Inbox

[conflictresolution]

"Leave a missive, but be brief about it."

[Text | Voice | Video | In-Person]

Comments

cw: being a nsfw drunk troll

[opheliac]

[ the music is indeed loud, but surprisingly the song of choice isn't chaotic like the nightclubs. it's more on the mellow side -- classical jazz, to be exact. and the locals (the demographic seemed to be for the older crowd, maybe mid-twenties and up) paid no mind of the duo as they focus on their games, their conversations, or their drinkings.

his daughter instantly lets go of her father's arm once they are fully inside, then skips her way to the bar to sit on the stool. the unexpected appearance of jinx startles the poor bartender, and she eyes him exceedingly close while teething over her lower lip. ]

Hi.

[ she greets him with a slight messy grin with a provocative tone to match. her arms fold steadily on the table-top, leaning in like she's some sort of predator and pondering over whether to play with her food now or just... go straight for the kill. ]

"Uh, hi. What can I get for you tonight?"

[ the teen hums smoothly over the question, pretending to really think this over. ]

I dunno. Something... good. Something that'll make me feel... really good.

[ her eyes dances around him, from the tip of his head to as low as the bar table is allowing her to see. then her grin widens more, and it's coated with so much mischief that anyone could cut it with a knife. ]

You got something like that behind there?

[ needless to say, the bartender is looking pretty perplex by this exchange, and given people come here to drink... he makes the assumption jinx means a beverage. ]

Well, uhm, we have a wide selection that you can choose from to help you unwind.

— Mmhm, uh-huh. And tell me, what gets you unwind?

[ it's like she completely forgot she is here with her father.... ]

[solitarysoul]

i won't let you down Sir.

[grappler]

[she doesn't really seem to think too much on the problematic bit of her memories. she doesn't consider that there's nothing wrong.]

yeah, we are. for a little while, in that place... we weren't? or something? but i'd never leave her like that.

[oh, Vi...]

that part's straightened out, at least.

during dinnertime.

[opheliac]

[ this particular evening is different from all of her previous nights so far. and what separates this one from the others is that once the duo finish their dinner, jinx will not venture out to paint the town red until the sun comes up. actually, if she has to be in the sunlight any more than a minute, she might just blow the stupid star into orbit. but seeing ragna's explosive rage caused their entire life to flip a one-eighty, maybe it wouldn't be such a smart idea to obliterate the luminary.

so tonight, instead, she will have a nice, quiet, and dark sundown in with her father. besides, these past few nights might have left silco lonely, and if the shoe was on the other foot -- she'd... be pretty peeved over his late night work shifts. at the dinner table, jinx ducks her head down with her hand over her forehead, shielding away the already overshadowed kitchen light from her visual perception. if only shimmer or the food she is currently digesting can nurse a hangover. but it seems like not even a good cook meal or scientific serum can save her from this intense pounding to her temples.

the teenager spears at her dinner mindlessly until her smartphone that's resting just inches away vibrates to life. she grimaces at the sound, and irritation fills her instantly without knowing exactly who is contacting her. who would be at this hour anyway? it's not extremely late at night yet, but normally, all the other nobodies would be having supper time like them right now. maybe her sister? ragna? could be urgent. ... but for now, she'll ignore it till her frustration subsides. ]

Need a refill?

[ she asks, finally glancing up to silco and then to his glass. he isn't so old and vulnerable that he can't fill his own cup if he feels it needs it. however, she wants to be kinder to him and show her appreciation. ]

[conflictresolution]

You've had sibling up and downs. It's normal I'm told.

[He was so close to having a go at her, to screw up her memories more. He was more offended that this place would dare let her think they could do more than dislike each other for the threat they were to one another.]

And how many fights have we had, you and I?

[conflictresolution]

[He made absolutely no effort to keep her arm, expecting that she could and would keep to her feet with the press of people and music all around her. This was the environment she lived in, and while he kept his office relatively quiet, the boom of a base was never too far away from the floor boards. He was in no hurry to cross the floor, allowing her ample opportunity to cause some trouble.

However, he did follow all the same, picking out an open games table for them to eventually make their way to. His hands were tucked into his jacket pockets as he approached leisurely, and the confused discomfort of the bartender was plainly obvious. She was rather drunk already, so of course she'd be going for terrorizing someone. That was so normal he didn't even blink at it.

Still, he came up behind her as she rested against the bar, his expression that of a patient parent with their drunken naughty child.]

I'll have a whiskey to unwind, and my daughter will have a bellini in the biggest fishbowl of a glass that you have. It will, at least, keep her hands occupied for ten minutes.

[Two could troll after all.]

[conflictresolution]

[Silco was forcing his own habits to change when it came to the time in and around dinner time. Yes, he cooked and often cleaned up when Jinx popped up and ran out the door to indulge in the new town setting, but he waited until she had done so before returning to work. He would, at times, walk the town to learn it and figure out the best places to set up the next venture to allow him to gather information and create an ever expanded reach. That he had to do it personally was a bit of a pain after so long with a subordinate that was so effective as Sevika.

He pushed around his food more than ate it, a grazer more than a full-meal kind of person. He had eaten his fill already, and he was instead far more interested in observing his daughter with her newest hangover symptoms. When her phone buzzed and she ignored it, he set down his fork and sat back in his chair. Normally, she would jump at the chance to converse with someone, usually making whatever plans for a night on the town.

His eyes drift to his cup, which was only a quarter full. He hadn't planned on drinking much more as he was setting up all the necessary permits for the new business.]

Are you staying in tonight? Someone didn't offend you, did they?

[Read: did he need to pay someone to make a corpse go in a body of water?]

[opheliac]

[ his first question wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but the follow-up one had her squinting in sheer bafflement. ]

Wha...?

[ his daughter drops her fork as well, and rejects his ask with a wave of a hand. she doesn't want to confess the reason of her staying in is due to her migraine being so massive that she wants to curl up into a ball and cry. although even if she decides to keep it unwraps, she looks utterly repulsive with her hair unkept and like a cat chewed her up and spat her back out. ]

N-No, no. Everything's fine, Silco.

[ jinx mutters as she sits more upright, trying to look a little bit presentable but also nonchalantly. ]

I just wanna stay in. Besides, no one can offend me. [ and then, she beams a smile towards his way. ] — I'm unbreakable.

[opheliac]

[ the anxious barkeep exchange glances between the duo, unsure what to make of them until silco clarified their relationship. for family, they look nothing alike, but the man dare not to question their likeness. and what did he mean by keeping her hands occupied? what... would happen if they were free? well, it's not in his job description to ask, and hopefully not to worry over. so the man clears her throat with a nod and scurries off more to the left to mix their drinks.

jinx resumes her corny smile and then peers over her shoulder to her father. it's a good thing he is here to order for the both of them, because if she was handed a menu, she wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of the printing. the teenager lifts an arm high above her hand, then stupidly slams her palm to the empty stool cushion next to her. ]

Sit [ slap! ] With [ slap! ] Me...!

[conflictresolution]

[He cast a side-eyed look at Jinx for her smile as the barkeep went off to arrange for their drinks. He was going to need to get some food into her soon enough, knowing that he had the capacity to carry her home if he needed to but wouldn't have the adrenaline like last time. Besides, he doubted she even knew he had done that, unwilling to leave such an important task to anyone else. He surrounded himself with massive bodyguards so he didn't have to carry things, but his daughter... that would always be a responsibility that he would take seriously.

He regarded her with the same parental patience of someone who had endured these kinds of antics for many years and had come to accept them as part and parcel of his child. He eased himself onto the stool once she had finished slapping it and reached over the counter to grab one of the menus that he saw peeking up a corner.]

What would you like to eat? They have squid. [

[conflictresolution]

You don't look fine.

[He said that simply, as if he were merely talking about the weather forecast rather than her state of being. There was something wrong, and he had various tactics to get her to open up to him. In the end, it was very rare that she wouldn't give him some semblance of the issue at hand, and those odd mystery box scenarios were truly head scratching. This didn't seem like it would be one of those times.

He watched her for a long moment and hummed.]

Are you? Well, if you are staying in, what is it that you plan on doing for the evening? Tinkering, drawing, or telling me that you're bored?

[opheliac]

[ she gets overly giddy when silco takes the seat next to her, enough that she's doing a little dance over him accepting her invitation. when he has the menu in hand, jinx cranks her neck to take peep despite the words are jumbling into one big cluster of a mess. the squid does sound appetizing, and instead giving her father a full answer, she plants her head against his shoulder. ]

I wanna eat rich.

[ jinx says finally in a soft and relaxing tone. ]

... Like this world is entirely ours with no one telling us what to do or how to do it, and no one can ever hurt us again. So... squid's good, if it's fancy.

[conflictresolution]

[His expression did not change when Jinx danced around near him, pretending to only be focusing on the menu. He did not like having his back to so many strangers, and he was still getting used to being out in the open regularly. The normal faire of people that had him on their bucket list to murder were down to a small handful, so he could be out more freely. Besides, new city and his daughter would definitely murder someone for touching him, so he was fine to be here.

He snorted softly at her claim to eat rich. There were far more high-end establishments than this that would serve far better quality food. Still, this would have to do as he wasn't going to carry her to fine dining. She would definitely throw food at someone, and he would be hard pressed not to laugh. He had his reputation to consider.]

That will be true soon enough, Jinx. For now, we will eat like that is already our lives. They have no reason to stop us.

[Besides, this was a good opportunity to size up the competition for when he brought in the Last Drop and barred the sister from it. Not that she'd listen. Anyway.]

[opheliac]

[ her grin limps when she fails to convince him, and her mood gradually dries. she prays this is not yet another cross-examination where she needs to spill her guts out over her reasoning. can't she just stay in because she wants to? does everything need to have some hidden deep meaning?

... well, there is a motive beyond just the migraine she's suffering from, and it's a topic she would like to avoid tackling. except that the particular subject is buzzing at the table for the second time now. again, not that she knows it's that said person reaching out to her -- jinx still has yet to take a peep over her phone. ]

I just... partied too hard, that's all, okay?

[ his daughter hunches back to the table, shoveling her meal around to get it prepped up for digesting. ]

And I dunno, maybe all three. — Or make more bracelets. [ what an oddball hobby, she's aware - so she elaborates. ] It's a dumb hobby I picked up when I couldn't shoot anything.

[conflictresolution]

[He did have to wonder what sort of stray she may have begun associating with lately to cause such a headache in her. Normally, she would go hard with new people, which she had been doing, so staying in usually indicated some kind of fall out. Normally, she would be in a different mood than this, so he gauged her reaction carefully.

Yet, he could never deny the pleasure in her spending the night in. He was not a lonely person, content with being alone with his thoughts much of the time, but his daughter was a pleasure to deal with for him.]

So you require some recuperation time. I suggest drinking plenty of water and high fat foods.

[He had seen her taking up bracelet making. It was good to keep her hands occupied honestly, and he was just as happy that she had busied herself. He disliked that this place had handicapped her creativity in such a way. If he had his previous resources, he would have already removed such obstacles, but he too was handicapped by this place. He needed more time.]

I know. So you have four activities to do tonight.

[grappler]

[there's a long silence as she considers. she's not sure why he's asking, but she's just going to answer.]

a few. we don't always see eye-to-eye, but... that's parent ups and downs. it's normal.

[girl,]

1/3

[opheliac]

[ she bobs her head thoughtfully over his suggestion, like it's the first time she had ever heard such a solution. it's not to mock him honestly, jinx is just going along with the conversation as a family should during dinnertime. because beyond the topic of aldrip going through a drastic makeover, there isn't much to talk about these days. although, the second month is coming up -- meaning fresh meat will be on the way. that is if this new version will continue its routine of newbies. ]

Mm, yeah. Water. Y'know, they should really bruise up the stuff. It gets soooo boring without any flavor. Maybe put a dash of lemon or a peach! That'll put a real kick to the step of recovery.

2/3

[opheliac]

[ — a third shiver from her phone, and this time, her ability to ignore it wears off. her content attitude whips drastically to rage as she stretches for the device with a snarl. whoever the hell this person is, better be on their deathbed or bleeding out to be bothering her like this. and if they're not, she'll make sure they're in that state whenever her head is done swimming. ]

Uugh, what?!

[ the shout isn't to her father, but to the unknown person on the other side of the appliance -- with her fingers busying quickly to unlock and swipe through whatever she needs to do in order to retrieve said messages. ]

3/3 cw: voices

[opheliac]

[ when she gets to it, there is silence -- her eyes darting hastily to read over the messages (and looking over an image that's been attached). the fury cools by the second and her face softens as she scans on, now with her cheeks warming for an entirely different reason. jinx is trying to keep a straight face, to maintain the annoyance that clutch to her like a shadow minutes before -- but a small twitch of a smile is seeping through (despite sucking in her lips to prevent it from growing).

finally, his daughter scoffs and sets the phone back face down, muttering a "yeah right, moron" underneath her breath. as she reaches for her fork once more, a quick yet uncomfortable string hits her left temple -- sharp enough to cause her head to slant briefly. ]

S-Shaddup. It's not happening again, okay? I'm not stupid...

[opheliac]

HA! — A birdie told me Jerry might be... [ she uses her index finger to demonstrate the illusion of someone slicing a throat with a skkrt sound effect to go along with it. ] — Jinxie hasn't seen him around lately. And when I chatted with Raggie sometime ago, he hadn't heard from him either, and he's the one who blew 'em all up!

[ it's a little strange, to say the least, but she has her own little theory about his disappearance. does she believe he will show up eventually? oh, most certainly. but until he does, she should wreak havoc while the getting is good. ]

Definitely not fair in my eyes. I'm starting to think the council just doesn't like girls who have a brain between their ears.

[conflictresolution]

You are aware you can add flavouring whenever you like?

[He was used to his teenage daughter being dismissive of certain topics of conversation. He had been much the same when he was her age, perhaps even worse given his position and the lack of cohesion in the Undercity at the time when it came to political movements. No matter.

The fact that she had her phone continually going off was mildly annoying, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't ignore it. She craved friends and connection far more than he did; he had long ago resigned himself to keeping most at arm's length. His purpose here was to build a future for her, not for himself.]

You don't have to stay if you have people who wish to spend time to you. I won't be offended.

[opheliac]

No!

[ instantly, jinx winces over how drastic and quick that flew out of her, and she bites back her bottom lip to control herself. too little, too late. his daughter shakes her head and shoos away a strand of her blue locks away from her vision of the man in front of her. she tries again, but now stumbling to make a strong sentence structure. ]

I-I mean... no. [ her gaze dip and fixates on the meal before her, steadily losing her appetite but not entirely -- thank goodness. her stomach will have revenge on her later if she decides to call it quits now. ] — I want to be with you tonight. Really, I mean it. It'll... be better for me to.

[ the last confession is quiet, but loud enough to reach her father's ears. her newly found gang have been great so far, and ethan's been... a nice distraction. but she needs to keep her distance for many reasons. for one thing, they're not even real people. jinx is aware all the locals are just some fabricated technology mumbo jumbo the council cooked up to give the chosen something to do. and second, jinx wears her heart on her sleeve whether she's self-aware about it or not, and she doesn't want to make the same mistake twice by showing her vulnerability then get crushed. especially when it comes to boys. ]

[conflictresolution]

[Ah, he could understand on some level what was bothering her, and there was a lecture that he could rouse himself for if he wanted to. Instead, he let her have her space to push around her dinner at will and they could simply have some quiet moment of understanding between them. Obviously another boy, but she was taking her time. Good. At the rate she was going, he was going to have to invest in a public graveyard to hide all the corpses he'd be collecting.]

Very well. You know, I've been thinking. I don't have that old ashtray that you decorated for me here, and the one I use now is terribly plain. You should decorate it.

[He gestured at the plain black ashtray in front of him with a hand. He had recently cleaned the ash out of it, so it was rather clean. It didn't have her graffiti all over it, which he found displeasing. His office back in The Lanes had been filled with little gifts from her after all.]

What would you say to my seeing if our 'overlords' would be willing to bring The Last Drop here?

[conflictresolution]

A temporary reprieve from his usual interferences, or they will employ someone new. After all, Jerry is about as real as the rest of this place. [He recalled what Levi told him privately about Jerry's shift in appearance, which only built the narrative that they were all being held here as some kind of silly hostage experiment. He didn't mind much, as he had enough freedoms to do most of what he wanted to.] We should consider his lack of enforcer presence as a boon.

[It also made him want to see what would happen if someone blatantly began to break things again. How would the Council summon those that resisted? Perhaps it was time to test the boundaries of this place to see if Jerry's disappearance was truth or an illusion.]

I have the impression the Council doesn't like anyone who can't adhere to their rules. Perhaps they will loosen up now that the brute had done his job.

voice

[melnik]

[ Quite some time has passed since Miller had played darts against Silco at the party. Since, he'd figured out the identity of the daughter he was lamenting about... and after hearing some of her concerns for himself, well, let's just say he finds himself wondering how the two of them are holding up post-some murderer leaving toxic organs strewn around town. ]

Silco? It's Miller.