This was a beast of a chapter. It had taken far longer than I had anticipated that I decided to cut it into half since the word count was pushing 6-7k words. Had to consult my trusty ol' sibling to help me sort out the mess in my brain to make things a bit more cohesive and so I give you this.

Thank you everyone for your patience and IS THAT 2K views?

Thank you all so much of taking interest on this overly ambitious plot, I hope you enjoy this entry too. LOVE YOUUU 3

Side B

Was it not a miracle?

Was it not a beautiful lie?

That she should be here, resting her head on Vi's shoulder as she fiddled with her own hair as the idle chatter continued. Mylo in his prideful boasts; Claggor reading his books and Vi calling out on Mylo's inconsistencies. The Last Drop upstairs was also filled to the brim with life. Laughter and the sounds of clinking cups and the switching of songs here and there.

Her little happiness in this corner of the world. Where all is well and nothing ever frightened her. Then the light switches off; the entire room set into a panic. Then a hand grabbed her from Vi's shoulder; tugging her out of her seat and up the stairs.

Ekko's back came into view as he continued to drag her by the hand. Placing all his strength into that pull as he navigated her out of the Last Drop and through the tunnels.

'Just a little more,' he says.

And from the darkness of the tunnels, he led them into the hideout; her sights greeted by the bright sun and the magnificent tree.

'We can make this our home now,' the boy says, turning to her with a wide grin. 'When Vi comes back, we can show her this place too.'

The girl then took a step back, releasing her hand from his. Her hands were dirty. Her clothes were wet with rain.

'I can't,' she said. 'I'm Jinx now.'

She turned her back and found herself in the arms of someone familiar. Someone who knew of her crimes; her sin. Someone who praised her for her gadgetry. Her ghosts then came to join her, parading around her; encircling her; taunting her.

'What did I tell you?' Silco asks. 'They would still keep you locked behind walls; deny you for who you are and what you've done. Why not show them? Show them what you're capable of.'

'You're stronger than you think,' Vi says. 'You're better than this. Better than what anyone thinks you are-'

The dream ends with her ears pricked by the sound of a familiar, high-pitched flute. Though the melody wasn't unpleasant, it was enough for Jinx to curse the morning in a groggy huff. She lifted her head up from the desk and found a page stuck to her cheek; stained with her drool that came from her open-mouthed snores. Taking the page off her, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and grabbed a random cloth to blot off the stain from the paper.

She glanced at the page and remembered her new-found enthusiasm at the learning of the runes that make up hextech. The method made magic feel less of that fairy-fantasy nonsense that Claggor's stories tell; but more of a puzzle-box begging to be solved. The inventor who owned it seemed like a swell guy to be able to articulate his ideas so easily for her to understand. She turned her attention to the half-made runic device at the corner of her desk. Only then did Jinx realised she had blacked out in the middle of her figuring out the right size of cogs for the job.

"Where was it?" she asked groggily, her mind still half-dazed. She could vaguely recall dropping something on the floor but never really bothered to pay attention to it.

With her eyelids still heavy from sleep and the sound of Bird Lady's melody in the air, she decided to retire into her own bed. She swayed her way into her sleeping corner, folding her flat pillow over her ears and closed her eyes.

It was going to be another uneventful day. Perhaps a touch miserable after that dream, but uneventful, nevertheless. Hopefully.

Only then did three knocks on the door followed.

-Or not. No rest for the tinkerer.

"Jinx? You up?" It was Red on the other side of the door.

"Nope," she buried her face with her pillow.

The door opened, letting the sunlight intrude her dimly-lit room with Red's tall stature being the only shade from its glaring light.

"For once you actually slept on a bed," Red pointed.

"Can't a girl get her beauty sleep?" Jinx gave a tired retort.

"Didn't you say that sleep was for the weak?"

"…I lied."

The tall woman laughed and walked over to her bed. "You're not doing yourself any favours staying cooped up in the dark."

Jinx lifted the corner of her pillow to peak at the warm-brown skinned woman, who now stared down at her with her fists resting on her hips. Despite what she endured, Red was smiling more often now compared to when they first found her.

"I see you," Red taunted.

"Go away," she whined, then turned to lay on her side. "…What is it?"

Red's smile then grew serious.

"Talk about a chink in the armour."

Jinx whistled as she gaped at the glaring hole on the roof. In her mind's eye, she could imagine someone throwing a mini-bomb over the roof to achieve a hole like this. Either a bomb or some boulder was tossed over from one of the higher levels of the sanctuary and fell-

She turned her gaze to the floor. No sign of a rock that could fit the size of the hole; only a water-damaged wooden floor.

"So." Jinx began. "Who dunnit this time?"

"I don't know," Red shook her head. "The crazy part? Rain came in after a while even though the sun's shining above."

"What's next, topside nobles making a donation?"

"Don't believe me?"

"Didn't say that."

She inspected the hole again. The size could fit the width of the proto-type hoverboard. Meaning she'll need to drag yet another raft of metal to patch up the hole. That meant going outside.

…Can't hurt if he can't know, right?

Jinx did need to get a few extra supplies for other things too. The thought alone had her making a checklist she wanted to do outside the hideout in her head.

"-As above, so below," Bird Lady chimed in.

Red jolted at the veiled lady's sudden appearance while Jinx rolled her eyes.

"Finally bored with the pipe, Bird Lady?" Jinx lazily cocked her head to the side. "Got any clue what's going on with the new skylight on Red's roof?"

With her face half-veiled in shadow, Bird Lady raised her head up to the hole. For a moment, Jinx saw a scar marked on her left cheek before she took a step closer to inspect the affected area.

"...gremlins," Bird Lady muttered.

"Say what?" Jinx deadpanned.

"Tis clear the matter was an accident, but the cause is... curious. Curiously odd, to say the least," Bird Lady turned to the two of them before she stretched out her hand to the hole, letting the back of her scar-addled hand be bathed in sunlight. "A momentary, dimensional glitch, as someone else would put it. Or maybe this was a result of some mischief involving a weighted bucket of water being dropped from such an uncanny height. And in doing so caused such a pronounced entrance from the roof- hypothetically."

"Welp. Forget I asked," Jinx quickly figured the crazy lady would be the type who'd answer in riddles.

What's next, read the future from a deck of gambling cards?

"I don't see a bucket anywhere near the roof," Red shook her head. "Just heard a loud crash before I found this."

"Patching this up would've been fine, but we spent the last raft on Pip's."

"In other words- you can't fix it," Red concluded.

"Who said I can't fix it? It's the stuff to cover it is the real problem. And oh yeah, I'm supposed to be 'laying low', remember?"

"Uh, no. First time I've heard of it," Red raised a brow.

Jinx yawned as she stretched her arms in the air; the sun shining far too brightly for her liking. She intended to take it slow for the day, given the amount of night hours she spent welding and soldering bits and pieces to replicate what the notes had shown her. But to be granted this much attention and demand was equally tiresome just as it was gratifying, loathed as she was to admit it.

"Welp, bother with that later," she turned her heel to go.

"And the roof-?"

"Later," she cocked her head at her as she kicked the debris of dirt. "I've got someone else to bother with."

Jinx then skipped her way towards the only exit of the sanctuary, spotting Rayn who was taking his turn on guarding the gate.

One moment of eye contact between them and Rayn immediately said, "No."

"Aw, come on!" she whined.

"We agreed on this," Rayn insisted, slamming the end of his polearm on the ground.

"It's just collecting scrap for repairs! I promise I'm not gonna shoot anyone."

"Not happening," he said firmly. "And if its more scrap, we can just have someone else get it."

"Yeah, but no one else knows quality like I do."

Rayn scoffed, "Since when did you care about shit like that? You make weapons out of a pipe and a few rocks!"

"Uegh, fine, fine! I guess I'll hole up in my room," she raised her hands in the air, irritated and resigned as she skulked her way back.

Jinx agreed (reluctantly) to Scar's terms the day before, but to put it in action already seemed impossible to keep up. She didn't like being a burden; why else would she take up their requests? But to be a liability under the Eye of Zaun-

-Why can't you just let me go, old man?

"-Would it not be wiser to reuse the other abandoned metal plate rather seeking for a new piece outside?" Bird Lady suddenly said.

Jinx narrowed her eyes at the veiled lady, pouting. Bird Lady in turn, then opened her mouth, as if she came to a realisation.

"Oh, I see," Bird Lady smiled. With half her face hidden, Jinx could read that smile as her making fun of her. "Wish to fly out of the cage, is it?"

"We're bugs, not birds," Jinx retorted.

Bird Lady's smile never faltered, then stretched out her arm into the sky. Sure enough, a black bird then flew into view and landed on her clothed arm. Jinx wondered how this woman became something of a bird whisperer; or why she even chose to stay here among the Firelights. The crow in question then revealed to have something attached to its beak. Jinx didn't miss the glint on the corvid's beak.

"There's always an old, universal proverb told across many realms I've travelled," Bird Lady said as she accepted the piece from the black bird with her free hand. "When one door closes, there's always a window of opportunity."

"Ha! And there's only one exit."

"Is there, really?" Bird Lady then raised a closed fist before Jinx. "Open up your hand, Jinx. They say a gift from a crow is a sign of good fortune."

Jinx scoffed, resting a hand to her hip and gave a slackened, open palm beneath the woman's fist. The woman then rested something weighted onto her palm. Jinx reluctantly glanced over the object and realised it was unmistakenly another hex gem shard. One that bore the size of a bullet. She frowned, then cackled.

"Bird Lady, do you even know what you just gave me?" she said sardonically.

"Not at all, I'm afraid," Bird Lady replied melodiously. "Oh, but my dear friend here certainly has a knack at finding things through odd paths."

Jinx stared at her, her fingers now playing with her newly acquired shard. "You really like to make things easier for me, don't you?"

The woman chuckled, "Riddle me this, then, Jinx. If a door be closed; how did our feathered friend find his way here?"

She thought for a moment, eyeing the shard in hand. She raised her head up, tossing up the shard in the air and catching it as she observed the walls surrounding the confines of the sanctuary. Glancing at the veiled woman then to the corvid in question, the bird tilted its head at her before it cawed.

And then she gave them a wry grin.

"Y'know, for a bird lady, you're not too bad yourself," Jinx remarked.

"Why, thank you," she nodded. "Do take caution, however. Your friends have every right to be wary." -Bird Lady then gestured to the bird on her arm- "our friend here tells me that the winds have taken a strange turn in the air. 'The people are more restless these days' he says."

The crow cawed at her, as if in agreement.

"-Aaand you're back to being the crazy lady," Jinx then started climbing up the stairs, waving off at her as she went.

"Stay safe," the woman called out in her melodic tone, followed by another caw from the bird.

Always in riddles, she mused.

Considering what the veiled woman implied, Jinx interpreted the hint that there was another exit out of the sanctuary that not many seemed to be aware of.

But how do I even find that 'window'?

Climbing over the protective walls was out of the question. No, what she needed to find was a way to leave without being seen. She tosses up the shard again, catching it then eyed the glimmer it caught from the sun.

Side A

"Ziggs! You gotta minute?"

He knew this was a ridiculous idea to consider, but he understood there was only so much he could do by himself. Ekko didn't like the idea of being unable to trust others with this matter, but he was running out of options.

"Oh!" the yordle turned around, bearing his wide grin at him. "Jinx's other best friend!"

"Ziggs, my man!" Ekko greeted with a fist bump. "Good to see you're still here."

"Why, where else should I be?" Ziggs then hobbled back into his corner of the workshop. "Zaun hasn't seen the last of my sparks yet before I'll find myself back to the old home!"

The workshop itself was once Jinx's old lair. After Silco's untimely death and the Wrath of Zaun rampant and on the loose, Jinx picked up the pyromaniac yordle herself and ended up sharing half her space to him. After his friend made peace with her, Ekko would often find himself walking into squabbles between her and Ziggs over shared tools and spaces. Seeing the yordle in high spirits as opposed to how he was a year ago gave him some sense of relief.

"You really made this place your own," Ekko couldn't help but glance at the charred spots on the pillar and propellers that hinted debris of smoke and gunpowder.

"I'm sure Jinx wouldn't mind if I borrowed her tools and kept the place," said Ziggs as he continued tinkering with the contraption in hand. "Oh, I do miss the lass, but I don't miss it when she would make her marks on my things."

Ekko chuckled, "She sure does love marking her territory."

"So, what can I do for you today, hmm? A building to demolish? Fireworks for Progress Day?"

He held his lips into a tight line, reconsidering his choices before he finally said; "How well do you know about this?"

Brandishing his notebook from his satchel, Ekko opened to the pages that depicted the anomaly before showing it to Ziggs. The yordle's usual grin then dropped, lifting his goggles at Ekko.

He led them down to the old hideout, explaining away his recent escapades involving the z-drive. Upon their arrival, they entered his work room; the z-drive not so hidden beneath the cover of a makeshift cleaning cloth. Pulling that away from the z-drive, Ekko saw the yordle's goggles gleaming at the sight of the device. The centre of the anomaly remaining the same size as he found it last time. That alone made him silently relieved that no one else found this place yet.

"So, this is the anomaly in your notes?" Ziggs tapped the glass with his gloved fingers. "The source of all your party trick reflexes?"

"Its not a party trick, just a means to survive," Ekko then sat on the chair, resting his arm on the desk. "But like I said, after Warwick broke it I… I've been getting headaches and keep seeing- flashes of things. Like different outcomes of the same action."

Ziggs kept tilting his head from side to side, expression thoughtful as he observed the device. After hopping onto the desk, trotting around the device for inspection, he concluded; "Looks like I can't help you there, Ekko. Hexplosives I make, not timey devices like these."

Ekko sighed; "I guess I figured as much."

"If my old mentor and I were in talking terms, I would have introduced you to him," Ziggs added. "He might be better at solving conundrums like these."

"Mentor?"

"Professor Hiemerdinger, of course."

Ekko raised his brows, "You were Professor Heimerdinger's student?"

"He did not approve my choices when it comes to the use of hexplosions, and so I chose Zaun over the academy halls."

"Huh."

Ziggs then leered at the glass so closely the surface began to fog. "If Heimerdinger saw this, he would have you run further experiments and dismantle it before he'd let you carry it around."

"-No different from tomorrow man himself," Ekko interjected. "The only reason I'm on Piltover's watchlist is cause Talis wants to reverse-engineer this thing for himself."

"Not Heimerdinger, no," Ziggs insisted. "He would rather see my hexplosives locked behind a vault than see someone running around the streets using time-breaking devices made from hexgem shards."

"Meaning?"

"He's a worrier and very particular about dangerous inventions. Not a yordle who'd claim the prize for himself."

"And how does that have anything to do with this thing?" Ekko tapped at the z-drive.

"Try bringing the z-drive to someone like Heimerdinger, of course! If its not explosions, I can't help you with this."

Ekko groaned, slumping his head onto the table. It was hard to go back to running around the streets without the z-drive; it was his only safety measure after all. Ekko understood it's not always a good thing to rely on such methods all the time. But after the lives he could have saved and the disasters he prevented with it, how could he go back?

Going topside is the last thing I want.

"Can't you at least try?" Ekko urged. "From one artificer to another."

Ziggs turned his head at him, his toothy, cresent-moon grin grew wider.

"Bombs away!"

Maybe I really should've reconsidered.

Ekko cranked the dial back, rewinding time before Ziggs tossed one of his bombs over at one of the abandoned shelters below. The idea wasn't entirely a bad one, to have Ziggs set off his explosives as part of an extensive time-rewinding experiment.

But did it have to be here at the hideout?

Ziggs wound back his small arm back before catapulting it from the balcony and down below for the nineth time; "Bombs away!"

"I said wait-!"

Before he could crank the dial back again, the spiked headache came back with a vengeance. Ekko fell to the floor on his knees, curling his arms over his head as the visions began to assault his mind's eye. A kaleidoscope of patterns danced in his head; scenes interlocking like a collage of pages torn and pasted together. Reality and illusions blending in flashes of neon colours. Ekko could barely breathe as the pain surged in his head, barely sensing the hard wood below him and the sounds of his yordle friend's prodding.

And then, the pain ceased; his vision a blur before he could regain its clarity.

Collecting his breath, he looked up and saw Ziggs no longer smiling.

"How's the head?" he asked.

"This shit hurts like a bitch," Ekko huffed. "But it isn't as bad as last night's."

Then, the rain began to fall once again.

"Oh man," he groaned, slowly picking himself up as he headed over to the door.

"There goes the experiment," Ziggs remarked before joining Ekko next to the balcony. "Huh. Where did the bomb go?"

Ekko looked down at the shelter below; frowning at the lack of the after-effects of Zigg's explosions. "It didn't set off?"

"It did but I don't see it."

He turned to the z-drive, its aethereal white light glowing ominously. What did it mean? After trying to prevent Ziggs from blowing holes on the ground below, the bomb just blew up and disappeared? The boy failed to mention that he caught a glimpse of his old friend the night before, wondering whether that was a result from his fatigue or from the z-drive's effects. The device itself was a momentary freak accident from the start. Where both him and Jinx were playing around with the different combination of runes before he inadvertently rewound their conversation.

…Runes…

He ran back to his desk, flipped the pages to his notes on the randomized runes they used.

Did I mess with the wrong runes to cause this?

Eyes navigate through the labyrinth of scribbles. Retracing his steps as he tried to understand where he messed up. His concentration broke at the sudden swish of wind blowing through the door, followed by the unsavoury arrival of the black bird.

The crow planted its two claws on top of the z-drive and said; "Arr yuu aright?"

He gave out a long breath, shaking his head. "Coming back for seconds?"

"Arr yuu aright?"

Ziggs hobbled over to climb on the desk and gestured, "And who's this?"

"Just a bird that got attached to me," Ekko shook his head. "Likes to say the same thing over and over."

"Arr yuu aright?" the bird asked again.

"See?"

Ziggs regarded the crow with a new-found curiosity. "I'm getting a strange feeling out of that bird."

"Feeling's mutual," Ekko then poked at the side of its body, to which the corvid accepted it without question. "Although, it doesn't seem afraid of people."

Ekko then returned his attention to the notes in question, eyeing the page that marked the combination of runes. The more he looked into it, the more he found himself considering what Ziggs had proposed.

"Ziggs. Turns out I might gonna need to find a hextech expert after all."

Side B

After her newly found freedom, the first thing she did (as opposed to her initial plan) was to sit by the water's edge and watch that lone island prison across the harbour. Jinx watched that grey silhouette as a boat ferried off from the docks and into the other side, effectively blocking her view from it.

'Vi is alive!'

The one truth she held onto for years was that hope Ekko imparted onto her. Silco relayed the news of her death and yet Ekko spoke of her sister's fate in Stillwater. Doubt still lingered in the tips of her fingers as she tossed a pebble into the water. It played at her conscience on whether her very dead friend said those things just to get her to follow him or that he really did tell her the truth.

"Who's the liar here?" she said aloud.

"Why should I?" she muttered.

Jinx stood up from hard stones, the hood of her overcoat momentarily slipped back before she tugged it over her head.

Can't have the old man see this shade of blue.

She could've dyed her hair as Eve and Crow had once suggested. Splice it off or make it anything that didn't resemble her old life with Silco. But the affections that spawned from his gestures; like the way he first braided her hair, or how he alleviated her fears with encouraging word. That sick and twisted affection she regarded for him was equally loathsome just as it was endearing.

No sooner did the boat ferry itself away from her view, Jinx made one last look at Stillwater's grey walls. Their last exchange had been horrible. Vi's slap was still painfully fresh on her face as the ghosts that haunt her. Even after all that bitterness and anger of being abandoned-

'We can start things over! Vi is alive! She's in Stillwater and nothing is lost just yet!'

"I'm getting you outa there sis," she said. "One way or another."

But first. Get out of dodge from the old man's territory.

She turned her heel back towards the city and began to head over towards Fissures. As experience had taught her, Jinx found it easier to hide amidst crowded places contrary to the isolated alleys. That is, so long as she kept her hair underneath the shadow of her hood. To walk in the crowds without being seen was a pain in the neck, and yet the experience brought an uncanny excitement she dared not admit to any Firelights.

By now, Scar and the rest would be scouting around, collecting information on Silco's next shipment, or just going about their lives unmasked outside the hideout. The most she could do as of now was just to hide in plain sight and make a deal with the local junkrat who could sell her the parts she needs.

Her steps lead her past Vander's memorial, bypassing the Lanes and onto the alleyways. The junkrat in question was just another survivor who managed to make a living out of selling junk that the bottom feeders sell to him. The merchant's loyalty was questionable, but the hideout was always in constant need for maintenance, meaning she'll need new parts to keep it from falling apart.

The exchange was discreet after a long-winded exchange of haggling to an agreeable price. After settling on a few cogs and fruit that she had plucked from the hideout's tree, Jinx then made her merry way back through the alleyways. She carried with her a sizable metal plate for Red's roof and a handful of junk that seemed like a worthy substitute for the hextech platform.

"Stupid junkrat," she grumbled. "Fruit that fresh don't just come out of the ground that easily-"

-Her ears pricked at a quiet, grinding sound. Like a cog scraping against a smooth plate that lasted for seconds. Jinx ceased her steps, not turning around as she let her ears listen to the city's bustling hum. All is silent in this alleyway. But she already knew what that meant.

Resuming her trail, she decided to take a detour from her usual route. With each passing step, she felt the weight of someone's gaze follow. She clutched at the satchel strap in her hand that carried her new found goods. If she was lucky, it'd be just a petty, mugging thief.

I can shoot a thief. Oh wait, I promised not to shoot anyone-

The sound of that grinding comes back again. Her very own warning bells screamed in the back of her mind. Jinx took another turn, her feet picking up the pace.

It'll be funny if it was someone like Sevika or some random enforcer.

She laughed to herself; the nerves getting to her head as she found herself smiling wryly at the thought. The thrill of a chase, just like that cat and mouse game she and Sevika inadvertently played. Her feet led her out into the open streets of the Lanes; intent on disappearing amidst the crowds.

Janna worshippers to her left; side dealers to her right. Stragglers and bums congregating in all sorts of corners and places; random arguments and loud talkers speaking on top of running vehicles riding the roads. A wondrous cacophony of Zaun greeting her senses as she tugged the corner of her hood forward. She could still feel the weight of that gaze; her senses crossing between paranoia and excitement. If the crowds can't shake off her stalker, then perhaps the other option could work.

She brandished one of her smoke bombs, winding the crank before rolling it onto the cobblestones. Within seconds good ol' mouser 5.0 disperses colourful, glittering smoke in the middle of the road. People caught within the crossfire swore and yelped at the plume of smoke, allowing her to walk to the opposite direction of where the smoke had been. Angry shouts echoed from a distance as she hoped.

Then, from high above, something heavy fell onto her; sending onto the floor.

"Ow," she groaned, feeling her torso pressed against something heavy and breathing-

A momentary headache followed; like someone poking a branch on the side of her head that lasted for a moment. She raised her head up, glaring at the culprit who jumped on her, only to realise it was just a kid wearing a minor's helmet.

The ground then shook. Jinx looked up and found herself staring at a chempunk with overly useless augments all over their body, running towards her direction. Grabbing her gun from her holster, she fired a headshot at her target.

"Well, that takes care of everything," she said, picking herself up.

The kid in question hugged her legs suddenly.

"And what haven did you fall from, kid?" Jinx mused aloud, then raised her gaze up to the high buildings. "You almost blew my cover."

The child didn't answer and continued to cling onto her with shaking limbs. Seeing that the little one wouldn't budge, Jinx bent her knees to get a better look at the kid. The child's amber eyes gleamed with tears before she jumped onto Jinx to hug her neck. The gesture had only brought further questions to her head.

"Did that chempunk scare you?" she asked.

The kid nodded, still clinging onto her. Before she could say anything further, she could hear hastening steps approaching her direction.

"-Hey, you alright in there-"

Jinx looked up, her hood slipping down from the back of her head in the process. There stood a tall boy in trousers, a sleeveless shirt and a red scarf around his neck. His white, dreadlocks contrasted with his dark brown skin; his face painted with an hourglass shape from his forehead to the bridge of his nose; and those eyes- Those warm, brown eyes stared back at her with an equal amount of shock to how she felt.

There was something familiar. Something uncannily similar that it set her to heart to stop in a moment.

"…Ekko?" the name slipped past her lips before she could think.

"…Powder."

And yes. Isha is here everyone.

And in reference to old lore, yes, I have drawn ideas from the Ziggs and Jinx comic for Side B.

I'll admit I found it far more difficult to write Jinx's perspective due having to rethink about what sort of version of her would think in her designated AU. Things like, since she's got a community, where are her priorities apart from her mental health struggles? How does she cope with her momentary episodes? I had to put my mind into that framework with the hopes of keeping things equally fresh but retain a semblance of the Jinx we know. I don't know whether I did a good job or not so... uh. Let me know? I'll try and do better.