keepitgoing | etraya Inbox.

(She's staring daggers are him, solely because there's truth in what he is saying. People always pull her by the hair in fights, it's long, and now that it's loose, she'll most likely trip on it and fall face first every two steps.

The price of looking this amazingly edgy. Okay, breathe, although the exhale sounds more like an angry growl than anything else once she sits on his chair.)

... No. I got it.

But I'm so good at taking crap from people.

[That was a joke! Kinda. A partial joke.

Watching her for a moment, he lets them settle in the calmness of the room. He'd had such a hard time with the quiet of his apartment -- not here as much, but at home. To sit there and know that nobody was going to knock at your door, or walk in with a hello and a smile... God, he misses May.

But there is something else. Something he feels like is important to say.]

... It's not just about saving people in the moment, you know. Helping people get the tools they need to be okay, with or without a hero around -- that's important, too.

Nooooooot your greatest talent.

(That's why she said it. Just point her in a direction. For all she says Caitlyn has rabies, she's probably twelve times worse, and she's constantly ready to shoot someone for very little reason.

... This is probably when he brings out the following argument. She sees where he's going with it.)

Is this conversation really how you wanna spend today?

[... He slowly sits down. Cross-legged, on the floor, still in most of his Spider-Man get-up.]

Okay.

[He taps his hands on his knees.]

... Um... Did I do something wrong?

Because I can totally, uh. Not say I'm Spider-Man.

It was just a thought, you know?

And I have a lot of those. But I don't always do anything with them.

So...

[He will keep rambling, and worse in the wake of silence.]

(Okay, now he's spiraling too, great, just great, best job ever, Jinx, totally sound tactics, not like you're royally fucking this up, and then being overly dramatic about it because there are no emotional balancing skills in your skull whatsoever. Good for you!

Brain, shut up. She can't even focus on her hair so she's not even trying to braid it but instead, all her focus goes to stop the thousand strings of negative self-talk that isn't always coming from self until she growls and stomps with all her strength.

Focus. Don't explode.

... Explode?)

Grr, it's not about you. It's about me, hello, remember, the drug-dealing, criminal empire heiress terrorist of every Piltie's nightmare? I like being around you, but if you're out, Silco is going to have three gazillions heart attacks, at that old age? He's not going to make it, all because I decided I really like spending all my time with an Enforcer, which in case it's not clear, is a catastrophically massive issue.

(This is as much as she is able to tell him, bless her heart.)

... Just wait. Later, alright, just. Let me — just fix it.

(What the fuck does that mean, she doesn't know either. She'll just fix it. Somehow.)

[Ah... He huffs a breath through his nose, looking down at the floor.]

Probably not.

... Besides, I don't think I've figured how to use the advice, myself.

[He's sitting as a depressed lump in his apartment, instead of doing anything remotely beneficial to himself or the others in Etraya. Do as I say, not as I do? He swears he's trying not to be a big flaming hypocrite.]

It's one day, Pete. Let yourself be bummed out for one day.

(Relax, Peter. It's a deserved bummer day.

For as much as she is used being here, she jumps out of the bed to go find him something to distract himself with. Paint? Movies? He said he liked those. Whatever they are, actually. So, that's what she's looking for as she frowns, staring at his stuff trying to figure out what a movie is in his books.)

... None of these say movies. Where is it?

[He huffs a breath.]

Yeah, the drug-dealing, criminal villain thing isn't ideal.

[Thank god they haven't found a way to be exactly that here. Yet, anyway.]

But we're all stuck here together, and I'm not gonna be the last good guy you two are gonna end up being around. Or even liking. [He motions with his hands as he sits there, cross-legged on the floor, very out of place in his suit while being surrounded by Jinx's hair as she walks in loops.] Like, sometimes we're really cool to chill out with!

[... Oh.

He blinks, pointing at the cheap little entertainment center he's rigged up.]

Under the television... My uncle was a major cinephile, so we watched a ton of stuff together when I was younger. [The weird skinny book-looking things lined up, apparently! There are a few classics from the 90's and early 2000's, and he says with a little more pep:] I just Shrek the other day.

[Indeed, a Shrek DVD is there.]

Shut up, you definitely are, and even if you're not, you're probably the one I'll end up liking most, and you're missing my point?

(Weird flex, Jinx, but okay. Definitely not hearing herself, but okay.)

I already said fine, do it, just let me have a minute. I just have to — ugh, I have to sway him a little bit. He's been kind of restless without having an Uprising to plan and rich people to eat — not literally, before you go there, nope, he just has been taken out of his element a tiiiiny bit too much, so he need, you know.

(He probably doesn't know.)

Half of the words you say don't make sense. What's a Shrek?

(It's not a jab. She's legit.

Never seen this before, but she can work it out, there are buttons and instructions on the device, so she's just looking for whatever a Shrek is. Found that, opened, and after pressing a bunch of buttons, she puts the disk in and returns to sit on the bed next to him.)

There. What now?

[Well obviously liking someone is normal, that's so super normal, he likes so many people.

But a very unhelpful point:]

Could your dad just... find something else to live for... other than a uprising?

(Thinking about it. Thinking more. A finger raises, as if she had an idea, and it drops almost immediately.)

Nope. It's literally a 50-year work in his head. He's losing his shit, I can tell you that.

... Look, you do what you want, alright? Wanna come out, yeah, fine. Just, uh, let me figure out this Silco thing first.

... Shrek is a cinematic masterpiece.

[Which is the only offer of an explanation he gives her before he clicks play on his remote.

Oh lord have mercy.]

[... At least Peter seems to be feeling better.]

(Maybe watching stuff with Jinx is a bit of a mistake, because she's asking him a billion questions. How is this made. How. Why can the donkey talk. Wait, do these exist in his world? Is this based on a true story?

Truth be told, she does not shut up. She has too many questions, and this was a very confusing experience.

But when she looks at him, he seems a little better, so there's a smile from her, albeit tiny.)

You seem less at the bottom of the pit. Good.

(No explanation, but Peter knows Jinx comes in and comes out of his place like an outdoor cat, so, no surprises either? A piece of paper is taped to his wall, a puzzling and overly complicated map of the subway station paths until there's a 'X' marking a location. Big challenging puzzle, it makes zero freaking sense unless, well, you can see it how Jinx sees it when she wants to be a brat.

Good luck, Peter, bless your heart.)

[A deep, deep sigh of surrender.

Temporary surrender, at least.]

Alright, alright. I'll keep it under wraps. Under the condition you're not gonna go into full-blown pacing sessions over it. [He can't actually keep her from that, but it's the principle of it!] Things'll work out. Okay? And if they don't, we'll cross that bridge when we get kicked across it.

[Peter answers every question eagerly, because he is one of these weirdos who learns every little thing about a movie and parrots it word for word — and really, Jinx? There's a talking puppet and cookie, and the donkey is what calls to you? Predictable.

As the credits roll, Peter looks over at her with some surprise.]

... I guess I am. Yeah. [And that's nice. Nice to not be at the bottom of a pit, even if the weather outside of it is hardly ideal.] Thanks for hanging out with me, Jinx. You didn't have to do that.

[... Well, at least she didn't paint the message on the wall.

Peter will find this 'x'.

... Many, many hours later, donning his Spider-Man suit and crawling around on subway walls like the worlds most turned-around arachnid. Every time he looks at the map, he ends up scratching his head... but sooner or later, he'll be there!

To COMPLAIN!!!

He calls out at nobody:]

This is rude, by the way! This is punishment!

(In her workshop, Jinx bamgs her head to the rock vinil that echoes through the hole she managed to ask Aurora for.

A miracle she listened to the complaint, so he'll get a laugh from her as a result as she twists a bolt on her current project. What is it, no idea, she'll find out later.)

Punishment?! For what? What am I punishing you for? Taking forever to come to my place?

(GIRL YOU WENT OUT OF YOUR WAY TO NOT TELL HIM WHERE YOU LIVE.)

(Yeah, but the donkey is most of the movie. How can her attention not navigate to that? Also, why does the wolf wear that thing on his head. What is the purpose of it.

At least he didn't mind it, and for her first movie experience? Not horrible.

Her shoulder raise with the comment, because yeah, she didn't have to, but he needed her. When she needed him, he was there too.)

Yeah. My evil agenda is villainously empty, so, it's fine. Anyway. Welcome back, semi-chipper.

Yeah, right, because things always work out for us.

(She doesn't mean to be bitchy, but also, has he looked at their curses?? But, fine. Fine, fine. Fine. Ugh, fine.)

I'm sorry. I just care about you, okay? Let's just drop it.

[Here he comes, skittering along like a bug on a wall!]

With instructions like that, how was I supposed to take no-ever?!

Did you draw that with your eyes closed?

... Thanks.

[He's quiet for a moment, almost gentle in his contemplation.

Then:]

So, Shrek 2 when?

[jesus]

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cw jinx being jinx

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cryptic message on his wall

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