Lost but not forgotten (Open to friends and acquaintances of EW/Jenny)

Mav clenched her fist. Things had gotten out of hand. Keri's power would have been more suitable for this but it seemed she was still clinging on to the hope that Jemmy would cave in to words. Mav was hoping that too but at the same time, she didn't want to be naive. Someone had to act and fast.

"I hate to do this Jemmy but you're not giving me much of a choice!"

The words escaped her mouth, but Mav doubted Jemmy was in any state to heed them let alone pay attention. The girl clad in blue dashed from where she stood, putting herself between the princess with the molten sword and the would-be pancake of a man. She raised her hand to stop the sword, her blue aura activating right at that moment.

Mav really didn't want to do it. Unlike her force aura, her magic aura always rebounded the harm caused by magic to the originator. Jemmy wouldn't come out of this unscathed.

"This isn't how we do things. This isn't how heroes do things. Stand down!"

Keri pleaded with Jemmy to move the fight to another location. It was, of course, the logical thing to do. But Jemmy didn't want to be logical now. For the moment, at least, logic was her enemy. At least Keri had the sense to get out of Jemmy's way.

Pix stood there, petrified by the certain doom that was coming his way. Still, the man kept speaking, kept claiming that Jemmy was the contractor. The little liar! Jemmy would wipe him off the face of earth!

Mav got in the way, but that was her own fault. Jemmy was too angry to turn back now. She would just have to destroy Mav along with her enemy.

But then something weird happened. As Jemmy's sword reached Mav, it hit a strange blue aura.

The Molten Sword reversed direction, against Jemmy's swing. The blade flipped around and landed on top of the little Lord of Chaos, flattening her into the ground while incinerating her body. A moment later, the Molten Sword disappeared.

All that was left in its wake was an arm, a pool of blood, and half a chain necklace. The red jewel on the necklace was still intact. It had swung to the side as Jemmy had swung her weapon, escaping from the damage the sword had inflicted. For 10 seconds, nothing happened. Any logical person would assume the little girl was dead.

But this wasn't Jemmy's funeral.

Flesh started to grow off of the severed arm. It spread wider and shaped itself, while black cloth appearing out of nowhere to clothe the forming body. In just a few short seconds, Jemmy's entire body regenerated out of her arm. From her flawless skin to her neatly brushed hair, Jemmy appeared to be unharmed. Her outfit had reformed too, without a single tear or wrinkle. The necklace repaired itself and rose up to attach itself around her neck. Physically, the girl didn't seem to be in any pain.

But there was more than one type of pain. Jemmy's eyes were bloodshot. She glared at Mav. Where had this human learned such a dirty little trick? Jemmy pointed an accusatory finger at Mav. "You defend him? You attack your own teammate?" Jemmy didn't care if she had attacked her own teammate first. She didn't even care that Mav had simply blocked Jemmy's attack, which had rebounded to harm the Lord of Chaos. Jemmy pointed back at the coffin where Jenny laid. "Didn't you like her? Wasn't she your friend? Don't you want to make the person responsible pay?"

Jemmy took a step back, her expression suddenly changing to fear. "Or, maybe that's why you stepped in. You believe him. You think I hired the assassin, and now you're trying to kill me for it. Is that it?"

Keri was ready at attention when the sword was leaning towards Mav, but she ended up blocking it, which was fine... but what happened next was not. It kind of made Keri want to barf up her breakfast. Jemmy "dying" and then regenerating like a starfish was not on Keri's bucket list, or any list at all. Keri glared at the man. "You still havent answered our questions, so you can just take a seat." she said. She then used her powers on his clothes in attempt to make him sit down in his seat, and to stay seated.

Afterwards, she turned her attention to her female heroines. She was taken back by Jemmy's outburst, but felt as if she was beginning to turn her back against Mav, as if no one trusted her. "Jemmy!" She said pleadingly. "We do NOT believe you sent someone after EW! Why would we?!" She asked desperately. "Mav didn't get in the way because she is defending him. Not at all! She stepped in the way, because we, link members, are her responsibility! We can't just squish every enemy.... If we did, how different are we from them?" she asked trying a logical approach for Jemmy. "EW was our friend, and respected leader, but killing the only person who knows about EW's murderer isn't going to help the situation, much less us. We will find the killer, and they will be punished accordingly."

Keri then tried to slowly walk towards Jemmy because she felt as if Jemmy needed comfort and someone to hold. "You are not a killer, nor someone who would want to hurt anyone dear to you, just as how EW was dear to you, therefore you did not send someone after her." Keri said softly, walking to give her friend a comforting hug.

Pix stood there in the aftermath. If he could sweat as a sprite it would be running down the back of his neck. His power estimates hadn't thought Maverique capable of stopping such force. Perhaps there wasn't a limit to what she could tank. Pix now owed her his life. He would be sure to repay it in some meaningless gesture that made him feel good about himself without jeopardising HIVE plans.

An added benefit to Maverique's heroics was to manufacture confrontation between her and Jemmy. Hugh would later claim to his comrades that this had been his intention all along, if they ribbed him for being saved by a hero. Jemmy inevitable recovered from her own devastation, reminding Pix that this was an enemy HIVE could not afford to make. There was a fine line to cross here. Made more difficult by the disorderly mind-set of the Chaos Lord. As proven, Pix could not accurately predict what she would do. He was far more worried now than when he had arrived. (☍﹏⁰)

A telekinetic tug threw Pix down into a seat and quashed any thought of abandoning the mission. The sprite took some calming pseudo-breathes and waited to hear something he could latch on to. Words were his forte and to hear Zuciya attempt a logical argument was a welcome relief, "Agreed!" Pix cried in summary to Keri's point that Jemmy was not a killer. His response took on a sarcastic tone, "If Jemmy weren't a known killer this would certainly absolve her of wrongdoing. Because all murderers have murdered before. Unfortunately history disagrees with this rosy view of your... think she was going for 'friend'."

A cursory background check on Jemmy would reveal the crimes she had committed as recent as last year. Back when Yang from the Titans had fought and imprisoned her. The deaths she instigated and the trouble she caused. An attentive investigator might even understand the part she played in Bow's decision to leave the Titans. Pix felt that Link knew this, they were just deluding themselves based on the girl's current behaviour. A leaf turn he was bringing into question. "If it's any consolation - I admire your evil plans, Shivering Jemmy Miss. They're another level of complex." (;- __-)ノ

Mav was shocked speechless. No amount of mental fortitude could prepare anyone for the gruesome sight that followed after Jemmy's sword was rebounded back to her. From her introduction way back when the team started, Jemmy had mentioned she was immortal but it was hard to believe she wasn't dead after seeing the state of her remains from the reflected attack. Mav clutched her hand and bit her lip. Meanwhile, screams and shouts from on-lookers filled the air.

Ten seconds later, Mav was snapped back into reality upon seeing the sudden development with Jemmy's body. It was complete regeneration, right down to her clothes. It was almost disturbing. She then proceeded to talk back to Mav who was still somewhat stunned. The girl's words registered however, though it took Mav several seconds to compose her thoughts and respond. Jemmy was angry, but she was also anxious. Her last expression was grim.

Keri was the first to speak out. In all honesty, she had pretty much said most of what Mav wanted to say. On the other hand, she wasn't sure if the man was just that desperate to aggravate the situation or he was too dense to read the mood. The least he could have done is shut up in respect to his life just getting saved. Mav herself wasn't entirely in her best mental state and yet the responsibility of settling this situation rested on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

Perhaps it was a strange choice of first words to say. But after everything that had happened in the last few moments, the one feeling that stood out the most was that Mav truly did not want to have raised her hand against a friend. She didn't regret it though since it was for Jemmy's sake. But that didn't change the fact that she had been hurt, in more ways than one.

"Friends fight, knowing they can patch things up later on. To answer your question, I like her. I liked this team. Of course, you're included. And that's exactly why this is so painful. I don't want to see a friend murdering someone in cold blood... for whatever reason. That's not what Link stands for. That's not what heroes should ever do."

"The person responsible will be held accountable. But it's not up to us to mete out the punishment. We're not executioners."

Mav walked over to Jemmy and held her hand. It was a firm grip. The blue-clad heroine didn't want to show any weakness. Not when she now held the mantle of leadership. She looked at Jemmy in the eye and spoke.

"You are our friend, even if you choose to leave this team. I don't believe for one moment that you would be responsible for Jenny's death. So please. Please calm down. Let's handle this in the way heroes should. No killing. No unnecessary violence. Will bring him in for questioning."

Mav's basis for her words hinged on her trust that EW recruited good people to their team. And that was how she had come to view all the members despite the precious little time they had to get to know each other. That, and just moments ago, Jemmy admitted to joining only for Jenny's sake. Her actions so far, out of line as they may be, coincided with this 'truth'. Though it would probably be a miracle if this was settled peacefully right there. She could only hope

Jemmy listened to everything they said. She looked down at the ground, thinking over it all. Keri said that she wasn't a killer, but Jemmy had just attempted to kill Pix, hadn't she? Still, killing someone who you considered a friend was something completely different. Jemmy didn't think that she would do anything like that, but what proof did she have? What could Keri possibly know about the old Jemmy? Jemmy herself didn't know anything about her old self.

Pix said that the old Jemmy had quite the history of murder and mayhem, and Jemmy believed at least that much. What might she have done in the name of Chaos? Was it regret that had forced her to erase her memories?

Mav said a lot of things, a lot of good things. She said that Team Link was seeking justice, but that they themselves were not the executioners of evil-doers. She said that Jemmy was her friend, even if she decided to leave the team.

Jemmy finally looked up. Her eyes were filled with tears. She spoke calmly, but with sorrow in her voice. "You don't know me. None of you know me. Zuciya, I didn't even remember your name before I overheard someone else say it earlier. I mean, nothing against you, but I couldn't remember my own phone number this morning. I don't even know who I am yet. Not really. I erased my memory a few weeks ago. I don't remember anything about my life."

She looked at Pix. "But whoever that person was, that isn't who I am. I'm a new Shivering Jemmy, and I don't care what the old one was like or what evil things she may have done. I will do what I want, not what she wanted, and I don't feel like being evil."

Finally, she looked at Mav. "But I don't really feel like being a hero either. Whatever reason I joined this team is lost along with my other memories. If I can't kill that guy because he deserves it, then I don't want to be a part of a team with such difficult rules. If we are not the executioner, then who is? Is there even a professional executioner in Jump City? But you're right. I shouldn't be fighting at a funeral."

She turned around and looked at the coffin where Jenny rested. "Sorry, Jenny. It won't happen again." Turning to face the three people in front of her again, Jemmy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "So yeah, I'm leaving the team. Sorry. I'll let you two take care of that weirdo. But if he runs and manages to get away from you..." Jemmy's eyes flashed orange for just a brief moment. "I will kill him."

And in the blink of an eye, Jemmy teleported to somewhere far, far away.

Everytime Pix opened up his annoying mouth, Keri had the urge to make something fly into his mouth to keep him quiet. But, she didnt do that.... though she wished she did... What Mav said was in all forms of perfect. Not too gushy, and not to pushy. It was just right. However, Jemmy didn't see any logic of the team, and took off in a blink of an eye.

Keri didn't even get to say bye to her. She felt like she wanted to cry.... Two... There was only two of them left, and they were in the presence of an acquaintance of the killer. Keri glanced at the eternal sleeping Jenny, and felt tears prick the corner of her eyes. She then suddenly felt something snap, and she just turned her head and glared at pix with her piercing crystal blue eyes. "I'm so done with you." she said dangerously quiet before reverting to just glaring at him.

Those around them, could feel that the tension had tightened increasingly in the last couple of minutes. "Mav.... What are we gonna do about mr. no name here" she asked while still keeping eye contact with pix.

Jenny would have been so disappointed... She would have stopped Jemmy from leaving, ever... She has also been in this business longer, so she probably would have known who this man was, and what we were dealing with, but she isnt there physically to help them....

(OOC: Sorry if it is so short)

Instead of lashing out again, Jemmy had been cowed enough by Maverique's counter to give up trying to melt her problems away. She left. But not without making a promise which left Hugh feeling very affronted, if not a bit pale.

That vowed seemed a bit... excessive? No, a Lord of Chaos was allowed to be excessive. The word Pix was looking for was 'unfair'. If he was given to understand Jemmy, and Pix did very much attempt this, then she was currently bereft of treasured memories. Relationships which last a lifetime take a lifetime to form. She had effectively known the girl lying down in the box for a handful of weeks. Didn't seem the kid of person you would exact vengeance in the name of. And yet here she was, not just planning to gut the assassin, but also plotting the molteny death of the chap who had the great misfortune to be an acquaintance of said assassin. Furthermore, someone who, and he couldn't stress this enough, had willingly divulged the assassin's identity. Before he came along they were all sat twiddling their thumbs thinking 'Sure was sad Energy Warrior fell onto that dagger'.

What crime had Pix caused in Jemmy's eyes except to be loosely associated with the death of someone she held a mild acquaintanceship with? What insult had he given her except to make an accusation which had a fair likelihood of being true and to clarify that Jemmy, memories or no, was indeed a known killer? This was a side of herself that evidently no one had seen fit to inform the entity about, and the moment someone does - boom, life enemy. I mean, Pix was prepared to accept his plans could go awry but this development really took the cake. To be singled out for death by someone who had no cause to believe he had done them any wrong. It wasn't chaotic, it was indescribable irrational.

Might as well vendetta the grave digger too for shovelling too roughly.

A spiteful place in Pix's mind went to how he could exact his own brand of vengeance. Forging a contract as evidence for the police could theoretically get her back on the watch-list. Goodbye heroic immunity. If it was effective, it might even get the Titans back on her tail. Perhaps they would not be as stubborn-headed as her teammates. The pair who had listened to the witness, restrained him, narrowly prevented the guilty part for murdering him, and then let her get away without a thought. Police tended to take the 'Yup, I'm totally gonna murder someone soon' threats seriously. Stupid heroes. That would be another report filed against the Chaos Lord. Plenty of witnesses for that.

But the time for witnesses had come to an end. A private word was what Pix now required. His pluck had returned after Jemmy's departure. Zuciya fancied herself above talking to him anymore. Pix was more than happy to match her petulance. If she was trying to keep eye contact, he made a point of looking away and at Mav instead, "Can you tell Mrs. No Name, that one, we're apparently married; and two, we're going to move to a quiet place for the sake of the funeral." A move everyone could appreciate, he was sure. "Call the cops if you need to. I'd very much like to speak with them anyway."

((OOC: I need to clarify. That was a Pix rant, not a me rant. ))

That could have ended worse. The fact that it didn't was enough for Mav to feel a little relieved. Despite her threats, Jemmy left relatively peacefully and Mav thought she could at least consider that a sign that there was good in her. That didn't mean she didn't take the threats seriously though. Jemmy may have let him go now, but it was very likely she would come after him again. They were on borrowed time and Mav had to make the best use of that time by bringing the one responsible for the murder to justice. Their only clue was the very man Jemmy tried to kill today.

"For starters, I agree that this talk needs to be taken somewhere else. Let's go. I really hope you behave yourself. And if possible, cut down on the tactless remarks. You've already got our attention."

No thanks to Jemmy's outburst, this would be the first time Mav would properly address the stranger. Everything about him screamed shady. Or maybe that was just her bias. He did ruin a solemn gathering after all. As they walked on the path going further from the funeral and deeper into the cemetery, Mav decided to start the questioning while they trudged along. She had a feeling she would be too restless if they stopped moving to talk.

"First things first. Who are you? And why does Jemmy owe you anything?"

OOC: Go ahead and skip me, im so sorry that i havent been able to get on to tell you that, i should be able to post by sunday though c:

Assumingly Pix had been released from his telekinetic bindings. Otherwise he would be required to scooch alongside the girl's on his chair. Would have added to an already disturbed funeral. Such a freedom, however, was easily withdrawn with Keri still in close proximity. He could not outrun an attack that struck at the speed of thought. This served to strain Hugh's spirits. Furthermore the rebuke from Maverique about his petulant manner was well deserved but unwelcome. The look he returned was one laden with much acrimony. (-__-) Resigned to conduct himself in a more mature manner the sprite took to walking.

With the much riled mourners now in their wake Pix was left to wonder. He was frankly surprised the police hadn't been called as per his suggestion. Link had done nothing short of treat him like a criminal so far. Jemmy had even made it a condition, that should he 'get away' he would be subject to her continued ire. By her ex-teammates' failure to contradict or correct the Chaos Lord one could only assume they were like-minded on the sentiment of his imminent arrest, justified or not. So why the delay? It was possible that they may have processed a strange notion to hear him out before they jumped the gun. Yet should he prove guiltless then he was by default condemned to the malicious considerations of a Cosmic Entity. To excuse him was at this stage to line a coffin.

It was a shame he was not innocent. For Pix was curious as to how these B-list heroes would undertake such a conundrum. He would not have necessarily refused an offer of protective custody.

"You must surely have a clue what I am about, since I was chasing up the payment of a contract." Spite denied him, Pix turned to an exercise in abductive reasoning, "If owed the money I can be one of two people. A third party prize settler working by commission or the nominated treasurer of the afore mentioned HIVE. And I am happy to reveal that, not only am I treasurer, but also leader of HIVE." Now that Shivering Jemmy had made herself scarce Hugh held less misgivings over his identity, "You'll call me Pix. While not the assassin himself I am without a doubt a firm contributor in the death of your friend." Not true. Zero had killed Energy Warrior at the behest of a private contractor. It was only upon learning of his success that Pix thought to take credit for the deed and work it into his own machinations.

The sprite had had his fill today of inproportionate reactions to his revelations. He immediately followed up his confession with a plea, "There's more to the story!"

Mav didn't like people who talked in circles. They fancied themselves smart and careful. Normally she'd put up with it. It's their character and she had no business telling them to change their ways. But this guy had already crossed too many lines today and she was not about to let him lead them on in this conversation too.

"You seem dead set on implying Jemmy was involved in the death of our friend, but I can't help but notice you're deliberately not giving it to us straight." She paused briefly. "It's because Jemmy really had nothing to do with it isn't it? Even earlier you just allowed her to make up her own conclusions. Why you would want to get on her bad side on purpose is beyond me. But considering we just saved you from getting cooked, I think you owe us the straight answer."

She was guessing, though she delivered it in a way that she was confident of it. It was a gut feeling born from his suspicious way of talking and her own belief that Jemmy wouldn't have done it. She'd be a bad friend if she didn't at least have that bias. It would really hurt later on if it turned out she was wrong, but she wouldn't regret believing in her teammate until she came face to face with undeniable proof.

The man then admitted to being the leader of HIVE and claimed partial responsibility for the assassination. Mav could honestly say it caught her by surprise. Did he not learn his lesson? Or was he feeling a lot braver now that Jemmy had left?

"Is that a confession? Cause if you were paying attention earlier, then you would know that no story is gonna sway me from considering you a guilty party now that you've admitted to it."

"I'm not in the mood to play your games. So if the next thing you're going to say is not going to point us in the direction of the other guilty parties, then I'm not interested in hearing it. A bird in the hand, you know? If you intend to continue chirping, it better be worth our while."

Mav was perhaps acting tougher than she normally did. There was no sign of the nice accommodating girl who heard people out. She wasn't dealing with a citizen asking for her help after all. Who she was talking to was a man who could have been spouting lies from the beginning. Leniency and understanding had no place there. And as the new leader, she had to step up her play.

((OOC: Skipping.))

Gravel crunched underfoot as the party grinded to a halt. This was far enough away from the funeral. Keri had lived up to her promise and not since spoken to Pix. Meanwhile Maverique had given him the respite he'd asked for. A briskness in her tone convinced Hugh to get to the point. In retrospect he decided this need not have taken so long. But he had a way of drawing explanations out. It must have been his way of thinking things through. “The contract we signed with Jemmy was not solely for Energy Warrior. It was to eliminate all of Link. Bar herself. To be paid piecemeal.”

Sticking to his story was important. Pix would have refuted the logic that, because he'd lied once, everything he imparted should be called into question. People lie all the time. And Pix had never explicitly stated he was innocent. He had just neglected to mention his role in affairs until the person who wanted to kill him had left. Sounded reasonable to him, “Yes I understand that you believe your mass murdering psychopath couldn't possibly be evil. After all; she knows you now. Nobody you like could possibly let you down.” Pix intended that to be as sarcastic as possible, “However, she did and furthermore she screwed me on the payout. That means I am inclined to be lenient. You understand my men already went to a lot of trouble in this. We deserve something in way of compensation. So here's the deal. We won't finish the job - kill you two - if you agree that from now on Link pays HIVE dividends.”

(￣^￣) “Oh yeah. I'm threatening you now. Role reversal. Look at the person next to you and think carefully about this.” If they valued each other's lives they would accept his offer. They were two against a team. A team consisting of highly trained assassins who were world renown for purging the planet of a warring and more technologically advanced race. Caution would be wise, outright surrender would be preferred. There was no standing against HIVE for these small timers.

Keri had had enough.... She was done "negotiating" with this suspect. "Look. You have not given us any reason to believe what you are saying about Jemmy." She glared at Pix. "The only reason you have given me, as of right now, is that you are untrustworthy, and a liar."

Keri was so internally frustrated with how everything was turning out. She hated how Pix spoke, and how he tended to beat around the bush to get one point across. It took a lot of self control not to roll her eyes at him. "You being a member of the HIVE gives us all the more reasons to suspect you, and your friends for the death of Jenny, not Jemmy." She pointed out.

When Pix spoke of the agreement of them paying HIVE, or to die was completely ridiculous, but she didn't want to act out without the consent of Mave, for she was the one of better judgement for these things. Keri was still in training, so it would be out of place for her to make decisions for the team of two.

(OOC: Sorry for this crap of a post and for not being able to reply on time!!! Everytime I had the chance to sit down and read your posts, I was being called to get up before I could utter out a paragraph response.)

And there it was. That was the answer she had been looking for. Jemmy had really sold out? It was hard to believe. But with the little girl losing her memories of the event, even Mav couldn't think of how it could be proven otherwise. What could they do? Was it the right thing to keep holding on to blind faith? If this was the truth, then even EW's judgment would now be called to question for allowing Jemmy to join them in the first place. This internal dilemma would be the cause of why the threats that followed went over her head. At least until she got another wake up call courtesy of Keri's outburst.

Mav sighed and then smiled. Her teammate may not have been the most sound or logical person in that discussion but her absolute unwillingness to put up with what HIVE had to say certainly helped to put things in perspective for the fledgling leader. It was still too soon to come up with any conclusions especially when all they had to go on were words of the enemy. And that enemy was now threatening them. It was a hilariously sorry state they were currently in. EW would roll in her grave.

"You really know where to hit where it hurts. But before you start bragging about how great your organization is, I can't help but wonder how stupid it was for you in the first place to strike this deal with Jemmy. You've been painting her as incredibly evil and deceitful all this time. If it was this easy to screw HIVE out of a payment, she doesn't even need to be. All this proves is that you guys have a bad tendency to deal with forces you aren't even sure you can handle."

"And I'm not saying I believe it yet. That's just the kind of faith and stubbornness we good guys have. But suppose it's true. Suppose Jemmy did want all of us dead. Why would an all powerful Lord of Chaos need help from some mercenary group that can't even reliably collect money from its clients? I guess our little engagement earlier should answer that question."

Mav raised her fist and activated her aura. All the feelings that she had been keeping in were out now. But rather than exhibit rage or sadness or anxiety, she used it to fuel her confidence.

"You didn't seem keen on facing Jemmy head on earlier. I guess her reputation is more fearsome than I thought. I'll make sure to read up on it more later. But if you think she's the only 'monster' in this little group, then I guess HIVE really doesn't know how to pick its fights. Tell me Pix. Did you really do your research properly?"

"You talk as though heroes don't get threats to their lives everyday. I mean, the only the difference now is we actually know who's out to get us. At least you don't need to fear for your life. Us heroes don't kill on principle. Thanks for telling us what we wanted to know. The only thing left to do now is to accompany us quietly to the station and it will be one down for HIVE."