A/N: Hello there! And thus, it's now begun! The main three have now met! I'm excited to see what y'all think about this one!
Chapter Summary: Without many options, Evi and Zel are forced to accept Jinx's offer and are now left at her mercy. For Jinx's case? She tries to figure out what the deal is with these kids... oh, and what to feed them.
Word Count: 10,349
—ZEL—
He couldn't believe this was happening. Somehow what started as a shitty day with high anxiety teetering on the edge, concluded with even more tension and anxiety. Were they hostages? It felt like they were. Evi still had their bag of loot strapped onto her back, her grip on its strap both firm and wary. Though they spared occasional glances here and there, neither dared to speak in fear of setting off the woman leading the way. Her back was completely turned but it wasn't an invitation or an opening—it was a display of power.
Turning one's back to an enemy in Zaun was basically a death sentence in these streets, to do so with confidence meant you wouldn't be getting within a metre of them. And here Jinx was, only walking a couple metres ahead of them, skipping with very step. Yet still, Zel's curiosity was overwhelming and gnawing at him to speak. What did she mean exactly staying with her? Her home? A hideout? A safe house?
"Where are ya taking us?" Evi asked, startling Zel from his internal inquiries.
"Already answered that," Jinx sing-songingly replied.
"Okay but specifically," she grumbled.
She looked over her shoulder and smirked. "Where we're going you can get to from anywhere. Which is why I ain't sharing," she said as she turned another corner, "Not 'cause you'd know, but because it's literally accessible from anywhere in Zaun. It's pointless knowing if you're never gonna come back anyways."
Zel raised his brows at this. Because this was a temporary arrangement they didn't get to learn the whole secret? He furrowed his brows as another realization hit him. Where she was leading them… he was familiar with this alley—didn't it lead to a dead end?
"And what," Evi huffed, readjusting her grip on the sack on her back, "you're okay with us knowing where you live?"
Jinx snorted. "If that's a threat, Blondie, ya need to drop your balls a bit more before you start intimidating me."
Zel chuckled but quickly covered it up with a cough, though the glare he received from his partner told him he didn't cover anything. He mouthed an apology but only earned an eye roll. But with her fixation briefly on him, Zel couldn't help but notice Evi's limping. His eyes shot down to her leg, but with shadows of the alleys and the speed she was "walking", he wasn't able to catch anything out of place. But once his gaze shot back up to her eyes, which hastily averted his, he knew she was purposely making it difficult for him to see.
"Is it—"
"Not. Now," she hissed.
His eyes widened as she kept looking forward, attention toward Jinx.
So something was wrong.
And they were about to walk into Jinx's place.
Great.
"By all means!" Jinx chirped, waving her hand aimlessly over her shoulder, nearly slapping her rocket launcher's nose. "Go ahead and chat! I ain't paying attention."
Evi merely scoffed, shaking her head.
Zel felt another bead of sweat drop down his forehead as they approached yet another turn. With Jinx being evasive and blaise, and Evi being so antagonistic, Zel wasn't sure how the Hell the rest of the afternoon would play out. But then his eyes locked onto something high above them as they turned into another corner. Just a few feet up above, leading into a deadend, was a small tunnel. It looked like it was carved out, man made. When they came to a stop, he instantly realized what they were here for.
"So, you kiddies good for a climb?" Jinx asked as she turned around and jutted her hip out. Her eyes flew upward, hinting at the tunnel above, before grinning at them.
Evi scoffed once again. "I can handle myself."
Zel gulped at that as he spared a quick glance down to her shin. But he looked back at Jinx as he realized she was expecting his answer. "W-We parkour all the time."
She snorted at that. "Excuse me for not finding any confidence in either of those statements," she teased, looking them both up and down. "I'll just make this quick."
All Zel could see in a blink was her purple eyes flashing toward them, and then they were both suddenly over her shoulders. He gasped in shock at the relative ease she picked them both up at despite her frame, and was in more awe at the speed she moved. Evi barely had time to struggle and shout as they were suddenly in the entrance of the tunnel in just a few short jumps. Jinx released a giggle as she dropped the both of them ungraciously, letting them fall to the ground as she continued to march ahead.
"Ah, that hurts," Evi whined, rubbing her butt.
Zel landed on his hands and knees, as he managed to twist himself before falling, but felt a bit of dirt muck up in his palms.
"Brat," he heard Jinx mutter. "Now c'mon! We don't got all day!" she ordered as she began walking.
Zel stood up and moved over to Evi, offering a hand to help her. He caught her small glare and knew she was ready to smack it but he managed a glare of his own. "E," he sternly said.
With a sigh, her head lowered as her palm extended and accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her up to her feet. She kept her gaze low and turned from his, but he could tell she was embarrassed at her core. As they both turned and began to follow Jinx, Zel realized they were proceeding down a very dark tunnel. He gulped as they stepped forward.
A flash of light startled him until he realized it was Evi turning on her headband light.
"Hey!" Jinx's bark actually scared the two. When she whipped around all Zel could see was a flavour of purple before it narrowed onto them. "Light off! I don't need a beacon!"
"But we can't—"
"If ya can navigate the dark then ya shouldn't be running in shadows," she spat out, narrowing her eyes further. Her hand fell down to her holstered gun. "Light. Off."
Evi sighed as she moved her hand up to her forehead and shut it off. "Alright, alright," she muttered.
Even though the light was gone, they could still clearly see Jinx's wide grin before she turned around. "Goodie! Now c'mon already." She skipped forward while the two slowly walked after.
"How do we know there aren't any traps here?"
"E, if she was going to kill she would've done it in that alley."
"Correct, little Rookie!" Jinx's index finger flew up. "Besides, there doesn't need to be traps." She stopped at an intersection of tunnels and smiled over her shoulder. "It already is one." She winked before turning down the leftmost tunnel. "Follow me, kiddies!"
"Huh?" they said together.
"I said, 'Follow me'—"
"Not that," Evi hissed. "The Hell is that supposed to mean? Are we already caught in something?"
Jinx groaned as she stopped once again. "You make me stop one more time and I'm knockin' the two of ya out and dragging ya to my place." The two gulped at that. She released a sigh as she stomped her foot. "I ain't here to give you the rundown on Zaun's whole geographical infrastructure as a city. Let's just say I know how to navigate this. And that's what matters."
Zel and Evi exchanged a look. "A-And you're not worried a-about others stumbling into here?" Zel hesitantly asked. He hoped it didn't sound like he was threatening her, but he was genuinely curious as to why she wouldn't blindfold them or knock them out already.
Jinx snorted. "Lots of people already know where I stay, Rookie. Including the ol' ogre." She flashed a scarily mischievous grin as she followed up with, "I dare any of them to step inside my place." With that, she turned around and continued walking.
Zel and Evi exchanged one last terrified glance before following her.
It was settled.
She was beyond a wildcard.
He had no idea how he and Evi would get out of this. Or even if there was anything to get out of!
It wasn't until a couple more turns and twists, that Evi scoffed. "But really? No traps? I was expectin' The Loose Cannon's home to… like, have bombs all over the pathway leading here," she muttered him.
Jinx snorted. "That'd be stupid. These tunnels run all over Zaun, if I did that the bomb's would be heard and it'd be easier to find! And it'd collapse in and trap me!" She giggled as they came across a split path going in two separate directions. "Part of what makes this place great, is that it's hiding in plain sight!"
Zel and Evi exchanged another look at that. But when they turned back, they gasped in shock as they found nothing in front of them. Evi panicked and ducked, down, unsheathing her knife as she cursed, "Fuck. Where'd she go?" The two spun around, looking down both paths, only to find nothing down them.
"S-Should we run?" he asked, looking at his partner in worry.
"We wouldn't outrun her—"
"So why'd you pull out your knife? To fight?"
"Instinct!" she shouted back. "I'm not thinkin' clearly!"
"Yeesh!" Jinx hissed, startling the two. When they turned back, they both back away in fear as they realized her head was poking out from the wall. "Just get in here already!" she muttered before pulling her head back, disappearing behind the wall.
Zel blinked for a second before narrowing his eyes as he stepped forward. His eyes scanned the wall and then widened in shock as he realized it. It wasn't a wall. "It's not a split… it's an intersection…"
"What?"
He took another step forward and pushed his hand toward the wall, meeting no resistance whatsoever. The walls around the tunnel, particularly at this section, were protruding out in a way that casted such a dark shadow it looked like it was still a wall. But there was just a small opening that looked almost as if it was manually mined open. "Whoa," he uttered, looking down both ways of the tunnel.
It looked like it had been mined or drilled straight through, so no one would notice this little crevice if they were passing through. And if what Jinx said about this leading all over Zaun was true, that meant the two other paths could lead anywhere. This little split was not too dissimilar to another they had already turned at, so it would be easy to miss this.
"Oi, ya gonna stop and stare or lemme through?" Evi complained, pushing him forward.
He yelped as he nearly tripped inside. The opening was just big enough for one person to slip in—he wondered how Jinx did it with her rocket and mini-gun strapped to her. But as Zel stumbled forward and caught his footing he was prepared to shoot his friend a glare, yet instead found himself in more awe as he noticed another detail. Near the bottom of the walls, not of the opening, but of the walls leading into this secret path, were wide gaps that sunk a bit lower into the ground. He crouched down and squinted as he hesitantly pushed his hand through.
"Zel, what the Hell are ya doin'?" Evi hissed.
He ignored her as he found a new fascination with how his hand met no contact, and yet his eyes could see his hand piercing back into the tunnel they just slipped out from. He missed this from the other side too, which goes to show how well hidden this gap was too. "Is this little gap here so you can slip large supplies inside?" he asked Jinx, turning around in wonder as he shot up to his feet. "Because you wouldn't be able to fit anything in through that crack, so it makes sense—" he stopped himself as he realized she was staring at him confusedly.
But also because, just further down the tunnel, was a massive vault door.
"Uhh yeah?" she answered, cocking her head. "What, do ya got some sorta cave fetish or somethin'?"
He felt his cheeks redden, making him thankful for the darkness, as he profusely objected, "N-No! I-I just think this is clever is all!"
She shrugged. "Eh, I didn't make it. Just found it like that."
"Really?"
Jinx scoffed, shaking her head. "Kids never learn the history," she muttered, following up with her teeth clicking in disappointment.
Evi frowned as she moved to take a step forward. "What's that suppose—"
A flash of purple once again, and Jinx was suddenly in front of them, holding Evi still. Her eyes were wide with shock as she locked onto Evi, glanced at Zel, then back at Evi. The woman had Evi's shoulders in her hands, locked still. He could hear the fearful gulp Evi made as she stiffened.
"Do not… take a step," Jinx whispered.
Without rehearsal, the three of them looked down at the same time. Zel wasn't sure what he was looking at until his eyes adjusted. His breath hitched as he realized just an inch from where Evi's foot nearly came down… was a tripwire. The glimmering glow, just barely noticeable in the dark shadows, was just a couple inches off the ground.
"You're gonna take two steps back—both of you, and breathe," Jinx ordered, looking at both of them seriously. They nodded and obeyed, slowly backing up and releasing a breath. "Ah, thank Janna," she said under her breath, wiping her brow. She shook her head and chuckled. "Would've sucked to bring ya all this way just to kaboom at the homestretch, heh."
"I thought you said no traps?" Evi narrowed her eyes. "What happened to collapsing the tunnel in on yourself?" But despite her scornful stare, Zel could see the fear she had in them. They almost died.
Zel looked back and noticed they were up against the "entrance" to the secret tunnel. There was barely any room to move forward. Literally anyone would've tripped it with how close it was to the entrance. It was definitely hooked up to a bomb made to kill intruders. With the lighting too, it was guaranteed to go off.
Jinx scoffed. "I never said 'no traps'. I just said they'd be stupid… if they were out there," she gestured behind them. "Here? Well, if someone managed to stumble their way in or found it, well, they'd be in for a surprise!" She turned around. "Make sure to step over it. And before ya come with a smartass comment, that's the only trap," she remarked as she headed over to the vault door.
The two cautiously stepped over the wire and made their way over.
"She's insane," Evi muttered to him.
"Yeah," he agreed. "But also clever. That thing goes off it would also open up the crack."
"Exactly, Rookie!" Jinx turned around, beaming at him. "Bomb goes off, I get a warning, slip out of my hideout in the chaos, and sprint on by!"
He chuckled while Evi tilted her head. "Ain't this a one way though? How are ya gonna slip by when ya just blew up your only exit?"
Jinx frowned at her. "You truly don't know how big that explosion would've been if ya stepped on it," she mused before turning back to the door.
Zel froze at that. Janna, this woman was terrifying. He looked over at Evi and his eyes widened in shock as he saw her fearful face. She must've been really shaken up about nearly just dying. "Hey," he grabbed her shoulder. She jumped in his hand as she whipped her head to face him. "S-Sorry. Are you good?"
She nodded, biting her lip as she tightened her grip on the straps of the bag.
He wasn't sure if that was reassuring, but he didn't have much to go off of.
When he turned back, he began to observe the giant metal door in front of them. It was a huge circular vault-like door, with a massive handwheel at the very centre. The door was as big as the tunnel itself, no doubt built to shape and cover up the opening. From the looks of it too, the door opened inward (or maybe outward?), basically away from them. Zel leaned forward and raised a brow as he heard beeping. He saw Jinx hunched over near the right side of the handwheel, typing into a keypad.
"Ah shit," she cursed, "Entered it wrong again." He saw the numbers, 10102013, right before she hit enter. A loud beep confirmed the correct entry as the pad's LED display lit up green for a brief second. Jinx beamed as she grabbed the wheel and spun it, prompting a series of pistons and began hissing and shifting. As predicted, the door began to swing open inward as Jinx pushed it forward. With a massive and loud echoing creak, the door swung all the way open and revealed the inside.
Or what he assumed would've been the inside.
He wasn't even bothering to look at Evi's reaction—considering the marvel in front of him—but he knew, without a doubt, her jaw was dropped to the pits of these tunnels much like his. Zel couldn't even begin to comprehend the sight before them. As Jinx stepped in, swaying her body side to side at each step, the two hesitantly followed after her… at least until they realized a small gap separated the platform and the door. A gap that led to a bottom that neither could see.
Because they were standing on a gigantic fan blade.
"C'mon, hurry it up, I prefer leaving the door shut!" Jinx barked, startling them out of their shock as she motioned them to quickly move in. "Everything echoes in here and it gets worse when the door's open!"
It was barely noticeable at first, given how wide the blades were. But as the two verisult sidestepped to give Jinx room to shut the door, the glaring reality of how high they were and how dark it was sobered their shock even more. Zel had never seen such a contraption before, least not one this massive. His sense of awe took his gaze all over the place. It was like a huge, dug out cavern, mimicking a cylinder shape that led him to wonder if it was shaped out for the giant turbine or if the device came after. But the state of it, he knew it dated anything he'd seen in Zaun by far.
Lots of newer buildings have been constructed, some shoddy throughout his years, but all new. The "relics" of architecture of Zaun's past were either covered up by the new prosperous Zaun or decayed beyond repair. But this? Jinx's… place. It was thriving. Even he could recognize that. Time had dealt its blows to shed wounds, but anyone with a decent eye knew she fought to mend its tears. Would-be-broken or flimsy panels were bolted and welded down tenfold. The supports that connected the turbine—the main beam to the ceiling and even the ones arching out to the cavern walls—were reinforced and looked routinely maintained.
And if that wasn't enough, the colour exploding all over the bland plank and metal mud colours gave an aesthetic Zel found beautiful. It was like a chemmed up explosion plastered onto the walls and "floors".
"This is amazing," he uttered as the door sealed shut.
"It's an eyesore," Evi chuckled, "but prettier than the strobe lights that blinds your eyes in the streets."
"Yeah, yeah," Jinx grumbled, stomping past the two. "Just watch your step and don't touch anything. Follow me," she haphazardly waved over her shoulder as she walked down the blade.
Zel and Evi exchanged a look before looking back down at the abyss beneath, then locking eyes once more.
"What're the chances one of us ends up plummeting because we trip before she does anything to us?" Zel mused.
Evi snorted. "Knowing our luck? Bound to happen within the next few steps."
They shared a small chuckle before proceeding, but the jest prodded at the bomber's worries. Evi still kept to Zel's left this entire time, keeping her leg out of his view. But now, even in this cavern, Jinx's strung up lights and graffiti lit paint were bright enough to illuminate shadows, bringing Evi's full body into view. He spared a small glance at her limping leg as they walked. They had been walking for a while now. Through a tunnel with annoying cracks and bumps they occasionally tripped on. Her leg, however bad as it was that left her hiding it from him, was something she was adamant on hiding given that how she limped was at an angle that obscured his view.
He wanted to focus on that, but once they neared the centre of the turbine, Zel's jaw dropped. "Is… is that a workshop?" he asked, pointing at the massive desk before them. It was like a street walkway, even fashioned with railings and pretty lamp lights hanging from above. But in its centre, a huge desk with tools and parts all laid in the open. His fingers twitched at the treasure trove before them.
Jinx carelessly tossed her minigun and rocket launcher onto the desk, before sparing a raised brow at him. "Uhh duh? What'd ya think, this was just made from thin air?" she amusedly asked, gesturing toward her satchel of bombs and the weapons laid out on the table. She giggled as she shook her head, her bangs flying all over her face. "I'm good but I ain't no mage!" she joked, slapping the table before turning away. "Now follow along," she said as she walked around and over to the opposite wing.
"More walking?" Evi whined, this time with a noticeable wince Zel could catch with a blind eye.
"Relax!" the woman shouted, "I'm taking ya somewhere to sit! Then I'll patch that leg of yours!"
The two froze at that. Zel looked at Evi with wide eyes while the blonde took that as an opportunity to hobble ahead. "H-How'd ya know!"
Jinx stopped near the end of the wing and scoffed as she looked back at her. "Anyone with eyes could see your leg's fucked. But a huge opening in the shin?"
Zel's eyes widened even further as he hurried after Evi. "There's an opening? What happened?"
"I took the sewer slide," she grumbled as she limped over to Jinx.
"You what?" he exclaimed. "We agreed not to!" He facepalmed as he heard another wince slip past her lips. "E, stop being stubborn and let me at least be a crutch for you to lean on!" he begged as he walked up beside her.
"Fine!" she barked as she raised her left arm, letting him bring his shoulders close for him to anchor onto him.
As they hobbled over to Jinx, she shot them a confused look. "But," she pointed at him, "didn't you slide down the sewers to get away from me?"
Zel's face heated as he felt Evi's glare fixate on him. A quick slap to the back of his head made him yelp. "Hypocrite."
"Oh shuttup," he muttered.
"Lovely duo, you two are." Jinx rolled her eyes and gestured behind her. "There, you two can rest there or whatever," she lamely presented.
Their eyes both scanned the strangely homely living room setup. A couch with a small, weirdly shaped wooden coffee table just in front of it. There was a painted rocking horse chair and a set of small tables with candles lit nearby. But above, just hanging from the wires and cable connected to the supports, was a set of purple and blue strobe lights. It was honestly really pretty… but still so horrifying. With a small silent nod, the two carefully walked over. Zel placed Evi down, letting her rest her leg on the table as he took their bags and dropped it beside him.
"It's a futon too!" Jinx shouted as she walked away. "Couch mode, bed mode, or the floor, whatever suits you!"
Evi and Zel exchanged yet another look.
"Is… Is she for real?" she asked him.
He shrugged. "I honestly believe we're still hostages," he whispered back.
"Now," Jinx chirped, stomping her feet as she approached, hands full of toolboxes and scrap parts, "How 'bout we patch that leg of yours?"
The two shared another look, before gulping nervously together.
Yeah, they were definitely still hostages.
—EVI—
Getting her leg patched was… weird. Evi had never had her leg fixed or repaired before. Not really. When her change happened, it was just a new prosthetic. Even with the accident two years back that had Zel working tirelessly to get her another new leg (thus spiralling his annoying worry spree) didn't have Evi's old leg back. It was new each time. But Jinx? She was fixing it while it was still attached. It wasn't painful, but it was damn irritating. The phantom pain and itches were at an all time high, and the crazy blue haired woman didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she did.
But she just didn't care.
"Janna!" she cursed, grabbing a fistful of the couch cushion, "Tighten it more why don't ya? I prefer limping!" Jinx ignored her as she kept humming to herself. The fact that her goggles were on too made it hard to tell if she was actually looking at them. Another turn with her screwdriver cracked her knee and made her yelp. "Fuck! You bitch!"
"E," Zel hissed. "She's doing this for free."
"Yeah, she's 'freely' severing my leg!" she shouted.
"Yeesh," Jinx muttered, shaking her head as she pulled her screwdriver out. "I thought you were the tough one. But you've been whining nonstop!" she complained as she tossed the tool back in her toolbox and fished out a set of tweezers and a couple of wires.
Evi felt her cheeks warm as she clenched her fists further. She knew it was a manipulative play, but she still wanted to prove she wasn't a big baby. So she kept her mouth shut as she gritted through the pain.
Jinx seemed to notice this new approach as she raised her brows in acknowledgement. "Alright, ya lil' Urchin, as tough as you are, you might flip at what I'm 'bout to do next." She sat on the table, letting Evi's leg rest on her lap, while her toolboxes and box of scraps were lying on the floor. The reverse of this made more sense, but neither of them bothered to call her out on it. Jinx grinned as she pulled her tweezers out from Evi's leg. "I'm gonna sever the wires in your leg."
Her heart still at that as she felt her hand reach for his knife in her boot, but Zel caught her wrist.
"Relaaaax," Jinx drawled, waving her free hand dismissively. "The damage your robo leg has is a lot. Like, real beat up shit." The woman rested her elbow on her prosthetic shin, making Evi wince in annoyance and irritation, as she leaned her chin into her palm. "Lemme guess, it had some sorta tearing or something before ya jumped down the shaft?"
"It wasn't a shaft."
"Blondie, I've done it before too—sewer drains, pipes: they're all shafts. That's how shitty they all are." That got a laugh out of all of them, which was surprising. Jinx's face seemed to light up more, or at least her grin did, considering her goggles obscured her eyes. An eager tone leaked in as she asked, "So did it bust when ya landed on your ass?"
She felt her cheeks flush yet again, chuckling as she rolled her eyes. "Maybe."
"Fuck, Evi," Zel cursed, running his hands through his spiky brown hair and goggles, "that's why we don't take it!"
"What was your excuse then?"
He balked as he gestured at her repairwoman. "I was being chased by The Loose Cannon!" His eyes widened as he looked at her, shrinking in on himself as he lowered his hand. "N-No o-offence. Miss."
"It's just a name, Rookie," Jinx brushed off with a frown. "Anyways, forgetting the literally shitty transportation system that is the sewers—I was tryin' to ask if it busted completely or if it was already having issues before."
Evi looked away, focusing her eyes at her boot's sheathed blade, not as an opportunity to strike but as something to take her mind off this interrogation.
"It… It was a bit scratched, a couple days ago. A-After our last bombing," her partner supplied. She wanted to fix him with a glare, but he'd suffered enough under her silent scrutiny for no reason. He was being compliant and helpful. Meanwhile, Evi herself wasn't exactly proving anyone wrong on the childish front.
"We took the sewer slide again that time too."
Jinx hummed a thoughtful nod as she raised her elbow up from Evi's metal shin and cupped her chin. "I see, I see," her tone had an air of snobbiness to it, "well as an expert, my professional advice would be no more sliding down several dozen feet of metal tubing and landing on garbage as cushioning."
"Gee," Evi dryly blinked, "I'll take that into consideration, oh Loose Cannon."
She snorted, beaming at her. "See? I like that spunk!" she cocked her head and leaned forward, booping Evi's nose with her tweezer which also had a bit of a small jolt to it, making her jump. Evi tried to fight off her sudden nervousness and embarrassment from the woman's patronizing behavior while Jinx settled back to her seat on the table. "Point is, since ya left it out for that long without fixes or repairing, it tore much worse this time 'round. Internal wiring was more fucked. Honestly," she flicked the shin, making Evi flinch, "I could leave the damn thing open—no real need for the protective 'skin layer'," she said with air quotes. "I won't," she hastily added as both she and Zel opened their mouths to protest, "I'm just trying to say your leg works fine even without the protection.
"It helps, 'specially with the weight because I'm assuming it's balanced to your other leg, but the frame is important. That's why I gotta sever the wires," Jinx reminded them, looking down inside her leg once again, "whatever fall ya had, the wires loosened from the frame and snapped and cut. Not enough that it don't work, 'cause ya were still walking, dur." She lifted her head and shrugged at Evi. "But, the pain receptors and shit were funky so that was why it hurt to walk and felt heavy to move. So… I gots to sever it."
Evi gulped, holding her right palm out, which was immediately enveloped in Zel's left hand. They squeezed as she locked eyes onto Jinx's goggles. "Will… Will it hurt?"
Jinx stopped at that. She lifted her goggles, inquisitively meeting her purple eyes with Evi's brown. "Was losing this thing the most painful thing ya ever felt?"
The flash of her mother, a sickly frail woman dead in a damp and dark alley dropped her heart into the pits. "No," she firmly said, "Second."
A look of surprise and… admiration(?) coloured Jinx's face as she nodded her appreciation. "Damn! Tough Urchin, eh?" she teased. She giggled as she slid the goggles back down. "If that's the case, what you're 'bout to feel will just come close. Only for a split second. The second I sever the nerve receptors the pain will jolt but you won't feel a thing!"
Evi nodded, taking a breath as she squeezed Zel's hand.
"Are… Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he hesitantly asked her.
She snorted. "Nope."
Evi's eyes widened. "Wait wha—fuuuuuuuck!" she screamed, jolting her head back against the couch's backrest. But like Jinx promised, she didn't feel a thing after. She let out a shaky breath as she looked down, catching Zel's fearful and angry face as Jinx continued working at her leg.
"Are you insane?" Zel shouted, looking like he had half a mind to throw an undermine at her face.
"My nickname is literally: The. Loose. Cannon," she monotonously replied.
The two facepalmed. Loose in the brain definitely, Evi considered.
"If ya want this to work, don't jostle, and be patient. This'll take some time," she softly said as she leaned closer to the leg.
Evi felt so weird. Someone was inside her limb but she couldn't feel a thing. Her stump still felt… strange, but nothing bad or itchy—not anymore at least. But the sensation of it returning made Evi realize she needed to get her mind off what was happening. She looked up and found herself instantly distracted with the strung up strobe lights and bulbs. This… purple and blue aesthetic was honestly really cool. The fact that the continuous stinging pain of her leg was not long bothering her, she could actually appreciate the sight now.
"So, uh," Zel cleared his throat, "H-How much do we owe you?"
Evi sighed, sparing a look at the bag of loot. This would at least be half of that shit, but if it was shelter and protection for a night, then she couldn't complain.
"Nothin'."
She blinked, looking back at the woman. "What?"
"Nothin'," she looked up and smirked, "you two could never afford me." She looked back down.
Evi flashed with a bit of appalled shock. Sure, she was correct, but ouch? "So why'd ya do it? We owe ya?"
She snorted once again, shaking her head. "You think I need your help?"
"So why?" Zel questioned.
Jinx shrugged. "Blondie would've bitched 'bout it nonstop. And you would've been whiny about her bitching." She turned back and grabbed another batch of wires. "Guess you could say I'm just making it easier for me to sleep."
The blonde blinked in confusion, cocking her head slightly. "Really." She scoffed. She didn't believe it, there was a catch.
Zel looked at her and shrugged, no doubt equally unsure what or when she'd cash in.
Either way, a debt was a debt, so they had to make good.
But with her eyes back on Jinx, the realization and anxiety nearly returned and so she shot her attention back up to the ceiling. Or rather… the ceiling fan? She had to as—at least to distract herself more. "So… what is this?" she gestured around them.
"A fan."
"Thanks," she frowned.
"You asked."
And she thought Zel was the biggest smartass she knew (he would say the reverse, but that was something a smartass would say). And speaking of, he chimed in with his own inquiry, "But… what for?"
Jinx whipped her head up at them incredulously, lowering her goggles in disbelief. "Seriously? You don't know?" They exchanged a brief look of confusion before silently shaking their heads. She scoffed. "Man, you tykes really don't know your history… either that, or I'm getting old. Oh Janna, I must be…" she sighed, pulling her goggles back on as she looked down. "Your parents never told you two about this? Or did you two get shipped to the streets long before that happen?"
The bluntness of the questions stung, but Evi chuckled nonetheless. In all honesty, bluntness over something like this was something she expected from Jinx. "Not mine," she softly supplied, squeezing Zel's hand, "definitely not mine." She felt him squeeze back in reassurance.
Jinx hummed. "So you're not related?" They shook their heads, looking down. "Is it like that or naaah?"
Evi furrowed a brow and lifted her head. "Like what?"
She looked up and frowned. "Ahh, nevermind." She continued her wiring and nodded at Evi, prompting her to continue. "So what, what's the sob story?"
Evi gulped, swallowing the rise choking sob she felt. "Do ya have to be such a jerk 'bout this?" she softly asked.
Jinx stopped and looked up. It was the first time Evi felt like she could see behind those goggles, like a sense of… embarrassment or shame overcame her. She sighed and shrunk back down to the leg, continuing on. "We're in Zaun. Everyone has a sob story. If we all told 'em we'd have enough water to flood the streets."
Zel snorted while Evi scoffed.
She wasn't wrong though.
"Thing is, those sob stories aren't somethin' people really give a shit about unless the person in front of them is with listening to," she explained.
"What, like bombing the Council Chambers?" Evi teased, daring a smirk.
Jinx lifted her head ever so slightly, smirking back before sticking out her tongue in jest and returning to her work. "Or bombing Golden Boy statues." She looked up at Zel then looked back down. "Oh, I just winked by the way."
Zel flushed as he laughed. "You think people listened to me?"
Evi smiled at that, returning an encouraging squeeze.
"Loud makes noise, Rookie," Jinx replied, "but I always make my loud actually says something." She frowned as she tugged at Evi's leg without warning, pulling the girl just a bit off the couch. "Unfortunately yours didn't say shit so people just assumed it was mine." His reddened cheeks brightened more as he sheepishly looked away, making Evi laugh. "Did he fuck you over?"
Both their smiles fell as they looked back at Jinx.
"Not like ya need a reason to hate him, practically every Zaunite does," Jinx shrugged, "Just wondering if your sob story is linked to the rich prick."
Zel shook his head. "No… it's not." He took a breath and squeezed Evi's hand, silently asking for strength. "My mom worked at the brothel—"
Jinx's head lifted in recognition. "Babette's?"
He nodded. "My dad, whoever he was, knocked her up and yeah: there I was." The woman chuckled at his unceremonious delivery. "No idea who the sperm donor dude was, 'cause mom always said he wanted no part in 'raising a prostitute's brat'," he harshly spat out, his right fist clenching in anger. Evi leaned in and squeezed his left hand, grounding the boy's breathing. "She said he got mugged not long after anyways, so it was whatever." He shrugged. "Mom did her best to raise me, well, as good as you could do down here on your own."
"Being an only child certainly helps," Jinx mused.
He and Evi laughed. "Yeah, it does." They exchanged a look and laughed again.
"But yeah, I was with my mom until I was… seven?" He shook his head as a disgusted chuckle escaped him. "We were heading up Topside, shopping. She wanted me to have baked goods from there for once, and just run errands, get that high class stuff. She saved up like, a crap ton from her job and wanted to splurge on me—I think. I just remember being excited." He swallowed and let out a shaky breath. "But… w-when, we, uh, entered the bakery shop a fire broke out. I can't remember if it was the shop itself or the building connecting but…
"Whole place went up. Just a huge plume of fire and smoke and all I remember is just crying." He scoffed. "They were some pretty sick flames though," he shrugged. "When I came to, um, I was dropped on my ass, Enforcers were storming in and out pulling everyone outside." Evi's breath hitched as she watched Zel's right hand aimlessly wander into his pack and pull out his undermine. He was observing the chems and timer like a hypnotic watch, and if Jinx noticed she seemed to not care or mind. "She was right in front of me. Alive. She was begging, praying to Janna for help—for me, for her, for us. I didn't realize it then, but she must've shielded me and taken all of the blast. She wasn't charred, but she was bleeding… a lot."
He choked on a sob and clenched on his mine—Evi felt her own grip tighten. This story, she remembered hearing his anger and drive when she first heard it. She swore then and there she'd stand by him if he wanted to watch Topside burn. She played her act because it was the one thing they knew for certain: Piltover never listened.
"I kept screaming and screaming an-and calling for help, but the Enforcers just kept going past and around us," he softly said, shaking his head in anger, "they tended to fifteen fucking people. Seven of them weren't even inside, they were out on the sidewalk with minor cuts and bruises. They treated every Piltie around… and I was just sitting there, crying for their help and listening to my mom pray and cry in pain. It was like we were fucking invisible." He closed his eyes and let his hand drop limp, letting it rest on his lap. Another disgusted laugh escaped as he finished, "I saw the light fade from her eyes. She was the first to be bagged though. I didn't know how to get back home… just knew I had to go down to the Trenches, because that was where the Pilties told me to get back to."
Evi leaned over and hugged him close, embracing the warmth and pleading Zel sent back her way. When they slowly pulled away, they found Jinx staring at them, her goggles raised and eyes wide at them. It was like she had been shot, the way her face looked.
"I… shit…" Jinx uttered. She shook her head and turned back, holding up a metal plate and a soldering iron. "I'm gonna, uh, solder this new cover on." She coughed, pulling her goggles down as she flicked Evi's knee. "After that I'll calibrate your nerve ends through your knee joint."
Evi silently nodded. Was she… sad? Did Zel's story touch her crazy heart? It was so weird seeing her so… soft all of a sudden.
"So," Jinx said as she began sparking off at her shin, "did you two meet right after that or…?"
"Not long after," Zel sniffed, rubbing his eyes with his shirt collar. "E was on the streets longer, actually." A genuine chuckle escaped him. "And only she's a year older than me."
She scoffed. Evi swore, he mentioned that any time he could because he liked pointing out that he was still taller.
Jinx stopped soldering and looked up, clearly expressing her shock. "When'd you start?" she asked her.
Evi sighed. "Practically all my life?"
The woman tilted her head confusedly.
She chuckled. "We were really poor," she softly supplied, "Never really met my dad either. Or at least, too young to remember him. Mum always told me he was just real old and sick 'cause of his lungs or somethin'. Think he worked in mines or somethin' long before." Jinx cursed under her breath before returning to her job, making Evi narrow her eyes in curiosity—what was that about? "He brought in the income, so when he died my mum got kicked out of the house not long after, and she had to raise me on the streets since I was like, a toddler I think… maybe older. I couldn't really keep track back then, 'cause I was a fuckin' little tyke, right? But yeah, Mum already had lung issues of her own so Janna was really just leavin' us out to dry."
Jinx chuckled, nodding as she pulled the soldering iron back to observe her work. "When'd she die?" she asked before continuing, sparks flying once more.
Evi closed her eyes, recalling the frail, thin frame of a pale blonde woman slumped in front of a dumpster. "Can't remember how old I was, probably around five or six, but I found her just dead in front of a dumpster. It was a good one too—she dumpster dove there once a week. Always had the best leftover rotten fruits." Evi laughed, thinking about the fruits that really didn't taste like anything. "She always went ahead first, hiding me just a corner away. She tried to fight over the trash loot from another homeless bastard. I always told myself she gave the hardest fight, but I knew she was waaay too sick already. Whoever did it was doing her a favour…" she bitterly admitted.
"I left her in that alley, covered in trash bags and rotten fish bones as her burial. And then I found the person who stabbed her just a bit later." Evi grinned manically as she leaned forward and grabbed her knife, pulling it out as she caught her eyes in its reflection. "I begged and cried about how my mum just died and they dropped their guard—feeling guilty or somethin'."
She recalled every bite, scratch, punch, kick, cut, and stab. The speed at which she launched at them, the cries and wails that echoed in that alley as she turned that live body into a mangled mess of flesh. Seeing the shock across their face for that one instant was the most invigorating thing she ever felt. A grown ass person… dying to a little kid.
She giggled, at the memory, shaking her head as she released Zel's hand and thumbed over the blade's reflection. "I piled their sack of a shitty corpse with my mum's, covered it in the trash bags and walked away, no lookin' back." She looked at Jinx, who stopped soldering and was now matching her smile. Eyes narrowed with excitement, like the woman had bated breath for the next punchline. "Totally forgot 'bout whatever it was they fought over." Evi shrugged, spinning the knife between her fingers before sheathing it back. "But I kept their knife though."
Jinx cackled, shaking her head as she grabbed her tweezers from her toolbox and turned back. "So what, you were eight when ya met Rookie here? And how long since?"
"Six years," they answered together, knocking their fists together.
Jinx smirked as she brought the tweezers to Evi's knee. "Shit, never had a home since, huh?"
Their proud and smug smiles fell at that.
"Well," Jinx shrugged, "that's Zaun in a nutshell huh? No such thing."
—JINX—
Calibrating Evi's leg was child's play. The girl was up and walking and punching like nothing happened. She wasn't sure why the brats were so insistent in that she was out to scam or cash in on something from them. She made it very clear she just wanted them out of the way so they'd stop stealing her act. That was all it was.
That was it.
Right?
Watching them awkwardly situate themselves on the couch made her sigh. "Janna, you two can go to bed, y'know?" she remarked from her spot on the rocking chair horse. She swayed back and forth, her arms crossed and resting on the horse's head.
They exchanged another one of those wordless glances that made Jinx scoff inside.
It was so obvious they were silently expressing their doubts, mistrust, and caution, but doing it not so subtly in front of her was stupid if she had ulterior motives. She didn't, but if they thought she did then they should've stopped being so dumb about it. But after their silent consideration, Evi spoke first.
"Where will you be sleeping?"
Jinx sighed. "There," she jerked her thumb back at the hub, "I have a spare pullout mattress."
She frowned. "Why can't we have that?"
"'Cause it won't fit the two of you. And it's also cut in half." That was because of an unfortunate accident with a laser cutter, but the other half made for a good Chompers test.
The two blinked at her confusedly. "U-Uh, regarding this whole… situation?" Zel inquired.
She raised a brow. "Yeah?"
"How long are we staying here… exactly?"
Jinx shrugged. "'Til Sevika is done blowing her gasket. Ya want her to think you ran off or whatever," she waved her hand casually, "so a couple weeks? Maybe more?"
"You're letting us stay here for over a month?" Evi exclaimed, shock and awe across her face. She immediately schooled her expression and coughed into her fist. "What's uh, the catch?"
Jinx rolled her eyes. "Nothin', yeesh." She stopped swaying and pointed at the two. "Actually, scratch that—no leaving this place." She shook her finger. "If any of those gangs or goons sees ya, they'll start a whole search thing and it'll make this even longer." She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "So that's why you're staying here."
"Free shelter?" Evi clarified once again.
"Oh my Janna, for now," Jinx exasperatedly answered, "And if it gets you two to stop your whole shtick, yes,"
The two shared yet another glance, this time with excited smiles.
And then the silence filled with a set of loud growls.
Her brows raised.
"Uhh," Zel awkwardly raised a finger, "Would now be a good time to ask if food is part of the arrangement? Because we, um, haven't eaten in over a day. Sevika took our fruit."
She gave them the lay down of staying put, that they were not to move from the living room area whatsoever. Jinx doubted that rule stuck, but her threats sure did. With that all done, she made the run herself. She brought her essentials, some Chompers, Pow-Pow, and Fishbones, making sure nothing was left for the kids to create chaos with. But Jinx had no idea what to get though. She didn't know if they had preferences, they mentioned fruit, but she didn't want fruit tonight. She was peckish herself, so she wanted to fill her stomach first! Because that was what was important after all. Jinx was starving. Doing some early morning stalking, and then some afternoon chasing, and followed by a quick repair job—it was so much work.
She wanted something quick, dirty, and good.
"Jericho's," she snapped her fingers as she emerged from one of the many tunnel's openings. She hopped out and onto the rooftops making her way over to the market district. She hoped he had good options for three. A sobering thought hit her, causing her to stop still just a roof away from the market area.
Jinx never… bought food for more than just herself.
She stopped and blinked. "What do kids even wanna eat?"
That thought plagued her mind as she hopped down from the roof and into the market, creating yet another parting of the crowd to make way for her. In all honesty, Jinx wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to get a combo? Were drinks good things to add on too? Did Jerciho ever have good drinks—Jinx hardly recalled ever ordering anything else aside from her usual. As she approached the stall, a stab of worry welled up in her stomach. This was such a trivial and small thing.
But it worried her… why?
"JINX!" She looked up and awkwardly grinned at the giant fisherman. "USUAL, AS PER USUAL?" he joked.
She chuckled, stepping near the stand—causing the current patrons to vacate immediately. "Ah, it's a to go order actually." She rubbed her head and cocked it to the left, looking at the menu behind him. "And—"
"AND?" he blinked at her in shock. "YOU MEAN MORE? YOU?"
Jinx shrugged, sitting herself down. She rapped her fingers against the counter and looked at the menu. "Let's just say I'm… running an errand?" she tried. Was that suspicious? He blinked at her in confusion, leaving her to sigh. Jericho had known her since she was a kid. Changing her diet was something he would question without question! She really didn't think this through—it was her darn stomach's fault, hunger never made her think straight.
Her eyes widened as realization overwhelmed her, causing her to slam her palm on the counter in excitement. "Ah-hah!" Thinking with her stomach was helpful! She knew it! "Hey, uh, Jerry, 'member when I was a kid?" His brow raised, clearly caught off guard as she just went on, "Yeah, what kinda food did you make me again? I…" her smile fell as she looked down at the empty seats beside her, "I don't really remember what my… sister ordered for me."
Something felt weird.
Like something was supposed to happen right now.
Jinx turned her head around, her hand on her sidearm, but didn't really notice anything strange.
"KID'S COMBO?" he spoke, dragging her attention back.
She blinked, her eyes scanning the prices of the kid's combo and the ingredients listed. It didn't sound familiar. Did Vi really get that for her? "Uhhh, I guess?" she shrugged. She then asked, "Has that not changed since?"
He laughed. "NOTHING HERE EVER HAS!"
Jinx giggled back. "Fair enough, Jer-bear!" She rested her elbow on the counter and slumped her face against her forearm. "Two kid's combos please! And my usual."
Jericho nodded and turned around, beginning his spree.
Something was knocking at the back of her head, though.
Jinx just wasn't sure what. Her thoughts flew back to those two kids. Zel and Evi. A duo in the making that's already made something of themselves. From so young, they had been dealt the shittiest hand Janna had to offer in Zaun. But that meant something else too… they knew reality from the youngest ages possible. Jinx grinned at that thought. Too many brats these days lacked clarity like that. They all were busy sinking in the pits of the drugged up wealth or the gang comradery they just couldn't see the whole picture anymore.
No one got the joke.
But Zel and Evi? Jinx chuckled at the thought of their stories, earning a few concerned stares her way as she swayed in her stool. Zel was on a warpath to burn Piltover, weaponizing the very thing that scarred him. The ol' Rookie found the beauty she could see, and was using it for the best payback yet: igniting chaos that Pilties just couldn't fully understand. They could continue dance around crying sumprats and tortured shrills of trenchers for all they cared—the buildings, statues, and dumpsters still blew up the same. And they would still keep runnin circles doing the same shit.
Evi? The message was in her act. The guard the snobs dropped, the underestimating glance of Zaunite thugs, and the overall snark to her bite—a great blend. She smiled at the recollection of the little Urchin's remarks and barks. She had a well of pride but strength to back it. She was quick to adapt to her leg fix, but also to the situation. Using the knife of the same sick freak who killed your mom to kill them and to dump the bodies together? What a card.
Jinx giggled again, biting her lip.
They had something. Whether it was skill, luck, or just survivability, they could last in Zaun. As Jericho turned back with three boxes of food, Jinx happily paid him the silver cogs in full. A treat like this was needed. They lived for over six years on their own, she could stand to give them a couple weeks off the hardcore Zaun life. "Bet Janna could never do somethin' so courteous," she mused as she made her way back across the roofs and over to the tunnels. She took an even longer way back, not just because it was a good way to lose tails, but because Jinx just had fun wandering her tunnels.
Stepping into her secret tunnel, making her way over the tripwire and unlocking the vault door, she carried a smile all the way through. So what was that thing bothering her? Eh, who cared… it was food time.
The way the two devoured their kids' meals honestly frightened Jinx. Upon her absence, she found herself pleasantly pleased with noticing nothing had been moved or taken. Instead, the two were sitting cross legged on the couch—now in futon mode—counting up the loot they stole. She had forgotten all about that, but she honestly loved how eager they looked doing it. But once the sent of Jericho's food reached them, bronze washer, silver cogs, and golden hexes were all but forgotten as they plowed through their boxes.
Jericho failed to mention that the kid's combos were so small! Why would any Zaunite brat want one? It was barely a meal! Though the sight of watching them haphazardly toss their fish, tentacles, and squid into their mouths with slurps and burps kind of made Jinx lose her appetite. And to add a bigger shocker to her evening, the kids surprised her when they said they didn't know Jericho! She was baffled that they spent so much time on the streets, but when she dropped the boxes in front of them and announced the stall they stared at her with blank faces.
"I still can't believe you guys never had Jericho's," Jinx muttered in shock, chewing as she swayed her chair around to avoid making eye contact with their way of eating. She had rolled her workshop chair all the way down and kicked her feet up on the table, where laid Zel's beg of bombs.
"Can't afford it," Zel shrugged as he took another bite of his tentacle. The splatter fell over the table. She didn't mind, she'd done worse with her paint bombs. But the way he gnawed at it with his teeth unsettled her.
"Can't steal it either, he's too scary," Evi chimed in, slurping a squid into her mouth. The sound she made was unnerving.
"Well now ya can!" Jinx pointed out, trying to ignore her lack of sudden hunger. "Oh, uh, 'ford it, that is. No stealin' from him!" she sternly spoke, catching their hungry eyes with seriousness. They both had finished their meals and set the boxes down on the table, wiping their mouths with the napkins. With their attention somewhat held, she continued her demand, "He's one of the few good Zaunites we got down here! Every Zaunite with a good sense knows that. It's why he's one of the oldest stalls down there."
The two nodded together. Janna, if they really weren't siblings Jinx's assumption wasn't totally off basis with how much they did that.
"Man." Evi burped. "Only wish he made more!"
"Same," her spiky haired partner chuckled.
Jinx looked down at her half finished food and sighed. She rolled herself closer and dropped it on their side of the table. At their widened shock, she chuckled. "Not really hungry." She shrugged.
The speed at which they dived after it was terrifying.
"Seriously, I didn't even know Zaun had good food down here!" Zel said through his mouthful of tentacle, moaning in delight.
"Right?" Evi agreed, slurping on the last squids, "Thought the damn Pilties hoarded it all."
Jinx scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "Pfft, Piltie food got nothin' on Zaun's. That's the problem with kids your age—too busy being jealous and wanting the Topside's scraps that ya forget down here?" Their eyes locked onto her hand as she pointed at their floor beneath them, like they were hanging onto every word. "We make wonders with more than scrap. We've got goods here too, Janna knows the Pilties forget 'bout that. Don't you too." She leaned over and flicked Zel's bag open and poked the chemtech bombs he made. "Like that. We make scrap into goods. This is made from Zaun. The Sheriff, Golden Boy, they can play around with Hextech but we make this with what makes Zaun. And the Pilties can't ever take that away."
The two exchanged looks at that, smiles across their faces.
"Hell yeah," Evi nodded, licking her lips.
"That's right!" Zel agreed, pumping his fist.
Wow.
They really listened, huh?
Gosh they were so simple.
Because they were kids.
Weird.
Jinx shook herself, pushing out of her seat and rising to her feet. "So… uh, there's no real lights out? Just, stay in your bed and don't bother me in mine." The two shared a round of confused glances, but she just took that as her leave. Should she have said something about the money on their bed? It was probably okay that they slept with that right? Eh, if not, they seemed smart enough to clean it up on their own.
She wasn't sure if they wanted lights off, because spending so much time on the streets meant dark patches like alleys and ditches to sleep in. Darkness might've been the last thing they wanted. Jinx looked at her workshop desk and sighed. A whole bag of unused Chompers, spare parts used to repair a leg, and Pow-Pow and Fishbones reamined unfired. She didn't do anything she wanted to do today. It was a begrudging thought as she pulled out the halved mattress and plopped it on the floor, letting herself fall onto it ungraciously.
Jinx would've stayed up crafting, but she was drained. For some reason. But aside from Zel's crafty corner bomb that didn't even touch her, she hadn't been in any danger or anything! So why was she so tired? She didn't even finish her food, so food fatigue had no factor here whatsoever. She turned over and watched from her spot on the floor mattress: the two had sacked the coins back into the bag and placed it between them as they went to bed. Probably wanted to make sure she wouldn't take it in their sleep. Like she didn't already have more saved up.
Downright adorable how tough those two wanted to be. But seeing them doze off in the distance, just lying there on her futon… that was something else entirely. Adorable still came to mind, but Jinx wasn't enough of a wordsmith to bother thinking hard on it. She couldn't care enough to think more about it anyways. She released a tired sigh as she shut her eyes and turned over once again.
And then it hit her.
Eyes wide, staring up at the ceiling, that she realized something:
The voices hadn't said a single thing… not for the entire time since she met those kids.
A/N: Whaaat, a TMUT chap with no Jinx voices? Crazy! or is it?... get it? no? Okay.
Anyways, it's begun, the dynamics and interactions have now begun to meld and mush. I know there was a bit of a weird twist to the POVs in that a couple of emotional or internal moments happened to characters when it WASN'T their POV. I thought it would be a fun venture/practice for me in how this series would work. Again, not every chap will have the same number of POVs and some might not feature all three at all! But this was fun practice on writing characters from another POV and still having act like themselves outside of someone else's perspective.
I would like to clarify though Jinx makes an assumption about it, Evi and Zel are not a romantic pairing. They are friends, partners, etc. It's just a basic assumption Jinx would make but not rehash, though in their case the duo just don't know any other form of partnership. It's not meant to be nor ever will be romantic. And speaking of the two, I hope no one is put off by their characters here or at least Evi's character. She's not... "crazy", but she has a bit of a twisted perception with her "act". At least the pleasure she takes in doing it.
10102013? Fun fact, that's Jinx's debut date in League of Legends! I thought it would be a fun easter egg to throw in!
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Fan (Guest): Guess you find out now! ( ^‿^)
Next chapter update: [EDIT] To Be Determined! Most definitely by June 29th (for more information see "TMUT update" tags on my tumblr. Sorry.
Stay safe, and stay lovely y'all.
Until next time,
- Bleh