Get Jinxed: A Tale of Mental Instability and Poor Decisions (Arcane/League of Legends)

My Name Is Jinx 4​

Seraphine spotted Mrs. Kiramman a second after I did, letting out a nervous yelp and all but hiding behind me. That made what I needed to do next pretty clear; there was no way I would sell out one of my friends, no matter what. One of the many pieces of advice I'd gotten for handling Piltie law enforcement was to just deny everything if they started asking questions. Mrs. Kiramman might not be an Enforcer, but the Enforcers worked for her and the rest of the Council, and Seraphine being a mage violated the Ethos. That was close enough.

"Hi Mrs. Kiramman!" I said a bit too loudly as I forced a smile onto my face. "You brought us snacks? Thanks!" I grabbed the platter and started quickly putting the sandwiches back onto it. After all, everyone knew that as long as food didn't spend more than ten seconds on the ground it was still good.

That seemed to snap her out of gawking at us, and she blinked and shook her head. "Pow—Jinx, what's going on?"

"Nothing." I placed the last of the sandwiches back on the platter. "Seraphine and I were just hanging out. She was telling me all about this song she heard. Did you catch her singing it? She's pretty good, isn't she?"

Mrs. Kiramman blinked a couple more times, then gently grabbed my shoulder before I could make my getaway with the food. "I saw lights, and it looked like she was flying."

"No idea what you're talking about." I hoped she would just drop it after that, but the way her eyes narrowed made it clear I'd need something more. I stuffed half a sandwich into my mouth to buy some time to come up with a new direction to take things, making sure to chew slowly to buy a couple more seconds. "Oh! I know what you mean! I was just messing around with a new Hextech thing. Sorry if all the flashing lights and floaty stuff kinda caught you off guard."

"Hextech," Mrs. Kiramman repeated flatly. "How exactly did you manage to create a Hextech device despite Jayce, Viktor, and I all agreeing that you shouldn't have unsupervised access to hexgems in your workshop? Are you trying to tell me that in less than a week you've managed to create a completely new Hextech device that can operate without any kind of power source?"

Crap. Well, I was committed now. "Yes."

She raised an eyebrow. "Can I see it?"

Double crap. "Uh, no. It's still an unstable prototype."

She stared down at me for several seconds, then let out a long sigh. "Are you sure that's what you want to tell me is going on here, Jinx?"

Finally a question I knew the answer to. "Yeah, pretty sure." Even a blatant, bald-faced lie was better than selling out Seraphine.

Mrs. Kiramman looked back and forth between the two of us for several seconds, and I could feel the sweat on the back of my neck. The Ethos was pretty clear that Seraphine needed to be booted out of Piltover for being a mage, and now I was probably on the hook for sheltering her. I was gonna miss my nice workshop and everything else, but I knew I was doing the right thing here. If it was a choice between having nice things and betraying one of my friends, well that wasn't a choice at all. I wasn't a snitch.

After what felt like an eternity, Mrs Kiramman let out a long, pained sigh. "Very well then. In the future I would advise you to be very careful about conducting any ... Hextech experiments with young Miss Seraphine. Hextech is still very new, and many people can't tell the difference between it and magic. We wouldn't want people getting the wrong idea, after all."

"Right. Of course." I swallowed. Was she actually letting us off the hook?

"Very well then." She nodded to Seraphine. "Enjoy the rest of your visit. I'm sure you'll both continue to be discrete and safe with any Hextech you work on together. Don't prove me wrong. I'm sure we would all hate the consequences if something untoward were to happen." She turned on her heel and left us alone.

Once I was fairly sure Mrs Kiramman was safely out of earshot I let out a relieved gasp. "I can't believe that worked."

"Did it?" Seraphine squirmed. "It didn't feel like she was planning on leaving us here while she went to get the Enforcers or anything, but as soon as she saw my ma—"

"Your thing," I cut her off. "Your stuff. Your little Hextech gizmo. We're not using the m-word." After all, we never knew when someone else might happen to overhear us.

"Uh, right." Seraphine ran a hand through her pink hair. "Anyway, it didn't seem like she was gonna find the Enforcers, but her song kinda went ... flat. Like she was trying to hide what she was really thinking and feeling."

"She is a politician." She probably knew how to lock her emotions down pretty hard. I'd only seen the Council once, but it didn't seem like a great place for anyone who wore their heart on their sleeve.

I shrugged. Whatever happened next, it was out of our hands. I took another bite out of the sandwich, actually taking a moment to taste and appreciate it this time. "Hey, these are really good. You want one?"

Seraphine sighed but took one of them. "How can you think about food after what just happened? We both nearly got exiled from Piltover! My stomach still feels like a bunch of knots tied around other knots."

I took another bite. "Still gotta eat."

---

By next Monday I was ready to make my move. I'd gotten all the little kinks ironed out with P-thwip and the weather was finally right for making the trip into the Zaun. By which I meant it was absolutely pouring down right now. One thing everyone in Zaun and Piltover had in common was not wanting to go outside while it was raining buckets, and getting into Zaun and over to Benzo's would go a lot smoother if I didn't have to deal with streets full of people.

Plus wearing a heavy cloak with a face-concealing hood was a lot easier to get away with when I could sell it as protection against the rain. Not that people trying to hide their identity was that unusual in Zaun, but it was a toss-up whether someone would leave you alone or decide to see if you were up to something they could make some scratch off of. After all, someone might be hiding their face because a chembaron had a price on their head, or because they were holding onto a big score and looking for a place to unload it.

Well, if anyone gave me trouble that was what I had P-thwip for. And if I ran into any of Silco or Sevika's crew, it would be the perfect opportunity for a little field testing.

I opened up the door to start my jaunt into Zaun, only to pull up short before I'd even started. Probably because Seraphine was standing in my doorway, wearing a bright blue raincoat and carrying an aggressively pink umbrella. "Hello, Jinx." She smiled at me. "Where are we going?"

"What the…" I glowered at her. "I thought you told me that you couldn't read minds."

She didn't seem phased at all by my reaction. "I can't, but I can hear the song in your heart, and guess what it means you're doing." She snickered "Plus it's pouring down rain, and you just opened your door wearing a heavy raincoat. You wouldn't be doing that if you weren't going somewhere."

"Maybe I just wanted to sit out in the rain for a bit," I lied on instinct. It had been good enough to get Mrs. Kiramman to drop the whole Seraphine thing, after all.

It was too bad Seraphine was too stubborn for that to work. "Then I'll sit with you. Or you could just bring me with you wherever it is we're going."

I sighed. "Fine." I couldn't afford to wait until the next time the weather was right for sneaking out. I didn't like waiting a week after Ekko's letter to make my move, and things weren't gonna get better if I waited longer.

At least her aggressively pink umbrella was big enough for both of us to fit under. "You might wanna get something a bit less flashy," I warned her. "Nobody's gonna notice when it's pouring down like this, but you're a bit too bright and flashy to really blend in once we get to Zaun."

Seraphine's eyes practically sparkled at the news. "We're going to see Zaun?!" Her voice was loud enough that I wanted to shush her, but that would just be even more noise. "I've always wanted to visit, but mommy and daddy would never take me. I know it's not completely safe, but it's where my family's from and I've always wanted to go."

I was about to make a crack about being her tour guide when a gloved hand settled on my shoulder, not exactly grabbing me but definitely firm enough to make it clear I wasn't going anywhere. "What's this about you going to the undercity, Jinx?"

I flinched, but forced a wide innocent-looking grin onto my face. "Hey, Caitlyn. Shouldn't you be having a cup of tea dry and inside to get away from all this nasty weather? That's what Seraphine and I were gonna do, while I told her about what it was like growing up in Zaun."

"I was having a cup of tea when I noticed your friend going to your workshop," Caitlyn answered with a tight smile. "I'm sure you'll understand my curiosity at that point, given the dreadful weather. I'd like to hear about Zaun too, and since I already have a pot freshly brewed it would be rude not to invite you to join me."

"Thanks, but I'm picky about my tea." I'd only had the hot leaf juice once, and when I tried it I wound up putting so much sugar and honey into it that everyone thought it would be hilarious to ask if I wanted tea in my sweetmilk.

I tried to slip out of her grasp, but Caitlyn tightened it just enough to keep me from getting away. "Please." She sent me a polite but sharp-edged smile. "I insist."

I groaned. If denying everything wouldn't work, it was time to try the next tool in my belt. "Okay, fine, we were going to Zaun. One of my friends is in trouble and needs my help."

"Wouldn't it be better to leave that to the Enfor…" Caitlyn trailed off, then sighed and shook her head. "No, I suppose not. Even leaving out your recent history with them, they're in no position to help the undercity right now. They lost too many people in that fiasco on the bridge, they're universally hated in the undercity, and even in Piltover a lot of people aren't happy with how things played out. Sheriff Grayson probably would've lost her job if not for ... if she hadn't.." Caitlyn grimaced and shook her head.

I could think of another reason nobody wanted to send the Enforcers into Zaun right now; the gang war. Right now everyone was fighting over the territory Vander left behind, and Silco was stomping out everyone else to secure his position. The Enforcers were probably fine with the gangs shooting at each other instead of them. The one thing that could stop the gangs from fighting each other was a bunch of bluebellies pushing into Zaun. The gangs and chembarons might all hate each other, but they hated Enforcers more.

However, Caitlyn bringing up Sheriff Grayson gave me an idea. It wasn't a very nice one, but I had a feeling it would work. "The people giving my friend Ekko a hard time are working for one of the people responsible for Grayson's death." It wasn't a lie. Vander might've killed her, but only because Silco set him up to do it.

Caitlyn's mouth hung open for a long moment before her lips narrowed into a thin scowl and she gave a single sharp nod. "I see. Give me five minutes, and I'll come with you."

---

I hadn't planned on taking a whole group back to Zaun, but somehow that was what wound up happening. At least Caitlyn managed to find a heavy rain cloak for herself, and a replacement for Seraphine's that was a bit less colorful. Not that I minded Seraphine's sense of style, but bright pinks and blues were not a good colorful choice for trying to look drab and not stand out. Kinda the opposite.

All the heavy rain was at least doing its job of keeping the streets clear. Barely anyone was around in Piltover, and the people who were running around were too busy trying to avoid getting soaked to spare any thought for us. That was probably one of the only things that didn't change when we crossed over into Zaun. Whether you were rich or poor, nobody wanted to be stuck out in the rain.

I took a couple of steps ahead of the others and turned around, smirking and spreading my arms. "Well, here we are. Zaun in all its glory!" I spread my arms out, taking in the muddy streets, hovels stacked atop each other in a tottering mass of fire hazards, and the pervasive scent of all kinds of nastiness and filth that the heavy rainstorm was somehow making both better and worse at the same time. "Don't drink the water."

Not even Seraphine's optimism could stand up to the sight of Zaun "It's ... well, it was one thing hearing Mom and Dad's stories, but actually seeing it for myself is something else. I wasn't expecting it to be so ... sad." She shivered and withdrew deeper into her raincloak. "How do people live like this? It's like there's so much misery, sorrow, and pain that it's soaked into the very stones. I—" She hissed and clapped her hands over her ears, reminding me of the time I'd met her at the zoo. Getting Zaun's song from up close and personal couldn't be fun.

"Are you alright?" Caitlyn reached out to her. "What's wrong?

I quickly stepped in to cover for Seraphine. I liked Caitlyn, but the list of people I trusted with the knowledge that Seraphine was a mage was one person long. Until Seraphine wanted to share her big secret, nobody else was finding out about it if I had anything to say about it. "She's probably just not used to the air down here. Though if you think this is bad, we better not go anywhere near the Sump."

"The air is rather ... pungent." Caitlyn grimaced. "I thought the ventilation system was supposed to keep the air in Zaun better than this."

I shrugged. "From what I've heard, it used to be a lot worse. Dad used to tell me about the Grey like it was some kinda monster that'd come to gobble me and Vi up if we didn't behave, and I know Viktor said it was pretty bad where he grew up."

Caitlyn frowned. "So this is what things are like after we installed the ventilation systems?" She grimaced and shook her head. "Unbelievable..."

Oh boy. If she thought this was bad, just wait until we really got into the thick of things. I kept us moving forward, headed for Benzo's. Thankfully our luck was holding, and we managed to get to his ratty old pawn shop without too much trouble. I'd been worried Silco would have people out on the streets looking for us, but either he didn't think I was worth the trouble or he couldn't pay people enough to put up with all the nasty rain. Probably the first one, really. He probably assumed I was just another dead body at the end of Vander's fight with the Enforcers. Sevika probably told him something like that to take the heat off her for letting me get away.

We managed to make it there without too much trouble, unless you counted the nasty sludge-y mud covering all of our boots. I was about to open the door to his pawn shop when I paused, some instinct honed by a lifetime in the Lanes warning me not to go in. I held up a hand to warn the others off and pressed my ear to the door. A second later I heard the unmistakable meaty thwacking sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Of course. The bad guys would know all the rain was a great time for them to make moves too. Nobody would be running around outside, and the dull roar of pouring rain would muffle any noise they made. I quickly moved over to Benzo's windows and wiped away just enough of the grime to look inside. It looked like Seraphine and Caitlyn were doing the same. What I saw made my blood boil.

Benzo was tied to a chair, his face already bruised and bloody, with Sevika standing over him. I pressed an ear to the window to make out what she was saying. "—wish it didn't have to be this way, old man. You know, I used to respect you. You're practically an institution down in the Lanes. Though maybe that's the whole problem. You're an institution, and right now we're shaking things up. The world's changing, and you need to make a choice. You can either get on board with Silco's way of doing things, or you can become another lost and forgotten relic."

Benzo answered by spitting blood into her face. "You backstabbing bitch. Vander trusted you, and you put a knife in his back and sold him to that sump rat and let him pour poison into his ear and down his throat." He growled and struggled against his bonds. "I never trusted that bastard. I knew he was bad news even back in the old days. The rest of us all believed in something bigger than ourselves. That Zaun deserved honor, dignity, respect, and freedom. All he wanted was to burn the world to the ground so he could rule the ashes. That's what you want too, Sevika? You wanna be the number one lackey in a—"

Sevika cut him off by punching him in the gut, doubling him over and leaving him wheezing. "All you old farts talk too much. You're all in love with your big ideas and the sounds of your own voices." She scoffed. "You wanna know what I believe in? Fine. I believe in fighting back against the damn Pilities stomping our faces into the mud. I liked Vander back when he did that, but he got old, fat, and comfortable. He could talk about how he cut deals with the Enforcers to preserve the peace or implement gradual reform, but that's not how things work. They didn't stop treating miners like shit because Vander was real nice and polite and said 'yes sir, no sir, I'd be happy to let you fuck me if you agree to use lube, sir.' The Pilties backed off on us because we fought back, and they got scared."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Things won't get better if we let the Pilties think they can buy us off by having the Enforcers stomp on our face a bit less hard, or they give the miners a two percent annual raise. That's not revolution, that's just them tossing us a few crumbs of bread to preserve the status quo. Silco's willing to fight, Vander wasn't. It's that simple."

Benzo scoffed. "You two were made for each other. Just a pair of mad dogs who don't care how many of your own you hurt as long as you can feel a little bigger than everyone else because you believe you're fighting back."

"Mad dog, huh?" Sevika smirked down at him. "Fine. You wanna see a mad dog, I'll show you a mad dog." She glanced over to the side, presumably at one of her goons. "Go get the kid. Benzo likes to think he's some kinda hero, he won't give a shit if we rough him up. But heroes like him always crack when you threaten someone else. What do you wanna bet he'll agree to play ball with Silco before we even give the kid a black eye?"

"Shit." I could hear Benzo shouting at her, but his words didn't even register. Sevika had Ekko, and she was gonna start beating him up just to get at Benzo. I had to do something. "Looks like we're gonna have a fight on our hands, ladies."

"A fight?!" Seraphine's eyes widened. "That's ... I don't..."

"Then find somewhere to hide." Caitlyn reached into her raincoat and pulled out one of the hunting rifles she'd shown me how to use. "I came here to get justice for Sheriff Grayson, and I'm not just going to sit idly by while these thugs brutalize innocent people."

That just left the question of how to do things. My first instinct was to kick in the door and use the element of surprise to take them all down before they even knew what was going on, but how likely was that to work? Sevika was pretty tough and had at least one person backing her up. If it turned into a straight fight between us and her ... well, I was no Vi. I couldn't out-brawl her. Still, we had Caitlyn's rifle and my P-thwip, which gave us a big advantage if they were relying on their fists to solve things.

Maybe I could draw them out into an ambush? That would buy us more space to work with than the close quarters of Benzo's store. Assuming we could pull them to a good place, which seemed like a big gamble. Sevika wasn't stupid—well okay, she was pretty stupid about most things, but she knew how to fight. She'd probably recognize someone trying to bait her into a trap.

What else could I do, though? Go get help? I was tempted to send Seraphine to do that, but she had no idea where to go or who to talk to. She'd probably just get herself into more trouble. Still, there had to be someone who wasn't okay with what was going on here. It was just a question of if we could find them in time to save Benzo and Ekko.

---

Current Stability: -4
Willpower: 0

[ ] Go in Guns Blazing
Fully Internalizes ??? ??? ????

[ ] Create a Distraction and Try to Draw Them Out
Fully Internalizes ??? ??? ????

[ ] Try to Sneak in the Back to Save Ekko Without Confronting Sevika

[ ] Try to Get Help