A


"I'll give you to the count of – time's up! Duck! Hehe, just kidding, that won't help.", Jinx yelled and opened 'friendly' fire at Ekko. He had gotten really good at dodging her shots, since ducking was always the wrong option. Didn't get any less scary though.

When she stopped, he landed safely on his feet again, getting up to stand straight and look her in the eye. Today, he was here on business. Somewhat.

"Smile! It's called gun play.", she laughed, obviously enjoying their little game.

Ekko didn't move a bit. He had gotten taller since they had started dating, as well as a little broader around the shoulders. Though now taller than Jinx, she could still beat him up any time she wanted to.

She lowered her gun and stared back at him, eyes wider than usual. Sometimes, even the crazy girl caught on to serious conversations. "You're not laughing.", she stated.
"Thanks for noticing.", Ekko sighed and then gathered up all his courage to say the next words. "We need to talk."
"Ok, Cookie.", Jinx said and flopped down onto the ground, then motioned for him to follow suit. "What's up?"
Ekko sat down across from her and sighed again. This was going pretty smooth, enough so to make him more nervous. "Here's the thing. In this relationship I… I don't feel valued enough, I guess."

"You know you're my favourite waste of bullets.", she smiled and pecked him on the cheek.
"I know, I know." He grabbed her hand and stared down at it. "But that's also the problem. I feel like you're just having lots of fun with me, even if it's at my cost. Like, you put me in danger of dying every time we say hello and consider it a game. You kiss me, tell me you like me and then try to shoot me – Why would you do that?!" With the question he looked back up at her. He still couldn't tell by her voice only of she was being serious or not.
"Who needs reasons? At least I have the best intentions!", she proclaimed and threw her hands around his neck. Not serious enough. "You know I like you."
"Jinx.", Ekko whispered into her ear. "I need to know this one. Who means more to you? Me?… or your guns?"

The girl sat back, looking utterly confused. She frowned and asked: "Why would I even think about that?"

Ekko fought hard to find a way to explain this to her. Even after all this time of close proximity, he still hadn't quiet mastered Jinx-talk. Struggling for words he finally said."It's important to me, ok? Just try?!" He looked at her pleadingly. He did like this girl. It was never boring, they were always up to fun stuff, she was cute, she did like him. But. But he really didn't feel valued, because there always were her guns, too, so that HE - the actual boyfriend – sometimes felt like the third wheel. He didn't want it to be like that.
She seemed willing to try answering him though. "Wait, I'm thinking! Urgh... how do people do this?", Jinx bit out, messing up her hair.

"Try it like this.", he helped. "If you were to only have one of us with you for the next year or so, who would you pick? Me or fishbones?"

Her face lit up in that way he found so adorable and said triumphantly, as if she'd solved the ultimate riddle. "That's easy. Fishbones, of course! I can't blow stuff up otherwise." Like it was the most logical thing.

Ekko smiled tiredly. Honestly, he had been expecting this. His right hand gently cupped her cheek and tilted her head down. The kiss onto her forehead lasted a mere second, then he pulled back.

"I'll be going then, Jinx.", he said, voice starting to break. So it ended like it had started, huh? Ironical. Ekko got up and walked out on a Jinx that obviously had not understood the meaning and consequences of the events yet.

She turned around and looked questioningly at fishbones.

"What just happened?", she asked. "I don't get it."
Fishbones sounded sad. 'I don't think he's coming back. Too bad, I liked him.'

And that was the last thing Ekko heard of her for a long time.


.


"Aww… that's so sad.", Undine choked out, close to tears. "Wh – What's the other theory?"


B


"Can we just, for once, not do something crazy tonight?", Ekko pleaded. He had borrowed a cool film from a friend to watch. He had made sure that there were loads of explosions, just for Jinx. She didn't seem too impressed however.
"Let's just behave... said no one, ever.", she mocked and turned to pace around the room. "You're starting to bore me. Every time all you wanna do is lame stuff, like stay home, meet friends or … or cuddle." She pronounced the last word as if it was some serious disease. Ekko looked outright hurt. He was, too.

"Jinx, can you just for once consider what I feel like? That maybe I don't want to blow shit up ALL the time? But spent time with my girlfriend? ALONE?"

"That's what you really wanna do, Cookie?! Really? I didn't know! And you know what? I'm trying to care but I just can't!", she exclaimed and threw her hands into the air.
"But, Jinx, this isn't fair!" Ekko was starting to get pissed off. "You're not the only one in this relationship!"
"Ow come on, you're always complaining. All the time, nagging me about things I should and shouldn't do and things you want to do... Ask me if I'm listening!", she sang. "Hint: I'm not!"
"Will you ever stop acting like a lunatic, I know you're not that out of it!"
"No, I am crazy! Got a doctor's note." She gave him her most sickly-sweet smile, batting her eyelashes. Ekko planted his face onto the table. It was just so frustrating. She never took him seriously. Everything was just fun and games to her, especially as soon as somebody lost an eye.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm just a toy to you.", he wined.

"Oh, Ekko-cookies. How could you think so lowly of me?!", she cried out dramatically. "That really hurt... my feelings. NOT."
Ekko looked back up from the table. Jinx was swinging one of her blue braids around and marching up and down in front of the windows of her small room, underneath which she had lines up her guns as if for a parade. She looked very comfortable with the situation. He really wasn't. Ekko opened his mouth to say something, anything to get the situation back on track, but she interrupted him on the first note.

"You know what.", she sang. "Just bugger off. Fuck off. This is so boring and you're just getting in the way all the time. Even ol' fishbones is better company than you."

Ekko was speechless.

Was this the only solution to the problem her brain could come up with? This was how things would end between them? Overall, it probably fit the relationship they had had. All about Jinx's wishes and not a single thought spared on Ekko's feelings. Still, it hurt, being kicked out like a stray dog, that had never meant anything to her in the first place.
But maybe it was best for him to leave. Best for himself. He got up and dragged his feet over to the door, one last look over his shoulder showed his girlf… ex-girlfriend, picking up fishbones and hugging it close to her chest, dancing around the room. Last time he'd tried that, she'd beaten the shit out of him.
What a horrible, devastating end to a young boy's first love.

Halfway down the stairs he heard her piercing voice: "Hey Fishbones, should we blow something up?"
'You might inconvenience people and hurt their feelings.'
"You're the worst weapon ever!"
The saddest part of this was that she wouldn't even notice him missing.


.


"This one's even worse!", Undine exclaimed. "I thought he was your friend, couldn't you think of something less painful for him?"

Lucca appeared sorry but insisted that "If he was to make it out of their relationship alive, I can't think of any other options. Jinx must have either been too bored of him to kill him or been too thick to understand the situation as he walked out on her. Otherwise she would have perforated him either for the fun, or the revenge… which is kinda also for the fun."

Undine finished the last drags of her lukewarm beer and sulked into the empty glass. Poor Ekko-cookie... Had she really called him that? This was going to haunt her for a while… She shook her head, trying the get the mental image out of it.
"Hey.", Lucca laughed, trying to get her attention back. "You know these are just my theories, right? It could have gone totally different. No need to pity anybody."
Undine looked up at him, a little disorientated. Right, she was still at the bar and now had to find a way to weasel out of this conversation. She gave a weak chuckle back and waved it off.
"Sorry. Sometimes I'm too empathetic for my own good."
"Better be careful with that in Zaun!", the waiter joked with her. Suddenly, there was a slight tilt to his head, a different look in his eyes. Undine had to fight to keep from jumping right out of her seat and make a run for the door. She knew that look. Never had anything good come from people looking at her like that.

Careful to not let her insecurity show, she placed the glass back on the counter.

"You're right.", she said. "Maybe a young girl like me should be more careful. It'd better get going then, wouldn't want to get home too late." Fishing for the money in her pockets, she placed a few coins on the counter and pushed them over to Lucca, smiling innocently. "The rest is for you. For the stories."

He still had that look in his eyes, but his worry at least seemed sincere when he suggested he could walk her home. "I'll be off for the day in 20 minutes. If you wanna wait a little, I make sure you get home safely."

Again, Undine had to suppress a shudder. Why was the entire world out to get her? Or her ass, what did it matter… Then she came up with the lamest excuse ever, but a certain turn-off.
"Oh, thank you, that's very sweet. But I have a curfew and I really need to run now or my parents will start to worry."
There, she'd said the magic word. Parents. Nobody wanted a one-night stand with the girl's parents next door. Innocent smile still on display, she picked up her guitar case, slung the strap over her shoulder and walked out, waving one last time for good measure.
Then she jogged home, partly to keep up the disguise, partly because she really wanted to get away this instant. Nobody followed her this time, she checked every few steps.


A/N: I'd be much honoured if you took your time to review and comment!
By the way, which one do you think is more likely out of the two theories in this chap, A or B?! I was going to adjust the first Extra with his Mum to make it fit to what most people thought!
Hope you enjoyed - we'll be back to serious story development soon, get rrrready :D