The Most Undoing Thing

by BlehBluhBlah

Several years after the Split, Piltover and Zaun's symbiotic societies are on the cusp of prospering. With a bright future on the way for many Pilties—and even some Zaunites—Jinx is left with nothing but wonder for what her future entails. But what's she to do when her path leads down to the pair of orphaned Zaunites: bombardier Zel and pickpocketer Evi? Simple: do better.

9. Chapter 9

A/N: One more chapter left in Act 1, let's see how our trio's adapting to their new permanent lifestyle!

Sorry for the delay by the way, the concept of time eluded me as I had NO idea yesterday was Wednesday so I forgot to edit this chap and put it up!

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Chapter Sumary: Both Jinx and the kids think about making this arrangement more permanent, so the kids get their own rooms! But Jinx also thinks about how she can do more for their sense of space.

Word Count: 13,949

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—JINX—

When Jinx glanced up at the giant clock set up above her workshop, she frowned. It was almost one o'clock—she needed to start breakfast soon. She pushed away from her desk, leaving her unfinished Chompers alone and stared back at the kids. Evi was practicing with her dummy, trying her new speed combos that Jinx taught her the other day. Zel, meanwhile, knelt at the table, working out the latest kinks in his undermines after Jinx told him how to wire it better earlier that morning. The sight of the two of them together, doing their own thing, made her smile.

It had been another week since the day this became permanent, and it somehow was even more exciting than the month they had before. The second they got back, Jinx whipped them up some stew and they fell asleep on the couch together. Since then, it was clear cut communication. She took them out to the tunnels first thing in the morning like she promised, and after an hour, the two begged for a map.

When the realization came that she never had on, they quickly realized how much work this would be for themselves. Jinx felt a bit bad, but the two were quick to assure her they understood the safety precautions and that them learning was a must. Everyday since, they spent a couple hours in the tunnels right after they had breakfast, memorizing one route one day, then seeing if they could do it own their own the next. So far only they had only done three—and even then they were confident—but Zel began drawing up their own map.

Compromise still landed in that if they wanted to leave, Jinx would take them out but they could then tell her where they could meet up for her to bring them back. Though that opportunity hadn't arisen yet. Part of her wondered if it really was true when they said they wouldn't be leaving as much she thought. Either way, she tried to be open and as receptive as possible. One of the first examples of that?

Building the clock Evi wanted.

She already had a decent amount of parts, the only issue was actually syncing the damn thing. But of course, Evi had her smart as soon as comment, "I thought you had somethin' called 'experience', can't you just tell what the time is?"

So yeah, her pride wouldn't allow it and now they have a clock they all think is the correct time. But honestly, none of them cared if it was accurate—it was an estimate, so it was good enough! Jinx and Zel worked on it together. She let him work on the actual bare bones of the clock, the gears and actual mechanisms of the hands, and only oversaw that everything actually worked. Even Evi chipped in, wanting to contribute something, the girl used some of Jinx's spray paint and touched it up.

The comically huge, box shaped clock that they hung above her desk was made of soldered scrap metal, but neatly covered up with blue and purple neon paint in the form of smiley faces and frowny faces. Jinx actually liked Evi's work. And she actually was proud of Zel's work too, he hardly needed guidance. But to be honest? The biggest thing she liked about the clock was—

A spring noise ejected, bringing Jinx's attention up to the clock. Just under the actual clock, a compartment opened up and out came a platform with a wind up monkey, clanging away at its cymbals as it chattered. Jinx grinned, while the entire project has basically been the kids' work, that was an addition she came up with—adding a recorded voice box of a monkey chatter was easy since she had plenty of those—and she was glad to hear it every hour.

"Wow," Evi panted, stepping back from the dummy as she wiped her brow, "It's one already?"

Jinx's smile faded as she rolled her eyes and stood up from her chair. Since they built that clock, the darn girl would constantly remark about the hour it was each time the monkey clanged its cymbals, not so subtly rubbing in how useful the clock was. Zel laughed like usual but Jinx found the running joke to be tiresome at the end of the first day.

"You keep up that dumb joke and I'll spit in your food," she remarked, making she way to the kitchen.

Evi chuckled. "Go ahead—I'll just eat Zel's."

"Fine, then I'll spit in his too!"

At that, it seemed the boy finally tuned into their conversation. "Whoa, whoa, don't throw me into this!"

Evi gasped. "You're my partner," she stated at the same time Jinx said, "You're her accomplice."

He merely sighed, slumping his shoulders before he dived back into his work.

"So what's on the menu today?" Evi shouted, with a series of grunts following suit. She must've continued practising.

Jinx shrugged, her attention toward the fridge. "What're you guys feeling?"

The sound of a spark from Zel's undermine hissed, but the boy seemed unbothered as he shouted out, "Jinx, we talked about this!"

A punch from Evi. "You can cook food you like too!"

"If we had something we wanted—"

"We would tell ya!"

Jinx sheepishly laughed, rubbing her head as she turned back to face them. "Well, what if the food I like—"

"Is the food we like?" the two guessed at the same time. They exchanged a glance before laughing and carrying on with their activities.

Jinx pouted at that. But deep down, she was touched. They had really been considerate of her too. For dinner that night, a whole slew of talking happened—both during the cooking and eating of dinner. More admissions were made: Jinx told them about her jobs she did, and more recently does for the Chem-Barons. And they admitted they actually wanted to contribute and help her out more. She threw it back that they didn't need to worry about stuff like that and they countered that she didn't need to fuss so much about their wants.

Because she already gave them enough.

Okay, maybe a lot more tears were shed during dinner too, but Jinx didn't care.

These kids were sweet brats.

One thing they wanted to get across the most, was that Jinx deserved to think about her needs too. No more giving the bigger portions of chicken to them, or just cooking their favourite meals. But to be honest… "I really don't have a preference," she admitted, shrugging.

The two groaned.

"What! I'm serious!" she doubled down. "I don't really got a hankerin' for anything right now. So we can either run 'round in circles all afternoon or…" she prompted them, holding her hands out toward them.

The two exchanged another look before sighing. "Uhh, that stew you picked up from Sevika would be nice?" Zel suggested, though it was clear he was just throwing it out there for the sake of it rather than genuinely craving it.

Jinx looked to Evi and found her shrugging, already turning back to her dummy. Whelp, that was that she supposed. She quickly cracked on their lunch, grabbing some salmon from the fridge and preparing to defrost it in the microwave. She grabbed the spices needed and laid them out on her new counter, which was basically just another table she put together. The accumulation of tables and counters growing in the kitchen slowly began since Jinx started to realize how much surface space was needed to help cook. But there was also the fact that the kids liked to hang around her when she cooked, so they needed things to sit at or lean against, so the slow progression of random objects like empty flipped upside-down crates started to fill the space.

That was what this all was: slow progression.

From strangers on the streets to… well, a family? She chuckled at the thought, keeping that hope to herself. It'd be a slow progression after all. For now, she was happy having "roommates" or "wards." She was happy seeing her practice dummy in use for something other than bombs or bullets or even just her spray paint. She was happy seeing her pile of trash and scavenged parts being taken away and tinkered with by another big brain. Her space was being lived in, that alone was amazing enough.

She already turned up the burner and readied the pot, but once the salmon was done in the microwave she took it out and began deboning. She had gone through the habit of prepping buckets of water for cooking in advance, since she still couldn't set up any kind of piping for a sink on the fan blade. She was in store for a good amount of tedious shit, and only then did she just realize the gramophone was off. Listening to something always made cooking seem less dull—Zel's tinkering and Evi's grunting just didn't do it for her.

"Hey," she shouted, "can one of ya brats turn on the gramophone?"

"I got it!" Evi shouted back. Jinx could hear the faint footsteps of the young girl running down the fan blade and to the central hub. A second later, she could hear her song playing and Jinx smiled, letting herself fall back into the groove. Or at least, she would've, until she heard some shouting.

"Watch where you're going!" Evi shouted.

"The fuck? How's that my fault?" Zel shouted back. Jinx looked over her shoulder, watching as Evi stood before Zel, who was still kneeling at the table. The boy glared up at her as he shook his tweezer. "I'm the one working here! Go punch somewhere else!"

"There's nowhere else to punch!" she replied, waving her arms about. "Why're you even working here? Jinx said ya could use her table—go there!"

"She was using it!" Zel scoffed, shaking his head. "You'd know if you weren't so focused on punching something as thick as you."

Jinx's eyes went wide at their remarks. She'd never seen them so aggressive to each other. "Hey!" she shouted, furrowing her brows. The two flinched and turned to her. "Nothin' happened and no one's hurt, so knock it off!"

"Yeah but he—"

"Well she could've—"

"But nothin' happened, so no use crying over what didn't happen. 'Sides, it as an accident." She sighed, shaking her head. "Zel, go ahead and clear my space. All yours. There, problem solved!"

The two exchanged a look before sighing, nodding. "Thanks Jinx," Zel shouted back, already picking his stuff up.

She smiled at that. That was good babysitting, right? As she dropped the salmon into the boiling pot, her instincts told her something mischievous was happening, causing her to turn around. She gaped at the sight of the two kids childishly flipping each other off as Zel walked down the platform. Evi used both hands while Zel used his only free one, but with much more vigor. As amusing as it was…

"Hey!" she shouted again, causing the two to freeze. "Ya see this look on my face?" She narrowed her brows and frowned. "This," she pointed to her expression with both fingers, "means stop fighting!"

"He started—"

She pointed again, looking incredulous at them.

"She—"

Jinx continued to aggressively point, almost befuddled at their lack of comprehension. What was so hard to grasp with this?

The two sighed, lowering their heads. "Yes Jinx," they grumpily replied together.

She scoffed, turning her head back. "And watch that tone too—I will spit in your food!" That managed to elicit some chuckles, which was good. She kept an ear out and heard Zel settle in at her place as Evi continued punching, this time much more aggressively. Jinx pouted as she began to stir the pot, raising a brow in confusion. That was random. The two had minor spats here and there during their stay, but most of the time it was just ribs or jabs, but almost always resolved in an instant.

That… that felt like an almost fight.

Jinx thought back and chuckled. She knew a bit about almost fights. Two brothers and a sister practically guaranteed almost fighting but not quite when a dad like Vander existed to shut it down. When she thought back oh those fights… it almost always started because of something trivial or something pent up, waiting to explode. Sparing one more glance between the two, who seemed more focused in their activities, she could imagine what the cause was for them.

Jinx herself thought it was something trivial, but considering the big argument they had a week ago, it could also be something pent up that she wasn't seeing.

Nonetheless, it was a scenario she had to lock in the back of her head to keep note of. Thankfully, nothing else had exploded—both tech or temper wise—throughout her cooking. Soon enough, Jinx was happily serving the two bowls of salmon stew at the couch, and they ate like nothing had just happened. Which was also typical. She could recall the very same feeling with Mylo; moments of aggression followed hours later by just pleasant silence eating or chilling together. Though the silence between them this time wasn't anything tense from what Jinx could sense, especially with her song still playing in the back.

"So," Evi spoke, licking her lips as she set down her nearly finished bowl, "what're ya up to today?"

Jinx hummed thoughtfully. "Uhh, not sure," she shrugged. She took a big gulp of her stew, releasing a content sigh before setting the bowl down on the edge of the table. Maybe investing in a proper dinner table would be nice? "Might just lounge a bit: tinker, or heck, check on Zel's progress with his bombs. Probably teach ya some more moves."

Evi raised a brow. "You don't have another job to do?"

She shook her head. "Got it done and paid for yesterday." She leaned back in her rocking chair, tilting her head. "Wait, did I even tell ya what it was 'bout?"

"Something about running an escort job?" Zel vaguely recalled.

Jinx grinned, nodding. "Bingo! Ol' bastards needed me to make sure a transport of caustic casks made it safely from one place to another."

"Sounds like a boring escort job," Evi remarked.

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "It was. But thankfully, some idiots made my day entertaining and tried robbing the transport in broad daylight. I lit them up with a couple Pow-Pow rounds." She happily sighed. "The look on their faces when they realized I was there was priceless."

The three shared a laugh, with Zel quickly adding, "I heard about that! The Zaun News came in saying someone was shooting up the middle of town!"

Jinx blinked, her laughter stopping completely. "There's a Zaun News?"

He chuckled, nodding. "I was as shocked as you when I found out! It was only yesterday, but it doesn't seem 'official' or anything," he finger quoted. "They really don't talk much about anything newsworthy, and most of the time talk about random shit or just play music."

She pursed her lips, interested in this new development. "The music any good?"

"Not as good as yours," Evi smirked.

Jinx matched the girl's smile, rolling her eyes playfully. "You two have only heard one song from me."

Their eyes widened. "Is there more?" Evi exclaimed, launching her hands onto the table in excitement.

She felt a wave of embarrassment flush over her as she awkwardly chuckled. "I-I mean, yeah, ya didn't think Silco just rented a band and got me to record one song did, ya?" Their eager and excited eyes told her, yeah, she wasn't going to be able to avoid this. "Both the band and I didn't really like those songs as much, so we kinda just put them aside." She shrugged, picking up her bowl and working on finishing its remaining contents.

"Well where are they?" the messy haired blonde pressed on. It was then Jinx noticed, while Zel had a clear interest and fascination, Evi was more eager and intrigued by this than her partner. Zel simply kept at his meal, finishing his bowl as he looked between the two.

She smiled at the girl's expression. "You're a bit into the arts, aren't ya?"

Surprisingly, the girl flushed at that, sinking back into her seat as she shrugged. "I dunno. I just think music's cool."

Jinx raised her brows (she was also a bit surprised they didn't comment on her obvious subject change). "Well, that, ain't music," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, pointing toward the clock covered in the girl's handiwork.

Zel smiled at her, making Evi scoff and playfully punch his shoulder. "Shuttup," she muttered.

Jinx held up her free hand as she stood up, making a move to gather their bowls. "Hey, I ain't teasing. If ya want, you've got free reign over my spray cans and paint—like Rookie over here with my gear," she offered as she grabbed their bowls and stacked them.

Evi blinked at her. "R-Really?"

She sighed then clicked her teeth disappointedly. "When are you two gonna get it: you've got the run of the place!" She gestured all around them as she walked away from the table. "If there's ever anything you want, ya just lemme know!" she shouted as she made her way over to the kitchen area, collecting the pot and other utensils used for her food prep. She made her way over to the central hub, noticing the low whispers the two were exchanging—she couldn't really overhear much with the music playing. But as she turned the corner to the bathroom entrance, she caught the excited looks across the two's faces.

Oooh, that meant exciting things were in store!

Once Jinx took all the dishes, which she dropped into the pot, up to the bathroom, she began work on cleaning. Even this was such a domestic idea. Jinx, The Loose Cannon, was doing dishes after eating lunch with kids she cooked for. And she looked forward to it every. Single. Damn. Day. She washed the dishes with a content smile, humming to herself. If life could be like this everyday, then Jinx was already living the best life.

Janna that was cheesy as Hell.

"Hey, Jinx?" she heard Zel call from below.

She turned off the facet and shouted, "Yeah?"

"Are you busy?"

She snorted. "No, I just like sitting in the washroom with dirty dishes for leisurely fun!" she joked. A faint snort—obviously from Evi—echoed as she heard Zel sigh. "Nah, this can wait," she said as she dried off her hands and made her way over to the ladder. Looking down, she smiled at the two kids gathered at the bottom. "What's up?" she asked them.

"We, uh, have a request?" Zel hesitantly replied, exchanging a brief look with Evi.

That was enough to warrant her full attention. With raised brows, she uttered out, "Oh." She quickly collected herself nodding with a smile as she shouted, "Alright, coming down!" She heard the shuffling of feet scoot out from under her as she slid down the ladder. As she emerged out from inside, swinging the door shut behind her, she called out, "So what's all the hoopla 'bout?"

She turned to see the two standing at her desk, waiting for her patiently. They exchanged another round of nervous looks, making her chuckle. "Brats, c'mon, let it out," she told them before sitting down in her chair and spinning around for fun.

"Well, we uh, were wondering," Zel spoke, fidgeting with his hands, "if it'd be possible—"

"We want our own rooms," Evi interjected, dropping the bomb with an impatient tone.

Jinx's eyes widened at that. "Uhhh… what?"

"You said you'd grant any request of ours," Jinx nodded at this, prompting Evi to go on, "so we want our own rooms." She chuckled, looking around their surroundings with an incredulous look. Evi sighed. "Okay, not a room, obviously but like, our own space. Kinda like what you have here," she pointed at her desk, "but for ourselves."

"So… you two want a fan to yourselves—"

"A fan each," Zel corrected, making Jinx blink in shock.

"Uhh, I-I dunno guys," she nervously replied. She felt a bead of sweat drop down as her nerves heightened. She promised and she couldn't meet their request? Great job Jinx.

She shook her head.

No, she wasn't going to let herself think like that.

"Jinx," Zel softly spoke, "we're not gonna hate you for saying no or anything."

"Yeah," Evi nodded, smiling, "it's fine. Zel and I have made do with much less." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "But… we were kinda hoping you'd hear us out first?"

Jinx took a breath, smiling as she nodded at them. "Go on."

"I do wanna experiment with paints and spray cans more," Evi admitted with a determined expression across her face, "but the same way Zel wants to tinker, there's just not enough space for us to… well, do our stuff."

"Yeah," Zel agreed, nodding. "I wanna branch out from my undermines too. There's some spare parts from this toy I found in your pile and I kinda wanted to put it back together, but we don't really have a space for our stuff."

Jinx frowned. Huh, and here she thought she had everything laid out for them. Man, this was hard. "Well, I can build ya some storage and slap it in the storage wing if ya want?" she offered. "That way you both got some separation from my stuff and each other's?"

They exchanged a look before frowning. "That's… a decent backup, but… we also just want our own space from… each other."

Her eyes widened at that once again.

"I guess," Evi chuckled, kicking her prosthetic leg against the floor, "after spending so much time out on the streets, finally having a home made us realize we kinda don't need to be sharing space forever."

Jinx's heart swelled as she heard "home", prompting a wide dopey grin on her face. Judging by the sheepish smiles on the two, they also felt the same. She shook herself out of her awe and furrowed a brow. "You sure though?"

"Yeah, didn't you and your siblings have separate rooms?" Zel asked.

She stopped, thinking back on that. "No," she softly admitted, still surprised by this concept, "I shared my room with all three of them. I liked it. It was cozy." She beamed at them proudly. "Felt… lived in."

Evi rolled her tongue around in her cheek, nodding. "Well, if ya wanna talk cozy, having us in our spaces means you get the couch to yourself again!" She jerked her thumb behind her with excitement. "We know that throw mattress is hardly comfortable, and that sharing with us is kinda crowded. This way you get your own comfortable bed to sleep in once again!" she suggested, clearly proud of her option.

"But… that's only comfortable because I'm snuggling with you two!" Jinx pouted, quivering her lip playfully. Though to be honest, part of her actually wanted to keep sleeping with the two. And judging by the flushed looks they had, it was mutual! "You saying you two would leave me to my lonesome self again at night?" she childishly whined.

Evi brought her arms down to her sides and clenched her fists. "We can… still snuggle," she quietly hissed the word, though it was unnecessary because no one else was even here to hear it, "sometimes, it's not like we won't be able to not get back to your bed."

"Yeah," Zel sheepishly shrugged, clearly ignoring his blush, "w-we can do it whenever! This is just an arrangement that works out… majority of the time."

Jinx scoffed cheekily, then narrowed her brows at them. "For everyone except me!" she pointed to herself. "I have no one to sleep with anymore!"

Evi groaned. "Oh my Janna if you really want we can like, arrange a day once a week or month where we…" her face flushed, "do that."

Jinx pouted, tilting her head forward. "Please, say it Lil' Urchin."

Evi sighed, throwing her head back. "If I do, will you consider it?"

Zel chuckled, ignoring his blush as he said, "Pretty sure she already has, E."

The woman winked, clicking her teeth approvingly. "Ya know me so well."

The blonde scoffed, crossing her arms as she tapped her foot. "So can we do this or not?"

Jinx sighed, shrugging. "I'd love to, but there's no other room to spare! 'Less one of ya is fine with staying in the bathroom," she mused, nodding her head upward.

A sad silence fell where the three merely pondered their options. Jinx couldn't virtually see any other option aside from her bathroom suggestion. The storage area was too packed and cluttering the first wing was a bad idea since it was the only way in and out of the place. And adding platforms to the structure, like above the clock and just midway up the turbine, would be a difficult feat structurally that Jinx wasn't confident would be safe at all. She internally laughed. Safety? Now they had her concerned about safety! Janna, what was happening to her?

In any case, there just weren't many options left now. Realistically, Jinx had to consider building platforms off the fan blades themselves!

Zel snapped his fingers in realization."What about the lower fans?" the spiky brown haired boy suggested, gesturing below them.

That startled Jinx from her deep thought. "Whatta 'bout 'em?"

"Well, you're not using that space, are you?" Zel pointed out, raising a brow.

She froze at that. Was she really using that space? It was completely empty, save for some dust and likely cobwebs. He was right, there was nothing down there. Unused space!

But…

She did blow up her bombs down there. She occasionally tossed her Chompers over the edge and they would just blow up—the kids had seen her do it too. If it was in use, anyone down there would be in the blast radius. Jinx pursed her lips in contemplation. But it was free space. "Hmm, 'kay," she shrugged, lopsidedly smiling at them. It was weird how heavy her heart felt considering the idea, but how easily the weight lifted the second she answered.

It was years of routine and setup thrown out the window on a single request.

Yet the excited and baffled looks on the two's faces was something worth seeing.

Oh yeah, this new permanence was gonna be fun.

She held up a finger, halting their joy momentarily. "But I gotta make sure nothin' is broken down there first, alright?" She hopped to her feet and smiled. "Then you two squirts can help me style it up."

"Sounds good!" Zel nodded.

"Go ahead!" Evi grinned.

And with that, Jinx made her way over back to the panel leading into the ladder. The two watched as she reached for the bottom rung near the floor of the enclosed space and slid it back, revealing another ladder underneath, leading all the way down.

"Thought you said we had the run of the place," Evi teased.

Jinx snorted, as she climbed her way down. "I hardly use this space, so it's easy to forget 'bout!" she reasoned as she made her descent. "Don't throw nothin' while I'm down here!" she shouted.

It was honestly almost as long a climb to the bathroom, but somewhat longer. Though once she reached the bottom, Jinx could already wager that this was going to need a lot of lighting and wiring. As she opened the panel, leading out to the bottom set of fan blades, she was met with darkness. Thankfully, all that time in this cavern trained her eyesight to adjust rather quickly. And so she made her way around the lower central hub, which was a bit smaller than the one up top. Certainly no room for a workshop desk, but enough to walk around in.

As Jinx scanned her surroundings, assessing the wings and their integrity, she was surprised by how sturdy they still were. She was sure after years of throwing explosives something would taken a hit but she did time her bombs well enough that they never hit the turbine or anything attached. She walked around and gave the fan blades a few hearty knocks and jumped on them up and down, testing it all. It was honestly as good as the ones up top, if only just a little more dirty and discoloured.

Ideas ran through her head about how she could pretty this place up and work the wiring but…

"Distance, huh?" she whispered to herself, looking up above her.

Her mind flew back to the arcade.

A young blue haired and white haired duo, working tirelessly on wiring and construction. A space to create for close friends and family. A space to lay low and get away. She recalled the painstaking effort devoted to making that place theirs, and the satisfaction that came once it was evident they would stay there for extended periods or hang there on boring days. It was like her Chompers and guns, everything she made and worked on finally being in use but through her means.

She took a step back, shaking her head.

No, this wasn't her project. It was theirs.

A wicked grin grew on her lips as she climbed up the ladder. "Ohhhh brats!" she shouted, "Space is yours!"

—ZEL—

Setting up his own space was… weird.

He had never really thought about interior decorating, but now he had the luxury to do so.

After Jinx cleared the lower fans for their use, she proclaimed everything down there was their use and they could do whatever they want! She wasn't even going to set up any lights or paint anything, because she figured they had their own ideas of what to do. Evi called her out on laziness, but he could tell she was also excited at the prospect of decorating her own "room" much like he was. Jinx even left the task of setting up lights and such to him, calling it a fun project to work on.

She helped them set up a couple things, helping carry some boxes down, before deciding she'd develop a sort pulley system for her to transport things up and down the turbine. That alone sped up the process a ton, but the idea of sorting through Jinx's junk to make their own stuff was both strange and exciting. She had left them to their own devices down below, promising they had full reign of the space. And after three hours of labour, he and Evi had piles of boxes stacked near the central hub, and four empty fan blades.

They decided to take two wings each, one for their bedroom and the other for their "free" space. Zel had taken the second and first wing, where the former would be where his bed would go and the latter his workshop desk. Evi had the third and fourth, with her bed supposedly going on the fourth and the third where her punching dummy had been set up. That left them with opposite bedrooms, a whole turbine between them. Zel stared at his empty space, and frowned.

No beds yet.

Jinx had gone out to Funsmith Amy's, declaring she'd return with the two comfiest mattresses she could find, leaving him and Evi to style up their rooms however they liked with whatever they wanted. But he didn't exactly have an artistic bone inside him. Heck, he came up with "undermine" and thought that was good! His gaze turned back to Evi's direction.

This idea sparked up after their brief spat, but hearing Jinx's reassuring promises made them realize after lunch that some space might be nice. He was surprised when Evi first pitched it to him, because all he ever knew after his mom died was Evi. But he also remembered…

He neared the central hub, poking his head around the turbine to see his partner. She had Boon propped up on some big box that would likely work as her nightstand, and a long wooden plank set atop two empty bins. She was in the process of nailling the planks against the bins with a hammer, probably to act as another table or maybe a bench. He smiled at her determined face, and the collection of spray cans at her feet.

She never had a home. A room. Her memory went as far as the streets and that was it. She told Zel that her mom had only ever spoken about their home and father like fairytale stories, so having her own stuff was something she never had. Seeing her like this, he could help but smile.

She must've sense his gaze, as she straightened up and turned around, furrowing a brow at him. "What's up?"

He shrugged, making his way over. "Eh, just kinda at a loss. Not really sure how to 'style up' my space and no idea where to start on the lights, so," he shrugged again, feeling a bit self-conscious. She was already getting started.

Evi frowned at him, playing the hammer against her hip. "So? When's that stopped ya?" She scoffed, tossing the hammer onto her makeshift table. "You've worked through harder ruts or blocks, this is nothin'!"

He smiled. "Thanks, E."

She rolled her eyes. "For sayin' the obvious?" she sarcastically remarked, "No problem." She sighed, picking up a spray can of blue and a can of green. She shook them in her hands as she nodded for him to follow her. They stopped at the base of the third wing, and she pointed her blue can at the space before them. Her punching dummy was set up near the end of the fan blade, but there was a collection of boxes and cupboards littered near the middle, a bit close to the edges. "That's where I plan on practicing my… art," she softly said, "I'm gonna use the cardboards as canvas, maybe even hang 'em up around like the way Jinx did with her dolls."

Zel's mouth nearly fell at the clever idea.

Evi snorted, shrugging. "That's how I wanna start. I'll probably paint up the floor too." She shook the blue can again. "Blue's kinda growing colour on me, but," she shook the can of green, "maybe this'll work for you?"

He stared at her for a second, confusion stirring, before realizing. "Wait, you wanna paint my place?"

She nodded, smiling. "Why not? If you're so bothered by how lame it looks I can do it. Green works, right? 'Cause your undermines?"

Zel smiled back. "Yeah… green works."

She winked, passing by him as she brushed her shoulder against his. "While I crack on this maybe think of a way to give us some light?" she teased, shaking the green can in her hand.

He looked back at the boxes of scrap and smirked, bringing his goggles down. "Oh yeah, I can think of something."

He went to work right away. First things first, he climbed back up to the upper level, as the lights leading up from the upper central hub and to the bathroom were connected to a switch Jinx had wired up. He found the switch and pulled back its wall plate, then began to trace the wires. He immediately learned the wires did in fact run all the way down to the bottom of the turbine, but Jinx must've never bothered to properly fix or wire it because she didn't care about the bottom.

Within fifteen minutes, he managed to check every panel—unscrewing them and assessing the wires—and determined only a couple points that needed soldering. He emerged from the turbine and shouted, "E, I'm gonna start soldering so if you need me, you gotta shout!" He hurriedly gathered his tools from his workshop wing but stopped as he realize the space he was in was coloured now.

Beneath his feet, streams of green neon paint shone like a river flowing from the base of the blade to the edge, where it slowly dribbled off like splatters. He turned to look for his partner, only to find her on the adjacent wing, drawing a massive smiling face with its tongue sticking out on his bedroom floor. She just finished topping off the layer, standing up with a grin as she turned to him and stuck her tongue out. "Ya like?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm gonna fix the wires—we're gonna have light in the turbine, after that, I'm gonna set up bulbs connecting from the turbine running to the edge of the fan blades."

Evi tilted her head. "So like, around the rim?" she clarified, skidding her foot across the edge.

He nodded. "It'll look great!" He walked over to the pile of scrap gathered at the central hub and kicked a stack of wooden posts. "Mind building something?"

She walked over with a curious look. "What?"

"I need you to set up these posts, nail 'em and make two for every fan blade. I can run a wire there too—give ourselves some nice overhead lights. Oh, oh, and they can have room for us to run prongs off of them, so you can hang your artwork like you wanted! An-And maybe we can even set up it up as supports for another platform!" He laughed, throwing his head back. "Shit, the possibilities are endless!"

"Hey, Zel?"

He looked back to Evi with a smile. "Yeah?"

"Maybe don't connect all our lights down here to the same switch?" she lightly suggested, pointing upward.

His mouth dropped as a blush formed. "Ah… right," he rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Small steps?"

Evi nodded, shooting him another wink before moving and picking up a post with ease. "Small steps," she repeated as she took the post over to his workshop wing. Zel nodded once again, turning to make his way back inside the turbine. "Oh and Zel?"

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"Don't do anythin' stupid," she impishly reminded.

He sighed. "And don't do anything slow—"

"Nah," she shook her head. Setting the post down, she pulled the hammer off the belt and slyly added, "This time, slow might be good."

He laughed, letting it echo throughout the turbine as he ascended the ladder. It was time to work.

—JINX—

Jinx hefted the two mattresses behind her back, easily hopping from roof to roof. It was a bit awkward to hold, but her strength wasn't strained. She anticipated it'd be a lot to carry, and opted for leaving Fishbones back at home so she could carry all on her back. She used two bungee cords and wrapped the mattresses together, deeming it simply enough. Along the topic of simple, Jinx had strolled into Amy's shop and straight up asked her for two mattresses. The look on Amy's face when she asked for two of her best mattresses was priceless, especially since she didn't bother offering an explanation. The Funsmith actually gave her the mattresses for free, stating she needed to get rid of them anyways so it would be a favour.

Jinx wasn't going to complain about that at all—it meant she could save!

Hopping down into the marketplace, she casually made her way through the crowd and over to her favourite chef's stall. "Jerry! Can I get my usual?" she shouted upon her arrival.

There was a patron at the table this time, a lanky redhead with a messed up coat, but the sight of her caused him to scoot over to the stool on the other end. She shrugged, figuring he was making room for her mattresses. "Thanks!" she told him, setting the stack down in the empty space as she took the other end.

Jericho gestured at the mattress with his knife. "HEY! YOU'RE TAKING UP SPACE!"

Jinx gasped as she watched a bit of sauce fly off the knife and land on the counter. "Hey yourself, watch where you're waving that!" she barked, shooing his blade back, "I don't need ya dirtying these mattresses—I just got 'em! 'Sides, I'm taking mine to go anyways so you'll have your space back! Sheesh!"

Jericho blinked at her, as if baffled, before sighing. "I'M ASSUMING THESE ARE FOR THE SAME PEOPLE YOUR NEW USUAL IS FOR?"

She happily nodded. "Yup! The kids are getting their own rooms, high time for it too." She patted the mattresses. "Figured they deserved somethin' good to sleep on too."

Jericho began cooking as he remarked, "AND SO YOU TOOK IT HERE?"

She shrugged. "I'm doing errands. It's easier to get things done in one."

"HOW ARE THE KIDS?"

She felt giddy. Someone was asking her that, and it felt nice to hear. She giggled. "They're great! I think they're eager to play house and decorate their rooms. It was amazing seeing their excitement!" She contently sighed, turning to her fellow patron. "Kids, am I right?" she told him, slumping her cheek into her palm.

He gulped, vigorously nodding. "R-Right. Yeah."

Her eyes widened at that as she leaned a bit closer. "Oh! Ya got kids too?"

The redhead nodded. "I-I do Miss Jinx."

She snorted. "How can ya miss me? You've never met me!" She cackled, slapping her hand on the table as a groan came from Jericho.

The man looked strained. "Uh, that's not what I meant—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she waved her hand. "Miss Jinx was my father!" she told the stranger, "Call me Jinx! Stands for Jinx! Heh." The man nervously chuckled, nodding. "How many ya got?" she asked him.

He smiled, looking down into his bowl. "Two boys. Twins," he said with a little more confidence and pride, "they're hitting double digits this year." From the tone and look of his face, Jinx could easily tell this man was a father.

"Light of your life, huh?" she wagered.

He nodded again. "You know how it is."

Jinx felt a swarm of joy pile up in her gut. "Yeah, I guess I kinda do," she smiled yearningly.

The man took a sip of his stew and chuckled. "How old are yours?"

Man, this giddiness would never end, huh? "Boy's twelve, the girl's thirteen," she answered.

The redhead smirked, raising his nearly empty bowl. "Well, I uh, guess here's to their futures, huh?"

She tilted her head in acknowledgement and lifted her empty hand, miming the cup that would be there. "To their futures," she softly agreed.

With that, the man finished his stew and pushed his empty bowl toward Jericho, bidding a goodbye to both of them. Weird. That was rare, talking with someone. Having a regular conversation. Jinx shrugged, turning back as Jericho slammed a plastic bag filled with three takeout boxes. "ORDER UP!"

She eagerly fished out for her coins, and handed him his payment. "Thanks, Jerry!" She tugged on the bag but was met with resistance, causing her to look up at the chef. She noticed his smile was wider than she'd ever seen.

"I LIKE THIS LOOK ON YOU," he told her in a surprisingly soft tone, "KEEP IT UP!" He released his grip and let her take the bag.

Jinx grinned back. "I will!" she said as she looped the bag strap onto her forearm. She then grabbed the mattresses and hefted them onto her back once again. "See ya!" she shouted as she ran off.

"STOP BY WITH THE KIDS SOME TIME!"

"Gotcha!" she yelled as she ran to the nearest alley. A quick climb and she was back running across rooftops. She couldn't get the joy out of her system though. Even Jericho was proud of her. She tugged on the mattresses. This was a symbol of her effort. She was trying.

Effort, huh?

She stopped in her tracks, carrying her gaze into the distance toward a direction her past wouldn't let her go to before. Earlier this morning, her thoughts strayed toward this place. She couldn't fathom the idea of wanting your own space from family but obliged the kids nonetheless. Yet she constructed something similar in the past. Something that gave her and her siblings an escape from the life of the Undercity right in plain view.

And that was how she found herself at the arcade, right at the window once again.

Jinx set the mattress and bag of food on the floor as she entered, taking in the sight.

It… hadn't changed. Not since that day she came back. Not since she returned during the whole hoopla that was Vi coming back. She only messed around with the punching machine. Everything else, remained the same from that Enforcer raid. She took a deep breath.

they want… space…

THEY WANT SPACE!

She shook her head, closing her eyes as she clenched her fists. Those were the voices she should fixate on.

"W-We just want some space," she recalled Evi's words back at their argument.

"I don't think we'll be leaving as much as you think," she remembered Zel's, back when they reconciled.

Jinx opened her eyes, and she could see it.

The machines hadn't been in use for over several years, but that didn't mean the chemtech couldn't be repaired or that it didn't work anymore. The window might've been smashed, but she could patch that. She chuckled, spinning around as she scanned her surroundings once more. Brighter, bigger lights, so it wouldn't feel as dark as their hideout. She looked at the pinball machine. More games, with more fun mechanics and sounds. She looked to the floor, kicking aside the dusted broken glass. More lounging furniture: couches, chairs, tables, probably a fridge?

Jinx giggled as she stepped back, taking in the sight once more with eager vigor.

This could be space. Their space.

She looked out into the street and grinned. It wasn't a populated street, but she could still work with patching the window up with metal sheets to keep it even more secret. There was the back exit through the shooting range, which would easily be the best place for them to come in and out of because of its seclusion. And overall? It was another project.

Jinx had her own project to work on.

—EVI—

Sleeping on a bed alone was… strange.

Evi turned around once again, cuddling Boon close as she spared yet another quick glance down the fan blade. She knew she was tired. She just spent the past few hours, setting up posts and painting, and after all that Jinx came home with celebratory Jericho's along with their mattresses. She sent their mattresses down the pulley system that they set up, which ran up from the side of the turbine with Jinx's workshop desk, all the way down to Evi's side of the turbine. After they offloaded it, Jinx took a look at their handiwork and professed great pride for them.

She thought Zel's wiring with the lights was brilliant.

And she thought Evi's art was adorable.

Compliments that, once upon a time, would've seemed cheap but now? Evi flushed and thanked Jinx for them. Jinx helped make their bed frames and deemed it time to eat. And after a hearty meal, Evi knew food fatigue was in effect too. But she still couldn't sleep. She tossed around again, flipping over and sparing another look toward the turbine.

She was being silly.

All that time in the streets, longing for a home, and here she was living her freaking dream. She had her own room, her own bed, and even a stuffed toy! But she just felt… uncomfortable? Evi sighed, turning over once again as she let her back lie flat, allowing her to stare upward. The post she set up near the foot of her bed, Zel had wired a neon blue sign with the words FREE DRINKS, which was the perfect amount of lighting to illuminate her space but also not bright enough to hurt her eyes.

She had her own space.

But Zel wasn't with her.

It was her idea and she was being stupid.

She picked up Boon and placed them on her chest, frowning at the toy. "Whattya think, huh?" Their diamond shaped black pupils stared back at her. "He wouldn't make fun of me, right?" More staring. "I can just check on him!" She nodded the toy's head, smiling. "Right!

With that, she placed Boon on her bed and quietly tiptoed her way over to the lower central hub. She could only think back how determined and overly eager he got the second he worked through his funk earlier. This was more than him wanting to prove to Jinx that he had great skills. It was obvious that he finally had an outlet, a major one bigger than his bombs, that could use his entire focus and energy. A month of pent up creativity finally could let loose!

As she reached the hub, she stopped and sighed. She also knew it was a distraction. For as much as she wanted the space, she knew he didn't want to distance themselves so quickly.

Zel had his home taken away. He lost it all. Having this distance, it must've pained him. The early days of their running, Zel ran her ears off about how much he missed his mom and his old home. But here they were, a home once again, and she was pushing space between them.

He didn't deserve that.

Pushing on, she rounded the turbine but gasped as she was met with the boy's face almost instantly.

"O-Oh!" he stepped back, nodding at her. "H-Hey!"

She rubbed her messy bangs out from her eyes. "Hey," she shyly waved. She pointed behind him, toward his bed. "Couldn't sleep?"

He nodded. "You too?"

She nodded back. "I was, uh, gonna check up on ya—"

"Me too!" he proclaimed.

They shared a chuckle, smiling at each other.

Then a moment passed, and she watched as his apprehensiveness grew as his confidence shrunk. "W-Well, if you're good, then I guess I'll just—"

"Hey," she spoke up, grabbing him by his wrist, "Do… do you wanna have a sleepover?"

He stared at her, shocked. "Wh… What?"

She ignored the wave of embarrassment swelling in her as she repeated, "A sleepover. Ya wanna… have one?"

Zel's eyes locked onto hers, and relief was pouring through her as she watched a sense of ease rise within him. He shot her a toothy grin as he pulled his arm back gently. "Who's room?"

She snorted, jerking her thumb back. "I just left Boon alone, so…"

He rolled his eyes, turning back. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he told her as he made his way back to his bedroom, "I'm just gonna get my pillow."

And with that, she retreated to her bed, scooting to the right side like usual as she curled up with Boon. Seconds later, Zel crawled in and took the left side, facing the other way. And that was all she needed. The exhaustion from practicing all day, doing a shit ton of handiwork, and the food fatigue finally had hit her. Her eyelids fell as sleep started to take over. Nothing had changed, not even the way she was sleeping. He was hardly even close to her.

But she knew he was okay.

And so she could sleep.

—JINX—

The rooms were great!

It had been several days since they set everything up, and every day since, the kids spent practically all day down in the lower level. It had been a bit nerve wracking for Jinx, to spend her time alone because she couldn't see or hear them anywhere in her vicinity. But she didn't have to stress as she would simply just hop out of her chair and make her way over to the edge of literally anywhere, then just sit. She'd just stare at them from above, and though they looked like small Poros, it was enough to reassure her that they were still here and still safe.

She could see Evi working away at her dummy or painting on the cardboard canvas or some other vacant negative space. She could see Zel's sparks from his gadgetry or the movement of his repaired toys milling about. Jinx would then smile. Because even from high up where she was, the small sight of them was again, simply enough. She would watch them for basically half an hour, scooting to different parts but all in all, sitting and looking over them.

Sometimes they would meet at the turbine and talk, sometimes they visit the other's room, other times they notice her staring and look up at her and wave (Evi would call her a stalker, but Jinx would just laugh). They still came up every now and then: for their daily routine of memorizing the tunnels, for meals, just to casually chat, to listen to the Zaunite Ring Fights, or even see what she was up to. Most of the time it would be Zel pulling her down to get her to check out his latest invention or repaired toy, or Evi showing her latest graffiti. They made quick use of the pulley system, treating it as a fun workout for the other but an elevator for the rider. A large and wide crate that was about Jinx's waist height, but nothing too heavy they couldn't manage without the simple law of physics and some gears helping out.

Her home was even more lived in than before, and it was all off one request.

She could only imagine how it would be when she was done with her project. Operation: Fix It was taking longer than anticipated, but Jinx didn't exactly have trouble sneaking out. The brats were so occupied with their new space they hardly asked or interrogated her about her whereabouts. But Jinx promised she wouldn't lie. So during a dinner last night, when Evi asked her where she was going, Jinx honestly answered, "I'm working on a surprise for you guys!"

That alone seemed to satisfy their curiosity, or at least, hold back on the inquiries. She was free to work!

Which, currently, she wanted to do. She had tons to do with the arcade, and did not have the right parts for what she needed. Which meant she had to go to Funsmith Amy's once again. Jinx had Fishbones, Pow-Pow, and her bag of Chompers all donned on her, as she ran to the edge of the railing. "Kiddies, I'm heading out!"

She heard the hustle of the two dropping whatever they were doing and sprinting toward the makeshift elevator, so she pulled the lever on her end. Patiently waiting by her desk, she smiled as she saw their heads pop up first around the railing. Before the container even stopped, the two hopped out from it and onto the central hub, rushing toward her.

"You're heading out?" Zel clarified.

She nodded.

"Another Chem-Baron job or 'the surprise'?" Evi guessed, wiggling her fingers.

"The surprise, sorta," Jinx shrugged. "I just need some parts and stuff so I'm gonna head to Amy's first. Just wanted to let you…" she trailed off as her eyes caught the time. It was 2:12 PM. They hadn't eaten lunch yet. Turning back, she placed her hand on her hip and smirked. "Actually, do you wanna tag along?"

The two blinked at her.

"R-Really?" Zel asked.

"Yup! Why not? It's lunch time, it's been a few days since we had Jericho's and last time I picked up our usual he did say he wanted me to bring ya along," she nonchalantly explained, "so how's 'bout we go eat at Jericho's then head to Funsmith Amy's?"

Evi glanced to Zel then to her. "Like, eat out, together?"

Jinx grinned. "Sounds fun?"

Zel darted straight back to the pulley platform, shouting, "Lemme get my undermines!"

Jinx snapped her fingers, nodding. "Smart! Protection, you'll need it!"

Evi turned and shouted, "Can you get my knife too?" as Zel made his way down.

"Gotcha!" he replied.

Turning back, she crossed her arms and shot Jinx an inquisitive look. "Does this mean we'll get to see the surprise too?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. Again, I need parts first. I ain't done yet!" She stepped forward and patted the girl's shoulder. "But trust me, Urchin, you're gonna love it!"

Evi smiled. "I do trust you," she earnestly replied.

As Jinx wallowed in that joy, Zel returned with his backpack of bombs and Evi's knife, handing it to her with enthusiasm. He nodded to Jinx, that he was ready to go, but Jinx watched Evi tuck her knife into her right boot like she did before.

Zel's bombs, well, were good deterrents to scare people off. But Evi? She didn't have that. To be honest, as adorable as the kids were, nothing about them screamed intimation. Vi had her reputation, Claggor had his size, much like Silco and Vander. In Zaun, walking the walk mattered as much as talking the talk. Powder couldn't do that. Jinx looked Evi up and down and decided: yeah, she had to fix this.

She made her way over to her workshop desk, grabbing her pistol from its holster clasp. "Alright, listen up E, if we're gonna be walking the streets and whatever, you're gonna need to be better armed than that shitty knife of yours," she said as she approached the girl, standing a foot away from her, "And no offence to your partner, but even with his size he don't got much of the intimidation down like you do."

A faint, "Hey!" came from the boy but the two ignored him.

Evi scoffed, jutting her hip out as she held her palm out. "Jinx, if this is a lesson in how to scare off trenchers and act tough, I learned that before I turned ten!"

"But actually pulling it off is somethin' else entirely, right?" she shot back, raising her brows.

Evi sighed, nodding. "So?"

"So," Jinx whipped out her pistol from her hip and spun it, before gesturing the handle toward the blonde, "you'll need this instead."

Evi's eyes widened as an impressed whistle trilled from Zel. "I-I don't know Jinx—" she stammered, pushing the gun away.

But Jinx pushed back, smiling as she tilted it over and pulled the magazine out. Turning it back, she unloaded the bullet in the chamber and dropped it into her palm, slyly sliding it back into the magazine with one hand as she kept the gun toward Evi. "There, now it's empty," she softly said.

The girl blinked at her, bewildered. She glanced to her partner but Jinx kept her gaze on her.

"I'll teach ya how to shoot later," she said. Narrowing her eyes, she explained, "For now, having it simply means the other guy doesn't, and brandishing it means the other guy has to think twice 'bout even talking to you." She gently placed the gun in Evi's hand, nodding with an encouraging smile. She turned back to her workshop desk swiped a small holster clasp, holding it out for her. "Ya can keep this on your leg. I'm trusting ya with it is simply 'cause out of the two of ya, you give off a stronger vibe that you wouldn't pull any punches or hesitate for anything."

Zel shrugged. "That's fair."

Evi looked up at her, then down at the gun, before gripping its handle. "Does… does this mean—"

"It's yours," Jinx finished, nodding. "Now slap it on and hurry up! We're burning daylight!" she ordered, rushing down the entrance wing.

Zel snorted as he followed after her. "You only know that because we have a clock now!"

Soon enough, Evi had her gun holstered on her right hip and the three were out of the cavern and making their way out of the tunnels. Wanting to test their experience, Jinx let the kids lead her to the marketplace. "If ya can get us there the fastest way, I'll make sure we get our usual. Otherwise? I'm only getting you guys the Kid's Combo."

And even though it was supposed to be a team thing, they turned it into a race, rushing straight ahead. Had it not been for her Shimmer blood, she honestly would've lost them. But thankfully, not only did she keep up, but they took her to the correct path too. The second they hit the rooftops, Jinx stopped the two and turned. "You stay close to me, got it? You catch wind of a pickpocket? Lemme know. If a molester comes at ya? Lemme know. A mugger tries? Lemme know. A baby with candy—"

"Jinx," Evi dryly spoke, "we get it." Her tone shifted into a gentle one as she said, "You're here to protect us now."

Jinx smirked. "You're darn right! Now follow me!"

Making their way to the market district hardly took any time, and soon enough, they were hopping down into an alley and walking straight into the crowd. The way they all parted at the sight of Jinx, but gaped and whispered at who she had at her sides, made her smile. No more secrecy. They could stare and gasp all they wanted. With Zel on her right side, and Evi to the left, Jinx eagerly grabbed their hands. She could feel the two jump at her suddenness, but she just smiled at them and kept walking. She felt a squeeze in each hand after that.

As they arrived at Jericho's, Jinx shouted, "Jerry! Guess who I brought with me today!" The fishman bellowed out a laugh and waved at the three as they approached the stall. It was then Jinx noticed the lanky redhead man from a few days ago, was sitting at his spot once again. She smiled at the man. "Hey!"

From the way he pushed his bowl, Jinx gathered he had just finished his meal. His body language still looked fearful, but he managed a small wave as he smiled at her. "Jinx! These your kids?"

Jinx proudly beamed at that as she took them to the counter, letting them sit together in the middle while Jinx took the other end. "They sure are!" she easily answered, gesturing toward them. She blinked for a moment, confused as to why their faces were red but carried on. "Zel, Evi, meet Paul!"

The redhead looked aghast. "U-Uh, I-I never told you my name? It's Varul." He nervously held his hand out behind the kids, prompting Jinx to shake it.

Wow, bold!

She giggled as she leaned forward and accepted his hand, winking at him. "Nice try, Paul!" She pulled back and shot her kids a smirk. "Thinks he can pull one over me! Hah!"

She turned to Jericho and made their orders, sliding her payment over to him. Though throughout the transaction she could see the corner of her eye, the kids and Paul exchange exasperated looks.

"Well, I'll leave you to your family outing, then," Paul announced as he stepped out of his seat. With a wave, he said, "Thanks for the meal, Jericho!" He stopped and smiled at Jinx, the nerves still obvious. "I-If you'd like, I can try and bring my boys here sometime and your kids could get to know them."

Jinx brightened at that. Play dates! Was that what it was called? She looked down at the kids and noticed their looks of… surprise? She scrunched her face up and shrugged. "Uhh, up to you guys?" she prompted them. They exchanged an apprehensive look, so Jinx shrugged and looked back at Paul. "Maybe another time?" she offered.

He smiled, nodding. "O-Okay. Have a nice day!" he waved to the kids then made his leave.

Wow… this was… weirdly nice.

"'Your kids', huh?" Evi quietly repeated, shooting Jinx a raised brow.

It was then Jinx realized what she had just said and what the kids were really gobsmacked about. She noticed Zel's shy look, and despite Evi's bravado, her curious eyes. Jinx smiled as she leaned onto the counter, raising a sly brow back. "Yeah? That cool with you?"

The two beamed back at her, not even needing to exchange a look.

"Yeah," Evi winked.

"Totally," Zel agreed.

Jinx turned to Jericho, who was watching their conversation over his shoulder, and smiled at his wide grin. "Ain't it great? A full order—no takeout!"

Jericho chuckled, shaking his head. "THAT AIN'T WHY I'M HAPPY, JINX!"

She furrowed a brow. "Then what?"

He nodded toward the kids and said, "I LIKE THIS LOOK ON YOU!"

Oh.

She looked back to her kids, who had big smiles, then back to him. With a smirk, she shrugged. "Yeah, I like this look too," she admitted.

"Janna, if I knew eating out together would be this fuckin' cheesy I would've said no," Evi dryly quipped.

Zel snorted. "Liar. You're totally eating this shit up too."

She scoffed. "Only thing I'm eating up is Jerry's good ol' Cutpurse Combo!"

A groan came from the chef. "NOT YOU TOO!" He shot Jinx a frown. "YOU CAN'T BE CORRUPTING THESE WITH THE WAY YOU REMEMBER NAMES!"

Jinx balked. "Whattya mean? I'm great with names! Ain't that right, Rookie? Urchin?" With that, the group laughed.

Eating lunch at Jericho's was… different. She hadn't done it since she first started looking for her "bomber inmposter" but the times she did, she was content with relishing in the food all by her lonesome. A few quips and exchanges with Jericho, and she would be off. This time? She finished her meal at a slower pace, fine with soaking in the presence of the kids and their banter with Jericho. The way they laughed and talked about her cooking compared to his, the way they ate up his stories about how when she was little she and her siblings would try to leave without paying—Jinx just watched in awe.

Her mind flew off into a time where she sat in the very seat Zel was in, eagerly swaying for her bowl to come. A time where instead of Evi, it was Vi sat there bargaining with Jericho. Where the seat she was currently on was actually Claggor's, and the other end Mylo's. A time where sometimes those end seats would be just Vander and her, or her and Vi. A time that was normal then.

But…

As Evi belched out the last of her meal, with Zel choking with laughter on a soda he asked for halfway through his meal, Jinx just smiled.

This was her normal now.

Parting from their delicious meal, she waved goodbye to her longtime friend. Right, because that was what he was. "Hey, Jerry?" she called out, her hands on Zel and Evi's shoulders. "Thanks for the meal," she softly told him.

She felt the kids' head jerk—likely exchanging glances—before they turned to Jericho as well.

"Yeah, thanks!" Zel said.

"Best food there is!" Evi cheered.

Jericho smirked, nodding. "THANKS FOR EATING IT!" He waved back at them. "COME AGAIN! AND AS THE WHOLE FAMILY TOO—I'LL KICK OUT ANYONE TAKING UP YOUR SPACE!"

Jinx cackled. "I'll hold ya to that!" She spun the kids around and strolled. "C'mon brats, time to head to Amy's."

Ducking into the alleyway and making their way up to the roof wasn't hard for her, but the kids felt a tad sluggish with post food fatigue. She could only click her teeth and shame. "Ya gotta learn how to be alert if you're gonna venture without me!"

Evi rolled her eyes. "It's Jericho's. Give us a break," she shot back.

They parkoured their way over to Amy's, this time Jinx taking the lead. Zel wondered if her supplier would truly be okay with her showing up with them and Jinx reassured them it wasn't a big deal. Amy kept her place hidden because it meant less chances of people trying to sell her out, rob her, or attack her. Plus, she had an easy way of choke holding anyone trying to make a play on her spot. But also, Jinx told them if she had a problem she'd have to shove it, though she highly doubted she would have to say that.

"How'd ya meet her anyway?" Evi asked as they leapt another gap.

"Hah! Ahh what a fun time that was!" Jinx giggled. Looking over her shoulder she shouted, "It was actually an accident! Dunno how many years ago it was!" They reached the last rooftop just above the alley and she stopped them, letting the kids catch their breath. "I was runnin' from Piltover's Finest—"

"Your sister?" Zel gently clarified, panting. "And… her wife?"

Evi crossed her arms and scoffed. "The Sheriff and her lapdog. Enforcer couple," she bitterly mumbled.

Jinx nodded, shrugging. "Many names they're known by, yeah, but the two were chasing me 'cause I blew up a car factory Topside." She held her finger up. "This was before Zaun's independence by the way, so they had all the rights to chase me down here." She crossed her arms and sighed, remembering the day. "I was running for probably 'bout an hour. Then I got to this very rooftop," she tapped her foot against it, "and hopped down on instinct. Thought it was narrow enough that my sister's fat hands couldn't fit in!" The two giggled at that..

She motioned the two to follow her before hopping down, leading them toward her shop. Looking over her shoulder, she smirked at the captivated looks on their faces as she spoke. They really hung onto every word, huh? "So yeah, I waltzed around and toward that door," she nodded ahead of them at the steel door. "I was surprised that it was unlocked, but decided it was as good a place as any to hide." When they arrived at the door, she opened it, letting the two walk in front of her as she continued talking, "So I came, saw all this…"

She let the fascination of their faces grow as they scanned the shop. The guns, weapons, scrap everything on display. Jinx could only guess they were feeling the same awe she had the first time she walked in. "Then, when I walked up to that counter, I saw her pop her head out and pointed that gun at her," she explained, walking up and tapping Evi's gun on her thigh. Jinx chuckled a bit. "But the first thing she said was—"

"'You want a detachable sight for that?'" Amy's pitchy voice came in, as the black haired woman strolled in from the back. Her grin fell as a confused look grew, no doubt because she noticed Jinx's company.

Jinx smiled. "First time I met someone who was so casual with me, so I stayed." She shrugged. "Left that night with a new supply of Shimmer."

"That's crazy," Evi muttered.

"Crazy cool," Zel corrected, smiling in awe as he glanced between the two older women.

Amy chuckled, pointing her finger toward them. "What's with the sumprats?"

The blue haired woman proudly smiled, placing her hands on their shoulders as she tugged them close. "My kids!"

Amy's eyes went wide. "Whoa, you got yourself a pair of brats? Rumors are true then!" She leaned over on the counter, slamming her palms on it as she looked at the kids. "This must've been who the mattresses were for, eh?"

"Yup, they're my brats." She raised her hands and placed them on their heads, shaking each one respectively as she introduced, "Evi and Zel."

Zel offered a shy wave as Evi nodded, smacking Jinx's hand off her.

"How's life been with Jinx?" she asked, curiosity obviously peaked.

"Great," Zel beamed.

Evi smirked. "Awesome."

Amy looked up and winked at Jinx. "Suddenly a lot of things these past few weeks have been making sense." She straightened up and gestured all around her. "So whattya need! You here to resupply or parts for your—"

"Ah, ah!" Jinx held her palm out. "That is a secret surprise. But yeah, I'm here to collect on those parts and sift around for anymore ya got." She stepped forward and jerked her thumb at her brats. "Just thought I'd bring them along for funsies."

Amy blinked at her. "You brought them along… when you're collecting parts for something that is a surprise… for them?"

The kids chuckled.

"That's Jinx," Zel mused.

"It stands for Jinx," Evi quipped, winking at the woman herself.

Jinx beamed at the two. Janna, they were cool. She turned back and said, "I know the parts ya got that I need are in the back anyways so we can talk shop there." She turned back and waved her hand, gesturing toward the wall of guns. "If ya see somethin' ya want lemme know. Don't steal it—I'll buy."

Their eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"Are ya serious?"

Jinx just blankly stared at them, letting the obvious answer hang.

Amy giggled. "Awww, they're so cute!" She tapped Jinx's shoulder. "Don't worry—I actually do got the parts ya need! I can get them for you and cover it up so these two won't see nothing. Just give me a sec," she quietly told her before disappearing into the back.

When Jinx turned to check on the kids, she found Zel looking over the box filled with tools, holding a soldering iron. Meanwhile, Evi had her eyes on a small black fanny pack with over a dozen bullet loops, but she kept her distance from it in favour of just staring. Jinx just sighed, loudly, gathering their attention. "Ya want me to buy 'em?"

Zel spoke first. "I-I just thought," he moved tool around in his hands, "if I had my own I wouldn't be using yours so much."

Jinx nodded. "Fair. And ya deserve to have your own too." She walked over and plucked the soldering iron out from his hands. "Sift through any other tools ya might want too, and put 'em on the counter," she told him as she tossed the tool on the table. She turned to Evi and raised brow. "Now what 'bout you?"

Evi shrugged halfheartedly. "I dunno… it looks cool," she said in a soft voice. "I thought… if you're giving me this," she looked down at the gun on her leg, "having a way to store its ammo would be nice?"

Jinx smirked. "Not only does it in fact look cool and is nice," she matter of factly told the blonde, "But that's also smart! That small satchel of yours would be better used for other stuff." She walked over the mannequin it was buckled on and took it off, tossing it onto the counter as well. But she caught Evi's small frown. "What now?"

Evi sighed. "I just… can't we pay for our own things? We have our own coins."

"I already told ya Urchin," Jinx said with a stern voice, raising her finger toward her. "That money is yours and yours to spend, but if I can splurge on ya then I will. You should be saving it up anyways." She walked over to the counter, rubbing the girl's messy hair as she passed. "It's seriously not a big deal, sheesh."

Before anymore more objections could rise, Amy returned with a sealed wooden crate. She plopped it down on the counter. "Here it is!" she announced. "Same price as the last supply," she told Jinx, who was already handing the woman her payment.

"No peaking?" Evi teased as she tiptoed near the crate.

Jinx yanked the blonde back by the collar of her shirt. "Only if ya could get by me." The blonde stuck her tongue out at her and Jinx mirrored the gesture. Zel approached the counter, placing a hammer, screwdriver, and drill alongside the other items. Jinx smiled down at him. "That all?"

He sheepishly nodded.

Amy whistled as she observed the items laid out. "You an inventor, kid?" she asked.

Jinx snorted. "Not just any inventor. Brat's the one responsible for all those chemtech bombs a month ago Topside!"

Amy's eyes widened. "Damn, really?"

Another shy nod while Evi elbowed him with an encouraging smile.

"You got a real duo on yours hands, huh Jinx?" the woman joked, glancing back at her.

Jinx shrugged, tugging the two close once again. "How much for 'em?"

Amy gave the items another once over, rolling her tongue around in her cheek as she hummed. "I'd say… thirty-four silver cogs."

That wasn't a bad price, but… "Really?" Jinx pouted and crouched down, letting her head poke out as she gave the kids' shoulders a squeeze, silently getting them to follow her lead. "Even though it's their first time?" she said in a gentle voice.

A quick glance on either side, and she internally grinned at the doe eyed faces the two were shooting at her. Evi's was definitely better, but Zel's lack of experience and shyness still sold well.

Amy sighed at the sight of them. "Really?"

Jinx quivered her lip. "C'mon Ames, for these adorable kids?"

The woman rolled her eyes and held her palm out. "Twenty-two silver cogs, but that's as low as I'm going." She shot Jinx a playful scowl. "And that's already saying something since it was already a good deal."

Jinx pleasantly smiled, standing up and fishing out twenty-two silver cogs. "Yeah, but, gotta haggle when ya can," she replied as she dropped the money in the woman's hand.

She shook her head and chuckled. "Of course." She threw the three a two fingered salute. "Have a nice evening! Hope to see ya kids 'round more!"

"Bye!" Zel waved.

"Thanks for the supplies!" Jinx shouted as they exited the door. Walking into the alley, Jinx smiled at the sight of the kids. Zel eagerly stuffed his tools into his backpack as Evi clasped her fanny pack around her waist with an eager smile. She wanted to see those smiles everyday. Which meant her surprise needed to be worked on.

Once they made their way up the roof, Jinx shot the two a playful smirk. "Now I gotta go put these parts to use for that surprise of yours but can't have ya seeing it. So you know what that means?"

Zel gasped. "You're letting us find our way back? Alone?"

She nodded, still holding her smirk.

Evi sheepishly rubbed her arm. "You sure we're ready?"

Jinx chuckled. "We'll find out! This is the deep end, my lil' Urchin, so if ya wanna prove it to me I'll be seeing you guys back home when I return!" She watched the two exchange a silent conversation, assessing the other's readiness with their eyes, and sighed. "Worst case scenario? If ya don't know where to go just get out of the tunnels, and make your way back to the marketplace's tunnel entrance and just wait there. I'll enter through that way when I head back home."

"But how long will we have to wait if we don't remember and end up waiting there?" Zel nervously asked.

Jinx mischievously grinned. "A while! My surprise project is a bit of an investment, so consider it a punishment and motivator to keep on memorizing or else you'll be out waiting!"

"That's cruel and unusual punishment," Evi dryly remarked.

She snorted. "Pfft, have ya met me? I can be waaay more cruel and unusual—that's a courtesy, brat!" She waved. "Happy finding your way home! Oh, and don't try to follow me and ruin your surprise—

"You'll know," the two said together nodding.

"Yeah, yeah," Evi muttered.

"We got it, Jinx," Zel commented.

With that, the three went their separate ways. In all honesty, deep down, Jinx had faith the kids could find their way back without her. She doubted it'd be the fastest way—with them no doubt just trying out the paths they know most—but they'd find a way nonetheless. She was confident in that.

Jinx made her way over the arcade, smiling like a madwoman every step, leap, and hop of the way.

This was something she should do more often! Outings with the kids? Showing them off to the Undercity? It was exhilarating just walking around with them. From the looks on their faces, she could tell they enjoyed it as much as she did. Or maybe just a bit. Or maybe not at all. Because she was smothering them obsessively—

Jinx shook her head, maintaining her pace as she neared the arcade spot.

She wouldn't let that train of thought win.

They had real smiles and laughs when they ate at Jericho's. They had real awe and curiosity when they shopped at Amy's. And they wanted to come with her today. Jinx was certain that today's experience was definitely not going to be a one time thing. But as fun as it was, they still deserved the space she promised. Once she arrived at the arcade, she hopped down into the back alley entrance. There were actually two entrances to the arcade, the back alley and one from the roof. It was a more tight, vent crawl space kinda entrance, so Jinx didn't bother patching it since it only collected dust. She did have plans to put a code lock on the back door, soon, but for now settled with covering the door with a dumpster bin. As she swung the door open and walked in, Jinx hurriedly darted over to the power switch.

And once it flicked on, her smile grew once more.

Big bright lights, machines whirring and moving, and the hum of chemtech powering through it all.

The shooting range was up and running, faster and more sleek than ever. The punching machine still worked but now had been tweaked so it wouldn't creak as much when it moved. The pinball machine was working again, and had pink neon lights strobing around it. The window had been sealed and welded shut with metal sheets, hiding this place from the public streets. There was even a new machine set up: skeeball, that took the free wall opposite of the punching machine side. And just to the left of it, a pool table that doubled as a regular table!

With a content sigh, Jinx dropped her box onto the floor and clasped her hands together. It was time to get to work!

She still needed to make sure the skeeball machine worked and also had some bright neon lights. The pool table also required some stylistic graffiti (and some missing pool balls). And the overhead lights themselves needed well, more. It was still just a tad dim than she liked. She cracked right away, working on the skeeball machine's wiring. With its back panel pulled back, she began her test on each wire, chuckling to herself as the sparks flew.

This feeling.

Working here nearly every day.

The past should've screamed at her, but she ignored it. It didn't ripple through her body like a painful sting anymore. It just… melded with her. She couldn't focus on the pain of what this place once was when she could remember the fun it sparked. The kind of fun that made bad days go away. And now? It was going to be fun that passed down to her kids. That was motivation enough to tell herself the past could go screw itself.

No matter how much it wanted to show up.

"Jinx?"

She sprang out from the skeeball machine's inside and yanked Pow-Pow off the ground, spinning it up as she aimed at the intruder. Her eyes widened as she realized who was standing before her.

The past.

With a smirk, she tilted her head. "Little Man! How ya been?"

---

A/N: What, you think we'd cut straight to Violyn without rehashing an old friend first? C'mon now!

I'm not really much of a cliffhanger guy, but my gut told me this was the play so who knows? Hope you're okay with that? Also, sorry TimeBomb shippers, I will NOT be doing anything of the sort in this fic. I can't even guarantee Ekko will be much of a returning character in the same vein as Sevika. But I WILL say this next chap will have a lot of Ekko in the beginning!

Oh, and if you're curious what the other songs Jinx recorded were, well, Djerv was the artist responsible for Jinx's vocals in Get Jinxed. Go ahead and listen to some of their work! Their lead singer, Agnete Kjølsrud's voice and style is still of a similar genre to Get Jinxed, so it's not hard to imagine some of those songs being stuff Jinx would sing in TMUT canon.

Zel and Evi having their own rooms but wanting to sleep next to each other is definitely something I took from Gravity Falls with Mabel and Dipper at the end of "Carpet Diem". Thought it was a fun nod but also a good way of showing their bond, that adjusting to domesticity is still a bit of a process.

Also, Imma be honest, I'm at the point now where I've written him and his business so much I kinda wanna try Jericho's food in real life. I IMAGINE it must taste great. But that's just my imagination. I've written this chef's food so much that even I start to crave it.

Apologies for this chap's weird pacing by the way. I will admit, this chapter has a fair amount of padding around and I hope it's understood why that is. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter in some way nonetheless!

Next chapter update: [EDIT] September 9th!

Stay safe and stay lovely y'all.

Until next time,

- Bleh