Staring at the shiny blue orb-like gem for a few heartbeats, Ekko stepped forward then processed her statement. "Oh, they're theatrical?" he challenged causally. "Didn't you have a song made about you?"
Jinx grinned. "No. I wrote a song about me then Silco had a studio to produce it as a birthday present. I kick ass at humility and subtlety compared to them."
"So, Master Thief and Pilitie Profiler Jinx, will they have alarms?" he asked as he moved within grabbing distance.
Jinx pursed her lips and gave a small headshake. "No. They weren't going to be keeping it here long and they trust their vaunted and venerable enforcers." And that would include other valuables. She scavenged as Ekko picked up the hex gem.
"You know," he said while securing it into an inner pocket. "It is really close to your hair."
Shrugging, she saw a notebook nearby. "Must be fate. Or Janna trying to say something. Though she's a teensy-weensy late in answering my prayers."
Ekko was glancing around too, though his eyes were mostly on the way they came.
"Oh, I may need to tone down my blasphemy," she said as she started reading. "Ugh! Look here, Buzzy. Jayce Tallis on this page. And this page. Here. Here. Here. Man of Progress–greatest self-love story ever told."
Seeming to lose his patience, Ekko headed back to the seating area. She tucked the journal away and followed. "We need to prioritize Vi, but with this and if your bugs can learn to hold their nose around me we'd be–"
"STOP!" A young woman's voice ran through the near empty auditorium. Jinx looked for the source as Ekko angrily raised his hands to shoulder length. He said they used all the crystal and smoke bombs already. He has his club though. The Firelights temporarily traded my pistol and Pow-Pow for the hoverboard.
Her eyes settled on the new target. The captain. She had made a masked bandana of sorts from some torn jacket. She must have made it to deal with the gas or maybe the smoke beforehand. Still, I know her.
"Officer Caitlyn. Long hours for you too?"
Caitlyn had kept an eye on Jinx, but now she turned her revolver on her. "Trouble sleeping. I hear a familiar voice in a fire, but I can't remember the name as I yell for my team to dash out the door. Powder? Jinx? You have another one?"
Jinx wetted her lips and glanced at Ekko. A simple but solid enough plan. Slowly move to near opposite sides of her than either attack or flee in a serpentine rush. Shouldn't be too hard with the hoverboards. At least, I think that's the telepathic message between us.
"Your hooty-tooty noble families up here have two names, right? Surely you won't begrudge some sump snipes from having the same."
Ekko was making more progress, but Caitlyn was gradually backing up to the doors. They're wide, but would still make for a chokepoint.
"I did tell her. I did tell Ren about her winning and that you saved the drawing," Caitlyn reported.
Jinx breathed long and glanced at Ekko. He was focused on the enforcer, but Jinx was still glad she had already summarized what happened this morning to him. "A good deed in a naughty world. What did Red say?"
Caitlyn swallowed. Even with her natural and maintained beauty, the new captain looked like she had run a marathon after an all-nighter. "Ren cried and wailed a lot. I did assure her it wasn't her fault. She said it was an accident and that she forgives you."
A familiar pain stabbed inside Jinx. NO! Not now! So close!
"Don't worry, she's lying. People can't, won't, and don't forgive you for Jinxing their parents. Least of all girls that were a lot like you," Mylo tormented.
"Could be true. Maybe there's hope," Claggor offered.
"Enforcers don't tell the truth, Claggor. She knows this will make Jinx function even less."
I can sort this out later. You need to leave with Ekko and the gem. Work through the pain.
"H-hard to believe Marcus was her dad, huh?" Did I lose time? Any thinking being would have known I was flustered by what she said.
Caitlyn's hand wavered slightly but her eyes stayed fixed on her. "Why? Even if it was unintentional, why would you endanger one of the Undercity's biggest assets?
Out of the corner of her eye, Jinx saw Ekko advance farther and move a little closer to Caitlyn as she shook her head. "You see us as the same, huh? Cait, you seem empathetic, especially for someone in that uniform. So try to see us fissure folk as having different goals, beliefs, values, and kinships. Marcus may've been a key piece for some bigwigs in Zaun, but to me, up until he saved us in his rumpus room, he epitomized enforcers to me. Stupid. Vain. Greedy. Bigoted. And a murder."
Caitlyn glared as Jinx finished. "Stop moving or you will force me to shoot her!" she declared to Ekko without taking her eyes off Jinx. Cait took a few more steps back to the entrance.
Ekko gave a bemused look to Jinx. It must be a bluff, at least about hearing how close he is. Ekko can be as quiet as me when he wants to be. "Well, we don't want you shooting an unarmed suspect. You would hate to prove me right about enforcers."
She matched the enforcer's steps. Ekko mouthed and gestured "twenty seconds" then silently drew his club.
"You Underciters seem eager enough to harm each other. How do you expect that cycle of violence to ever stop," Cait challenged. She was near the doors now.
"I don't know, maybe by having the blueshirts gone? Or at least asleep. How about one more song. 'So come across the river'"
Ekko dashed at Caitlyn, staying low. For a fraction of a second Jinx wondered if the startled enforcer would shoot her, but she had solid trigger discipline and was responding rapidly to the attack behind her.
Jinx had kept herself flat flooted to act to keep Cait feeling more secure. Still, she lunged forward quickly as Cait was already half-turned. Ekko was already bringing back the club for a swing, but the enforcer was fast too.
"And find–" Jinx sang between after a breath. It worked to make Cait hesitate about which perp was closer. Still, Cait didn't surrender easily and instead of aiming, brought her hands down to evade Ekko's attempted leap blow to knock out the revolver. Ekko shifted his weight and stance to brawl as swift as a raptor. Cait fired from low, hitting his club out of his hands.
Excellent shot from that angle. Wish I could show her my sharpshooting, but goody two shoes had me turn them over. Still, I don't need a gun to have projectiles.
Pulling out the hex gem, Jinx hurled it at Caitlyn's gun as she aimed it at Ekko's center mass. It hit her gun and knocked it loose, but not before it made Cait accidentally discharge it.
Jinx's heart sank as Ekko's body sank to the floor. "No. No! NO!" she screamed. Before she heard the voices, Jinx channeled all her emotions into one thing. Rage.
"–the world below!" Jinx screamed and tackled Caitlyn with the full intent of sending her to it. With her weight on Cait's shoulders, she delivered a series of haymakers to Cait's face. Even with minimal leverage though, Cait was bigger and stronger than the Zaunite waif and after grabbing a nearby fixed seat, forced Jinx off balance and then stumbled away.
Cait got up taking a defensive stance. "Jinx, if you stop, we can get help for him."
Jinx was crawling around like a feral animal. "Uh-huh. Sounds super-duper. Give me a few seconds… eureka!" She dove forward and Cait quickly followed her.
Jinx had the gun in her hand and almost aimed at Cait's head when she grappled for it. The two struggled, but Cait soon had the upper hand.
"You've always been too weak. Now you'll die or at best join Vi in Stillwater. Better than you deserve," Mylo mocked.
Jinx grunted and put her full strength into pulling away. And failed. Cait wretched it away and knocked Jinx off balance. Cait aimed at Jinx. Jinx shifted to charge when a loud thud happened and Cait fell down.
She blinked. She expanded her tunnel vision and saw Ekko standing with his club. He had a burnt hole in his jacket and you could see a hint of body armor underneath it. She wanted to shout his name, but for once around him, she was speechless. Instead she ran up and hugged him tightly as her tired arms allowed. He responded in kind.
"I thought I had killed you. Like I…" she eventually whispered into his ear.
"It's okay," he said in a soft voice. After what felt far too short for her, she released him.
He checked on the downed captain as Jinx got on her hands and knees.
She located the hex gem in a moment and grabbed it. Walking over to join him, she bent over, picked up the firearm, and offered it to Ekko. Reluctantly, he took it, but kept his eyes on Cait.
"We should go," she told him and prepared her hoverboard.
Ekko glanced at his club, back to Cait, and finally to her. "Yes, but she's coming too."