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

Blinded By The Light 2​

"Ugh. The things I do for Zaun and Piltover..." I flipped through another page of the driest history book I'd ever forced myself to struggle through. If I was serving as some kind of unofficial diplomat to Demacia it only made sense to make sure I knew about the place I was dealing with. Not that I'd been completely ignorant of the world outside of Piltover and Zaun, but for most of my life it hadn't been high on my priority list. Nobody in Zaun cared about international politics when they were worried about not getting wrapped up in a gang fight or where their next meal was coming from.

Though when it came to food Demacia might actually matter more than anyone in Zaun realized. Zaun and Piltover had a lot of people but not a lot of farmland, and while we could get some stuff for ourselves with our fishing fleet we had to trade for stuff like grain. If we could work out a new trade deal with the Demacians it would bring the price of bread down. Or at least stop it from going up more than it already had.

That just left me with the minor problem of figuring out how to play my part in making that happen. It didn't help that the more I read about the place, the less I liked them. "Ugh, freaking Dumbassia is just the worst."

"I do hope you'll know not to call them that to their face," Mrs. Kiramman remarked, making me practically jump out of my chair. I'd thought I was alone in the library. She chuckled and took a seat next to me. "Was there anything in particular you don't care for, or do you just dislike them in general?"

I grimaced down at the book I'd been reading. "I was just reading about the mageseekers. They sound like pretty massive jerks." It made me feel a bit weird about the fact that a couple of the tools we'd used in the early Hextech days had been designed by them. Thankfully we were far past the early days of needing to improvise with existing technology.

"Some of the rumors about their activities are rather concerning," Mrs. Kiramman agreed. "I'm sure you understand why groups like that exist, though. Not all magic or magic-users are bad, but in the hands of people who can't control it or mean to use it to hurt others it is simply too dangerous. If you're reading Demacian history, I'm sure you also know that their kingdom was founded by people fleeing the devastation of the Rune Wars."

"Yeah, but a bunch of mages being jerks in the past is no excuse for hurting people who didn't do anything wrong," I shot back. I wanted to point out that Seraphine had turned out fine despite her magic, but that was still a secret. I was pretty sure Mrs. Kiramman hadn't bought my whole story about how her flying light show was some new Hextech device, but she also hadn't reported Seraphine to anyone. I didn't wanna risk breaking whatever unspoken deal we had in place by bringing it out into the open. Besides, even if she'd mostly gotten her magic under control, sometimes she still got a bit overwhelmed.

Mrs. Kiramman was probably thinking about that too judging by the way she sighed and gently squeezed my shoulder. "There are a lot of things other nations do that I don't like. The Noxians are brutal conquerors who think they have the right to crush anyone and anything that stands in their way, and I'm sure you've heard that Noxus invaded Tobias's homeland. I sit across the Council table from Mel Medarda even though her mother was part of that invasion. Do you know why?"

I shrugged. "Because you don't have a choice?"

Mrs. Kiramman chuckled. "Well, I suppose that's also a factor, but it's not the only reason. It's because Piltover stands for something. We're the city of progress, a place where people can be safe from the troubles of the outside world, but that refuge is much more tentative than people realize. We're a rich trade port and hub of innovation, do you really think not a single warlord has had their eye on our city since it was founded? Piltover exists in a careful balance with the outside world, managing our relations with our neighbors and trade partners to ensure that we're always more valuable as a neutral trading partner than as part of someone's empire. If that requires smiling and going to Mel Medarda's parties while pretending none of her wealth came from plundering my husband's homeland, I'll grin and bear it."

I grimaced as I drew the logical conclusion. "And it means that if we need food from Demacia, we have to just put up with whatever they do to their mages."

Mrs. Kiramman grimaced and nodded. "Yes, it does. Sometimes working in the realm of international trade and politics means accepting unpleasant realities. We can't do anything to change Demacia's laws. Trying to pressure them on the matter would probably just lead to them cutting off trade with us completely. Not that the Council would ever risk our trade relations to stand up for the rights of mages in the first place. What we can do is make a new trade agreement to bring down the price of bread for our people. Sometimes we have to pick our battles and focus on the things we can actually fix."

"So we just have to accept this shi—garbage?" I growled and waved a hand down at the book.

Mrs. Kiramman took a deep breath. "Sometimes. Compromise where you can, but where you can't ... don't. We'll tolerate Demacia's treatment of their own mages because there's nothing Piltover can do about the matter. An embargo would probably hurt us more than them, and the only way we could change their laws is to invade them outright, which we simply don't have the population or resources for. I'd hardly say supporting Noxus against them would be a change for the better either, they're only more tolerant of mages because they see magic as another tool of conquest and subjugation." She fixed me with a pointed look. "That said, if Demacia were to attempt to export their values to Piltover we would draw a line in the sand. There may come a time when we need their food less than we need to take a stand for what's right."

I let out a sigh and slowly nodded along. Sure, maybe we couldn't pick a fight with Dumbassia over magic now, but that didn't mean we just rolled over and let them do whatever. She was probably right about the practical reality of it all. Piltover couldn't invade anyone, and I didn't think the average Piltie or Zaunite would be willing to pay more for bread just to protest how Demacia treated their own people, especially when those people were mages.

Mrs. Kiramman smiled. "I know you can do this, Jinx. The Council wouldn't be asking you to take this on if they didn't believe in you. Your performance in the Academy and your interest in politics was bound to get you noticed sooner or later. Though while we're on the topic of the Demacian visit, preparing all the documentation and ceremonial bells and whistles did bring something to mind that Tobias and I had already been discussing, in regards to your future."

Well, that sounded ominous. I defaulted to my usual response whenever things started sounding like that. "I didn't do it."

Mrs. Kiramman chuckled and shook her head. "Relax, Jinx, this is a good change. Or at least, I think it could be. Formalities matter to the Demaciansm, so this might be the time to address things we've left unspoken." She cleared her throat. "Or at least broach the matter. I hope you understand that you are not simply a houseguest here, but a part of this family in every way that matters." She started rubbing her hands together, almost like she was nervous or something. "When preparing the paperwork for the upcoming meeting one of the scribes recorded your name was Jinx Kiramman. I wanted to correct it, but the rest of the Council thinks it's harmless, and any explanation would overcomplicate things."

She was almost rambling. Was she actually nervous? That was a first. "In any case, it occurred to me that perhaps we could move forward with that. With you being Jinx Kiramman. Obviously I'm not presuming to erase your old family or your history, but I would like to make you a part of my—of our family in a more formal way. Assuming you have no objections to being adopted, of course."

"Oh. Um..." That was ... a lot. Sure, people had called me a Kiramman before or joked about the Kirammans being my parents, and they'd basically filled that role for the last four years. You could say filling out a couple of forms to make it all 100% official was just a bit of paperwork formality, but it sure didn't feel like a small thing.

What would Mom and Dad say? Or Vander? Would they be happy that I had good people like the Kirammans looking out for me, or mad that I'd got taken in by topsides who'd played a part in every bad thing that happened to Zaun? For all I knew, Mrs. Kiramman had been one of the people on Council responsible for sending the Enforcers to break up the protest where Mom and Dad died. I could probably find the answer in the Council archives, but I'd never found the guts to look it up. I was scared I'd see something that would ruin everything I'd built with them.

Mrs. Kiramman smiled and squeezed my hand. "Take some time to think it over, Jinx. It's a big decision. Though I'd ask you to hold off on speaking with Caitlyn about it, that's a conversation all of us should have together."

"Yeah, uh… okay." I rubbed the back of my head, feeling profoundly awkward. "I'll do that thinking about it thing."

Guess it was time to see if my nightmares tonight were about my dead parents being mad at me for leaving them behind or the Kirammans kicking me out for saying no to adoption. Or Mylo, Claggor, and Vi blaming me for killing them, that one was a classic. Knowing my luck, it would be all of them.

---

It turned out I was wrong. Instead my dreams featured myself in an epic battle against some big bad guy called The Bloody Barber while a pretty catchy background theme played, which somehow later turned into a vampire sex dream. Gonna have to cut down on the spicy food before bedtime. Or have more of it, maybe. Weird-ass dreams were better than trauma nightmares.

In any case, I was awake and presentable in time for the Demacian delegation's arrival. At least I didn't have to dress up too fancy this time, all my hard work at being an eccentric inventor who never followed the rules had really paid off. Half of them were probably just glad I'd put on clean clothes instead of turning up in an outfit covered in engine oil stains. In my defense, Jayce and Viktor did that kind of thing too, it was just part of being an engineer.

To complete the look I'd brought my toolbelt with me, including Zapper. It was technically a tool, after all. I could use it for spot welding and soldering. Blasting bad guys with lightning was just a happy little side effect, even if that was the only function that the hexgem powering Zapper wasn't gross overkill for. It didn't break any of Jayce and Viktor's rules against weaponizing Hextech. Technically.

The Demacians turned up in an old-fashioned sailing ship instead of an airship, which just reinforced the idea that they were a bunch of outdated traditionalists. I could see Salo poorly hiding a smirk as he watched the ship approach, while Hoskel openly scoffed. Which I got, it looked pretty crude compared to a Piltoverian airship. Still, the Piltie habit of meeting new people and immediately trying to figure out a way to believe you were better than them wasn't something I wanted to pick up. Demacia might not have all of our tech, but five guys with a sword could beat one guy with a gun, and Demacia's numbers were higher than that. All that farmland meant they never had to worry about having enough food, and apparently one of the other traditions they believed in was having lots of farm wives popping out a new kid every harvest season. I didn't see the appeal, but it did give them plenty of manpower.

After what felt like way too much waiting around the ship docked and people started coming out. The bodyguards came out first, probably so everyone knew these people were important enough to actually merit guards. Sure, we had plenty of Enforcers around securing the docks, but I couldn't blame the Demacians for trusting their own people more than ours. Though it hard not to point out that their people were all dressed up in steel armor and carrying big halberds, while our Enforcers had guns. Once a dozen big armored spear guys came out the envoys exited the ship, accompanied by a ton of the requisite hangers-on.

Naturally there was a ton of pomp and ceremony to go through to welcome the visiting envoys before I became relevant, so I was stuck standing around waiting for all of that. Heimerdinger and the rest of the Council members had to say something. Well, most of the Councilors, since Mel was sticking to the background. Probably because the Demacians and Noxians had just gotten into a fight, so she wouldn't make a good impression.

I took the opportunity to study what I presumed had to be the girl I was supposed to make friends with. There weren't any other people my age in the group, after all. The fact that she was my age, but somehow taller and better built than me just seemed unfair, despite four years of Piltie food I was still skinny enough that I looked like a stick figure. I'd ask what they put in the water to make girls in Demacia grow like that, but considering the whole water treatment plant I'd built I knew the more likely culprit was what we put in the water. Then again, Caitlyn came out tall too, so maybe I was just unlucky. Could just be our genes, I was about as tall as Vi'd been when she ... when I lost her.

Like the rest of the Demacians she had armor on, though in her case it was just a breastplate instead of a whole suit of armor. The fact she somehow made armor part of her outfit along with a white skirt and dark blue leggings made me wonder what kind of tailors they had in Demacia. She also had a sword at her side, which was somehow both kinda cool and another reminder of how backward her kingdom was.

She had blonde hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to be studying everything around her with open curiosity. They caught mine, and I realized I'd probably been staring at her like some kinda weirdo, even though it was totally normal to be a bit curious under the circumstances. I was gonna be spending the next couple of days trying to get along with her, after all. Thankfully, instead of being weirded out by my staring she just smiled at me, subtly raising one hand and awkwardly twitching her fingers in an inconspicuous little wave.

After what felt like forever, everyone finally got done showing each other how they were all Very Important People who recognized they were talking to other Very Important People, and Cassandra waved me forward. Once I was at her side she rested a hand on my shoulder, smiling proudly. "Lord and Lady Crownguard, this is Jinx. She's offered to keep your daughter company while you're visiting Piltover."

Said daughter immediately stepped forward, smiling so brightly that I could swear her face was glowing as she extended a hand. "Hello. I'm Luxanna, but my friends usually just call me Lux."

"I'm Jinx." I took her hand. "My friends usually just call me Jinx." A second after the words left my mouth I wondered if maybe the first thing I said shouldn't have been making fun of her. Though really it was her own fault for being so bright. And tall. And blonde.

Thankfully my attempt at humor got a faint chuckle out of her, which meant it was okay. Everyone knows you can't be mad about a joke that makes you laugh. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Jinx. I have a feeling we're going to be very good friends. So what did you have planned for us?"

"Well, I didn't get to pick everything on our schedule," I felt the need to establish right away that spending an evening at the opera house was not my idea, that was something the Council had set up for her whole family to show off our high culture. "I thought you might want a bit of time to settle in, but then in the afternoon we could check out the water treatment plant, and then I could show you my workshop."

Mrs. Kiramman spoke up, though more to the Crownguards than either of us. "Jinx played a huge part in the construction of the Grayson Plant, which helps provide clean water to everyone in Piltover and the undercity. It's fair to say it wouldn't exist without her. She's also at the top of her class at the Academy."

Ugh, she was gonna make me blush if she kept that up. I wasn't used to getting that kinda praise in public, especially in front of a bunch of swells like these.

Lux's mom smiled, though it didn't look anywhere near as bright and cheerful as her daughter's. "It's nice to see that some of Piltover's elite also believe that wealth comes with the privilege to give back to one's community. I've heard that far too many of Piltover's better families preferred to selfishly indulge themselves." Her eyes flicked across the harbor, towards the Zaunite side of things.

Mrs. Kiramman's smile froze on her face for a moment before she answered. "I can't speak to what you've heard, but the Kirammans have always believed that we should give back to our community. It's a pity that sometimes that's not enough to fix every problem."

"Hmm." Lady Crownguard's eyes shifted back to us. "In any case, Lux also knows the importance of charitable works. She's been dedicating much of her free time to the Illuminators, helping the poor and less fortunate in Demacia."

Lux nodded along. "There are too many people struggling to survive. If I have the power to help them, I should."

"That's cool." Assuming she actually meant it. From the way her mom had been talking she was more into charity for being seen to be all noble and generous than because she actually cared about anyone. There was plenty of that in Piltover too, rich jerks who'd give money to some kind of charity project, but only if they got their picture in all the papers and a building named after them. Their money also tended to dry up pretty quickly after they were done looking good.

I got back to our agenda. "After the water treatment plant, I thought I could maybe also show her a few of the things I've invented. I think they're pretty cool, at least. Then one of my friends has a band that's performing at her school, the first time they've done a big show like that. I wanted to go see it anyway and thought you might want to come along. It'll be a chance to hear what kind of music we have that doesn't come out of an opera house."

"Sounds like fun," Lux agreed, her smile back with blinding force. "Though actually, as long as we're setting the agenda, I was wondering if perhaps I could make one small addition to it. I know the Illuminators don't have a presence in Piltover, but I'm sure you still have people who are poor and suffering." Her eyes flicked towards the Zaunite side of the harbor. "Do you think it would be possible to visit your undercity and do some work? Normally when I'm with the Illuminators we like to distribute food and supplies to the less fortunate. I understand there might be a few differences in Piltover, you don't use firewood as much as many Demacians do, but that just means we can work together to design the perfect aid package!"

"Oh, uh..." Well, that was a bit of a wrinkle. My first instinct was to say yes, handing out free food to people in Zaun when the price of food had been a big problem sounded like a great idea. Really, the only problem with that plan was making sure we didn't get mobbed by hungry Zaunites, but we had security for that, plus I could work with the Firelights to keep things from spiraling out of control and stop people from fighting over food.

The only problem was that I was pretty sure nobody on the Council wanted Lux running around Zaun, especially the really poor and dirty parts of it where people who needed help the most were. It wasn't exactly the image that The City of Progress liked to project. Not to mention the risk of something bad happening. Even with whatever kind of security we took with us there was a much higher chance of something happening than if we stuck to nice bright clean Piltover.

Then again, now that she'd asked, it'd look bad if we said no. I wasn't gonna shoot her down outright, but I could always waffle about needing to clear it with the Enforcers or something, and let them slap a bunch of restrictions on us. Or I could say to hell with them, and probably make everyone a bit annoyed by showing Lux some of Piltover's ugly side. Especially if we weren't doing it with a ton of Enforcers backing us up and keeping anyone who didn't look nice enough from asking for help. If she wanted the real Zaun experience, why not just let the Firelights handle things?

---

Current Stability: 0
Willpower: 2

[ ] Clear it With The Enforcers First
Issues: Daughter of Zaun (-1), The Other Side of the Pilt (-1), Powder (-5)
Failure Result: Jinx Comes Across as Not Caring About Charity

[ ] Make a Firm Commitment to Visit Zaun
Issues: Trauma (-3), Abandonment (-3), The Other Side of the Pilt (-1)
Failure Result: Jinx Annoys the Council by Overstepping

[ ] Ditch the Guards Completely, The Firelights Can Handle Security
No Roll Needed

[ ] Even Better, What If We Snuck Out and Went to Zaun in Disguise?
No Roll Needed

Willpower

[ ][Willpower] Spend Zero
[ ][Willpower] Spend One for +3 to Rolls
[ ][Willpower] Spend Two for +6 to Rolls

It is fun to have properly chaotic Jinx actions get the bonus of no roll needed. Granted, that doesn't save you from consequences, it just means Jinx doesn't have immediate stress over it. But what negative consequences could possibly come from sneaking out to the slums with the daughter of a diplomat?