Jin's War

2.

Paige stood at the base of an ugly copy of her apartment. The veil's backup system for the special, the chosen ones.

Free of fear of breaking annoying, bland civilians. The Earth had limits, boundaries, laws. It could turn a simple confrontation to genocide.

They were far but inches apart in their glaring. The staring contest stretched longer than her patience could handle.

Tapping out she turned away.

Paige dropped her backpack and jacket giving it to Aramas. The gorilla rose and threw them under arm into a building. The act looked delicate… the bag smashed through a window with such force an explosion of paper burst like blood from a wound. While all this happened, Paige focused on the model. Even from far, she was stunning.

After a while, Paige's smile expired. She had nails to check, ie better things to do. They weren't in the best shape. If only her counterpart would allow them to grow or use a file. Paige bit at a nail and pulled slowly. Overkill hurt and took ages to grow back.

She stole a glance at the dark-skinned woman, yup, still furious. It warmed her heart in a way people had to pay for.

There was something special in having the gift to read moments of weakness, special enough to make a hobby of it. What was the model looking for? Her to burst into tears? Maybe she didn't get the meaning of 'Soul Eater'. One didn't kill enough to earn a title, just to be sad over someone's brother.

Paige grinned, her middle finger… perfect.

"[Say something!]" The woman shouted.

Paige could barely hear but shrugged.

"[Like what!]"

The model and her black widow rushed down the building in a waterfall of debris. It turned sharply on the ground and skittered at Paige. It was quick, each leg its own as it scampered. Mist strings wrapped to her wrists like chain, kept her in place.

Paige waited before jumping, Aramas launched forward, grabbing Paige by the arm, both sailed past the black widow, rolling on concrete and bouncing on his heels, Paige cocooned in his arms.

The black widow spun to a stop, a perfect one eighty on a mountain of rubble, its hind legs up.

Now, face to face, there was no denying how annoyingly hot she was. Stunning, breath-taking features. Distracting, furious eyes. She could not pull off self-righteous fury.

Paige yawned, her nails deserved the attention, they were the real villains. There were so many imperfections and nail biting was such an imperfect art. Nail salons existed for a reason. She breathed on them, rubbing them on her shirt which, thanks to her jacket, had survived.

As the slow and deliberate ritual continued, she spoke in a quiet tone, that extended to the model.

"[Leave.]"

"[What?]"

Paige bit down a smirk.

Instead of a battle of behemoths, a two-woman world war two. What she'd get was a dismissal.

"[Leave.]"

Paige took a look at each nail before raising her arm and snapping her fingers. Aramas lifted her onto his head where she sat back, her own strings coiling around her back and legs like a couch.

"[Trust me, you've already lost. Don't make me kill you]"

Paige could smell the hesitation, the fear, an ever so subtle change in body temperature, a taste to her sweaty pores that told so much more than the fake smile the model tried to present. It was almost embarrassing to look at, almost.

But…

Even her "battle perfume", was pretty. There was a skill in smelling good, drowning in fancy shit wouldn't do it. Like a marinated steak, it took time. She was the kind of person who 'had a soap' iron, blood, rocket fuel, gun powder wasn't overpowered but assimilated and manipulated.

That took effort of time, and reflection i.e., skill…

Hell, the bitch had 'battle perfume', maybe she was a model…

Oh no, she was at risk of liking her.

"[You'll see, I swear to god you'll die.]" The model declared.

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A giant gorilla. A mutant spider. Two soul-linked killers with nothing to lose.

When Vanessa Kingsley reveals her name, Paige doesn't flinch—she laughs.

Old grudges rise, new monsters awaken, and battle perfume fills the air.

"Thank you, Vanessa Kingsley."Paige just found a reason to kill with a smile.

Next episode: It's personal now.

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