Author's Note
Meant for this to go up on Sunday, but computer issues and school preparation delayed it. I'll try to get an extra chapter in for compensation, but no promises. Enjoy!
"Hey, Jinx"
"Hmm?"
"Can you tell me about your past?"
"...what?"
Jinx was explaining the mechanisms in Fishbones to Caitlyn. Or at least she had been until she was completely throw off track by Caitlyn's seemingly random question.
It hadn't been truly random, though. Caitlyn had been wanting to ask her for a week now. And what better time than when Jinx was doing something that she enjoyed, like explaining the complicated mechanisms behind guns.
It was indeed a perfect time to ask, too. Jinx had been euphoric, thoroughly ecstatic that she would be able to explain her favorite thing in the world to someone listening. Well, she was until she fully processed the question.
After noticing Jinx's demeanor darken from the question, she quickly realized that she had worded her question wrong. She merely wanted to learn Jinx's childhood that she only got glimpses and ideas of from the diary. She didn't want Jinx to reveal the events that destroyed her life, yet. She knew that Jinx still wasn't ready enough for that.
"Ah-that's not what I meant Jinx. I meant to ask if can you tell me about your childhood, not the bad parts of your past. I told you, you can tell me that stuff when you're ready. I just wanted to know more about the good parts. Your diary was a bit hard to read, and didn't explain much. It left a lot of holes that I was hoping to could fill."
Jinx's expression lightened up, knowing that she did not half to dwell on the horrors she experienced, but was still no where near the happy that she had shown before. She sighed before answering the Sheriff.
"Fine, but you have to tell me about your childhood too." Jinx huffed out, looking for a compromise. She figured that she might as well get to know about the Sheriff if she had to talk about her past herself.
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow in minor curiosity in response.
"Oh? My childhood wasn't very interesting though. I didn't do much until I was a teenager."
"Hmm, I'm sure you had to have some interesting story. I mean you're boring, Hat Lady, but not that boring." The smirk on Jinx's face following her words triggered an annoyed frown in reaction.
Speaking of hats, Jinx had idea.
"Ooh can you tell me how you got your hat, then?! I've heard some rumors, but not the real story." Jinx was getting excited now. Maybe she would finally learn about the infamous hat that had eluded her.
Caitlyn chuckled at the girl's easily excitable personality. There was nothing that special about her hat. At least, not in her opinion. And especially not when compared to some of the outlandish stories about it. Yes, she has heard about the rumors that Jinx mentioned.
Some of them were completely irrational theories like one that suggested that her hat had an endless storage for the cupcakes she sometimes laced her traps with. She assumed that rumor was made by someone who watched her performances on Summoner's Rift, and failed to remember that the summoners that commanded the 'champions', like her, conjured endless resources for them, allowing her to endlessly supply her traps with cupcakes. In reality, Caitlyn only kept one or two cupcakes on her, simply to catch yordle criminals as they have a strange affinity for cupcakes and other sweet foods.
Most rumors were more practical and reasonable, though still far from the truth. Such as one that guessed that she was bald underneath the hat. She had to laugh at that one, as anyone who saw her without it, like right now, would clearly know that was not the case.
Regardless, she decided to tell the true story of her hat in as special of a way as possible, if only to sate Jinx's intense curiosity.
"Well, this hat was my grandmother's favorite hat." Partially true. The hat had indeed been her grandmother's but it had been one of many favorites, not the clear favorite. "It was a good luck charm for her. She wore it when she met my grandfather." That was completely true. "She gave it to me as an heirloom, that's why it's so precious to me. Also, as you already saw, my mom outfitted it with lens that aids my sniping, so it is practical on the job for me to wear."
Jinx pondered this new information. Her curiosity was practically sated, but she still needed to know one more thing.
"So your hat doesn't have a portal to a cupcake dimension..?"
The question was worded so seriously that Caitlyn could tell that Jinx had truly believed that rumor, causing a snicker to be let loose from the Sheriff. Eyes full of mirth, Caitlyn denied the rumor.
"No, Jinx, that's merely a rumor. There's nothing that special about my hat. The closest thing to anything special is that I keep some back up rounds attached to the top of it, in case I ever run out on the job."
"Aww, all you keep in it are bullets? That's no fun. Endless cupcakes are much better." Jinx pouted, but Caitlyn could tell that she was satisfied with the answers.
"Alright, I told you my story, now tell yours."
Jinx groaned in response. "Do I have too?"
"Yes, Jinx. A deal is a deal."
"Fine," she huffed, "what do you want to know?"
"Hmm, tell me about your family. Your diary didn't explain much."
"My family? Uh, well my mom and pop were pretty cool. Mom would play games with me and tell jokes a lot. She was pretty funny. And she would take me to places all the time. My dad was kinda strict but he was cool too. He taught me cool engineering stuff."
"What about Vi?" Caitlyn risked asking. She wanted to know how the relationship between the two sisters was before whatever event had separated them. But as she mentioned the sister, Jinx's mood darkened once again.
"What about her," Jinx murmured, tone filled with what sounded like anger. But after a moment of processing, Caitlyn realized that Jinx sounded more sad than truly angry.
"Erm," Caitlyn hesitated, not particularly wanting to set Jinx off, "were you two close as kids?"
"Yeah we were. Sucks that all she wants to do now is punch my face in. Stupid adult Vi. I miss when her punches were soft and ticklish. Now she has big fat hands. Not as cute to get punched by her anymore." Despite Jinx's bitter and reminiscent tone, Caitlyn couldn't help but laugh at the thought of child Vi punching a young Jinx. It was so ridiculous to picture a small child beating up on her older sister when Caitlyn thought of how different Vi is currently.
Jinx frowned at Caitlyn's laughter, but soon joined in after remembering how silly the memories were herself. They spent several minutes laughing, almost uncontrollably, before sobering up.
Caitlyn was the first to get serious. She needed to know one more thing.
"Jinx, I've been wondering, why haven't you told Vi that you're her older sister? Wouldn't it make her understand?"
But Jinx only gave a humorless laugh. "Don't you think I tried that already? When I first came back to Piltover and found her, I told her. But she didn't listen. She never listens She just told me, and I quote: 'Fuck off, I don't have any family, you weirdo.' " Caitlyn cringed at the harsh words. She could feel the bitterness coming from Jinx.
"Heh, you know you how she is. Punch first, then talk if they're still twitching. That mentality and her trait of having a head thicker than her fists are fat, yeah those doesn't really make her good at listening."
Caitlyn understood her point. Vi could be ridiculous stubborn and will be impulsive without reason. Jinx had came to her and Vi had simply ignored her, leaving Jinx abandoned. A thought came to Caitlyn.
Maybe Jinx went on a rampage because her only known living family member rejected her? But she figured that was a question for another time. Questioning Jinx about that right now probably wasn't the best idea.
"Yes, she is very...stubborn to say the least. It would probably be easier to stop 50 criminals on a rampage in an hour than to try to reason with her. But maybe I could help you convince her? If I could shut her up and get her to not try to punch the daylight out of you, maybe you could get her to see the relation," Caitlyn mused.
"Meh, I doubt that would work. She's too stupid for that to work. But keep on dreaming!" Caitlyn could tell that the bluenette had done all the talking that she was comfortable with. Caitlyn wouldn't be getting anymore information. "Now can we get back to guns, I like talking about those more."
Caitlyn decided to humor her, and pushed the thoughts aside to dwell on later, and listened as Jinx started to explain again.
It had taken them a week of scouting, but they finally found it. Jayce and Vi had found Jinx's hideout. it had taken them a lot of asking around, and even threatening (mostly on Vi's part). But they had finally done it. When they came across the boarded up windows of what seemed to be an abandoned apartment, they knew that they had found her.
Now as they stood outside the front door, reading to break it down, one thought filled Vi's mind: I'm coming cupcake, and I'm gonna end Jinx this time...
Author's Note
Lighter chapter, before I delve into more heavy stuff in the next chapters. Also a cliffhanger to leave you with. Hope you guys enjoyed. Leave a review if you did/feel like it. Any feedback is good feedback.
Also, question time: I was thinking about adding the Institute as part of the plot in future chapters. I mean I have alluded to it a couple of times, but it hasn't been a part of the story yet. It won't have any major impacts to the story, and won't change the direction I have for it, but it will allow me to alter a specific part of my plans for a chapter. Also, the story will stay in Piltover's setting overall, it would only swap for like a chapter (may change depending on how I alter it). So, what do you guys think? Yes Institue or no Institute?