12 The Fight For A Vacation
by moissanitej@gmail.comEkko came back the next day but she was unwell. No surprise. He came back again. And again. They kept saying she was on special assignment, but he kept coming back like clockwork. Day by day.
Until she was finally there. She was back in the room, but with a slightly different expression he couldn’t name. “Hey, Ekko. So? Um. Me getting sick back to back is getting Meat Claws impatient. I have to go fight him today after time with you.”
What? “You just got better.”
“Yeah. He doesn’t want to risk me not being well for the fight, and he’s getting antsy. I know Boat is getting antsy. Those babies are rarely getting the love they need. So, I’m . . . going to get it done. And then? I’m free for vacation time.”
“Vacation time?” Huh?
“Vacation time?!” Captain Teemo had a different reaction. “Jinx, No!”
“Eh. Well. Everyone gets vacation time the first time. Chances are fairly higher than 50%, and Madame Durham likes to just show how trustworthy she is in deals. So, we are going to fight without telling her. Trying to anyhow, you know these necklaces.”
Necklaces. “What’s the necklace have to do with anything?”
“Oh. Madames can pick up on feelings. Hopefully she’s thinking the anxiety is just for the vacation. I have to save Boat’s babies.”
“At the expense of your own?” Captain Teemo asked.
“What?!” What the hell? “What the fuck did he just mean, Jinx?!” No!
“I’m in a magic garden.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means just accept it.”
“What?”
“It could have happened at any time, Jinx is a slave in here, stop being blind!” Captain Teemo called Ekko out. “Anyhow. I’ll be able to tell you in a few days. I can sense even the slightest magic.”
Ekko rubbed his fingernail on the end of his teeth, roughly irritating it.
Jinx didn’t have as kind of eyes for Captain Teemo. “Thanks for the checkup advice. Not for any of the rest.”
“You need to come with me, Jinx!”
“I need to save Boat’s children. There might not even be anything in there. Besides, if there is? How would parallel time travel even work with a pregnant woman? Basic time travel has been fine, but you and your wild rune fevers just from visiting too long? If you don’t know the answer to yours, don’t try it.”
Ekko rubbed his eyes. “Going to parallel, I don’t know.”
“I’m going to fight soon. Talk about risk later. Talk about food now?”
Ekko’s nose flared, this was sooooo . . . “Fuck!”
“I want to leave for my vacation right after this fight. I already worked it out with Meat Claws,” she told him. “So? I’m going home.” She had a small smile on her face. “Two months, I can go home, and no one will be hurt. Two months, getting to know Vi better. Two months, seeing how Ekko does feel about how things were left. Just being home. My time. Where I belong.”
“Meat Claws knows you think you’ll lose.” Ekko glared at her. “When you do, you become Mrs. Is it? His?”
“Doesn’t matter really.”
“Oh, you think he’ll feel that way after the fight?” His temper, he just couldn’t! “Fuck, Jinx!”
“He won’t marry me,” she said softly. “He’s not in control. Master holds all control.”
“Not all. He doesn’t control me.” His teeth were gritted and he looked at her outfit. It made more sense now. “Going home with your actual clothes you came with?”
“Yeah. Home.” She rubbed her cheek on her hood. “So food?”
Ekko got her some food, watching her eat. Parallel traveling. Time travel seemed fine if these people did it all the time anyway. But parallels? Wild runes? She was right, at least for now.
“Oh, this is gonna feel soooo good!” Jinx was watching her arms and legs cuffs being released. “Free.” She stretched her arms up so high and so wide. Man, that hit the spot. She stretched her legs and stared at Meat Claws. I get one good predicted punch. As much as she wanted to smack his jaw with it, her sure shot was going to connect to something else.
She took the hoodie off, letting the rest of her feeling more free. It probably still wouldn’t take him down, but she’d put her all into. No more shimmer help, I can still do this. That shimmer was long gone, no magic worked anymore on her. Even if she wanted it to.
She took her position. Boat wasn’t far, hearing her poor children she couldn’t comfort. You ate parents in front of their children, and then took them home to finish them off. I was trapped and I couldn’t do anything, but now you are messing with Boat. She popped her fingers. I will kill you or die trying. You aren’t getting those babies if I have to carve a whole in your stomach.
“I can’t believe you’re really doing this, Jinx,” he warned her. “You’re taking on a giant. A Baccai.”
“Size is just size. I’ll crush you anyhow, reject.” Her eyes stayed matched with his as she sneered. First and last time she could tell him how it was with her. Savor it. One of us will be dead soon.
When a whistle went off, he took his open move, Menu Claws. It was a great way to sample the opponent’s skin. He’d take some with his claws and then lick it off, freaking his opponent out, usually giving him an element of surprise afterward.
There was no ducking it if she wanted to hit where she wanted to hit. Hit, hit, hit! After this, they were going to start making a rule in the fights about no long nails for women. As she managed to hold into his neck, she took her next step. They would be watching for the arts section and invention section at Two-Tone Jack’s clubs better now too. She had sharpened metal for him, razor sharp on the sides she’d stitched in her cloak. To get it out, it cut her cloak, but it would be worth it as she stabbed it in the jugular. She needed more than just a poke though, and the grip, and the angle between actually had just enough for her to actually-
He screamed as blood filled her mouth, and she didn’t care! He pulled her away from his neck, but he was bleeding so bad. The blood was disgusting in her mouth, she had to be like a wild animal, but it was worth it. With the right tools, a girl could do anything. Including tearing open a throat.
He was doing anything he could to get her off, but he was in too much pain to think straight. Welcome to her world.
She was able to loosen away as she watched him fall. Wow. I won the challenge. “Yes!” Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
And then she fell to the floor.
“Did you see that?” the fake Meddler said as he walked past Ekko who had stayed there with the invisible Captain Teemo watching over her during the fight. “She took down a Baccai by getting at his jugular.” He clapped. “Her price just goes up and up.”
Ekko didn’t respond, he just went over to her and started to dab some medicine on her visible wound, making her squirm.
“Yes. I did it. He’s dead.” Her eyes were on the mother running toward her children. “Boat’s good.”
Wild rune fever was kicking in again. “I’m sorry, Jinx.” He had to grab her and get her out.
“She is claiming her two month vacation as promised.” Captain Teemo appeared next to him. “Let’s go.”
An empty room. Locked. Safe until she was feeling better. She was already sick and he had to grab her to travel. “Sorry, Jinx.”
Captain Teemo opened the bedding and she was slid in. “Capn? I need you to watch over her for a little while. I need to start making arrangements. Figuring things out. She’s going to need time to get over the fever again.”
“I get it,” Captain Teemo agreed. “Where are we?”
“Just try and be quiet. This is Vi’s guest room. They never use it, and the door is locked. If she does figure it out, she’d probably help take care of her. Should be fine for now. I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Why so long?” Captain Teemo asked.
“It takes that to be able to tell. I gotta know what’s what before I can move her to the parallel,” he insisted.
“She wants home. She wants here,” Captain Teemo pointed out.
Fine. “Yeah, for a little while.” Ultimately? If she was pregnant, he’d have to find a way to keep visiting and make sure she was safe until the baby was born. If she wasn’t? Just a few days, home. Back home.
When he brought her back to his parallel, she would be safe.
When he brought her back to his parallel, her brothers would let him come see Powder again.
When he brought her back to his parallel, he could go see the bar again.
For now? Just get away, let her rest, and return later with medicine.
Quickly, quickly. It was her only chance. “Capn. T.”
“Don’t talk, Jinx. Just rest,” the Capn told her.
“No, I don’t got much time. Wild Rune Fever is covering.” She wouldn’t be able to use it for long, or be conscious for long. She had to tell him. “Captain T., I am not pregnant. It’s an excuse. It’s a farewell vacation.”
“A farewell vacation?!” Now he got it. “No, no, no. Are you sure? Parallel Ekko though, and your visions?”
“The necklace is death. It’s got the powder from the world runes,” she told him. “Meddler has the time travelers. They can use the Wayback machine without any pain. I’m obsolete. Experiment fodder now.”
“Your pregnant with a death necklace.” He didn’t get it right.
“No. Not pregnant, just farewell vacation.”
“Parallel Ekko was used for something, Jinx. There’s a good chance the farewell vacation isn’t a farewell. Even if he does have two more people to use the Wayback machine, it doesn’t make you useless. I don’t know how it all comes together, but there is something to it all, Jinx.”
No. “No, I’m not,” she assured him. “I’ve just got a death necklace. Captain.” It was getting harder to think now, the fever was setting in.
“Don’t worry, Jinx. With the world runes? I promise. I am going to do the best I can do for you, Soldier. I will stick around for one month, to see the results myself. Now, get some rest, Bandle Scout. I’ll be here.”