thefolder | Darling you've got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?

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Darling you've got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?

Who: Jinx and you
What: Preparing for the journey ahead. (Three prompts open)
Where: Hospitown
When: Before Sakuyamon leaves.

There was plenty of free space around Hospitown, which made things a little less fun but Jinx would make do with what she had.

The journey from Terminal to Hospitown had been dull, and Jinx had no one to blame but herself on that. She knew it, but ultimately she'd just felt listless and uneasy.

What am I even doing here?

She wasn't a hero, she was barely a villain. Sure she had accomplished some things since arriving but on the whole she was just another face in the crowd around here.

So there was this new group forming, would it pay for her to be on the ground level?

Could she leave if she didn't like it?

"What do you guys think?"

Noir and Charm glanced up from their breakfast of muffins and juice.

"About the group Sakuyamon is putting together."

The Digimon exchanged thoughtful glances, they did this alot and Jinx was starting to get irritated by it.

"Well the way I see it she's a real goody goody on the outside, but she probably can't be trusted." Charm reasoned casually throwing a muffin into her maw. She chomped down on it happily.

"You think so?" Noir tilted his head and flapped his wings once. "She seems on the level to me. But maybe not a good fit for us. I mean do you really take orders from others that easily?"

Jinx sipped her juice considering the options.

"Well let's poke around a little, see what we can dig up. Beats hanging around here."

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Jinx could proudly say that under no circumstances had she let her body grow weak since arriving in this world.

A jog around town, on the ground or on the rooftops. Yoga with Hollyleaf, and the occasional extra circular activities which mostly involved starting fights with random Digimon. It was reckless perhaps but it kept her fit.

Today she had her Digimon planted firmly on either side of her, Charm grinning her wicked Keramon grin while Noir had been evolved into Soulmon and was tugging on his hat in an attempt to look cool. They had only done this a number of times before but it was becoming more comfortable with each attempt.

"Ready?" Noir called but before Jinx could confirm Charm struck out.

"READYSETGO!" The noodly Digimon began spinning wildly, arms out to her sides as she twirled with boggling speed for Jinx.

The slender chosen danced back and away from the flailing Digimon only to hear Noir's attack being prepared with a crackling hiss.

"Necro Magic!" He snarled and sent a bolt of black sparkling death magic at Jinx.

A sharp dodge forward and she hit the ground rolling, avoiding the magic just in time for it to crash into Charm who let out a shriek and spun out of control tumbling to the ground.

"HEY YOU JERK THAT HURT!" Charm sprang to her feet, singed and smoking shooting a glare at Noir who held up his hands defensively.

"Your attack is too wild! Once you commit to it you can't dodge out of the way!" He observed "It's not like I can draw back the magic once it's fired."

Jinx sighed and stood up dusting off her skirt while the two Digimon fought. They were far from a well oiled machine.

The mismatched collection of knick knacks, what not and basic supplies that piled high on the shelves of the general store were a treasure trove for hoarders.

Jinx's sharp pink eyes and ears were trained on the shopkeeper as Noir settled into casual conversation with him. Noir didn't mean to distract the other Digimon while Jinx helped herself to supplies...he'd just gotten less attentive about Jinx's less the noble habits.

And so with both Digimon preoccupied, Jinx and Keramon set through collecting whatever they thought they might need for an adventure, some of it being stored in their D Stream, some of it in the shopping cart.

After all it looked less suspicious if they at least paid for some of it.

Jinx paused looking over a set of colored pencils, picking it up and admiring the colorful collection. So much of her art had been lost when Terminal Tokyo went up in smoke...

"Go ahead." Charm smiled her creepy smile, there was a twinkle in her eye. Jinx looked flustered and stashed the pencils in the D-stream.

"I'd like to see you drawing again. Your pictures were really pretty." Charm continued using her long arms to pick individual cups of ramen off a shelf and dropping it into the cart. "It's hard when all the work you put into something is for nothing. But next time I bet you'll make something even better with what you learned."

Jinx's eyebrow rose, but she decided to steal a notebook full of blank paper as well. Charm was still a particularly mysterious addition to her and Noir's lives and every now and then the seemingly manic and wild Digimon would say something that surprised her.

And here they were, back in the Cafe for an early lunch before they set out with Sakuyamon.

"This place makes some really great sandwhiches." Noir lamented as he set down his menu for the last time. "What was that one I had last week?"

"The Cheese steak." Charm reminded him while she poured over her choices "You oughta consider a salad, you're already naturally pudgy pig boy."

Noir scowled at her but didn't bother arguing. He was fully aware of his soft and squishy appearance.

"We're in the business of indulging." Jinx chuckled and added some cream to her coffee. "Besides does it really matter if his true strength shines through when he digivolves?"

Noir wasn't sure if he wanted to take that as a compliment or not. "I'm more then just muscle you know. I'm a thinker! A writer!"

The girls looked surprised and then started giggling, showing their complete lack of respect for his mind.

Kaldur had already made his own decision about Sakuyamon's offer and while he had learned that Neku and Cam were both joining her, he still wasn't convinced it was for him. He'd only just arrived HERE after all. There would be time enough in the future to look into Sakuyamon's offer.

He was heading for lunch now though, Sedna and Scipio not far behind him. It was really the only place to get food around here so it shouldn't have surprised him that he would find a familiar face.

"Hello Jinx, Noir, and Charm," Kaldur greeted as he approached.

Sedna hopped up, "What's so funny?"

The trio looked up and Jinx smiled waving the question away like smoke from a snuffed out candle.

"Oh it's just Noir. He fancies himself a writer because of a gimmick he used to use when we first met. He never does it anymore."

"Oh you told me about that, he used to narrate everything?" Charm squeaked amused.

Noir looked like he was blushing so hot he might catch on fire. "Look it seemed like a cool thing at the time. I just grew out of it."

Duo had been out roaming the city while Terriermon and MetalKoromon took a nap. He didn't want to stay in his room any more, and figured a trip to the general store might give him an idea of things he'd like to get at some point.

It was easy for him to get lost among the shelves of miscellaneous things. He was small and easily hidden considering how pretty much everything dwarfed him. And it was due to his ability to hide easy in the shelves that he spotted Jinx. She was lifting things. He gave a quiet gasp, and quickly covered his mouth before ducking behind the shelf...

Just not completely out of sight. The end of his braid was visible, resting on the corner of a low shelf.

Kaldur smiled slightly, "I think I remember that. He introduced you that way I believe..." Had it really been that long ago? Kaldur found himself often surprised by how much time had actually passed around here. Mostly because he liked to NOT think about it.

"Glad your definition of cool has improved," Sedna replied casually.

The gasp caught her attention despite his best efforts and she spotted the braid. Amused and not remotely afraid or embarrassed at being caught she sauntered over as quietly as she could and gently ran her fingers over his braid.

"I do love a boy with long hair~" She purred teasingly.

The moment Jinx touched his hair, Duo pulled back and frowned (okay, okay, it was a pout). He had been caught. And here he thought he had done good hiding out of sight.

"Don't touch my hair." He huffed and played with the tip of his braid some. "No one's allowed to touch my hair." And now that that was out of the way...

"I saw what you did. You're good," he said in a hushed whisper, in case someone decided to walk by.

Jinx's smirk of amusement turned to a smile of pride speaking softly, her lips barely moved but the words found his ears.

"I was trained from a young age. And I take great pride in my work." And it was so nice to meet someone who appreciated the finer art of petty theft.

Petty thief? Meet street rat. Duo definitely had an appreciation for lifting things, especially when it came to surviving.

"Solo taught me. I had to steal before I lived in the church." He smiled back at Jinx before he moved closer. "Whatcha get?"

Noir pouted and Charm put a hand on his head like she was mussing up a child's hair.

"Have a seat, we're just ordering some food." Jinx offered. Noir flew over to Jinx's side of the table while Charm remained where she was seated grinning in her usual creepy way.

"Oh just some things here and there. I'm thinking of going on a trip so I wanted some basics...still one can never have enough art supplies." She displayed a rainbow of colored pencils with a flourish, fanning them out in her hand before they vanished down her sleeve.

"And it's so much easier since the D-Terminal stores things in it."

He covered his mouth quickly to keep himself from giggling at the display. Oh, she was good! Of course, the thing about the device catches his attention. THAT'S RIGHT! He knew they could store things. That's how all his stuff managed to come with him to HospiTown. But he never thought that it would be great for stealing.

Duo's eyes went wide before he did a swift glance around to see if anyone was watching. After determining he was safe, he grabbed what looked like a tiny porcelain duck. His own device was pulled out and it scanned the item duck. When it disappeared and reappeared on his screen, a smirk touched his lips.

"I wish we had these back on the colony..."

She offered him a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat.

"I bet you would have been ALOT more comfortable if you did. Or gotten into alot more trouble." She teased and helped herself to a box of cookies which joined her other ill gotten goods in the D-terminal.

The only downside was this was the only store in town, so they couldn't take too much without giving themselves away. Thankfully there was so much stuff in the store it balanced out somewhat.

Oh! Cookies! Duo hadn't thought of that! He stood in front of the shelf, and acted like he was trying to look at something above his head. Really, though, it was just a cover for him swiping a thing of cookies of his own. Once trapped inside his own device, he settles back down and beams up at Jinx.

"We wouldn't have had to raid the Alliance's warehouse, that's for sure." He stopped and settled down some, his gaze dropping to the floor. He would have had an easier time getting things for everyone, including the medicine for Solo. And if they had been able to hold enough, he could have gotten a mobile suit quicker and then the church...

Sensing he was losing some of his spunk and cheer Jinx put a hand on his shoulder and lead him towards more food. A pineapple here, a watermelon there. She was going to ha wonderful fruit salad tonight if it killed her.

"What sort of stuff does an Alliance warehouse have in it?"

"Thank you," Kaldur replied as he pulled out a chair. Sedna flopped down by his feet, her form not really suited for sitting in a chair. Not to mention she preferred the ground. Kotemon, however, also pulled over a chair and climbed up on it.

"Good food and friends. It sounds like this should be fun." Scipio observed.

"Don't be corny, Skippy."

"A little corn can be good for you." Noir commented squirming out from under Charm's hand. She just chuckled and Jinx smirked at Kaldur.

"It's like raising children. Children that can transform into over powered monsters with hyper destructive powers...but children either way."

He let Jinx lead him around, following in her footsteps by taking a few small things here and there as well. The fruit his partners would like, for sure! The small bit of thieving, and Jinx's question, seemed to perk him up a little bit.

"They got lots of stuff. It's all military things, right, so they got food and clothes and things like that. We got shot at, though, and then the adults tore down our place and sent us to the church."

"Ah it always sucks being caught." She lamented thinking of her many...many visits to jail.

"But you kids must have been pretty good to stay ahead of military trained adults that long. Good for you." She encouraged taking a moment to put a scarf around her neck and check herself in a mirror. Apparently she liked the style because into the D-terminal it went.

Kaldur nodded. "It is a good thing I have gotten used to it with the antics my team used to pull." He paused and then added thoughtfully, "I suppose some would even fall into the hyper destructive powers category." There was certainly room for abuse of their powers, though perhaps the closest it had come was Superboy's abuse of the patch Lex had given him. Of course, there were also the shows of power from M'gann too.

"Well when you combine super powers with hormones that's bound to happen." Jinx teased playfully. That in turn gave her a sudden thought.

"You know, I'm not sure I ever asked but who did you have on your team in total?" The parallels between their worlds had already been documented, mentions of Kid Flash for example. But that was not Jinx's ultimate intention by this question.

"Yeah, we did good with Solo. But..." Duo fell quiet again and knelt down to look at a stuffed Patamon on a lower shelf before yoinking it.

"The church wasn't so bad, though. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen were nice enough. They kept me when all the other kids got adopted."

"Being adopted is over rated."

There was a knowing smile on her face as she knelt down next to him.

"Families can hold you back from being totally free. Sure if you get a good family they lift you up, make you strong. Support you. But I was adopted and all they did was make me feel like a freak and a burden. It wasn't until I was ten or eleven that someone came along who made me feel like I might have a future worth having."

"It began with just five of us, but by the end of the year we had 9 members...not counting Wolf and Sphere." He'll explain that if he has to, but he continued with the "official" members. "It started with myself, Robin, Kid Flash, and Superboy after we rescued him from Cadmus. We were very quickly joined with Miss Martian a few days following the Cadmus mission. Later we added Artemis, Zatanna, Red Arrow, and Rocket." Kaldur looked down at the table, "Although, I am not sure if Red Arrow considers himself a part of the team any more..."

He was not going to give as much detail on THAT one. Despite the fact that it had been nearly a year now, if time really was frozen back home then it was still technically recent. Besides, he could never be sure if Roy or one of the others would show up here.

"...I kept getting sent back." It was a quiet admission, and he stopped before he made to take another stuffed toy. "No one wanted me. But Sister and Father kept me. Took care of me. Even when I beat other kids up."

He looked down at the device in his hands before held it up to take a stuffed Gatomon off the shelf.

Jinx counted off on her fingers "We have a Robin, Kid Flash, Zatanna is an adult, we have a adult Green arrow and he has a sidekick named speedy." She compared their worlds out loud. "And what's this about Cadmus? You mean you guys were taking on big government science?"

"Hey!"

Jinx's head snapped around as the shopkeeper had apparently finally broken away from Charm and Noir and had caught them in the act.

"Aw nuts." Jinx pouted, looking for a quick escape path.

Kaldur nods, "Speedy was the name he used before he changed it to Red Arrow. He wanted to distance himself from his side-kick persona." Although how changing the name to Red Arrow, which was even CLOSER to the name Green Arrow, was going to do that was beyond Kaldur. He had left that up to Roy though and wasn't about to have THAT discussion with Roy. "Of course, after Speedy parted ways with Green Arrow, he took on a new protegee named Artemis." He looks at Jinx and seems to be thinking of something, "You two probably would have gotten along."

Moving to the topic of their first mission however, "Cadmus was founded by Lex Luthor and was conducting secret genetic experiments. Superboy was one such project, a clone of Superman and was originally designed to be used as a weapon against him. We rescued him before they could completely turned into a puppet. I don't think they were quite at the level your indicating." He doesn't say that he and the team believe that Cadmus is merely one part of the bigger picture that is the organization: The Light. That would be revealing a little too much.

Jinx was amused to find herself smiling at the possibility of having a female team mate like her. The HIVE had always been largely overpopulated with boys.

"Huh...well it wouldn't surprise me to know Luthor had something like that in mind." Already her mind was racing "A mind controlled clone of Superman would be the perfect tool to keep the big blue boyscout in check wouldn't it?"

Supervillain studies. She can't help herself.

Kaldur decides not to add that Lex had more in mind for Superboy than just that, especially with him having some of Lex's DNA. "I suppose that's why he implemented it," is all Kaldur says. Lex wouldn't have wasted the time and money otherwise. "Although, in the end it did not work this time." Thanks in no small part to himself and his team.

That earned a smile, a sort of knowing smirk.

"That's really the big question that we never did answer at HIVE." She shifted as their food arrived and was set down in front of them.

"How is it with all the brilliance and power of some villains, and the nature of humanity being as corruptible as it is, how is it the heroes always come out on top?"

"That is a difficult question," Kaldur replies, leaning back in his chair. He had seen evidence of it enough himself. He thinks on his experiences and tries to figure out how best to answer. "Perhaps because there will always be new heroes to step up and help the world. And I believe there is a fundamental philosophical belief there about human nature. You say it is corruptible, but I think if you spoke to most heroes they would tell you there is goodness in humanity. That is what we fight for and that gives us the ability to triumph in the end."

Sedna, from her spot, rolled her eyes, "Sounds like pretty weak reasons to me."

Scipio butted in as well, "I think it is noble. We are not much different Sedna. We evolve based on our partner's feelings and belief in us. That is what allows us to overpower enemies as well."

"I guess it's a numbers game after all then." Jinx lamented. "After all there is potential for good and evil in all humans...and Digimon I suppose." She glanced at her partners causing Charm to cackle in a particularly wicked fashion while Noir rolled his eyes and continued with his sandwich.

"Experience is what decides which side will win out most times...at least in the case of humans." She once again made note. "But sometimes even then with all the right factors to create a hero or a villain suddenly they'll surprise you and do exactly the opposite of what logic says they should do. A hero goes a step too far, a villain regrets their actions and makes amends."

Or in her case, lashes out against her idol and lets a hero run free.

Kaldur nodded. He could tell it was probably not what Jinx wanted to hear, but human beings and other sentient creatures could just not be predicted sometimes. The limit of human compassion, cruelty, imagination, and ingenuity was limitless. "We all make decisions based on a number of factors and those decisions in turn affect others and their decisions. It can make predicting just about anything impossible. With strategy, you just have to go with the most likely scenario based on the given information and hopefully plan for variables if you can."

"It can be quite confusing if you really start to think about all of the what ifs."

Listening to him drew out a long warm smile from Jinx. One that surprised even her.

"I'm going to miss these little talks of ours. Thank goodness we have the network to keep in touch."

It was even more surprising to her that she was being honest. She couldn't think of the last time she enjoyed such deep conversations about the technical aspects of life and metahumans.

"So you've made up your mind to go with Sakuyamon then?" Kaldur asked, sitting back and raising an eyebrow. While some part of his had suspected it, this was the first time it had actually come up in the conversation.

"But, you're right, we can always continue this over the network. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts about Sakuyamon's set up."

"I suppose I have." She took a breath and let it out. "I was still rolling it around but seeing you made me think about our first mission together. That mess of a stealth mission inside the castle and how we got chased out. I've gotten better at some things without my powers, and I've got these two mon. But I've hardly seen this world. Might as well follow the loudest Digimon and see if that leads to something more interesting then Hospitown." She reasoned.

"Who knows, maybe there's an underwater Digimon city you can find if you go off exploring too."

He can relate. Honestly he would rather spend a little more time in HospiTown, but he has a feeling his need to see the Digital World will trump that at some point. He simply nods, listening to her full explanation with a level of interest that is surprisingly sincere. Kaldur is one of those few people that actually listens and doesn't just smile and nod.

"That was not one of our best outcomes...but I suppose it still worked out for the best. We've certainly come a long way since then and I think you are right to go out and see the world. If we are supposed to save it as everyone continues to claim then it would be a good idea to actually see more of it and perhaps even find out more about what the bigger picture is." There's a slight smile there now, "I can think of few better for the task of gathering such information than you. And perhaps you're right...there certainly are enough ocean-based digimon to warrant such a place."

It was enough to make her blush, it was rare she got such honest praise and respect.

"Thanks." She mumbled soaking in the praise and trying to roll past it before she let herself become too sappy over it. "I just wish there was a more obvious path. Something we could work towards. Collecting components or building something. But instead we're grasping at rumors."

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Darling you've got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?

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