January catch-all for Jackie

[jinzhong]

Characters: Jackie Ma and YOU!
Date: Throughout January
Location: Throughout Keeliai
Situation: Jackie's beginning to wish he'd stayed in the Dreaming.
Warnings/Rating: Depression, probably?

Returning to Keeliai and finding out that a year had gone by in their absence had been a shock, and not a good one. Jackie was already mourning the loss of his powers - and the fact that he'd just been used as a puppet by Malicant hadn't done him any favors. He still feels the sting of realizing he'd only been a pawn, and that sting had turned into heartbreak when he found out that the hatchlings had left.

So Raine had convinced him to return, but now he was back where he'd started. No home, no job, no hatchling, and no powers. Plus the addition of the guilt from being used as Malicant's puppet had worn heavily on him.

So he had nothing to do but to fall back in with the gangs. And the biggest, baddest gang around was the Snakes.

He didn't want to be a part of the Foreigners anymore, but he didn't really have a choice. Now he's straddling the line between Foreigner and Snake, not enough of either to fit in anywhere.

Which is where you come in. (Ask if you need a specific starter!)

starter one;
Jackie's been wandering around with the Snakes, and occasionally getting into skirmishes with the other, smaller gangs. If you want to ask the Foreigner why he's wearing Snake insignia and probably looking like he's been on the wrong end of a fight, here's your chance.

starter two;
Jackie probably needs to swing round the clinic to get the worst of his scrapes treated. He's in and out reasonably often, avoiding Raine, because she probably won't approve of his new profession.

starter three;
Jackie's sitting in the lobby of the Hotel, slumped over in his chair and doing his level best to ignore everyone. He may or may not be mildly drunk, depending on the day and how badly he's been doing.

Comments

#3

[redlightgreenlight]

She had seen him a few times in her nightly patrols, always hanging back, saying little and merely following the orders of the Snakes he had fallen in with. She couldn't say she was disappointed that a foreigner had fallen in with the Snakes, especially not one who seemed so malleable. It was unfortunate, but since he was already compromised, it couldn't be wrong to use him for the benefit of the foreigners. She didn't know him well, but he had gone into the Dreaming with them and she did know his name.

"You've looked better," She said casually, walking over to him.

[jinzhong]

Jackie looked up at her blearily. "So?"

He knew Valdis in passing, but had never really spent much time with her. So he was a little perplexed that she was deigning to talk to him in the first place.

[redlightgreenlight]

"So, you've abandoned us in favor of the Snakes." She replied, taking a seat in the chair across from him.

[jinzhong]

He frowned. "I haven't abandoned anybody. I just know which way the wind is blowing." He shrugged, almost angrily. "What do you care?"

[redlightgreenlight]

She crossed her legs and took a deep breath, "I care" she replied, "Because you seem content to just go where the wind tells you instead of making your own way in life. It is sad really," She looked him in the eyes, "Don't you want to control your own destiny?"

[jinzhong]

That stung. Jackie's frown deepened. "Every time I try and make something of myself, it blows up in my face," he said darkly - a stark departure from his usual cheery demeanor. "I'm a gangster. It's what I do. It's what I've always done. Why fight it?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis noted the shift, but her eyes narrowed briefly with her own anger. "And I am a Goddess of Death and Chaos, a Queen of Hell," She hissed, fixing her blood red gaze on him, "Are you suggesting that I should stop fighting my true nature?"

[jinzhong]

Why is everyone on this damn turtle so creepy?!

Jackie gave a start. He had known she wasn't anyone to mess with, but he hadn't known that. "Look, maybe you can overcome what you were, but I can't," he said, his resolve surprising himself. "I'm a loser, all right? I always have been."

[redlightgreenlight]

She closed her eyes and shook her head, the anger fading, "So you are content to just live a meaningless existence because you are too afraid to pick yourself up and try again?"

[jinzhong]

"I had a second chance. I wasted it. I let the big ugly into my head and it controlled me and made me attack my friends, and I don't have Rio'era to protect anymore," he said stubbornly.

[redlightgreenlight]

"So?" She shot back, "Many people were taken over by Malicant in that final battle, including myself, and my Bobby is with your Rio'era." She refused to let her sadness over missing the hatchling show on her face, "Bobby would be furious with me if I used him as an excuse for making stupid choices and he'd probably lecture me on how making us feel worthless is what Malicant lived for."

[jinzhong]

Ouchies, that actually really stung. Jackie looked at Valdis, a wounded expression crossing his face.

"It's too late, though, isn't it?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I'm in with the Snakes now. I can't leave."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis shoved away the sympathy. It was true that it was too late for him to turn back, if the Snakes were run anything like the human mafias, then once you were in, there was no way out. It was possible that the foreigners could negotiate his 'retirement', but that would be a waste of a resource.

"But you can still help us, snake or no." She replied quietly.

[jinzhong]

He scowled. "What do you mean?" He had the distinct feeling that he wasn't going to like whatever Valdis was about to suggest.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis didn't want to put him in danger, but she needed a resource inside the Snakes, "Don't go looking for information, but if it happens to come your way, pass it along."

[jinzhong]

"...no."

Jackie didn't exactly like the Snakes - he didn't really like being back in a gang at all, really, but it was all he knew. But there was no way in hell he was going to become a fucking rat. He had honor. He had integrity. And honestly, Malicant's vision of Wei and his taunts had shaken him a lot more than he cared to admit.

"I won't do it. I'm not gonna become a fuckin' rat."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis smirked, it took either immense bravery or immense stupidity to say 'no' to her, but she had no intention of retaliating.

"I think you misunderstand me," She replied gently, "I don't care about the movements of the Snakes, how much they charge for the drugs or how many weapons they have. All I care about is their intentions regarding us. All I am asking is that if you hear of any movements against the foreigners, to let me know so that I can head off any bloodshed. Unless of course you lied earlier when you said you hadn't abandoned us?"

[jinzhong]

Definitely the latter, Valdis.

Jackie's frown didn't lift. She was asking something big of him. He was sworn to secrecy, but...the Snakes didn't like him, or trust him, and they sure weren't fond of the interest Yunxu had taken in him. But he had some friends among the Foreigners, and he'd hate to see them come to harm if he could prevent it.

"I'll think about it," he said after a long minute.

[redlightgreenlight]

"That is all I can ask," She replied patiently. She needed pawns in this game against Tu Yunxu, because he had far too many and she had too few. She also needed hers to act willingly as willingness made for a more cohesive and stronger unit. "But Jackie, despite my power, I can't protect everyone without help."

shh valdis don't let on that he's a pawn again he will flip his fucking shit

[jinzhong]

"Yeah. Well. Protecting everyone's impossible, isn't it?" He shrugged again, and it was clear that he wasn't happy. "But I guess I can help you. Maybe. I don't know."

It was a figure of speech...

[redlightgreenlight]

"On my own, yes, protecting everyone is impossible," Valdis agreed, "But together, us foreigners can help protect each other."

She stood and made as if she was going to leave, then she paused and turned back to him, "Have you thought that perhaps the only reason you were allowed to join the Snakes is so that they could get information on us from you?"

still :V

[jinzhong]

Ooh, that one's gonna fester.

"Don't worry," Jackie said, grinning recklessly at her. "I'm too far down the food chain to be any use to anyone."

He was smiling, but he didn't sound happy about it.

[redlightgreenlight]

She frowned at him, "Don't underestimate your value."

Tu Yunxu didn't seem like the kind of man to just take in a foreigner out of goodwill. As Jackie had said, he couldn't exactly quite the Snakes now that he was one. Stupid boy didn't even realize how much trouble this could all cause.

[jinzhong]

Jackie had no illusions about how important he was. He had been a foot soldier with the Sun On Yee before he'd ever been initiated, and even once he was initiated he knew he would never make Red Pole. Wei had been possessed of that kind of ruthlessness, that ambition; Jackie couldn't find it in himself. Sure, he liked to posture, but he knew that he didn't have that kind of steel in himself.

It had been months, and he still had nightmares about shooting Yung Lee On to protect Wei. He didn't think he'd ever get over it.

He snorted. "What value?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Her frown deepened. Perhaps only those who thrived on chaos thought about these things.

"Sometimes, all it takes to bring an empire to it's knees is to threaten the life of an individual and great wars have been fought over the death of a single man."