The footsteps faded as Sevika was the last to leave the large room to the brothers and sisters. One could hear their breathing and the tension lay as heavy as a collapsed building over them.
At last, Warwick was the one to break the silence. "We have to talk. And listen. We have to stop harming each other if we're going to realize Zaun. We need to exhaust ourselves trying to understand. Silco, I ask you to speak first." Kill. Eat.
The Eye of Zaun hadn't blinked since he saw his old friend had returned. Of course he's distrusting. More violence is so much easier for us than being vulnerable in this way.
"You know most of the story, Warwick. And I've told Jinx it too. After you slashed, poisoned, and drowned me, I knew what I had to become and do. The night at the cannery was a catastrophe for us all, but the one mitigation was taking in Jinx."
"Manipulating a distressed child–" Vi accused, the sedative wearing off. She halted when Jinx took her hand.
"Let him talk. We'll express our realities later," she said in a soft voice.
Grimacing, Vi nonetheless nodded.
Silco sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. "I saw her as me. She said, 'She left me. She is not my sister anymore.'" Silco shook his head. "We all know how life in the underground was. A twice orphaned child of Zaun rarely fares well. So I took her in. Marcus claimed he found the body of a girl matching Vi's description exactly dead from the explosion and fall and he'd brought the body to the Council to show the case was closed."
He swallowed before continuing. "About a week ago, it seems Jinx learned the truth and left. My efforts since have been refocused on creating Zaun's independence. Besides being a necessity, it would show Jinx my sincerity and our common cause. Her near death at the scrapyard convinced me I couldn't approach her animosity directly." Silco slowly reached into his jacket and brought out her long hair braid to underline the point.
A pause fell. "And what was my role to be? Your 'Wrath of Zaun?'" Warwick asked as softly as he deep voice could. Kill. Eat.
"One, I hoped you would be part of a force that would shock and awe Piltover into coming to the negotiating table. Two, I wanted my brother back." Warwick could see Silco's eyes watering and nodded respectfully as he did not try to obscure it. Jinx offered Silco his cigar back with as much hesitation as if she was returning a knife. He took it.
"Vi, are you still light headed? Would you like to go next?" Warwick asked. Kill. Eat. Damnit, the fish weren't enough.
She nodded and took a breath. "I'll start with apologies. Which I didn't hear from the sad chemking. I apologize to… Jinx first. I was wrong to hit you, wrong to feed your insecurities, wrong to blame you, wrong to leave you, and wrong to leave you again. I couldn't accept that Silco believes he loves you and that you believe you love him."
Jinx had retaken Vi's hand and was looking into her eyes. "I apologize to you, Warwick. I didn't listen to Vander's messages; I put our family in danger; I fought when maybe we could've found an alternative. Also, I didn't 'Protect Powder' and of course I tried to kill you instead of helping you at the lab."
"Whatever else he was, the doctor was a genius. I hope I don't ever have to find the extent of my healing ability." Kill. Eat. Now.
A grim smile formed on Vi's face. "Me too. Silco." She turned her head to him and was careful to not tighten her grasp on JInx's hand. "I'll charitably believe you didn't know about Marcus locking me away. I can even believe you had partly benign motives in taking in Powder and raising Jinx. Loneliness hurts. But I find it hard to forgive you for Nick."
Silco frowned. "Nick?"
Vi growled and tried to jerk out of the chains, but with minimal effect. "Finally, a lie from you both Jinx and I can point to! You had Nick pretend to be Jinx's chum so you could keep tabs on her. And when he thought he had a chance, he put a bullet through my lung. In front of Jinx. Right after we reunited."
Warwick looked at Jinx nodding with a scowl then at Silco maintaining a confused expression. Would Silco confess as much as he did but feign ignorance of this?
"Could 'Nick' be an alias?" Silco asked.
Jinx sighed as her left hand twitched. "The shimmer dealer in the north Promenade. Started abusing it himself. Sevika told me to talk to him."
"Him. I see. He was Chross' source." Silco's demeanor changed from perplexed to irate. "And Chross' agent shot you and claimed I ordered it, then?"
Vi shook her head. "Trying to make your hands seem clean. What does it matter if you had a go-between?"
"I did not know about Nick and I certainly didn't order him to try to kill you. Candidly, I know Jinx would never forgive me."
Jinx was frowning in thought about it. "Vi, he does defer to the Hush Company for his intel outside of the Lanes and I've not known him to use small timers like Nick after he secured power in the underground."
Keeping her glaring pink eyes on Silco, Vi frowned at her sister's doubt. "Fine, I can't prove it. But I shouldn't have to. Look around. How many have died to the Slickjaws? How many died of shimmer overdose, withdrawal, or accidents while high?"
Silco brought the cigar to his lips, but didn't inhale. "That is why you must kill me? Are you the spirit of vengeance–or justice if you wish to dress it up in something pretty–for Zaun's dead? You should concern yourself with the greater monster more blood drenched than I could ever be. Piltover's rich have ravaged us more than any drug."
Snorting, Vi shifted in her chains again. "Do you see me putting on an enforcer's uniform? There's no reason I can't fight both you and the Piltie overlords."
"The reason is you would lose. Either to me, as I could frame you for much and take the heat away from Jinx or more likely to them as you would weaken both of us and the enforcers could bring back the bad old days."
Vi had a dogged determination. It had helped her and harmed her numerous times. Still, she'll listen to those she cares about. "Vi, would it be okay for Jinx to speak for now?" Warwick asked. Use your teeth. Use your claws. Kill.
Nodding, she looked back at Jinx. She had a weary visage and had been looking to the side. "It's hard for all of us to return to that night. I've spent so much time reliving some of those moments it's hard for me to make sense of the events in sequence. Like when a word is repeated and repeated and repeated. I've heard the ghosts' and those I thought were ghosts' voices for years. I don't know if they'll ever be silent. But I know I can control how I react to them."
She swallowed and frowned. "Silco, I don't know how I feel about you anymore. Neither love nor hate feels right anymore. I wish for an independent Zaun, but I haven't felt the fire for it as you have. I don't think I could sacrifice anyone here for it. Maybe it sounds childish, but I don't want to fight or retaliate anymore. That was part of the hope Ekko and I had when we made the Armadillo."
Jinx smiled for a moment, probably thinking about its activation. "Part of me doesn't want to because I think I will jinx it. Another part is because I better understand what hurting and killing means. Again, I'm late to that lesson, but I hope to keep it."
Silco was rubbing under his jaw and seemed a little away. Vi looked at her hands as Jinx finished. Silco filled her with his faults like I did with Vi. It's a curse of parenting. Perhaps they can overcome our failures though.
"I relate to being uncertain of memories. Singed damaged them, but I think part of my healing ability includes memory restoration," Warwick began.
"It was a concern we had. We hoped to target those that prevent you from fighting, but Singed hadn't mastered that yet," Silco explained matter-of-factly.
Warwick twisted one of his lips. Kill. Drink blood. Eat flesh, fat, and muscle. "Fortunately for you he didn't. I also know after awakening from the shot I had an incredible hunger. I've hunted and eaten birds, fish, rodents, insects, and felt the drive to eat worse. I bring this up to touch on identity. Vander wouldn't snatch up rats and devour them. Vander wouldn't be able to track someone over miles by the scent of their blood. So, Vander is gone, but he's not."
He moved to the sisters and overlapped their hands with care. "Not to project more, yet I feel it is similar with you, Jinx. Jinx came from Powder, but Jinx doesn't have to be what others intended her to be nor the worst of her impulses from her horrific past. We know this from her inventing the Armadillo with Ekko."
Jinx was quietly crying. I probably should have given her more encouragement when she was young. Vi did it a lot, but I could've done more.
"Vi, I feel your devotion to your lost sister. But understanding that Powder has become Jinx will make things easier. I put too much weight on you when you were too young. Maybe I had to, but you shouldn't need to protect the family anymore. My only remaining wish is for you to keep your good heart."
She joined her sister in shedding tears. Warwick finally looked at the man who'd known the longest. Who had killed him and had him resurrected. "Silco. I don't wish to accuse you for the agony of becoming who I am. Nor do I feel compelled to serve you, far from it. I choose to join with you in fighting for Zaun if needed. And I do not wish to leave your side, harm you, or see you harmed again. Do you accept me?" Danger! Hunt! Kill! Eat!
Looking into his brother's changed eyes, Silco spread out his arms as the tears traveled down his cheeks. "I do." Warwick, being cautious with his claws, embraced him. They shared a couple of whispers before slowly breaking.
Silco recomposed himself. "We will not be defeated. Not when we are together. Vi, you will be freed. Will you accept a peace between us?"
Her forehead creased and a couple of seconds went by. "If I am going to, we should do it with a fissure folk blood ritual, right?"
After a moment of uncertainty, Silco exhaled in comprehension. He produced a small notebook and pen from his pocket. He presented them to Jinx with a raised eyebrow.
The Loose Cannon nodded and went to work. It didn't take long for her to finish drawing the goddess. Janna's clothes and hair billowed in the wind in her iconic stance when believers claim she protected the underground from complete devastation. She passed it back to Silco.
"'We shall not by hand or mouth or other means harm or kill each other?'" Silco wrote. "Amenable?"
After three nods, he looked to Warwick. "May we borrow a claw?"
Warwick hesitated. Yes! Hungry! Blood! Meat! "Yes, but I'll have to leave right after. Blood… is troubling for me. A handkerchief first?"
Silco looked guilty as he passed one over. Warwick tore it and stuffed it into his nostrils. He then offered his claws. Silco pricked his index finger, he let a drop of blood fall on the drawn wind. Warwick used a claw on his other hand and left a drop. Jinx went next. And finally, Vi.
"If I am false, may the blood oath kill me and mine." Silco led and the others repeated. "Babette!" he called.
The yordle reentered. "Ask them to return."
Warwick left quickly. The handkerchief helped, but he had to find out if a brothel in the morning had much for breakfast meat or if he would have to hunt game outside. As he left he heard Jinx say, "They'll be shocked over how little of our blood was spilled."