Jinx

Things learned, on the road

There was something in her bloody boot. It hurt, when she walked, bothered her, even while riding on the saddle. A nagging ache that drove her insane. Jinx puffed hard, decision made and raised a lithe left leg over her horse’s head, crossed it over her right thigh on the saddle.

She let the animal follow the others on its own and went on to remove her worn-out leather boot. It wasn’t easy, boot sole and foot glued together almost, but Jinx was nothing, if not determined to get it done.

Her foot freed some time later, the fact she was still standing, weirdly cross-legged on the saddle, a feat worth of note unto each own; Jinx smiled and let the sun wash over her face, before raising the boot and looked inside. Seeing nothing, she smacked it once with the other hand.

Nothing came out, but a cloud of powdery dirt.

Piss on that then.

The Gish’s tongue logged firmly in the right side of her mouth, rosy tip protruding just a tad, went to work on her dirty toes next. One at a time she pressed them apart, deft finger digging in, until she found the tiny pebble stuck between her big toe and the one next to it that wasn’t as big, and flicked it away.

The nagging ache gone for good.

“Are you gonna put that away?” Dante asked her a couple of minutes later, give or take a couple more, eh whatever; her head tossed back, enjoying the sun on her face, back arching and the cool air tickling her naked sole alike a lover, still in that same acrobatic pose.

Jinx opened a foggy eye, small tear running down her cheek, the sudden light smarting. The rhythmic movement of her mount, had almost lulled her to sleep.

“Just lettin’ it breathe, ye know?” She said, eyeing his mouth forming a naughty smirk, just like he always did.

“It’s what the rest of us want as well, Pretty. I hope, it ain’t that big a surprise to you, eh?” Dante jested, face all serious and Jinx chuckled, standing up straight, right hand massaging her stiff neck.

“You hate my foot. Is it the toes?” She teased. “I can have ‘em shortened for ye.”

Dante laughed in turn, the matter as silly as anything they’d discussed, over the many years they had known each other. Half of Jinx’s life really.

“You got your wish,” He said, after sobering up.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Hated going back to Kaltha,” Dante insisted, bringing his mount closer to hers. They were almost at the end of their long procession, following the cobblestone road west, towards Altarin. The Teid River, visible over their right shoulder, insects buzzing, birds chirping and the sun strong for the time of year. “For some reason, you don’t feel safe there.”

“It’s called instinct, your reason. I listen to it,” Jinx said, with a pout.

“Is that a woman thing?” Dante asked, raising a brow.

“A Gish… thing,” She replied.

“Right,” He lowered his voice. “You trust Glen all of a sudden?”

“It has nothing to do wit trust and ye know, I think he’s lying.”

“Then what?”

“Luthos has his eye on him, or some god, I think,” Jinx said and Dante grimaced in disbelief.

“Is this about him besting the Cofol?” He glanced around them, but their exchange seemed to have gone unnoticed. “The… girl, did her in, Pretty. Not Glen, I was there.”

“Fighting,” Jinx corrected it for him. “While I stood and watched the whole thing, from where I’d hid,” Dante pulled back from her, visibly upset.

“Well, thank you for being honest, I guess.”

“Fighting that… girl, was a mistake boss. Akin to suicide,” She added, not wanting to say anything more.

Cessara and Kirk are dead for it.

Dante nodded, the frown on his face deepening.

“I haven’t seen anything special from her. Aiming sure, but I’ll pick you anytime over our blue-haired demon.”

“I’m not that good,” Jinx replied. “I don’t know her class. All of them had them. A calling. Or more, if she’s of the Royal line. She could be centuries old.”

“Bah! I can’t… The books don’t mention this at all.”

“The Gish have their oral history, Dante. I trust it more.” Jinx insisted. “It was a foolish gamble.”

Dante puffed his cheeks out frustrated.

“I know Zestari was not a good employer. It’s on me, you’re right. But the last two contracts, gave me… gave us, quite the purse, Pretty. Knowing you, you have those sacks filled to the brim,” He paused, watched the road for a moment, before continuing, his next words, two hurried queries. “Why not vote for it? Leave it to chance?”

“I said, I think he’s watched over by a god,” She explained. “I’m not sure. So I let Luthos decide for me and he did,” Jinx glanced his way. “Unless ye fixed the flip. For me.”

Dante let out a deep sigh. “I did,” He said sounding troubled. “To protect you.”

“What’s the matter then?” Jinx asked, not getting it.

So a reluctant Dante, had to make it clear.

“It didn’t work.”

Zola, long white hair all made into thin cornbraids, caught in turn at the nape, oval face the color of warm chocolate, lips generous, but not as much as her bosom, sweaty skin gleaming at her exposed cleavage.

“Pretty,” Zola said warningly, cutting her reverie short. “Something on your mind?”

“Talked to Dante,” Jinx said, pushing her horse to walk alongside hers. “And now my head hurts.”

“He wanted us on a boat, back to Kaltha,” Zola droned, apparently familiar with the subject. “Yeah, he told me as much.”

“He did? Well,” That double-dealing son of a dick! “What do you think?”

“Honey, we made good coin these couple of months,” Zola said. “And this, getting paid to walk him home, or whatever,” She hooted, “I’ll do that gladly, than go exploring the Blasted Lands, with a crazy and murderous Cofol!”

“Aye,” Jinx nodded. She realized her leg was still crossed over the saddle, but the discomfort was gone. Up went her leg over the horse’s head and then down as she returned to riding in a normal stance. Zola eyeing her shenanigans, suspicion on her pretty face.

“I know, you’re impressed, even aroused.” Jinx said, her voice a purr. “It is perfectly normal.”

“Fuck are you talking about?” Zola snapped.

“Both of us wanting to visit Altarin was a sign,” Jinx insisted.

“Sign of what, you crazy cunt?”

“Yer falling under my spell,” Jinx explained seriously. “I’m notoriously difficult to resist,” Her words hanging between them for a good moment, before Zola let out a roaring laugh that spooked their horses and caused a number of stares thrown their way from the men.

“Perhaps your best yet… yeah, haha!” She said, tears in her eyes.

“I’m serious,” Jinx pressed on calmly. “My skillset is expansive and diverse. I please both heart and cunt.”

“Dear gods,” Zola, still chuckling, said. “I’m afraid to ask on the difference.”

“Ye shouldn’t, tis simple really. I’m excellent both in fuckin’ and makin’ love.”

“Right,” Zola wiped the tears off her face. “See, every time we talk, you turn it into something like this,” She sighed. “You can’t applaud yourself, Pretty. Another must praise you, for it to count. You get that, right? Ah, and there’s something ye lack,” The Issir paused, hearing her gasp. She gave her a side-glance, saw her standing there flabbergasted and added. “It makes all this… not working for me. Diverse skillset, or not.”

“How can you be sure?” Jinx asked her, then accusingly. “Did ye watch me perform? Hmm? Was it wit that whore in Castalor? I was coming down wit something!”

Zola thought about it for a time.

“No,” She replied, after she did.

Another quiet moment ensued, a frustrated Jinx, unable to let go. It was like having a pebble stuck between her toes all-over again.

“The fuck do I lack?” She hissed not long after.

Zola’s retort coming without any hesitation.

“A cock.”

Sir Solomon Arno, watched her pull alongside him, uneasiness on his face.

“Miss Jinx,” The knight said stiffly, avoiding her face.

“I’m a Gish… from the Sinking Isles,” Whisper Jinx deadpanned.

“Ahm… Well, I haven’t had the… pleasure,” Sir Solomon replied, after a couple of false starts. “Thought, no offense, your lot only existed in the stories.”

“Not many of us around these parts?” Jinx asked, with a smile, letting the insult slide. The Gish had thick skin as a species.

There’s no way around it, if ye want to sleep under the water.

“On Eplas? Not that I know. Are there many on Jelin?” The knight asked.

“How should I know?” Jinx replied. “We don’t keep track of each other.”

Sir Solomon sat back on his sturdy stallion.

“I apologize, for my words, Lady Jinx,” He said, looking straight ahead.

“Ah, don’t get your tits in a wringer about it,” Pretty had already shrugged it off, Sir Solomon blinking a couple of times stunned at her coarse language.

“I won’t,” He said after a time. “I understand you work for young Lord Reeves. I was a friend to his father.”

“Ahm, well it didn’t start that way,” Jinx replied. “A Cofol hired us to find his father, but we fell on him and Sir Emerson instead.”

“A Cofol?”

“Aye, turned out, she murdered him. Glen killed her for it, I reckon,” Whisper Jinx explained. “Gave us a contract after that and here we are.”

“Ora’s curse her,” The knight said frowning. “I didn’t know Sir Glenavon had a son. It’s quite a shock to all of us.”

Jinx nodded, seeing Glen’s back a couple of horse’s lengths away, almost at the start of their small convoy of men and animals.

“I’m sorry for yer friend,” She said to the wallowing knight and went to talk to the boy.

The cunning young man, more muscle on him, than what he had a couple of months back, saw her approaching and turned to greet her, mess of hair hiding his eyes.

“I see yer making the rounds,” He said, in his shifty tone, more a vagabond than any noble scion, Jinx have ever known.

“Strange ye noticed,” She replied.

“Learned anything of note?” Glen asked vaguely, as if that could fool her.

“I don’t have a cock,” Jinx deadpanned and watched him squirm on his saddle. “Can I borrow yours? Yer not using it anyway.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Glen cursed, all red in the face. “Can’t you be serious for a moment?”

Jinx sighed. Everyone and their stupid hidden agendas. As if the world cared, as if it mattered in the long run.

“It won’t be easy, whatever yer plans are,” She told him cryptically, her voice kept low, more to piss him off and seeing the Zilan perking up, out of the corner of her eye, she added, putting a plan of her own in motion. “Especially wit her around.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s easy to cover for yerself, Glen, if you’re focused. Much harder, when yer attention is split. At some point, ye have to let her go.”

The last words intentionally almost a whisper, Glen barely got.

Lith, riding well ahead of them, pulled at the reins abruptly and stopped her horse. Waited for them to reach her, proceeded riding by their side after that. Her jaw clenched, sensual lips pressed into a thin line.

That is a hunter’s gift, Jinx thought, with a satisfied smirk. No other way to get it.

Unless the blue cunt, is fuckin’ royalty.