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[ whenever her father decides to take a pit stop or come into work at the last drop, what he will see when he enters the office is probably not at all unusual, given the fact she is his daughter, and he knows all of her weird antics.

for starters, on the couch, there is a stuffed shark wearing a robe. the way it's positioned on the sofa is given the expression that it's in agony of some kind. and if this doll is displaying such torment, then there's a very high probability that jinx is in link with the sea creature's misery. ]

[ there are more clues around his office that will give him the full picture of what's going on regarding jinx. the second thing is the small trash can by his desk — inside, would be three small empty cups of what seems to be ice cream with three wooden spoons. on the other side of his desk is an extension cord that climbs all the way up and disappears in the dark rafters. it's the only indication that jinx is even in the room, on the count of the silence that's currently filling the space's atmosphere. and speaking of filling the air, there's a very sweet aroma flowing around his office space, a scent of lavender vanilla from a candle on his tabletop right near his ashtray (almost all burnt out to its base). last, but not least, are two more items on his counter.

one, being a sheet pack of painkillers that's shown to be tampered with, two capsules missing from its packet. and then, a "written order" for one cup of chamomile tea she placed downstairs at the bar, sometime before she slugged her way into the office. hopefully the barkeep hadn't forgotten her order, but that is why she penned it down for silco to check on its status if she finds herself unable to move again. because just the mere thought of having to climb back down and head to the first floor is exhausting, and she would rather toss herself out of her hammock and knock herself unconscious than to do any kind of tasks. ]

[He arrived at the Last Drop to have a cup of tea pushed at him and the barkeep muttering about his daughter having arrived some time ago and requested it. That was about all the information that he required in his office, already imagining the kind of scene that Jinx normally came up with. It meant that he was almost never surprised when he ascended the stairs and opened the door to find some chaotic scene that usually came with a crayon scribbles all over the place.

It could have been worse. The stuffy shark in the robe was interesting, but the rest didn't seem to be particularly over the top compared to what Jinx could decide to do in his office. He shut the door and walked to his desk, examining her little set up and tipping his head to regard the darkened ceiling where her hammock would be stationed beyond the rafter supports of the roof.

He set the cup of tea on the corner of his desk. He noted the contents of the garbage can as he passed to his chair and sighed from his nose as he set his accounting book down and eased into his seat. He closed his blue eye to request internal calm for what he was about to endure, preparing patience. This was his role, and he would always do it.]

Your tea is here if you wish to have it. You'll have to come down for it. [He opened the book to a blank page.] Then you can tell me what's upset you.

[ it's good news that the barkeep hadn't forgotten her drink, but it's bad news that the only way to retrieve it is to move and hop down. what a calamity. regardless (after a few seconds of nothing), she drops to the ground to reveal being in her pajamas with her hair tied up in a big messy top bun. ]

Thanks.

[ she mutters, carefully takes the cup but still swapping it hand-to-hand due to the temperature. his daughter blows on it before taking a sip, and she hums dreamily at the taste and the lovely way it warms her insides. going back up to her perch with a hot cup is a disaster waiting to happen, so jinx, instead, strolls over to the couch where the shark rests — setting the mug down as she flops back onto the sofa. ]

I'm having the thing, just waiting for it to quit.

[ his daughter grabs a hold of the shark and has it collapse on top of her — her stomach, especially. ]

[He watched his daughter when she eventually made an appearance, and the pajamas made him wonder what was actually going on. He supposed his office here at the Last Drop remained one of the safest spaces for the two of them, so it was no wonder she would come here rather than the house. Besides, she still had bombs hanging from the roof in case of intruders.

He leaned back in his chair as she moved over to the couch with her mug of tea, and her vague explanation had him performing some mental math. No, that outcome was unlikely, thank Janna. It had to be something else he supposed.]

The thing being?

[He suspected, of course. There were only a limited amount of female body ailments that could make her act like that.]

Bloody waters...

[ and to add-on to her dramatics, she shimmies the doll to rest its entire body over her face, and lies there as if she is actually getting crushed and attacked by an enormous shark. but on the brighter side, she isn't whimpering over it — jinx had been through way worse pains than this, so this is merely child's play. but, still doesn't mean it's fun. ]

— I'm gonna spend the night here. [ she announces this somehow while her face is all hushed by the clothed figurine. ] 'Sides, I think it's going to storm.

[ jinx sticks her arm out and points up to the ceiling. ]

A real big one! It's going to be a glitched storm, I feel it in my toes. ... I get that, ya know. My toes tingle when it's going to rain.

[ ... or she could be bullshitting, as she often does. ]

Ah.

[As he suspected, and as much of a painful inconvenience for her to endure, it was a relief on his part that he wouldn't have to take measures into his own hands. At least he had time on his side, and he also had a curse in his back pocket which could come in very useful soon. Until then, he could at least be a presence for her as she made some dramatics of her current condition.

He unfortunately - or very fortunately - understand it, though he had endured it for nearly as long as he had known her for. Perhaps it had been one of the greatest tests of claiming her as his own family back in the day.]

In the hammock in the rafters I assume. Do you have a heating pad for yourself?

[It had seemed to be unnatural outside, but with the world falling apart, it was amazing any of their buildings were still standing at all. A storm would not be unusual.]

Considering we had acid rain in the Lanes that isn't surprising.

[ still becoming completely blinded by her stuffed toy, she swings her arm to point at a different direction -- a direction that's meant to point at her perch, but It's nowhere near the location. ]

I've got a heated blanket plugged up.

[ thus explains the long extension cord trailing up to her hammock. it's... most likely a safety hazard to some degree, but she has faith things won't go dire and the entire room won't burst into flames. her arm drops dead weight before she finally forces herself to sit up, but only so she can take a sip of her steaming, warm beverage. ]

Edited 2024-09-12 03:39 (UTC)

[He didn't even bother to look in the direction that she pointed, understanding what she meant. There was a reason she had a strangulation mechanism set up in his office that was against every fire code that ever existed. It was a good thing those inspections never happened in the Lanes; Chem-tech was far more unstable anyway.]

Very well. Is there anything that I can get for you that would help?

[Tea, heating blanket and hammock were all checks. He supposed the only thing missing may be chocolate, which wasn't much of a staple in the undercity. However, when one was as rich as he was, he often brought in delights for her to sample.]

[ as she gulps, jinx hums softly to herself while she contemplates. is there anything she might need to help her through the aching night? she took medicine already, which should dull the pains in due time, and the remedy works well as a sleep-aid too, so she'll be snoozing before she knows it.

her comfort food she had earlier as well, but she could go for something else... but maybe later if she's still awake. the last drop will be running and alive until late, and although the food bar will be closed for the customers, it won't be for her. his daughter sets the mug down on the coffee table, then settles back on the sofa — hugging her stuffie. ]

Think I'm good. [ a brief pause. ] — Hearing you work is enough.

[ because there's something so relaxing with listening to silco scribbling whatever with his writing pen, flipping papers, rummaging through his drawers, along with a clank of his lighter and the crackle of his cigar. and even when he had visitors, the way he speaks has a flowing waltz to it that she can't particularly describe. if only his guests had a similar stream to their tones, the way they raise their voice and complain to him had always been grainy to her ears. ]

Edited 2024-09-12 04:02 (UTC)

[He sighed and finally pushed himself from his chair to approach his alcohol cabinet, pulling out a tumbler and a bottle of whiskey. He forewent the ice this time, adding two fingers of amber liquid before stoppering the bottle and putting it away again. He returned to his seat and set the tumbler next to his book, expecting that he would not be leaving tonight.

It was best that he remain present for when she was sleeping.]

As you so remind me, work is what I'm good at and spend considerable hours performing.

[He had a list of details that needed his attention anyway, and knowing that she was safe and sound was comfort enough that he would likely work through to the small hours of the morning. It should be enough to provide her what she needed and wanted in a time like this.]

But you take breaks... so that's an improvement.

[ she says as she picks at a few loose hair strands off her doll before snuggling it close to her chest. his daughter shuts her eyes to help her relax, focusing her mind on tranquility, despite the voices of the dead trying to disturb her peace. ]

— No, I didn't forget to feed them. I did it this morning, quit hounding me. I know how to take care of animals, unlike you, Mister Fish Killer.

On occasion, yes.

[He was better about breaks now, but it was also easier without an Undercity to run and mobilize. Most of what he did here in Aldrip was child's play, and he invested time into it to make certain that if a Chosen or the Council called into question his business practices, he could back up his claims with records. The rules were only as good as the investment in time breaking them.

He turned in his chair and set an elbow on his desk as he picked up his pen and began to scratch notations into the paper when it seemed that Jinx was content enough where she was laying on his couch.]

Do your pets require a second feeding?

Hmmmm... — I think they'll be all right. The cats are good, and the monsters should be too!

[ she casually slips in the "secondary pets" like it's no big deal, as she lifts the shark above her head after her opens her eyes again. and with it looming, jinx sways the figure back and forth to display it swimming around in the ocean. ]

The rain will help them.

You have pet monsters now as well?

[He wasn't certain he wanted to know what kind of monsters and how she had managed to tame them even a little. Well, she had all her limbs, so he wasn't concerned about her physically. She had a knack for avoiding serious harm most of the time since she had been under his care at least.

He nodded his head, still scribbling notes to himself for the upcoming openings.]

Will you need someone to check on them tomorrow?

Monster army.

[ she corrects him, as if calling them her "army" makes it any less terrifying or worrisome. before she elaborates further, jinx takes a moment to sit upright once more, and to situate the stuff animal on the couch in a more comfortable position, as she hops to her feet — mug in hand to get ready to guzzle it all down. ]

And it's better that I check on them tomorrow. They're still in that, "I-wanna-eat-whoever-is-near-me" phase, and they've scratched me up a few times!

[ the bluenette cocks her head back as she chugs down the remains of her beverage, blowing out an overexaggerating sigh when she's done. ]

— I've been feed them raw meat since the world's been whacko. It's the only way to keep them from making their way to the city and having all of us as their bedtime snack.

[ she tilts her head to silco while wearing a cheeky smile and grants him a wink his way. ]

You're welcome, by the way.

[His pen paused over the paper as he lifted his head to regard her on the couch for a moment.]

Army, hmm? It sounds more like savages from the forest being baited in that case.

[It didn't sound like much of an army, but it could be useful to whatever cause she might decide to aim them at depending on if they could be responsive. It would likely turn into complete chaos, but it was worth the efforts given the way that this place was falling apart.

He regarded her smile and wink, sighing from his nose.]

As if the pitiful heroes of this place would allow that. Maybe they need something to do.

Maybe. But I gotta look out for them, so I can't have them being gobbled up in monsters' bellies.

[ his daughter strolls her way closer to her father and his desk, and before she hoists herself back to her perch in the rafters, she places on gentle hand on his shoulder. a brief thought flickers in her mind to lean forward and plants a small kiss to his temple too, but she refrains from doing so at the last minute.

jinx doesn't want to distract him from his work, she's been doing enough of that already, she feels — and once the bluenette makes it to the rafters safe and sound, she slithers underneath her electronic blanket with a sigh, and looks over her doodles above her. ]

Ah yes because they are your future subjects.

[His pen paused when Jinx came in close and touched his shoudler, expecting the kiss from her and stilling to allow it. She was one of the few that he would continually allow in close to him like that, yet it seemed the inclination abandoning her and she moved away.

His mismatched eyes moved to follow her progress up in the rafters, tracking her to be certain that she didn't fall. It seemed she needed rest and comfort; that she thought of him to provide it made him doubly committed to stay here as long as she would. He would watch over his daughter.]

Uh-huh, everyone's getting a little more restless, I think. And I need to keep an eye on everyone. Make sure no one gets so crazy, they just wanna kill.

[ a light pause as she nuzzles more into her heated blanket before shutting her eyes slowly, feeling more relaxed despite the topic at hand. ]

— And I can't have them doing that without a real purpose. No killing unless that person deserves it.

This place does tend to drive people into a blood thirsty mood regularly. Of course, it could also simply be their personalities or motivations.

[The only reason he wasn't laying waste to this place was because he needed the other Chosen to not return fire on him. His strength had never been combat, least of all as he had grown older. Most of the Chosen had fantastical abilities well beyond what he could be capable of.]

And who determines if a person deserves it?

Me, duh! If something big happens, they have to come to me, explain what happened and I hear all sides. Then from there, I'll decide if the culprit deserves punishment.

[ despite silco is unable to see her in the darkness of the rafters, she shrugs a shoulder while exhaling out a small yawn. ]

Doesn't have to be death, punishment could be something else. Like... I dunno, scrubbing mud off of walls or whatever.

So you plan on instilling your own laws in this place once you've taken over. You should consider what sort of action receives what type of punishment.

[He didn't care that much; he was of the opinion that most of the people here wouldn't take well to most punishments regardless of who they came from. This place simply enjoyed bringing people who bucked at laws.]

Death could be a worthless punishment anyway.

Just one or two. [ too many laws would result to this place mimicking piltover, and she would rather bash her head against the wall to fall in their shoes. but thinking of topside strangely has her mind drifting off to another matter that she should probably mention.

and jinx says it so fast that she hopes her father will just go along with it, and replies with his "hmm"s and nothing else. after all, he is jotting away underneath her.... ]

AlsoEkkosaidhewon'tmesswithyouifyoudon'tmesswithhim. SoIguessthat'sthat.

Edited 2024-09-15 05:16 (UTC)

Appropriate. [There were laws surrounding respect but they were not formal and changed with people's moods. Zaun was ruled by the strong, and he expected the same would hold true here. He was interested to see which laws she thought were the most important to enforce here.] Be certain that the populous is well informed or you may have problems.

[His pen continued over the paper, but it paused at the jumbled mess of strung together words that he expected was supposed to be a sentence. He leaned back in his chair and looked to the ceiling where she was resting.]

I beg your pardon?

Edited 2024-09-15 05:20 (UTC)

Yep, great talk, good night!!

[ now if only she could get away that easily, but even she knows silco won't let her accept that lying down. he is definitely going to make her repeat it, and once again, she curses herself for inability to just lie. ]

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