What Else Would it be?
Jinx actually went down to breakfast that Wednesday morning, much to contrary of normality. She found that the food which was hot and not able to be stuffed in her rather limited blazer pockets was far tastier than the squashed sausage roll and muffin which had been her morning diet the past two months.
She had intended to be sat alone, entertained only by her thoughts (she considered bringing her Gameboy – as it was her usual morning entertainment – a bit far, a point deducted from in-person breakfast) until someone disturbed her solitary peace.
“Fancy seeing you here.” A voice said, the owner’s knees sliding into the bench right beside Jinx. There sat next to her was a brown haired girl, with big eyes and a bigger smile, Maisie, Fleur’s friend. It was odd seeing them separated. She plonked down her granola, decorated very politely with fruit, honey and pebbles of chocolate, before taking a look a Jinx with a wide smile.
“I missed eggs.” Jinx said, her mouth so full it was almost inaudible. “Never get ‘em wif lunch.”
Maisie sounded her agreement, digging her spoon into her bowl and swirling it about.
“So tell me about Sunday.” She grinned. “You know, there’s only 32 students in the whole of the Academy that are in it. Which, yeah, I guess sounds loads until you think, there’s 800 in the Academy altogether. I know, I know, all of them don’t do science and stuff, but it’s the biggest school, ahead of the humanities and everything. And even the ones that don’t do sciences are jealous, well, some are, I’m sure some don’t care, and I doubt they’ve all heard of it, still…”
She kept talking and droning on, Jinx, who might’ve been chewing too loudly, that or stopped listening after her first sentence, had no idea what she was on about, so just gaped, mouth open, until she realised this girl was never going to shut up. Then just ignored her wholly.
“So, then, you must tell me how it was!” Maisie finally came to a finish with exactly what Jinx feared, a question.
“Huh?”
Maisie opened her mouth to elaborate but was interrupted.
“JINNNNX!” The shriek was so loud, a couple of nearby sitters stuck up their heads. In crashed the fair-haired Fleur, cheery as ever. She practically leapt onto the bench opposite Maisie, her breakfast askew as her plate smashed upon the table. “So rare it iz to see you in ze morning!”
Jinx was failing to remember why exactly she wanted to eat in the dining hall.
“Yeah, I-”
“’Ave you done ze Finite Element Analysis essay yet? Maisie ‘as, but I cannot bring myself to start! Everything iz overly complicated this year!”
Jinx was always reminded about how they were easily friends. Still confused about how either of them actually had conversations and not monologues one after the other, but that’s beside the point.
“Uhh, yeah. I gave it a shot. Then stopped. Essays are stupid.”
“Too true, Jinx! You know, I once did an essay that didn’t ‘ave any paragraphs… well what iz ze point! All ze words are ze same? Why do you need some spaces between them! And they ‘ad ze audacity to ‘alf my marks! Because I don’t use spaces! Ridicule!”
“Well if it’s one massive hunk of text, it is rather hard to read.” Maisie said.
“Yes. If you are a child! Grown adults cannot read it seems!”
“But it doesn’t split up where your points are. Like ‘oh this paragraph is about this law and here are my points on it…’ and then another one is about like electrons or something.” Maisie continued.
“Zey can read it? Zey can clearly see where my points are.”
“But still, you have to present your wo- Jinx?”
Jinx, who had long grown tired of their conversation was trying to decipher a very bewildering message from the name she now dreaded most… Ekko. Evidently her confusion from such finding was rather overt, as the two broke from their conversation, looking upon her with questioning glances.
“Are… you okay?” Maise kept on, tentatively.
Jinx was not okay. Ever since her call with Ekko she had been avoiding everyone from back home, save the one call she tried to stomach from Cait. She was failing to do what he asked of her, and missing his irregular calls, so she was exceedingly guilty about it. She kept putting it off, much like her Finite Element essay, until his message destroyed that.
Little Man| things don’t just get easier for free. people actually have to do something to earn it. call me jinx please
She ran her eyes along it over and over, no matter how many times nor how slowly she read it… she had no clue what he meant.
“Uhhh, yeah. I gotta go.” And with her eyes glued to her flip-phone, she belted out the hall, folding past the grand oak doors and out onto the massive corridor before she was once again interrupted.
“Wow-ho there, Jinx…” A familiar light tone sounded, its owner outstretching their arms as Jinx nearly crashed into them. She glanced up to see pink-hair, beaming away at her. Thankfully she was alone.
“Oh. Hi.” Jinx said, her tone distant.
“In a bit of a hurry?”
“Yeah, sorta.”
“Well careful, all it takes is a distracted runner and one statue and bam, right eye gone!”
“Well my feet are on the right legs. Unlike some.”
“You’re sure?” Seraphine gestured at Jinx’s stance which always seemed a tiny bit tilted, no matter what.
“Ugh! Who cares, pink-hair?! Get off my dick.” And with that she dashed from her, pocketing her phone with an idea as Seraphine watched, somewhat dazed.
Jinx’s plan was not one she was excited for, nor one she had any prediction as to how well it would go, either way she knew it had to be done, she had to bite the bullet.
Bursting into her room, completely dismissing the fact her class at 9 am had started 10 minutes ago, she fell down on the bed before shooting straight up, there was no way she would still, not even a rock to the head would make her relax. She tried to calm her breathing as she paced around the floor before eventually whipping her phone back out and fidgeting around until she came to the beautiful photo of Hat Lady in Vi’s seven-year-old pyjamas. With her thumb quivering slightly, she hit ‘call’.
No answer.
Jinx hit it again, her own heartbeat louder than the buzzing of the ring. Again nothing. Eventually she sat on the edge of her bed, her legs dangling around as Jinx reached for the top right of her forehead, all the time calling and re-calling. It took 10 minutes. By which point Jinx’s mind had somehow wondered off. The sound of the calling vibrating droned into the background and Jinx just kept pressing ‘call’ out of automation. The sudden stopping of it made her shoot up, all the panic instantly returning.
“Hello! Jinx! Jinx are you there! Hello! Jinx?” Cailyn’s voice cried from the other end. It had such panic in it, it was quite endearing.
“Heyyyyy…” Jinx sounded, her teeth clad together unknowingly.
“Jinx! You’ve called me 14 times! Are you okay?” Caitlyn panted. She spoke so fast Jinx could hardly comprehend a word.
“Yep. Well sorta. I’m fine. But… eh its… its Ekko. He’s not so fine.”
“Ekko?” Caitlyn slowed down, and was silent for a long while. “You’ve been talking with Ekko then?”
“Yeppers.”
“And what is the problem.” There was a note in her voice that flooded Jinx with the image of Cassandra Kiramman. The politician’s weighty tone, the composure, the slight reserved manner, everything. Cait knew.
“He… he’s been telling me about the complications in the fissures. The difficulties in Zaun.”
“Well there’s something new.” Caitlyn’s tone was even colder, there was a sharpness to it. “Problems in Zaun. I wonder if he told you he had white hair, too.”
There was something up. It scared her.
“Well… eh, these problems are new. Or maybe not new, but becoming harder to deal with? I’m… I don’t really know… or remember it exactly. Just he asked me to… ask you.”
There was a very long silence.
“Jinx?” Cait said eventually.
“Uhm.” She bit down on her bottom lip.
“What did he want you to ask?” She spoke so slowly, with such reservation, it made Jinx’s heart pound. “ ‘He asked you… to ask me’. To ask me what?”
Jinx waited for a moment, thoughtless.
“From… for… for… help. For help from topside.”
“And what does he need help for?” She sounded almost robotic, but there was a knowingness in her tone.
“Well I… I dunno, well I don’t really know it’s-”
“If this boy is asking for help, it would be helpful to know what exactly he needs.”
“He did… he did tell me… it’s something about the Gray, and eh, something about how things aren’t working… the airs had something done to it.”
“There seems to be a whole lot of gaps in what he asked of you.”
“It’s probably my memory Cait… not… not him.”
“You needn’t defend him, Jinx. He put this pressure on you. Someone a good few thousand miles away and yet the people whose assistance he demands are a mere few feet from him.”
“I don’t think he has many connec-”
“No connections!? Has Vi suddenly been enveloped by fumes?! Punched one too many bags and it suddenly came to life, swallowing her whole as payback for being battered its entire life! No… he’s proud! Too proud to ask himself so he makes you do it. Ridiculous.”
Jinx was aback. A very sudden temper crossed Caitlyn. She didn’t know what to say.
“Ummm. Yeah. Well. It doesn’t change how he needs hel-”
“Oh he’ll get his help. When he asks for it. Himself.”
“Don’tcha think that’s a bit… petty. Just ‘cause-”
“No. I do not think it is.”
There was silence for another while. Jinx chewed on her lip.
“Is there anything else you wish to speak to me about, Jinx?” Her voice relaxed a little.
“Uhhhh…”
“That Crownguard girl still giving you bother?”
A jolt spread through her stomach upon hearing the name. Lux’s face came into her mind. It distracted her from the guilt and confusing emotions the Ekko conversation erupted. She let the feeling linger for a moment before,
“No. Not really. It’ll be over soon enough anyway.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Any bite to her tone was gone, replaced by a familiar warmth. “Now I really have to go. You called me during a bit of a chase. I should return, see how Vi’s keeping. I’ll call you later, Jinx. Goodbye.”
And without much more she hung up.
Jinx just stared into air. She couldn’t really say that she tried. As much as she wanted to. As much as she wanted to say ‘oh well’ and bury the feelings away with such excuse, she couldn’t.
So she just sat, dwelling in uncertainty. She had never been so still.
*
Lux hung against the wall, absent-mindedly watching the maths students file their way into the room. Quietly people-watching, comparing the mathsy type to those she would see in her own classes, as she often did with the physics folk. They were all still Rhayn students, so the difference wasn’t too dramatic. A few more pairs of glasses, uniform a little less perfect, hair a little less tidy, but nothing palpably different.
“A little early, Blondie.” A certain voice croaked from the corner of her eye. Lux looked up to see exactly who she predicted. “I suppose numbers, whether they’re on a clock or not, can be confusing.” She snickered.
“Ha, ha. Ever think I do something that doesn’t concern you?”
Jinx glowered.
“It’s just such a shock to see you anywhere near a class that isn’t about something completely stupid… and by your own free will. Is this not something of a nightmare for ya?”
“Ah, that’s why you’re here. Makes sense now.”
“Good! You’ve come!” Alyssa cried as she sped round the corner, making the two girls jump a little. “Alright, we don’t have long.” Ignoring Jinx or whatever Lux was doing before she came into light, Alyssa ushered Lux away from the door and towards a bend in the corridor before ducking away into a deserted supply office. It was dusty and silent. Perfect.
“Now Alyssa, if you’re going to drag this out of me you need to sure of this… it is a severe secret and you cannot breathe a word of it to anyone.”
“Tsch. How serious can it really b-”
“Alyssa…”
“Alright, alright.” She scoffed.
“Right, okay so here it goes… accusations have been coming out about Monroe. About how he used to take… things back when he played professionally. Like performance enhancers. But stuff the Mainland couldn’t trace, stuff from Runeterra. He denies it… well he denied it to the Board, but told… and I swear if you rat me out… he told Georgie that some of it was true. Anyways, the Board are threatening to dispel any team he coaches. So us, the seconds the thirds, all of Rhayn, saying that anything he does has no ‘player morals’ and they can’t trust any team he coaches. Naturally, his denial holds some ground since the proof is shifty… not really certain but strong enough to scare the Board, so it could go either way.”
“That’s… that’s terrible.” Alyssa looked into space, stricken. “But it isn’t our fault! Why do we have to-”
“I know, I know. I think he feels really guilty. Not that anyone can tell, he always looks angrier than a brick wall. Still…”
“Well, where did this proof come from?”
“Ah, apparently his old buddy. You know Basilicata. The Italian academy?”
“Yeah the ones we barely beat.”
“Well he had a friend who now coaches the team. They’ve grown apart now and it seems the friend isn’t the biggest sport… he made claims about his drugs abuse. Typical sport rivalry turns people to those type of measures I suppose.”
“That’s a bit petty.”
“Oh its very petty. Doesn’t change anything. He and Georgie have been through constant meetings with the Board, she has to pledge his innocence in the recent times, prove he hasn’t made any of us take anything, prove he’s telling the truth… the whole lot. Lawyers are getting involved and it’s just been ridiculously dramatic.”
“But he did take something?”
“Yeah… once, for a game over 20 years ago, something from Runeterra, don’t really know. Well that’s what he told Georgie. I guess we can’t know for certain.”
“But we could always get a new coach. One that doesn’t have these allegations.”
“Don’t even start. I know. This is what me and Catya have been saying. But Georgie refuses to even ponder it. Says it’s not his fault and he shouldn’t be fired over it. We think she might be in love with him.”
“Ha! Oh she definitely is.” Alyssa cried, then slunk back into herself. “This is just awful, Lux… what’re we going to do?”
“I really don’t know…” Lux looked at her feet, in thought. She had been a little busy worrying about one particular other thing to really contemplate the magnitude of the team’s questioning dismissal.
“Nothing we can do, I suppose. I have to get back. I hate walking in late.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you later Alyssa.”
“Yeah I’ll see you. Thanks again, by the way.” Her tone was defeated, saddened by this development. She slipped out of the office leaving Lux standing alone.
In her solitude, Lux let her mind slip to the tiny interaction she had before Alyssa sped her way over.
She thought over what she said, thought over how she looked, thought over her tone and the speed of her words. Until she realised she was doing. Overthinking one interaction? She hadn’t done that in ages. She’d only ever obsess over what she said when it concerned important conversations. Ones in the media, or with people of power where she needed to represent either Demacia or the Crownguards, not a conversation with some stupid girl in a corridor. That was odd. And yet she couldn’t keep her mind from doing it. From cringing at what she said exactly, how her comeback was weak, or how she jumped a little too intensely when she heard Jinx’s voice. After only a moment she shook her head of it, leaving the room and returning to the Cairn.
*
“Nightmare’s become a reality.” Jinx sighed, seeing Lux leaning against the same wall opposite her maths classroom as everyone was filing out for the end of the day.
“Uh-huh. And only three more weeks until it will fall into a peaceful dream.”
“Can’t wait. Ooooo, actually, I’ll let ya hit me so that I’m go into a coma – hmmm, maybe after a couple of hits, now that I look at you – and then bam I wake up and it’s all over.”
“As appealing as it sounds to whack you over the head, we have to actually get this done first.”
“Argh. There’s no joy without sorrow.”
“How very poetic of you.”
“Living in a constant nightmare does that.”
Lux rolled her eyes, shifting her weight off the wall. “Alright, Edgar Allan Poe, let’s get going before you spiral into an existential crisis.”
Jinx groaned, dragging her feet as she followed Lux down the hallway.
“Ugh, you’re no fun. At least let me complain before we go suffer together.”
“I am letting you,” Lux pointed out, smirking. “I just refuse to encourage it, since you know, your nightmare revolves around your present company.”
“True. I really hate my present company.”
“There’s a surprise.”
“Do you like coffee?”
“Huh?” Lux actually slowed down to let her present company catch-up, only to look her in the eyes with the intended expression.
“I was jus’ thinking…”
“If I liked coffee?” She started again as Jinx caught her.
“Sorta. If you put it literally.”
“And why?”
“Does that matter?”
“To me it does.”
“So, you’re saying that if I don’t tell you why, you won’t give me a yes or no to a very trivial question.”
“You’re a trivial question…” Lux muttered. Jinx snickered. “Coffee’s okay. I don’t drink it very often, it’s quite bitter. I prefer tea.”
“AHA! I was right.”
That was all Jinx said on the matter and Lux exploded with curiosity.
“What?! You guessed I didn’t like coffee? Wow what a one in a hundred resolution. The 50/50 question you predicted correctly. Well done.”
“No…. what I was experimenting is my theory that all Pilties drink tea. The Kiramman’s drank tea, so did the science people and the other councillors. And now you.”
“Jinx? Do you know what a Piltie is?”
“Uhhhh, of course?… Where have you been?”
“Well, you know I am not from Piltover. Ergo, I am not a ‘Piltie’.”
“Ah, my dense peer. You’re a Piltie in spirit. Piltie just means a rich snob.”
“Well it really doesn’t.”
“And how wouldaya know? Do you know anyone else who uses it?”
Lux scowled. “Well can’t you pick a less geographical term? Like ‘fat cats’ or something.”
“Doesn’t really roll off the tongue, Blondie.”
Lux gave her a look before picking up the pace. Jinx had no choice but to stop walking backward and actually match Lux’s strides.
“Anyways, whydya think Pilties like their tea?”
“Are you writing a book on it?”
“Can’t a girl be curious?”
“Jinx, I think you being curious is possibly one of the most dangerous things the world can offer.”
“So?”
Lux tsched, biting away a smile.
“I can’t speak for anyone else, I just prefer the taste. Coffee’s bitter. If I need to stay awake though I’ll drink it. It has more caffeine than tea. Other than that, tea takes the win.”
“Tea sounds posher. That’s my evaluation.”
“Quite a sweeping statement. And this is based on…?”
“The fact tea sounds posher and that’s a Piltie’s day-to-day goal. To sound posh.”
“Not a very long thesis. And your evidence is sure lacking.”
“Your mother’s lacking.” Jinx muttered. Another laugh had to be supressed, and with such energy, Lux pushed it into to walking faster. “Geez, Blondie, you’d think your training for a walkathon.”
“What are you talking about?” Lux laughed. Jinx never failed to surprise her.
“Why are you walking so fast?! Tryna prove you’re faster? Ain’t gonna work.”
“No… the sooner we get to the Library, the sooner this is over and I can go about my day.”
“Oh because Wednesday afternoon is high time for activity?”
“Wednesday evening is yes.”
“Gotcha.”
“…For the unreclusive.”
“Which you assume I’m not.”
“Which you aren’t.”
“And what makes you so certain.”
“Lots of things. Well… despite you having a boyfriend, if one takes solely yo-”
“Why are you so hell-bent on the fact Ekko is my boyfriend…” Jinx scoffed, quietening a little.
“Ekko?” A broad smile tugged on Lux’s lips, her eyes lighting up. “His name isn’t Little Man? So I guess that’s a nickname then. Cute.”
Jinx turned beet-red and Lux snickered.
“Oh you nosey prick.”
“So, he’s not your boyfriend?”
“No!”
“Then what is he?”
“A human?”
“No… what is he to you?”
“A friend? Can’t you accept that?”
“An ex-boyfriend?”
“Why did you just jump to that conclusion? Nothing prompted it!”
“I can usually tell.”
Jinx just rolled her eyes.
“It’s… more complicated than that.” She said quietly, suddenly feeling small.
“Want to talk about it?”
“I’d rather choke on glass.”
“I see. Fine then. Moving on, I was working on the calculations last night and most of what we’ve fed into your device has come out with reliable results. So I think we can go ahead and draw that into something presentable.”
“Super.” Jinx said flatly.
“Jinx, the sooner we get this done, the sooner… well that it is done.”
“Really?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Sure do. And it’s great, but still, I can’t find any of the cobalt we need. Conil’s properly empty now, and the tech department’s got jack shit.”
“Pity. Well we could always ask to have a quick trip up to the towns.”
“Towns?”
“I told you about them. There are a few villages the further you come out of the hills. The first one’s pretty desolate, nothing but a pub and a couple of shops that mostly sell wool and beer, but there are more past it that should have what we need. If there’s not a trip in time we could request a brief one.”
“Think I’d rather glue-gun my eyes than take a trip with you.”
“Always the charmer.”
There wasn’t much more the two girls had to do in the Library. Other than mend a couple of aspects for one of their models and write up different sections of the report. What was left to do was the testing – and the consequent drawing up of findings – for which few metals and other elements were still needed. The testing had to be assessed through time, Lux estimated only two weeks necessary – for which she assumed their peers wouldn’t have, judging by Seraphine’s constant grumbling – to collect a wide enough range of responses needed. But such ultimatum left them not the greatest abundance of time for it to be completed.
Determined to avoid going to some random village in the middle of nowhere with the girl she despised, Jinx left the Library after their session with a bit of a resolute plan.
Seeing as November was coming to a close, it was only three weeks until the end of the semester and consequently two weeks until December exams. Jinx wasn’t worried, but this allowed her to track down her favourite Physicist.
“Hey Roany!” She called, swooping round the corner of bookcases to find Ronan Vayne sandwiched in his favourite spot.
“Jinx!” He hissed in a whisper, jumping in his place, looking around furtively as though ready to be told off. “Do you know why people come to the Library? For silence.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jinx barely lowered her voice. “Always crammed here, aren’t’cha.”
“It’s good for you. No distraction.”
Jinx shrugged, pulling a face.
“Then how do you avoid doing work?”
Ronan scoffed.
“What do you want Jinx?” He was a little testy, Jinx was surprised.
“Ah! Good question. I want loadsa things. First, to cash in a couple of those itching favours of yours.” She sat down on the nearest chair, kicking her feet onto the table attached to the bookcase.
Ronan was silent for a moment, chewing on his lip.
“That is… acceptable.”
“I have a list of things. Sorta need them.”
“And?”
“And I can’t get them. So! Roany, this is your job now.” She handed him a tattered page with sprawling’s littered all over it.
“Jinx, I can’t read this.” He hissed. “Your handwriting really is awful.”
She scoffed, snatched back the page to look at it again.
“Or you’re just illiterate.” She tossed the page back along with a nearby pen. “’Kay then, write it down yourself. First is Cobalt. Then Iodine, Boron, wax not from a candle and Potassium.”
“What do you need these for?!” Ronan grimaced.
“It’s what we’re testing. Or just some of what we’re testing. We’ve already done a good few. Y’know for the Physics thing.”
“So this is part of your project. But that’s academic violation if I help, since-”
“Fine, it can cost all your favours! And I’m pretty sure you said you’d do anything, no questions asked. You’ve already asked a question, dummy.”
“Alright...” He sighed. “But how am I supposed to get all of this material?”
“You tell me. You owe me loadsa favours, buddy boy. I really hated that dinner. Plus, you can get some for yourself. Win-win.”
“We don’t need any of these...” He said, scanning down his own handwriting this time.
Jinx pulled a face, raising an eyebrow.
“Okay… it’s your project.”
“Seriously, though. How do you expect me to get these?”
“There are towns aren’t there?” Jinx asked as if it was a stupid question.
“And you can’t go to them?”
“I dunno where to go, and I sure as hell don’t want to go with Crownguard.”
“I suppose there are a few places that could prove resourceful enough for these… still, have to hope there’s a visit… when do you need them by?”
“End of this week.”
“Then you’ll have to hope there’s a trip this weekend Jinx, or else-”
“There is.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yuh-huh. You just don’t know ‘cause ya don’t have the bulletin thing.”
“I see. I’ll ask Edward about it.” Ronan sounded a little more enthused by the idea. “Well, then you can count on me. How many favours will it be worth?”
“Hmmm, one not enough?”
“Not to cost me my Saturday, its exam season.”
“Three?”
“Six.”
“Six!”
“Shhhhh!” Ronan scolded, looking petrified.
“Do you know how unbearable that dinner party was! They asked me questions. Questions! And my legs ached for years after that hike!”
“Fine, fine… five?”
“Four.”
“Five.”
“Four.”
“Then I hope you enjoy Crownguard’s presence.”
“Wait! Wait. I’ll go to another dinner party in the Privvy.”
“That’s worth less than five favours?”
“I guess. My minds seems to think so.”
“Well then no. And I just wanted to hear what it was like… another one sure won’t tell me anything new.”
“Fine! Five favours… I’ll only have four left.”
“Deal.”
Jinx spat into her hand and held it outstretched. Ronan looked at it for a moment, looking dumbfounded. Then pointed to her other hand, for which she raised, and shook it.
There, that was that taken care of. Now she had to make sure there was a trip that weekend. She didn’t know who to ask, she considered Fleur or Maisie, but didn’t really know how to word it. After a while of thinking she came to the dawning, depressing conclusion that she’d have to ask Lux. Funny how in the attempt to avoid her, she actually had to have an interaction.
Jinx| there a trip this weekend?
It only took five minutes to get a reply.
Lux| No it’s too close to exams, they never have any in exam season. Why? Want to go?
Jinx| fuck knuckles
Jinx| and no. obviosuly
Lux| Then why ask?
Jinx| cos I want to go…
Lux| So why did you say no????
Jinx| cos u were askng me to go with u
Lux| No… I was asking if you wanted to go at all…
Jinx| well clearly I wanted to go????????? I had to undergo the painful task of asking u. dumb freak
Lux| You are actually insane
Jinx| k
Lux| So how are we going to get the materials? We could always use different ones, but I think these are the best for what we need looked at
Jinx just left her on read.
Racking her brain as to how to get Ronan to the towns, and dreading the reality she might have to face, she was rubbed her face in thought, then winced as she brushed against her nose a little to fiercely, and the pain brought about the best idea. The Professor that gifted her the reason for such pain, who also had an odd interest in smart students, well, would surely have something to help.
*
“It’s gotten to the point where I’m just overly confused now.”
“The Mainland sure watch the weirdest movies.”
“Maybe if you were paying attention, you’d know what was going on. And stop resting your cup on my sofa it’s going to tip.” Evelynn scolded.
“Yeah, you don’t want to pull an Akali…”
“Wha- hey! It came right out!”
“And for that, you and your neck are extremely lucky.” Evelynn taunted. Akali sneered.
“Hey guys.” Senna called, coming through the door, Lux right behind her, both girls carrying boxes of snacks. “You wouldn’t believe how much we had to talk our way into getting these. What are we watching?” She dumped the boxes in the middle of the floor as the girls rifled through them.
“What were we watching, you mean.” Akali said, zapping off the TV. “Shit made no sense.”
“Hey! I was enjoying it!” Ahri protested.
“Oh yeah? And what was the main character called?”
Ahri stuttered for a bit.
“…Fredo?”
“You see...” She turned to smile at the two. Lux flicked the back of Akali’s head and Ahri smiled her gratitude.
“We can never find a movie we all like.” Kai’sa chimed in. “Best to stick to games.”
“Yeah but sometimes I can’t be bothered with games.” Ren sighed. “After a long day y’know, the mind wants to switch off.”
“Does your mind ever switch on?”
Ren was the flicker that time.
“I think we’ve played all the games we can over the past year.” Seraphine said, sliding off the sofa and onto the floor upon sight of a particular confectionary. “And there’s only so many people in the year to play smash or pass with. Like we must be though everyone now.”
A certain name flashed across Lux’s mind there. They had, in fact, not been through everyone. But she didn’t dare highlight that. The thought of it made her stomach drop. Pass. Without a doubt. Pass. She didn’t know why she even thought of it.
“How about we all just sit in silence.”
“Or how about we talk.”
“But that’s what we do the whole day, just talk. When we can’t do anything else. The evenings are for activity.”
“What like watching a movie where they all wear weird clothes and fight ugly looking things?”
“That’s one option.”
“Well let’s at least do something…” Senna said, taking a seat. “Considering the effort it took to get these.” She gestured at the boxes.
“Yeah, there’s at least some movies that we all like. Or at least all don’t hate.”
They settled on an animated movie. One the girls from Runeterra were unfamiliar with. It was about a girl stuck in a tower? Lux wasn’t really certain, her mind was immediately stolen when said girl’s really long hair reminded her of someone.
That was the second time she thought of Jinx that evening. And in the span of no more than 10 minutes. She let the thought linger, let the picture of her working on the model in the library loiter in her mind for a little. Then she thought back to what she said. Rethinking it all… rethinking her words, her appearance, how well she did the calculations, how close she stood to the girl. Then the character in the movie would fling about her hair and Lux’s mind snapped to Jinx’s deep blue braids moving so gracefully, a complete juxtaposition to their owner. So strange. Lux had no clue why her mind was absorbed with the presence of Jinx. Just spending more time with her. Was her excuse.
Still, that didn’t prove a thing about why Lux was all of a sudden so self-conscious of what she said around her, or how she said it, or how she acted. But only after the interaction. She couldn’t care less when with her, then suddenly later that evening it’s all she can think about.
Oh the long-haired girl is drowning. That pulled her mind back to the movie. And then it started to glow. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jinx’s hair glowed. Probably radioactive.
She seriously needed to stop. Her mind was totally engrossed and it genuinely terrified her.
*
“Uh… Miss?” Jinx had waited until the classroom was pretty empty before going up to see her. She had never approached one of her teachers out of her own volition, it seemed the Engineering Professor was just as aback, at the look of her face.
“Ah. Good morning, Miss Kiramman.”
“Hello.” Jinx wasn’t very good at it. “I was just wondering if you knew where Professor Elias would be. I just need to speak with him.” Geez, the effort going into avoiding a trip with Blondie.
“I’m sorry, Miss Kiramman I have no idea where he’d be. I frequently see him in the staff quatres around lunch, I can ask if he could pull you out of a class today, he has an odd enjoyment of doing that, he really wouldn’t mind. Although he should.”
“Nice. Thanks, Professor.”
“No problem. Studying going well?”
“Uh, yep. Can’t get enough of it.” Jinx lied, darting from the classroom. She didn’t like speaking to Professors one on one.
*
Jinx| ill get the materials. should have them for mondya
Lux| And how are you going to manage to do this?
Jinx| dont worry ur thick head with it
Lux put down her phone, scoffing. She couldn’t deny she wasn’t shocked. She knew Jinx would have it done, her resourcefulness was anything but lacking.
And that was in fact true, despite it having to take an arm and leg and a whole day of effort to actually make sure they could get them.
In Jinx’s Physics class that afternoon, Elias barged in and requested her presence. Lux’s mind was flipped. She spent the rest of the lesson, the rest of her day thinking about it. Her interest piqued, the mysterious adopted Kiramman never failed to intrigue her. And it was driving her mad. She was tempted to text her, ask why he wanted her attention, but assumed a snarky retort would be all she’d get, so avoided it, much to the despair of her nosiness.
As with Jinx, what scared her was the determination in avoiding Lux. She couldn’t quite describe it, or even put a specific reason as to why she was so fixed on not having a trip to the towns with her. The enthusiasm was bewildering, even for Jinx. I must just really hate her. More than I thought.
Well what else would it be?