Chapter Text
In no circumstances Lux would have been sent here on any form of mission. Even since Piltover opened their innovative progress to magic, Demacia didn't want anything to do with them. There was a strict anti-magic sentiment in Demacia as well as against anyone who would dare use it and thus, all relationships with Piltover were now severed.
But it was exactly why Lux had to go there. Unlike most Demacian, the young Crownguard didn't view magic in a bad light- for the good reason that she was a mage herself. Hiding her magic since she was little, she lived in fear of exile or worst, execution. Even if she loved her homeland, she needed a break from hiding, she needed some adventure, some discovery.
And she already had a place in mind.
"Hmmm... Is it the right place?" Lux
wondered.
She looked once again at her made. It seemed like she was at the right place, yet, it didn't look like what she read about Piltover. The place was... in lack of a better term, gloomy. It felt polluted, poor, dirty... Not what you'd expect from the city of progress.
"Did something happen here...!?"
Lux heard a noise coming from behind her and immediately turned back. She couldn't see but there was something moving in the backstreet, lurking in the shadow, coming towards her. Instinctively she grabbed her staff, ready to defend herself.
But nothing prepared her for what she witnessed.
An impossibly huge monstrous rat came out from the shadow and rushed towards her. Lux winced at the sight but quickly reacted, lighting up her staff and sending a blast of light to the creature. She didn't aim directly at it but at its feet to scare it away, with success. The bright and blinding light seemed to have been enough to frighten the monster rat, which immediately return where it came from. Lux sighed in relief, putting her staff down.
"What in the world was this thing...?" Lux pondered.
"Eh, just a mutated rat, nothing out of the ordinary," answered a feminine voice. "Now, that on the other hand, looks quite interesting!"
Lux jumped and turned around when she realized the voice was coming from behind her.
There was a woman starting with great curiosity at her staff. She was shorter than her with long, blue electric hair tied in two braids. She looked awfully skinny and pale and her eyes shined in an unnatural pink colour. And as for her clothes, well... she wasn't wearing much. A lot of exposed skin revealing strange tattoos looking like blue clouds. A very weird-looking woman yet, not so unpleasant to look at, if Lux was being honest.
"H-Hey... I think I'm lost," Lux finally said.
"Huh-uh. Ya ain't from around here, I can tell. You're not from Zaun, and you don't seem to be from Piltover either. You don't give me those Pilties vibe."
"Zaun? This is Zaun? I... I was trying to go to Piltover," Lux said as she frantically look on her map. "I don't see Zaun anywhere..."
"Yeah, it's pretty recent. Used to be part of Piltover. Must be an old map you got there," the blue haired woman said, still looking at the staff. "What's this? That was some cool stuff you did right there blondie!"
By habit, Lux felt her heart skip a beat. If someone saw her use magic in Demacia it would have been a nightmare, but here, it seemed like it wasn't much of a big deal. This woman didn't seem frightened at all, quite the contrary at all.
"Oh, this? It's my-"
"Nevermind, I'll find out myself!"
And then in a split-second, the Zaunite grabbed the staff from Lux's hand and in an inexplicable superhuman speed disappeared from the mage's sight.
"What the... hey, come back here! That's mine!"
Lux didn't lose any time and quickly looked around, spotting the thief running on top of a building.
" How can she be so fast!? Some kind of magical enhancement? But I didn't feel any magic coming from her.. ."
It wasn't the time to wonder about that. Lux bent light and drew its speed to get after the woman, chasing after her. It didn't take long for her to catch up to her, jumping on the rooftop she was on.
"Give me back my staff!"
The Zaunite seemed surprised to see her there.
"Oh, hey Blondie! How's this thing work?" she asked nonchalantly.
"... Are you kidding me!? You stole it from me! Why would I tell you? Anyway, you can't use it." Lux answered.
"Huh? Why so?"
"Because it's not a weapon or some kind of device, it's a staff. A magic staff. It can only amplify magic. Only a mage can use it."
"So you're telling me... this thingy is completely useless to me?"
"Yes, so could you please-"
"And that you're a mage? As in, you do actual magic? Not like Hextech kinda magic, but real, actual magic?"
"Yes! Now could you please-"
"That's awesome! An actual mage, here in Zaun! Doing some pretty light stuff with a stick, like... a flashlight!" she exclaimed.
The Zaunite was gushing about it, still holding her staff. Part of Lux was happy that someone was appreciating her magic, but at the same time, she could do without the stealing.
"Now that you know this is no use for you, could you please give me back my staff?"
The blue haired woman looked like she was considering for a moment before she smirked.
"Nah, I don't think I will."
This little...!
"Why!? You literally just admit you can't use it!"
"Eh, if I was able to crack that Hextech blue stone, who says I can't get a hold of this magic stick thingy?"
Then, the Zaunite grinned.
"But if it's that important to you, I guess you'll have to catch me and get it back from me, Blondie!" she taunted.
Before Lux could even reply anything the woman was already running away. The mage clenched her fist, furious, and let light burst out of her body as she went after the thief at high speed. She always said she wanted adventure, to go on a quest and experience high thrill, well there she had it.
She jumped from building to building, chasing down the Zaunite, who was laughing maniacally like it was some kind of game. Without her staff Lux had a harder time focusing her magic but she could manage as long as she didn't need precision. She just needed to catch this damn mischievous thief.
" Just one spell should be alright.. ."
Still running after the blue haired woman Lux focused the light in her hand before throwing it at her target, casting a binding light at her.
It successfully hit the thief, but right when she was jumping between two buildings.
"Eh!?"
The Zaunite fell straight to the ground, much to Lux's worry. She might have wanted to catch her, she never wanted to actually hurt her.
Lux safely landed on the ground and rushed towards the blue haired woman. She was lying down, inert, her staff near her. Worried that she might be seriously injured Lux went by her side.
"I'm sorry! I'm didn't mean to hurt you!" Lux started to panic. "I miscalculated, I thought I would hit you before you'd jump. Are you alright?"
Lux noticed that there was some blood coming from the woman's scalp as well as some bruises on her body. Carefully she tried to check her vitals, but before she could, the Zaunite suddenly opened her bright, pink eyes and grabbed her wrist, a wide grin on her face.
"Aww, were you worried for me, blondie? How cute of you!"
Lux was relieved, but also somewhat concerned. How could someone fall from that height and act as if nothing had happened?
"Anyway, congratulation! You caught me!" the woman exclaimed as she handed her her staff. "Here's your prize, as promised, Flashlight!"
Lux looked at her, incredulous, before taking back her staff.
"Well, it was mine to begin with," Lux replied.
"And I took it from you! What you steal is yours!" the woman said cheerfully. "But as we agreed, you successfully catch me and therefore, it's now yours again!"
"I never agreed to such a thing..."
"But damn Flashlight, you got some moves! Never had I had someone who was able to match up to my speed before! And those lights, they are so... bright and shiny! So pretty..."
Yep, she was definitely ignoring her, completely in her own world. The Zaunite was really treating this as just a mere game, like she was some kid playing a game of tag. But to Lux, it was serious. She stole her staff, an important item to her, a gift she received from a fellow mage, something she needed to master her magic. And yet...
She couldn't deny she had fun. The pure adrenaline she felt chasing this woman down, the thrill of trying to catch her, it was all she lacked back in Demacia. The lack of excitement, the monotonous life, it felt like for a brief moment, just thanks to this woman, she could forget about it. Like she finally had a taste of this adventure she dreamed of for so long.
Then Lux noticed the blood now dripping on the Zaunite's face and grabbed some tissue she was carrying.
"You're bleeding. Let me take a look," Lux offered.
"Huh? Oh, sure."
The woman seemed thoughtful but didn't resist when Lux pressed the tissue on her forehead, gently wiping up the blood. The wound didn't seem serious but it was better to not let it bleed out.
"Why are you doing this?" the woman suddenly asked.
"Eh? Because you're hurt. And it's because of me."
That answer really seemed to puzzle the Zaunite even more.
"Ya really ain't from around here huh. Where are you from then? Rainbow and Sunshine land?" the blue haired woman teased.
Lux smirked at that.
"I wish. I'm from Demacia."
"Never heard of it."
"Well, I never heard of Zaun before, so I guess we're even," Luz said, finishing up cleaning the wound. "I realize I haven't introduced myself yet. You must excuse me, let's say I didn't really have the opportunity, considering you made me chase after you. My name is Luxanna. But you can just call me Lux."
"Lux. Huh. Lux," the woman mumbled before smiling. "I like that. The name's Jinx. It stands for Jinx!"
Jinx. Somehow, the same suited her. The perfect name for this mischievous little thief. Still a strange name to call you kid, Lux thought.
"Well Jinx, it was... nice meeting you, I suppose, but I should get going. I was on my way to Piltover-"
"Ehhh, why? What business do you get there?"
"None specifically. I just want to visit the city of progress I heard so much about. Ever since Hextech, Demacia cut all contact with Piltover. My homeland has a strict anti-magic policy so you can imagine how it feels like for a mage such as myself. I actually... kind of run away from home... temporarily. And Piltover is the last place I should be at, as well as the last place they would think I am."
This last part seemed to have caught Jinx's interest.
"I haven't taken you for a delinquent Blondie," Jinx teased.
"I... I'm not doing anything wrong! I'll go back to Demacia... eventually. I just... want to be myself for a while, be able to do magic freely without the fear of getting arrested, or exile, or worst..."
"Yeah, I get ya. The law does suck huh... And not being able to be yourself and accepted for who you are truly is the worst."
Lux wondered how Jinx could get it, but it really seemed like she could somehow relate to her. Not wanting to pry on her personal life, Lux didn't ask.
"Anyway, if going to Piltover is that important, I can show you the way," Jinx offered. "As another prize for catching me."
"Really? That'd be nice of you. I really am lost."
Jinx smiled in an enigmatic way.
"There's no need to thank me. I won't go to Piltover with you, but I do intend to go there soon... I hope we can play again then."