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Jinx sighs, resting her cheek against her knee and absently people-watching from her perch while she traces patterns in the dirt. Isha has wandered off somewhere to explore, and she doesn’t know where Vi has gone. Talking to Viktor, maybe.
In the short time they’ve been at his strange commune, Jinx still hasn’t managed to feel settled. Not only on account of the weird cult vibes of it all and the metal fortune cookie himself, but just… this. A quiet life, together with Vi again, with Vander. How can she just go back to that? After everything that’s happened, everything they’ve both done, after how they’ve all changed…
She draws her other knee up to her chest as well, hugging her arms around them and resting her cheek across both now.
How is she supposed to adapt to this?
She'd been fooling herself when she tried to disappear into a quiet life with Isha, but this? Vi? She isn't Powder anymore, how can she…
“Hey.”
Speak of the devil.
Vi stands beside her a moment, then joins her to sit down.
“Viktor seems to be making progress with Vander. He might not be the same again, but he'll be-- he'll have his memories back. We can be…” she trails off, looking out over the commune. It's a long moment before she continues. “All I've wanted… is to be with you again, Jinx.”
Jinx startles a little, not used to Vi calling her that.
“I don't care how. I don't care what we do, who you are - I just care about you. Do you think… we could try?”
“Vi…” Jinx’s voice cracks, so she doesn't finish her sentence. She doesn’t even know what to say.
All she's ever wanted is Vi, too. Why did everything get so… complicated? What happened to them?
Vi places her hand on her shoulder. Jinx turns to look up at her, finding her already looking back, such fondness in her gaze. It makes Jinx's heart skip a beat.
“Here's as good a place as any to start, right?”
Her fingers dance across her shoulder to her hair, gently stroking the strands of her braid.
“What do you say?”
“Vi…” Jinx repeats. Her face - and her resolve - crumples. She dives into her lap, throwing her arms around her tightly. Vi laughs softly, enveloping her in her embrace, holding her warm and secure.
“I'm here. I'm here.”
“I've missed you,” Jinx whimpers, “I don't… I don't know what to do anymore.”
“You don't have to do anything. We can just be us.”
Jinx looks up at her with watery eyes, and Vi just smiles down at her, her own eyes shining, too.
She cradles Jinx's head, scritching her scalp gently and petting her hair. It feels nice.
“I know you're grown now but… will you let me take care of you again? Just for a little while.”
“I'd like that.”
Jinx closes her eyes, nuzzling into her sister’ warmth.
“Your hair is so pretty.”
Jinx snorts softly.
“I mean it.”
“You never cared about hair or nails or any of that before.”
“Well, let me make up for it now. Times were different then. Doesn't it bother you when it's this long?"
Her hand trails down, unable to even reach the end without stretching. Jinx shrugs.
“I got used to it. I don't really take it down.”
“Must be a pain to wash.”
“Mm.”
“Why don't you let me?”
“Hm? Really? You… want to wash it?”
“Yeah.”
“I… okay.”
Jinx lets Vi lead her, sitting down while her sister fills a basin with water. She takes out her hair accessories, but Vi stops her with her hands when she starts yanking the braids undone. She takes over, much more carefully untangling them instead.
Her hands are so caring, so gentle with her despite the way she knows they can do so much damage. And them in her hair... It’s so different. Jinx never really… cared for her hair.
Their mom used to cut it, and then Vi. So when they were gone… Jinx never bothered. She just let it grow. Like she was waiting for Vi to come and cut it again.
Silco helped her braid it sometimes, but somehow this feels different. Especially when Vi guides her to lie back, resting her neck against the edge so her hair is in the water.
Jinx doesn't remember the last time she felt this cared for. Tears come to her eyes of their own accord.
Neither of them acknowledge them, silent as Vi just works her fingers deftly, massaging her scalp. Her long hair all but fills the basin entirely, blue strands flowing around like sea waves. Vi does her best, though, taking her time.
They can almost pretend nothing went wrong between them, here like this, together.
Jinx almost lets herself believe it can work out. That they can stay in this… weird utopia and actually be… happy together. Her, and Vi, and Isha, and Vander. Be a family.
She almost comes apart under Vi's fingers. Almost feels like… little Powder again.
She doesn't want to wake up from this moment.
But when Vi starts wringing out her hair, laughing when she can't gather it all up without some of it falling back into the water - Jinx finds the moment isn't gone, not quite.
Vi's here, after all, with her. Treating her like her sister again.
She urges her to stand so Jinx does, letting Vi squeeze out the excess water in her heavy hair.
“Mom would have loved to play with all this.”
“Mom would have given me an awful haircut like yours,” Jinx snorts.
“Hey!"
“You have to admit, back then it was kinda chopped.”
Vi laughs.
“I used to like it. But yeah, you're right.”
Vi runs her fingers through the lengths carefully. She'd borrowed a towel and uses it now to squeeze her hair as she works her way down.
“You've grown up so pretty,” Vi mutters softly. “I wish I could've been there to see it. I never should have left. I didn’t want to.”
“I- I know. I just wanted to be with you. Forever. It… it wasn't your fault. I know that now.”
Vi turns Jinx to face her again, then lets her forehead rest against hers, closing her eyes. Jinx keeps hers trained on her sister's face for a moment longer, taking in the emotions painted across it even as she squeezes her eyes shut against them. Then she holds onto her back, nudging her face firmer against her, letting their noses brush, too.
“It wasn't your fault either. We're here now.”
At least the two of them are. Vander is. It's a new start.
Vi pulls back, smiling. She takes a section of Jinx's hair in each hand, letting them trail over her fingers. Then she cups her cheek the way she always used to. Jinx clutches onto her wrist, nuzzling into her palm.
After a moment, Vi speaks up again.
“Let me braid it for you again. You'll trip.”
Jinx takes it all into a hand in answer and hands it over to her. Vi takes it, sweeping it off her shoulders and behind her again.
Instead of her usual two braids, Vi just pulls it into one. She gets about half way before she has her sit down again, stretching her hair behind her so she can continue working down the wet strands while they both sit.
After securing it, Vi picks a flower and crouches in front of her, cupping her face once more to place it behind her ear.
Jinx scoffs, but her cheeks heat up all the same. She averts her gaze.
Could she get used to this?
She shouldn't. It won't last.
But she can't deny that it's nice. Maybe, just for now, she can let herself enjoy this.