Fight and Flight (Lux/Jinx)

Chapter 6: The Bomber Crew

It was an utterly depressing sight.

Noontime sunlight, gleaming in lively splendor upon the field of lovingly-decorated Gladiators, fell stone-dead upon the dusky paint jobs of Jinx and Lux's planes. Their somber machines were like a pair of mourners who'd gotten lost on their way to a funeral. If airplanes possessed the capacity to observe themselves, Lux was certain that their dreary rides would be in mourning over their lost grace.

Judging by the sour look on Jinx's face, her thoughts followed the same dismal route. "Well," Jinx muttered under her breath, "if we croak on this mission, the high-ups won't need to hire hearses – they can just roll us out in these coffin-carts."

Lux pursed her lips, keeping her pained eyes on their planes. "A hearse would at least be glossy," she mused. "Funeral parlors have higher standards than this."

"They're not so bad," Ekko protested with a desperate adamance, forcing away his pained grimace as he scanned over the drab planes in search of an absent bright side. "Your planes are – uh – statement pieces! An artistic portrayal of the – the emotional impact of war, and – help me out, guys –"

"They're... understated?" Huck suggested.

"I think my goth cousin would like them," said Chuck kindly.

Shaking his head, Scar murmured, "They'll protect you on your mission. That's all they need to do."

Lux was comforted by her companions' input. She didn't buy their tentative compliments for a second – only Scar's statement hadn't been complete bull – but it was some consolation to have their support and know that they wanted her to feel better. Their well-meaning input reminded her that, even though she and Jinx had been singled out for this mission, they weren't alone.

Unfortunately, Jinx wasn't reaping any calm from the other pilots' words. The tight look didn't leave her face as her eyes flicked up and down her plane, following the hidden paths where her vibrant paint had once flowed. Lux didn't miss the way Jinx's fingers dug deeper into her arms, nor the way she drew her bottom lip between her teeth, clutching it in a hard nip.

Concerned at those signs of a deteriorating mood, Lux said, "Scar's right. They're not pretty, but we don't need them to be. This paint will help us complete our mission safely."

"Will it?" Jinx's tone took on a harsh edge as splinters of anger and anxiety quavered into her words. "I wasn't kidding earlier – it's stupid to fly into a fight where you can't see your own partner!"

Lux pressed her lips together tightly, feeling an unhappy twinge, wondering if Jinx would revive their argument from earlier...

But Jinx merely let out a long, hissing sigh and continued, "I won't fight you or the Ogre on how the mission's going to run. I know you've made up your minds. But this isn't right. Somethings gonna go wrong, I know it." Her fingernails scraped across her arms before her hands dropped stiffly to her sides. "I can feel it."

Her premonitions attracted the stares of their four helpers, whose gazes flicked between Jinx and Lux as if to ask Lux, what the hell is she talking about?

Wary as she was of the turmoil in Jinx's mind, Lux wouldn't dredge up their conversation again - At least, not unless Jinx indicated that she was ready to talk more. Jinx had accepted that they were going on this mission together, and that was enough for now. That would have to be enough.

"Yeah, so..." Ekko began awkwardly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "We should probably head back for lunch. I think the Commander's gonna dish out new chores for us to do around camp – y'know, so we don't get used to slacking off."