Chapter 4

Talion 6

Evening

The wedding had gone smoothly, despite the old man's constant threats, and the reception was proceeding. Jinx had taken the grenade back with her and after checking to make sure that it was not booby trapped, nor was it sending any signals, had hidden it on her ship to look at later. After repairing herself and changing, she had returned and helped Gaige fix her arm.

Gaige looked over at the other girl, sitting cross legged on a chair, she had changed into a dark purple shirt with its sleeves rolled up under an almost black, green sleeveless hooded top, same colored pants and heavy boots, a similar outfit to what she had been wearing when they'd first met, which got Gaige wondering, was that was her idea of dressing up? Jinx saw her looking and waved, her cheeks stuffed with their specially cooked Tamtrol. Gaige waved back and went back to making sure everything was running smoothly.

She had been pacing herself, but her second margarita was empty, and Deathtrap was off patrolling near the front door, so she headed to the bar to get another. Bars where a pain, trying to get the bartender's attention, the wrong person hitting on her, always trying to buy her some stupid lewd named drink and then there was the overpriced drinks themselves, usually fruity or watered down, or with an overpowering amount of tequila in them. No, that was why she had installed the margarita mixer in Deathtrap in the first place, well that and so she could have a margarita whenever she wanted, not just at the bar, and a properly made one at that. After all, not every wedding destination was as civilized as this.

She found the bar to be rather empty for a wedding, though she did have to wait for the bartender. While she was standing there, an attractive gentleman in his early thirties walked up.

"You must be with the grooms' side." he said with a sure smile "Sorry, didn't mean to sound like some kind of cheesy pickup line, it's just that I don't really know all that many people here. Truth is my cousin asked me to come, just in case, you know, but she's hanging with the other bridesmaids so here I am, on my own, surrounded by people I barely know. And the groom's side seems a bit, I don't know, bro-ish for me, so, sorry. Where are my manners, my name's Steve. Pleasure."

He held out his hand, Gaige not wanting to be rude shook it. "Gaige, I'm the wedding planner."

"Wait, you designed this. Wow, you have a talent don't you. Must have done a lot of research to get it this good. As a sign of my, appreciation, not the right word, admiration maybe, whatever, let me buy your drink so we can salute your success together."

Gaige blushed slightly and looked away embarrassed, only to stop. Jinx's plate was set on her chair, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. Scanning the room again, Gaige found her turning away from one of the windows with a dark look on her face. She strode toward the nearest door, which led to the serving prep area and went through. Something about her demeanor worried Gaige. Barely turning she said "I'll get it later, I need to check something." and hustled off leaving the gentleman behind.

Following her through the door, Gaige found she had lost the other girl. She continued toward the nearest door that led to the side that Jinx had been looking out. Just before she got to the door, she heard voices. Carefully she eased up to the wall and peeked out the closest window. She saw Jinx standing with her back toward the door, in front of her were four men in rough clothes, various weapons hanging off them.

"I'll ask again, what are you doing here." Jinx's voice was flat, though Gaige could hear the simmering anger beneath.

"You know why we're here, so help us out."

Jinx just stared at the leader of the group, a tall muscular man with a sinister scar from his lower lip to chin, his head was shaved, all of which made his wispy goatee look ridiculous.

"We're here for the girl, same as you, right."

"And why should I hand her over?"

"Well, after you turned down old man Holloway, he told the rest of us that not only would he pay the original bounty on her, he would pay double, but that offer is only for those of us that where there, so if you hand her over we're willing to cut you in for, let's say a third share, which is way more than you'd get handing her in yourself."

"That is a lot of money." Jinx said stepping forward.

Gaige felt like her insides had suddenly vanished and a large block of ice had been dropped in their place. She couldn't believe that she was being bartered and sold out by someone she had started to
trust like that.

"But can we not do this here."

"No way, we've got her and we're not about to let her get away now."

"Seriously, it's a wedding."

"So?"

"So? So, it's their special day, don't ruin it for them."

"No way, we're doing this, right now. So let's do this."

Jinx stopped in front of the leader, and cocked her head, "There's just one problem. You've based everything here on two assumptions."

"What're those?"

"First, that I'm here for the bounty." and with that her left fist was against his chest, the blade extended. Before anyone could react, she spun, drawing the blade out of his chest and spun leaving a glowing arc in her wake. The blade sliced cleanly through the neck of the second before she lunged, spearing the chest of the third. Shoving him back, she withdrew the blade while spinning and sliced deeply into the arm of the last, causing him to drop the gun he was raising. As he opened his mouth to scream, she drove the blade into his chest, leaving only a small wheezing noise to escape his lips.

Turning back to the leader, who was on his knees, hand pressed to his chest, she continued. "Second assumption was that I was talking about capturing Gaige, when I said we shouldn't do this here. What I meant was me killing you. Should have done it my way, you'd have lived longer."

"Why? We could have been rich."

"Money isn't everything." and she stabbed him in the head.

Gaige was frozen when Jinx's shoulders slumped, and she started shaking "Why? Why can't you all just leave us alone? Damn it." she whispered. Gaige watched as the other girl drug the thugs behind a nearby dumpster, so that no one would find them till morning. She moved back before the other girl came in, meeting her when she entered the main room.

Putting on a straight face she held up a hand "Hey, there you are, been looking for you. What have you been up to? You look kinda, idonno, upset."

Jinx stared at her for a second before sighing "I just killed a group of bounty hunters. They wanted me to sell you out and then help take you."

Gaige was taken aback, she had expected the other girl to lie, especially if she was after the money. "So why didn't you take them up on it? Not that I'm not grateful that you didn't."

Jinx looked at her with a mixture of anger and hurt "You're seriously asking that? I thought you knew me, or at least were starting to. I would never sell you out, not to those punks, not to Holloway, not to anyone. I… you're…you're special to me, you're my friend, and you don't sell out your friends. Ever. To even think such a thing…" She took a ragged breath and let it out slowly before continuing in a slightly calmer voice "Besides, if I wanted money I would've sold that THING on my ship, you know
which one."

Gaige felt her face flush with shame. "Sorry, you're right, I shouldn't have said that, it's just that, well, it's gonna sound like an excuse, and I guess it kinda is, but, well I haven't really had anyone to trust, well new to trust in like, about seven years, so… I screwed up."

"I understand, it still hurt, but I get it. You've been looking over your shoulder for too long to trust someone who just showed up perfectly timed to help you. You should be suspicious, but I want you to trust me. I like you, I mean, I like having someone to talk to, or babble at in my case."

"Truth is I saw what happened.

"What?"

"I saw everything, heard what they said, what you said too."

"So why did you…"

"Why did I ask? Donno. Maybe I just wanted to see what you'd say, if you'd tell the truth, or try to cover it up."

"I see, let me just say that I will always try and tell the truth to you, I'm no good at lying, you should know that by now."

"Yeah, my bad. But why did you fight them, why not just shoot them and get it over with, I mean I know you have at least one gun on you, right?"

"If I shot them it would have ruined the wedding."

"That's it?"

Jinx looked at Gaige puzzled "What do you mean that's it? This is their day, and I don't want someone else's problem to ruin it. I know I may not look it, but I have thought about marriage, if I could find someone to love, who loved me back. Besides, it would have had a negative impact on your business, and as you said, you've worked hard to make it this far, and even I can see you have a talent for it, and I don't want to be the one who ruins it for you."

"Awww you're gonna make me blush, but thanks, truly. And once more, I'm sorry."

They stood there staring at each other awkwardly when the song changed. Gaige looked like she just got an idea, "I wanna dance. Let's dance, you and me."

Jinx looked like she couldn't decide between blushing and blanching, "I don't dance, I mean I don't know how."

"You've never danced?"

"Never."

"Then it's time you learned, my dad taught me how when I was little, so I think I got this, though I haven't danced in some time, but here goes, just follow my lead."

"Wait, wait, can't we just watch them for a minute, maybe learn from watching or something?"

"That's a good idea, but no. Now pay attention, this hand goes here, and stays here, doesn't go wandering, doesn't go exploring around back, especially not down, just stays here nice and gentle. The other holds my hand, like so, then we take a step like this, then like this and like this and we repeat. Ow, that's my foot, no it's fine, just, yes like that, you're getting it. Good, good see you're a natural."

As Gaige talked, Jinx had a look of fierce concentration etched into her face, struggling to take in every word. Soon the two of them were slowly turning at the edge of the room, Gaige smiling, Jinx starting to relax, when the song ended.

"Aw, I was just getting back into the feel of it, oh well, maybe the next song…nope too fast for us." She said as an uptempo song started up. "So how was it? Your first dance I mean."

"Um, good, I think I liked it, I… I wouldn't mind trying again sometime." Jinx replied blushing
to her ears.

"We'll see, hey, why don't you ask someone here to dance with you?"

Jinx looked at her with an odd look "I don't know any of them."

"True, but that's what parties are for, and you need to get out more, tell you what they usually end with a slow song, if you haven't found anyone by then, I'll dance with you."

They stood there watching the party, most of the people on the dance floor were a few drinks in and danced with a confidence they shouldn't have had.

"So why did you?" Jinx asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Become a wedding planner, I mean. It just seems, I don't know, kinda odd considering what you used to do."

"Truth is, it just kinda happened. Someone I knew was getting married, and I'd just quit my last job. On rather bad terms let's say. And I figured 'Heck how hard could it be?' so I took the ECHO courses and all that, and well I guess I also thought it would be something that wouldn't keep me in one place for too long. Like you keep pointing out, I got a price on my head. And it was fun, a different challenge each time, something new to learn, new place to go and all that."

"Well things were going, fine, not good, but fine. Had some mishaps, couple weddings turned into bloodbaths, rivals in love attacking, parents that didn't approve and things like that. And then I did the wedding of Sir Hammerlock and Wainwright Jakobs."

"Wait, you know both Sir Hammerlock and the head of the Jakobs corporation?"

"Yeah, known Hammerlock for like ever, and just met Wainwright, good guy. Anyway their wedding was, well, one for the books, and they must have posted about it or bragged somewhere or something, cause next thing I know, I am swamped with requests. And I haven't had a moment to rest since. Course it's only been about six months, but still."

"So that's why you do it."

"I gotta admit, I do it for one other reason, well OK two. The second is that it keeps me afloat, financially I mean. But the main other reason is, there is this moment at every wedding, at least the ones that go well, where everything is perfect. The decorations, the locations, the guests, everything, and you can see it in the couple's faces. It's that moment that keeps me coming back."

"You're jealous of them."

"WHAT! I mean what? Jealous? Me?" and she stood silent thinking a moment and then her shoulders slumped "Yeah, I guess I am. Is that wrong? To want one moment where everything is perfect? And you're completely content, even if it is just for that transitory moment?"

"No. I think that's normal, I think that's what everyone wants."

The two of them fell silent as the current dance came to an end and some bizarre regional dance started to much hooting and hollering as the guests raced out onto the dance floor to surround the couple.

Gaige turned away from the embarrassing spectacle occurring on the dance floor and a short while later noticed Deathtrap floating in their direction. "Hey babe, watsup?"

"Ururg"

"Good, good. But it turned out there was an attempt at the side door, Artemis took care of it though."

"Ururgh"

"It was no problem, really. I just wish they would stop throwing their lives away for something as, I donno, meaningless as this, that doesn't sound quite right." Jinx struggled to find the right wording.

"Ururru"

"Yah that's it, you get it."

"Wait, I've got it" Gaige interrupted "Why don't you dance with Deathtrap?"

"What!?"

"Ururagh?"

"Aw come on babe, I just taught her how, so she's nervous. You'll be great with her. Please." She begged, making puppy dog eyes at the robot.

"Um, I think he wants his first dance of the night to be with his bestie, so I'm good waiting."

"Wait, is that true? Babe you should have said so, let's go" she turned to the other girl "But you get the next one K?"

They swept out as a new song started. And the rest of the evening was spent that way, the three of them enjoying themselves.