To reviews
Gerak999: Glad you like the gaslighting lol. Hopefully, more to come.
Super Heavey Weapons Guy: Glad I could reel one in haha
Aaron: I definitely will... just slowly haha.
GreyWolf025: I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it! And don't worry. part of Jinx's Ten-Step Plan is getting Trunks to like Zaun and enjoy spending time with her.
Guest: Thank you very much. Writing dialogue and interactions is one my favorite parts of writing a fic, so you'll definitely see more of that lol
Gwynx: Thank you very much!
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Casually strolling along in the early evening, Jinx led Trunks through the side alley of the Lower Streets, just off the main road of "Fisher's Lane" (very creative) – it was more like an oversized alleyway that saw a lot of foot traffic, than a proper road – and, despite it not being too far from her Lair, was stuffed to the brim with people. Which, incidentally – or maybe because of – also doubled as an open ware and food Night Market, essentially becoming the trading hub for the more "law-abiding" citizens of Zaun.
The place where every creature with two hands and feet in the city, and not on the cut, congregated.
Hell, one could even argue that… when compared to the Last Drop – the de facto center of crime in Zaun – this market was the real heart of the city.
On her left was a plethora of pop-up food carts, selling everything from native undercity soups and stews. Scattered about, were a few imitation dishes from Piltover… all "authentic" styles of bread, cheeses, and meats… all displayed to look super posh and pretentious-like. Only slightly moldy from whatever dumpster they had scavenged it from. Off to the side, there were even a few foreign city-states' cuisines – all attempts by the owners to stand out from their local competition.
There were the usual Ionian noodles, a tried and true staple of the lower city, artisanal bread from Demacia, or those weird Freljord-themed ice creams wrapped in waffled cones.
On her right were rows upon rows of vendors and make-shift stalls, the peddlers who gave the street its famous name. It was a series of merchants and sailors selling fish, crabs, clams, turtles… basically, any creature the locals could grab out of the river/lake that made up the Stillwater. However, there were the occasional fruit, vegetable, or accessory stands that dotted the aisles, adding some flavor to the endless sight of dead sea life.
And per usual, it was quite a sight to behold. a buzzing beehive of human activity and entertainment. Sort of like an… impromptu festival of sorts, where everything was overpriced, the food was made in the most unsanitary of conditions, and it was pretty even odds that somebody was getting scammed of all their life savings somewhere.
But hey… as long as you ignored the occasional stabbings or kidnapping, it was where you could find all sorts of fun.
The perfect place for a first date.
"First thing first… you hungry?"
"I could eat…"
"What're you in the mood for?" Jinx asked Trunks, waving an arm wide to encompass the view before them – occasionally pointing out something interesting – giving him a… rather unorganized tour of Zaun. But he seemed to be enjoying it… the fresh air seemingly doing him wonders. And more importantly, it kept him distracted. Because whenever he wasn't looking directly at her, she made sure to throw a glare at every pissant that she caught staring too long at the two teens. "That is… you know, if you freaky alien types eat regular people food."
He scoffed a little, giving her an amused smirk as they walked along the street – people dodging out of their way because of the warrior's size and her "famous" reputation – before giving her a faux serious look, as if he was really considering her words.
"Well… I might've eaten an insect or two in my day." He answered casually as they crossed the busy street, playing along with her ribbing, obviously trying to gross her out. The joke was on him though… Jinx used to have a bug-eating phase. "Surprisingly nutritious… and if you cook them just right, they even taste halfway decent." They really did, but not wanting to spoil his teasing, she made fake gagging noises, watching him snort as he added. "But just in case you try and take that as an excuse to shove me into an anthill…" Funny, that did cross her mind. "I'm joking. And yes, I do eat regular food… prefer it actually."
"Pfft could've fooled me." She said flippantly, but enjoying the fact that he seemed so relaxed, enough to even engage in a little banter now that they were out of the Lair. Forcing him to come out and get some… uh, "clean" air, was definitely the right choice. "I've literally spent days watching you inhale those disgusting ration bars of yours… so I'm pretty 50-50 right now."
"Don't knock them till you try them. They're surprisingly filling, it… just has an acquired taste, is all. "
"I'll take your word on it." Jinx agreed easily enough with a dismissive wave of her hand, casually hopping over a sewage puddle in her path. Stepping back a few paces in order to shoulder bump him, she added mockingly. "You know you don't have to play tough guy with me Purple. If you want to go digging for some worms… I won't stand in your way. Hell, I'll even help you out!" Grinning at his chuckling, she continued. "And as you're stuffing your face, getting mud all over my boots… I'll only judge you a little."
She kept her tone light, the jokes flowing…
But also made sure to keep a sharp eye out for any busybodies that may have been watching them.
The downside of going to such a public spot for a date was… there were a lot of people going about their business – both store owners and customers alike – all getting ready to enjoy the nighttime rush and activities.
Unfortunately, it also meant there were a lot of eyes on the two teens.
And like clockwork, the odd couple was drawing unwanted attention as they walked – her being the (in)famous Bomber of Zaun, and Trunks, the only one who… funny enough, walked with confidence in his steps, instead of skulking about like everyone else – but most onlookers wisely averted their gaze once they realized who they were looking at, not wanting to get involved with whatever mischief had caught her fancy.
Jinx didn't mind overall people looking – would, in fact, encourage people seeing to couple out and about – but had to be vigilant for the one-in-a-million jackass that wanted to make a name for themselves.
Because in the undercity, that one-in-a-million… was more like one-in-a-dozen.
While the teen genuinely wanted to show Trunks a good time – him enjoying spending time with her was part of her Ten-Step plan to trick him into saying he loved her – she knew better than most how unfriendly Zaunites could be towards outsiders. That, despite her standing right next to him (which, should have been more than enough of an endorsement, in itself) some loudmouth punk was going to try and test the warrior just to prove a point.
It was part of the reason why she had the man wear his tank top (the smallest in the pile)… because even the most reckless fool was gonna think twice when they saw arms like that. All the bravado in the world wasn't going to get past the fact that the Saiyan's biceps were bigger than some people's heads!
There was stupid … and there was suicidal.
The other reason was… well, because she just wanted something nice to look at… it was supposed to be a date, after all. And may~be show off a bit for the sheep… feeling a weird mix of pride, humor, and even satisfaction whenever she caught some airhead staring a little too long at the fucking cleavage Trunks was showing off.
Their gobsmacked faces, becoming a new treasured memory.
Hmmm… maybe the warrior was on to something when he said the magic was affecting her brain?
Nah, that was stupid… she just liked seeing people envious, is all. Showing off Trunks to everyone was like showing off a brand new pair of shoes from Topside… you wanted everyone to look and be jealous.
But overall… between her and the "guns", hopefully, it'd scare away any troublemakers.
Not that Jinx was really concerned, per se… in all seriousness, the idea of someone actually trying to hurt the Saiyan, likely breaking their fists in the attempt, would have been hilarious to watch.
And any other time, she would have sat back and enjoyed the disaster unfold…
But she was on a date!
And if Trunks accidentally caved some idiot's chest in for stepping up to him, she was pretty certain the evening would be over.
She'd be damned if that happened before she even got a kiss.
"How considerate of you." Trunks said sarcastically, as she led them deeper into a side street, cutting left until they were suddenly hit with the full force of the the morning's catch. Ah, dirty river fish, baking in the sun for hours, their stinky aroma wafting in the air… it really got the appetite going! "But I think I'll give that a hard pass, and stick to human food." Twirling a finger to indicate their surroundings, he asked. "What do you usually eat?"
"Depends… " Jinx said with a lackadaisical shrug, casually looking off to the side and pretending to be distracted… before oh so casually letting her hand reach out to grab his. Turning to look at him with a grin, ignoring his surprise at getting caught off guard again – and pitiful attempts to sneakily pull his hand away – she countered. "What do you like?"
She met his unimpressed look at the sudden hand-holding… with an even bigger grin.
"Depends… " He echoed after a moment, glancing down at where she was already intertwining their fingers, a slight look of consternation on his face… before he sighed and let it be, pointedly looking away. Small victories. "But usually anything… and everything." He admitted noncommittal, giving her a head tilt as he glanced curiously around, taking in the sights. "I'm not that picky, to be honest… but I do want to try something local, so I'll follow your lead."
"Ah, dealer's choice then." She said enthusiastically, the teen nodded sagely at her own words as she waved one finger in the air for emphasis. "Well, you're in luck! Because you're looking at a tried and true Zaunite girl. I know where all the best places for rice, noodles, bread, beans, and everything in between!" The teen finished with a theatric flare, listing off the carbs as if they were the most exciting thing to happen in the past century. Not giving him a chance to say anything, she patted him on the stomach, adding cheekily. "But don't get too excited fatty, because these places only sell human-sized portions."
He gave her a flat side eye... all while trying to fight the smile off his lips.
"5/10 for delivery… 3/10 for the humor." Trunks snarked back, before lifting his chin in mock pride, giving her a smirk. "And I'll have you know… that's a goddang eight-pack you're smacking, you brat." Pulling her closer to him by her hand, he said in a low "threatening" voice. "Don't think I won't take off my shirt, and embarrass you in front of everyone here, just to prove a point."
Jinx almost wanted to snort at him thinking that was in any way threatening.
Half the idiots in Zaun already walked around topless… what was one more?
"Oh, but you'll do it in private?" She asked casually nonetheless, letting their conjoined hands swing playfully between them, flutteringly her eyelashes "coquettishly". "Well, well… that's certainly an interesting tidbit–"
"Hey, that's not what I–"
"-and here I was thinking, I'd have to wine and dine you–
"-look, it was just a joke and a bad one, at that. So forget–"
"-more of a third date kinda thing–"
"-would you listen? It's–"
"-maybe we should just skip the whole night? Go back to the Lair for some–"
Suddenly, she felt Trunks change directions, pulling her into a side alley and out of sight… her back against the wall.
"Whoa, whoa…" Jinx said in surprise, blinking stupidly at the maneuver… her brain immediately fired on all pistons, and wondering excitedly at what he was about to do. Who knew all it took was some kinky words to get him going? "Getting kind of adventurous aren't you Purple? I'm not usually that kind of girl, but if you're that impatient–"
"Stop that." He cut in, giving her a flat look, tugging his hand out of hers and crossing his arms as he loomed over her. "Do we need to have another lecture about boundaries? About how this…" He waved a finger between the two of them. "Isn't real? That what you feeling is just a byproduct of–"
Oh… it's one of those talks.
Well, that certainly ruined her mood.
"So you say," Jinx said flippantly, crossing her own arms and giving a shrug, feeling a little deflated now that she knew this wasn't what she had thought it was going to be. Just another half-hearted lecture on why "romance" wasn't on the table for them… because of reasons… and reasons… and other reasons. Bleurgh. Still… she wasn't going to let a little bit of disappointment stop her from using the situation to her advantage. "But where's our proof that it's even fake?
"Don't do this." Trunks said firmly, a hard set on his brow as he took a deep breath, getting ready to argue."Don't try to talk your way around this, Jinx. You said it yourself, that you saw Towa's memories too. So you know exactly what she did… what the evil woman was trying to do. How this..." He tapped a finger on his left chest, right above where the soul-mark was. "Was just some messed up attempt of her's to try and control me. We can't trust anything that she's done… her magic, least of all."
For a long moment, the two teens just stared each other down, neither moving an inch.
"And I agree," Jinx said simply with a short nod, watching him blink in surprise at her unexpected answer. No doubt, having been ready to lay down the law on her and put a stop to their burgeoning relationship. Pfft, as if. "I'm 100% behind you… we can't trust anything about her."
It was a little sooner than she had planned, having wanted to enjoy the evening before she got down to business. But if they were already going to have a "talk" about the soul bond and what that meant going forward, here and now in this dirty alleyway… then she might as well start Steps 2 and 3 of her Plan.
Time to nudge his thoughts in the right direction.
So, while Jinx was outwardly amicable… inside, the teen was getting ready to gaslight the fuck out of Trunks.
"T-That's great! Perfect even, because I–"
"Towa is a crazy… evil … space witch." She started slowly, interrupting him as she listed off the descriptors of Jinx's… uh, "benefactor"? Stepping into his space, she idly began tapping one finger on his chest as she got ready to poke holes in his logic. "Who… by your words, can't be trusted in any way, shape, or form." Lifting her hands up by her shoulders, she gave him half a shrug and asked. "So why… are we just trusting a bunch of memories that she put in our head… and treating it as fact?"
It was a basic ass argument and one that wouldn't have been enough to convince him in the best of times. It was all made-up conjecture, after all. But thankfully, when it came to her, the Saiyan wasn't working with a clear head. She… had something of an unfair advantage when it came to making Trunks see things her way…
Case in point, as the teen let those words sink in… she took a moment to enjoy that tingling sensation in her hand, the way his face scrunched up in confusion as the magic infected his brain, … the bond working overtime to put just a little more weight behind her words, making them just a little more convincing to the Saiyan.
Making the bullshit she was about to spout seem logical… almost reasonable.
"What– I–" Trunks tried to say, no doubt a million counter-arguments at the tip of his tongue… but all of them, starting to seem less concrete than he would have hoped the longer he thought about it. Or at least, that's how she assumes it was probably happening in his head… she only really had his expressions to go off of.
"I'm just saying… spirit magic is apparently so unpredictable, not even your "gods" use it," Jinx said, speaking sweet poison in his ear, planting the seeds of doubt. "And soul-bonding? A one-in-a-trillion event – a borderline mythical one at that – but somehow she managed to figure it out? Seems kind of extraordinary… almost a stretch of imagination…"
"Don't underestimate her…" He said slowly, but firmly, knowing he was right but unable to articulate why. "We have the marks as proof."
"I'm not saying you're wrong Purple." She said consolingly, looking up at him as she began massaging his chest and shoulders soothingly… weirdly liking how firm they felt under her fingers. It kinda reminded her of her childhood, when Vi would show off some "new" muscle she had been working on, and had Jinx squeeze it. "But maybe we should take the crazy space witch's words with a grain of salt. Just because it's the most obvious answer, doesn't mean it's the right answer, you know?"
Even at the teen's gentle motions - probably a contrast to the typhoon of contradicting thoughts going on in his head right now - she could see he was starting to subconsciously fight the mind control. Could feel it even, from the way that little sun in her head started beating erratically, almost angrily. Well... that was disappointing. While Jinx already knew she couldn't abuse the bond indiscriminately... a small part of the teen wanted to toe the line and push further – to force the idea that the soul bond was real and demand he says he loved her – but knew too much, too soon would snap him out of his haze and realize something was wrong.
Ugh, free will.
For a moment, the Saiyan just blinked at her uncomprehendingly… before he started to hesitantly nod in agreement.
"...yeah… I guess that… sort of makes sense…"
"Right! We should be open to other possibilities…" Jinx encouragingly, easing off that little fireball in her head that was Trunks' presence. That was good enough for now… no need to accidentally crack the egg before it was fully cooked, after all. "Other reasons for why we're connected now." Titling her head and giving him a noncommittal shrug, she said "casually". "How does that saying go? "If you stare too hard at the tree… you miss the forest"? So maybe we should brainstorm–"
She cut off at his sudden chuckle.
"Not this again," Trunks began, – his gaze, once again clear and focused – giving her a semi-disbelieving smile, yet hilariously unaware of the sudden shift in his mood. Unfortunately, now that he was thinking clearly, his hands had reached up to stop hers when she began… unknowingly massaging a little too aggressively along the flat planes of his body. "We're not soul-mates... hell, we're not even from the same universe! It just wouldn't make any sense. "
Aaaaand just like that, he was back to his old self.
Well, it was nice while it lasted.
"Hey… it's a better explanation that you're crazy, demon, god, witch doing the impossible." She countered, before glancing down a bit and idly noting that the warrior hadn't let go of her hands. Ah, progress. Step 1 of her Plan was starting to bear some fruit… he was finally starting to get used to touching her, no longer trying to politely but firmly, set physical boundaries. That was good… she didn't think she could put up with a sexless marriage. "I'm not gonna press you on it, but it's food for thought. So, keep an open mind and consider the… very likely possibility that we're meant to be together." She leaned up, tiptoeing a bit in order to whisper into his ear. "Hopefully before you make too much of an ass of yourself, and I decide you're not worth it."
Jinx dropped back down on her heels and gave him a grin.
"If … it's real." Trunks said flatly, even as his eyes seemed to flicker uncertainly.
"If… when… eventually…" She said casually, looking off to the side and giving him a shrug. Her hands still in his, she wrapped her fingers around his thumbs, and pulled them closer to her chest, before stepping around the Saiyan and walking backward out of the alley, tugging him along "Now what were we doing? Food right? Well, luck for you… Jericho's just down the road."
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So... this chapter originally had a lot more going on in it. Including them actually eating, but I wasn't super happy with the second half of it so I decided to cut it in two.
Fun Fact: Jinx nicknamed her gun Pow-Pow... which turns out to have been Vi's nickname for Powder.