"You didn't tell me she was a woman"
Quick note: Everything in italics and bold are thoughts and can be heard by everyone present. All of Isha's dialogues are in sign language.
Jinx wanted to leave the room, she didn't want to see whatever Viktor was going to show them. She was afraid that she would have to see what happened to Isha and Beni, she wouldn't be able to bear it if that were the case.
Her hand was clasped in Ekko's, who held it firmly and warmly. That made her feel a little calmer, feeling his warmth after so long was a beautiful feeling.
The scene began showing Jinx sitting in The Last Drop's office, reading what looked like yellowish paper letters with a black wax seal. With a heavy sigh, she threw the letters on the desk. Her head was starting to hurt. She'd been working nonstop. She'd never imagined running a city would be so difficult. She was beginning to understand both of her dads a lot, it was exhausting, there were so many problems to solve and so little time.
Jinx could only stare at the projection in surprise, seeing herself was so surreal.
"I'm very beautiful," Jinx said, trying to lighten the mood, not for everyone else, but for herself.
"You're doing a good job, dear," Silco said, giving her daughter a small smile.
Jinx looked at her dad with her heart aching, she should never have led, that wasn't her place, it was her dad's. And she took it away. She shouldn't have been the queen, she should never have sat in that chair, her place was... was... Where was her place?
The city was a fire that she was trying to control with a glass of water, but Sevika said that little by little they are achieving changes so she prefers to believe her for her nonexistent mental health. On the other hand, her pregnancy was progressing faster than she had thought; well, she was three months along and already had a small bump. That hadn't happened when she'd been pregnant with Isha, but she guessed it was either because of the shimmer or it was more than one baby, Jinx didn't know which she honestly preferred.
No one in the city knew she was pregnant, only her family, but there was a little bug eating her head, she had to tell Ekko, she had to. There was a problem with that, neither Ekko nor his firelights were anywhere, she believed that he or they would eventually appear but nothing. She'd have to look under rocks or resort to the last option: go to the tree. And she didn't think that was a good idea; she wasn't in the mood to be attacked.
Ekko looked at Jinx, conflicted. Beni was still sleeping in his arms. "How did you know about the tree?"
Jinx looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"How do you know where we're hiding?" Ekko asked nervously.
"Were you hiding?" Jinx asked in surprise. Their expressions were terribly funny to everyone else, their mouths and eyes wide open.
"Yes." Ekko exclaimed, accidentally waking Beni, who began to cry loudly.
Jinx frowned at him; Beni had been sleeping so well. She took her son from Ekko's arms and held him against her chest, hugging him gently.
"I didn't know your place was supposedly a secret," Jinx replied, gently rocking Beni, who was still sobbing, small tears wetting his chubby cheeks.
Ekko looked at her in surprise; this woman would undoubtedly be the death of him. He felt guilty seeing his baby crying and knowing he had caused it.
"Can you please leave this discussion for another time?" Mylo asked, fed up with the arguments and the baby's high-pitched crying.
Jinx stared at him and if looks could kill he would be scattered all over the room by now.
She would figure that out later.
Isha was with Sevika accompanying her while they resolved some issues related to the repair of the bar, which was already open and receiving customers but was being remodeled.
It turned out Kayn's contacts in Bilgewater were quite important, more than she thought, so now she was going to have a meeting with the leader there.
Apparently they had gone to the trouble of coming to Zaun, Jinx thought they would only communicate through letters but apparently their leader wanted something more personal, face to face. So she had prepared the docks for the pirates, she also made sure that the small shops in town were open so they could get some income.
"That's a good decision, daughter," Vander said, nodding approvingly as Isha played with his beard. "It increases interest in local businesses."
"I know, I told Dad but he never listened." Jinx said grumpily referring to Silco.
"It wasn't a good time for that," Silco replied with a grimace.
Jinx just mumbled unintelligibly.
Part of her was nervous; she had never met a king or president or leader of another country before; Silco did that, not her. She knew she had to behave in a certain way if she wanted to get the deal with the pirates, Zaun needed that money, repairs in the city were more expensive than she thought.
"Now you understand my stress." Silco said, looking at Jinx smugly.
"Yeah, well, I didn't think I should spend that much money on repairs," Jinx complained, causing Beni's breathing to calm down. "The city is a mess within a mess within a mess in one big, dark, shitty mess."
Demacia had also replied to them, concerned and in agreement with their abhorrence of magic, and she wanted to laugh. Those fools fell for a couple of sweet, tearful words.
"I find it hard to believe Demacia would extend aid to you," Caitlyn said, almost incredulous.
Jinx looked at her in annoyance. "And why?"
Caitlyn looked at her, trying not to remember her bloodlust-filled eyes from her fight with Vi. "Demacia is a great nation, too noble to stoop to..." She stopped when she realized how badly her statement would go down in front of all the Zaunites.
Jinx sighed, letting out a small laugh. "Oh, little princess. Not all countries are like Piltover, some aren't selfish."
Caitlyn opened her mouth to answer but a light tug on her arm caught her attention; it was Vi, who just shook her head.
Lux had written to her surprised because her parents were seriously thinking about forming an alliance with her and Zaun. That little blonde underestimated her power of persuasion.
How did she know the little princess of Demacia, you might ask? Well, it's a fun story. Lux had apparently arrived in Piltover with her brother, Garet? Or was it Garen? Something like that, whatever. Their parents had a meeting with the council, so Lux and her brother had been walking around Piltover, it just so happened that Jinx had been causing mischief there that day. And Jinx collided with Lux and the rest is history. The end.
"Wait, wait," Caitlyn said, unable to stop herself. "Are you friends with Luxana?"
"Yeah." Jinx replied as she gave Ekko Beni who was awake but already calmed down.
Caitlyn looked at her in surprise. She wanted to be friends with Luxana when she visited Piltover, but the blonde was very unfriendly to her, so she gave up.
It was a little funny how neither her parents nor her brother had noticed the magic in Lux but Jinx had, it was a misfortune for her to have been born in a nation that abhorred magic. How did she notice the magic in Lux? She had no idea; it was like a light surrounding the blonde woman. It happened with Kayn too, but in his case, it was shadows.
"Wait what?" The surprised Vi teenager asked.
"Is there magic in Zaun?"
"Do you have magic?"
The sudden questions overwhelmed Jinx. She'd never questioned whether she had magic or not. She didn't need it, and she didn't want it. She preferred to ignore it.
"No, and it doesn't matter." She replied, lightly pushing Ekko who looked at her in surprise.
"Kayn has magic?" he asked, surprised and slightly jealous.
Jinx didn't respond, she didn't want Kayn's secret to come out, he certainly wouldn't want anyone but her to know.
Kayn believed she also had magic or potential for it. According to him, she could see auras, but she didn't believe it was that big a deal. So she didn't think much of it.
Speaking of the devil.
The office door opened revealing Kayn with his pink hair styled in that stupid sideways style, an open blue and red shirt showing his chest, and loose pants. He had the eyepatch on and an arrogant expression on his face that made Jinx want to hit him.
"You should have hit him," Ekko said, rocking Beni, annoyed with the man in the projection.
Jinx looked at him with a raised eyebrow, she would never have thought that Ekko would be a jealous man but she liked that it awoke a heat in her lower belly.
"Our little friends are already arriving."
Back to work.
"I thought they would arrive later." Jinx complained, getting up from her seat. "I was hoping to have lunch with Isha."
"Me too, but I don't think it's a good idea to keep the pirates waiting," Kayn said with a small laugh.
"You'll do fine, dear," Silco said, giving her a small smile.
Jinx smiled at him, she wanted to hug him, hold on to her dad's arms and legs. Sleeping next to him like she did when she was a little girl, having sleepovers, doing ridiculous hairstyles for him, playing with dolls and drawing next to him. She missed him so much, she just wanted to feel like a little girl again and take refuge in her daddy's arms.
"Any information on that cult you told me about?"
Kayn shook his head. "Nothing right now. There's something stopping me from getting in. I don't know what it is, but I'll find out."
"I know you will."
"A cult?" Little Ekko asked, confused. "What's that?"
Jinx smiled at the little boy, wanting to grab those chubby cheeks. "A very idiotic bunch of people."
Little Ekko looked down shyly at Jinx's watchful gaze.
"Since when are there cults in Zaun?" asked the confused adult Vi.
"There always were, sister," Jinx replied vaguely, She didn't feel like remembering that place, she didn't want to.
Jinx approached Kayn revealing her outfit, a long-sleeved blouse of sheer fishnet stockings, with a leather belt with chains covering her breasts, a short black skirt with several leather and metal belts with long black boots with heels. Her blue hair was tied in a single braid that rested over her shoulder.
Ekko could only stare, almost hypnotized, at that woman, the woman at his side. He found it hard to believe that such a beautiful and crazy person could love him. They were both such damaged people but in the end they both loved each other.
"Come on, fatty," Kayn said, laughing before receiving a punch to the stomach that made him double over.
"There's the hit you wanted," Jinx said softly to Ekko with a flirtatious wink, making him smile at her.
"I'd say you have a fat one, but that's not true," Jinx replied, narrowing her eyes, which were now glowing dangerously pink.
Snorts and laughter echoed around the room, Mylo nodded his approval of the insult.
"How do you know that?" Vander asked, frowning as he let Isha draw small, colorful stick figures on his arm.
Jinx rolled her eyes. She'd seen Kayn naked before, but she'd never been interested in his cock. "I guessed."
She smiled innocently, amused by the way annoyance filled Ekko's pretty features.
"How do you know, huh?" Kayn groaned in pain, holding his midsection, walking behind Jinx. "Have you seen her?"
"Her?" Jinx asked confused as she walked down the stairs toward the bar. "Is your dick a girl?"
"Do men really do that kind of stupid thing?" asked the teenage Vi.
"Hey, mine's a male, it would be weird if it was a female," Mylo defended himself, causing Claggor to hit his forehead with his hand.
"That... It's somehow so weird." The teenager said, her mouth wide open in disgust.
"Men are weird, girl," the adult Vi said with a small laugh.
"Of course, honey." Kayn replied, making Jinx grimace in disgust.
"You're disgusting."
Kayn opened the door to The Last Drop for Jinx and put an arm around her shoulders. "You love me, Queen of the Universe."
Ekko growled softly, jealousy bubbling inside him. Beni's sweet babbling distracted him slightly from the jerk on the projector. He placed a kiss on the baby's forehead, not noticing Jinx's gaze on them.
Jinx didn't take his arm off her, but she looked at him expressionlessly. "Don't ever call me that again. Don't start with your stupid nicknames, or the next punch will go to your dick."
"You woke up extra aggressive today, it's sexy," Kayn said, placing a kiss on her cheek.
Ekko rolled his eyes, unable to stand the jerk's flirtatious attitude toward his girlfriend. Jinx could only stare at him lovingly, jealousy making him even more attractive.
"I don't like that boy," Vander said, his arms now colored by Isha's drawings.
"You don't have to like him," Jinx said, raising an almost defiant eyebrow. "I'm the only one who has to like him."
Vander growled, slightly annoyed by Jinx's defiant attitude. He just hoped that when Powder grew up it wouldn't be so much like that. He'd have a lot of headaches.
Jinx rolled her eyes as the two of them walked toward the harbor. She couldn't look back without seeing them, the idiots who called themselves 'jinxers,' their followers, admirers, or weirdos. They had surpassed their level of being weird and now almost imitated her style of dress. Of course, it wouldn't look as good on them as it did on her, but they tried. They were especially annoying but a great help; they were always the first to volunteer to do any job Sevika offered them, whether it was paid or not. Idiots.
The docks had been repaired thanks to them, unfortunately. But they did a good and quick job.
"Now that you're here, where did these guys come from?" Claggor asked curiously, not noticing that Jinx flinched at the sound of his voice.
The blue-haired girl squeezed her thighs tightly together, trying to avoid any reaction that might frighten her children. She just had to hold on. She was good at that.
"I don't know, after I sent the grey to Piltover they showed up with their stupid blue hair and trying to copy my style, obviously they can't." Jinx said blowing on a strand of hair. "They are like rats, they multiply when you look away."
"I mean, they're good for repairing Zaun, right?" Claggor shrugged, giving the adult version of his little sister a small smile.
His smile made Jinx's heart ache, how much she had missed her older brother's gentle smile.
The enforcers had been so annoying, but at the same time, they hadn't. She didn't know what Caitlyn was planning, but it was strange. They were surrounded, yes, but they weren't going deep into Zaun. Maybe they didn't know how to navigate the fisures, or maybe they were afraid of what she would do. She didn't know, but it was very odd. Still, they never skimped on violence. Several Zaunites had either been followers of her or were beaten, arrested, and killed on the borders between Zaun and Piltover. The aforementioned Piltie freedom and goodness did not exist for them.
"That's not true." Caitlyn dared to say, it hurt her to hear how badly they spoke of a place as noble as Piltover despite having seen and heard everything its people had done, it was still her home.
The room felt static as Jinx turned to see Caitlyn who looked at her trying not to flinch. Jinx wanted nothing more than to punch that woman who had dared to point her stupid sniper at her daughter. Had she hurt Caitlyn? Yes. Did she care? Not really.
"You, like most pilties raised on silk and gold, don't know that the reason Zaun is destroyed is because of Piltover's ambition." Jinx said, crossing her legs without taking her eyes off the other blue-haired girl. "You don't know what it's like to eat leftovers, breathe toxic air, live among garbage just because some rich fools thought we were their garbage dump."
"It's true, I don't do all those things, but does that justify Zaun's violence against Piltover?" Caitlyn asked, feeling that no matter what she said, she would lose, but she had to try.
"You're so stupid, cupcake." Jinx said standing up from her seat causing Caitlyn to stand up as well. The two stood face to face, though Jinx had to lift her head to see the idiot. Why was everyone taller than her? She hadn't seemed that tall when she'd kidnapped her.
"Zaun didn't start the... Cycle of violence," Jinx said the last part bitterly. "It was you, it was Piltover, treating us like less than shit on the ground. We can't even get a good education because Zaunites aren't allowed in your prestigious academies. You kill us in the streets, torture us, and rape us. Do you think we started this?"
Caitlyn remained silent, trying to think of an answer, but she didn't have one, not after everything she had seen and heard. The pain of knowing that Jinx had killed her mom was still there, but when they left this place, she would surely be home with her mom and dad. Instead, Jinx and the Zaunites would return to a Zaun destroyed and robbed of its resources by Piltover. At the end of the day, it was all a cycle of violence, one taking this, the other taking that, and so on, an endless cycle of violence and death.
The taller woman nodded in agreement with Jinx's words and headed to her seat next to Vi.
Jinx thought they'd fight or at least argue, but the fool gave in so easily that she was disappointed. She rolled her eyes and returned to her seat.
Sevika, although she wanted to act against Piltover, had told her that it was better not to do anything big for now; they were still recovering from the grey and the after-effects of them.
"What effects?" Benzo asked, not really wanting to know the answer. He didn't like thinking about his people dying.
Jinx played with Beni's little fingers who kept babbling to Ekko, it was so cute, it seemed like he knew Ekko was his dad.
"Many became ill, coughing and vomiting. Some died from the grayness in their lungs. Their wounds festered and became infected easily." Jinx said, trying to distract herself with her son. "It wasn't a pretty sight. A lot of old people died, and some... children."
Caitlyn felt like she had been kicked in the chest, what her older version had done had caused a lot of damage, she killed people. The worst part of all was perhaps that Caitlyn... That version of her wouldn't recognize the damage she had done, would never realize how many lives she ruined. That in the end she was no better than Jinx.
The economy had fallen more than she expected since the prohibition and removal of shimmer from the market as a drug. It was a blow she had expected but she didn't think it would affect them so much. She was still working on the shimmer as medicine, although small portions worked it was still addictive and she didn't want that anymore, so she had to keep working. Small portions of shimmer as a recreational drug, such as in small vials or even made into cigars as Kayn had done, sold very well. It was a more viable option that helped addicts. Well, helped is a bit of a strong word, but it did give them a less addictive option with the same flavor, so to speak.
Silco felt annoyed at the same time that he was proud of his daughter, the shimmer was something that he and Singed worked tirelessly on, but her daughter was managing to get it off the street with work, but she was doing it. The shimmer was an option, the only option he saw as possible to get money into Zaun and into his own pockets. And yes, it wasn't a good choice, but that really didn't matter.
Ekko felt a deep pride and at the same time anger but towards himself, he always felt that the firelights should have done more for Zaun. That the lost cannon of Zaun, daughter of the dealer of that drug, was the one who took it off the streets was a small blow to his ego. However, his pride and love for Jinx were immense, certainly bigger than his ego.
The owners of brothels, gambling houses and bars came on their knees begging for that kind of shimmer, she had a great time getting as much money out of them as possible. From then on, every two weeks they had to come with their heads bowed and a huge bag of gold to obtain their productions. Kayn and she had the laughs of their lives.
"It was obvious it would happen," Silco said with a proud smile. "Rats are always running for a few meager crumbs."
"You should have seen it, Daddy," Jinx said excitedly. "You would have loved to see that bunch begging."
Silco, with warm eyes, responded to her, "I'm sure you had fun."
"What do you think they look like?" Kayn asked when they reached the docks.
The ships were docking, they were huge and Jinx just wanted to hop on one and set sail. She wanted to see the world, see Bilgewater or Ionia, maybe even Noxus. She loved Zaun, but she wanted more. She dreamed of going with Isha and traveling, seeing sea monsters and buying as many trinkets as possible. Maybe they could see the Shuriman Desert or the cold wastes of the Freljord, oh she wanted to. Or even see the magic of Ixtal.
Jinx felt like crying, she would probably never do that, she would never leave Zaun and her daughter would never be able to see the world, they would stay here.
Silco remained silent trying to process his daughter's thoughts, he never knew she felt that way. He felt like he had somehow chained Jinx to his side, to comfort his own pain, his own insecurities, his own traumas. By doing so, he had taken away his daughter's freedom and perhaps she hadn't realized that they were both dependent on each other and that was why she didn't leave.
Ekko leaned so close to Jinx that his lips brushed against her ear, making her shudder. "We could take the kids to one of those places, if you want."
Jinx looked at him, her eyes shining with excitement, her heart pounding at the thought of leaving with the people she loved most. "We could."
There was still a lot to fix between them, but for now everything was fine, they could pretend.
She took a deep breath, trying to focus on her main task today: getting the pirates to like her, gaining an alliance, and getting gold from them. Simple.
"I just hope one of them has an eye patch or a peg leg," Jinx said, watching her men keep a close eye on her. Of course, they weren't going to leave their boss helpless against big and evil pirates.
"Big, evil pirates?" Mylo muttered incredulously to Jinx. "You're scarier than them."
Jinx's momentary happiness faded at her brother's words and Ekko, realizing this, couldn't help but want to hit him.
"If they have a parrot, I'm going to laugh, I'm warning you," Kayn said with his usual arrogant smile.
"And if they have it, will it talk? Oh, I want to hear it," she said excitedly.
"I've always wanted to see a pirate," said little Ekko excitedly, bouncing in his seat.
Powder looked at him with a smile, she was also excited to see the pirates.
"You were adorable." Jinx whispered to Ekko with a small laugh making him blush.
"Am I not adorable anymore?" Ekko asked, acting offended even though he had a smile. Jinx wanted to kiss that stupid smile off him.
Kayn opened his mouth to answer when a large wooden ladder fell from the ship hitting the dock and from there came down a tall woman with large curls of bright red hair with a white shirt and a black corset that highlighted her bust, black flared tight pants with several leather belts with a pistol on it and worn leather boots. On her head was a large pirate hat.
The teenagers opened their mouths in surprise at such a woman.
"I think I'm in love," Mylo murmured, entranced.
"Me too." The teenage Vi whispered, fanning herself with her hand.
The adult Vi and Caitlyn could only stare at the pirate woman, surprised by her beauty.
Jinx smiled, looking fondly at the redhead who had become a good friend.
All the pirates at her sides bowed their heads to her and Jinx felt like she might faint.
"You didn't tell me she was a woman," Jinx whispered to Kayn, almost stuttering.
"I didn't know that," Kayn whispered back.
Jinx could only stare in shock as the woman walked toward them. She felt breathless.
She could almost see how ridiculous she and Kayn looked, gaping in awe at this beautiful, beautiful woman.
She felt extremely small as the tall woman stood in front of them with her crew following behind her.
"Gods, why the fuck do I look so small?" Jinx complained grumpily.
"Language." Vander chided her, making Jinx look at him amused. "The kids are going to repeat it."
"What kids?" Jinx asked, crossing her arms. "Those two monkeys are already swearing when you're not looking." She pointed at Powder and little Ekko. "And Isha... She's a good girl, she obeys me."
She didn't want to say out loud the real reason why Isha wouldn't swear vocally.
Isha with a small laugh looked at her mother and made a sign with her hands causing Ekko to choke on his saliva and Jinx could only laugh.
"What did she say?" Vander asked suspiciously.
"Jinx, what did I tell you about teaching Isha those things?" Silco asked with a serious face although his eyes shone with amusement.
Jinx just laughed before beckoning Isha over, who ran into her mother's arms. "Isha, we talked about this. You shouldn't say things like that."
Isha nodded with a small laugh.
Jinx hugged her before whispering in her ear, "You go on. When we get home, I'll teach you more insults."
Isha laughed, moving her little feet and resting her head on her mother's chest.
"You must be Jinx. I've heard so much about you," the woman said, her voice velvety smooth and making Jinx weak in the knees. No one had ever made her feel that way, only Ekko.
"What?" Ekko asked, realizing that maybe he should be more jealous of that woman than that idiot Kayn.
"Y-yes." She cleared her throat, trying to erase her stutter. "That's me, and you?"
The woman smiled amusedly. "I'm Sarah Fortune, but everyone calls me Miss Fortune."
Jinx raised her eyebrows. "I sense a theme with our names."
"It seems so." Miss Fortune said with a crooked smile, looking her up and down, Jinx suddenly felt shy.
"Fate." Jinx said, playing with Isha's small curls.
"We can go talk somewhere more private, your crew can tour Zaun with my men," Jinx told her, having to raise her head to see her, her green eyes staring at her.
Miss Fortune nodded and turned to her crew. "You heard her. I don't want any trouble, do you understand?"
The entire crew responded affirmatively before Jinx's men led them toward Zaun's trading district. They would direct them to exactly where they could spend their money.
Kayn nodded to her before silently retreating. He would watch from the shadows, ensuring Miss Fortune didn't do anything to her. He knew Jinx could kill the taller woman if she needed to but he just wanted to make sure nothing happened to his best friend or the baby.
"I think I like Kayn better than the woman." Ekko muttered listlessly. He had too many people after his girl. He understood. She was beautiful, but she was his.
"Is that Kayn's power?" the adult Vi asked. "Shadows?"
Jinx nodded, that was part of her best friend's powers but she wasn't going to mention it.
"Let's go," Jinx told her before starting to walk towards The Last Drop, her boots echoing against the stone streets of the underground city.
Miss Fortune stared with curiosity and fascination at the murals, the intricate buildings and sites. The layers of the city. How bright it was despite being so far from natural light.
"It's more picturesque than I expected."
Jinx looked at her out of the corner of her eye, watching the woman look at a mural of her where she was practically personified as Janna's bird.
"It's beautiful," Caitlyn murmured, peering at the art of Zaun, such a shattered place and yet beautiful in its own strange way.
"Yeah, I guess everyone expects Zaun to be a dump."
"I didn't, but I didn't expect so much color." Miss Fortune said with a small smile, watching some Zaunites nod their heads at Jinx, who ignored them. The Zaunitas style was very unusual and creative, all filled with tattoos, piercings, and dyed hair. Aside from the robotic parts on some—arms, legs, and even jaws. She was impressed.
Jinx smiled proudly for her people, the Zaunites were unique and survivors, that made them strong.
"Oh, we have plenty of that here," Jinx said before reaching The Last Drop. Her men guarding the gate nodded to her and opened it. She entered with the other woman following her.
Miss Fortune looked around the bar, admiring the wooden floor, the leather and metal seats, the jukebox, and a small stage on one side. "It's a nice place."
"Thanks, my parents built it," Jinx said, sitting down in one of the bar chairs. There would be more shadows here so Kayn could move easily between them.
Miss Fortune sat in front of her looking at her, inspecting every part of her. They both remained silent for a moment just looking at each other, Jinx would not be fooled by her beauty she knew it was a weapon, she had also used it many times.
The redhead broke the silence. "It's a pleasure to meet the fearsome Jinx."
"Fearsome?" She raised a curious eyebrow.
"Yes, there are horror stories about you in Bilgewater, although I thought you'd be taller." Miss Fortune said with a small laugh, making Jinx frown.
"I thought you were a man, I guess we were both wrong," Jinx replied sharply.
"Your height is a needle to prick you with, isn't it?" Mylo said with a small mocking laugh, Jinx just ignored him trying to concentrate on the drawings Isha was making on her arm.
The redhead smiled amusedly. "I've heard what you're capable of. I like the fire they say you have."
"I didn't hear much about you, nor was I interested to be honest."
"I like your honesty. If we're going to talk that way, that's fine by me." Miss Fortune said, taking out her gun and placing it on the table between them. "Let's be honest, Jinx."
"Please don't fight," Ekko almost begged Jinx, he knew she would be quite capable of it.
"Who do you think I am?" Jinx asked him, winking at him, causing him to frown at her.
"Let's be honest." Jinx smiled at her, pulling the gun from her belt and placing it next to the redhead's gun. "If it were up to me I would never have asked for help, but Zaun is in desperate need."
"It seems we're in a similar situation. My land hasn't seen a good mechanic or inventor in a while. There are some who are handy, but they're not very good." Miss Fortune said taking the gun from Jinx looking at the drawings and runes on it with curiosity. "Your letter was unexpected but welcome. I understand what it's like to be seen as less than trash and crushed by people who think they're your superiors. We are very different from very different lands but I think we could be a good alliance."
"If they need weapons they found the right person." Silco said looking at Jinx who gave him a big smile.
Jinx looked at her, trying to detect if the redhead was lying in any way, but there was nothing. They were two women in times of need, determined to do what was necessary for the good of their people.
"I didn't think it would be this easy," Jinx said, a little puzzled. "I thought maybe we were going to argue and stuff."
"It was anticlimactic," Jinx said, helping Isha with a drawing. "I would have preferred a couple of screams."
"That kind of thing is for men, women like us don't need to argue or fight to understand each other." Miss Fortune dropped Jinx's gun on the table and took the blue-haired girl's right hand, startling her. She looked curiously at the metal finger with a happy face.
At that moment Ekko noticed the metal finger in Jinx's hand, his anger towards Caitlyn only grew.
"Women like us?" Jinx asked, blushing slightly.
"Women like us." The redhead intertwined her hand with Jinx's. "Strong, powerful women who aren't afraid of consequences. Beautiful."
The tall woman winked at her, and Jinx smiled genuinely. Many people told her that, but this was the first time in a long time that she felt beautiful.
Ekko sighed before feeling one of his dreadlocks being tugged lightly, he realized he hadn't tied them when he woke up and Beni was now playing with them.
"Now that we've got that out of the way, I think we should discuss the terms of our alliance." Miss Fortune's fingers ran over hers, and Jinx realized how small her hand was in comparison.
"We can discuss it in my office," she told the redhead, standing up from her seat, her knees trembling slightly.
Miss Fortune nodded with a small laugh and followed her upstairs to the office.
"Did you fuck her?" the adult Vi asked helplessly, earning a small smack from Caitlyn.
Ekko narrowed his eyes at Vi. "Can't you shut up?"
Jinx laughed without answering the question.
"So how did it go?" Sevika asked as soon as she saw Jinx enter the house.
The blue-haired girl's makeup was slightly smudged, but she had a big smile. "Aren't I the best queen Zaun has ever had?"
Sevika raised an eyebrow at the pregnant young woman's appearance. "You're the only queen Zaun has ever had."
"And that's why I'm the best, silly," Jinx told her, sitting next to her on the couch with her legs spread. "Bilgewater is officially our ally, and not only that, we have recognition from another country. Do you know what that means?"
Silco gasped unconsciously, his heart filling with warmth. He looked at his daughter, who was already looking at him, waiting for his reaction.
Jinx shook Sevika's good arm excitedly. "A country has officially recognized us. That means we're a country. So you're in the presence of the queen of the Great Nation of Zaun."
"Is Zaun officially a country?" Ekko asked in surprise.
"Well, not on paper, but to the world, yes." Jinx said softly, not taking her eyes off Silco.
Sevika looked at her impressed with her eyes shining with emotion and Jinx didn't expect it but the older woman hugged her tightly. Jinx let herself be submerged in the hug, Sevika was like a mom or sister or aunt, maybe she was all at once but she was the closest thing to her dad at this moment.
"He'd be so proud of you," Sevika whispered, still holding her close, causing Jinx's eyes to water. She hoped that was true, and that not only Silco would be proud, but Vander too.
Silco stood up, walked over to his daughter, sat down next to her, and looked at her. For a moment he saw the little girl with patchy blue hair running around with a stuffed bunny hanging from her belt, the little girl who decorated his notebooks and ashtrays, his little girl. His greatest pride.
He brought a hand to his daughter's dirty, tangled hair, brushing it away from her face. He caressed her cheek. "I'm proud of you."
Jinx's eyes quickly filled with tears, those words she missed so much, desperately needed. "Dad."
"I'm a proud father," he said, placing a kiss on her cheek.