longing for them foaming in various places along their linked thread, but it is overshadowed by her heinous demeanor, her smile so tight that it could cut flesh on its own. the bluenette breathes out a ghoulish laugh; it's loud, obnoxious and vibrates through their connection. ]
Haha, oh, oh wait. You still think we're all paly-walies. How cute... and pathetic. β Boss man has nothing to do with this; this is all me. And I'm not running from anything.
I was just getting bored of pretending to listen to you loser slobs yammering in my ear and playing the part that I give a crap about either of you.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-20 03:55 am (UTC)The only thing that steadies her is Arthur's presence, already untangling the situation, searching for its core with a clear, methodical calm. He is stubborn too, but in a way entirely different from hers. ]
You really think we can't tell you're lying? [ The words come out tight, wrapped in something like coiled barbed wire. ] We're friends, Jinx. Tethered. That doesn't change just because some asshole shows up, don't care who it is.
Just tell us what's going on.