"Hey Vi." The bluenette tries again in spite of being ignored for her last seven tries. "Viii-" She tries whining, whining always gets people's attention if nothing else. Not that she has any way to even know if she's not alone at the moment. The Enforcer's chair and table remain firmly outside her field of vision.
She waits a few seconds and starts tapping her foot against the bed frame, still nothing, not even an exaggerated sound of turning a book page. Jinx hasn't heard the woman leave so she must still be here. Unless she has somehow sneaked away without her hearing it... Nah, no way she can move so silently with all her excessive mass. Can she? The girl worries at her swollen lips, made so by her constant chewing on them. It's mind numbing, this stillness she's been forced into. It takes focus to think and all she can focus on is how she needs to move. The most she's been able to was when they took her for a bath. She very nearly managed to drown one of the orderlies. So that was fun, the most (and only) she has had since waking up here.
Which sucks some major balls but at least she has the Loser with her most of the time. So that's a plus. She'd likely go from crazy to absolute bonkers if she had to stay in bed without her around. Her friends would be better, sure, if useless. Her bonds are checked every now and then, probably periodically. Not that Jinx has any way to know for sure at the moment. Time has always been a curious concept for the girl and being forced to stay down along with being drugged half the time has messed up what remaining perception of time she still retained. The Coats don't really talk to her and her orderlies seem reluctant to approach her at all nowadays.
They're a joke, honestly, and not even a funny one. She only bites because they let her. Her old handlers would have pulled her teeth out one by one for even trying. Or maybe nails. Probably nails, she hears they grow back so pulling them out makes sense, they could do it however many times they wished.
She wiggles her hands from under the covers and looks at her slightly trembling fingers, someone had a go and removed her nail-polish somewhere along the line. And while she doesn't really care, it seems strange that they'd bother. Nobody made a big deal out of it in Zaun, they even used to bring her some when she asked. Figures that Pilties, with that eye-sore they call white paint, would bleach her nails too. Hm.
"Hey hag-tits!" she tries anew, and this time gets a reaction in the form of a low growl out of her officer, there! She's still here, good. "Dumb-ass, gutter-brain, acid-sweat, stinky-blob-" she pauses for a moment, racking her brain for more. "-dye-hair-"
A thump can be heard at the same moment Vi speaks up.
"Can you shut up for a damned minute?" Jinx can't see her face but she sounds ticked off. Well good, she deserves to be after trying silent treatment on her.
"Depends. You gonna let me out of here?"
"You know I'm starting to wish I could."
The girl snorts. "Course you can, will you?"
"That a trick question?"
Yeah actually. The bluenette already knows the answer full well. Fathands might pretend, she might even think she's big, bad and all that. But really, she's sitting here- for who knows how long (certainly not Jinx, and Vi just counts some hours) a day because Hat Lady told her to. The criminal might be tied to a bed but she's the one who's free in this room. Were their positions reversed, she'd either kill or free Vi at the first opportunity, and why in cogs not? So that she could lead an ordered and boring life where she has to get up with the Sun so that she could have the privilege of having to follow someone around lest she'd lose her job?
Yeah. What a life.
Granted. Moron's job involves chasing after people like her so it can't be all that bad. But then she also has to sit here. How she manages without being bound to her chair is beyond Jinx.
"Well dur, but you know, a girl can try right?"
"...I thought, and I don't know why, that having you awake would be less tiring than spending days on end alone." Jinx giggles at the admission, because tiring? Yeah probably. But-
"Less boring though don'tcha think?"
"Whatever," a smile blossoms on the mad girl's face. "you wanted something?"
"Uh..." she did actually, a minute ago. "I forgot." A condescending silence is her only answer. "Hey! You should've answered right away, your fault." One's supposed to answer questions when asked. Not argue 'bout it. And now she has to strain her brain for it, ugh. "Wait no! Yeah I got it! Why did you guys remove my nail-polish?"
"We what now?" Oh for- she just asked hasn't she?
"Can you just answer the stupid question?" Gears... it's like she's deliberately- is she doing this on purpose or is she really just that dumb?
The girl can hear her company murmur something under her nose, not loud enough for her to understand though. Probably something rude, should Jinx take her past experience into account.
"Something sanitary- I don't know," the pinkette finally responds. "You looked pretty much like walking sludge when I got you. Smelt the part too." What a night that must have been. Jinx sighs wistfully, such a pity she can't remember a thing. She gets filthy almost every time she goes out but sludge? Must have been hysterical.
But that's no reason to get her mood down to the dumps. She can't remember a lot of stuff she's supposedly done. It's not the first, and if she's got anything to say about it, not the last time. And it's not like asking her officer about it will do any good, she's either a bad storyteller or is just messing with her by denying the details. Which is rather caustic unfair considering Jinx is the cause for all of that anyway. Being told only that she's made a mess of half the city is just plain, cruel teasing! Could the Enforcer not just stay silent instead of whetting her appetite like that? No! Because she's a stupid waste of breath and oh she's gonna have so much FUN with her for that when she gets out of here.
Her fun, not Vi's. Punishments are supposed to be enjoyable for one party only.
"Hey, you know when you gonna transfer me?" The girl suddenly speaks up.
"No-" the chair she must be sitting on lets out a creak as she shifts on it. "-what does it matter, I'll bet my ass we're gonna get a full convoy, just for you." Awww, isn't that just sweet of them? All that effort to keep her from running. There'll probably be chains and guns involved. Which, quite honestly, Jinx thinks is stupid. Putting someone with weapons together with criminals. Yeah, sure, peacekeepers. Chains can only do so much, it's a matter of getting to a workshop. But getting there without a gun? A kitten could tackle her and it'd probably win.
It's just kinda dumb, Fathands knows the drill, she has her gauntlets and good luck to Jinx (or anyone else for that matter) if she wants to put these on with her hands bound. Come to think of it, even with her hands free she'd still have problems. Of as much as lifting her arms sort.
Vi is dumb, and at times it makes Jinx wonder what should she call everyone else.
Her foot stops tapping the bed frame and she starts drumming her fingers against it instead.
A shit eating grin blossoms on her face as a thought occurs to her.
"Hey Violet-"
It's not easy to not get noticed as a celebrity. His handsome features attract a fair bit of attention all on their own and when one adds the admired vigilante and fame part to the mix? He used to wear shades when trying to go incognito, it worked, for a time, up till he got a photo of him snapped while wearing his corrective glasses instead of contact lenses. Embarrassed as he was, he seems to have started a new trend back then, supposedly glasses accent one's features these days. Well, call him old fashioned but Jayce still prefers his lenses, bad memories perhaps.
Lab glasses would likely only attract even more attention, and so he's been forced to use his ultimate disguise. His old tracksuit with a side of unkept hair. A horrid abomination of blue and pink colours that he would love to get rid of but never shall. He might hate it but to throw out a gift from his mother? No. Never.
It also has one practical use, the first and only glance that people spare his way is to reaffirm their opinions on the topic of his garb's tastelessness. And just in case they accidentally skim their eyes across his face, he simply doesn't take care of his hair in the morning and voilà. One could say he's dressed to kill, if not in the positive sense. Why, his father only gave him a silent nod when he first saw his son in it. A nod conveying all the understanding and sympathy that only a father and son can share.
He often contemplates praying to whatever deities out there that he won't be recognised while wearing this tracksuit, and today especially so. Getting caught in that thing would be bad, yes, but getting caught in anything really while sneaking around the most dangerous Piltovian criminal's cell? Kind of important that he remains unnoticed, especially since Caitlyn is out of the city, oh she'd be furious but she'd help him. Her absence makes his extracurricular activities somewhat challenging.
But honestly? It's good that she's out there. It truly is a much needed holiday, even if forced upon her. The Deputy Sheriff Pomeroy is doing a decent enough job of cleaning the city up after the disaster called Jinx. And were things as they usually are, that would be just fine.
Unfortunately, this might not be enough for what's coming.
As the situation currently stands, what with the administration sniffing about, giving information to Pomeroy would mean an investigation into the source of the it and not the issue itself. Of that Jayce has no doubt, bureaucrats have a special way of seeing the world, and the administrators are particularly vicious in their sticking to rules. To be fair, there has never been a case of corruption amidst their ilk but in the scientist's honest opinion, doing things off the books is just so much more efficient. And it's time that no one can waste now if they want to avoid another 'University Massacre', as it has come to being called.
And that means that he needs to take matters into his own hands.
Which at the moment spells waiting for the last guard between him and Jinx's room to notice the commotion that is happening around the nearest restroom. Nothing serious, a bit of smoke caused by a certain vigilante having set the toilet paper holder on fire. Ah, brings back memories, they couldn't get the smell out from the dormitories for weeks.
But there it is, the first shouts of alarm piercing through the constant flow of noise. The officer's gaze snaps from his newspaper towards the source of noise, it takes him no more than a second to get up, hand on his gun belt, and then walk to investigate.
Well, that's Jayce's cue to move, it won't take much time for the policeman to realise that his presence is not required nor even helpful. Jayce's left a bucket to fill up with water there after all. He's not a pyromaniac! He'd fill it himself too if it were not for the possibility that someone could put out the fire too quick.
Not wasting time, he quickly walks by the empty post and rooms, two hundred and seven, eight, nine, maintenance room, ten, unmarked, there! Eleven.
Just as he's about to enter the room, something like... struggling? Can be heard on the other side of the door. And shouts? Oh shit!
He throws the door open and for a moment freezes at the image presented to his eyes. Namely, Vi forcefully administrating a crumpled up newspaper into Jinx's mouth, she appears to be finding the criminal's feeble effort to stop her rather amusing, if her malicious smirk is any tell. The bluenette is still strapped to the bed, thank gears, when he heard the noise he thought she somehow got free.
The man snaps out of his daze and quickly closes the door behind him, they don't want anyone coming in after all.
"Uh... I'm- not interrupting I hope?" He cautiously ventures. Earning a surprised look from Vi, who after a moment of staring at his choice of attire, snorts and goes back to the task at hand.
As for jinx, an unintelligible noise comes from the clearly unhappy prisoner as an answer.
"What do you think?" Vi speaks up, her voice a curious mix of anger and glee. "Little shitlord here-" she takes her fingers out of Jinx's mouth and wipes them off on the covers. "-just doesn't know when to shut up. Figured I could teach her."
"Are you supposed to be doing this?" Probably not, though Jayce doubts even the doctors would actually care beyond their professionalism.
"And are you supposed to be here?" her gaze shifts back to him and takes in the details of his appearance. "What in cogs are you wearing anyway?"
"A disguise." He states firmly, eager to skip to other topics, and looks around the room, a standard one really, the only difference being how empty it is. Barring the machinery by Jinx's sides, there is but a chair and a table, one littered with newspapers, books and- are those spillikins? Has she seriously... a grin breaks out on his face.
"Hey! You don't even know-" the woman points her finger at him when she notices where his attention's been drawn to, as if scolding a child. "-how boring it gets here. Fourteen hours, a day, stakeouts can go shove it up their asses, they know nothing."
"Okay, okay, I get it. You stay awake?" He sure as a clock couldn't.
She looks at Jinx- who's still valiantly trying to spit out the newspaper- making sounds not that dissimilar from vomiting- and shrugs. The scientist can't blame the girl for the noise she makes, really, not because she's gagged, although yes that's annoying (he's been there so he knows). It's just that he knows how the newspapers taste, sue him, he's a man of science and nothing short of empiric evidence can satisfy his curiosity.
"Nah, I got eight hours a day to myself, total. Not gonna waste them sleeping, skipped the gym for too long already." She rolls her eyes at his smirk. "And yeah I just can't handle that much time farting around." She turns fully to him and half sits on the edge of Jinx's bed. "Anyway, I don't suppose you sneaked in here for a social call, so go on. Nobody's gonna listen in on us here."
He shoots her a dubious look, slightly tilting his head towards the very much present criminal.
"Aw come on Jayce. What's she gonna do with it? It's not like she'll spill when her head's off. Or whatever the higher-ups cook up for her."
"Hmpf, it's your fault if this goes sideways." Jayce had hoped they could talk tete-a-tete but... truth be told, Jinx's presence doesn't make much difference for what he has to say. The vigilante seats himself on the chair, wondering how to begin. "I started looking into things two days after you caught miss bomber here. Just the usual, you know, blackmail... extortion. There was this one guy-"
"Well, now that that's done with," Jayce begins as he presses Mercury Hammer into the arms dealer's chest, eliciting a pained groan from the fool. Really, they always either fight or run, as if either can help them, not even an ounce of courtesy to simply give up right away. "You're going to list me all the nice people you've been selling ammo lately."
"Man, I'm telling you I don't fucking know who you mean!" He shouts in panic. Hm, maybe he did actually forget who his captor mentioned while running for all the nature gave him.
"Two mercenary companies, Zaunite, they bought from you within the last month. Ringing a bell?"
("Actually- kinda. Like something I forghmgh-")
("Shut up Twerp. I'm so getting her a real gag, she freaking ate- eugh, keep your tongue to yourself!")
(" Yrn fhn.")
...the man hurries to respond, cringing as Jayce rests more his body weight upon his hammer.
"I- yeah, yeah they do!" the inventor lets up some of the pressure to encourage his informant's memory. "Bought two times from me, uh, fuck I can't remember exactly." Not surprising, barely anybody ever does, not without a sufficient incentive. It's amazing how rarely does the vigilante meet people with undamaged survival instincts.
"Then I believe it's in your best business to recall those details," He informs the dealer while leaning over him. "I've been having a bad day and I itch to take it out on someone."
"Oh you had a bad day huh?" The pinned man spits out.
"You're not the first arms dealer I've visited today." Futureman responds menacingly. "And I'm slowly losing my patience with your type." Anyone would after missing a dinner because of the crooks' stubbornness. He had hoped to be home an hour ago.
("Oh look at me, I'm so serious and dangerous, you gonna have a bad ti-mhp hghmpf!")
("What did I say?")
"Yeah whatever, look I don't want no trouble, I'll give you the damn papers so just lay off." For a moment, Jayce pretends to gauge the proposition for the dramatic pause effect, then silently does as asked, even going as far as to offer his captive a hand to get up, which the man promptly ignores. No manners at all these types. Money being the only thing eliciting a reaction from them, well, besides violence. No matter, they don't need to be civil. Neither of them plans to ever meet again after all. "Up the stairs, come on. "The merchant urges when, after a considerable amount of cursing and grunting, he finally manages to stand up on his own.
"Eager aren't you?"
"Eager to get you the fuck outta my shop. Sure." Rude. But Jayce can sympathise. He was none too pleased himself when Jinx paid his lab a visit. Granted, the man hasn't done nearly as much damage here as the mad bomber had to his workshop, but the scale hardly matters, it's the intrusion alone. Some of his colleagues were prone to fits of rage when someone as much as borrowed a wrench without asking first. Faust will still not talk with him, three years after the incident.
The spiteful ass.
("Jayce, seriously.")
("Who's Faust?")
They never were that close, he'll be the first to admit. But holding a grudge against him for losing a damned wrench, which he later bought him back of course, is a bit much.
("Oooh, that kind of people. Good for you Hammerhead, who needs 'em.")
Perhaps he really is better off without such acquaintances. He is the one who became a known celebrity after all, not many scientists are, even less care about such things at all. Their loss, if somebody were to ask him-
("Nobody is.")
Which is a pity, he's a brilliant conversationalist after all. Anyway, they move up the stairs to what the Defender of Tomorrow can only assume is an office, it's not really reminiscent of the ones Jayce has been visiting lately. Parts and papers lying all around without any particular visible pattern. There most likely just isn't any.
"Well?" he asks as he settles the shaft of his weapon on the ground, curiously looking around.
"Yeah yeah, it's in my desk, somewhere." Says the man, already rummaging through the contents of the said desk. "Ah, there we go!" he says with a smug grin and leans back.
Nothing happens for a couple of seconds.
"Uh... you were-" Futureman hears a heavy thump, somewhere from where they both came from. And then another, and more, each louder than the one before. He turns around-
-and throws himself to the side just in time for the door to be thrown off its hinges, a hextech suit standing on the other side.
("Yeah!")
"You've messed with the wrong guy Futureman! Should've left when I told you to!" Shouts the arms dealer, already on his way to the suit.
("Yeah!")
("You know, your story's nice and all but I'd kinda like to hear what actually happened?")
Jayce's grip on Mercury Hammer tightens and his eyes narrow. Where in cogs did he get a PBS-CR mark 9? Those only hit the market some two months ago and are still expensive enough to buy a house with one of them. He himself only ever had the opportunity to tinker with a mark 7 and that was two years ago. And while it would no longer qualify as state of the art, it still easily-
("What are those PB-somethings?")
...uh...
("So do you MIND, sticking to what's important?")
Or perhaps it is just a remote controlled mining suit, the likes of which Jinx has seen great many times as they and the ones used in warehouses are basically the same thing. In fact, she rather regularly sees parts of them as Vi's gauntlets are simply heavily modified forearms of said suits.
("Wait, you serious? Pft- pfhahahaha!")
("Jayce... can you just get to the point?")
...
Jayce beats the guy up, then takes the costumer list. The end. There, happy?
"Hey! You don't interrupt a story time!" Jinx complains indignantly, her voice pitched high enough for the man to cringe.
"He was bullshitting half of- " Vi starts only to be immediately interrupted.
"It was fun! You don't tell me stories- let's tie you up to your stupid chair 'n see how you like it!" She bursts out (and Jayce just barely manages to hide his bark of laughter behind a cough, if she only knew...), annoyance painting on the girl's features for a second as she looks at Vi, just for a second though, before she looks at the ceiling, her scowl suddenly giving way to a genuine smile. "Hey Hammerhead, how's your dump shakin' up?"
The man's eye ticks at the boundless cheer contained in her question.. He looks to his friend, suddenly feeling inclined to not only back Vi in her plan to acquire a gag, but even to go as far as to buy it himself.
"Why do I bother-" Vi trails off for a moment before turning to Jayce. "So you say you got some list? What's on it?"
"Names, or pseudonyms at least. Something to track anyway. Money flow and weapons listed, all one needs to track down a mark." He smirks at the astonished look on Vi's face. He rarely gets that particular reaction from her.
"You serious? Wait, why didn't you give it to Pomeroy?"
"Yeah well there's investigators nesting in there and I hear all the papers go through them at some point. It would be a bit troublesome to explain where the Deputy got the info from and- you know, for me how I got it. So here I am, asking you for help instead."
"Damn I'd love to but I'm stuck here fourteen a day." She pauses, contemplating for a moment. "And I can't just call up my old friends and ask around you know, would have to find them in person. And that would take more time than I have at the present." She finishes, somewhat dejectedly.
"Which is something I've already considered, don't worry. The thing is, I already know where to look and just... need a way to get in there without making a scene, and that's going to be hard without you." That is actually going to be hard regardless, with or without Vi.
"Sure? Say the word." Well, somebody's eager.
"I need you to go to Toxicity with me." He manages to hold back from drawling but it's a near thing. The reaction his statement gets is just about what he could expect. Vi snorts and shakes her head, a goofy smile plastered onto her face as if she's just heard a particularly good joke. It slowly melts off her lips when she looks at him and doesn't see his own smirk.
"...you're not joking." She deadpans.
"Completely serious this time. The money was forwarded through the owner, and Vi, those sorts of contacts-"
"Don't form in a day- I know." She bites on her knuckle, an uneasy grimace painting her features. "Rust. I mean I always knew she's dealing with some seedy stuff but this? Fucks sake-" She stands up and starts pacing. "I thought she was going straight." He barely restrains himself from saying that her types never do. Barely. And only because saying so would do injustice to his friend.
"Who?" butts in Jinx, her expression being one of displeasure at being so out of depth in the conversation. Ah well, not his problem.
"Alright," Jayce's friend stops her pacing, staring far off into a place only she can see. "Yeah I'll come with you. When?"
"Soon as we can, you up for it tonight?"
"You guys suck." The bound terrorist grumbles in her bed, finally drawing a reaction from the Enforcer.
"Yeah well deal with it, be nice and maybe I'll bother to explain later." Huh, the girl must have really been a nuisance for Vi to not just ignore her. Then again, during his short visit Jinx has already managed to convince him she needs to be gagged.
"Really?" the criminal asks, and Jayce honestly doesn't know how to feel about the puppy eyed look the psychopath gives the officer, dangerous, deceiving and earnest at the same time. The eyes of someone as willing to hug as to strangle the other person.
"I said maybe, don't push it." She says with a slight slump in her shoulders and frustration colouring her voice. The two signs that tell Jayce she will indeed give in later, if just to quiet the bluenette for a moment. It seems to be working for now as the girl in question stops squirming and settles down in her place, still observing the woman but not saying anything for the time being. "Anyway, yeah I'm up for tonight, want me to pick you up?" She adds with a devilish smirk.
Women. He swears.
"That would be nice, yes. No weapons, please. I hear there's a crowd at night." Something that she should know better than him, but still, it never hurts to be sure.
"Oh you've no idea, um, try to look business like. Well unless you're trying to make a statement?" And there it is, another devious smirk of hers, ugh.
"Gears no," he answers, faking offence. "Business only. I get it."
"I don't." Mutters the bed ridden criminal, only just loud enough to be heard.
Damn finally, I was writing this for the last two months and it felt off key until only very recently. Either way, we're moving out of Jinx's small room again.