Chapter Text
I felt shuffling against me, almost too constant to keep sleeping - isha was waking up. “Hey kid, you awake?”. Isha rubs her eyes and faces me, nodding her head the slightest bit before slumping into my lap. “Rise and shine, we’ve got a long - and busy - day ahead of us. Fortune cookie said vander was getting a whole lot better”. Viktor was actually getting more and more positive results with Vander’s recovery every day. It was the best news jinx had heard in weeks and she never felt more hopeful. She couldn’t help but just think about how their future would be if Vander got better, if vi would stay or not. Jinx hadn’t had a chance yet to talk to vi, wasn’t planning on getting emotional anytime soon.
A light nudge on the arm brought jinx back from her thoughts. “Mama, lets go see wolf man”, isha signed. Jinx never bothered to tell isha who vander really was, so isha has to improvise and call him ‘wolf man’. If vander was conscious he’d be offended. Jinx huffed at the thought, before redirecting her mind to isha. “Yea okay lets go”
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Jinx really liked the atmosphere of fortune cookie’s cult. It was refreshing after all that shit in zaun. Not to mention how difficult it got to breathe after vi’s piltie gf decided to gas us. Up ahead isha was signaling jinx to hurry up and ran to vander. Strange how easily isha gets along with him. Inside vander’s healing chamber or whatever, it was humid, suffocating even. It’ll take some time to get used to. TinMan was at it again, using his healing magic on vander, while vander was grumbling in his slumber. “How far are we, Metalhead?”. Viktor didn’t look amused but isha giggled. “He seems to be regaining consciousness, although the beasts psyche is clashing. Depending on his overall progress, i could say there is a high chance of revival”, viktor replied. “Hear that, isha? Vander’s waking up. And pretty soon we’ll be able to play tag with three people!”, to that isha could only lighten up. Before jinx could make a joke on viktor’s stance, vi steps into the dome, hair all ruffled and eyes sleepy.
“Why didn’t u guys tell me you were coming here, wouldn’t i wanna see my old man too?, asked vi. “Sorry vi, isha was getting too excited so i couldn’t come over and wake you”, or maybe i didn’t feel like walking over to her hut. Anything is better than a grumpy big sister. Isha seemed to catch the lie cause she was trying to hide a laugh. “Hey, whats with those soldiers outside the gates?”, vi asked viktor. “Noxians, here for a weapon. Nothing you need to worry for”, viktor shrugged. Noxians? All the way here? What weapon does viktor possess for the brutes to come to his doorstep? “Hey isha, wanna go noxian watching?”, isha nodded and quickly picked up her hat before catching up with jinx.
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“Slippery as an eel”
Isha was always good at sneaking. These softie metal people had nothing on her. “I knew you could get it”. Zapper, jinx’s gun. The cult didn’t allow weapons but who’s jinx without her gun. Isha settled in next to her, watching the noxian soldiers try to enter the cult. It wasn’t until this morning that jinx had a musing about life after isha fell into it - quite literally. Where would she have been if isha hadn’t fallen from the sky that day. “Had some time to think lately - catching isha’s attention - ever since you dropped into my life, its like i put on glasses. Except i cant tell whether everything’s blurry or, clear.” Isha meant so much to jinx, not a day did she spend without the sidekick right next to her. Partners in crime and whatnot. Jinx realized she drifted off and didn’t want to get all emotional on the kid. “Wanna hear a dumb joke? A sentimental ex con a giant furball, and two of piltover’s most wanted, walk into a weird cult. Here comes the punchline.”
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Jinx wasn’t sure what was going on. One second she was hugging vander with vi and isha, the next she hears horrifying screams outside the dome. The giant globe viktor usually meditated in was blown to pieces. And the cult members were.. dying? A roar shook jinx back to reality. It came from… vander. He was roaring and shrieking, lava oozing from every crevice of his body. What happened to him? He was fine just a- she cant lose him again. Jinx watched him in horror and kept isha close. She was losing her father again, what is she supposed to do. They were supposed to be a perfect family. No no no not again- please not again. Jinx’s head felt like it was caving into itself.
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War broke out.
Jinx wanted vander to just- just come back to her, to be the father she missed so much again. “Vander, please!- no don’t hurt him! Vand-“, before she could finish, vander swung his massive claw, knocking jinx aside with a force that sent her sprawling to the ground. Jinx couldn’t do it, couldn’t find the strength in her to get up. She’d lost her father again. Vander was no longer in the beast. And she couldn’t do anything about it. She was so tired, tired of losing everything over and over again. Tired of not being able to be happy. She didn’t want to lose vander again- how could she be so stupid to think fate would let her be happy. Stupid to have so much hope.
Jinx caught a glimpse of brown hair running across the battle field. Isha was running, running towar- why was isha running towards the beast? She was holding zapper and three gemstones- realization hit her like a tidal wave, overwhelming her senses and knocking the breath from her lungs. Isha was trying to sacrifice herself. It took jinx all the strength in her body to get to her feet, running as fast as her tired body would allow. So slow, why was she so slow. Adrenaline rushes through her as fast as lightning, if i can muster up all my strength i can bolt to her, she thought. She felt it, the shimmer bubble in her veins, heat in her eyes, electric waves sending shocks through her body. In the blink of an eye, she dashed forward, her super speed a blur, snatching the explosive gun from the little girl's grasp before it could detonate. Isha had pressed the trigger, jinx threw the gun towards the beast and grabbed onto the frail girl before barely escaping the explosion, the blast throwing her violently to the ground as she shielded isha in her arms. Despite the overwhelming force of the impact, she gritted her teeth, doing everything she could to protect the child from harm, even as the world around her seemed to shatter.