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.

17. Chapter 17

A/N: Honestly kind of nervous about this one, but I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless! It's very late but, Happy New Years to you all, and hope you stick around with me into this year (not just with this fic series)!

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Chapter Summary: The aftermath of yesterday's dinner lingers, with Piltover's Finest and Jinx all reflecting on this new foot forward. The only question now: how will they make it last?

Word Count: 17,583

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—JINX—

Working with Caitlyn to concoct a brilliant scheme was just going to be another thing on the list of, "Wow, never thought that'd happen!" But they were here nonetheless. They resigned themselves back to the living area, with Vi and Cait on the couch while Jinx sat on the table, her feet up on her couch between the two. Vi and Jinx were readily eager to hear this plan, waiting with attentive ears. Caitlyn explained that it isn't necessarily a pardon that they're looking for, but rather full immunity. At that, the sisters chuckled.

"Okay that's even crazier," Vi muttered.

"I agree! And I know crazy! Look at her everyday in the mirror!" Jinx exclaimed.

Vi turned to her with a raised brow. "You have a mirror?"

"Dur? The fuck you think's in my bathroom? Just non-reflective surfaces?" Jinx blew a raspberry. She flipped her left braid over her shoulder as she smirked. "Can't look this good everyday without doing some touching up!"

Her sister snorted. "Can hardly tell you do anythin'."

"Oh like you know style, Miss Face Label Tattoo!"

"Ladies," Caitlyn blanky spoke, making the two shut their lips. "First off, the mirror is lovely," she told Vi, making Jinx beamed proudly. "Second, getting immunity is not far off from a full pardon, and if anything, is a lot better for your circumstances."

Jinx's smirk grew. "'Cause ya know I'm still gonna commit crimes."

Caitlyn just stared.

"Hey we all know it!" she defended, gesturing around them. The woman kept staring. Ohhh, right, she can't actually say that she does. "Ahhh, nevermind." She waved her hand. "Proceed, Lady Kiramman!" she prompted, holding her palm out to her.

The Sheriff smiled at that. "That, is the point I was trying to get to. As a person with political status, you can be granted diplomatic immunity and a full pardonship."

Jinx blinked. Giving her a political title? Okay that was crazy. "Yeah? Well who up there is gonna give it to me?" she shot back as she crossed her arms and quirked a brow. "Even if some of the councillors are for me like you say, you guys do things by majority vote. And I doubt any of them expected this wrapping up with giving me immunity." She snorted. "Especially since persecuting me is still a priority."

"It's not them that will grant you it," the Sheriff stated with a knowing smile.

Huh?

Who else—

Wait.

Whaaaaaat.

"No fucking way," Jinx exclaimed, realizing what Caitlyn was getting at. "The Barons?"

Vi's eyes widened, ever the slow one, gasping as she glanced between the two. "What? How?"

"As the symbiotic partner to Piltover, Zaun is recognized to be governed by its own laws and order. The Barons and Baronesses are untouchable because of their status and what they do for Zaun. Without one, collapse would occur," she reminded the two. "It's why Renata Glasc is able to operate in Piltover as much as she does," Caitlyn muttered with a frown. "There's always a lot of red tape surrounding these issues. In fact, my investigation regarding Sevika was strained because the Barons valued her as an important employee and person of status."

"That was why she was able to shirk the blame to Zel and Evi," Vi pieced together.

"But since you now are essentially employed in her stead—"

"You think they'll just hand me a diplomatic status? Just like that?" Jinx remarked.

Caitlyn bristled a bit. "Well, not just like that, but…" she gestured to her, smiling, "you're The Loose Cannon. Surely, you have your own ways of asking for things."

Jinx's grin grew widely at that. The Sheriff of Piltover, was basically encouraging her to threaten the Chem-Baron Council! Oh today could not get any better! But still, that was a lot of political responsibility to fill. "I dunno though Caity-Cait, I don't know if I could handle that kinda title. Feels… too snobby for me. No offence!" she quickly tacked on.

"None taken," Caitlyn replied.

"But also, as someone married to this whole deal?" Vi chimed in, pointing to her partner. "Yeah it is snobby," she remarked, receiving an elbow to her stomach. "Ouch."

"Not helping," her wife muttered, making Vi pout. Sighing, Caitlyn looked to Jinx. "You don't need to accept a role as Baroness or anything. Nor do you need to really do anything warranting political action. You just need them to give you a title or status that officially comes with diplomatic immunity," she explained to her. Jinx bit her upper lip, thinking it over. That did sound funny. "Also, think of your kids!" Caitlyn eagerly pointed out. That had her perked her ears attentively. "If Evi is striving to become a Baroness, and Zel wants to get into trade with his inventions, you'd be setting a good example for them and supporting them by attributing yourself to some status!"

Jinx snorted. "Well played, Hat Lady, for playing the trump card that is my children," she joked, making the two chuckle. "But, I don't think that kinda stuff is for me." Though that didn't mean she couldn't think of something similar. "Buuut but, that also don't mean I don't think your idea ain't bad! Actually, I think I can elaborate on it! Tomorrow morning, the Barons have an early meeting—I think I'll hit them up then!"

"Did you just use a triple negative in a sentence?" Caitlyn inquired.

"Sounds good to me!" Vi cheered.

Jinx smiled between the two as she placed her hands on her lap. "Whelp, if that's everything settled?" she said leadingly.

It was a bit of an awkward fumble between the three rising out of their seats, but Jinx held her smile. They gathered all their things and she led them back toward the vault door. As she unlocked it, she sheepishly smiled while the two stood before her, near the edge of the fan blade. Seconds of silence passed as they exchanged glances and smiles. This… was weird.

Should—

"Can we hug?" Vi abruptly asked, her face all scrunched.

Jinx nearly sighed out of relief as she smiled. "A hug would be nice, yeah," she whispered as she held her arms out.

The two stepped forward and embraced. It felt a bit clunky with Vi's massive hands but Jinx still revelled in her sister's comfort. Janna, so many years to this moment. And more moments like these to come. The voices were on the verge of screaming at her. Warnings and whispers about not to trust, to take it for granted, to screw it up—she soaked up the hug even more. This… was something they both were fighting for now. Pulling back, she chuckled at her sister's teary eyes and dopey grin. What a sap.

She turned to Caitlyn and held her arms out for her. Vi seemed more surprised than her, but Caitlyn still accepted, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around her.

She hugged the woman with a tenderness she never thought she'd ever have toward her, and it was reciprocated. Hugs with her kids… she knew what reciprocatory warmth and care felt like. Titling her head upward, she whispered, "Thanks for your help too."

"It was my pleasure," she easily replied, "I do care about you too, you know?"

Jinx chuckled, nodding against her.

That was another thing she had to get a grasp on too…

Pulling back, she awkwardly fumbled with her hands, pulling her left braid over her shoulder as she smiled at the two. Vi's dopey grin had grown tenfold as Caitlyn held her polite smile. This… it wasn't goodbye. They made sure of that tonight. Jinx smiled, tilting her head to the side as her bangs fell. Yes. It wasn't a goodbye… just…

"'Til next time?" she said.

"Until next time," Vi nodded, smiling.

Good.

Jinx chuckled. "And for the love of Janna, sis, give the Ring Fights a listen some time, will ya? It ain't even 'bout Zaunite cred at this point, it's just for your sake as a fighter!"

Vi laughed, holding up her giant hands placatingly. "Okay, okay, I'll make sure we get our radio back home to tune in next time." She shifted on her hip and tilted her head, holding her big dumb grin. "See you next time, Pow-Pow," she softly said.

Without thinking, Jinx raced forward for another embrace, hugging her sister with all her might one last time. Vi awkwardly reciprocated, but it didn't feel any less comforting than before. This… was real. Just like her and her kids. And it felt good. Pulling away, Jinx smiled as she stepped toward the door while the two hopped back into the tunnel.

Vi cupped her giant hand near her face. "Bye kids!" she shouted, letting her voice echo out.

No response, making the woman's shoulders wilt.

Jinx chuckled. "Least they didn't cuss ya out," she appeased, placing her hand on the vault door.

Vi smirked with a conceding shrug as her wife placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She shot the two with a warning look. "Goes without saying but arcade's off limits. No one else is allowed there—not even me—unless they're invited, got it?" The two nodded. "Good," she smiled. "Now get outta here."

"Take care, Jinx," Caitlyn waved.

"Right back at ya," she replied, closely closing the door. As the two turned away, waving Jinx shouted, "Careful of the tripmine!" Their smiles faded into the dark tunnel, and then the door closed shut. She let out a sigh as she turned her back to the door. Janna, what a day. And it wasn't over yet! Her eyes cast down to the lower fans, where she could see her brats in their respective workshop areas. Evi was painting and Zel was working on his Shimmer Pump, she could tell that much even from her height.

"Alright, brats, they're gone!" she shouted. "I'm coming down!"

Calling up the lift and taking it down, Jinx took a deep breath. Today was… a lot. Suddenly all the highs from yesterday's party were all but forgotten the second Piltover's Finest entered their safe space. Their safe space. They were about to play and have fun there… and then it was all thrown out the window. Jinx made the bold move of further inviting the conflict into their home but she just took a leap. It was a leap that was no different than the one she took into that alley seven months ago.

It was family matters… and selfishly? She wanted to make her family a bit bigger too. Her note, their talk in that empty quad—it was parts of herself she thought she was ready to let go. But seeing them near the kids and bringing them here opened Jinx's eyes to a wish she never knew she had. Her dreams for her children were different, they were essentially facts or constants that she would always stand behind: like breathing or hunger, those were thoughts she would always prioritize.

"Be it my wife, me, or even your kids, your own needs should come first."

She hummed to herself as the lift neared the bottom. "Is it worth it?" she muttered to herself. Should what she wants get in the way of what her kids wanted? As the lift came to a stop, Jinx glanced up and realized Zel was now in Evi's training/studio space, sitting a bit away from her as she painted. Though the second the lift stopped, the blonde stopped what she was doing and turned back, pulling down her face mask as she set down her spray can. Painting delicately was what she did to focus, but graffiti or spray painting was what Evi did to get her emotions out. But the glare the girl had as she turned around was all Jinx needed to know that splotch art of an angry green and pink monkey hadn't worked out all her aggressions yet.

She hopped out of the lift and gave the two a wave, smiling as she stepped onto the fan blade.

"So… how'd it go?" Evi asked.

Jinx chuckled before she neared the two and stood before them. "We talked, and well, I think we're on the path to becoming real close again," she explained, letting her voice dip into a hopeful tone. Saying it… it made her "wish" feel more real too. Yet she noticed how her daughter clicked her teeth and how her son frowned at her answer. Letting the vulnerability seep through, she softly added, "I… I kinda wanna visit them Topside, some time."

"What?" her kids exclaimed.

She cringed a bit, holding up her hands placatingly. "Don't worry, Caity-Cait worked out an idea that I think'll be pretty clever." She jerked her thumb behind her as she said, "Just gonna head over to the Barons' tomorrow first thing in the morning to get it all sorted out."

The two shared a look, silently fighting over their emotions, before Evi turned and looked up at her. "But… why do you wanna go Topside?" she asked, almost sounding confused.

"I don't, not really. And it's not immediately either," she explained, "but it's for my sister, and her family." Jinx frowned. "I… I won't make you two come, but I just… I also want to show Vi I'm there for her too. That I'm serious 'bout this." This was… scarily hitting close to home in terms of the past. Letting out a breath, she told them, "I'm not choosing anyone." Seeing the way their eyes averted, she knew she hit the mark with her words there. "'Member what I told ya, like a month ago? When you two were really butting heads?"

"That we're both equally yours?" Zel recalled.

"And that there are no favourites," Eci finished.

Jinx nodded. "Exactly. 'Cause… I love Vi, I do. I miss her. More than I ever realized I think. And… knowing that I am better… that I… am happier?" She was fumbling a bit here, but it wasn't far off from what she was feeling. "I'm ready for us to try again. But?" She smirked, stepping forward. "I love you two fiercely. You will always be my number one priority," she told them, yanking them off their seats and bringing them in for a big hug. "I know how ya feel. I know how it all sounds. But… trust me, I think you two would really like them if ya gave them a chance."

She let that gentle plea stew for a bit.

She wasn't asking them to get along, not yet.

She just… wanted them to consider it.

Her son sighed as he pulled out of their hug. "It's… they just… they're Enforcers," he whispered, like it was a curse.

She sadly nodded as she knelt down to their level. "I know, Zel, I know." That was the hardest part for them, him, no doubt. "But they're not the Enforcers that left your mom for dead. Just like how all the Pilties yours bombs hurt weren't the ones who ignored ya back then. They're… they're not all bad."

Zel's fist clenched as he frowned, stepping back. "But she's the Sheriff, she's directly responsible for the people who have hurt us. Not just me, but… Zaunites everywhere!" he shouted. "They hunted you like a dog, Mom."

Jinx bit her lip at that.

HE'S

Wrong…

Stop.

She shook her head. "Zel, you and your sister learned pretty recently things ain't as A to B like that." She shot a look to Evi, who hadn't pulled away from her but kept her face blank. "The Barons and Baronesses running this shit hole, they're scumbags but they have Zaun's best interests at heart. So do those Topsider Councilors—everyone's a bit selfish." She smiled at Zel. "Hat Lady? She's done the work for Topside. But just like your inventions: a few bad wires don't mean all your undermines suck."

His gritted teeth subsided, a sigh escaping as he looked down. "Maybe she's a lot nicer than I expected…" he conceded. Raising his head, he frowned. "But it doesn't change what they represent. Same goes for your sister!" His eyes widened. "N-Not that I like, don't get your reasons, Jinx." He glanced at his own sister. "I mean… I'd want Evi to be there for me in every big moment of my life too. I… I just, it still pisses me off knowing she was a Zaunite turned Piltie but—"

"It's not as simple as that, Rookie."

"I know, Mom, I know," her son muttered.

"I don't think ya do," Jinx lightly stressed, placing her hand on his shoulder. "She had nowhere left to go after what I did to her. And… Cait was all too eager to compensate for her," she softly said, "Turning Piltie wasn't somethin' she wanted to do no less than you becoming a street sumprat—it was somethin' she just became. But she made the most of it."

Her son let out another sigh. "I… fine," he softly said. Her brows raised at that. "The Sheriff seems nice but still makes me uncomfortable, and she makes me a bit upset. But… I do like seeing you happy too," Zel amended, smiling at her. "Because during dinner, and even when you were cooking for a bit, E and I saw how you spoke with her and… it looked nice." His smile grew more. He shrugged as he crossed his arms. "So I… I think I could be okay with them. It just… might take some more getting used to."

Jinx smiled at that, nodding her silent appreciation. Turning over to his other half, her daughter's blank face finally shifted into a different expression. An angry frown.

"I don't get why she needs to be in our lives," Evi grumbled.

"E—"

"No, Mum, I don't!" She stomped her foot, her cheeks flushed. "She wasn't part of Zaun for over a decade and now 'cause you have us, she suddenly 'members she's a Zaunite?" She scoffed. "I just… I hate that she abandoned Zaun for Piltover. I know it's not as simple as that, but for years, that's what she did."

Jinx's tired face leaked for a second before she stoned her expression. She stared at her daughter blankly as she said, "Evi, ya can't be the Baroness ya wanna be if you're stuck on somethin' that's rooted from your own personal grudge."

"What?" the girl blinked.

"I get it. I know you're very passionate and loving to the Undercity but… Vi didn't abandon us." Saying those words felt like releasing a weight off of her chest. Words Jinx already knew, but saying them hit differently. "She chose to live her life. The same way I did, the same way all my friends did, the same way you two did. She doesn't… owe Zaun anything. No one really does at the end of the day. But when she's slinging her fists Topside, she's not doing it as an Enforcer, she's fighting like a Zaunite." She smiled proudly. She'd been on the receiving end of many fists to know those punches weren't an Enforcer's. "I know you don't like her. And… I'm okay with that. But, for me? I… I really want my sister and her wife to be part of this village we have."

Seconds passed as her daughter stared at her begrudgingly. She was asking a lot of them, she knew that. She knew that they had their reasons and rights toward their feelings too. But… Jinx just felt like this was something worth compromising on. Or at the very least, it was worth considering. She wasn't asking the world of them… or maybe she was. She just hoped that they could at least try.

And yeah, it was selfish.

Jinx's hopeful smile nearly fell, until Evi sighed.

"You're right. I… I don't like her," she began, "And… I may have a little personal grudge—" her brother scoffed at that, making her pump a fist and causing him to flinch. "Anyways, I still think I can… tolerate her," she lowly said. Her face shifted into a smile as she looked up at her. "'Cause I love ya, and I want you to be happy too."

Jinx's heart swelled at that. "That's all I could ever ask for, Urchin." She placed her other hand on her shoulder as she glanced between the two. "I… I don't know what the future holds for Vi and I. But I hope she's a part of it. Cait goes by extension too, and the reverse can be said for them for us." She let out a sigh, rising up from her crouching. "Just… expect more times like this too. Maybe she'll be here, or maybe… maybe I'll be seeing her."

Could she?

Would she?

Jinx shook off those what if's as she looked down at her kids, who were looking up at her with smiles.

"Mom," Zel said, "regardless of how we feel about them, we do love seeing you like this."

Evi nodded. "You deserve it, Mum. And even if it results in us just ignoring the two for the rest of our lives—" a swift elbow from Zel made her scowl at him, before turning back to her. "I… we hope it works out for you."

She snorted, nodding as she stepped away. "Same here, brat, same here," she softly agreed as she walked away. "Thanks a million, kids. It means a lot to me." She reached the central hub and waved at them. "I need some shut eye, got an early rise for me tomorrow."

The two nodded at her and bid her a good night.

Vi and Cait.

Zel and Evi.

As Jinx ascended the lift, her left hand trailed up against her right arm, all over her tattoos.

"Family, huh?" she whispered.

It was a start. And honestly, everything she has been through the past few months, for Jinx it was enough.

—ZEL—

What a wild evening.

It made sense why he couldn't sleep into the night. Tossing and turning, Zel just felt the urge to do something. It wasn't just because of Piltover's Finest. They spoke about his Shimmer Pump, again. They talked about Zaun and Piltover's societies, again. And even just… seeing his mom be excited about something… it made him feel restless. It was like the precipice for change was staring right at him and the make or break of falling down depended on his mood. And right now his mood was screaming to work on something. If not his Shimmer Pump, then literally anything else.

He rolled himself out of bed, grabbing his goggles off his nightstand. His vision adjusted to the dark as he slid his goggles on and tiptoed his way toward the central hub. But before his gaze to fixate on his workshop area, he noticed Evi was sitting in her training/studio wing again. She was sitting on her stool and painting on another spare metal sheet. Silently making his way over, Zel realized there were actually several more new metal sheets near the entrance to the wing, all covered with various graffiti with spray cans at their feet.

So she'd been at this for a while, huh?

"Surprised Mom hasn't come down to yell at you yet," he teased as he leaned onto the rail. It was lights out time, and Jinx was a big stickler about staying up.

Evi didn't bother turning around as she applied her brush to her paint can. "I think she knows I'm awake," she replied, "but is just leaving me be."

Zel hummed his understanding. "Thinks we need time, huh?" he stated as he pushed off the railing and made his way closer.

She nodded.

He stopped halfway behind her as he realized what she was painting. Evi's proportions and people drawings weren't… great, but they had good visuals sometimes. It was amateur-esque no doubt. But it was a painting of them. Jagged edges, blotchy colours, and not at all decent details on their tattoos, but he knew it was them so that said something. The background was beautiful, as it was what Evi specialized in—he thought at least. They were sitting on the edge of one of the fan blades, and the background was just the cavern walls but backlit by Jinx's overhead hanging purple and blue neon lights. But the three of them were bunched together, with Jinx hugging them close as they all smiled.

It was their family.

Their family.

After a couple mindless graffiti art of monkeys and funny faces tonight, she focused on this. Zel could understand why. This was what was important to her right now. She liked to paint, though not often, because it helped organize her thoughts. Zel was hardly an art expert but… he got the sense right now his sister was thinking about how it's only them and that was what mattered.

"It looks nice," he said, cringing on the inside. He was not great at complimenting art.

His sister snorted. "Thanks. I'll be sure to work on your face more so it upgrades from just, 'nice'," she mused.

He sighed while making his way to a vacant crate to sit on. "You know what I meant."

"And you know I like teasing ya," she shot back, smirking at him before turning to her painting once again.

He rolled his eyes as he settled in, crossing his legs on the crate as he watched her continue painting. She hadn't finished fully colouring the background yet, the lower half hadn't filled in. A couple minutes passed, with Evi dipping into her paint buckets with her brush or tilting her head to get a new angle. She hardly had a decent set up for what she was doing but she made it work. And he understood this (somewhat) newfound passion of hers was akin to what he felt with his tinkering.

He certainly hoped it was working for her now.

"Do you think they'll be able to do it?" Evi suddenly asked.

He tilted his head confusedly. "Huh?"

"Mum and Vi," she softly said, "do you think they'll really pull it off?" She turned to him, staring with a concerned look.

He clenched his fists as he looked back over to her painting. Staring at the sight of the three of them… there was no room for more, was there? "I don't think so," he admitted.

Evi sighed, almost sounding like it was out of relief. But he knew she was just searching for validation of some sort. "I do want her to be happy," she explained, "but… it's just, I also hope it doesn't work out…"

Zel's eyes widened at that.

What?

"How could you say that?" he asked, shocked.

Her eyes grew fearful as she held up her hands. "N-No, I-I—" she groaned, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean it like that." She looked away. "I just… I hope that we are right 'bout her. 'Bout them."

His heart quaked at that.

If they were right, it meant that they were justified in their hatred. If they were right, it meant that their mother wouldn't have any obligations left to Topside. If they were right, things would go back to being simpler. And then they could focus on their own future with everyone else who was in their life. Jinx would be helping them every step of the way, and they would all laugh and smile for years to come. And… Vi and Caitlyn Kiramman wouldn't be a part of that.

But…

"I really want my sister and her wife to be part of this village we have."

He closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that dared to rise. How could he, as a son, think something so cruelly about his mom? After everything she'd done for him not just these past few days, but months. Months that were collectively more meaningful than his past twelve years of living. She made him realize what he had with Evi was a sibling bond, and what that really meant in terms of family. And she was now fighting for hers… and they wanted no part of it.

"If we're right," Zel softly said, "Mom will be heartbroken." Saying it out loud, it would've taken the legs out from under him. The truth hit hard.

Evi swallowed, nodding. "But they're a fuckin' Enforcers," she spat out, shaking her head.

Zel sighed tiredly. "Yeah." He wasn't sure what he was tired with anymore. His thoughts, Evi's complaining, or just thinking about this in general.

"And…" she let out a big sigh. "I don't wanna compromise with her of all people." Her face shifted in a mean scowl as she looked out toward the cavern walls. "She's everythin' wrong with Zaunites these days, like what Jinx said to us back when we first started staying with her, nobody realizes what we're capable of down here," she recalled. "She just… forgot what it means to be a Zaunite."

His gut knotted a bit at those towards.

"Not every Zaunite has the stomach to be a Zaunite."

Zel frowned as he remembered Jinx's words to him, back when he saw his files on his bombings. She told them plenty of times before about the heists and shenanigans they got up to when they were around his and Evi's age. And Vi was always leading the charge on all of them. Jinx looked up to her. Hearing it then, knowing what she was now, it pissed both him and Evi off. She was leading the youngest of the Undercity… and then she left for Topside. But… did she choose? Did she really have a choice between both sides of the bridge?

When he was seven years old, forced to trudge back to Zaun on his own, did he really have a choice then either? That bridge was a long and painful walk. But looking back? It was less an option and more of one way road. Maybe for Vi… it was the same. Zel slid his goggles off his head, holding it in his right hand as he looked down at its lens.

"It's something she just became, huh?" he murmured.

Evi perked her head. "What?"

"Maybe…" he took a breath. "Maybe she didn't have a choice. Or… maybe she tried to make the best of the only choices she had?"

His sister scoffed. "Don't matter. Choices are choices," she firmly replied, "and if all she's doing is making them and regretting them later, then all I'm thinkin' is that she's not someone worth our time."

His brows narrowed. "I killed innocent people and regret some of it," he flatly pointed out, "I'm not worth your time either?"

Evi's eyes widened. "Zel, c'mon, you're different."

"That's a nice comfort," he mused.

"Are you seriously upset with me?" He shook his head. "Then what's the big deal?"

The big deal was that he didn't know. None of this was fair. And none of it was easy. He sadly smiled at her. "I dunno," he shrugged. But what did he know? He was only twelve. All the adults in his life seemed to flip flop from being brash like him and his sister, to suddenly sounding like a grownup. He was still a kid. And maybe that was why they didn't need to be a part of all that grownup talk earlier.

"I don't know what to think either," Evi muttered. "I just hope this wraps up sooner than later."

He frowned a bit at that.

Saying it like that, it sounded so… mundane. But people's feelings were on the line here. Not just theirs, but their mom's too. When that perspective hit, Zel couldn't help but think of Jinx. He clenched the goggles in his hand. Maybe he didn't have a right to pass judgement. Regardless, he wasn't going to think about any of this lightly. It was something that went beyond a single session of tinkering. He slid the goggles on as he stood up.

"I think Mom was right about one thing… it's not as simple as we think." He turned away and started walking. He stopped as he reached the central hub, turning back to look at Evi's painting once again. "Also… I think I was wrong earlier. I think they might pull it off," he said, locking eyes with his sister, "But, I don't think we need to be a part of it."

"Huh," Evi nodded. "Janna, I hope not!" She laughed, turning back to her painting as she picked up her brush and can.

Zel sighed to himself as he walked away. Another thought had occurred to him as well, right before he flung himself into a night of late night schematic sketches.

Maybe… maybe him and his sister hated Piltover's Finest for different reasons.

—JINX—

She didn't get as early a start as she wished, having slept in a tad.

That meant she had to quickly make breakfast then race over to the Baron Council Chambers. She didn't have a chance to say bye, as she predicted, since they no doubt stayed up late. She would've given them shit for it, but she figured she also needed to give them time to adjust by themselves. And on the plus side, it meant making breakfast was less of a hassle in terms of prep and that she could head out sooner. The Barons' early morning meetings were rare, if not brief, and with no time to spare the woman dashed across the Lanes and toward her point of interest. This would be pushing it no doubt. Giving herself a job, threatening them not to mess with her kids, and then employing her brats alongside her: all acts that were considerably high rewards for the bastards. They were smart, but they also saw merit to her contribution. It was why they let her get away with what she did.

Being The Loose Cannon? That was a separate entity that they no doubt hoped was subsiding as she focused on doing more and more jobs for them. It was a side of her even they accepted that was uncontrollable. But now she was not only telling them to just give her a title with no real benefits, but basically asking them to reward her for being a lunatic. It was honestly laughable that she nearly giggled the entire way there. Taking the lift up to their chambers, she did laugh the entire ride. This was a whole level of crazy and ballsy that she was not even sure past her would come up with. But that kind of excited her more.

It meant it'd be more fun!

As soon as the doors chimed open, the bodyguards stationed outside all collectively groaned, making her giggle as she stepped out.

Freddie sighed. "How are you early for once?"

"Birds and worms, and all that," she nonchalantly replied, waving her hand about as she neared.

"Can you at least let me announce you're here?" he pleaded.

Awww, he asked politely! "Sure, thing, Freddie!" she grinned. For some reason he scowled when she said his name, but other than that he eagerly turned toward the door. As soon as he placed his hand on the handle, Jinx stepped forward and kicked the doors open, causing the man to fling forward as she stepped through, "Mornin' everybody!"

A collective sigh fell over the table.

"You know, Jinx, these interruptions are getting to the point that they might as well start being scheduled," Corina glowered.

Jinx grinned as she walked over to the table, while Freddie had managed to pick himself up and closed the door. "Sounds business-like, C," she teased. "Though, I guess that's what I'm kinda here for?" At that, the Barons' expressions ranged from curiosity and worry—understandable reactions, honestly. "I'm thinking it's time I move up in the political game!" Their eyes all widened fearfully at that, making her chuckle. "How 'bout we make our arrangement more official on paper and say, give me a title that absolves me of my crimes!"

There was a beat of silence, confusion stirring from the Barons around her. But then Renata spoke up, her eyes narrowed at her. "You want… diplomatic immunity?" she concluded, ever the sharp one.

Jinx smirked, though internally she was a bit nervous. The one thing she was worried about was having to ask these bastards straight up. She was hoping she'd get around it by being indirect. In all honesty, she wasn't sure what they'd think if they realized she was doing this for her sister. Her smirk grew into a genuine smile at that thought.

That was right.

She was doing this for many reasons, but in the end it was for her sister.

"Yuppers!" she nodded. "Plus, it'll looks good for y'all if ya have me as say, 'The Chem-Baron's Executioner'?" she suggested. The name came to her last night, and as cheesy as it sounded she did like the finesse that it offered. "All official and all that, sumprats and Pilties'll think twice 'bout pissing ya off if they know I'm in your ranks."

That seemed to arouse their interests, as the skepticism and shock that once coloured their faces were now filled with curiosity and contemplation.

Chross was the first to speak up, chuckling to himself as he proclaimed, "The Loose Cannon as the Chem-Baron's Executioner does have a nice ring to it."

She gestured toward him excitedly. "See?"

"So you simply want your title to be official?" Renni clarified.

Jinx nodded, clicking her tongue with a finger gun pointed the woman's way. "Set in stone, pen and paper, all that shit you sleazebags love so much."

"To what end?" Corina icily asked. "Since when were you ever concerned about your rap sheet?"

"Thought you'd want your official Executioner to have a decent background if you're gonna keep dealing all over Runeterra," she pointed out, tilting her head.

Corina seemed unimpressed. "By that logic then, we'd consider another person for this hypothetical job." Her brows narrowed. "Don't think I don't see what you're aiming for here—you mentioned all of Runeterra, but let's face it, you're really interested in Piltover."

Jinx sighed, shrugging. It was worth a shot. "And, if I am?"

"Well," Renata spoke up, her eyes smiling at her, "that begs the question: what happened in Piltover that brought you to this decision?"

"Ten golden hexes that it's got somethin' to do with Piltover's Finest," Eramis teased.

"That's a fool's bet," Smeech hissed.

Jinx rolled her eyes. Jeez, when did these guys get so smart?

"It's not a hard conclusion to come to, Jinx," Renata reasoned as she tilted her head slightly. "After all, word has reached us regarding your sister frequenting Zaun these past few days."

"Thought we already went over that," she retorted.

Chross scoffed. "We're not fools, Jinx. We're referring to her more recent endeavours. It's much more discreet, but sightings and talk is easy to come by." He levelled a stare at her—she could even with his sunglasses—as he leaned forward in his chair. "We heard they had a run in with your brats. After a skirmish with some thugs?" he proposed.

"How's 'bout we all stop beating this poor bush we have, eh?" she offered, smiling at everyone, "And let's just say what we really want to say?"

"You've spoken with her recently, haven't you?" Renata accused, narrowing her eyes."

Jinx simply grinned.

"That's an answer as good as any," Corina muttered.

"And this," Renata gestured at her, "has some relation to this encounter?"

Jinx giggled, leaning forward on the table as she swayed her head. "Ya wanna hear how my sis and I caught up, shared some laughs? Or how I cooked her wife and her some homemade salmon stew?" she offered, looking at them all curiously. Her face dipped into a stern expression. "Yeah we talked. Point is, I wanna head Topside without starting shit on both ends of the river and you don't want Enforcers up your ass 'cause I'm doing my own thing. Plus side too? Having a title under your snobby asses means less chances of my kids putting up with shit in the streets. 'Cause now I'm a bigwig!" she dramatically stated, waving her hands about.

"That… is surprisingly considerate," Corina mused.

Jinx scoffed, offended. "Hey I have kids, I can be thoughtful!" she defended. As the Barons chuckled, Jinx sighed, shaking her head. "Point is, Glassky, this is a deal that can really benefit all of us. And well, are you really in a position to shoot it down when it's got so many pros?" She smirked, digging into her back pouch and producing her detonator, twirling it about with a giggle. "It's either an 'okay!' Or… I make good on 'Chem-Baron's Executioner' in my own way—but drop the apostrophe." She narrowed her eyes challengingly.

Renata laughed.

Renata Glasc, laughed.

Jinx blinked in surprise, while the other Barons stared at her in shock too.

After a few seconds, the woman calmed down and stared back at Jinx firmly. "We've done this dance already. But honestly, Jinx, aside from every other time you've done this, truly, there is no benefit to agreeing to this." She scoffed, waving her augment hand about. "Honestly, while there are pros, you are far too independent to trust with such power. Diplomatic immunity?" she amusedly said. "The havoc you'd wreak would evidently trace itself back to us and only have us fall under your immaturity. A mother you may be, but a person of status? Hardly." She stood up from her seat, gesturing about. "I'll call your bluff. Detonate," she ordered, narrowing her eyes.

"Glasc, n-now let's not challenge—"

"She's smart, Renni," she flatly stated. "And she knows killing the six Barons would hardly get the results she's after. Especially regarding a political play she's invested in. It would only worsen her progress." Her brow raised as a challenge and Jinx felt a brief shiver.

Janna, she did it huh?

Jinx finally pushed too far and was met with Renata Glasc head on.

Whelp, it looked like it was time for her to fight explosive fire with… brains for once.

Jinc cackled, reeling her head back while startling nearly everyone as she tossed the detonator onto the table. They all nearly yelped but she slid it over to Renata, shaking her head good naturedly. "Good game, Glassky," she smiled, holding her stomach as she calmed down. "Ya finally outcrazied me. You've earned my respect for once!" It was honest praise.

Though the woman remained unmoved.

"It's true really. Killing y'all would hardly help me in the short or long run with Zaun or Piltover," she agreed, nodding sagely as she cupped her chin. Her lips dipped into a proud smirk. It was time to change gears then. "But, if we're talking 'bout standards and such, don'tcha think having me in your ranks is better then not?" She shrugged. "Let's face it, this is a partnership. But if Piltover's Finest came bustin' through those doors," she jerked her thumb behind her, "with a clear warrant and pass from the Council to arrest your asses or shoot on site? I wouldn't help," she flatly said, shrugging uninterestedly.

She could tell a sense of unease hit them, no doubt a few worried her hypothetical was actually true. "Same goes for the next time someone's putting an assassination hit on one of you when you're gonna go to your next public outing," she plainly remarked. "Or say, after having dozens of shipments hit by wannabe thugs and costing ya literal thousands of golden hexes?" she suggested. "Well, I don't have to scare 'em off. But oh wait, that's what I have been doing!" she sarcastically pointed out.

"I thought you said we just all say what we really want to say?" Corina tiredly recalled.

Jinx snorted. "What I'm getting at, is I've done good work for ya. All of ya. Profits have gone up, need for manpower's dropped since me and my kids can pull off in a day what an entire hitsquad and gang would take weeks to do," she smugly stated. "You all rely on me. I checked over our drop spot recently—there's still a decent sum of jobs left for me!" she pointed out. "Doesn't seem like any of ya are keen on hiring Sevika or someone else to handle your problems." She jerked her thumb to her chest as she puffed it proudly. "You all know my worth.

"The second you cut me out? You're welcoming a heaping helping of Zaun back up your asses. But who's to say Sevikki'll cover your sorry behinds? After ya left her high and dry for so long, hmm?" Jinx snidely taunted. "Or that the Firetwerps won't be more of a pain for your collective Shimmer runs since a certain someone has been making sure they cut back a bit just by her existence alone? Or Hell," she dipped her head as she stared straight at Renata, "who's to say I won't run straight to my ol' big sis and sis-in-law and tell them 'bout all the dirty dealings you've done under the radar that the good ol' Sheriff hasn't been able to pin on ya yet? Where and who all your contacts are, who exactly up Topside is actually tipping their hand into Zaun's cookie jar, all that fun stuff!"

The glove was thrown.

A beat of silence.

She played her full hand.

"Let's face it, Barons and Baronesses," she proclaimed, spreading her arms out in a showmanship way, "I'm your best deterrent." She took a bow, then lifted her head as she smirked. "And c'mon, you all just know you'd love it if I was your 'attack dog'," she teased as she straightened up. "Chem-Baron's Executioner," she offered, "final offer."

The six exchanged a round of looks, before sharing a nod. And then…

Applause?

Nearly all of them—except for Chross of course—stood up and gave her a round of applause, smiling ear to ear.

Jinx blinked in surprise. Of course she still accepted the praise, bowing dramatically with a wide grin, but she was still cautious. What in Janna was going on? She supposed everyone was crazy today.

Eventually, Reanta spoke, silencing everyone, "To think the day would arrive…" Jinx raised a brow at her. "Jinx. A proper businesswoman," she stated, a chuckle punctuating her point.

"I'd say both your fathers would be proud," Renni smiled.

Jinx's heart fluttered a bit at that. Wow. Since when did she ever think that would get to her?

Corina nodded. "For once, I'm impressed with you."

"So…" Jinx leadingly said, motioning her hands in a rolling motion.

"Oh, this is hardly something we can just wave over," Renata stated. "Meve!" she shouted. The doors opened and in came Freddie, alert and ready. "Pull up a chair for our guest would you?"

The man blinked in surprise.

Jinx stared back at her, sharing his confusion.

"Why, matters like this are hardly handled over some idle banter, my dear Jinx." The Barons all sat down, smiling and chuckling. Renata folded her hands together as she said, "Get comfortable… Executioner, for this will take awhile to sort out."

Freddie came in with a small stool ready, awkwardly stepping away as she sat down, groaning. "Do I haaave to?" she whined.

"Welcome to business and politics, Jinx," Renata teased, gesturing around them.

Ugh, the things she did for family.

—CAITLYN—

Caitlyn didn't get much sleep last night.

It was hardly for any of the reasons Vi would think too.

Her mind was running, just thinking about Zel and Evi. Or, mainly Zel. after hearing Jinx tell his story, knowing how much of it centred in Piltover—she was Sheriff at the time. Had something like this blown under her? She couldn't help herself but move to her study, pulling over her home files and notes she took for herself. Five years ago, a bakery explosion? It sounded familiar. So she jotted down what she knew: timespan, the described incident and setting it took place—anything she could work with to search for later. Something latched out to her, and like most itches when it came to things like this, throwing herself into it was a fast way of snuffing it out.

But it wasn't as though it were an entirely selfish pursuit.

The more she thought about the kids—especially what Vi told her last night before bed when it was just the three of them—the more Caitlyn latched onto the realization that something very recent occurred. Jinx only recently started looking for Zel's files. Files that, from what she recalled, were only on his bombings, casualty reports, and forensic reports. Sure, the simpler conclusion would be that Jinx was merely asking broadly so she could narrow it down herself, but Cait's gut told her otherwise. She also remembered the desperation and pleading the woman had, all now with the context pertaining to her son.

It was all on the line for him, and seeing and hearing what brief things she did… Caitlyn got the sense he was a kid in need of closure. She wasn't sure what other reason why Jinx would want to bring those files back to him. Maybe he asked for them, or maybe she thought he would want to see them. Either way? Caitlyn was willing to bet a lot on the fact that in some way, even if by a miniscule margin, hearing anything else about that incident would be better than nothing. Or maybe that was for her own sense of closure?

Caitlyn leaned back in her seat, sighing. Was her pursuit actually just selfish? She knew she was burying herself in busywork to distract from the stress. But Caitlyn also knew as a Sheriff, it didn't sit right knowing unjust behaviour took place and a poor woman suffered because of it. All under her watch. The anticipation of pursuing a personal investigation was all she had to keep her mind off her real worry: her wife. Vi was ecstatic of course. And today they planned on even bringing Caitlyn's parents into what they had planned with Jinx and what they learned.

But Cait also worried about the fact that Vi wasn't really reflecting as much as she should've.

She needed time to herself too. And Caitlyn was well aware how overbearing and hovering she could be sometimes, so she grew to learn distance would be Vi's best outlet in order for her to calmly center herself privately. She lowered her head as she sunk back into her notes, writing down her proposed theories of possible streets she could recall that had fires in the past five years. Anything to occupy herself…

"Why are you up so early?" came her mother's voice from the entrance.

Caitlyn didn't bother lifting her head up from her notes as she continued to jot down her thoughts. "Could say the same to you."

"Early start. Nothing else," came the reply. "Now you, young lady."

She sighed, looking up at her mother's stern stare. "Would you wait until Vi and I can tell you together? Along with Dad of course."

"I could," Cassandra considered as she walked in, her cane echoing at each step as she moved over to the small couch Caitlyn had near her collection of books. "But I can tell something's on your mind, and regardless if your wife is related or not, I hope as your mother you could confide in me a bit."

Caitlyn stared at her quizzically. "Just how are you able to do that?"

She laughed, sitting down, refined and proud. "A mother's intuition. You'll know one day."

She smiled at that thought. One day? She could see Vi's face, but it didn't take a genius to know they were both ogling the sight of Jinx mothering her pair of children. Perhaps…

She shook her head, moving onto the train of thought that was Jinx. Perhaps she had this "mother's intuition" that her own mom seemed so adept at. Her eyes fell on her mother's concerned look, and sighed. Well, they were going to tell her anyways… "Speaking of mothers…"

The look of shock and disbelief that washed over her own mother's face was honestly amusing. And also, perhaps humbling when Caitlyn considered that was what she probably looked like when she realized it too. Telling her about what they learned, about the truth of the Plaza Bombing culprits and what Jinx had done, about what Jinx was doing in the Undercity, and about what the Undercity was doing for Jinx, it was a lot to explain. But getting it off her chest so soon, Caitlyn was starting to realize what was really bothering her.

Zaun was secretly more united than she ever expected.

She knew they had bonds and connections from the Barons, she knew they had an unwritten code and honour, and she knew they had respect for their own over Piltovans. But she never expected fully cooperative cohesion from all sides. It was always a matter of circumstance, a last resort; they weren't ever truly allies down there, but they would fight like they were. Yet, hearing from Ekko and Jinx, really thinking about how they all connected: they were unifying under Jinx and her children. The Barons—if all went according to plan—would be working with Jinx, officially. Zaun would recognize The Loose Cannon as a name of status.

And this was all transpiring under a year's time.

It flew by her, and she didn't know. Informants, news casts, even Vi's visits herself weren't enough. Her mind couldn't help but fall back to Zel and Evi's comments and remarks. Was… was she—

"You're not questioning your own adequacy as Sheriff, are you?" her mother suddenly spoke, disrupting her thoughts.

She looked at her mother, swallowing her worries for a moment. "How—"

"You're very quick to assume the burden of many things my dear." Her mother rose up from her seat with a grunt. She walked over to her, shaking her head. "You and your wife share that in common. Whereas she would silently suffer and assume the blame, you always repurpose it into something else that you need to do alone."

Caitlyn scoffed. "Hardly the time mother," she muttered.

She sighed as she neared her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Caitlyn, I do hope you're not setting aside your own feelings in all of this as well."

She shook her head. "I'm not," she confidently said. "I'm just…" she took a breath. "Piltover is still far from the dream I once envisioned, and last night was as good a reminder as any that we're not done growing." She smiled at her mother. "City of Progress, right?"

She chuckled. "Only you would see this as a learning opportunity."

"Ever since Vi," Caitlyn addressed, "I've always seen Zaun as a learning opportunity. How to do better, how to really protect and serve, and how to grow. We're a pair of symbiotic cities for a reason, are we not?"

Her mother raised an impressed brow at that. "My goodness, I will never stop being amazed with the woman you've become."

She smirked mirthfully. "Even if that woman essentially just goaded a well known wanted terrorist into becoming perhaps one of the most powerful woman in all of Piltover and Zaun?"

Her mother frowned. "Yes, even then." She clicked her teeth, shaking her head as she walked away. "Honestly, I can't even believe back before I thought Vi would be the bad influence," she muttered to herself. "I'll go fill in your father so we can have a better discussion over breakfast."

Caitlyn stood up from her desk. "Mother?"

"Hmm?" she prompted, waiting by the door with her hands resting on her cane.

"I… you're not setting aside your own feelings too, are you?" She asked. "You and Dad. About Jinx?"

Her mother's smile softened. "My dear. In my age, the time I've lived, you really do learn what grudges are and what is worth holding onto." She sighed, looking down at her cane. "I still have nightmares of course. I still feel uneasy whenever the Council Room goes dark. But I also have nightmares about you and Vi." Caitlyn's brows raised at that. "The idea of her hurting because she wasn't able to do anything for her sister, and you hurting because you can't help her. I still feel uneasy knowing that poor woman had to endure under a man we as Councilors allowed to come to power. I feel uneasy remembering each day that your wife whom I cherish as my own daughter, found her way to use because of our oh so great city," she bitterly said.

Her heart trembled at those words.

Goodness, she thought of that too?

She couldn't help the tears pooling in her eyes.

She chuckled humourlessly, gesturing to her cane. "This is hardly a scar compared to what both Piltover and Zaun has had to endure these past few decades. It's the same way you feel uneasy sometimes, going into your bathroom, the same way Vi sometimes feels uncomfortable being in a confined small space, and I don't doubt the same way Jinx has her own traumas that resurface here and there. It's in spite of that, Caitlyn, that I'm okay." She smiled at her. "Your father and I aren't setting aside our feelings for anything. In fact, they're right there with you."

Caitlyn sniffed, nodding. "Thank you, Mom."

She nodded back. Before she walked away she turned to her, chuckling. "So, she really is a mom, now, huh?"

Caitlyn smiled, nodding eagerly as she wiped her tears away. "Truly Mother, witnessing Jinx as a mom herself? It's quite endearing honestly," she happily said.

"I'd be happy to see it." Her smile fell a bet as she tilted her head. "And how is your other half handling this?"

Caitlyn sighed, looking back down to her notes.

—VI—

The beating sounds of her wrapped fists colliding with the punching bag echoed throughout the gym.

Caitlyn wasn't in bed when Vi woke up, but she figured she was in her study doing something. Vi welcomed the moment to clear her thoughts. Sending several rapid mid jabs at the punching bag, she scowled. It was only for a few minutes, but she remembered that punching machine. The feel, the movements, the sounds of its mechanisms and the chimes of her points racking up. This was great… but that was something else. She rounded up a hard left cross, rocking the bag back hard. As it whirled back to her, Vi unleashed another flurry of quick jabs, maintaining its parabolic distance.

She didn't want to go back to the arcade.

But she couldn't help but think about those kids there.

Living her childhood. She took that place for granted as a kid, but they were living it up. Jinx and Ekko… they fixed it from the ground up. After a decade had done its work, they made it whole and better. Ekko… he was helping Jinx at the start even though he didn't trust her. Jericho was helping keep her and the kids fed. Babette was holding her tongue and covering for them. Even this Amy character had some part in all of this. Vi… she wasn't in the picture, doing any of that. She wanted to be though. She wanted to be a part of that life.

They were her sister's kids!

No.

Vi sent a powerful left jab at the centre of the bag, causing it to shake off its hook and fly off in the other direction. The impact of the punching bag hitting the wall's baseboard created a resounding echo as she slumped her shoulders, panting exhaustively. Jealousy didn't mean squat right now. She and Jinx made it clear: they were in each other's lives now. Just because everyone else had a head start and were more welcomed than she was, didn't mean she didn't have a chance to become an aunt to them yet.

She closed her eyes and let her breathing calm. "I'm not responsible for everything," she muttered to herself. A reminder. A good exercise but a reminder nonetheless. It was easy to latch onto every act and thought as though it were her duty, her obligation. But yesterday had put it at the forefront for her… there was no need for her to be in Jinx's life. This was a selfish want. But… it went the same way for Jinx too. She was well aware that her sister's children were hardly okay with her and Cait's presence but Jinx still wanted them apart of her life.

There was no need to do anything here.

After reaching a sense of calm, Vi picked up the punching bag and hooked it back on. She then made her way over to her and Cait's bedroom, a quick shower before breakfast would suffice. Waking up without Cait was a sign for her that Caitlyn was letting her stew for a bit. She hadn't seen her, Cassandra, or Tobias all morning. Though the second she gained full consciousness, she did go straight to the gym. Sometimes she'd run into the other staff, as they were also allowed to use the Kiramman gym as well, but most of the time people let her be. Caitlyn must've explained it once to everyone that her going at the punching bag was her way of letting off steam.

Her shower was rewardingly relieving. She let the hot water pour as her thoughts streamed along. Let it clear. Let it clear. Let… what clear exactly? Vi let out a frustrated sigh as she lathered up some shampoo and ran it through her hair. She wasn't sure what she should be thinking about really. The kids? But Jinx said to give them time. Jinx then? What about Jinx could she think about? How exciting this all was? Or how terrifying it all could collapse from one simple move?

Janna, maybe thinking wasn't a great move after all.

After her shower and getting dressed, Vi's eyes cast onto her nightstand. The note and stuffed bunny. Sometimes she'd bring the bunny in as they slept, but for the most part, she let it sit right beside Jinx's note. But now… a new item rested beside the two. Vander's pipe. Hesitantly, Vi approached the nightstand, reaching out to the pipe. She hadn't seen this thing in so long. Not even counting the tea party, because that night had so much going on she hardly recalled its presence. Heck, she never even thought about it after what happened.

But Jinx did.

Even though that place held a lot of trauma for her too, she came back for what she could…

For him.

Vi let out a shuddered sigh as she picked it up and held it, sitting down on the bed. Part of her was honestly relieved to know Jinx still thought of him. It wasn't that she didn't respect her sister's relationship with Silco, but she did worry sometimes that Jinx just outright replaced him in her head. But last night was as good an indication as any that Jinx remembered so much of their past. And she was happily moving forward. Zel was wearing Claggor's goggles and she was okay with that. Evi had her gun and she was okay with that. Maybe… Vi could be okay with this too.

She thumbed over the lip, smoothing down to the stem. It felt smooth, surprisingly. Her thumb drew up from the bowl and into the chamber. The residue of old ash was still there. Not persistently present, but like the way one could walk down an alleyway and know there were smokers there before. This… was her last physical piece of Vander. Of her father. And Jinx gave it to her. Vi swallowed hard as she flipped the pipe around, letting her left thumb repeat the same process.

"Can we really do it, Vander?" she whispered softly.

Her eyes flew back to the note and bunny.

"I understand you weren't choosing anythin'."

Jinx said a lot about what that note really meant. But… Vi was starting to really grasp at what that "sorry" really meant at the end of the day. She gave back the bunny, because she was acknowledging their past together. But her apology stood for all of it. It… it didn't make the pain better, but Vi supposed the same could be said for her with Jinx. Her words and apologies wouldn't make her traumas go away either. But that note, that gesture, it was Jinx leaving a goodbye but also letting it be known.

She did understand Vi.

Her greatest fear was that Jinx would never get her words, her promises, or her motives. But yesterday opened her eyes to the idea that even before Zel and Evi, Jinx was mature enough to know their game of cat and mouse really was theirs. Right now, they were on the precipice for two extremes. They could mold back together as one big happy family… or go their separate ways and pretend the other doesn't exist. And they were well within their rights to pursue the latter.

They aired out what they needed, they made their love and apologies known, and intentions were wholeheartedly clear. They didn't need to be together again. Yet, Vi still caressed the pipe. It was somewhat more soothing than her wraps actually. She closed her eyes and licked her lips, letting herself think more. Family was worth fighting for, or at least she told herself that. Maybe they didn't need to do this at all. But… Vi couldn't help but think about how great it would be to be sisters once again.

It'd never be like it was, Cilene had always reminded her of that. It would be different.

But good different too.

"I want this to work," she stated, eyes opened as she looked down at the pipe. "I know we both want this." It was true. She was stating the truth that rooted from her heart but… "Why am I still scared then?" she said in a strained voice.

She needed to really organize her thoughts.

She pocketed the pipe and made her way out of the room. There was only one thing she could think of to make sure she did this as calmly and clearly as possible. But she'd have to clear it with her partner first. She wagered since Cait was early out of the room, that she was in her study working on something. Vi had a guess it wasn't related to work, maybe something related to Jinx, but let her partner carry on. Her pensive thinking face was all she needed to know the woman was working a mile a minute in her thoughts. The second she reached the study, she peeked around the corner, smiling at the sight of her wife sitting at her desk, writing things down.

Poking her head in, she knocked on the door, gathering Cait's attention. "Hey, uh, Cupcake, is it cool if I have an impromptu sesh with Cilene?" It was always a moot point, but she felt better clearing it up with her first before acting. Especially during times like these, where she knew Caitlyn would be worried about her, since it was a subtle way of saying she was sorting it out.

Her wife smiled at her. "Of course," she softly replied.

Vi smiled back, nodding. "Okay." She pointed to the phone on her desk. "You mind?" Cait shook her head. She moved over to the phone and quickly dialled Cilene's number.

Two rings.

"Hello, Mrs. Kiramman?"

"Heeey, Cilene," Vi sheepishly greeted.

"Ah, Vi! Good morning! How are you?"

She chuckled. "I'm…" she paused. "Good." Yeah, that was true. "H-How are you?"

"Rather bored, honestly," came the amused reply. "A client cancelled on me so I'm free all day!"

Vi's ears perked at that. Handy! "Oh! So uh, a-are you clear for an impromptu session today?" She nearly tacked on some absurdities about how she didn't need to obligate herself, or how it was okay if she said no, but Vi held her tongue. It was her job to do this.

"Would you like me to schedule you in for your usual midafternoon?" Cilene simply asked.

Vi nodded as she said, "Yeah, that would be great."

"Alright, see you then! Take care, Vi."

"Thanks, see ya soon." She hung up and put the phone down, smiling at her wife. "Usual time," she supplied, earning a nod from her partner. She jerked her thumb over shoulder. "Breakfast time?"

Caitlyn smiled. "Please."

—JINX—

Coming here… was still weird. Jinx had been to the Firelights Compound before—many times without them knowing—but it was still weirder than going to The Last Drop. The lookouts that were escorting her were obviously nervous. She could sense the tension. There were really only few in Ekko's ranks who weren't deathly scared of her, like that Scarry dude or whoever. Though the nerves could also stem from the fact that she threatened to blow up the tunnels if they didn't let her through.

Huh, maybe that had something to do with the noticeable sweat beads.

She wasn't sure what exactly made her come to Ekko. Amy was actually closer from the Baron Council Chambers, Jericho would've been more of a laugh, but both Babs and Sevikki would be working. She knew Ekko had free time here and there, but she also wagered after a stunt like yesterday, he would be expecting her. But she didn't come with the aim to hound him for essentially ratting out her kids. Okay, not entirely. Maybe… maybe all this past talk just got to her.

She couldn't go to the kids.

Sevika would be a bitch.

Babette wasn't as much in the picture as anyone else.

Amy didn't know as much about her personal past as everyone else, not perspective wise at least.

Jericho… she honestly thought he was too smitten on her sometimes.

She let out a very audible sigh, startling her escorts. Ekko was the only person who'd give it to her straight actually. And maybe, she was just latching onto something she once abandoned. The door creaked open, and the light poured through, making her wince a bit. It was afternoon time and it was still hitting? Man, maybe living in a cavern wasn't the best idea! Jinx smiled as she stepped in, patting the shoulder of one of her escorts. "Thanks Amanda!"

"My name is—"

"Amanda, I know!" she shouted as she walked in. Yeesh, some people really needed to get it together with names.

And there she saw him. Flying down at a frantic speed on his hoverboard, he pulled off his mask and hopped off, letting his board slide onto his back as he held his hands up in innocence. He rushed toward her, profusely shouting, "Jinx, I'm sorry I—"

"Why," she softly asked. Cocking her head. There was on pretense she supposed, so might as well get it out of the way first. "I… I think I get what ya were trying to do. But… why are ya doing it? For me and her?"

He smiled at her and lowered his hands. "You're both my friends."

A relieved sigh blew out of her.

Maybe coming here was good after all.

She could feel the hundreds of stares around her. Despite this truce and peace, she was still responsible for so much pain for these people. She had no other way of just calling him up to hang. She jerked her thumb back to the door. "Wanna head somewhere private?"

He furrowed a brow, confused.

She frowned. "I don't wanna upset your Twerpbase with my very existence."

His brows raised as he laughed. "Damn, look at you being all thoughtful."

Her frown remained as she turned her back slightly, letting Fishbone's mouth chatter as she swayed.

He bit his lip, fighting back his smile as he nodded. "Loud and clear." He cleared his throat and pointed to the collection of benches near the base of the tree. "It's fine, we can talk here."

"Really?" she asked as she followed him. The eyes were definitely on you.

"Jinx, Mama Bear You has reached all of Zaun at this point. Some of these people have seen firsthand you're different," he explained as he sat down on the table bench. She sat down beside him, with Ekko letting his backs lean against the table while Jinx faced forward, tapping her hands onto the surface. "It's not that no one remembers what you've done, but it's Zaun, that goes for everything. We do trust in this truce you've set for us." He smiled at her, teasingly. "It's just that everyone's still scared as fuck."

She cackled, nodding her head. "Ahh, fair enough."

He leaned his arms onto the table as he nodded at her. "So what's up? It certainly doesn't seem like ya came to chew me out and judging by why you asked, they definitely stopped by so…"

"I invited them over to my place," she casually said, "Cooked them dinner. Salmon stew."

Ekko gaped. "Really? I haven't been over yet. But Vi gets to have this famous stew of yours that Zel and Evi won't shut up about?"

She snorted. "Sister privileges, bitch," she taunted, throwing up a peace sign.

"That's good to hear," he smiled.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah well, we talked. It's… sorted, I guess," she shrugged. "We're sisters. That's clear. And… we both want to be in each other's lives now."

"How so?"

"Well, I'd like her to hang out 'round me and the kids more, maybe they'll warm up to her, but I could come and visit her Topside!"

His brow raised. "Topside? You?"

Jinx smirked. "Well, thanks to a certain Lady of the Hat, a new… offer has been moved with the Barons."

A bead of sweat fell down Ekko's face as he frowned. "Oh no… what did you do?"

Filling him in felt like old times. Her telling him what happened at The Last Drop, Ekko telling her what Benzo's shop recently sold or picked up. They've had moments like these before, but Jinx just could help but think about how friends were actually nice? Talking it over, things that she was thinking about or things that had just happened, getting him to weigh in felt different. A good different too. She looped back to the beginning, about what she told Piltover's Finest, at the arcade and before dinner.

The one-on-one talk with Vi, how heartbreaking it felt but also how raw and nice it was. She noticed a bit of somberness in his eyes she spoke, and maybe it was because of her spending so much time with Vi yesterday (it was barely a few hours), she knew he was seeing Powder. She didn't feel anything about that either. She spoke about her conversation with Caitlyn, her last talk with Vi, and then Cait's plan. All that jumbled mess left the poor Firelight staring shocked, eyes wide. And when she thought about it, it made sense since it really was a lot.

The Barons part was annoying. They had to get a print out, a lawyer popped up—she didn't even know they had those in Zaun—and each Baron and Baroness ran over stipulations and clarifications and boringifications nonstop. She signed so much and sat for soo long in such a boring room. She was honestly tempted to set the bombs off for her own sanity. But as soon as she stepped out, Jinx thought about how she just wasn't ready to come home yet. She wanted to sort her thoughts out first. And in a shocking twist, she decided to do it without graffiti or explosions.

Which brought her here.

"So yeah, now I'm the Chem-Baron's Executioner." She shrugged with a blanky expression. "And I'm the official hitwoman for all things Baron related. But I'm basically doing what I've already done with a fancy title now."

"And diplomatic immunity," Ekko dryly pointed out.

"Ah yeah, that too," she casually replied. He rolled his eyes, making her giggle. "But, uh, with that underway that basically means I have to attend like, a third of their meetings now. Once a month, or biweekly or whatever," she begrudgingly said. "If I'm gonna be their executioner, I have to be up to date on their businesses and political plays, what's going on, and learn who I'm not allowed to piss off or what I'm not allowed to do since I'm technically a representative of their council now." She sighed, slumping her cheek into the palm of her hand as she leaned her arm on the table. "I signed lots of shit—yes, I have a signature and yes I checked it all over," she hastily said as Ekko opened his mouth. "But I got the vibe half of 'em, including Renni, were keen on making me a Baroness one day."

None of them were dumb enough to get her to sign something without her checking, but the presence they held over her was like kids staring at a candy stall. They were all far too excited for what this could possibly mean for Zaun's future. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't her in family who was invested as much as they hoped.

Ekko laughed, shaking his head as he slapped his knee. "Who would've thought? The two of us?" He gestured to the sky, wiping his hand across like a headline appeared as he said, "Leaders of Zaun!"

Jinx snorted. "Fat chance of me, Little Man," she rebuked, slapping his arm.

"Ah yes, we all know it'll be those genius kids of yours," he smiled.

The way he said that… "All?" she echoed.

Ekko chuckled. "Told Scar and a few of my top lieutenants 'bout your deal. They're all on board and excited for what your brats have in store. Especially with that Shimmer Pump, surprisingly."

Jinx's heart beat with excitement at those words. Janna, was this what it was like to have so much go well all so soon? She giggled excitedly as she clapped her hands. "Really?"

He nodded. "Scar even suggested having our medics take a looksie when Zel's got his testing stages done first, so he has more expertise on the matter."

Jinx grinned. "Fuck yeah!" she cheered, pumping her fist. The two shared a laugh, but Jinx couldn't help but feel nervous as their joy died down. This was Ekko. "Hey," she softly said, "you really okay with me being in league with 'em now? Evi's different, we know she is. But I'm basically working for 'em now."

He stared off into the distance for a moment. But it was after a couple seconds that she realized he was actually looking at The Lost Children of Zaun Mural. His face didn't seem moved by any means, he was definitely thinking something over. Yet all that silence amounted to a nonchalant shrug. "You're still you," he simply said. "You wouldn't bend over for them. Besides," he smirked, "I know it's really for your kids at the end of the day, so I know you wouldn't buckle for anything else."

Jinx smiled, nodding. "Right ya are." Wow. Was this what it was like to have people really get you at the end of the day? The number of people she could count on to just get what she was thinking grew to an extent she never thought possible. Time was weird. Heh, she supposed that was his speciality.

"Oh yeah." Ekko cocked his head. "Speaking of, how did they handle your family reunion?" Jinx sighed, slumping down on the table. "Oooh, that bad huh?"

She chuckled. "Honestly? Nah." She turned her head, leaving her cheek pressed against the table as she looked at him. "I'd say they were more brooding than anything else. The attitude came after Vi and Cait left." She lifted her head, frowning. "They have their rights not to like 'em, both of 'em. But it seems like Zel's coming more from his past and grudges than anything else. He… doesn't like Enforcers or Wardens, and I think he—both of them really—see Vi and Cait as the worse forms of it."

"Technically, we did too, once upon a time," Ekko mused.

She nodded, rolling her tongue against her cheek. "But he seemed willing to put aside his beef for me, 'cause knows I'm happy with them around too. Evi said a bit of the same but…" she frowned. "She really hates Vi. I think it's 'cause she could've been someone E would've looked up to, but instead—"

"She became the one thing she hates most," her friend concluded.

Jinx sighed, nodding. "She honestly reminds me of me. Powder." He raised a brow. "The way she talks about it, she acts like Vi abandoned her too, but I know she means Zaun." She chuckled out of sheer wonder. "She's a real Zaunite, man. She's got the pride and everything. I think she can be a great Baroness one day just as easily she could be a terrifying one."

"Kinda like Glasc, huh?"

She scoffed with an agreeing nod. "She really does value Zaun. It's like, Piltover will always be competition. These orphanages, chemtech, community spaces, she really wants to just stick it to 'em."

"More power to her for it, honestly," Ekko mused.

"Yeah well, my sister and sister-in-law live there," Jinx dryly pointed out. "She's sticking it to the other half of our 'oh so great region'. We're symbiotic societies, it's been that way for a long time. Even when they had us under their boot. One still influencing the other."

Her friend's smile grew as he nodded, finally seeing what she was getting at. "She can't grow as the Baroness she wants to be if she don't see that, eh?"

She clicked her teeth, winking "Bingo."

If her daughter's hatred of Vi Kiramman festered, she wouldn't see how much of a learning experience Vi's life really was to the future of Zaun. She just hoped both of them would come around to see that soon.

"Hey, who knows, maybe they actually liked them more than you think?" Ekko suggested, shrugging hopefully.

"I dunno Little Man," she muttered while rubbing her hair. "The kids don't like her, not yet—but it feels like it'll be not ever. And they seem to be alright with Caitlyn? But then again they'd both prefer if neither were present." She sighed, bringing her hands together in her lap. "It's just… scary. Me and the kids seemed alright but now my past is back and I have a chance at making 'em stay but… my future might not want that."

Ekko let out a breath. "Well, put aside your kids for sec—how do you feel? 'Bout this whole thing?"

She didn't let the voices even speak, she just thought on the first thing that came to mind.

"I… I want to trust her again," she admitted. "It's just… I'm worried one of us might screw it up." She sighed frustratedly. "But that's the thing Little Man, I can't put my kids aside 'cause this time screwing up might hurt them in the process."

"Jinx…"

"The last time we split, both cities were painted with my sins," Jinx muttered. "I don't want to think 'bout what would happen if my kids were involved."

"I don't think Vi and Cait would—could ever hurt them," Ekko softly said.

"I don't think so either." She shrugged. "But my kids do. They think they'll hurt me too. And… I would be lying if I didn't say I was kind of worried 'bout that as well."

"Thought you moved past all that?" he asked, surprised.

"It's… it took a long time to get to grips that Vi was dead, Ekko," she reminded him. "That night… I still hear Vander's voice sometimes but when I do it's hard not to 'member what happened between us. I… I killed our family." His hand came over hers as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "I just don't know if she is really ready to trust me again. Vi will always love me—and I her and all that cheesy shit—but I-I just… I'm scared…"

"Jinx," Ekko sternly said, "your kids almost left you once."

She nearly flinched at the reminder but stared at him, sensing he had a point.

"It was because you messed up. One slip up. You say that you forgave Vi and know it was just one mistake back when you were kids," he softly spoke, "but isn't that the why you love each other? Because one slip up doesn't change that you're still family?" He smiled at her. "I think you are ready to welcome Vi back into your life. I just think, 'cause of those brats of yours, you don't want to extend the first hand yet." He chuckled. "Especially not since you tipped so much of yours already."

Janna.

He really was a leader. What a wordsmith! He just… put into words what she was really thinking. She was ready for her sister, she wanted to be, but this time… she just had to be selfish once again and wait. Because it would hurt and cost so much if she put her foot out there and fell right from under. She wasn't sure if that was reasonable or justified, or if it was fair but cruel. But Jinx did know that if they were both serious about this, it wouldn't be just one thing that would ruin it all for them. It was going to be a long work in progress. And that was okay.

"Thanks Little Man," Jinx grinned, "Really needed to hear that." She rose out of her seat and clapped her hands together. "Maybe someday you'll work yourself over to a home invite too!"

He smirked. "That'll be something!" His lips turned into a soft smile. "But also, I'm down to be an ear whenever… just, don't threaten my guards again just to get my attention?"

She cackled as she walked off. "No promises Firetwerp!"

"Good luck, lunatic!" he shouted.

Janna, since she was on a spree it seemed, Jinx hoped she'd spread that luck too.

—VI—

Talking to Cilene, in the beginning, felt like she was just dumping everything she could think of. Vi was embarrassed at first, but Cilene was quick to assure her that was what they were here to do. Over time, Vi started to adjust to the fact that it didn't always need to be an excess amount of talking. Sometimes, just going over exercises or reflecting on her day was all she needed. Today was one of those days where Vi needed to let it all out, but also get some guidance on where to go. Or at least, what to start with.

All in all, Vi managed to get her rant out, letting off all the heat from her chest. With a big exhale, she paused and waited for her therapist's response.

"So you want to show her that you're willing to make it work, but also that you're genuinely invested in being a sister to her again," Cilene verbalized, expertly putting Vi's incoherent thoughts into words. "And you believe inviting her here, Topside, is a way of inviting her into your life?"

"Y-Yeah," Vi nodded, rolling Vander's pipe around in her hands. They had already gone over the caution of being addictive or smoking in peer pressure responses, but Vi had asserted it would be a rare thing, if only just for the feeling of letting the unlit pipe sit on her lips. She wasn't the type to sit or lie down for long during these sessions. Cilene was fine with that too, she let her walk around, sit on the windowsill counter, or even sit/lie down on the floor. Right now, she was standing near the shuttered window, staring down at her hands as she fiddled. "But… I just… I know bringing her Topside looks bad. And… I think it's too soon."

"Why do you think that?" Cilene asked, tilting her head with an inquisitive look.

"Because… the last time we spoke before Cait and I started investigating, she said she was done with us."

"Done with both Topside and you two," Cilene recalled from Vi's rant at the start of the session. She offered a small smile. "And are you bothered by that?"

Vi sighed, shaking her head. "N-Not really. But… I just feel like she really doesn't want anything to do with Topside anymore."

"So when you suggest bringing her here, do you mean Piltover as a whole? Or somewhere specific?"

"For now? Just my home, the Kiramman Manor. From there… maybe parks? A couple bars or bakeries. There's the Ionian Carnival in a few weeks? I…" she shrugged. "But, I want to start small. So yeah, my home."

"As an act of trust and sanctuary?"

Vi nodded. "Yeah. I… I want her in my life, and letting her into my home is the most sensible thing to do in that case." She chuckled, rolling Vander's pipe around her fingers. "I-I mean, she already did the same for me and she didn't have to. Figure I should invite her over as well."

"But are you sure you're doing that because you want to, or because Jinx did it and you feel the need to respond similarly?" Cilene carefully asked.

"I…" Vi thought for a second. "Both," she said, "It's both. I want to do this because I've always wanted her to see and actually be invited into my home. I-It's not that fantasy thing we talked 'bout before either. I genuinely want her welcomed in my safe space too. But I'm responding similarly because if Jinx did it, then… it works?" She furrowed a brow, not sure how else to phrase it.

"Do you mean because she seemed receptive and open to doing so, you believe she'd be comfortable with you returning the gesture?"

Vi let out a relieved sigh. "Yes!" she eagerly replied, smiling. "That!" Her smile wilted as she locked eyes with Cilene's kinds gaze. "Is… is that wrong?"

"There's no wrong or right about it, Vi," Cilene smiled, "The fact you're heavily weighing in on your thoughts here is as good a sign as any that you are carefully considering not just your sister's emotions, but everyone else's." Her smile shifted into one of concern as she tilted her head. "I just want to make sure you're also including yourself in that list as well."

Vi nodded at that, pushing off the wall as she started to walk around.

She always liked how gentle and reserved Cilene was. At first, she was put off by the woman's collected and calm nature, but after a couple sessions she realized it was perfect for her venting. Whereas she could and would, go to Cait with just about anything, Cilene had this nature that Vi took as sponge-like (which was her job, she supposed). She could soak up information and in one instance—or squeeze—she'd be able to return with her own inquiries or words. It… it reminded her of Babette in some ways, which was funny given that Cilene was actually barely a few years older than Vi (her being new to the scene meant she was cheaper, which is why Vi stuck with her at first—even if it was out of the Kiramman's pockets, Vi didn't want them spending a lot on her).

Cilene was a short plump woman with short black, pixie cut hair. Her glasses—of which Vi still theorized were purely aesthetic, since she never really wore them—had straps and hung around her neck, complimenting her usual turtleneck sweater outfit. All in all, she presented herself very warmly, and that made it easy for Vi to talk to her. She was worried at first the woman's gaze would be easy to decipher as calculating or as judgemental, especially as she grew more and more in her time as an Enforcer. But evidently, Vi realized placing judgement behind the woman's expressions wasn't needed for herself at all.

But she did manage to get a grasp on when Cilene was about to start suggesting things: methods or questions, not solutions—those were for Vi to make herself. The woman's smile would dip into a softer kind of way that was meant to pull down Vi's guard. Vi hardly ever closed up in response to it. And frankly, she was open to some suggestions at this point.

"It sounds like you're shouldering a lot of this burden on yourself," her therapist calmly noted.

"I…" she sighed. "Okay, maybe I am."

"And do you remember what methods or techniques we've gone over regarding this line of thinking?"

She nodded. She took a couple deep breaths, straightening herself as she stood still and closed her eyes. "I'm not responsible for everything. I… I matter first," she said to herself, "I can put my own needs before others. And I'm not hurting anyone by doing that." Sometimes she needed to say it a bunch, other times a couple, but some would be like right now: where once was enough. She opened her eyes and looked to Cilene, who smiled. "It's… it's not that I'm trying to put it all on me. I'm just… I don't want to lose her this time." She tucked her hands into her pocket, letting Vander's pipe sit inside. "I… I don't want her to feel like she still doesn't have a place up here, with me and Cait," Vi admitted, pacing around the couch. "I just don't know how to express that to her. How to do it in a way she gets!"

Cilene furrowed a brow. "Does it need to happen so suddenly?"

Vi raised her own brow. "N-No?"

"Then why do you make it seem like you're in a hurry?"

She stopped pacing and sighed. She was right. Jinx told her this would take time. It wasn't going to be as quick as she wished. "I think I'm just…" her lips grew into a grin. "Excited." Yeah, that was what it was. "We're finally acting like sisters again. I-I know I should be patient but…"

"It's easy to get caught up in the emotions?" Cilene guessed, matching her excitement with a grin of her own.

"Yeah," Vi nodded.

"It's good you can recognize that," she commended. "But it's also normal to feel this way. What you have is a great opportunity and you've recognized it for every point you could imagine it seems. It's understandable that being eager would be a leading cause for most of your decisions."

"Eager?" Vi echoed, smirking. "Not impulsive?"

Cilene chuckled. "Well, it's not like you've acted on anything yet. You've spoken with your partner, your in-laws, and even me. And from what it sounds like, also yourself quite a bit." She smirked. "That doesn't sound impulsive to me."

Vi let out a relieved sigh. "Yeah… I guess it doesn't." She sat herself down on the floor, leaning her back against the couch as she looked up at Cilene.

The woman leaned forward, locking eyes with her. "The thing is Vi, you've talked on and on about how you know Jinx has changed, that she's on the mend, but have you really trusted in that?" she asked, raising a brow.

Vi furrowed her brows. "Whattya mean?" What was Cilene implying?

"If you truly believe your sister is… communicative now—perhaps receptive is a better word—then you should follow through with that belief." Cilene smiled, gesturing toward her with her open palms. "Why not talk to her," she softly said, chuckling as if it was an obvious solution, "If nothing else, I'm sure Jinx would listen to you if she's as you say she is."

"Well… what should I say to her?"

Cilene smiled. "Whatever you wish: what's on your mind, even just catching up some more, or basically what we've discussed here if you'd like."

Vi tilted her head up, letting the back of her head rest against the couch cushion seat. "I've talked to literally everyone else except my sister, who I should've been talking to in the first place." She scoffed. "Wow."

"The need of priority can be argued," Cilene amended, "as getting your thoughts sorted first is hardly ever a bad thing." She shrugged. "And who's to say Jinx isn't doing the same thing now?"

Vi paused to think.

Jinx had told her that no matter what, they were still sisters and that wouldn't change. They spoke pretty openly about many things last night, but Vi walked away riding a high of faith. She had faith in her sister and their love. Jinx's love for her kids, she was putting a lot on the line and was willing to defend it too. Vi needed to show she wasn't someone in need of being defended from. And that started with getting good with Jinx first. Reestablishing a new flow, a new norm between her and Jinx welcomed Vi into the dynamic more seamlessly.

Which meant for the kids, they'd be less on edge. Which for Jinx, meant her and Vi wouldn't be as on edge either! It was a bit of chicken and egg, but her and Jinx were the start and end to the cycle. Okay, so maybe none of this really made sense but to Vi it did. But the only question was still how. How could she make it clear and safely known that she was ready to ease into this? That she wanted to talk and be open? That they could just… be?

"And for the love of Janna, sis, give the Ring Fights a listen some time, will ya?"

"Well, it seems we have just about fifteen minutes left in our session. Anything else you'd like to discuss?" Cilene gently prompted.

Vi smiled.

"I think I wanna spend more time down in Zaun…"

—JINX—

Hearing a knock on the vault door, was perhaps one of the normalest things in other settings but alarming for them. She had been doing some counting for her stash of coins when she heard it. She instantly shouted for Evi and Zel, telling them to standby and be ready while she grabbed Pow-Pow, Fishbones, and Zapper. If someone found their place and didn't trip the trap outside that meant they knew they were here. And that only solidified with the fact that they knocked and didn't try anything else.

She spun the door open and let it swing on its own, stepping back as she readied her gun. The kids held their positions from all the way at the central hub. This was the only way in and safely out. They'd have to be precise and lethal. As the door creaked its way open, blue lighting reflected off the cave walls and before she knew it—

"Vi?"

A round of groans came from behind her, but Jinx stared in surprise.

"Hey sis!" she waved, awkwardly smiling. She lifted her giant Hextech glove, revealing a huge case of beer inside it. "Is it cool if I crash here?" Her other glove had a duffle bag inside it, neatly tucked in.

Jinx's heart pounded. "Um… sure? But why?"

What was happening?

Vi smiled. "There's a Fight tonight isn't there? Figure what better way to listen then with you?" After a silence hung for a few seconds, with Jinx processing that, holy shit, this was real, Vi sighed. "I… know we've got good terms floating around. An-And that we are squared. But I also know if I'm gonna have your trust, and your kids' trust, I gotta put in the effort." She dipped into a smirk as she said, "And well, it'd be nice to chill somewhere in Zaun without having a hundred eyes on my ass. So… I hope you don't mind me coming down here every now and then?"

Well shit.

How could she say no to that?

"Heh, so you're not have trouble with the missus?" she smirked at her.

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Hardy har, no, I was not kicked out." She adjusted her grip on the beer case. "I cleared it with Cait too. She's cool with me staying over a night and whatever as long as I give her a heads up and clock in on time if it's a work night," she sheepishly added.

Jinx snorted. "Whiiiiipped."

"Like your kids aren't your weakness," she shot back.

This… was nice.

Jinx looked back to her kids, who were already descending the elevator together. Either they heard, or just didn't care. She figured either or really. "Well, the kids may take some time, but you're welcome to get drunk down here." She stepped aside, letting her sister in as she closed the door behind her. They made their way over to the central hub, taking off their gear and setting it on the table. "Just gimme a sec." She rushed to the railing and shouted, "Brats! If ya want Vi and I can go to Amy's or whatever to listen to the Fights so you can listen here!"

A silence.

She glanced to her sister, who looked at her with a nervous shrug.

"We'll join you!" Evi shouted.

"Just let us know when it's on!" Zel added.

Jinx chuckled to herself. There was definitely some bickering going on down there. She sure hoped it wasn't the start of another fight between the two. But, even if they sit on the other side of the turbine, they were still giving it a shot. Jinx pulled up a stool for her sister as she sat down on her workshop chair, accepting a beer from her. The two tipped their beers to each other, a brief clack, before taking a sip together. Jinx smiled as she leaned back, watching her sister's nervous face. "I know you trust me by the way."

Vi's brow raised. "What?"

"You wouldn't have chased me for so damn long if ya didn't," she mused, chuckling quietly. "I spoke with Ekko, and well, I guess I really put into perspective that we're like, really careful aren't we?"

Vi laughed, nodding. "My therapist was basically Dad Proud of me with how slow and cautious we're being."

The two shared a laugh, mirroring a beer sip.

"Yeah, I just, I've thought hard 'bout how I do want you in my life, but also I want to be in yours." She awkwardly shifted in her seat. "Cait said you knew 'bout me watch—stalking you, in the way beginning?"

Vi's eyes widened as she nearly choked on her beer. She wiped her lips and nodded. "Uh, yeah."

Jinx slowly nodded. "Well… I'd just imagine what it'd be like if I was down with ya. I never thought like that again after that, but yesterday…" she sighed, looking down at her beer. "I think I'd like to see what would be in store for us. So, thanks for coming here," she smiled, "but also thanks for trusting me to come here." Her sister smiled back. "You really are an awesome sister, for the 'mount of patience and love ya have for me. I… I do value that, y'know? The bunny and note—"

"Was your way of expressing all you felt and wanted to say," Vi nodded. "I know… Pow-Pow."

Jinx let out a shuddered breath. Janna, that name felt so good to hear coming from her it was so strange. "I love ya Vi. And… I want to make it clear that I do respect your trust in me."

"Let's just call it a two-way street, sounds fair?" her sister teased. "Love ya too."

Jinx chuckled. "Fair games, sis." She stood up and nodded to the kitchen area. "Since you're staying over, wanna help me make dinner?"

Vi's eyes widened. "Really? I-I should warn ya," she said she stepped off the chair and followed her, "I have a ban in my house from even turning on an appliance!"

Jinx cackled at that. "Of course ya do!" She set her beer down on the counter and moved to put on her apron. "Well, this could do ya good practice!"

Her sister frowned as she followed her movements, moving over to the fridge. "So what're we making? Don't ya have to like… thaw shit?"

"I sometimes let a bunch of things sit in the fridge the day before so I can choose the next day," Jinx explained. "Get the beef. Should be good for all of us." As Vi moved to grab all the frozens, Jinx readied the cutting board and stove. While they began to prep the pan and ingredients, Jinx couldn't help but think about something prodding her brain. "So, did you actually remember the route leading to here or get lost and got lucky?" she asked.

Vi gasped, offended. "I remembered! I'm not only Zaunite, I am your sister after all."

Jinx grinned. "Hell yeah ya are!" She narrowed her eyes. "And since your blood, you should also be capable of cutting beef into even portions." She pointed at the cutting board. "Get chopping, sis." She laughed at the strained look on her sister's face as she moved over to the pantry, pulling her seasoning off the shelves.

This was the first step… and now it was time to walk the path together.

As sisters.

---

A/N: Trust is a HARD concept. Arcane's story, especially surrounding Jinx, has an aspect of trust being one of her core difficulties. Jinx trusting the kids took some time, but it's similar to Silco, in that she had let someone into her life to fill a void. The difference is that Jinx actively PUT herself into someone's life with the kids and that manipulation wasn't a core aspect of their dynamic. The core value of this fic is family, but centred around Jinx specifically, and what she would do for the concept of "family." But the underlying fact is that time has progressed.

This is Jinx and Vi in Legends of Runeterra timeline, where I've set it over a DECADE past from Arcane where their dynamics are basically near game-like. But I chose to follow the brief aspects we see in the Path of Champions, where the two are actually acting like sisters (the good paths at least). This is my way of paving that path TOWARD those personalities, to the how they are so close and amicable. The trust on both sides, it's something I aimed to highlight in that Jinx DOES want to trust Vi but over the YEARS they spent apart, Jinx also wanted to ruin Vi and Cait's lives.

What I'm getting at in a roundabout way, is that leading to this arc in the series was always the plan. Pitting Jinx in a scenario where Vi is no longer her end goal. She's choosing between her new family that she founded, and what's left of the family she had in her past. But the realization BECAUSE of her growth is that there is no need to choose: they can mold and grow, and communicate now. It took Jinx placing herself in the shoes of Vi, Vander, and Silco, but also separating her biases toward those memories and focusing on what she could be for Zel and Evi.

This rant was mainly just to sum up and clarify some things, but all in all, it was also a bit of a letter note I had always wanted to say since the beginning of this series. It's kind of the core themes that I built the story off of, and worked backwards from. So I guess I wanted to go on a ramble too! It's very exciting for me for us to get here! ( ^‿^)

This chapter had a lot of slow moments to digest, and I always find those kinds of scenes to be hard to write as I'm covering a scene that we as an audience had already experienced. Yet I'm also working off the intention to ADD significance upon them: be it reflection, hidden feelings we couldn't see, or just outright dismissal of those events. And writing the therapy scene was difficult because I didn't want to make Cilene seem like some incompetent therapist but also wanted to show HOW Vi is comforted in a therapy setting. The sense of familiarity and ease is something she can thrive in and be more vulnerable with, but also not entirely different from what we've seen her do with Caitlyn or Jinx.

Jinx reflecting with the kids and getting them to weigh in was semi paralleling back to Vi and Vander's first and second one-on-one talks in Arcane. She's grown to the point where she can recognize and even justify the kids' rage, but she also has enough time and experience to know it's a wasteful effort for nothing. They both have such good goals and corrupting it with hatred is something Jinx wants them to work away from. She's not asking they just love Piltover, because she doesn't either, but to instead channel it into something productive like she did with her gadgetry.

Both sisters have something to fight for and protect-Vi has her wife and family up Topside, Jinx has her family in the Undercity-but both ALSO want to include the other in that picture. For now, things have simmered or rather, have begun to move on the path paved toward bonding, but the kids have their own work too, separate from Jinx's feelings. We're in the more domestic stages now, and all's that left is adjustment. I hope you guys will stick around for that too!

("maybe" was said a LOT this chap, lol).

Also, many apologies for the EXTENDED extended delay on this one. I had a lot of writing to do, and it was going great! It's just that family life was being a bit annoying and so that meant I didn't have much time nor space to really write or edit in private. So it was hard since neither of things I do to alleviate my stress was available. I know that's not really my fault, but I do apologize as I could've been clearer on the delays the second time around! Thanks again for your guys' tremendous patience!

Next chapter update: January 27th! (Likely to be a few days late again!)

Stay safe and stay lovely y'all.

Until next time,

- Bleh