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Devil I Know – Allie X

Magnolia was already up and ready to go when Sevika performed her morning ritual of barging into her room. It made Magnolia smile to see the tough-as-nails woman startle slightly to see her awake and waiting.

Truth be told, she'd already been up for hours. She'd woken up over and over throughout the night, restlessly excited at the newfound glimmer of hope. This could all be over soon. She could go home. That of course might bring its own shitstorm, but she'd handle it one step at a time.

"You're with me today, sweet cheeks," Sevika informed her, already walking back out the door. Magnolia hurried to follow.

"Where are we going?" she questioned as she tried to match the taller woman's long strides.

Sevika grinned at her, all big white teeth. Magnolia was uncomfortably reminded of a wolf.

"Running errands," she explained vaguely.

"I was supposed to meet-"

"Errands first, meeting with the boss man later," Sevika interrupted. Magnolia frowned but nodded. It would be no use to get impatient now - she'd waited this long.

Pausing on the top step, Sevika turned back to Magnolia. "Oh, and one more thing."

Magnolia tilted her head curiously.

"Silco says I'm to break your legs if you try to run." The bluntness of the threat made Magnolia rock back on her heels. "Don't run, doll face," Sevika continued, leaning right into Magnolia's face. "I'm faster."

It took a moment for Magnolia to swallow down her terror and realize that Sevika was already at the bottom of the stairs. She had no doubt that Sevika meant every word. Taking a deep breath, she hastened to catch up.

By the front door, she found her frowning down at Jinx.

"Dad says I'm supposed to go with you to get books," the girl explained to Sevika, the last word spat like a curse.

Sevika rolled her eyes and pushed Jinx towards Magnolia.

"She's your problem."

Magnolia caught Jinx by the shoulders, poorly supressing a laugh as Jinx stuck out her tongue at Sevika's back. This was a pleasant development to the morning's excursion.

Stepping outside into the daylight was a jarring experience after weeks of being cooped up inside. Magnolia stopped just beyond the door, squinting against the bright summer sun and revelling in its warmth. It was busy in the street, people rushing here and there. Looking around, it felt like it could be so easy to just get carried away by the crowd and disappear.

Noticing her delay, Sevika turned back and threw a massive arm around her shoulders.

"Don't forget our chat," she murmured in her ear. Keeping her arm around Magnolia, she started marching them down the street.

Sevika smelt….good. Like the smoke from the cigarettes she favoured, but also like something citrusy and fresh. Magnolia had no idea what to do with that information. Sevika was beautiful, in a rugged, intimidating way, with piercing grey eyes, but she didn't look like she'd smell like a lemon sorbet.

Jinx tagged along behind them, playing with a toy blimp she'd brought with her. It was a quick stroll to the market, where Sevika finally released her hold on her. It was even busier here, the stalls packed with all sorts of merchandise, the sellers trying to out shout each other. Jinx caught up and grabbed Magnolia's hand, looking around with the same amount of wonder as the older woman.

Magnolia had been to the undercity as a child, probably when she was around Jinx's age, but that was so very long ago. It was invigorating and thrilling to see the liveliness of it again.

The morning did turn out to be fairly mundane, with Sevika making purchases here and there, most of them being ordered to be delivered toThe Last Drop. Magnolia recognized the name from the sign she'd noticed hanging on the building they'd left this morning. A cute name for a watering hole, she thought.

Some transactions were made in back rooms with hushed voices, too faint for Magnolia to catch. Regardless of what she was occupied with though, Sevika's keen eyes rarely left her. Always watching for any sign of flight. That, combined with the constant excited chatter from Jinx about this, that, and the other thing, kept Magnolia from trying anything. The little girl was a wild ball of energy and enthusiasm, making her pretty good company for someone who had barely interacted with anyone at all for the last few weeks. Besides, Magnolia was too close to a clean chance at release to ruin it with an ill planned escape attempt now.

By midday, Jinx had begun grumbling about being hungry, so Sevika guided them to the food stalls. The smells were unfamiliar to Magnolia, but still mouth watering. The taller woman sat them down at a table that mysteriously emptied of its previous patrons at her approach, gave Magnolia a stern look, then walked over to order their meals.

"Your dad wanted you to get some books?" Magnolia asked Jinx. The blue haired girl frowned.

"Dad is always on and on about how important education is and how I should read more and blah, blah, blah," Jinx complained. "And he's always telling his boring stories over and over again."

Magnolia chuckled at that. It warmed her heart to think of Silco struggling with the mundane challenges of parenting.

"What does he tell you stories about?" she inquired. Jinx sighed and rolled her toy blimp across the table.

"Mostly about Vander, and about my sister," Jinx listed. "A lot about the Nation of Zaun. He's obsessed about it."

Magnolia startled. Zaun was a fairly well-known moniker for the undercity, but it was by no means a nation. Nation meant independence, and the undercity was under the control of Piltover.

"The Nation of Zaun?" she repeated in question.

Before Jinx could reply, Sevika interrupted by thudding their dishes on the table, the force of it causing some of the contents to slosh over onto the table.

"Jinx, go get some napkins," she ordered.

Jinx dashed off to the nearest stall, leaving Magnolia with Sevika looming over her. Magnolia noticed for the first time that her left arm was an intricate metal prosthetic. It had been covered up during their prior interactions with her cape, but she'd needed both hands to get their food to the table. Magnolia jumped as Sevika slammed her metal hand down in front of her on the table, the machinery giving an ominous hiss.

"You'll find people in this part of town don't like it when you ask too many questions," Sevika told her lowly. "And most know better than to gossip about Silco."

Before Magnolia could respond, Jinx broke the tension by bounding back to the table and eagerly digging into her meal, the napkins haphazardly tossed onto the spills. Sevika grunted as she sat down heavily beside Magnolia, starting on her own meal. Magnolia pulled her bowl closer, finding her appetite somewhat lacking after not one but two sinister threats in the same day.

The contents appeared to be some sort of stew, but with a meat Magnolia hadn't encountered before.

"Blob fish chowder," Jinx informed her helpfully. "So good!"

Magnolia didn't think she wanted to know what a blob fish was. Taking a tentative spoonful, she was surprised to find that it was actually quite good, her hunger making a re-appearance at the rich flavour. She saw with some satisfaction how Sevika smirked at her approvingly. Magnolia supposed not turning up her nose at the local cuisine did earn her some points, even with the grumpy woman.

"I'm happy dad brought you home," Jinx mused between sloppy bites. Brought home. Like a puppy for Christmas. But she couldn't be upset with the sweet smile on Jinx's face. "It'll be fun to have another girl around." Sevika grunted at that but didn't offer further rebuttal.

Magnolia hummed noncommittally, suddenly feeling guilty about the conversation she was about to have with Silco. It was clear Jinx didn't get to socialize with her peers much and Silco didn't select his staff for their friendliness. But she was well cared for and obviously loved by him. Magnolia would have to satisfy her uneasiness with that.

When they returned, Sevika escorted them to Silco's office. Jinx was quick to jump in his lap and show off the books she'd selected. They were colourful picture books full of exciting adventures. He indulged her fondly for a few moments while she talked animatedly.

Magnolia noticed the subtle nod Sevika gave to Silco in response to his inquiring glance. Looking pacified, he shooed Jinx to the couch and signalled to Sevika that she could leave.

"Sevika tells me you didn't try anything foolish today," he began.

Magnolia frowned. So that was what that look had been about. The morning had been some sort of test and she seemed have passed.

"I had a meeting to make," Magnolia replied coolly. Silco huffed a laugh through his nose, taking out a fresh cigar and the cutters.

"What did you wish to discuss?" he drawled, snipping off one end of the cigar.

"I want to go home," she declared. Jinx's head shot up at that. Magnolia cringed inwardly but refused to look over at the girl. She got the eerie feeling that her presence was a planned tactic by Silco. Manipulative bastard.

"So soon?" Silco asked mockingly. "You only just got here."

Magnolia scowled.

"It wasn't exactly a planned visit," she shot back drily. Silco smirked. He was enjoying dragging this out. Manipulative, sadistic bastard.

"I'm sure you're aware that my family has money," she tried to reason. "I'm certain they'd be willing to pay a handsome fee for my safe return."

Silco huffed and waved his cigar dismissively.

"They also hold a fair bit of influence with the council, if you needed a blind eye turned to some of your activities." She was somewhat bluffing on that last part. They could make small transgressions disappear, but no Davenports sat on the council itself.

Again, he dismissed the offer with a shake of his head, flicking a lighter under the tip of his cigar.

Frustrated, Magnolia rubbed her eyes.

"What is it you want then?" she asked. It was unwise, to open herself up to her opponent in a negotiation like this, but she was desperate and tired. Certainly not in the mood for games.

Leaning back in his chair, he tilted his head and regarded Magnolia, before taking a drag from his cigar. Blowing the smoke out in a delicate ring, he looked over at Jinx.

"Jinx, go up to your room please."

Jinx made to protest but a stern look from her father had her reluctantly moseying out the door. Left one on one with Silco, Magnolia suddenly felt nervous. Whatever he planned to say, he obviously felt it wasn't appropriate for Jinx to hear.

Once the door had shut behind Jinx, he spoke again.

"A year."

"What?" Magnolia replied dumbly.

"You'll stay here. For a year," he repeated slowly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "In our dealings, Corrine did not specify how long you needed to be kept away nor did she specify that you were never allowed to return." Silco leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "An amateur's mistake, of course, but I will grant her that time to live out her dream of marrying Prince Charming."

"An entire year? That's too long," Magnolia protested.

Silco only shrugged.

"One month, counting the time already passed," she countered. "If I know Corrine at all, she's already engaged and due to be married by the end of the week."

"Ten."

"Three."

"Eight. Final offer."

Magnolia threw up her hands in frustration.

"Why should I even bother negotiating with you? Whether you promise me one month or thirty, I have no reason to believe that you'll uphold your end of the bargain." She stood up and began pacing in front of his desk, unable to sit still with the anxious energy buzzing around inside her. "Not to mention that in any case, no one will ever believe my story. Disappearing and then returning with a story about being kidnapped by an Undercity king pin? I'll be laughed out of the room."

Silco rested his cigar on the ash tray and opened one of the drawers of his desk. From within he pulled a selection of letters.

Following her pacing form with his eyes, he organized them neatly in front of him.

"No, you don't have any reason to trust me," he agreed, "but you should negotiate with me because I have something you want."

Magnolia stopped her pacing and turned to look at him. She looked at the letters he'd produced, not understanding what he meant.

"A perfect piece of evidence," he murmured seductively, lifting one letter between two long fingers. "It could exonerate you, without ever implicating me."

"What are you talking about? How is that possible?" This didn't make any sense. Had Corrine corresponded with him by letter? But then he would be marked just as guilty.

Pulling the letter from its envelope casually, he examined its contents as if he hadn't seen it before.

"Corrine hadn't intended to hire me. She'd had her sights on someone else, a nasty fellow named Finn," he explained. "But I like to check in on my business associates, Finn included. I found it especially interesting that someone from Piltover was contacting him."

Magnolia listened intently. She'd never heard of this Finn character, but she shuddered at the thought of anyone that Silco referred to as nasty.

"Having intercepted their communication, I decided that this was an opportunity much more suited to me." He smiled at her then, as if they were sharing a secret. "And insisted that any letters Finn had in his possession came to me as well."

Leaning forward, he turned the unfolded letter for her to see. Magnolia leaned close enough to decipher the words, instantly recognizing Corrine's handwriting. Her eyes immediately jumped to a line that read in part 'business proposal that requires someone of a specific skillset, to resolve a problem.'

Intrigued, she went to pull the letter from Silco's hands, but he pulled it out of her reach and tutted disapprovingly. Frowning but overall convinced that he did in fact have something very useful, Magnolia watched as he folded it back up. It was at the very least enough to lend credence to her story, opening the possibility that the authorities would search for further proof.

"In eight months time, I can personally escort you back to your home and deliver you into your parents' loving arms, proof in hand," he reasoned. Magnolia narrowed her eyes.

"What's in it for you?" she questioned. Silco chuckled at her wariness.

"Maintaining my reputation as a man of my word, for one," he said thoughtfully, "some free labour, for two."

Magnolia scoffed. "You can't afford to hire a housekeeper?"

"I could, but it's so much more satisfying to have a high-born daughter of Piltover scrubbing my floors." He looked at her sour expression with amusement.

"So that's what you'll have me do? Wash the floors?"

Silco hummed thoughtfully. "That and other things. Sevika will sort out the details." He gave her a serious look. "Maybe then one day you'll remember my merciful nature when I need a favour from Piltover."

Sitting back down and crossing her arms, Magnolia tapped her foot in irritation. It wasn't a terrible offer. She could survive a few months of menial labour, if it meant that she had a promising plan of returning to her old life. No one had been especially kind to her here, but they hadn't been cruel either. Silco didn't seem especially sadistic, just calculating in a way that put him two steps ahead. That quality led her to believe that there was another motivation beneath his offer, but she couldn't figure it out just now.

"Six months," she spat after a long silence.

Silco took a leisurely inhale of his cigar, thinking, before setting it down and extending a hand to Magnolia. She rose and tentatively took it as he nodded. "Six months."

Before releasing her, he pulled her closer by the hand he still held, causing her to stumble forward and placing a hand on his desk to catch herself. He looked her in the eyes, expression serious as death.

"Behave and there will be rewards. Go back on our deal, and there will be punishments," he informed her. The way he said punishments made a shiver run down Magnolia's spine, a flurry of entirely inappropriate images fluttering through her mind.

She didn't waste any more time pulling her hand free and leaving.

Jinx was sitting on the top step when Magnolia came out of Silco's office, her knees pulled into her chest. She looked up at Magnolia with a despondent expression.

"You're leaving, aren't you? Everyone leaves me," she muttered miserably. The words broke Magnolia's heart.

Making her way over to the stairs, she sat down beside Jinx, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I will probably leave one day," she explained. "But I'm here now, aren't I?" Jinx only hunched her shoulders closer to her ears.

Coaxing the little girl to look at her with a gentle hand on her chin, Magnolia offered her the pinky finger of her other hand.

"How about a promise I know I can keep?" she offered. "Even if I go, we'll always be friends. We can still go out for blob fish chowder and draw pictures together."

Jinx looked slightly more optimistic at that. "Promise?" she asked tentatively.

"More than that," Magnolia clarified, "I pinky promise."

Jinx smiled a crooked grin at that and wiped messily at her tear-stained cheeks, hooking her own pinky around Magnolia's.

"Okay, pinky promise," she agreed.

Six months wasn't so bad, Magnolia thought. There were silver linings even here.

Author's note: If you're enjoying my writing and would like more to tide you over until the next chapter, I've just posted a separate Silco fic with a different OC. It is a short form, vignette story with only one chapter called "The Visitor and the Hairdresser".

Check me out on Tumblr at fioreflora for chapter updates, inspiration posts, and aesthetics!