Chapter Text
Hope: Arcane Oneshot Fanfic
Jinx sat alone in the cold, heavy silence of her cell. She didn’t move. Plates of old food lay scattered around her in various stages of decay. She was hungry—she knew that on some level—but the gnawing ache in her stomach couldn’t compete with the sheer weight of the emptiness inside her.
Every time she tried to move, she saw their faces.
Mom...
Dad...
Mylo...
Claggor...
Vander...
Silco...
Isha... her Isha...
And finally, Vi. A lifetime of being the toughest thing on two legs, and Jinx had finally brought her sister low—just as she had always feared she would. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could feel was Vi’s rattling gasps after the explosion. All she could smell was burning flesh and leather. All she could hear was Vi’s breathy whimper of pain:
"I love you..."
It didn’t matter what Caitlyn said. Caitlyn tried to convince her to eat, telling her how well Vi was recovering, but all Jinx could hear was her sister’s voice, looping over and over in her mind, blood washing over her as Vi proclaimed her love even while suffering to save her.
"Jinx... you’re a jinx. That’s all you are and ever will be, you little monster," the voices hissed in her ears. She curled up tighter, nails digging into her skin as she cried out.
Please... please stop...
Ding!
Jinx’s attention snapped to the sound of the bunker elevator. She forced herself to sit up straighter, though she still hunched in the corner, trying to calm her breathing. Slow, measured footsteps echoed in the empty hall.
Closer.
CLOSER.
Finally, a man she didn’t recognize appeared. His hair was greying, but patches of color revealed a resemblance to Caitlyn. His tired, worn eyes betrayed his age, but he was dressed well. He dragged a chair over to the bars and sat down with a sigh.
He was quiet. Jinx waited—waited for words, for a bullet, for something. Finally, she couldn’t take the silence anymore.
"I realize I’m the only animal in this zoo, but mind telling me what you’re doing here... whoever you are?"
The man sighed. "My name is Doctor Tobias Kiramman. Does that mean anything to you?"
Jinx nodded slowly. "My sister’s Piltie princess is—"
"—my daughter, yes."
Jinx slid back into the corner, as tightly as she could. "Your wife..."
Tobias was still for a moment, then nodded. Jinx’s stomach dropped, and she turned away. "Whatever you came to do... please, just do it. I can’t. I can’t keep going like this..." she whispered, trembling.
He stood, and her heart began racing. She heard the jingle of keys and started breathing so hard she felt faint.
"Young lady, I am going to slowly sit down... and I am going to look at your hands. I am placing my trust in you now," he said quietly.
Jinx’s muscles locked with fear.
Hit him!
Kill him!
Escape!
The whispers began to scream—but then stopped, abruptly. Warm, calloused hands enveloped hers. Her breathing slowed, though terror still froze her in place. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the man she had wronged so deeply.
"My daughter tells me you prefer Jinx to your given name, Powder. Is that correct?" he asked, wiping the dried blood and filth from her cracked and torn fingers.
She nodded, too frozen to speak. She was certain she’d vomit if there were any food in her stomach.
"Hss!" she hissed as her hands began to sting. She tried to pull away, but Tobias held her hands gently, applying a soothing salve.
"I apologize—I should have warned you. My bedside manner is a bit dull these days," he said softly.
Jinx watched as he took out clean white bandages and slowly wrapped her wrists and hands. The movements were methodical, precise, and when he was done, her hands looked... they looked like Violet’s. A sob wracked her chest, and she scrambled away from him.
"WHY ARE YOU IN HERE?!" she screamed.
He didn’t move closer, just sat calmly. "How old are you, Jinx?"
She blinked in confusion at the randomness of the question. "Nineteen. Why?" she sneered, trying to summon hostility to push him away. She didn’t deserve his kindness.
"What is it telling you, Jinx?" Tobias asked gently.
She stared at him in shock. No one had ever been so direct about the voices before.
"It’s okay. You can tell me," he urged again, careful not to invade her space further.
The dark, shadowed cell was silent except for her ragged breathing.
"They’re only telling me what I already know... that I’m a monster. You know that better than anyone," she whispered, turning into the corner. "Just go. Your hands should be around my neck, not healing me."
Tobias exhaled slowly and leaned back against the cell bars, the door still open. "There was a time, not too long ago, when I might have tried to take you up on that."
Jinx laughed bitterly. "Well, what’s stopping you?"
"I see my daughter in you... and you in her."
Jinx turned to him, eyes wide. "Me and the princess? You’re joking."
Tobias smiled sadly. "Oh, a few months ago, I would’ve said the same. But after what you did, I wanted to understand. I thought that if I could grasp the creature who took my wife, it might make me feel strong again. So I asked around, sent feelers into Zaun. Would you like to know what I learned?"
He scooted slightly closer.
"I learned that you were a bright, inquisitive young girl who risked her life to save her family. I learned that you had a natural affinity for marksmanship and a budding inventor’s mind, even as a child. And I learned how the brutality of people like me plunged your world into darkness..."
He scooted closer again.
"And then I learned how, after trying to save your loved ones, you were left alone, afraid, and vulnerable. The wolf came for you. He fed you, clothed you, told you strength would ensure no one ever left you again—but he left you untethered, dragged you deeper into the dark. Until all you could see was the tower, the symbol of all that had been taken from you... and you lashed out."
Jinx sobbed, her chest heaving as he gently placed a hand on her knee.
"I am so very sorry for all that you have been through," he said, his voice breaking.
She threw her arms around his waist, crying harder than she had in years. How... how could he be kind to her, after everything? She felt his arms draw her closer as she sobbed until no more tears would come.
"I am so, so sorry," she whispered, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "I... I can’t... How can you even be near me?"
He patted her back gently. "Because we failed you... you, and every child like you."
They sat quietly until her breathing calmed. Eventually, Jinx raised herself to the cot, unsure of what came next.
Tobias stood, dusting off his pants, and stepped out to bring a plate of food, still warm and covered. He uncovered it and handed it to her. Beside it were two small blue pills.
"Eat at least some of it, and take those. They’re not instant; your body will need time to adjust. But they’re a start. I’ll make you a deal, Jinx," he said, hunkering down to meet her eyes. "In a few hours, Caitlyn and I will come down with a single guard to move you to Caitlyn’s chambers, where she’s been caring for Violet. You’ll have to stay there for now, but you can be with your sister and help her recover. Would you like that?"
Jinx was overwhelmed. "I... please, yes. I’ll do anything you want. Thank you so much."
He smiled as she swallowed the pills and took a forkful of warm chicken and rice.
"It’s time to start taking care of yourself again. You and I will meet twice a day for now. Maybe, eventually, we’ll work on silencing those whispers forever."
As her mind spun, she ate gratefully. Before leaving, Tobias turned back to her.
"You are not a monster, Jinx. As I understand it, you’re the only reason I still have a daughter. You gave me a chance to make things right. You saved my whole world."
Tears streamed down her face as she smiled, feeling something she thought she never would again: hope