A/N: The first part of this chapter has a song to go along with it: Devil Doesn't Bargain by Alec Benjamin

Lil stood in front of her mirror, her hands working carefully to make the braid at the edge of her hair as neat as possible. After she tied off the end, she dropped her hands with a heavy sigh. Her head tilted to the side as she lifted them again to straighten her shirt, scrutinizing her appearance in the reflection.

I guess it doesn't matter what I look like. I don't need to grab his attention more than necessary.

Deep down, Lil knew she still cared somewhat about what Silco thought of her. She hated that feeling creeping back into her mind after nearly a decade of not worrying if he would deem her worthy of his attention. It made her feel like the broken, lovesick person she used to be around him.

Her eyes scrunched closed as she willed those thoughts away. With a final sigh, Lil turned away from the mirror and exited the bathroom. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she began pulling her boots on. She had one on and had started on the other when a knock at her front door grabbed her attention.

"Just a minute!" she called, pulling on the other boot.

She stood from the bed and walked across the apartment, unlocking and opening the door to reveal Mai standing in the hallway. Her friend's eyes scanned her from head to foot before meeting her own, a singular eyebrow raised in question.

"You look nice," Mai said, stepping into the apartment. "You have a date or something?"

"No," Lil said as she closed the door again. "Why? Does it look like it?"

She felt self-conscious about her outfit again, worrying that it may send the wrong message. The last thing she wanted was for Silco to get the idea that she had changed her mind about being there for him to toy with.

"I'm sure some would think so, but then again, you also look like you have somewhere important to be. Did you find somewhere to work?"

Lil averted her gaze from Mai's and bit her lip before saying, "You could say that."

It took a moment for Mai to respond, and when Lil lifted her eyes to look at her face again, she could finally see the truth dawn on her.

"Don't tell me you're going back to the Last Drop. Back to him."

"I need to, Mai. I need a job."

"So go somewhere else."

"I've looked other places! There aren't any openings anywhere."

Mai stepped closer to Lil and grabbed the upper part of her arms, giving her a gentle shake.

"You can't go running back to him. Not again. You'll only get hurt again," she said.

Lil pulled away from her grasp and turned away, her hand rising to her face to bite the nail on her thumb. She shook her head in response to Mai's concerns.

"I'm not running back to him. As I said, I need a job. Also, I can't just abandon Powder. I should never have left her there in the first place."

"She's not your child, Lil," Mai said. "If she wanted to stay there, that's her choice."

"She's 9!" Lil shouted, spinning to face Mai again. "She just lost everyone she cared about. I'm not sure she can make that kind of decision on her own. But she seemed pretty attached to Silco when I last saw her, convinced he was trustworthy. The Last Drop is her home, her safe space. If I can be there to watch over her and ensure she continues to be safe, it's the least I can do for her."

"You don't owe anyone anything, Lil," Mai said. "Not Powder, not Vander, not Adele and Matthias, and definitely not Silco. I don't want you throwing away all the recovery work you've done because of some feeling of obligation."

"I also need to go for my sanity," Lil said, thinking back to her recurring nightmare. "I keep dreaming of the night he disappeared. I've spent so long thinking he was dead, and I need to remind myself of the reality that he isn't."

"All that time you spent thinking he was dead was at his own hand, Lil. He could have come to you at any time and told you he was still alive, but he didn't. He knew full well how you felt about him, and he abandoned you anyways!"

Lil flinched at Mai's words, a sharp pain in her chest at the truth of them. Mai's face softened at her reaction, and she shook her head before placing her hand on Lil's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Lil. I shouldn't have said that."

"No. You're right."

"Still, you're my friend, and I don't want to see you hurt. Not by my insensitivity and not by his hand either. I don't want to hear someday that you've been found floating in the river with a knife in your back."

"What do you mean?" Lil asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Silco is dangerous, Lil."

"You think I don't know that? He had a hand in both Benzo and Vander's deaths. I have no doubts that he has changed and become someone completely different from the man I knew."

"I don't think you truly understand the risks, though."

Lil focused on Mai's face, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"What do you know that you aren't telling me?"

"Do you remember those rumors of a ruthless gang leader that went by the moniker 'The Eye of Zaun'?"

"Yeah, Vander said he was looking into it, but I don't know if he ever did. The gang never seemed to stray into the Lanes, so maybe he figured it wasn't his problem to deal with at that moment."

"I have reason to believe that Silco is this leader. He was lying low and building up a support system to take down Vander when the opportunity presented itself. If half the things I've heard about his reputation are true, you need to stay far away from him."

Lil worried at her lip again, processing the information Mai had just presented to her. She had heard some pretty nasty things about this 'Eye of Zaun' herself. People that displeased him usually ended up in rough shape or dead.

"He won't hurt me," she said, uncertainty tainting her statement. "He could have killed me in my apartment the day after he resurfaced. He could have sent his goons after me at any time. He has Sevika on his side, and she could do more damage to me than anyone. She could drag me back to him, sneak into my apartment at night and get rid of me, or anything else he asks."

"Just because he hasn't hurt you yet, doesn't mean he won't. You need to be careful."

"I will. I promise."

Silco dropped his pen down onto the pile of paperwork with an annoyed flick of his hand. He raised his hands to his face to rub at his tired eyes. He could only look at all those numbers for so long before starting to go cross-eyed. But he knew that someone needed to make sure things were in order. The last thing they needed was for their primary source of income to go under.

Silco looked up from his place at the bar, his eyes searching the room for the building's only other occupant. Olillia stood across the room, sweeping under the tables along the back wall. He could hear her humming to herself as she worked, which surprised him as he hadn't heard her before. His brain must have blocked out the world around him while he looked at never-ending lists. As if she sensed him looking at her, Olillia stopped sweeping and turned to look back at him.

"Are you done with your work?" she asked.

Silco scoffed at her question. "I wish. I fear I will never be done."

"Nobody said running a revolution would be easy," she said in an amused tone as she leaned on her broom handle. "Especially on top of running a bar."

"Well, I'm supposed to have help. But it seems that both of my companions have deserted me."

"Vander and Benzo are off on a supply run. You know that."

"A brothel run more likely," Silco said under his breath, turning back to the paperwork in front of him.

Olillia crossed the room and leaned the broom against the bar before disappearing into the room behind it. Silco raised his eyes as she passed him, a subtle glance to admire her figure. He'd be lying to himself if he said she wasn't attractive. It was no secret that she had many admirers amongst the patrons of The Last Drop, men and women alike. Silco included himself amongst their numbers on many nights. He often found his attention moving to wherever she was in the room. But that was as far as it would go. Looking was the only thing he allowed himself to do.

Vander would surely kill him if he chased off the most reliable staff member they had. Olillia had come in to fill the spot Adele, the previous waitress and backup bartender had vacated. Adele had been a valuable member of the team, but she had recently discovered that she was expecting another child. She and her husband Matthias already had a little girl at home, which had affected their involvement with the Children of Zaun movement. With the introduction of a second child, he could see them pulling away entirely. The whole thing was ironic to him, as what they were trying to achieve was a better future, which their children would benefit from more than anyone.

Silco was brought out of his thoughts when Olillia returned from the backroom carrying a plate with a sandwich and a glass filled with water. She placed both items on the counter in front of him, giving him a pointed look.

"You've been sitting there for hours, and I haven't seen you consume anything that could be construed as nutritious. You can't live on booze, cigarettes, and revolutionary passion, Silco."

"Sure I can," he said, "watch me."

Olillia smiled and rolled her eyes at him, pointing at the sandwich.

"Eat, you overworked bean pole."

She walked around to his side of the bar and grabbed her broom to resume cleaning. Silco was slightly offended by the bean-pole comment but did as instructed. Once the food was gone and half the water consumed, he started back to work on his paperwork. Olillia finished her sweeping and began to mop as he worked. The two of them continued in companionable silence for quite a while before Silco turned in his seat to face her, breaking the air again with a question that had been weighing on his mind.

"What would you say is your purpose here?"

Olillia stopped working and turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

"Like on this planet, here in this bar, or in life?" she asked.

Silco rolled his eyes before responding.

"In the Children of Zaun."

"Do I need one to be here? Maybe I'm just here to keep this place from burning down."

"When you entered this establishment, you were referred to as a recruit. But as of yet, I have not seen you go out on any missions."

"That you know of, you mean," Olillia said, a smirk lifting the corner of her mouth.

Silco wasn't sure what she meant by that comment. As one of the founding members and leaders of the Children of Zaun, surely he would know who went on what missions. He had never seen her name on any roster, and she always seemed to be at the bar.

"I highly doubt Vander hired you for your charm and good looks."

Olillia's smirk grew into a full smile.

"You think I'm good-looking?"

Silco felt his cheeks flush, and he quickly turned away from her, desperately wanting out of this conversation. Olillia laughed at his obvious embarrassment and walked over to join him at the bar, sitting on the stool beside him.

"He actually did hire me for my charm and my ability to clean. This place would be a disaster without me."

"Don't go thinking too much of yourself. I would make sure it wouldn't get too bad."

Olillia let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Says the man with too much on his plate already. You don't even remember to eat most of the time. Vander gave me clear instructions to make sure you don't starve. Although, I'm not sure why he gave that job to me. I'm a dreadful cook. I can do sandwiches and cook an egg, but that's about it."

"What did you do before you worked here?"

"I was a housekeeper for one of the less well-off families topside."

Silco sneered in disgust at the mention of the residents of Piltover. He couldn't believe that anyone from the Undercity would willingly associate with them.

"It paid well, and I was in a really rough spot at the time," Olillia said as if she was trying to justify her employment. "Didn't last long, though, before the mistress of the house threw me out on the street for poor conduct."

Silco glanced at her sideways with a raised eyebrow.

"What did you do, sleep with the husband?"

Olillia gasped in offense and gave him a light slap on the arm.

"Do I look like a heartbreaking homewrecker to you?" she asked before a look of amusement crossed her features. "He would have had me if I ever gave him a chance, but his wife actually caught me with their daughter. In her eyes, I would ruin her prospects of a good life. She was already on her way there on her own, so I'm not sure I would have that much of an effect in that matter. I left with what I had earned and never looked back. Sevika was kind enough to let me stay with her until I was back on my feet."

"It sounds to me like you were still a heartbreaker," Silco said. "Maybe not a homewrecker in the traditional sense, but I'm sure you left some chaos in your wake."

"This coming from the biggest heartbreaker in the Lanes?"

Silco turned his head fully to look at her with genuine confusion.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean. I don't have the time or energy to be going around breaking hearts."

Olillia laughed softly and shook her head.

"For you, it doesn't take much effort. You turn so many heads every time you walk in here. I can't tell you how many nights I find a heartbroken girl in the corner crying to her friends about how you rejected her. Or how many drunk lovesick one-nighters I've watched get escorted out the door after they see you talking to someone else. If I had to guess, half the Lanes is in love with you."

Silco chuckled at her statement and turned away again.

"I think you're exaggerating just a bit."

"I'm worried that someday you'll turn your eye towards me, and I'll end up just like the rest of them," Olillia said, humor tinting her words.

"Not likely," Silco said. "For all we know, you could be the one breaking my heart."

"Is that a challenge?" Olillia asked.

Silco gave her a look that he hoped was discouraging. The last thing he needed was his desire to have her accept it as a challenge to be known.

"Some people would frown on attempts to woo your boss."

"You're not my boss. Vander is."

"Last I checked, my name is on the paperwork for the bar. So, therefore, I am your boss as well."

Olillia pushed out her bottom lip in a pout.

"Fine. Spoilsport."

She stood from her seat on the barstool and returned to where she had left the mop at his interruption. Silco mourned the end of their conversation, wanting to spend more time bantering with her. But they both had work to finish, so he left her alone to complete her task. He refocused on the numbers in front of him, calculating the budget for the next month.

Olillia finished her work and returned behind the counter to retrieve her coat, ready to head home. Silco could feel her eyes on him, assessing him. Perhaps he had allowed their bantering to get too personal. Maybe she was right. He would have to break her heart, even if it was unintentional.

"Do you really want to know what Vander sends me out to do?" she asked.

Silco looked up from his papers again, meeting her gaze.

"I doubt it's some big secret, but sure."

"He has me act as bait for enforcers."

Silco's grip on his pen tightened, so much so that it creaked in his hand.

"What?"

"I'm a pretty face that flirts and then turns down their advancements. They don't like that very much and come after me, allowing whoever is on a run to get by unnoticed. They can never catch me, though."

Silco couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was one thing to risk their own lives for the cause, but to put someone else in such a position of risk was uncalled for. He wondered what Vander could be thinking with this plan.

"It wasn't Vander's idea," Olillia said as if she could read his thoughts. "I'm the one who suggested it to him. He reluctantly agreed after I demonstrated how quickly I could escape if needed."

"Show me."

"What?"

"Show me how fast you can get away. I'll be the judge of whether it's acceptable or not. If I catch you, we're going to Vander and calling off this horrible arrangement. We don't need you getting hurt or killed."

Silco couldn't tell if Olillia was offended at his inference that she wasn't as quick as she stated, or if she simply didn't like him trying to control what she did. She pulled her coat on over her shoulders and pointed to the door of the bar.

"Fine. Meet you outside then."

Silco watched her leave the bar before heading up to his bedroom to grab his own coat. Before long, he was standing beside her on the street outside. Her offended air had dissipated and had been replaced with a confident smirk.

"Catch me if you can, Son of Zaun," she said before taking off.

Silco hadn't been prepared for her to start so quickly, but he took off after her a moment after she left his side. His feet pounded against the cobblestones as he chased her. He was able to close some of the distance between them, but she still managed to stay well ahead of him, making sharp turns and ducking into alleys. Her speed was almost inhuman.

At last, one of her turns led her into an alley with a dead end, trapping her. Silco stopped at the mouth of the alley, gasping for breath. She looked around wildly for an escape, her frantic gaze meeting his. A victorious smirk spread across his features, and he took a step in her direction, holding out his hand.

"It looks like you lost," he said.

Silco saw a spark in Olillia's eye as she noticed something he couldn't see. Before he could take another step in her direction, she leapt from the ground onto the bottom of a ladder, pulling it down. She quickly scrambled up it, away from his grasp. Silco moved to the bottom of the ladder and looked up at her as she disappeared over the edge of the roof. Her head peaked back over to stare down at him, her confidence having returned.

"Spoke too soon!" she shouted with a laugh before disappearing again.

Silco echoed her laugh and shook his head. He climbed up the ladder, not hurrying in his ascension. When he reached the top, he saw Olillia perched on the edge of a rooftop a few buildings over from where he stood. She gave him a little wave with her fingers before dropping off the edge, disappearing from his sight once again.

"See you tomorrow, Silco!" he heard her call.

Silco sat down on the rooftop to catch his breath and allow his heart rate to return to normal. As he sat there, his thoughts drifted to the woman that had eluded him. It seemed that he had failed in more than one way tonight.

She may very well be the one to break his heart after all.

Silco sat at his desk, one hand resting against his temple while the other held a paper detailing the required funds for the continued renovation of The Last Drop. He scanned over the information, paying close attention to every expense. Unfortunately, remodeling his office had been put on hold to allow other things to be completed, which annoyed him to no end, especially when he tripped over the remaining bits and pieces.

Placing the list down on his desk, Silco lifted his gaze to the small girl sitting before him. She had pulled up a chair to the other side of the desk and was currently doodling on several sheets of paper, switching between each one as she had an idea that applied to the different projects. Keeping her occupied seemed to be the key to keeping her calm. While things had improved slightly, and he had been helping her how he could, he couldn't chase away all her demons.

As he observed her in her work, he pondered something he had been thinking about since meeting her. Sevika had told him that her name was Powder, which led him to conclude that he had come across the younger child of his deceased friends Adele and Matthias. While he hadn't seen the child since she was an infant, he could see the resemblance between her and her parents. Taking her in hadn't been his original intention, but that had changed very quickly.

Who am I fighting to change this city for if not for her? She deserves a prosperous future. One I hope to give her by succeeding in my goals for Zaun.

Something had to be done about her name, though. Every time someone addressed her as Powder, she would flinch away or begin to well up with tears. Silco had resorted to simply calling her 'child'. Perhaps in time, she would find a name that suited her better. One that didn't trigger such a harmful reaction every time she heard it.

Silco's observation of the child was interrupted by a knock at the door. The girl in question didn't falter in her doodling, the outside world unimportant to her. Silco called out to the person to enter, which prompted the door being opened, and a pale face with dark hair poked just inside the room.

"There's someone here to see you, Boss," Ran said. "A lady with purple hair."

The mention of purple hair seemed to grab Powder's attention, as she looked up from her drawing to look at him with a hopeful expression. Silco could feel his heart skip a beat in his chest. The moment he had been waiting for, that they both had been waiting for, had finally arrived.

"Send her in."

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think!