18645/Triskelion: Jinxed

Triskelion: Jinxed
Date of Scene:	22 July 2024
Location:	Maria Hill's Office
Synopsis:	Jinx shows up for a meeting at the office of the Deputy Director of SHIELD and saves her life. Thus blooms the first inklings of trust as the investigation into who's trying to assassinate Maria Hill begins.
Cast of Characters:	Maria Hill, Jinx

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Maria Hill has posed:
Working around powered individuals is just part of the job, but that doesn't mean it always has to be a comfortable part of the job. It's one thing to dress down Tony Stark or Steve Rogers (God rest his soul) about the Avengers running amok and destroying some non-zero percentage of New York City without anything resembling government oversight.

It's another to take a one-on-one meeting with a former supervillain.

"We're going to have someone from WAND escort her down with security, ma'am. Shall we have them stay behind?" comes the voice through Maria Hill's intercom speaker.

The Deputy Director herself is looking over a file that's being projected on an otherwise clear display. It has Jinx's picture on it.

"Have them wait outside," she says, half-distracted.

"Yes, ma'am. They'll be right there."

And so that's the trip through the Triskelion for Jinx. One SHIELD security officers and a WAND agent escorting the woman with the visitor's badge to Maria's office. They're not exactly short staffed around here, and they take their security at the HQ very seriously, even for allies in good standing.

"Come in," Maria says at the door chime, standing from behind her desk.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx is not wearing any kind of uniform. She'd pass for a hacker with the dark hoodie and the sunglasses. An agent is in a losing argument with her about the sunglasses when one of those agents who wears suits came down. "Huh. I thought you'd be..."

Jinx lowers her glasses and looks at the man.

"Taller."

She takes them off completely and smirks. "I'm here to see." A scrap piece of paper is taken from her pocket and she unfolds it, "Maria Hill." Not exactly the most normal to get a sit down with the deputy director of SHIELD.

The machinations of SHIELDs inner security workings go to work. It's not too long a wait until she's being escorted by someone who literally has a wand in a holster at her hip. Jinx can't help but snicker at that.

The WAND agent gives her a sharp look and Jinx shrug her shoulders. "What. It's stupid. Who uses wands these days..." The Agent is trained well enough not to take the bait.

As Jinx enters the office she pauses a moment and then smiles. "Are you Maria Hill?" She has never met her before. She's only ever heard stories about Fury. Less even of Hill. That's likely the way they prefer things.

Jinx approaches. Her hair is dyed a delightful pink. She offers her hand to the very important SHIELD agent. "I'm J... Lucky." A somewhat ironic code name given to her by Bart Allen in the Titans. Though he claims he learnt it from the future and woops he shouldn't have said any of that. "Eh. Jinx is fine."

Maria Hill has posed:
"Deputy Director Hill."

As she returns the handshake firmly, Maria Hill's introduction is, at its kindest, professional. At worst, it might be brusque or off-putting. It's definitely an overt correction, but at least it's made in the most polite way she can manage.

The screen with Jinx's picture is still up and visible on the transparent display. That, too, is on purpose. There's no confidential information visible, of course -- also intentional.

"Please." She uses the same hand she was shaking with to gesture towards the seat. "Have a seat. What can I do for you?"

She's already sitting with military precision, leaning back just slightly in her chair. She swipes one hand towards the display with Jinx's file on it, clearing it away before resting her elbows on the arms of her chair and steepling her fingers. She crosses her legs, and while that should make her seem a little more relaxed, it somehow... doesn't.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx has never been too fond of law enforcement types. SHIELD fits that category though they're somewhat more interesting given their previous rogue nature and that they don't bow to any one government. And yet there was her file. She has to wonder just how much they actually know about her.

Her eyes drift to the seat and she contemplates whether that's really wise considering what she came here to do. A hand pats the top of it and she leans against it a little disrespectfully.

"Have you ever heard of King Lassius the First of his name? He sent many knights to kill Medusa and eventually one did. Her head was brought back to the court where she, apparently not quite so dead, opened her eyes and turned the entire nobility to stone."

Jinx is being all mysterious like. It's not her usual gambit but she knows they likely have machines that can detect lies in this place. "Later a young squire happened upon this court of statues and carefully cut every snake from medusa's stone head. Those snakes were affixed to the ends of arrows. Or so the legend goes."

She can tell the deputy director is probably getting annoyed at having to wait for the point. "The point being - the Titans had a run in with a terrorist cell in Greece yesterday. They shot one of those arrows." She mimics a bow and then point the imaginary weapon at Maria. "At you."

Maria Hill has posed:
Hill watches Jinx with an unreadable expression, her patience an ironclad shield honed from years of dealing with all manner of long-winded individuals, and as Jinx leans against the chair, she takes in every detail, her eyes shifting between the woman's posture and her face.

Her eyes narrow slightly as Jinx spins her tale, obviously not one to be easily spooked or swayed by theatrics, but she listens intently, absorbing the information and, if one had to guess, analyzing it for kernels of truth or relevance.

When Jinx finally gets to the point, mimicking an arrow aimed at her, Maria's gaze sharpens, and she leans forward slightly, steepling her fingers once more.

"How do you mean?" She lets the question hang in the air for a moment, considering the implications. "With a little less metaphor, what exactly happened in Greece?"

Though her tone remains calm and controlled, but there's an undercurrent of urgency in her questions. She knows better than to dismiss claims like this out of hand -- especially when they come from 'reputable' sources -- despite the dramatic flair.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx leans over a little to peer at the semi-transparent computer screen. "Relax. You've got, like, 37 seconds left." Not helping Jinx, but she seems to be being very sincere about it.

"Lucky for you." She does pause a moment at the irony of saying it that way, "I know how to stop it." And then that thing that WAND really doesn't want happening inside of SHIELD HQ happens. Jinx's hands begin to glow with pink magical energy.

"It's, like, this ethereal arrow thing that will hunt you down where-ever you go and turn you to stone. No biggy. I'd say I've dealt with this before but honestly this is my first magical honing arrow."

Maria Hill has posed:
Hill's eyes narrow further as Jinx's hands glow with pink magical energy, but despite that obvious threat, she remains composed.

"Stand down, Jinx," she says firmly, her voice cutting through the tension. "We're in a high-security facility."

She rises from her chair, her movements deliberate and measured. "Let me be very clear. If this is a joke or an attempt to manipulate me _or_ SHIELD, this will not end well for you."

Maria's eyes flick to the intercom, ready to call for backup if necessary, but her focus quickly shifts back to Jinx. "Explain exactly what you need to do to neutralize the threat. I promise you, this is not the place to start slinging magic from the hip."

Jinx has posed:
Jinx peers at the little clock on the computer screen again. "Well.." She considers for a moment. "I could give you all the ins and outs and then the arrow would hit you and turn you to stone. Or you could take a chill pill for 13 more seconds and let me do my job."

"Oh. And close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you it's safe. No peeking." Jinx actually shuts her eyes too as she begins to motions through the air in front of her with the magic. The WAND agent senses the magic, draws out her wand, and thumps on the door. "Are you okay in there deputy director?"

Jinx is used to making bad first impressions. She's had a chip on her shoulder her entire life. It's all there in the file; and especially in the psych report. No doubt if Jinx wanted to fuck around and find out she could have done it a far less elaborate way.

Maria Hill has posed:
Maria Hill lets out a controlled breath, the seconds ticking away in her mind. She glances at the clock, then back to Jinx, weighing the options quickly. The thump on the door from the WAND agent doesn't escape her notice.

"Count to fifteen and ask me again," she calls to the WAND agent, her voice steady. Turning back to Jinx, she narrows her eyes for a moment. "Do not make me regret this."

With a sigh, Hill closes her eyes, her body still tense, ready for any sudden movement. She hates relinquishing control, even momentarily, but she's been in too many tight situations -- too many close calls -- not to trust a specialist, even if it means putting herself in a vulnerable position. Especially when they are, in apparent previous actions and on the official dossier, list as one of SHIELD's allies.

Not that that couldn't change completely in an instant -- or in the next ten seconds.

"No peeking," she repeats, a hint of dry humor in her tone. "I swear to God..."

Jinx has posed:
The seconds tick past. There is small woosh of air and then it has ended.

"You can open your eyes now."

Jinx is holding what looks to be an arrow made of wood and on it an arrow head made of stone fashioned to look like a snake head with two fangs. The eyes of the snake are closed.

Jinx gives the arrow a twirl with her hand and places it down on the desk in front of Maria. The magic projecting from her dies away. "A keepsake from that time you almost turned in to a statue."

Jinx taptaps a finger to the desk top and then she takes a seat. "Keeping all that tension inside of you can't be easy. I used to be wound up tight too. Take a breath, relax. I'll tell you all about the Titan's trip to Greece now."

Thump thump from the WAND agent outside, "Deputy director are you safe?"

Maria Hill has posed:
Maria opens her eyes just as Jinx places the arrow on her desk. She takes in the strange artifact with a quick, assessing glance before responding to the WAND agent outside.

"I'm fine," she calls out. "Come in and collect an artifact for analysis."

The WAND agent enters the office, eyes narrowing suspiciously at Jinx, but Maria gestures to the arrow, her demeanor all business.

"I'm told this was tracking me. Do a full workup on it -- magical and mundane -- and tell the lab I'll send down more information as I have it. And have WAND look into how we can improve our magical defenses. Call Strange, if you have to."

The agent nods, carefully picking up the arrow with a pair of gloves and placing it into a secure containment case before exiting the room.

Maria's attention returns to Jinx, her smile thin and wry. "I don't get paid to relax. Nor does it appear to be very good for my long-term health." She reclaims her seat, her posture as precise as ever.

And though her posture might be precise, her expression still has just a hint of that 'deer in headlights' confusion that comes from being so blind to a situation that you're obviously in the middle of. Was this whole thing a long con? Or did Jinx actually just save her life? Was she really that vulnerable sitting at her desk on any given Monday?

"I suppose I... owe you my thanks."

There's something almost 'human' about her in that moment -- a glimpse of the woman underneath all the military armor. With a nod of acknowledgment, she leans back slightly, maintaining her professional demeanor. "Now, let's hear about the Titans' trip to Greece."

Jinx has posed:
Jinx, it seems, has dropped the attitude now that the WAND agent has left. The only person who could have put a crimp in her day more than likely. Shooting bullets at a supervillain just makes them angry after all.

She regales Maria with the story of the mission. They were following up a lead on a potential group supplying weapons to H.I.V.E. but instead came across a cell in possession of these dangerous magical arrows.

Jinx takes the piece of paper out of her hoodie and places it on the table. Maria Hill written on it. "Whoever put your name on that paper is your guy.. or gal.. whoever they are they wanted you dead. You specifically. Very specifically. You clearly have a big fan out there somewhere."

The story concluded with a rather dramatic retelling of the combat taking place and how one of the terrorist cell fired the arrow off before they could stop him. The rest of the arrows were destroyed before they could be used too.

"And thanks to those fancy Themysciran whips we got one of them talking. That's how I learnt the spell necessary to stop it. There wasn't much time left." She covers her mouth with a yawn, "So I came directly here. But honestly I'm beat and I'd very much like to go back to Metropolis now."

Maria Hill has posed:
Maria listens intently, her sharp gaze never leaving Jinx as she recounts the mission. The revelation that her name was specifically targeted doesn't faze her overtly, but a flicker of concern crosses her eyes. She remains silent, absorbing every detail.

When Jinx places the paper with her name on it on the table, Maria picks it up, studying it briefly before setting it back down. "A direct threat to me," she sighs, almost to herself. "...and I'm so likable."

She watches Jinx cover that yawn and nods, rising from her seat again. "You've earned the rest. Security will show you out, and if you'd like, I'll arrange for transport back to Metropolis for you. And Jinx," she adds, a rare moment of warmth in her voice and her eyes, "thank you."

Once Jinx has left, Hill turns back to her desk, already planning the next steps. She picks up that scrap of paper and taps the intercom. "Get me everything we have on H.I.V.E.'s recent activities and tell the lab I'm bringing down another piece of evidence for them to analyze. And call Fury. Patch him through to my comm when you have him."