peace will win and fear will lose

There was a moment where Jinx considered pulling Hawkeye's tender vocal cords from her throat, and that moment occurred when she mentioned Lecter. Jinx bristled somewhat, glad for the cloak of darkness that would mask her indignation as she said, "As do I." She decided against it; logic crept through for the first time in two months to remind her that maybe she only perceived fondness. It was gone just as quickly, leaving jealousy in its wake. Lecter was hers, and she would not permit another wolf's fondness should he return.

Instead of making a fuss over Hawkeye's strange and disconcerting proclamation, she decided it was time to leave. Time to get back to the quiet of Horizon Ridge's shore before dawn rose and Akhlut with it. Time to shed the company of a wolf who sat distastefully in her opinions, but whom she had no choice but to put up with, for now. Her gaze sought the black Alpha, but she was hidden by the night.

"I must head back," she announced. "It's growing late. You may linger a while at this altar, if that is your wish." After all, she figured if she returned come morning to find the altar in a state of ruin, she would know exactly who had done it. She very much doubted that. "If you have need of me, you know where you can find me." She had no doubt the loa that whispered Sos' words to her would reveal Jinx's location, and if they were so kind, warn Jinx so she could either slip away or choose to remain. That was all in the future, though, and without the shaman to cast bones for her the future was uncertain.

With a nod of parting, which may or may not have been visible, Jinx slid into the chill ocean and began making her way home, riding the swells and dips as easily as if she were once born in them. She may have feared the sea in its wrath, but it spoke to her when it was calm and she was at home in it. Whether Hawkeye would remain long enough for the tide to roll in and roughen the waves was no longer a concern of hers. Her allegiance was to Sos alone, and if one of his chosen died, then it was no skin off her back. It merely meant there would be more for her to do.