2010-07-31: You Get What You Give

Players:

Jinx_icon.jpg James_icon.jpg

Summary: James discusses Jinx's attitude at her.

Date: July 31, 2010.

Log Title: You Get What You Give

Rating: PG.


Xavier Mansion - Spuyten Duyvil Cove

This little cove leads off to Breakstone Lake. Students can go fishing, boating, and swimming in the fresh water. There is a small beach off to the side of the dock where students can also go sunbathing.


The night is beautiful. The moon hangs in a luscious crescent in the starry sky and the crickets chirp at a quick tune. On the lake, milky reflections shimmer over the surface of the water. On the beach at the cove there is a girl. She is blonde, with long bangs that hang in front of her eyes. Dressed in a short skirt and tank top, she sits on a blanket with a lantern besides her and a small mirror propped up in front of her. A hand reaches up to fiddle with something on her ear, and the girl shimmers, hair changing to a blazing unnatural red.

Some distance behind the girl, at the forest's edge, a pair of large, black eyes watches. Four large paws press into the dirt before shifting weight reduces the number to two. Now standing, the creature leans against a tree, keeping his form as hidden as possible as he spies on the unknown, unwary beauty to his beast. Moving around to get a better look, James steps on a fallen twig and snaps it, the reverberations echoing clearly.

Jinx has just tuned to black, and turns her head to the sound of the twig, instantly alert and aware that she is being watched. "Who's there?" she asks, breathing in a good breath to try and scent the wind, though it blows against her and blocks her enhanced senses. "C'mon out. I know you're there."

"Just me, Jinx," James says from a distance after his ears glean some recognition from her voice. "I was trying to pass by without disturbing you, but failed." He's far enough away, his lie should go undetected…maybe? Stepping out where she can see him, the Gnoll is wearing his usual attire and has the smell and appearance of being freshly bathed and clothed. A side effect of tonight’s extra training with

Jinx breathes in at the sight of the gnoll. "Hey James," she actually smiles. "What are you doing out here? I didn't expect anyone out here…" except the few people who know that this is her favorite place to hang out. Seeing him still prickles her fur, as she hasn't quite shaken off the memories of Selene and her badness. She looks back to the mirror. "What do you think looks better? Purple or blue?" She dials between the two.

James is too far off to pick up Jinx's remaining distrust his body recently caused her, so misses out on the chance to comment. "I just got out of practice. Kenta had me fighting dinosaurs tonight. I think it was his way of bonding with me, I dunno…" He shoves his hands into his pockets and starts walking over, "You look different with that thing on," Captain Obvious states for the record, "This what you looked like before?" He keeps his distance, but does answer her question, "Blue."

Jinx tunes the thing to blue and leaves it here. She smiles up at the hyena, regardless. "Thanks… and dinosaurs? Awesome. I want to fight dinosaurs," she grins, her human face sorta on the pudgy side, with freckles across the bridge of her nose. At his question, she pauses, nodding. "Yeah," she says softly. "What I would look like if… y'know. At least, I hope. You never know, though. Maybe I would have gotten terrible acne or something."

James shrugs, "Well, we're on the same normal team now, we can probably convince Kenta pretty easily. Especially if he thinks it'll mean we like him." It's a perceived weakness that James sees in his teacher; though he's not necessarily willing to take advantage of it. Quite the contrary, actually—at the moment, "I might see it we can get him a 'Best Team Leader' cake or something to break in the new team. Seems like a nice thing to do for him." The hyena looks over at the girl for another long moment, "You look fine to me…and who knows…you might look like it again." Subconsciously, James reaches to a cargo pocket and pats it, double checking that his inducer is there.

Jinx glances up to the hyena and shakes her head. "No… no. It doesn't work that way for me," she says quietly. Fiddling with it again, she blossoms with dark fur and swirling white patches; her native form. She draws her claws through the luxuriant long fur of her tail and smiles. "This is what I am. The rest is a disguise now. And hey.. a cake would be really nice," she pauses and regards him for a long second. "You're being really nice. You feel okay?"

James raises his nose and gives the girl a rather downcast look, "I can throw you in the lake if that'll make you feel any better about me." He sniffs, eyes never moving, "You've been here for what…3 months? In that time have you honestly taken the time to get to know me? Or have you relied upon the rumors? Maybe your experiences with Selene? Or for that matter does anyone really know the real me? Would they care to?"

Jinx bristles a little. "You're right. I don't know you at all. Never claimed that I did," she turns back to the lake, and with a vindictive hand, slaps the mirror down with a hand. "I don't really know anyone at all."

James shrugs, "Three months is a long time to go without knowing 'someone.' You've been trapped with us all since you came from SoCal. If you don't at least know Robyn by now you're probably not trying very hard. But,
hey…that may be your thing and I'm not here to judge." He looks up at the sky and falls silent.

Jinx's eyes narrow at him. "You know an awful lot about me. How do you know all this… and why?" she asks after a pause. Her ears fold back. "There's knowing someone, and *knowing* them. People say things and do other things all the time. You know that as well as I. You can smell it on them. You can't tell me that the lies don't bother you too."

James sits down, invited to do so or not, and gives her a very flat look, "Because 'you' told me. You told me what type of family you came from, what you thought of your mom, your brother…the web thing, that you like burritos.. What it was like where you lived." There's a shrug as he looks away, "We've had these conversations and more. Yet you never remember after the fact you even talked to me—or that the only time you talk to me is if I accidentally come across you or if I find some way to bribe you. And other people? Yeah…bugs me too…but it's what they all do.”

"Everyone here has a problem with me, right off. Except Robyn," she holds up a finger for that exception. "You have a problem that I am not seeking you out to have someone else tell me off? Well, sorry." She curls her arms around her knees.

James shakes his head, "Nope…just something I've noticed. Same way I've noticed that every non-'I got something you want' conversation we have ends like this. What was it, last week? Dunno what I said, but you got all bent about it. All I remember is that we were talking about me at the time." There's a pause, "Right off, huh? So, I had an issue with you when I took you on that tour?"

"No, you were pretty nice. If I remember right," she doubts her own memory now. Maybe she has gotten it wrong all along. Her brows draw together and she breathes a soft sigh. "Look, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm not keeping score, I just have a memory for details sometimes," the hyena says with a shrug. "Look, people are gong to have issues with you here for no good reason. Hell…every time something goes missing, I get blamed for stealing it. Yet, I've never 'actually stolen' anything. It's assumed." He leans back on his arms, "However you're going to act is however you're going to act. I'm not gonna tell you to do otherwise because I don't think we react all that differently. Just remember that you sleep in the bed you make. Right? And it takes a certain type of person not to mind that." Sorta like how James sees himself.

Jinx nods her head, and rests her chin on her knees. "Right. Yeah, I understand," her gaze slips, and she looks out over the water, falling silent for a few long minutes. "I guess I have a lot to think about."

James shrugs and stands, the silence his queue to leave, "Whatever…" It's her space on the beach, he just happened upon it tonight. And it's not like he's got any right to be telling anyone anything. "Gonna go, see you at practice or whatever." He stands, shoves his hands into his pockets and starts walking off, "You say I was being too nice. Ask Robyn about the pie I brought him and Connor after the two got into a fight. Made them sit down and talk it out. They've been friends since." He keeps walking until he's blanked by darkness and vanishes.

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