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Winter in Demacia is proving to be a lot colder than what Jinx got used to back where she grew up.
When snow falls, it amazes her like she's a little child again. It certainly got cold back in Zaun, but the seasons never actually seemed to show many differences between one another. Just cold, humid, warm, sometimes it rains.
Jinx thought there wasn't many wonders that weather could bring, but a lot of the things she used to think have been proven to be wrong by the new environment she'd found herself in. It's her first winter in this new area. Snowflakes collect at her feet and she breathes in cold air.
Ever since running away, she's been forced to confront just how much shimmer had amplified every single sense of hers. At least cold doesn't seem to affect her tingling skin as much, but the feel of them give her some kind of sensory issues that she isn't really enjoying as much as the look of them.
Jinx cringes. Her expression unpleasant, her arms cross as if it does much to cover her body with her outfit. The giggle she hears behind her makes her whirl around, but where she expects another mocking hallucination to stand, is a blonde girl. The most basic blonde girl she'd ever seen, she might add. Blue eyes, pale face that's pink-ish because of the cold, even in her winter coat, blonde hair that goes just over her shoulders.
">What's-<" , Jinx starts in her native tongue before remembering that that doesn't really cut it around here. Where she thought Zaun might be isolated to some degrees, Demacia seems to be even moreso. She has yet to meet someone who actually spoke an inkling of piltovan.
"What's so funny?", she asks then, in awkward demacian. Another talent that Jinx had discovered about herself is that she's great at picking up languages. For the few months she's spent here, she thinks she's done a great job learning the language, considering there is no one to really translate anything directly. Of course, her accent pokes out every second word, but it's enough to be understood and understand. Which she views as a win.
The way she talks earns her another giggle and she doesn't know if she should be offended about that.
"You look like you've never seen snow before", the girl explains to her.
"I haven't", Jinx answers, with a shrug of her shoulders. Was she supposed to? Maybe if she'd lived in Piltover, but even the times she's spent there she didn't really see snow. It was never really this cold. This comes as a genuine surprise to Lux, who steps closer to the blue-haired girl.
"Really?", she wonders, as if she doesn't fully believe what Jinx is telling her. Something she'd learned about her is that while Lux comes across so friendly and welcoming, she's a girl born into privilege. Who doesn't really know a lot about the world. But she guesses she didn't know that much about the world before, either. Suddenly, now that she's left Zaun, the world is so much bigger.
It used to seem so.. small.
Kicking at the air, there hasn't really collected enough snow on the ground for her to kick it, she nods.
"I don't know if I like it", are words she settles on, then pressing her boot into the grass underneath her. Demacia itself isn't very big, but it has a lot of small villages and a lot of farmland and forests. She's quite amazed by the amount of crops and massive trees that surround them almost everywhere. It's such a magical country compared to Piltover, a part of her feels weirdly connected to it. Her skin tingles uncomfortably.
"I like snow", Lux comments, with a small smile. "It comforts me." What she wants to say is that it reminds her of her magic and it helps her feel more natural, but talking about her powers still hasn't really become something she's made a good habit out of.
Jinx accepts that comment as it is. It makes sense. It does seem like it suits the little girl in the demacian forest. Her blood still boils in a way she has yet to get used to, her heart still beats irregularly and quick in her chest and every sense is enhanced. When Lux moves, or talks, it's so loud that it makes her want to just shut up. Something about the way she is overwhelmed by the world actually calms her, for once. She doesn't think she's ever been this quiet before.
Grimacing, she huffs, then looks up at the sky. More snowflakes land on her face and it only amplifies the discomfort. She's had enough new sensations ever since leaving home. Sticking her tongue out, the flakes melt as soon as they hit it and she notices it doesn't even taste very great. Arms uncross, she shakes them out in a small effort to warm up just slightly, then skips over to the other girl. An arm is wrapped around her shoulder. Jinx is a little bit smaller than Lux, but their height difference isn't the most noticeable in most normal contexts.
"Well, sugar tits, I could tell by your fancy ass winter coat", she snorts, nudging her own head against the others. "It's cold. Not everyone is like, their own furnace."
"You sound jealous."
She looks around the forest, then let's go off her again, running a few steps ahead.
Lux looks after her, tilts her head with curious eyes. "Where you come from, do you have any winter holidays, then?", she asks, first a little unsure of how to phrase the question. She still doesn't think she did it in the best way, but it'd get her point across.
Jinx blinks at the question. None that she celebrates, is what Jinx wants to say, but she stays quiet, trying to think.
There were very few times she celebrated any holidays. Ever since.. Silco died, she doesn't think she's celebrated a single one. Whenever she had, it was something he'd organized, and worked very hard on to get a smile on her face. It's something that hurts to remember, and she doesn't intend the way she suddenly looks at Lux like she'd asked her the most daunting question of her life.
She huffs a breath past cold lips. "Bah. Nothing interesting. Certainly nothing fancy like your town's got going on."
The words Jinx ends up settling on are dismissive, don't specify anything. She doesn't feel like it. Her eyes roll, then her knees bend to try and pick up some of the snow. The cold burns on her warm skin, annd some of it melts instantly. You ruin everything you touch, is a voice she hears at the back of her head, and she thinks it's such a stupid thought to have about some snow.
The streets of Demacia were decorated festively. From snowmen, to sparkling lights. It's an atmosphere, Jinx doesn't think would ever even be possible inside of Zaun. She guesses she hasn't seen it in a while. It is possible, now that they are free of her, things might have gotten better.
"Awh", Lux looks so dejected at the response that Jinx struggles to understand if she'd given the wrong answer, or if it's truly just that much of a disappointing honest response.
She settles on both. Straightens her legs back out, then walks back towards Lux. "It's okay. The girl that lived there is dead." Jinx smiles at Lux, and she wonders, if it is genuine, or manic. "I'm here now! Let's celebrate that!" Her hands wander up in cheer and it twists Lux' frown back into a smile. There's a snort that she can't hold back, then she picks up her step to catch up with the other girl. "Right, right."
The forest is Jinx' favourite place to be. Something about the magic in these trees draws her in. Maybe it's the shimmer running through her veins, but she truly finds it to be intriguing.
It's where she feels comfortable. Nothing about Zaun felt quite as comfortable, or magical, or peaceful. She's already come to learn that Demacia is a land that doesn't exactly embrace their magic, as much as it's gotten better as of recently. Lux did tell her that she's definitely missed the brunt of the conflict. It's almost disappointing, even if she knows that's definitely not what she she should be telling Lux, and she doesn't.
Lux reaches out and takes Jinx' hand into hers. The different temperatures of their skin burning the other momentarily, but neither forcing the other to let go. There is familiarity and comfort in the touch, enough for Jinx to not pull away, she barely even flinched at the initial physical contact.
"You're so cold", Jinx comments, squeezing the hand in hers.
"No, you're just really warm", is the response she gets, with a roll of her eyes, Lux skips ahead, starts pulling Jinx along.
The rest of the walk is mostly quiet. A few stupid comments here and there. Minutes pass. Jinx isn't very good at keeping track of time. They had somewhere they wanted to go to, after all. If they waste all this time, they're going to miss it. The sun begins to set at the horizon, when they reach a clearing in the forest.
It's almost eerie, the big empty space that is surrounded by trees. Jinx thinks it resembles a battle area, almost, and it's such an amazing thought she has to snort a little.
"So, is this what you wanted to show me?", she asks mockingly, looking around.
"No, shush." Lux tugs on her arm, then gestures towards the sky. There's the comforting sound of the birds and the beautiful collection of colours along the skyline are the first thing she spots.
As the sun disappears, Jinx suddenly feels like, maybe, there's something worth living for.
Stars sparkle along the sky, as the night slowly starts setting in. It gets darker with every passing minute they spend staring at it. Eventually, Lux let's go off Jinx' hands, then takes off her gloves and with a small gesture of her hands there's a spark in-between her fingers.
It's absolutely mesmerizing to watch. Where most Demacians would get cold feet, Jinx is intrigued, wants to see more, feels absolutely drawn to it.
Natural magic wasn't extremely common inside of Zaun, so seeing so much in just the ground beneath their feet, is something absolutely amazing. Jinx is just a normal human, or at least, she was, so she doesn't feel like there should be a that strong connection, but maybe, because of the shimmer inside of her, the magic leaves her skin tingling.
The spark in-between Lux' fingers bounces, then spreads and flies towards the sky like a reverse falling star, joined by another. They stretch across the night-sky, a spectacle of yellow and whites that leave Jinx breathless.
Her mind is so quiet, she almost doesn't believe that she is awake, experiencing a moment like this. Every moment alive led up to getting her here, and for a moment, it feels worth it.
More sparkles dance across Lux' hands, who steps closer to Jinx again, reaches a hand out to her. There's reluctance, but she takes it, feels the light magic dancing over her skin like it's tickling her and she laughs so genuinely, it scares her.
But the shimmer also bubbles underneath her skin. Her eyes glow such a bright purple, if she looks hard enough, it's something she can see herself, in the darkness. And it's another thing that scares her. Only more sensations that tear at her and make it impossible to truly relax.
There's a small sound of amazement, and a shy giggle of Lux'. She's never really been able to show this off to anyone, if she did, she might be asking to be hunted down like an animal.
But Jinx looks at her with such genuine amazement and curiousity, it feels alright to do. It feels more than alright, it feels absolutely right. It feels like, this is what her magic was meant to do.
They squeeze hands, then Lux pulls on Jinx and draws her into a dance without music. It's awkward, but they go along with the movement of the sparkling light magic, steps finding their way along the snow-covered ground. Footsteps leave behind tracks of their movement, both hands join together and Jinx can hear her heart beating in her chest.
It's in a good way, she believes. It's a moment she hopes, never ends, but eventually the sun has completely sunken, and the night has fully begun, and it's dark, except for the light they both give off. For once, she finds something comforting in the way her own skin bubbles and burns and shines.
Out of breath, Jinx trips over herself and over Lux, and a spark explodes, like Lux was caught so off-guard she lost control of it.
They both fall off balance, and into the snow. There's not enough snow on the ground to truly catch their fall, so, Jinx bites the dirt much harder than Lux does, considering she's got her big winter coat catching most of her weight.
For a moment, she's concerned, and the sparks fall like stars, but the blue-haired girl ends up with a laugh of her own, when suddenly, the night is completely dark. The only thing lending any kind of light is her own eyes.
"You alright?", Jinx asks, into the darkness, Lux looks so bewildered for a second, that she doesn't have a response, at all. There's a mumble, awkwardly turning away.
"Y-yeah." Then, a nod, a small light gathering in her hand again. The sky is so dark without their magic, it's too cloudy to see any of the real stars. Or maybe it's too bright, and it's disturbing the way the night sky looks.
Whatever it is, she's glad they're the ones lighting up each other's night.
"Y'know, I think I might get used to this. You've really got more to you than just being some privileged white girl", Jinx says, and it's done with a snort of Lux'.
"Well, thank you?"
Hands find each other again. They take an exhausted breath, and they squeeze.
The night is still long, but if Jinx could have it her way, it would never end.