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

[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?"

[badluckbabe]

Jinx met her gaze with an unflinching assuredness about her.

"I did. My powers brought misfortune, chaos and bad luck to anyone near me. It seemed my path was pretty clear when I started down it. And when the person who found me and started me down that path convinced me of it she promised me respect. Admiration. Everything I could ever want that I'd never had as a child."

There was a half a smirk.

"Seeing as I was alone and had no one that cared a shred for me, it was an easy choice to make."

[notmyprophecy]

A part of her wants to lecture Jinx, because that's going against the warrior code! ...But it's not like Jinx grew up with a code. She didn't have...set rules, like Hollyleaf.

And Hollyleaf would be a hypocrite, regardless, for calling her out.

"...A good mentor's what anyone would want. It's a shame you didn't find a different one before that."

[badluckbabe]

Jinx couldn't help but smirk at the offered concern.

"Maybe that would have helped, maybe not. But I know this much, mentors aren't perfect. Dig too deep and you'll find all their flaws in glaring detail."

Thinking back to her disappointment at meeting her idol, someone she would have killed to be mentored by. Someone she almost killed for.

[notmyprophecy]

How true. How very true. She thinks of Leafpool, she thinks of Ashfur... Her brothers' mentors.

But how far is it to judge Leafpool?

"...I just wish you could've found something better than you did." She shrugs and stares into the tree. Nyaromon has fallen back asleep. "But you can have the best mentor and it can...still go south. Maybe it's all up to what the stars want."

[badluckbabe]

"Hey." Her voice took a slightly more stern turn to it, "Don't pity me and how my life turned out. The fact is crime is alot of fun. It may not be morally right but it's a thrill to be faster, smarter and just plain better then everyone else. And to get what you want? What you feel like you deserve? What's better then that?"

She stood up and began stretching to keep the blood flowing in her limbs.

"The only bad part is when you lose."