Jinx returned to the jewellery shop out of breath, she bent over and rested her hands on her knees and wheezed out an explanation to Robin.
"They… got away… I'm sorry." Jinx panted and straightened up.
"It's okay Jinx, I'm sure Star and Raven will have more luck from the air and Beast Boy is following their scent." Robin said patting her on the shoulder, Jinx nodded at this, it wouldn't be the first time that villains had been caught by the two airborne Titans or the small shape shifter some time after the fact, herself included. Robin looked around the destroyed jewellery shop in dismay.
"Would you mind staying here and helping the police file their report and try and estimate how much they stole? You've always had a knack at sorting diamonds from glass." Robin smirked.
"Sure thing." Jinx shrugged knowing that she'd drawn the short straw before, they all hated dealing with the police reports but it had to be done. As Robin left Jinx enjoyed the silence of the shop for a moment or two before bending down and sifting through the glass on the floor looking for discarded diamonds.
"Well, what do we have here?" Jinx murmured picking up a shimmering rock, closing one eye she held it up to the light. She grinned catlike, all that glittered might not be gold but NOTHING glittered quite like a diamond and she'd never been fooled yet by polished glass, this was a diamond and a real beauty too.
She glanced down at the floor and her jaw dropped, convinced she must be wrong she shifted her hand through the sparkling floor but to her shock all the pieces of what she'd assumed were glass before glittered in that unmistakable way. In one swift movement she ripped off a sleeve, tied a knot in the bottom and started scooping the diamonds off the floor and into her makeshift bag. She stood up and surveyed the shop in a well practiced way, it didn't take long for her to select several pieces, a few easily sold on and several flashy expensive things for her private collection, she'd always liked necklaces. Hefting her bag over her shoulder she turned to the door to find it blocked by a shocked Robin, she smirked.
"See ya boy blunder." She smirked and sent him a powerful hex that knocked him off the floor, as she stepped over his prone body she smiled satisfied, she was in for a very profitable future.
Jinx gasped and sat bolt upright in bed with sweat pouring off of her and gasping for air.
"Jesus, what a dream." Jinx muttered hugging her knees with one arm and running a hand through her loose tangled hair. Had that been a nightmare or a dream? She stared at her shaking hand, was she turning back into a criminal? She shook her head fiercely, if that had been a dream, a good dream, she'd not have woken up so scared and horrified.
"But what if it is the beginning of me turning back?" Jinx whispered to the empty room. She slowly laid back on her bed but was unable to will herself back to sleep no matter how exhausted she felt, several hours of trying later Jinx looked at her clock and decided to get up, it turned out that the others were up too and apparently being very loud.
Jinx surveyed the argument with some interest although she seemed to be the only one doing so.
"TOFU!" Beast Boy screamed waving a block of it in Cyborg's face.
"BACON!" Cyborg shouted back waving a pack threateningly at the green boy.
"They have this argument every time it's either of their turns to cook, just so you know." Raven commented bored as Jinx jumped over the back of the sofa to sit down, still in her pyjamas. She wasn't the only one though, Starfire was wearing pyjamas with cats on and bunny slippers, Raven wore plain black pyjamas as was to be expected and Robin being the anally retentive person that he was, was dressed in his uniform. He probably slept in it, Jinx mused thoughtfully. Next to her Kid Flash was dressed but he had all the time in the world to do what he wanted, so that was no surprise. Jinx turned her attention back to the argument playing out entertainingly in front of her.
"And they've not come to any solution? Like eat one on each of their turns?" Jinx asked surprised, Raven shook her head.
"No, they both refuse to eat each other's food, or cook it." Raven sighed and turned a page, trying to focus on her book over the din.
"NO ONE wants your stinking tofu!" Cyborg shouted, Jinx grinned.
"I'll try it." She said speaking up, Cyborg looked just as shocked as Beast boy at this.
"You're a vegetarian?" Kid Flash asked sounding surprised and annoyingly keen.
"No, I've just never tried tofu before. You have to try everything once." Jinx smiled tolerantly.
"What like being a hero?" Robin muttered not too quietly so Jinx couldn't hear him, she ignored this.
"Wow! Thanks Jinx! I'll start cooking now!" Beast Boy squealed delighted and threw on an embarrassingly girly apron.
"You just had to throw a spanner in the works didn't you?" Raven said rolling her eyes, Jinx grinned broadly at this.
"It's my job." She laughed, making Raven smirk.
Jinx sat down at the table watching an eager Beast Boy running around the kitchen and Cyborg trying to avoid tripping up over him. Jinx felt an odd itching on the back of her neck making her look up, suddenly she came eye to eye with Robin staring levelly at her, the temptation to look away welled up but she forced it down out of habit of years of showing no weakness, and she'd be damned if she'd show any to bird boy.
"Why are you really here?" Robin asked quietly cutting through the loud bubble of talk like a knife through silk.
"Robin!" Kid Flash and Starfire reprimanded him in unison.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Jinx asked keeping her eyes locked on him, determined to stare him down.
"Because you don't belong here damnit!" Robin snapped banging his fist on the table and making all of the cutlery jump.
"Robin, you promised." Kid Flash said, his voice taking on an uncharacteristically dark tone.
"I did no such thing." Robin said brushing the remark off and glowering at Jinx.
"You really want to know the truth?" Jinx asked lazily twirling a fork in her narrow fingers.
"Humour me." Robin said flatly.
"I've not really changed at all." Jinx said with a slight smile, Robin grinned triumphantly at this.
"I knew it." He said smugly.
"Can it bird boy, I'm not done." Jinx snapped jabbing a fork in his direction.
"From the moment my powers came through everything was horrible for me, the people I trusted turned their backs on me, I was made homeless, chased out of town, hated, feared, everything. I turned to crime to support myself, it was that or starve, no shelter would take me in. Everyone who could have helped me turn my life around failed me and even made my situation worse, you included. Sure, I commit a crime if I get caught I get thrown in jail, but that place is awful, if you're super powered all they do is slap a power inhibitor on you and leave you to rot, they don't help you control your powers, set you up with any better way of life, nothing. They don't care, no one does, as far as everyone is concerned we're just dead end cases." Jinx said coldly, the prongs of the fork in her hand began to melt as she gripped it tightly and her powers started to let out.
"As far as I was concerned the world owed me everything but was never going to give it to me, so I might as well take it from them, I was going to be someone one way or another, brotherhood of evil or otherwise." Jinx added and dropped the tortured fork on the table.
"Kid Flash convinced me that I was better than that, and he's right. I can get what I want, the respect, the safety, the food and the shelter this way too." Jinx said coldly.
"That doesn't sound too moral." Robin pointed out dryly.
"No, it doesn't; but this is the truth, just because I've got the guts to admit that this isn't one hundred percent selfless doesn't mean I'm immoral. If that was the only reason there'd be no difference for me between one or the other and I'd still be where I was." Jinx snorted rolling her eyes.
"And your other reason is what? Kid Flash here?" Robin asked, not taking his eyes off of Jinx.
"Interesting, but no. Every person I stole from, every person I hurt would feel a little bit more about the world like I did; feel a little bit more like the world was out to take them for all it could get, and I hated feeling that way, I hated it being true. So what would that make me if all I did was make sure that happened to someone else? For all I know I could be responsible for another person like me turning out like I had. Not everyone's going to be as lucky as I was to have someone convince me that I was better than that. So the short answer is I've just decided to make a difference, the world screwed me over but it doesn't mean that I have to continue it and more to the point if I can make it better then I'm better than everyone who ever made it worse for me. Good enough answer for you or is the inquisition going to continue?" Jinx asked challengingly, Robin's eyes narrowed irritatedly.
"Breakfast!" Beast Boy and Cyborg announced together as they brought the dishes to the table.
"What happened? Someone die?" Beast Boy asked looking at the sullen faces around the table.
"Nearly." Raven smirked and took her plate from Cyborg.
"You ought to be careful Raven, that almost sounded like a joke." Cyborg grinned handing plates out to everyone but Beast Boy and Jinx.
"Oh, damnit." Jinx muttered picking up her bent fork with a sigh.
"I'll get a new one." She sighed moving to stand up, but Raven's hand on her arm stopped her, Raven waved her hand over the fork which turned black and straightened out, Jinx smiled and started eating.
"Hey, this isn't half bad Beast Boy." Jinx smiled after taking a few cautious mouthfuls.
"Yeah, it's ALL bad." Cyborg laughed at Beast Boy.
"Hey, shut up!" Beast Boy yelled annoyed.
"Same old argument, rinse, lather and repeat." Raven sighed rolling her eyes and got on with eating her food.