logs | (catchall / open)

[ To say that Jinx has had a rough time in the Hinterlands would be an understatement. A city girl through and through, she possesses none of the skill or know-how necessary to traverse the wilds. She was simply motivated by the reward, higher than any other quest, and now she understands why.

The kicker is that she finally made it, discovered the crater where a star really had crashed into the earth, only to be kept away by creatures she ought to have squashed under her boot. Instead she barely got away before they could set her ablaze.

Now she sits atop a mossy boulder twisting a still-smoking braid in her hands. The parts of her that aren't covered in mud are dusted with ash. She greets the approaching newcomer with a roll of her eyes. ]

What gave it away? [ She asks sarcastically, a clear implication that the answer is an obvious yes. Yet after hours out here on her own, part of her is relieved to see another person, and it's that part that decides to warn him. ] You might wanna step back. Those little things might look cute but they pack a helluva punch.

[ He still can't really look up—being cursed by trees is a more massive inconvenience than he could've anticipated—but the voice that answers him is clearly that of a young woman. An irreverent one, but he's never minded that. There's also the smell of something unpleasantly scorched, like hair.

It paints a clear enough picture. He keeps his eyes on the fiery little warriors, not approaching yet. They look ready to throw down. ]

...I'm impressed by their spirit.

[ They seem prepared to guard this bounty tooth and nail, though they don't lunge to attack him right away when he crouches to get a better look. ]

I don't suppose you've tried negotiating with them?

[ The first thing that Jinx notices about the man is that he looks fancy. She can see it in the quality of his clothes, in his stance and how he carries himself. It makes her immediately distrustful, some reflexive part of her brain lumping him in with topsiders and their ilk. But since she struck out alone, she can't afford to antagonize him. (Yet.)

She climbs down from the boulder but maintains a healthy distance from the crater. ] Y'know, I forgot to make that a priority when they were almost setting me on fire. You think we have something they want?

[ Unfortunately, even if he's no different from a common man here, it's hard to hide the way he speaks, the trained, straight posture, and whatever else. At the very least, he takes her sarcasm in stride. ]

Well, they haven't attacked me yet. [ But they're not quite clearing the way for him, either. Their bitty swords are wielded defensively, like they're gauging him still. Maybe they're riled up from having tried to set this girl ablaze. ] So perhaps they're waiting for something...

[ He'd heard from their quest-giver that it wouldn't hurt to know a fairy tale or two going out for this task—is this why? ]

If so, perhaps we can distract them. [ this is a "we" effort now, surprise ]

[ Jinx nods, satisfied that they seem to be thinking along the same lines. She crosses her arms in front of herself and tilts her head as she gives the tiny creatures a considering look. ]

Well, we already know they don't like me. Maybe you should do the distracting.

[ He's grateful that she's here for some team spirit; it should be much easier between the two of them. Though for all that he's said, there's no telling if the little sprites would accept him any more than they did her. Only one way to find out. ]

That's for the best. I've no talent for sneaking about anyway.

[ With that settled, ]

Signal me if you need assistance, and escape if it gets dangerous. No amount of coin is worth being burnt to death.

[ And if that's all, he'll go take a knee before the tiny knights, which do approach him curiously. ] Um... hello.

[ Sneaking around is not exactly Jinx's style. She prefers to make her presence known in the loudest and most explosive manner available. But some jobs necessitate a more delicate approach, so while stealth is not her most refined skill, she is capable. To a point, anyway.

She hurries around the crater to position herself directly behind the little knights' line of sight. Once there, she starts her descent into the crater. Halfway through her climb down, Jinx hears her new partner-in-crime open with "hello" and sighs. Hopefully he has something more enticing up his sleeve or she'll be the one caught in the lion's den. ]

[ He tries not to watch her dart down the crater too overtly, though he does spot her disappear away as the knights congregate around him. No turning back now. ]

You want a story, don't you?

[ He doesn't have much time to mull over it, not wanting to trust the little creatures' collective patience, so he just sighs quietly and goes with one of the most famous ones from his childhood. ]

...Many moons ago, there was a duke named Loog, with blood blessed by the Goddess and the lineage of a fabled hero, one that felled even dark gods. But it didn't stop his lands from suffering a frigid cold. All his life, he watched the ground freeze and his people suffer winter and famine—so when he felt his emperor's heart was no longer with the people of the north, he crafted an army and rebelled. At his side were his lifelong friend, Kyphon, and his selfless advisor, Pan.

[ A few of the small elementals mill about in the crater, but they hop right by Jinx as they go to investigate what this "heroic" tale is about. ]

But the empire spanned across the continent, and would not allow itself to be fractured. The only way to independence was war. And so Kyphon followed his sworn duke out into battle under the banner of a lion, meeting the empire's army emblazoned with a two-headed eagle. And so the years-long conflict was called the War of the Eagle and Lion—as was its most famous battle.

[ The promise of this story turning violent apparently gets the little knights' attention, so she's got a minute to work. ]

[ Loog strikes her as a rather funny name, but Jinx can't afford so much as a hint of a laugh so she suppresses her reaction. As the story continues, she is reminded of the conflict between Zaun and Piltover. It seems the undercity's struggle is more universal than she previously thought.

She has to give her companion due credit: a war story seems exactly what the knights were after, entranced as they now are. Jinx has the perfect opening to collect a pair of star fragments while they have their backs to her. Even through her gloves, she can feel intense heat radiating from them, and it's a wonder she manages to deposit both in her satchel without singeing her fingertips.

Okay. Now to climb back out. She spares a glance to confirm the knights are still absorbed in the story before beginning her ascent. As she nears her exit, the foothold she was balancing on crumbles away, sending a spray of dirt and small rocks down into the crater. Not the loudest sound, but perhaps enough to attract a few eyes. A regrettable development since Jinks is now hanging by her hands from the edge of the cliff, kicking wildly to find another foothold. ]

[ It's going smoothly enough. Or so he hopes that's what the silence means. It's unsettling to have to do this when he can't see how she's doing, but he continues the tale—mostly from the perspective of Kyphon, the knight with the slightly less ridiculous name—and at one point, he regales them with a famous passage from the story, lines that had been read to him enough times as a child that he could still recite them from heart. ]

"The knight parried the assassin's blade mere inches from the spine of his king. Kyphon's blade hummed like the wind, slashing the enemy's throat. In mere moments, their forces lay vanquished—decimated by his mighty blows"...

[ And that's when he hears it. A little noise, like a rock being dislodged out of place, and the subsequent tapping of toes against the cliff face. A few of the more wary knights hop around at the sound, though they haven't yet leapt to investigate. To him, it's clear enough what's happened.

And so he's left with two options: continue the story and leave her to get herself out of the crater, or go over and help. It's easy to make a choice, but subterfuge and misdirection aren't his strong suit—he's suddenly, loudly, and a little awkwardly, clapping his hands together once to get the elementals' attention again as he speaks quickly. ]

And so, um—in modern Faerghus we now celebrate Kyphon's prowess with—tournaments. Of martial prowess. Which you should all try yourselves... now.

[ Then he nudge-kicks one of the knights at another of its kin, in hopes they'll start brawling.

Unbelievably, this seems to work, sort of, as they start to clamour in squeaky voices about what he assumes must be confusion, chivalry, and good-natured rivalry. He doesn't stick around to try and decipher it all, because this horrible lie has probably bought only bought about two seconds of time; his boot is still smoldering slightly as he hurries over to yank her up by her arms.

They should probably get out of here. ]

[ As her legs swing in the air, Jinx begins to feel heat mounting from the depths of the crater. Hurled balls of fire crash into the cliff face, uncomfortably close and undoubtedly meant for her. She estimates that she is mere seconds from losing her grip on the edge of crater when suddenly she is being pulled up over it.

She climbs to her feet in time to witness the impending approach of a horde of furious, tiny knights. ]

Run! [ She shouts before breaking into a sprint, headed for the trees. She doesn't stop for several minutes, wanting to put as much distance as possible between herself and the crater, even though she suspects the knights won't abandon the rest of their treasure in pursuit of just a couple of stolen fragments. Better safe than on fire.

Finally, she stops to catch her breath, practically collapsing onto a damp, mossy log. It occurs to her, a little too late, that perhaps she should have checked to make sure that her partner was keeping pace. Hopefully he's not far behind. Having to double back for him would suck, but she does owe him one. ]

(catchall / open)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject