Vi stopped in front of a small building, hidden behind a row of alleys and crumbling walls. The place seemed surprisingly quiet in the din and bustle of Zaun.
"We're here," she said, turning to Sirion with a small smile.
He looked around. The street in this part of the district was almost empty, which was rare. There were no shouts of merchants, no clanking of metal, no distinctive hum of the crowd. The building in front of them looked old, as if it had been abandoned for a long time. The broken windows were boarded up, and there were a few peeling symbols painted on by the entrance.
"What is this place?" he asked, trying not to show his slight confusion.
"Our place," Vi answered, waving her hand for the others to enter first. "No one will find us here unless they really want to look."
Powder happily slid past, followed by Mylo and Claggor. Ekko paused for a moment and looked at Sirion, as if inviting him in.
"What, scared?" Vi chuckled, noticing his confusion.
"Not scared, just…" He paused, still looking around the old building. "Just trying to figure out how you found a place like this."
"It's a long story," she replied and opened the door, motioning for him to follow her. "We'll tell you if you want."
Sirion followed her inside. It was cozier than he'd expected. The walls were covered in odds and ends: paintings, old maps, and in the corner were a couple of shabby sofas and a table with a few chairs. All of this gave the place a homey feel, despite its shabby state.
The room was spacious, if a little cluttered. In one corner stood an arcade machine, familiar to Sirion from the show. It was a boxing training setup: a machine with spring-loaded boxing gloves and soft pads for punching sat in the center of a makeshift ring. It appeared to have been hand-modified to award points for each successful dodge or clean punch. Sirion remembered Vi practicing her skills here in the show; perhaps this machine had helped her develop her signature style.
In another corner were several arcade machines that looked like a cross between the gaming machines from his world and local inventions. Some of the screens flickered from power surges, but the machines worked and, judging by the marks on the buttons, were popular.
Further away was a shooting range. The wall was covered in targets, and the floor was lined with boxes of homemade pistols and slingshots. Sirion remembered that this was the place where Powder had wiped Mylo's nose in the show, demonstrating her shooting prowess. Her marksmanship and ability to use scrap materials to create weapons were clearly born here.
The central part of the room was equipped for relaxation. A couple of old but comfortable sofas stood around wooden tables, which were slightly tilted due to the uneven floor. Here you could relax, have a snack, or just talk. A few scattered pillows and blankets created a cozy feeling.
"Welcome to our headquarters," Vi announced, gesturing with her hand at the room. "This is where we relax, train, play, and sometimes even sleep."
Sirion looked around. This place was imbued with the spirit of freedom that he so lacked in Zaun. Despite the homemade and shabby state, it looked surprisingly alive and cozy.
"Headquarters," Sirion repeated with a slight smile, looking around. "Well, not bad."
"We sometimes sleep here," Powder added, smiling encouragingly at him. "When Vander is angry with us or when missions end late.
"Sounds... practical," he drawled, sitting down on an old but still sturdy chair.
"Get used to it," Vi said, sitting on the corner of the couch. "You're part of the company now. And that, by the way, is a great honor."
Sirion laughed quietly, although he began to doubt again. Getting involved in their world meant becoming part of their lives, and that was dangerous for everyone, including himself.
"Aren't you accepting me into your company a little too quickly?" Sirion raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking around the room with a careful gaze. Vi smirked, sitting on the edge of one of the sofas and crossing her legs.
"We are not judges or politicians here. We see that you are normal, and that is enough. And Ekko approved of you, and he is a guy with good instincts."
"Yeah, a real great expert" Mylo muttered, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "Okay, let's see how long you last."
"Don't listen to Mylo. He always does this, but he's not that bad, really" Powder, standing next to the arcade machine, smiled and waved her hand in Sirion's direction.
"That's debatable" Sirion muttered, smiling slightly, but then thought about it. Their simplicity and ease were a little confusing.
"So" Vi continued, standing up and patting him on the shoulder "Relax, Sirion. We are not enemies here. Just be yourself. And if something is wrong, you can always leave."
The words sounded easy, but there was some sincerity in them. Sirion nodded, looking at her confident face. It seemed that she really was used to relying only on those who were close to her.
"Okay, I'll accept your rules of the game" he finally said. "Although all this is still strange."
"We have a lot of strange things here, get used to it" Claggor responded, twirling one of the targets in his hands. "Have you never been to our level of Zaun or something?"
Sirion only grinned, but said nothing. In fact, he did not know what to answer. Too many questions, too few answers.
Vi grinned and motioned for Sirion to follow her. The others had already scattered to their own business: Powder ran to the arcade machines, Mylo and Claggor settled down at one of the tables, starting to discuss something.
"I'll say it again. Welcome to our little corner," Vi began, leading him to a makeshift ring with an arcade boxing machine. "This is my territory. This is where I practice punching. I see how you're looking, don't you want to try?"
Sirion shook his head with a slight grin.
"No, thanks. I'm more into quiet work."
"Ha! You'll change your mind later. Okay, let's move on."
She headed to the other side of the room, pointing to the shooting range with targets.
"This is where our little one," she nodded towards Powder, "spends most of her time. And you know what's funniest? She's got a brilliant eye." Shoots like a dream. Mylo is pissed, of course, because Powder beats him here every time.
Sirion glanced at the shooting range, noticing the bullet holes on the wooden panel behind the targets.
"You're not exaggerating?"
"Ask her yourself," Vi grinned, winking.
Then they approached the corner with the arcade machines. Some of them looked half-disassembled, but most were still working. Vi slapped her palm on the body of one of the machines, making it hum.
"We got these things for next to nothing. Ekko dragged them from some warehouse, and Powder and Claggor fixed them up."
"Impressive," Sirion said, genuinely surprised by how much time and effort they had put into this place. No less surprising was the fact that they had built it themselves. Finally, Vi led him to a couch and table in the center of the room.
"This is where we rest. Or, at least, decide what to do next."
Sirion looked around. The atmosphere of this place was truly cozy, despite its makeshift appearance. It seemed strange to him that in such a cruel and gloomy place like Zaun, these guys had a place to play, train, and laugh.
"So, what do you think?" Vi asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You know, this is much better than I expected," he replied, a little embarrassed.
"Of course it is!" she said proudly. "This is our place, after all.
"Of course it's better!" she said proudly. "This is our place, after all."
Sirion walked slowly up to the range, examining the targets. Everything looked homemade: the wooden stands that held the targets, the slightly skewed mechanisms that set them in motion, and the numerous bullet holes on the wall. It seemed like this corner of the room had seen dozens of intense matches. The targets - cardboard silhouettes and metal plates - were covered in dents and scratches, giving the place a sense of constant activity.
"Want to try?" a voice came from the side.
Sirion turned and saw Mylo. He was standing there, holding some strange pistol with a massive barrel, clearly made from scrap materials. He looked pleased, as if he was anticipating his own show.
"I'm not sure I can handle it," Sirion answered, carefully examining the weapon.
- Ha, of course you won't, - Mylo grinned, tossing the gun into the air and catching it deftly. - But I'll show you how it's done. Watch and learn from the master.
He stood at the line where the shooting began and held the gun out in front of him. His face became serious, even a little pompous. Mylo clearly wanted to impress.
- See that target with the red circle? I'll bet you... um, two pucks that I hit it on the first shot!
Sirion raised an eyebrow skeptically, but said nothing. Mylo pulled the trigger and the loud pop of the shot echoed around the room. The target wobbled, but the red circle remained intact.
- Uh... that was a warm-up! - he quickly added, shaking off his embarrassment. Sirion shook his head, barely keeping from grinning.
"Okay, serious now. Look!"
Mylo fired another shot. This time he hit, albeit not perfectly. The bullet left a chip on the edge of the target.
"Huh! See that?" he exclaimed, turning to Sirion with a satisfied smile.
"Yeah, impressive," Sirion said, trying not to let the sarcasm out of his voice.
"And you? Want to try it?" Mylo handed him the gun.
Sirion thought for a second. On the one hand, he had never held a weapon like this in his hands, and on the other, it would be strange to refuse now. He took the gun, feeling its weight pulling his arm down.
"Don't worry if you miss," Mylo said, clapping him on the shoulder. "No one expects you to be better than me!" Sirion just glanced at him, then picked up the gun, trying to hold it steady. He aimed at the same target Mylo had shot earlier. His heart was pounding slightly, not from fear, but rather from mild excitement.
He slowly pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot echoed in the room. When the dust settled a little, a small dent could be seen on the target, but not in the red circle.
"Well, almost," Mylo said, laughing. "Never mind, learn from the best!"
Sirion handed over the gun, smiling slightly.
"Yeah, I guess I'm not as good as you," he replied, his voice even, but there was a slight sneer in his eyes.
"Remember, newbie, I'm the best here," Mylo said proudly, twirling the gun in his hands.
Sirion looked at Powder, who was intently adjusting her own improvised pistol for firing. Her face was filled with intense concentration. He thought that the next round would probably be hers.
Powder looked at Mylo with a sly look, her eyes literally glowing with excitement. She put her gun down with a smile, walked around the counter and turned on some switch.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Mylo asked, noticing her maneuvers, but before he could even approach her, the shooting range came to life.
All the targets began to move chaotically, their speed and trajectories making the task more difficult. The neon lights around the perimeter lit up with bright lights, filling the room with bright colors that blinded and made concentration even more difficult.
"Oh, now it's serious," Sirion muttered, squinting and covering his eyes from the flashes of light.
Powder looked back at Mylo and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Learn the right way," she said cheerfully, picking up her gun.
Sirion watched her closely. Powder concentrated, her movements fast and precise, her eyes taking in every little detail. She began firing, hitting almost every moving target. The shooting range echoed with the rhythmic sounds of gunfire and the clinking of bullets hitting their targets.
"Oh, come on!" Mylo exclaimed, crossing his arms and frowning.
Powder didn't look away for a second. Her small hands moved with incredible speed and precision, firing in one direction and then the other. Even the smallest and fastest moving targets couldn't escape her sights.
"Ha!" she exclaimed, finishing the last target. She smiled and turned back to Mylo. "So, are you impressed?"
Mylo stood there with his mouth open, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.
"I… well, it was just luck!" " he blurted out quickly, but his voice sounded uncertain.
"Luck, of course," Powder said mockingly, raising an eyebrow. "How many times is that luck going to wipe your nose, Mylo?"
Sirion couldn't help but smile at her triumph. He saw the potential in her that would later become Jinx's destructive skills. Her face was just a girl, proud and happy that she could win.
"Okay, you beat me," Mylo muttered, finally giving in.
"What about you, Sirion?" Powder suddenly asked, approaching him with a gun. "Want to try?"
Sirion looked at the targets, which had started moving again as soon as she turned on the mechanism. Now they were moving even faster, and the neon lights continued to hit his eyes.
"Well, I don't know," he said thoughtfully, "I don't think I'm ready for such a test yet."
"And in vain!" Powder answered enthusiastically. "This is fun!"
"It's easy for you to say, you're a master," he grinned. She smiled, but his words seemed to flatter her.
Sirion paused for a moment, looking at the neon lights dancing in the dark room and the targets moving at a dizzying speed. His thoughts returned to what he was about to do. Did he plan to stay in Zaun? No. But the knowledge and skills he could gain here could save his life in the future. And if he was going to invent a gun, he should at least learn how to use it. And then he thought: he was going to create a gun, and he had almost no shooting skills. He needed to learn.
He took a deep breath, deciding it was time to put his doubts behind him. He turned to Powder, who was about to turn off the shooting range, and asked with a slight smile:
"Powder... Can you teach me how to shoot?"
The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise, her bright blue eyes shining.
"You want me to teach you?" she asked, shaking her head in the direction of the shooting range. Sirion shrugged, trying not to show his slight uncertainty.
"Well, you're the best at it," he said with a slight grin. "Even Mylo can't compete with you."
"Oh, that's true!" Powder nodded, lifting her chin proudly. "But teach? Hmm..."
She paused, putting a mock finger to her chin.
"Okay, as long as you listen."
"Deal," Sirion agreed, smiling.
Powder immediately perked up, climbed over the counter again, and picked up another pistol that was lying on the shelf. She examined it, checked the mechanism, and handed it to Sirion.
"Here, let's start with this one," she said.
Sirion took the weapon, feeling his fingers tremble slightly. He rarely held a weapon in his hands, and this feeling caused a mixture of excitement and caution.
"First of all," Powder began, "never let your finger rest on the trigger until you're ready to shoot. This is important."
She took his hand and gently adjusted his grip, showing him how to hold the gun properly.
"Relax, but be ready. And hold tight, or the recoil will surprise you."
Sirion nodded, taking in her every word. She turned on the targets at their slowest speed so he could try.
"Now take your time. See that big target on the right? Try that."
Sirion aimed, feeling his muscles tense. He took a deep breath and slowly squeezed the trigger. The shot went off, but the bullet missed the target.
"Oh, wrong!" Powder laughed. "But it's okay for the first time. Let's try again!"
She patiently explained to him how to improve his grip, how to steady his breathing, and how to focus on the target. Sirion began to understand that shooting was not just a physical process. It required concentration, patience, and confidence. Gradually, his shots became more accurate, and finally, he hit the target.
"I hit it!" he exclaimed in surprise, and Powder jumped up in joy.
"See, I told you it was fun!" she said, beaming with pride.
At that moment, Sirion felt that he was beginning to see Powder not only as the girl who would become Jinx in the future, but also as the person she is now - a sincere, kind, and amazingly talented child.