The odds are never in our favor

[badluckbabe]

Who: Jinx and Hollyleaf
What: Sidelined from the battle, these two are going back to Tokyo
Where: On the road back from Millenniummon's Castle
When: Before the final battle, after Hollyleaf caused a dark evolution.

Luck was a fickle mistress.

Jinx had lived all of her life with that cloud of uncertinty hanging over her head. What did it matter if you planned every detail of something down to the letter when it could all be undone by a stroke of bad luck?

Was anyone really in charge of their own destiny when the unpredictable forces of luck could so easily upset the laws of probability? Already such odds were thrown upon their head given the situation they were in. Two girls from two different worlds, brought suddenly and inexplicably to a third world where they were expected to save it despite one of them losing a unique talent she had come to rely on...and the other being forcibly transformed into a human when she had previously not been.

The numbers were too staggering for even a genius level intellect. And while Jinx was no dummy, she was not smart enough to work out the exact odds of that happening to someone.

Her power over luck had more often then not in the past few years been beneficial to her. Only by force of will had she convinced herself to keep her other skills sharp on the off chance her powers failed her. And only because of those skills was she still alive. Lucky? Or just Being well prepared?

These were the sorts of thoughts that ran through Jinx's head as she kept pace with Holly leaf trudging through the woods back towards the closest station where they could pick up a Trailmon back to town. A large egg was resting against her middle held in place by a sling that went up over her shoulder like a messenger bag.

Sometimes all it took was a little bad luck to completely ruin someone's day. Noir had been on that end of the spectrum while luck had favored Jinx enough to keep her alive and have Black Wargreymon save them from Hollyleaf's rampaging partner.

More and more Jinx was starting to worry that fate may not have her best intentions in mind.

More and more she was hoping to get her powers back before she'd have to find out.

Comments

[notmyprophecy]

As Jinx speaks, Hollyleaf's visible fur puffs up, more and more. Each word's like someone's taking a rock beneath her claws-- er, nail. Screw up, screw up, you messed up the number one rules of the code, you messed up making friends with Fallen Leaves, with that fox, with this person now too, you did it again--

There's nothing she can do but listen and miss her brothers. No one would understand, not in the Clans, but maybe they would. They would still love her. Someone out here might understand, if she didn't keep screwing up, once again--

A small mumble escapes Nyaromon. Hollyleaf immediately looks to her slumbering partner-- well, formerly slumbering. Her eyes blink sleepily, she gazes with half-open lids. "You're bleeding again."

Hollyleaf blinks. The more her ears had gone back, the more she'd tensed...looks like her scabs have reopened. She reaches up and touches the blood running down her cheek, and once it's on her fingertips she stares at it. "...Fitting..." She murmurs and sighs. She hadn't even felt it.

"I'm sorry." Now addressing Jinx. "This world...maybe it didn't make a mistake, but maybe I'm just not very good at adapting. You don't have to keep looking after me once we return. I understand."

[badluckbabe]

"Uh huh, keep dreaming furball."

Jinx sighed and stretched her arms up over her head before relaxing and laying back in the grass.

"I'm going to tell you a secret now and if you tell anyone I'll shave your tail got it?" She didn't wait for Hollyleaf to respond.

"Back home I was a bad girl. I broke the rules, hurt people, stole things. None of that is the secret by the way I'm just catching you up. Anyway I did all these things because it makes me feel good. I get to prove I'm faster, smarter, and just plain better then everyone else. And afterwards I get nice shiny things to look at later and remind myself how special I am."

Tucking her hands behind her head and lacing one leg over the other she continued focusing her eyes on the leaves of the tree.

"No family to speak of. All my friends left because unlike them I actually wanted to be something great. Because crime isn't easy you know. It takes alot of dedication to be the best. And they just didn't want to do the work. Now here comes the secret."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She hadn't actually said these words out loud and it was a little nerve racking. But Jinx knew a safe risk vs. a stupid one. And what was the worse that could come from this?

"I was thinking of giving it all up. Because as good as I was there was always someone better. And a woman I looked up to almost all my life turned out to be...well everything I imagined and worse. So I got emotional, got angry, did some things I can't take back and left my home and everything I knew behind to try and find myself. And I wind up here which put a major cramp in that plan."

"Now I've got this digidork following me around, and it seems every week or so a new person shows up that needs help or is expecting something from me. But I don't help them all. I only offer it to people I'm interested in." She smirked and cast a sideways glance at Hollyleaf.

"And I don't give up easily."

[notmyprophecy]

It all sinks in. Hollyleaf digests it, listening as tiny bits of blood ooze from her scar, as Nyaromon sleepily inches forward to try and wipe the blood off, quite futilely.

Jinx's talk of her pats habits, it makes Hollyleaf tense up more and more. She can feel her muscles contracting, but... But then...

StarClan, is this your wish? Or...no... Is this what any of the ancestors, any ancestors-- is this what destiny wants for her? Is this what she's meant to do? There's a girl here who's trying to find herself a different path. A different way. And there's Hollyleaf here, who's in no way the right cat to teach...but maybe to watch. To try and keep her from breaking the rules and ruining this new life.

"...Your persistence reminds me of one of my brothers. You're stubborn. And insistent...but then again, so are some of the best cats...

"If you'll take this frustratingly slow learner, I'd be honored to have you...as a friend."

[badluckbabe]

That drew a smirk out of Jinx.

"Sounds like a nice start. I'm sure we could learn alot from one another." She pointed a finger to her. "But only if you open up a little more. I'm not looking for everything at once, but I'll trust you if you trust me."

[notmyprophecy]

If she only her claws were still there, Hollyleaf would be kneading at the ground. Though Jinx does have a point. Even she'd wanted to know about Fallen Leaves, despite her slow friendship with him.

"...Back home, there are groups called Clans, four of them. ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan -- my Clan. And we all strive to live in balance with each other. To do that, we abide by what's called the warrior code."

If there's one thing Hollyleaf knows how to talk about, it's the code.

[badluckbabe]

"Now we're talking." Jinx purred leaning forward and fixing her catlike eyes on Hollyleaf's eyes.

"I knew it had to be something strict like that. You've got a discipline about you." She added only bending the truth some. In reality she wouldn't have guessed warrior so much as stubborn. But it didn't hurt to butter her up right?

[notmyprophecy]

"It's not...entirely strict, it's practical." Her tail curls around her, but not self-consciously; it's relaxed. As she speaks, Nyaromon's heavy eyes focus on her as well, and Hollyleaf feels as if she's telling stories to kits. "For example, elders, kits, and queens must be fed before warriors and apprentices can take prey from the freshkill pile. If everyone just took the food they hunted, leaving none for the rest of the Clan, those who can't hunt would go hungry, and the Clan would suffer."

She takes a nearby leaf absentmindedly, pressing it to her scars to stop the bleeding. Not as good as cobwebs, but at least she can hold it there easily.

"So you see, the warrior code helps the Clan live a full life."

[badluckbabe]

That seemed to catch Jinx's attention and she nodded listening to Holly's explanation. During a break in the conversation she pointed to the wound. "Mind if I help with that?"

Her other hand slipped into her bag and produced a small solid box with a red cross on the front.

"So it sounds like you guys are big into honor and taking care of one another. The strong watch over the weak and so on."

[notmyprophecy]

The sight of the small bottle... Medicine works differently with humans, so she's heard, as frustrating as that is. Slowly, she takes the leaf from her face and eyes the bottle.

"Of course," she continues after a moment's hesitation. "Warriors are duty-bound to help each other out, and even the kits of other Clans. No matter what birth, a warrior doesn't hurt or turn a blind eye to a defenseless kit."

[badluckbabe]

Jinx held up a bottle and gave it a gentle shake, pausing in her explanation to do some explaining of her own.

"This is called disinfectant. It cleans your wound but it stings a little. I don't need to use it but it might protect your wound from getting sick. Do you want to try it?"

[notmyprophecy]

Her ear -- the torn one -- flicks.

"Is it made of herbs?"

[badluckbabe]

"Yes."

Technically a lie. But explaining it would have been more trouble then it was worth.

"I'm guessing you guys use herbs and berries and stuff for medicine back home? Very organic."

[notmyprophecy]

Her uninjured ear flicks, and Hollyleaf dips her head, a gesture for Jinx to go ahead and apply the disinfectant.

"Of course. What else would we use?"

[badluckbabe]

"For all I know? Magic." Jinx gently took Holly's hand in her own and gave the wound a spritz of disinfectant. It would sting at first but if Hollyleaf could hold out a tingly numbing sensation would cool the pain.

[notmyprophecy]

She wrinkles her nose. "What?"

The sting she's expecting, so there's only a slight wince, but she soon feels the light hum of pain sink away.

"What's that?"

[badluckbabe]

As Jinx bandaged up the wound she explained, "A force that causes things you can't explain. Once you learn how it works it becomes science."

It was more complicated then that but...well why worry Holly with all of that?

"Some worlds have magic, some worlds don't. It just depends on what you understand."

[notmyprophecy]

It's amazing how Hollyleaf can keep her face so impassive at the explanation.

"Oh. That. I understand magic."

[badluckbabe]

"Well there you go then. What sort of magic did you have in your world?" Because Jinx was half convinced given the chance she could explain some of it with the teachings of a human school system. She might not bother because there would be no point other then education for educations sake.

[notmyprophecy]

"It's not entirely something I understand," Hollyleaf replies honestly. "You just receive them, should you be lucky. It is...something that can't happen to normal cats."

[badluckbabe]

Jinx nodded knowingly and packing up her gear.

"We have things like that in my world as well. Like me. I was just born with special powers." There was a flash of mischief in her eyes.

"Some call it a curse." She added.

[notmyprophecy]

"An incredible responsibility comes with powers from the stars...or wherever else they come from."

Lightly, Hollyleaf touches her eye.

"Of course it could be a curse. Depending on how it's used."

[badluckbabe]

"Sounds like you have personal experience with the curse aspect."

She was fishing of course. But everything Hollyleaf revealed was a weight off her chest that Jinx could share.

[notmyprophecy]

"I don't." Her words are short and maybe a little sad. "Not myself, personally. But any sort of responsibility like that...the burden. Just imagining it can drive you to do unspeakable things... I've known cats. The sort."

[badluckbabe]

"It's the classic tale." Jinx agreed, "People...or cats, taking on more responsibility then they can handle. In the case of powers in my power it can make people turn to wicked evil things, selfish desires. They go out of their way to use and abuse their powers."

Much like her.

"

[notmyprophecy]

"Gifts should be used for the good of the Clan... ...group, I guess, here."

Hollyleaf studies Jinx, though, with a subtle frown.

"You did bad things, you said before. With those powers?"