"My boy… are you sure you want to do this?" Heimerdinger pleaded nervously as the final hour approached.
They stared at the make-shift podium, a pile of rotwood raised by barrels on the dock. Seagulls beaconed their welcome as the clouds drifted overhead revealing rays of sunlight on the stage.
"Yes. I'm not going to hide her away like some dirty secret. It's not fair to her, or them. She chose to be here - we all did."
Jinx stood leaning against a wall in the corner, quietly listening to the conversation.
"Ekko," she said softly. He turned his head to meet her gaze. "Come here."
She slowly walked toward him, meeting him halfway in the staging area. She grabbed his right hand and placed it on her diaphragm, placed her left hand on his, nuzzled her forehead against his, and closed her eyes.
"Breathe," she whispered in a tone only he could hear.
She led the dance.
In.
Out.
He followed.
In.
Out.
"You got this," she said, "...and in case you don't, I rigged the stage so we can make our getaway."
He opened his eyes, smiling, staring into amethyst eyes, floating in a pool of void. They knew what was at stake. There was no room for error. If he can't deliver, he was going to be left with a choice he wasn't prepared to make. He spent the first year tracking her down for the wrong reasons, and second year tracking her down for the right one. He understood how much faith she put in him, agreeing to come back to Sanctuary to help rebuild. She just needed the same in return.
"I don't think there's enough explosives in Zaun to get away from this," he replied, quietly.
"...try me," she responded with a laugh, eyes glowing ever so brightly.
"It won't come to that," he replied.
He gathered her hands in his own, gently kissed them, and made his way towards the edge of the stage.
"Hey," he said, looking back at her, "about the stage… you're kidding… right?"
"I have no idea," she said with a devilish grin and a wink, "let's hope we don't find out. Do what you do best, boy savior - go save them all."
Heimer sighed, gripping his beard in anticipation for what came next. Ekko was absent from the Sanctuary for two years. Heimer did what he could to keep the community together, but he was never a leader - only a thinker. Things changed in the time Ekko left to track down Jinx. Promises were made on his behalf during his absence. Promises that needed to be addressed. He didn't know if Ekko truly understood this.
But he had faith in the child. In the many years that he walked this world, Heimerdinger understood there was no power greater than hope.
An abandoned warehouse was all he was able to muster in the aftermath of the assault. He used his council connections to make sure it stayed off the books. While he could provide the space needed to maintain the status quo, he could never provide the spirit. That was Ekko's job, and he never dared to pretend otherwise.
Ekko took a deep breath and stared at the podium. It was make-or-break time. Either he could give the people that believed in him renewed hope, or all was lost. The introduction of his new friend will make things… complicated. He knew the history, intimately. For many years,she was an enemy. His community saw her vindictively gun down its members in cold blood Now, it was up to him to convince them she had changed. That she could help. That she mattered.
It was an impossible sell.
But he understood, and importantly, how to beat odds. They said the sanctuary was impossible, until it was a possibility. They built it together. Now he needed to do the same for her. For them.
Ekko took a deep breath and stepped on the stage.
The thirsty gallery erupted into cheers and applause. Their leader was home, ready to guide them to the next evolution of their home. All was right in a world full of wrongs.
He gazed out into the crowd. Faces.. Some familiar. Some new. Some missing. All ecstatic. The crowd buzzed with excitement. Parents propped their children on their shoulders so they could gaze upon this monumental occasion. This was a time for celebration, and they were sure not to miss the party.
Ekko ended his walk, placing his stature center stage. He closed his eyes, basking in the energy of the crowd, which in turn made their cheers turn into roars.
Breathe.
In.
Out.
He held out an open hand, calling for an end to the applause. They reacted accordingly.
"Two years," he began.
"It has been two years since I stood before you. Two long, hard years." He scanned the crowd, intentionally making eye contact with each member before him.
"I want to tell each and every one of you that I am sorry. I am sorry I was away from you for so long. I am sorry I wasn't here when they came to our doorsteps. To destroy everything we bled for. Our heart…"
"You're our heart, Ekkko!" an excited crowd member yelled in the front row, met with applause from the rest of the constituents. "And now it's back!" another yelled from the side. The crowd cheered in unison - a community, bound together through faith and strength.
He smiled, gesturing with his hands for a reprieve once more.
"Our heart lies not with one individual, but a group of individuals. Our collective. They thought taking our homes would take from us that which made us strong, but their actions could not break us. Their actions could not take from us. As we all know, there is nothing that they can take from us that we cannot get back. There is nothing of ours that they can destroy that we cannot rebuild. "
The crowd once again broke into cheers and applause, in admiration of their leader.
"I want to thank you all for the dedication, the courage, and the sacrifice it took to survive. None of us, standing here today, would be here without each other. As long as we are together, this… will never fall."
His words were met with jubilation from the crowd.
Ekko turned his attention to Heimerdinger, who was standing slightly off-stage.
"I want to thank one individual in particular for his efforts in continuing the work we do here, in my absence. Heimerdinger. Thank you for everything that you did for us during these troubling times. I believe if you were not here with us, we would be scattered in the winds. You provided all of us with the guidance we needed to stay strong, and not lose hope. You kept us together, and we are forever indebted to you."
Scattered applause and acknowledgement fluttered amongst the crowd. Heirmerinder was an outsider, relatively new. But so were many of them. Where they came from didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was that they were together, at this moment in time.
Ekko took a deep breath.
"I know you've all been wondering where I've been these last two years. What mission was so important that would keep me gone for so long."
He paused, once again.
"Please… help them understand," he thought to himself.
"I wish I could give you a better explanation. You are entitled to it, all of you. I left you to hunt down the person responsible for the civil war that brought turmoil and chaos to our front door, in hopes that bringing her to justice would bring us peace. But as you all know, that didn't happen. I couldn't reach her in time, before…"
He didn't need to continue. He spoke on the event, and wasn't able to recant it agan. Every time he thought about it hurt just a little more. He only heard news of it. They lived through it. And he wasn't there for them when they needed him most.
"I stand here before you, not as your leader, but as your brother. I know what you've endured - all of you. All of us. I wish I could come to you with news that would end this suffering, that would leave every soul gathered here with a sense of peace as we move forward into the next chapter of our lives. Unfortunately, I also recognize that for us to build the next chapter, we will need help. Allies."
Ekko tightened his fists and raised his chest, preparing himself for what came next.
"That is why I have asked Jinx, a daughter of Zaun, to help us rebuild, and propel us towards a life of belonging, and community."
The crowd remained in silence. Surely, this was a jest? A way to bring levity to an insurmountable situation? Jinx, the one that had taken so much from them, the one that laid the groundwork for the war that brought so much misery to their lives, was just an obvious punchline? Their leader placed his trust on an unpredictable young woman born out of chaos and strife. Now, he was asking them to do the same.
Ekko turned his attention off-stage. "Jinx… if you could join me, please."
A slender figure slowly made her way center stage, pigtails swaying in unison, eyes glowing ever so brightly. She made a promise to him, to help him save his home as he helped her save herself. That meant something to her, and she wasn't ready to throw it away. Not now.
She smiled at the crowd, shyly waving with her right hand while keeping her left arm behind her back.
"Hi there," she said sheepishly.
The crowd remained stunned, unsure of how to react.
Ekko. Jinx.
Two wayward souls, joined in trial by fire, for as long as time, and circumstance, would allow it.
If only circumstance would allow it.