Jupiter [Marvel Phase I]

nineteen.

Open, back, around- wait, no. Open, around, back, open? Yeah, there it was. And then back, around, front, close. Open, around...

At first, Jenn had picked up the butterfly knife on a whim. It had been on the work bench since last night, when Dev had grabbed it off the ground to chase off Jenn's attackers. Every time she looked at it, Jenn found herself fighting the urge to pick it up. One day was all it took for her resolve to wear down and curiosity to take over.

Once it was in her hands, the first thing she did was bounce it on her palm. Testing the weight, an instinct told her. Hmm, a little heavier than Jenn would've liked, but the guy who owned it was probably looking for power over maneuverability.

Jenn had to stop and blink. How did she know that? It was a question she found herself asking often recently. There was a lot of knowledge floating in her mind these days that she struggled to trace the origins of.

The notion frightened her enough to almost drop the weapon, but something compelled her to flick it open instead. Her fingers slipped out of the way, then closed back around the handle automatically. Jenn stared at the blade in shock. Far from being afraid of the potential danger it posed, the motion of opening it was almost...comfortable. Satisfying, even.

When she repeated the move, she let muscle memory guide her. It was different this time, with something of a flourish thrown in the middle. Then again in reverse to flip it closed. Jenn let out a single bark of mirthless laughter. Huh.

As the evening wore on, Jenn kept returning to the butterfly knife, her motions getting faster with each pass. More confident. She no longer had to question which move came next, letting her fingers make the decision for her. Open, around, back, open-

"Oi, watch where you're swinging that thing," Dev snapped, shocking Jenn right back into reality. She'd been so focused on the blade in her hands, she nearly forgot her friend had been standing right above her.

"Sorry," Jenn said. It was more of an automated reflex than anything else. "But you can relax. I apparently know what I'm doing." When Dev only looked suspiciously between Jenn and the knife, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll stop." She closed it with a twirl, but kept it in her hand.

With a final glance at the knife and a sigh, Dev pushed back in his chair so he could better look Jenn in the eye. "I think you'll be happy to find you're concussion-free," he told her. "But that was still an incredibly stupid and reckless thing you did back there."

"Yeah, yeah," Jenn grumbled. With Dev a safe distance away, she decided to return to the knife tricks. "At least now we know why Harry was so against letting me take self-defense courses."

"Guess so," Dev replied, eyes on the weapon in Jenn's hands the entire time. He forced his gaze back to her face, tone changing as he added, "Are you planning on getting any work done today?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just taking a quick break is all," Jenn assured him. She waved off his concern with her free hand.

"You've been taking a break for the last half hour," Dev deadpanned.

There was something in his voice that nearly made Jenn's grip loosen on the blade. She kept spinning, but resorted to easier tricks as she tried to make sense of the hardness in Dev's stare. "Sorry," Jenn repeated. She figured it was what he wanted to hear. "Must've lost track of time. It was just a little frustrating wading through all the possible businesses called 'C.E.N.T.R.E.' Just give me a minute and I'll get right back on it."

"I was referring to our biomechatronics presentation," Dev continued in the same, flat tone. "But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by your priorities."