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At night, the border river sparkled, unusually calm under the soft glow of the moonlight.
A small boat skimmed across the water ripples trailing behind.
"This is my business. Why are you here?" Jinx grimaced, her hands gripping the oars as she paddled.
"No matter how the story unfolds, every tale needs a witness," Seraphine replied, seated cross-legged on a floating hoverboard.
A serene smile graced her face as she lightly tapped the water with her toe, sending ripples across the surface.
Jinx huffed and spat into the water, turning her head away in frustration. Eventually, the boredom of rowing got the better of her, and she grumbled, "Is that your wheelchair? I've never seen you come down from it."
"This? No, this is my stage," Seraphine said, gesturing to the platform beneath her.
"I sing and dance on it. It's part of my story. Just like..."
She paused, pointing to the small stuffed monkey hanging from Jinx's belt.
"That little guy is part of yours."
Jinx's eyes narrowed, her tone sharp.
"That's not just a toy! It's art. A must-have tool for explosions!"
Seraphine laughed, flipping her vibrant pink hair playfully.
"Well, my art is about making people hear my voice."
"Che, kids these days," Jinx muttered, shifting her gaze toward Piltover's distant shoreline. She leaned on her oar, her expression pensive.
"So, where are we going? Got a way to get past the coastline without running into trouble?"
"There's always a soul that sings the quietest route," Seraphine replied with a mysterious smile.
As if on cue, her hoverboard began to glide swiftly toward Piltover.
After a while, they arrived at a quiet, deserted dock.
"Where are we?" Jinx asked, hopping off the boat. Her eyes scanned the abandoned pier, curiosity flickering on her face.
She wasn't worried about Seraphine trying anything funny.
After all, she had her gun Pow-Pow—Zaun's finest invention—slung across her shoulder.
"This is Michea Port," Seraphine explained as her platform hovered beside her.
"It's been abandoned ever since the Hextech Gate brought about the age of airships."
As she spoke, Seraphine began humming a gentle tune, her melody carrying through the still air.
Jinx followed, clutching her Gatling gun tightly as her sharp eyes darted around the shadowy dock.
"This place gives me the creeps. Let's get this over with. And don't think I'm letting you crash at my place if we take too long."
Seraphine chuckled, her platform speeding up as they made their way into Piltover. The city was eerily quiet, save for the occasional patrols of enforcers.
Jinx groaned as she followed.
"This place is even weirder than Zaun. Do you even know where Vi is?"
"I don't," Seraphine admitted, her voice low.
"But I'll know soon enough. Just trust me."
The two moved stealthily through the city, weaving through alleys and avoiding patrols. Seraphine guided them with uncanny precision, her every step deliberate and quiet. Finally, they reached a sprawling manor.
Perched in the shadows of a sturdy tree, Jinx squinted at the estate.
"You sure Vi's here?"
"I'm not sure," Seraphine admitted.
"But I've heard this place belongs to Kiramman family. It used to be the Kirammans' vacation home, but after their old house was destroyed, this became their residence. Mrs. Kiramman's still recovering in the hospital, so it's just Caitlyn here now."
Jinx clicked her tongue, leaning back on a branch.
"Tch sounds like a perfect target for Sevika. Still, Caitlyn, huh? That's Vi's partner, right?"
"Partner, Boss, maybe something more," Seraphine teased lightly, earning a glare from Jinx.
"How do we get in?" Jinx asked, her mischievous grin betraying a hint of impatience.
Her hand hovered over her weapon, the massive contraption ready to shift into a rocket launcher.
"There are enforcers everywhere. Should I make some noise?"
Seraphine arched an eyebrow, her tone calm but firm.
"No need for that, little troublemaker. Close your eyes. It's my turn to shine."
Jinx smirked, patting her weapon affectionately.
"Fine, but if Vi's inside and you mess this up, don't blame me when everything goes boom."
Seeing Jinx's expression darken, Seraphine carefully added,
"You don't want to see her again after all these years, as corpse do you."
For the first time, she regretted bringing Jinx here.
It would have been better to bring Sister Orianna.
Even though Katarina's soul song echoed faintly nearby, it couldn't drown out the discordant melody of Jinx's soul. It unsettled her.
"And what genius plan do you have?" Jinx snapped, her voice dripping with irritation.
Jinx thought about it for a moment, begrudgingly admitting that the pink-haired girl had a point.
If Vi really were in the manor… the thought of that encounter sent a shiver down her spine.
"Fine," she muttered.
"What's the plan, songbird?"
Seraphine smiled confidently. The hoverboard glowed with a soft pink light as she began to hum a melody, almost inaudibly.
Jinx suddenly felt a wave of sound wash over her, a disorienting tune that made her head spin. She swayed slightly, blinking hard to keep herself from passing out.
A few minutes later, Seraphine gave her a light pat on the shoulder, snapping her back to reality.
"What the hell did you do?" Jinx asked, her tone both accusatory and intrigued.
"I gave the guards a pink dream," Seraphine replied with a wink.
"Now, let's go in."
Without waiting, Seraphine used her floating board to vault gracefully over the manor's wall. Jinx followed closely behind, landing with a soft thud on the other side.
Inside the manor, Jinx nudged the unconscious guard at the gate with her boot, marveling at Seraphine's peculiar abilities.
In the past few days, she'd been reading Viktor's books.
Most of them were about explosives—her favorite subject—but she'd learned a bit about Runeterra's weird talents, too.
Seraphine was clearly one of those gifted individuals.
Still… no matter how talented, no one could outmatch her when it came to blowing things up.
Tightening her grip on the rocket launcher strapped to her shoulder, Jinx's expression returned to its usual cocky smirk. Seeing Seraphine beckoning her from the shadows near the wall, she strode over confidently.
Just as she reached Seraphine's side, a voice echoed from inside the manor—one Jinx could never forget.
"Cupcake, it's not surprising Jayce has those kinds of ideas. Didn't we plan to handle it ourselves from the beginning? Just the two of us."
The voice was older, more mature than she remembered, but it was unmistakably Vi's.
Cupcake? Just the two of us?
Jinx's grip tightened on her rocket launcher, her eyes flashing with fury.
Vi still didn't understand, did she? If the pink-haired child hadn't stopped her earlier, she would've blasted the whole place sky-high by now.
But for once, Jinx wasn't in a rush.
With a dark expression, she leaned against the wall beside Seraphine, straining to hear the rest of the conversation.
"How could he think that?" came another voice—feminine, sharp, and indignant. It was Caitlyn Kiramman.
"A bunch of criminals in Zaun, Viktor, who destroyed my home, and Jinx, the Loose cannon… I think he's just covering for his old partner."
Loose cannon
Jinx couldn't help but let out a chuckle. That was a title she could live with.
Caitlyn's voice softened slightly. "But it wasn't his father who died. Of course, they're all thinking about Piltover first. Not everyone here is like that, though."
Vi's voice turned blunt and unfiltered, as always.
"You can vent to me, Cait, but don't bring this up in front of your mother. The Council is useless right now. Do you have a plan?"
"I've said it before," Vi replied, her tone growing colder.
"Piltover's way doesn't work. In the end, fists solve problems. We find Silco and Viktor—and we end them."
Even through the thick walls, Jinx could hear the cracking of Vi's knuckles.
Jinx smirked, her eyes glinting with mockery. Vi hadn't changed one bit—still clinging to her fists like they were the answer to everything.
Her foolish sister didn't realize how much the world had changed.
Seven paces away, Jinx could blow Vi's head clean off with a single shot.
And if Vi thought Jinx couldn't handle herself in close range… well, then her dear sister would be in for a very rude awakening.