expiationlogs | ★ SEP. (CATCH ALL); pipe down with the noise, i cannot bear my sorrow

[ Well. That sure isn't an angle he expected from her. It's not that she doesn't have a point ─ in fact, that's a surprisingly insightful remark. He tilts his head to the side, narrowing his eyes as he speaks. ]

... Sure have. It's kinda like... dunno, they're not real people? More like they're just some extras in this whole messed up drama.

[ If he was more of a gamer, he'd go for the NPC comparison, but alas, he only has a more generic one to offer. Sure, he's noticed the souls of the locals feel... kind of different from what he's used to, but he chalked it up to being from a different world and everything.

Paranoid as he tends to be, he's not sure if he wants to go down a rabbit hole of "what if" that isn't the case. ]

Either that or they're hiding stuff from us. ( a twirl to now have her back facing him, fists ball at her sides again. )

— And they are gonna tell me what I wanna know. They got two more tries with me and if they give me squat, I'll have my bombs make 'em be chatterboxes.

( despite all of her threats and not able to know if she is fooling around or serious, this particular one is definitely coming across she is going to hold truth to her word. )

That too.

[ He has no doubt the citizens of Aldrip are keeping secrets from the Chosen, but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't oblivious to other things. Ragna knows from experience that the majority of people spend their whole lives without ever learning about the machinations that operate how the world works.

No comment on her threats to blow people up. Partially because he doesn't care that much, but also because he's fairly certain he can stop her if it comes down to it, so... eh, it's not that big of a deal. ]

So, what are you trying to find out, anyway?

There's a tower I wanna check out. ( she says simply, idly dragging her nails over her forearm as they continue on. )

But these screw for brains aren't telling me zip about the place. Like... how long does it get there or what's in there? Is guarded by magic or spooks?

( because given how monsters are on the prowl in certain areas and this continent carries different variety of people who are mystical creatures, magic users, or just... something else, she wouldn't put it pass anything there's a barrier or some sort possibly blocking anyone from getting in. )

[ Ragna noticed there are scratches on her body, but he figured she must have gotten them by climbing trees, rolling around in bushes or whatever it is a feral child like her would do. Seeing her drag her nails across her arm, though, he briefly wonders if that's some kind of nervous tick he'd never noticed before...

Ah well, probably nothing to worry about. And why the hell would he worry about her in the first place? It's not like he's her caretaker or some shit.

With that inner conflict resolved, he swiftly moves on to the main topic. ]

A tower, huh?

[ He assumes she means something outside of Aldrip, since he hasn't seen anything that could be described as one over here. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn't really... ventured out into the world much, has he? He really has no clue what's around this town other than "forest". He didn't bother learning more about the place simply because he doesn't care and was hoping to leave this world as soon as possible, but since this is clearly not going to happen, then maybe he should work on changing that. ]

... Guess there's only one way to find out.

By knocking some sense outta these empty heads until they tell me?

( because besides just going there somehow, the obvious thing is to threaten the morons so they'll spill their guts out about everything she needs to know. and her father already gave her the "okay" to do so as long as she doesn't hurt them too badly. which she won't, of course. jinx will her do her damnest to follow orders this time around now her father is alive and... well-ish. )

I was thinking about strapping them to a tree, and then leaving them overnight 'till they're ready to tell me.

[ ... And now she wants to publicly torture people. Lovely. Ragna might not have much of a moral high ground here, considering the things he's done, but he likes to think he's at least not cruel (some, especially his victims, would argue with that, he imagines). Maybe he's not the right person to frown upon pointless violence, but even he has standards! ]

By checking it out yourself! What the hell is wrong with you?!

[ Part of this is also because he wouldn't actually trust anything the locals tell him; in his experience, it's far easier and faster to explore whatever it is you're interested rather than hoping to get any useful and accurate information from other people. ]

( stopping and glancing over her shoulder to her partner, the girl frowns in a slight pouting notion -- eyes narrowing in irrigation. because didn't she just explain herself seconds ago? she really hates repeating herself. )

Whaddya mean "what's wrong with me"? — I already told you. I'm working...! This is how I do it.

( jinx reaches over to scratch her neck quickly then over to her clawed forearm again. )

I think I should be asking you what's your problem. 'Cause I can't just go there myself without knowing the basic details, moron.

[ Right. "Working". Ragna lets out a resigned sigh, realizing they probably have vastly different definitions of that one, but this wouldn't be the first thing they disagree on. Still, it's not like he actually wants to get in her way; he just thinks she can achieve whatever it is she's trying to accomplish with fewer victims involved. ]

All I'm saying is there are simpler ways of dealing with that.

[ He folds his arms on his chest, wondering how to resolve this problem. He's not exactly great at helping people, unless one counts knocking them out cold until they stop being stupid as such.

... Maybe it's worth considering, but he'll try another angle first. ]

You know it exists, so obviously you're ahead of the people here, for one. Any idea where it is? Knowing that should be enough.

[ Ragna is not... a paragon of planning ahead. As far as he's concerned, he can just charge into any place he wants to check out and worry about the consequences later. Gathering intel before infiltrating the place? Why bother when you can just blow the whole place up if things go south? ]

The tablets got a crap-o map-o attached to it. But it's in a bird's eye view. You can't really make heads or tails outta it besides heading west.

( maybe that's enough, but if there's one thing jinx knows about traveling from place to the next, it's never just that simple. the map could be excluding traps, a fork in the road, or an endless pit in the middle of the path they could lead into anyone's doom. and there must be someone upon the locals who has a more detailed map than what they've been provided with. )

[ Oh right, the tablets... He hasn't paid those any mind, since he's not... exactly great at working with technology like that. Looks like he's missing out on something potentially useful, huh. He might need to rethink getting involved with that, it seems. ]

West, huh? Sounds like you've got the info already.

[ To Ragna, the direction is about all one needs to travel. It's how he's spent the past few years back in his world, even though most people couldn't dream to survive even a single a trip like that. ]

( he seriously can't be this thick, right? because if so, her partner really needs to get some sort of reality check. with her face falling into a further frown, jinx rolls her eyes before blowing air at her bangs to move away from her vision. )

Focus, Genius. From here to Rumpitur, it takes a single day to get there. That's nothin' really, but this tower is on the other side of this place. If Rumpitur takes THAT long on foot with it being just around corner, how long do you think traveling to the spooky tower will take?

( and not giving him room to answer or think about it, she replies quickly: )

PROBABLY YEARS!

( okay she knows that's a complete exaggeration. it might take two weeks or something on foot, but that's besides the point she's making. )

— You see how that's not cutting it? I can't just shimmer all the way through without stopping. I'll probably kill over. 'Sides, my companion won't make it either. So there's gotta be another way to get there. Quicker and without us dying half way there.

[ Excuse him if he looks a little bewildered at her reasoning. Sure, it might take a couple of weeks to get there, but so what? It would often take him months to get from one Hierarchical City to another, all of which he spent in the wilderness without any trace of civilization in sight. ]

... You don't travel on foot much, do you?

[ Let's not beat around the bush ─ given her reactions, he can only assume she's never stepped out of a city environment before coming to this world. Not that it's an unusual thing; most people of his world barely leave the cities they live in, either, and even on a rare occasion that they do, it's by a train or an airship anyway, since no one is insane enough to try and travel in the plains, where the concentration of the seithr is at its highest. ]

It's not that big of a deal. You just gotta hunt for your food, set up a campfire every night, make sure you always know where the nearest source of water is... basic survival stuff.

[ The man shrugs casually, like it's completely normal to want to spend weeks walking through the forest, and in all fairness, it is only natural to him. Hell, he even kind of prefers that to being stuck in huge cities full of people.

Though there's something else in her whole speech that's caught his attention, so he might as well address it, too. ]

So, you've got a companion now?

[ He really hopes she's not talking about her weapons again... ]

Zaunites didn't get to travel much unless you're a sailor. And even then, that's 'cause you got some deal with the Topsiders to make it worthwhile for 'em.

( while the folks in piltover had their own little ways on how to transport food (mostly sweets) and what not, they knew when it came to seafood delicacies -- that was zaun's specialty. he makes traveling sound so easy and maybe following his footnote on how to she could survive it. but jinx is more concerned about her companion. ... speaking of, she beams at his question as she places her hands on her hips proudly. )

Yyyyep! And guess what? You will be protecting him too from here on out if he's ever in trouble. That's a strict order from me to you.

[ Figured as much. Ragna wonders if he should check the tower out himself; while he's fairly certain he could get there even with the limited information, it's the question of whether it's worth the effort. He might keep it in mind for when he does his own research... which, unlike that of Jinx, usually involves just sitting back in a corner and listening to people talk. In his experience, letting people ignore you and chat freely can work way better than pure force.

Not that the latter isn't helpful, so that's always an option, too.

When the girl proudly announces her new brilliant idea, Ragna's eyebrow twitches as his usual frown deepens. What's that about her ordering him around again? ]

That so? Funny, I don't recall ever agreeing to take orders from you.

I'm the one who established this lil' agreement, right? So what I say goes!

( right when she parts her lips to speak again, they shut back quickly then points a finger to the left of her. and who is pointing at is... nobody. )

Shut it. No one's talking to you.

( the teen's attention falls back to her friend as she takes a comedic high kick step forward (why? don't ask) then scoots up to his personal space. )

Besiiiiiides, we still need each other. You need my brains, speed, and engineering. And I need your ... — ( she does a circling motion with her hand over his entire figure. ) — all of this you got going on. Your powerful side.

Riiiiight.

[ Clearly, he's not convinced, rolling his eyes as he speaks. True enough, she's the one who came up with this whole "partnership" thing, but that doesn't mean she can order him around as she pleases; on the contrary, from where he's standing, he's gonna go through with this arrangement only as far as he feels like.

At this point, he's getting oddly used to Jinx's quirks, so he's not even that weirded out when she suddenly talks to... her imaginary friend or whatever, he just rolls with it. She's weird, but as long as it doesn't get him in trouble, then whatever. Once she moves closer to him, he visibly tenses up, uncomfortable with someone entering his personal bubble, but also too stubborn to take a step back. He's tempted to point out her supposed brains have yet to come into play for him, but... eh, is it really worth bringing up? At least she keeps the idea of the deal they have perfectly clear. ]

And? Who's the lucky bastard?

[ He's not saying he agrees to becoming someone's bodyguard, but he might as well ask before making a decision. ]

My old man! Have you met him yet? Pretty tall compared to me, fancy dressed, one eye isn't like the other. Can't really miss him!

( although there are plenty of people in this place with different colored pupils or something whacky with them -- herself included. so maybe this isn't the best description. )

Oh, oh! And he's pretty serious a lotta times. Mister Business Man is what my dad is. Always work, work, work, and never havin' any fun. — I'm trying to switch that up for him.

[ He kind of just nods along with a disinterested expression, until the actual meaning of what she's just said sinks in and he gapes at her with his mouth open. ]

Wait, what? Your old man is here?!

[ Tall, fancy dressed, heterochromia... wait, hasn't he met someone like that at some point? Sure, there can be any number of those here that he isn't aware of, but even his age would probably match up with being her father... which, quite frankly, only confuses him more. ]

And... it's that old fart?!

[ Way to be direct about it. Let's just say he and Silco didn't hit it off the way he did with his daughter. But even putting all that aside, what are the odds of so many people not just from her world, but ones that she's related to ending up in this world? ]

How the hell is your whole family here?! First your sister, now this...

[ Is Aldrip secretly a place of family reunions? ... Oh god, please do not let that be the case. ]

( it would be a terrible tumble down the rabbit hole if she told him that vi and silco weren't the only family who is here in aldrip. because quite technically, her brothers and vander are here too, just... not within sight for anyone else but her. and that's something she'll stuff in a chest with a padlock.

still though, jinx giggles over his reaction -- biting her lower lip from keeping herself roaring out than usual. )

Well, my big sis came first. Then me, then my old man. ( a beat. ) — But Silco isn't my biological dad though. He adopted me.

( "me", she says. not "us". isn't that strange? )

Edited 2023-10-07 21:20 (UTC)

[ To some, that would indeed feel strange; but considering Ragna himself has nothing to do with his siblings' new adoptive families, and as far as he knows, they don't have much in common with each other beyond both being noble families, either. So he's no stranger to adoptions, or families in general being... complicated. ]

That's one hella coincidence.

[ It raises even more questions and concerns about how exactly the people who end up here are being selected. There's no way it's just random chance if a whole family can end up here, but others are brought in alone. It doesn't seem to follow any sensible reason, at least not one he could figure out.

... But all that aside, there's probably something else he should mention. ]

... I've bumped into your sis back at the casino.

Oh ho, really? And what does she have to say?

( jinx can vision it all now (and it'll be crazy false), her sister gasping at the fact they're partners and warning ragna to stay far away from jinx as possible. that she is a danger to everything and everyone -- probably should be put away forever because of her love of havoc. and who knows? maybe her big sister will sprinkle in the fact she killed so many back home and it's crazy disturbed about it. it's obvious what the enforcer is feeding people so why wouldn't her big sister do the same? )

[ Ragna simply shrugs in response. ]

Not much?

[ He's not sure what she expected her sister to tell him, and Vi seemed a little confused about it, too. But there is one thing that came through quite clearly. ]

... I think she's worried about you.

[ Did she straight up tell him that? Not necessarily. Is he heavily projecting his own feelings towards his siblings onto whatever the hell is going on between these sisters? Possibly, but he refuses to entertain the idea. ]

( she is a little taken back by the answer, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. )

W-Waitwait, hold on. "Not much"? ( jinx repeats while looking around them as if the explanation would just pop out at them at any given second. )

— You mean, no "She's dangerous, stay away from her" or "Hey, be careful. She's off her rocker." or "My lil' sis is really crazy, don't get too close or trust her"? ... Nothing?

( because she could had sworn caitlyn would had drilled all sorts of things into vi's brain. those two became so inseparable that it makes her want to throw up her breakfast and dinner from the night before. is it possibly jinx gotten all of this wrong? that vi isn't under the enforcer's spell as deeply as she thought? )

[ It's Ragna's turn to look confused, rising his eyebrows at her response. ]

No...?

[ Why would she assume that...? Not that he doesn't think someone could say that about her, and he can imagine himself saying something among those lines about his little brother, but... that's exactly why he knows that even if Vi was to warn him about Jinx, he wouldn't exactly consider that a sign of her disdain for her sister. If anything, he'd probably think she's just worried about her. ]

Pretty sure she's concerned that you're getting yourself into trouble, but that's kind of a given.

[ Between Vi being her older sister and Jinx being, well, Jinx, it would be strange if she didn't immediately assume the girl got herself into some nasty business. ]

★ SEP. (CATCH ALL); pipe down with the noise, i cannot bear my sorrow

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cw: minor voices

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