Jinx and Ekko Make Friends
The scent of sizzling meat and string whiskey filled The Last Drop as Ekko took his seat. The place was quieter than normal, most of the usuals had already left for the night. Ekko had just finished up a shift from The Undercity and needed to decompress at a place not so “prim and proper” as Vi usually called it.
Vander set a heavy plate of meat and potatoes in front of Ekko. “What do they feed you at that Richie rich establishment? Air and ice? You’re too damn scrawny”
Ekko had eaten at The Undercity before leaving, but he couldn’t pass up on Vanders food. Ekko grew up in this area of town with Jinx and Vi. It was growing up eating Vanders cooking that actually made Ekko want to become the best chef in Piltover one day.
While he could definitely become a feared foe of the rich chefs in Piltovers “nicer” part of town, Vander never tried. He preferred serving food to costumers like him and in an establishment that was warm and cozy, not regal and menacing.
Jinx slid into a seat beside Ekko and started snatching potatoes off of his plate.
“No Vi tonight,” Ekko asked.
“Boxing with Loris,” Jinx reassured with a mouthful of food. “She’s got fire but she’s going to be walking home with bruises bigger than my fists.” Jinx said as she playfully punched Ekko in the arm.
Ekko smirked “sounds about right.”
Vi and Jinx lived together above the Last Drop with Vander. Vi makes money from winning every boxing match she enters while Jinx helps out in the bar and selling minor inventions on the side (sometimes illegal ones but we don’t talk about that). Vander always tried to convince Jinx to go to the academy and make a name for her, but Jinx always refused. She insisted that she wouldn’t want to leave Vander and Vi for too long but in reality she knew Vander couldn’t afford to send her.
Ekko and Vander talked some while Jinx messed with a small new invention on the table.
“Uhggg I’m bored. Can we go now?” Jinx asked.
Vander sighed and took a drink of whiskey, “you two better not get arrested tonight.
Jinx smiled “no promises!” And she sprinted out the door.
Ekko stuffed some last food into his mouth before Vander grabbed him by the shoulder.
“You keep her out of trouble, yeah?”
Ekko smirked, “as much as humanly possibly!” And then he sprinted off to join Jinx.
The streets of Piltover were a cast in golden light. The higher districts of the city shimmered in the distance, showing off how the pristine spires touched the heavens.
Jinx led the way with a light backwards skip, “come on ya slowpoke!”
Ekko kept his pace behind her “you’re going to run into a guard if you don’t look where you’re going.”
“Maybe but they definitely won’t catch me if I do!” Jinx twirled before dashing into an alleyway.
Ekko sighed, shoved his hands into his jackets pockets, and followed. He was used to going on this midnight adventures with Jinx. The two of them did them since childhood, sometimes Vi would join too. The nights were always wild and adventurous, and sometimes they would get into too much fun and Vander would have too deal with the trouble that came with it. But they hadn’t done this in a long time. Ekko worked too much at The Undercity now.
They climbed up onto the rooftop balancing on edges like tightrope walkers. Below them, the city stretched out in a beautiful display.
They danced across rooftops and slid down roofs before something happened. Jinx dropped down into a crouch and she pointed down into a small alleyway with a bright glowing purple light. “Do you see that?”
Ekko followed her gaze and focused his eyes on the sign. “The Chem Barons Bar.”
They both had never seen it before. The Undercity team had made an unspoken promise about never visiting up and coming rival establishments. It was an honor code. We don’t cheat. The Undercity is the best because it is. Not because it sneaks around. Most of the other restaurants around had similar ideologies.
The alleyway was painted in bright beautiful murals of neon greens and purples. There was a bouncer in-front of a door directly under the sign. There were no patrons waiting to get in though, it was a weekday and awfully late at night.
Jinx leaned in closer, “wanna get a closer look?”
Ekko hesitated, “Jinx we shouldn’t. Jayce would-“
“Too late!” Jinx said as she flipped herself off the roof top and directly onto the bouncer.
Ekko groaned and followed suit. He know realized why Jinx wanted to go on this outing tonight. She wanted to try to help.
Ekko leaned the unconscious bouncer against the wall and walked into the building with Jinx.
The two quickly snuck to a table inside the room. It was dark with neon mood lighting and thick haze coating the main room. At the far end of the room was a bar with tall beakers of neon liquids bubbling and sparkling. The room reminded Ekko and Jinx of the nightlife in the streets they grew up. Just more colorful and somehow even more…sketchy?
“How is this place attracting the uppercrust of Piltover?” Ekko whisper to Jinx.
“Maybe they just want to feel like what we were. Poor and dirty.” Jinx scoffed.
Waiters all carried drinks to patrons filled with the same liquid inside the large tubes behind the bar. And above it all standing on a balcony on the second floor, was Silco.
Ekko barely breathed. He had heard of Silco before of course, everyone knew his name these days. Something about him scared the daylights out of him.
Jinx however was more focused on a different man who stood behind a U-shaped table on the left side of the room.
“Who’s that?” She whispered as she nodded towards him.
The man seemed to be the only warm colored thing in the room. He seemed like a bright dash of yellow and gold on a canvas of greys and purples. He was tall and had jagged features. He had a golden robotic jaw which replaced what used to be a mouth. He was shirtless and showed off plenty of tattoos on his muscles. He wore a metallic apron which matched the gold of his jaw. He was using two sharp golden knives which he decoratively threw up and down dicing and slicing things in front of him.
“That must be Finn,” Ekko started, “the guy who Jayce is worried about.” Ekko normally kept up to date with chefs in the city, reading every article and review possible, but the mixture of Ekko working so much and the Chem Barons being so new and Finn was so young that Ekko barely kept tabs on it.
Jinx tilted her head, “he doesn't…look like a chef. More like someone Vi would beat up.”
“He looks dangerous,” Ekko commented. “Jayce is up against him in the competition.”
Jinx studied Finn for a long time “well that just makes it more interesting then huh!”
Ekko grabbed her arm and started walking away “we should go before anyone sees us.”
She huffed but didn’t put up a fuss.
The two were about to reach the door when someone blocked their exit.
She was tall and had a big robotic arm.
“Leaving without even ordering?” She said “that’s strange.”
“Sevika,” a loud voice said from above. “Please bring those guest to my office.”
Ekko turned to see Silco staring at the pair from the balcony he stood with a menacing grin across his face.
“Shit,” Ekko said.