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"Finally back! These days have been tough." Justin exhaled deeply, collapsing onto the sofa as soon as he got home. He had been running back and forth between the Upper City and the Lower City three times over the past few days and was utterly exhausted. "Ugh..." Jinx was about to jump onto the sofa with Justin but suddenly sensed something was off. Having lived here for five years, Jinx was particularly sensitive to the space she and Justin called their own. Any slight change wouldn't escape her notice. For instance, two tiles in front of her should've been a trap, but now… it seemed triggered. Jinx looked up and indeed saw two unfortunates. "Oh ho..." the girl was expressionless, but her pupils shook like an earthquake.
"What is it?" Justin gave her a questioning look. Ordinarily, this girl would be sprawling on the sofa with him. "Nothing, I just want to reinforce the trap at the entrance!" Jinx replied with a cheerful smile. "That way, when bad guys come by, we can get rid of them!"
"Don't do that, what if it hurts one of us? Isaac fell right into it last time."
"Alright~" Jinx stuck her tongue out and then said, "I'm hungry! Go make dinner!"
"Alright, alright..." Justin sighed, climbing off the sofa and sluggishly trudged to the kitchen, fiddling with pots and pans. He was still preoccupied with Vi's situation and didn't notice anything unusual. Vi had a dream where she lay in a lake, the water slowly covering her ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and eventually engulfing her whole body. She couldn't struggle, couldn't breathe, merely watched herself sink to the lake's depths. The water was icy and piercing, an unfathomable despair weighed down on her, constricting her entire body like unyielding shackles. Sunlight could no longer penetrate the surface; the last gleam of light was about to fade away. Just then, Vi suddenly saw a familiar face pierce through the water, through the darkness, approaching with warmth and light. However, as the familiar face neared, her eyelids began to involuntarily shut. No! No! Let me see her, let me see her! Unable to bear the suffocation any longer, Vi desperately opened her mouth and shouted her name:
"Powder!"
The shout startled her awake. It was just a dream... Vi opened her eyes forlornly, and the person in front of her appeared vaguely familiar. "Powder?" Vi looked in disbelief at the girl before her. She had changed so much! "Not Powder, I'm Jinx." The girl gave a big smile, though her eyes carried no joy.
"Powder! I came back to find you!" Vi strained to lean forward, realizing she was tied up: "It's me, I'm Vi! Your sister!"
"You finally came back to find me—bringing Piltover's enforcer along!" Jinx's blue eyes swirled like a stormy sea. Vi suddenly noticed she was tied up with Caitlyn and hurried to explain: "It's not what you think! Listen to me!"
"Psst... keep your voice down! Justin is still cooking, don't disturb him!"
"Yes, Justin! He knows I've been in prison all these years and finally managed to break out..."
"Then what's with this enforcer? Did she 'break out' with you?" Jinx knew Caitlyn; there was some bad blood between them.
"Caitlyn... it's complicated..." Vi's mouth had always been clumsy, and now in her excitement, she truly didn't know where to start. "Let me go first, and I'll explain slowly!"
"No way! Justin said to be wary of everyone around you."
"But I'm your sister!"
"Sister? Do I have a sister?" Jinx showed a puzzled and innocent expression: "I only know I have a brother who loves me very much... What's a sister?"
"Powder, stop messing around..." Vi also knew her mental state wasn't normal and shouted, "Justin! Justin, where are you? Come and help!"
"Shut up!" Jinx, like a cat with fur standing on end, suddenly pulled a gun from her skirt and pointed it at Vi's head. "I told you, Justin is cooking! Don't disturb him!"
"Powder, how did you become like this…" Looking at the erratic girl in front of her and feeling the cold muzzle on her forehead, Vi suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Was this really the sweet and lovely Powder from childhood?
"Because of you, my dear sister!"
"Ah, should I get an exhaust hood or something…" Justin was busy cooking. Originally, he didn't know how to cook, but after eating at Vander's and tasting the dishes of the Lower City, the body of not-yet seven-year-old Justin started learning to fend for himself, eventually becoming quite the "chef." Although his cooking methods and ingredient amounts were random, it was still better than the dark dishes of the Lower City.
"Never mind, the outside air might not be cleaner than the kitchen smoke." After plating the garlic and pork stir-fry, Justin decided to make another pot of soup. Considering everything that had happened recently, it was time for a good meal and some rest.
While Justin was washing vegetables, Jinx sneaked into the kitchen like a cat, tiptoeing up behind him. When Justin turned around, he was nearly scared to death.
"Whoa... you scared me! Why are you here? The food's not ready yet. If you're starving, have some biscuits first."
"Justin."
"What's going on?" Justin suddenly had a bad feeling; the mysterious look in the girl's eyes made his hair stand on end.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
"Um..." Looking into Jinx's blue eyes, Justin nodded. "Yes."
"What is it?"
"Don't want to tell you."
"Alright~" Jinx seemed quite satisfied with his answer and skipped out of the room.
"This girl, she's really sharp," Justin thought she figured it out on her own and smiled wryly. Better find Vi soon; maybe he could give her a surprise.